Squid Who Loves Diving
Chapter 8: The Eucharist
“Breastfeeding should occur before the baby is extremely hungry…”
“……”
Ren Jie’s sermon-like voice gently echoed in the room. Shen Du and the others listened extremely attentively, occasionally taking out the paper and pens they had prepared in advance to jot down what they considered important.
Shang Jianyao maintained his initial posture, focusing on Ren Jie, though his eyes seemed a bit unfocused.
After twenty or thirty minutes, Ren Jie stopped and scanned the crowd, saying:
“That’s all for today.
“Everything above is the teaching of the Gods.”
“Praise your tolerance!” Before Shen Du and the others could speak, Shang Jianyao stretched out his arms, mimicking the gentle rocking of a baby, appearing very enthusiastic.
“…” The other members of the congregation were stunned for two seconds before ultimately imitating Shang Jianyao, aligning their arms and bending their elbows, gently rocking and saying, “Praise your tolerance!”
Ren Jie opened her mouth, but said nothing.
She glanced at the old digital watch on her wrist and said:
“It’s getting late, we need to return to our homes before the streetlights come on.
“Next is the final segment, the Eucharist.”
With that, she and the woman surnamed Li went through the doorway into the room inside.
In less than a minute, they came out one after the other, one holding various utensils, including small bowls, large bowls, plastic lunchboxes, and porcelain spoons, and the other carrying a cylindrical container filled with dark, thick substance.
A rich aroma quickly wafted into Shang Jianyao’s nose, making him unable to resist raising his right hand to wipe his mouth.
It was the aroma of sesame and sugar mixed together!
Similar items, including ordinary pastries, cost 60 contribution points per *jin*, more expensive than pork!
As for high-end goods, they cost about 720 points per *jin*. Shang Jianyao’s daily breakfast only cost 8 to 10 points.
Soon, the woman surnamed Li distributed the utensils to everyone, while Ren Jie, holding the translucent plastic container in one hand and a ladle in the other, scooped the dark, thick food into the bowls and lunchboxes of the followers, one spoonful each.
With each person she served, she would say:
“This is today’s Eucharist, black sesame paste.”
The person receiving the Eucharist would solemnly respond:
“Praise your tolerance!”
As a newly joined member, Shang Jianyao was the last to be served after Ren Jie and the woman surnamed Li. The spoonful was quite generous, almost filling the small bowl in his hand.
“This is today’s Eucharist, black sesame paste,” Ren Jie said as usual.
Shang Jianyao responded with utmost piety:
“Praise your tolerance!”
Ren Jie, distributing the Eucharist, was, to some extent, the embodiment of the *Zhisui*, Siming. Therefore, “you” referred to Siming, not Ren Jie.
The woman surnamed Li observed the changes in Shang Jianyao’s expression and asked with a smile:
“Are you very moved?”
“Moved!” Shang Jianyao held the bowl in one hand and raised the other, wiping his mouth again.
Ren Jie and the woman surnamed Li said nothing more, returning to the bedside, dividing the remaining black sesame paste, lowering their heads slightly, and saying in a low voice:
“Praise your tolerance.”
The crowd echoed the phrase and then began to enjoy the Eucharist.
The Eucharist seemed to have been prepared long ago, slightly cool, but that didn’t affect its taste, rich, sweet, and with the unique flavor of sesame.
After carefully tasting a mouthful, Shang Jianyao paused slightly, then wielded his spoon like lightning, continuously sending the black sesame paste into his mouth.
*Dang, dang, dang*, he didn’t even let go of what was stuck to the sides of the bowl, scraping it clean.
After finishing eating, he glanced left and right, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand.
After the Eucharist was over, the crowd praised Siming, the ruler of December, in unison, and lined up to return the utensils to the woman surnamed Li and Ren Jie.
When it was Shang Jianyao’s turn, the woman surnamed Li asked with a smile:
“This is your first time attending a gathering, what are your thoughts?”
Shang Jianyao answered seriously:
“It was very delicious.”
The woman surnamed Li’s expression froze, and she asked instead:
“Do you have any suggestions for us?
“Don’t hesitate, now that you’ve joined the order, we’re all family. There’s nothing that can’t be said between family members.”
Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and said:
“More Eucharist.”
“…Anything else?” The woman surnamed Li asked with a forced smile.
Shang Jianyao’s eyes flickered slightly, and he said:
“Brush your teeth beforehand.”
The woman surnamed Li couldn’t help but cough:
“Everyone can leave now. Shang Jianyao, stay behind, the ‘Guide’ has something to say to him.”
Shen Du and the others left one after another. The woman surnamed Li and her husband carried the utensils and went into the room inside.
Ren Jie walked up to Shang Jianyao and said with a gentle smile:
“You’ve just joined the order and need to quickly master the knowledge related to prayer.
“Don’t worry, it’s all very simple. Our Lord Siming is the true God who rules over the years and doesn’t care about these things. There are no formalities.”
Shang Jianyao nodded to show that he was listening.
Ren Jie slowed down her pace and said:
“We don’t have fixed prayer times, but we often choose the moment we wake up in the morning to thank Siming for letting us live.
“We value the birth of infants and the departure of the dead the most, so our formal rituals or religious ceremonies are held when a new life reaches its full moon or when the dead are buried. At other times, it's similar sermons, the time is not fixed.
“Well, there is a grand ritual on the first day of December to welcome the arrival of our Lord Siming, and on the last day of December, there is also a grand ritual to wish our Lord open the door to a new world.
“You’ve already learned how to perform the ceremony, which is to imitate the gentle rocking of a baby. The corresponding language is mainly divided into three categories: when discussing topics related to death and passing away, say ‘will eventually return to Siming’; when mentioning the nobility of life and the grace of our Lord, use ‘Praise your tolerance’; when involving new life, you can say ‘new life is like the sun’ or ‘life is the most important.’
“Basically, that’s it. As for the Eucharist, it’s different each time. It might be black sesame paste, or it might be milk, juice, soy milk, meat soup, vegetable soup, yogurt, haha, have you discovered their commonality?”
Shang Jianyao thought for a moment and said:
“They are all very delicious.”
“…” Ren Jie maintained her smile. “They are all liquids or close to liquids, and liquids are the main food for new lives and those who are about to pass away.”
Before Shang Jianyao could speak, Ren Jie pointed to the door:
“Alright, you can go back now.”
Shang Jianyao looked back at the door, didn’t take a step, and instead asked:
“Aunt Ren, how many *Zhisui* are there in total?”
“After learning about the definition of *Zhisui*, normal people would definitely think there are twelve, but that’s not the case.” Ren Jie smiled, “There are thirteen *Zhisui* in total, one of whom is the *Zhisui* representing the leap month, haha, in places where the leap month is not considered, He symbolizes the entire year.”
“What is His honorific title?” Shang Jianyao pressed.
Ren Jie shook her head:
“I’m not sure either. We worship Siming and don’t need to know about the other *Zhisui*.”
Shang Jianyao didn’t ask any more questions, turned around and left Room 35 in Area A.
With the help of the flashlight, he returned to No. 196 in Area B by the same route. Every time he approached an intersection, he would follow Shen Du’s example, turn off the flashlight, and pass by close to the wall.
Back home, Shang Jianyao walked to the washbasin, picked up the toothpaste that seemed to be only a thin layer, and with great effort, finally squeezed a little onto the sparsely bristled toothbrush.
After carefully brushing his teeth and washing his face, Shang Jianyao saw that the ceiling was not yet lit, so he sat at the wooden table, leaned against the back of the chair, and closed his eyes.
He raised his hand and pinched his temples, then let it fall.
…………
Inside the vast hall densely covered with “stars” above, Shang Jianyao’s figure appeared.
He first looked at the cold, black metal walls nearby, then raised his head and looked up into the sky.
The countless sparkling lights were like the stars described in textbooks, forming one galaxy after another, and one galaxy after another formed multiple galactic rivers.
There were boundaries between these “Milky Way”-like star clusters, but they weren’t so clear.
Shang Jianyao had long counted how many “Milky Ways” there were here. Now, he once again began to silently count:
“One, two, three… eleven, twelve, thirteen.
“Thirteen…”
He fell silent, his figure gradually faded away, disappearing into the hall encompassing star-like constellations.
…………
After waiting for a while, Shang Jianyao saw the outside instantly become bright.
The fluorescent lights on the ceiling of the street lit up at the same time.
This underground building ushered in daybreak.
Still wearing the dark green thick cotton coat, he took his plastic lunch box, walked out of the room, and went to Area C.
Target location: “Material Supply Market.”
On the way, Shang Jianyao met Long Yuehong, who lived nearby. Obviously, the other party had gotten up early and hadn’t had to queue up at the public toilet.
“The allocation results will be released today…” Long Yuehong deliberately waited for Shang Jianyao on this road, just so someone could share the nervousness in his heart.
“Yeah.” Shang Jianyao looked ahead, seeing a woman gently coaxing a crying baby in front of a room.
His expression changed instantly, looking like he was thinking about something, but also showing a hint of confusion.
Long Yuehong glanced at him and asked as he walked along with him:
“What’s wrong?
“Did you have a nightmare last night?”
Shang Jianyao was silent for two seconds and said:
“Questioning life.”
ps: Seeking recommendation tickets~