Chew Slowly Chapter 84

Chapter 84 Chapter 84

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The old Zen master stopped chanting sutras, and the monks also closed their eyes and meditated. Xu Qiaochuan watched in silence, feeling that he was far away from these people.There was no electric drill in the noise of Tallinn construction. Sensing this change, Xu Qiaochuanxia raised his head, but the lights in the chanting hall were still off.He tucked away his coat, got up and went out.

The electric switch of the Chanting Hall is too new and is incompatible with the old building.The meter box was opened when Xu Qiaochuan passed by.The switch in the hall tripped. He flipped it and found that he couldn’t push it up, and the leakage protector also tripped.

The distribution box is at the end of the corridor, and a monk and a worker are standing next to it, talking.Xu Qiaochuan went over to look at the dusty distribution box and didn’t pay much attention to what they said.The distribution box is very old and still uses old-fashioned blade switches.

“The construction site is connected to the electricity here, and now the drilling rig and water pump cannot be used.” The worker’s tone was a little impatient. This was the second time he went to the Buddhist chanting hall.

“Hey, it was repaired a few days ago, and it was fine yesterday.” The monk also had a headache. The circuit in the chanting hall was very old. It was repaired with great difficulty, but he didn’t expect it to break down again so soon.He took a glance and saw a young man staring blankly at the electric box. Thinking that the man was curious, he bluntly said that the electric box was broken.

Xu Qiaochuan nodded. There were traces of ignition on the switch blade. Several nearby wires were affected and the rubber sheath was burnt brown.Xu Qiaochuan thought of the electric wires connected all the way from the Buddhist chanting hall and asked, “Did you also connect the electricity here a few days ago?”

The workers said no, they had been building the tower for a few days.First build the stupa facing west, which is close to Manjusri Hall, so go there.The Manjushri Hall was renovated last year. Not only was the electrical circuit new, but the statue of Manjushri Bodhisattva was also rebuilt.Now that it has been built to the east, the electric wire has been extended to the chanting hall.

“The line was connected to the hall once…” His voice weakened, as if he knew this was inappropriate, and he quickly changed his words, “The wire was connected to the distribution box at the back, and the machine burned out.”

Xu Qiaochuan remembered that when the old Zen master was chanting sutras, the microphone collapsed and he pulled out the plug.When the monk plugged the speaker back in, there was an obvious movement of his hand, which must have been an electric shock.The two looked at each other in shock. Seeing Xu Qiaochuan turning around to leave, the monk hurriedly followed him.

“Can you fix this? Is it a big problem? Otherwise, I have to call and ask someone to go up the mountain again.” He followed Xu Qiaochuan and looked at the switch that could not be adjusted.

Xu Qiaochuan was studying the missing guarantee. Hearing this, he looked at the monk, and the man smiled at him.Xu Qiaochuan immediately looked away, shook his head and said, “Call now. I can only take a look, but I can’t fix this.”

He had previously learned about daily maintenance, planned maintenance and electrical equipment maintenance, as well as some skills as a fitter electrician. If he could get an electrician’s employment certificate, he could also work in a factory as an electrician.Xu Qiaochuan suddenly remembered these things, his head throbbed and hurt. He rubbed his temples and couldn’t figure out how he got all the way to where he is today, and his life has changed drastically.

The switch in the lobby still couldn’t be pushed up. Xu Qiaochuan felt that the circuit overload caused the leakage fuse to trip.There was no electricity in the hall, so the construction site had to change the wiring location.However, the entire circuit of the Buddhist chanting hall is too old to support the use of electric drills and water pumps, and short circuits occur whenever movement occurs.

The monk quickly went to make a phone call. The workers saw that there was no electricity on both sides and could not start work. They went to Suzhaitang with the monks to eat. There was only one person left at the distribution box.Xu Qiaochuan looked at the faded and dusty lines. They were complicated, tangled, tightly wound, and easily burned if something went wrong. They looked like the net of troubles that the monks said.

He was at a loss for the line, and his troubles were confused and incomprehensible.

“Xu Qiaochuan,” Yuan Yi came over with a plastic toolbox, “Master Huiyuan asked me to bring it here. He said you would look at the distribution box. Maybe there is something in it that you can use.”

Seeing those complicated wires, Yuan Yi exclaimed, but did not immediately give the box to Xu Qiaochuan: “It’s noon, don’t you want to eat?”

He shook his head and suddenly remembered that Chen Zongqian had taken him to have dinner here. What was the special taste of vegetarian dishes with less oil and less salt?Xu Qiaochuan found that he didn’t remember it at all.His memory was like a figment, made clear and concrete by feeling.I don’t remember eating, I only remember the feeling of being with Chen Zongqian, full of sadness and reluctance.

Those emotions have spread to this day as we revisit our old places and bring up old things again, like a big net wrapping people up.It was because of separation at first, and it seems to be the same now, the reason has not changed.

“Don’t you want to go?” Yuan Yi saw that he was distracted and said, “Okay, there are a lot of people in Suzhai Hall now. It is a rule not to eat after lunch here, and there will be no food later.”

In addition to the toolbox, Yuanyi also brought him two fortune cookies.Xu Qiaochuan was surprised at first, and then regretted that the wasted time actually caused someone to make an extra trip.To what extent is he familiar with Yuanyi?It’s just a few acquaintances, we just walked the same road, why is it so troublesome?Xu Qiaochuan hesitated, but finally took the fortune cake and said thank you.Yuanyi smiled and went out to practice.

There is a step at the entrance of the Chanting Hall. Usually, the view from here is the Tallinn, but now there is only a green canvas.The steps were very clean. Yuanyi bowed reverently to thank the masters for their hard work in sweeping, then lifted up his clothes and sat on the floor.At 12 noon, it is left to the monk to study by himself. Yuan will find a place to sit quietly for a while. This is not meditation. He regards this as a way of “looking inside himself and looking at the world.”

Xu Qiaochuan was very curious about Yuanyi’s practice. He meditated in the Buddhist chanting hall in the morning and listened to the monk’s sermons.It’s a pity that my understanding is so poor that I was confused and had only a half-understanding.The more he thought about it, the more panic he felt.

Yuanyi didn’t look back, but he could feel an anxious soul behind him. He reached out and patted the ground beside him: “Do you want to sit down?”

The sudden sound startled the restless Xu Qiaochuan. He hesitated until Yuan Yi said firmly: “Sit down.”

“Is it disturbing your practice?” Xu Qiaochuan sat not far away, facing the green canvas. He couldn’t see anything special.

“Aren’t you also part of the world? If you observe the world, you will also be observed.”

“Practice…what will happen after you practice?” Xu Qiaochuan was blown cold all over by the wind, especially on the stone steps.He wanted to put his hand back into his pocket, but he remembered that he was observing and comprehending the world, so he took his hand out and put his palm against the ground.The first feeling was still cold. Xu Qiaochuan felt that he was a little stiff from the cold, leaving no heat.When he gradually got used to the cold, he felt the roughness from the seemingly flat and smooth stone steps.

Yuanyi didn’t laugh at his utilitarianism, after all, he had it before.Only later did I realize that nothing would happen after practicing. People are still people, the world is still the world, and everything will continue to evolve and happen naturally.

He didn’t answer, and Xu Qiaochuan didn’t ask any more questions.There was movement in the tower forest covered by canvas, bricks being piled up, cement falling from the trolley.The sound was substantial and turned into trembling in Xu Qiaochuan’s palms.They cannot see Tallinn, but what they can see from observation is that Tallinn is being sculpted and reborn.

“Then what?” Looking at the sky, the earth, and everything, when his mind was focused on the outside, Xu Qiaochuan felt that this time and space was vast, but he was at a loss and powerless.

“Then think about what to do later. The water pump at the construction site is not working. I will follow the masters to fetch water later.” Yuan Yi pulled his spirit from nothingness to reality. “The electric box will not be repaired until after three o’clock. The power in the chanting hall may have been cut off.”

“It’s broken.” Xu Qiaochuan didn’t expect the topic to change so quickly. He saw Yuanyi getting up and asked in surprise: “Aren’t you going to practice?”

“Walking, sitting, and lying down, I am practicing every moment.” Yuanyi stretched out Chui Leng’s hands and feet, “I have figured out what I am doing, how about you?”

Xu Qiaochuan couldn’t think clearly and avoided thinking about it.But he didn’t want to be in a state of nothingness all the time. He paused and finally arranged something for himself to do, and went to see what was wrong with the distribution box.

Aging circuits are prone to leakage. Yuan Yi told Xu Qiaochuan to be careful and not to carry keys or gold or silver jewelry with him.He subconsciously touched his chest and found it was empty. All the cards and keys were returned to Chen Zongqian.

The toolbox Yuanyi brought was heavy and contained many things. Xu Qiaochuan dug out a multimeter and pen. Fortunately, he still remembered how to use them.The multimeter was installed next to the distribution box. Xu Qiaochuan picked out the neutral and live wires from the faded and gray wires, and prepared to test the voltage with an electric pen.

He was about to lean over when he suddenly remembered that he had an accessory on his body. In his pocket, it was an enamel cufflink.This little thing is so beautiful, like gentle black eyes.

It obviously didn’t match him well and couldn’t be decorated on his cuffs, but Xu Qiaochuan still took it away quietly.