Mr. Dam, a young man who loves drinking black coffee. Sitting and talking with the owner of the shop named Pae Hok was the beginning of something new.

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At a coffee shack along a rural road Uncle Pae is in his seventies. Thin body As tall as a telegraph pole Standing and making black coffee behind a glass cabinet filled with cups and cans of various beverages. They range from Nurse Brand cocoa, Milo, Ovaltine, and ground coffee powder in glass jars. Another brand of sweet juice from a boy wearing a wide-brimmed green hat in various flavors.

After a while, he walked over and placed a small cup of coffee on the round wooden table. which was a middle-aged young man with a sun-bleached face Sitting with legs crossed, wagging feet, waiting comfortably before Uncle Pae turned around to leave. Mr. Dam, a man who likes to sit and drink black coffee without sugar at Go Hok Restaurant, said:

“Pae Hok Pae, have you ever wondered what the Vegetarian Festival is for? It's the Vegetarian Festival again. In our neighborhood, we saw that there were many people who ate vegetarian with him this year. When asked about the reason, what do you think, why do you want to eat? No one could give a clear answer. I know but I want to try it. It's popular according to the trend."

Pae Hok raised both hands to his feet and waist. He stared at Mr. Black's face for a moment before answering clearly:

“I don't know what it's for. But for Hua The Vegetarian Festival is a time when sinners want to convert to Christianity for a brief pilgrimage. After the festival is over, he leaves the merit to continue seeking sin."

Mr. Black was lifting a hot cup of black coffee and taking a sip. To the point of choking on the coffee, it came back out of his nose and his mouth was burning. Coughed and pounded several times. before looking up at Uncle Pae Hok Acting like nothing happened Because the expression on his face was as plain as possible. He raised the back of his hand and wiped the mess from the corner of his mouth instead of a handkerchief.

Because I'm normally a person who doesn't like to carry cloths or tissues with me. He felt that it was a trivial matter like a woman's.

“Why do you think that? It's very damaged. If Grandma Kim Lang from over there hears it, it will be a big deal. Pae's answer nearly killed me just now. Oh..why is it this hot? The whole mouth and throat are swollen, and the nose is burning like crazy.”

"How damaged? What did Hua say wrong? On television, he still says it often. Many food products that are advertised say that eating vegetarian food is full of merit. People like it. Everyone wants to get merit. Even though no one has ever seen what Bunman looks like. When it is said that eating vegetarian food is full of merit. So what will fill you up if you don't eat vegetarian food?"

"Oh, it's full of sin, right? That's all anyone can answer. Oops.." Mr. Dam immediately raised both hands to cover his mouth automatically. He turned left and right to make sure there was anyone in the immediate vicinity. Will he be able to hear the sentence that just came out of his mouth?

Fortunately, no one had walked past yet.

“That's it, Lue answered himself just now. If eating vegetarian is good and you get merit, why eat it for only 9 days? Why don't you eat it for 365 days? Is it bad for you to get merit all year long? Why are you rushing out to become a vegetarian and eating meat again? I don't understand. Because I want more sin?

Mr. Dam began to agree with Pae Hok. He raised his hand and scratched his head. With a sudden feeling of itching With the other hand, he picked up the remaining coffee and drank it.

"Oh..that's it. Really strange too. Or is it an expression to ask for forgiveness of one's sins?"

"Redeem your sins." Pae Hok's voice was so mocking that Mr. Dam himself felt that his opinion sounded so unreasonable that it was laughable.

"Why redeem it? If you don't intend to stop sinning, will you redeem everything? 9 days of redemption. What will you do with the remaining 356 days?"

"So, what do you want him to do?" Mr. Dam asked, looking for a way to help him come to a conclusion.

“How do you know? It's not about Hua. It's a matter of people who want to eat having to figure it out for themselves. Why eat it? For what purpose? Nowadays, anything has become a matter of fashion. People eat more But there is less understanding. The seller is all about the money. It is a time to make a lot of profits. Take in as much as you can. It's like this.

Many sellers still don't know what Jay is. But when we saw they were selling well, we sold some. Just put a yellow flag in the store, at the stall itself, and tell the buyers that the products they sell are vegetarian. So far, people believe this. As for the people who eat, they just eat according to the lightning values. I don't care if it's true or not. Focus on the taste you like, just eat it for a few days a year.

It's like eating to satisfy temporary desires. When I got bored, I stopped eating meat.”

“Oh my gosh, listening to this makes my brain tingle. The words that were spoken just now Lightning value? I would like to borrow this word from time to time.” When he finished speaking, he made a loud sniffling sound like the sound of a lizard. before adding that

"What I have said is true. Nowadays, most people are like that too. But there are quite a few people who seriously intend to eat. To the point of going to large vegetarian restaurants. And you must also wear white clothing while observing precepts. They say that by doing that you will truly gain merit.” Mr. Dam expressed his knowledge as he had heard him say.

“What are you going to tell me, Uncle Dam? As a long time ago, Ua was a pig slaughterer before.”

“Really? I didn't know that before. How many years does it take to put up a knife stand? So why did you come and open a kopi shop?” Apae's interlocutor's voice suddenly rang out. He hurriedly asked, curious to know Pae Hok's past. As far as he knows Pae is not a resident of this area. But I don't know when I moved from another place to settle down.

Later, he opened a small coffee shop. He lives alone and has no family.

Pae Hok frowned. Thinking face After a moment he replied:

“Almost thirty years. Hua was able to stop killing because of the day his wife gave birth. That night, there were more orders for pork than usual. The owner of the slaughterhouse refused to allow Ua and two other workers to stop to go home on time. Had to stay in line all night because the queue was very tight. Do you know the reason for this?”

“There are a lot of people waiting to buy and eat, right? Well, the pork is delicious.”

“Yes, there is a very high demand. But Lue probably didn't know that before that. Sales dropped for several days in a row. As a result, the number of pigs slaughtered per day has decreased by more than half from the normal period. But the orders suddenly skyrocketed to the point where Ua was unable to return home that night.”

"Probably not because.. You mean the Vegetarian Festival, right?”

“Yes, the nine days during the Hua Festival are quite comfortable because there is little work, but only on the last day when people are about to go vegetarian. Demand overflows like water that has been blocked and overflowing until the dam bursts. And on that day, Ua lost his wife and children who had not even opened their eyes to see the world forever.” After saying that, Pae Hok raised the back of his hand to wipe away the tears that he didn't know when they had flowed out.

Mr. Damploy was saddened by this story. He was silent for a moment. before saying,

“I'm sorry about that.. But how is it related? The number of murder orders has increased with the deaths of wives and children.”

“Ua killed and killed and killed.. that night, all night until the next morning. It is not known how many pigs were killed in total. All I know is that their cries still ring in Hua's ears to this day. There has never been a day that I haven't heard it. Even when I sleep, I still dream about it. As for Nose, he couldn't smell any other scents for several days. Because the fishy smell of pig blood stuck deeper than just the tip of the nose.

It's like it's stuck in the brain.”

Mr. Black swallowed hard. Feeling that the lubrication in the throat had disappeared. Sudden dryness occurs. Until he had to hurriedly lift the coffee cup that still had a little dark black water left in it and hold it to his lips. Then drink the whole glass in one go. He imagined what he had heard. As he imagined seeing a pool of blood all over the concrete yard of the slaughterhouse.

Piles of bodies of pigs that had been killed by Pae Hok were scattered everywhere, miserable.

While the image in his head was playing Pae Hok's voice continues loudly without stopping.

“Ua later found out that that night A pregnant wife, close to giving birth, who is alone in her hometown, her amniotic sac has broken. and must have had severe pain in the tummy But I can't help myself. Because Hua's house was more than 400 meters from other houses in the village, no one knew how much torture and pain Anai must have suffered that night.

while trying to push the baby out As for Ua, the husband who was supposed to be with him and took his wife to the doctor. Instead, he was busy taking the lives of pigs. Life after life…”

Paehok stopped for a moment. with sudden stumbling It was like the upper part of his throat was contracting violently. before continuing with a voice that was trying to force its way through his mouth with great difficulty.

"Finally, heaven and earth punished Ua.. Not allowing children to continue the family name Because when Ua was exhausted from knocking down the last pig Then he forced himself to carry away his exhausted body. He staggered back to his home, which was nearly half a kilometer away, feeling anxious. I really miss and want to see the face of my beloved wife.

His heart was as hot as a fire and so lonely he wanted to cry.

Upon arrival, Hua immediately scrambled up the stairs to the sleeping chamber above.

The first picture I saw It is Anai in the state of sleeping with knees raised high. Both legs spread wide! In the middle of the house, the maternity pajamas she wore were stained with blood stains everywhere. The wooden floor was scattered with piles of red patches. Both of Anai's arms stretched out. Hands facing down as if exerting force, digging into the ground.

Each fingernail was torn apart. There were many deep scuff marks on the floor. Her eyes widened, her mouth gaped open, and a terrifying expression showed signs of excruciating agony before she lost her breath. When Hua darts into the body His eyes glanced over and saw the child's head that had popped out and was still there….it was full of mucus and blood..

The dry, stuck, dark red color. And...Aua's son.."

Pae Hok immediately collapsed as if he had become boneless. His body fell onto the polished cement floor of the coffee shop. Then he opened his mouth and let out a cry. Like Mr. Dam had never seen anyone so sad before. He was shocked and helpless for a moment.

before rushing in to pull Pae Hok's body Then he helped him sit down on the chair he was sitting in just now. He himself sat in a nearby chair. He didn't know what else to do better than to hold Pae Hok's hand with both hands. Then squeeze gently as encouragement. It took a long time for Pae Hok to gradually calm down.

There was no loud crying anymore. But at the corner of his eyes, there was still clear water flowing out. Before Mr. Dam could utter a sentence, Pae Hok first expressed what was in his heart saying:

“The events that happened that day made Ua unable to hold a knife to kill a pig again. Don't just say pigs. No matter what kind of animal, they don't dare kill anymore. Just seeing the knife makes me think of my wife and child who died pitifully. Since then Ao decided to stop eating meat completely. And then left that house and opened a coffee shop here.”

Mr. Black nodded, acknowledging what the old man had told him. He was beginning to understand somewhat what Paehok wanted to say. It is not necessary that anyone should eat vegetarian or not, for whatever reason. What is important is our own hearts that see whether we should or not. He smiled at the old man sitting in front of him. and said in a loud voice,

“I've made up my mind. This year is the first time that I will try vegetarian food. As for whether you will get merit or not, I don't care. Maybe if you eat it, some kind of change will occur inside your heart. I might take it for more than 9 days.”

finish.