Explore Chapter 111 of 'The Story of the Golden Powder Family' with the original Chinese text, English translation, detailed Chinese vocabulary explanations, and audio of the Chinese original. Listen and improve your reading skills.
Now, after his family's decline, Jin Yanxi found his livelihood growing ever more precarious. With no alternative, he mounted a donkey and set off for the countryside to seek refuge with a distant relative.
That day, he arrived at a desolate wilderness. Not a soul was in sight across the vast expanse. The slanting rays of the setting sun painted a scene of utter desolation. Recalling his past splendor, Yanxi felt sorrow well up from within.
Just as he was lost in melancholy, he saw dust swirling ahead. A motorcar came speeding toward him. Yanxi hastily stepped aside. The motorcar screeched to a halt, and from it leaped an old acquaintance-Bai Xiuzhu.
Seeing Yanxi in such dire straits, Xiuzhu exclaimed in surprise, 'Seventh Master, how have you come to this?' Yanxi was overwhelmed with shame and hung his head in silence. Xiuzhu sighed, 'The ways of the world are ever-changing. The glory of bygone days is now but a dream.' With that, she got into the motorcar and drove off, vanishing in the blink of an eye.
Meanwhile, after leaving the Jin Family, Leng Qingqiu had taken up residence in a nunnery, observing monastic discipline while retaining her lay status. That evening, after the daily prayers were concluded, she sat alone in the meditation room. Thoughts of her young son brought tears streaming down like rain.
Outside the window, moonlight flowed like water. Leng Qingqiu reflected on the past and present, painfully aware that she had compromised her integrity in her later years. Regret and remorse churned in her heart. Yet, her Zen heart remained steadfast; she could only let her tears wash her face.