Chapter 10, Sixteen Treasures and the Mad Monk

"How do you know?" Shen Yong said, slightly puzzled, "Is it really that easy to pretend to be crazy?"

Subsequently, Fang Yishao and Shen Yong hurried back to the temple to escort Madam Shen to the governor's office. Madam Shen was in high spirits because the several divinations she received were all excellent, and she happily followed the two children back.

Shen Yong and Fang Yishao exchanged a glance - Crazy Monk

As he inquired and searched along the way, Shen Yong ran from the front mountain to the back mountain, finally stopping on a hillside, where there was no trace of Fang Yishao.

Fang Yi said, "I thought you were going to sleep a little longer... Besides, why didn't you call for me when you were looking for me? If you had shouted 'madam' at the temple gate, I would have heard you, wouldn't I?"

Shen Yong nodded and said, "However, it is best to return immediately"

Shen Yong looked up and saw Shen Jie was also present, which bolstered his courage

Shen Yong twitched the corner of his mouth and said, "What is there to be afraid of? This is a temple."

Indeed, the younger sisters-in-law called out a few times, and then a corner door next to the kitchen opened. A ragged, dirt-covered thin monk ran out. He was not short but very thin, probably around forty or fifty years old, with a head full of gray and white hair, grinning widely, holding a half-eaten steamed bun in his dark hands, and chuckling foolishly. Indeed, he was a madman. He was not short but very thin, probably around forty or fifty years old, with a head full of gray and white hair, grinning widely, holding a half-eaten steamed bun in his dark hands, and chuckling foolishly. Indeed, he was a madman.

Hehe. Shen Yong said, "I heard about it, that so-called Master Tai, she probably isn't a decent person either, secretly keeping a man in the temple."

After watching for a while longer, he prepared to go back and continue searching, but suddenly he heard a brief, soft sigh coming from above... That sound was somewhat familiar

Shen Yong rubbed his calf while looking at her. Fang Yishao pulled him and said to the two little nuns, "Well... we will take our leave now, sorry for the disturbance." After saying this, he took him back to the meditation hall.

Lian'er blinked and said, "I haven't seen her, isn't she still asleep? The old woman said she would wait until you and the young mistress have slept a bit longer before returning."

In the dead of night, a light laugh came without warning, startling Shen Yong and Fang Yishao, causing their scalps to tingle. Shen Yong was initially fine, but unfortunately, Fang Yishao screamed in shock, which startled Shen Yong as well, and he joined in the scream. The two of them ran away in a panic, rushing into the courtyard

Shen Yong, holding a piece of cold white chicken, exclaimed that it was delicious. Fang Yishao smiled as he served the hot dishes and said, "The three hot dishes are imperial-style potato stew with meat, featuring fresh meat and rich broth with tender potatoes; five-spice salt-baked chicken with fermented black beans, boasting crispy skin and tender meat infused with the aroma of fermented black beans; and braised beef meatballs with shallots, where the meatballs are crispy and the meat is tender, complemented by the spiciness of the shallots"

Uh... Fang Yishao was momentarily taken aback, then thought to herself, "That is indeed the case." However, just as she began to relax, she heard a faint laugh coming from somewhere, seemingly from within the wall.

Having caught his breath, Shen Yong straightened up and intended to leave, but he was taken aback...

Uh... Shen Yong steeled himself and walked in, saying, "Father... I encountered some matters at Chang Le Temple yesterday."

Before him lay an unobstructed opening, leading to a steep slope, and in the distance was the panoramic view of the entire Dongxiang Mansion, with the morning sun gradually rising. The Dongxiang Mansion was now clearly visible before him, with the county office, the tavern, and the fragrant house all distinctly identifiable. The Dongxiang River, winding through the center of the city, curved and twisted, flowing towards the distant farmlands. In the fields, green and golden waves were already rolling in the morning breeze.

Shen Jie wanted to go out and let the two of them speak for themselves, but he was stopped by Shen Yong, who said, "Ah, you don't need to leave; it is related to the case."

Shen Yong called out to her and asked, "Lian'er, have you seen the young mistress?"

No. Fang Yishao said, "My lord, that monk has the smell of alcohol on him."

Above, there is a vast canopy of leaves, which are the branches of the old locust tree beside me, and amidst that expanse of lush green, there is a faint glimpse of a pale yellow...

"Alas." Shen Yong called out to her

Fang Yi nodded gently and said, "My father used to be like this too. After drinking too much, he would laugh and cry, acting all crazy... In the end, the only thing he recognized was my mother's silver bell, nothing else was familiar to him"

"How is that possible? You go ahead and say it, and I will prepare a good meal for you!" Fang Yishao pushed Shen Yong to the study door and ran off. Shen Yong stood awkwardly at the door, unsure whether to enter or to leave. Just as he was hesitating, he heard Old Master Fang ask, "Yong'er, what are you doing at the door?"

We do not know either; he was already here when we arrived. He usually lives in the woodshed and occasionally steals food from the patrons. Please do not blame him; he suffers from severe mental illness.

After seeing her, Shen Yong finally breathed a sigh of relief, thankful that nothing was wrong... However, he quickly became puzzled again, wondering how this crazy girl had come here all by herself

Look here," Fang Yishao pointed at the hole and said, "the view from here is not good at all; it is better to see everything from under the tree.

Uh... Shen Yong shook his head, thinking to himself that if his mother found out that Fang Yishao was missing, she would surely beat him to death. He quickly said, "Oh, no... let mother sit for a while longer, we will be there soon." After saying this, Shen Yong hurriedly ran out of Changle Temple and began searching around the mountain. As he searched, he asked passersby if they had seen a small girl with big eyes wearing a light yellow coat.

Originally, Fang Yishao shook his head and said, "I just got up early and wanted to come out for a stroll"

Shen Yong looked out from the tree hole... After a while, he suddenly froze, "Eh?!"

Oh. Shen Yong said, "So you miss your father?"

Indeed. Shen Yong said, "Drink a few more sips, go ahead and act crazy however you like, others won't be able to distinguish between what is real and what is fake; this trick works best."

Oh. Shen Yong nodded in a manner that was unclear in meaning, while the other person winked at him, and Fang Yishao kicked him.

"Not... ... ingredient... ..." Shen Yong said while eating and blowing, "Delicious, keep talking, what is this?"

"My lady, what kind of meat are you preparing?" Shen Yong leaned in to take a look

As he was still far from the kitchen, Shen Yong immediately caught a whiff of a rich soy sauce aroma, and his stomach began to rumble loudly.

Shen Yong was taken aback, furrowing his brow as he climbed up the trunk of a nearby tree. Once he reached a branch, he looked inside and, sure enough! There sat Fang Yishao on a thick branch, swinging his legs, with his arms resting on a nearby branch, his hands supporting his chin. This position looked quite comfortable.

"Mm-hmm." Shen Yong is now only focused on eating and nodding.

"Why can't you sleep?" Shen Yong asked while yawning, "Is it cold? Should I get you a blanket?"

Fang Yishao was lost in thought, and when Shen Yong called out to him, he was startled and turned to look at him, "Husband?"

......

"Who is he?" Fang Yishao asked a little nun in confusion

"Do not speak nonsense," Fang Yishao said seriously, "that monk is truly insane"

Shen Yong furrowed his brow slightly, and Lian'er asked, "Has the young mistress disappeared?"

"That's not true." Fang Yishao retorted sulkily and fell silent, burying his head to continue sleeping

"Ah?" Shen Yibo and Shen Jie were both taken aback; they were currently at a loss regarding this case.

"Hmm... didn't you say that pretending to be crazy is easy yesterday?" Fang Yishao asked

Fang Yi held onto Shen Yong tightly and asked, "My husband, who took it away?"

Shen Yong stood there with his mouth agape for a long time, unable to utter a word. Finally, he reached up to scratch his jaw and inwardly cursed himself for being a fool, thinking that he had run so hard his legs felt like they were about to break. If only he had known, calling out would have been so much easier

The commotion here startled the nuns resting in the back... After all, the Chang Le Monastery is not large, and two young nuns ran over, saying, "Oh dear, what happened to the two benefactors?"

At this moment, it seems that someone deliberately broke it off... Moreover, it should have been frequently broken off, which means that there are often people coming here to take a look. Shen Yong also noticed and said, "He must be trying to see the full view of the Eastern Alley Mansion ahead, right"

One spoonful of dim sum was taken out, and he said, "The dim sum is a flower wine beef egg wrap, where high-quality beef is marinated in flower wine, then quickly cooked in hot oil, added with finely sliced green onions and shredded tofu, spread with beef sauce, and wrapped in a crispy sesame egg skin... Be careful, it's hot."

Uh... I am not worried about that," Shen Yong rubbed his stomach and said, "but I am really hungry, I want to eat meat

Fang Yishao, upon hearing this, raised his eyes in surprise and looked at Shen Yong

Upon reaching the kitchen door, he saw a large group of servants and maids leaning against the door, drooling. Shen Yongxing hurriedly ran inside.

Shen Yong looked up elsewhere, his face feeling warm, and asked, "Go on."

Shen Yong felt a surge of energy and realized he was very hungry. The memory of the few flower rolls from last night made him even hungrier, and he couldn't help but complain about that crazy monk, wondering why he couldn't have left one for him

Fang raised an eyebrow slightly and said, "However, there is one thing that is quite strange."

Shen Yong has never had a serious conversation with his father since he was young, and he said, "What if he doesn't believe me?"

Fang Yishao was taken aback for a moment after listening, and after looking for a while, he finally nodded and said, "Now that you mention it... indeed... the view of the tavern is quite clear from here.

"What is it?" Fang Yishao looked at him

Then? Shen Yong asked, "So we just ended up here?"

......

"What are you doing here?" Shen Yong asked as Fang Yishao was still in a daze, "Can you see treasures here?"

What? Shen Yong looked at her

Shen Yong pondered for a moment and said, "Isn't it rather strange?"

Shen Yong looked at her with a hint of amusement, "Oh, aren't you Fang Daren? Not even afraid of mice, so what is there to be afraid of?"

"Oh right!" Fang Yishao also expressed some concern, "Just think about it, if he finds out that we know his secret, could he harm us?"

Shen Yong casually replied, noticing that Fang Yi had suddenly fallen silent. He reached up to scratch his nose, thinking to himself... how can this girl just fall asleep like that? Not giving it much thought, he turned over and continued to sleep soundly.

Returning to the large cabinet in the Zen hall, Shen Yong yawned and complained of sleepiness, while Fang Yishao lay on the upper bunk, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep

Shen Yong stood there, feeling a sense of tranquility wash over him. He couldn't help but stretch out his arms to form a large character, comfortably exhaling a long breath, and felt that the subtle worry in his heart had eased considerably.

Upon entering the government office, Shen Yong pushed Fang Yishao to speak with his father, and Fang Yishao said, "I will go prepare the meat for you; you can talk to father yourself"

Fang Yishao sat there in a daze, his eyes fixed ahead. In the dense canopy of trees, there was a hole through which he could see the outside, though it was unclear whether it was just recently made by Fang Yishao himself

Shen Yong simply curled up further into the bedding, originally intending to take a nap, but the sound of chanting and reciting scriptures from outside was unbearable. He quickly got up and looked up at the upper bunk, only to see that Fang Yishao's bedding had already been neatly folded, indicating that he had already gotten out of bed

"Ah?" Shen Yong was taken aback and asked, "Where is he?"

As much as he wanted to think otherwise, Shen Yong knew he had to continue searching, after all, it was lost while he was with him. If he couldn't find it, his father would surely have him killed

Shen Yong stretched his legs a few times, ran out of the meditation hall, and prepared to go to the kitchen to see if there were any delicious vegetarian dishes, preferably made by Fang Yishao

Shen Yong thought to himself, keeping five taels of silver for his own use, and giving another five taels to Fang Yishao. Then he reconsidered and decided to keep three taels for himself, giving seven taels to Fang Yishao to buy a gold ornament to wear, as he had promised her before

The next morning, in a state between dreaming and waking, Shen Yong heard the sound of a bell ringing outside, along with the rhythmic tapping of a wooden fish and a bronze bell. He slowly opened his eyes

Although the cabinet is quite spacious and the bedding is thick enough, he is still sleeping directly on a hard board. Shen Yong feels pain all over his body, rubbing his back and waist, and asks the person on the upper bunk, "Hey, are you awake?"

Isn't that the restaurant where the incident occurred?

As he ladled the hot dishes out of the pot, he explained to Shen Yong, "The three cold dishes are spicy red oil tripe, spicy beef, and Yunnan-style cold white chicken. They have a flavor profile that leans towards sour and spicy. The so-called cold dishes are both sour and spicy, refreshing and appetizing."

A spoonful of silence

However, Shen Yong searched the entire Changle Temple back and forth, but he could not find any trace of Fang Yishao. Shen Yong felt puzzled; where could the person have gone? Could it be that he went to his mother? Just as he was thinking this, he saw Lian'er running over with two plain steamed buns, nibbling on one while humming a little tune.

That madman has been sitting here watching the tavern for so many years? ! '' Shen Yong widened his eyes and looked at Fang Yishao, asking in a low voice, `` Hey, do you still remember the ring we found in front of the grave yesterday? ''

On the upper level, Fang held his chin with one hand, lying sideways on the bedding, lost in thought

"Yes, young lady!" The family members of the Shen residence, under the leadership of Shen Yong, responded in unison, their voices harmonious and resounding... The sound reverberated, buzzing like the grievance drum at the entrance.

The two sisters-in-law exchanged glances, and one of them slapped her forehead, saying, "Oh, crazy monk, are you scaring people again?! Come out!"

"Ah, this name is quite powerful... it smells divine." Shen Yong was somewhat overwhelmed.

Fang Yi blinked and looked up... Shen Yong followed her gaze and saw the temple gate at the top of the mountain.

Shen Yong bent over, supporting himself on his knees, panting, and thought to himself... this wild girl, running off without a word, truly unbelievable...! She should be properly managed; is this how one should behave?!

"You scared me to death!" Shen Yong climbed up and sat down on a branch next to her, puzzled, and asked, "Why did you come here so early in the morning without saying a word? You made it hard for me to find you!"

Shen Yong glanced at her and asked, "Hey, why did you become so strange after meeting that crazy monk last night?"

Shen Yong was startled and looked around, but he did not see anyone. However, he had indeed just heard... Thinking of this, he instinctively raised his head to look.

As Shen Yong rushed out of Shen Yibo's study and headed towards the kitchen, he found that he had received ten taels of silver awarded to him by Shen Yibo. It was the first time he had ever received a reward after enduring so many beatings in the past, and just moments ago, Shen Yibo had praised him quite fiercely.

"What is it?" Shen Yibo was somewhat surprised, as Shen Yong had never主动 reached out to him about anything before.

Shen Yong looked at the young nuns and asked, "Uh, why are there monks in your nunnery?"

I looked down from the temple gate and saw him sitting in the very spot where I am now, peering out from the tree hollow. Fang Yishao said, "Look here..." As he spoke, he pointed to the tree hollow visible through the branch in front of us, saying, "You can see that quite a few buds have already sprouted beside the branch."

No, it's not..." Fang Yishao said, "I fear it is not the kind of thing that is alive..."

Fang Yishao felt a bit uneasy again, leaned a little closer to Shen Yong, and asked, "Are you saying... that crazy monk is the murderer?"

Um. Fang Yi nodded slightly, resting his chin on his hand as he continued to watch.

Fang Yishao smiled and said, "Weren't the people in the mansion eating vegetarian dishes yesterday? Today, we are making a feast of meat! Three cold dishes, three hot dishes, two dim sums, two soup pots, one hot pot, and one fried rice." Fang Yishao continued with a smile, "Twelve dishes, using pork, beef, chicken, and duck, collectively named the Imperial Meat Sixteen Treasures"

Fang Yishao looked at Shen Yong for a moment, then raised the corners of her mouth in a smile, shifted her position, sat down beside Shen Yong, wrapped her arm around his, rested her head on his shoulder, and said, "Husband, you are truly thoughtful"

Oh... it's nothing. Fang Yishao patted his chest, feeling relieved that it was just a person; he almost got scared to the point of illness.

Having finished speaking, Fang Yi clapped his hands together and said to those gluttons at the door, "Dinner is served"

"I can't sleep," Fang Yishao murmured softly

Shen Yong heard a thumping sound above his head, frowned, and said, "Sigh, could you please sleep more quietly? You don't look like a young lady at all."

There is, there is..." Fang pointed at the kitchen with a spoon, and after a long while, he could not say what was there.

Well... let's go back and tell father about this, so he can handle it

No one is responding from above

There is also a glutinous rice chicken with chicken cartilage wrapped in sauce mixed with glutinous rice. Fang Yishao said, "The two soups are clear soup with fence duck and Eight Immortals beef soup, and finally there is a Wuxi spare rib casserole. The fried rice is scallion-flavored minced meat fried rice"

Seeing her look of surprise, Shen Yong touched his nose and said, "What’s the matter? I’m not stupid; can’t you see this?"

A few young nuns, being innocent and naive, said, "We don't know. The Master has always kept him living in the temple, and he doesn't come out much. Since the woodshed and the kitchen are connected, he must have smelled the aroma and come out to steal some food."

Indeed, Fang Yishao is currently stir-frying... The aroma is delightful, unmistakably the scent of meat.

I just saw that crazy monk said Fang Yishao suddenly