However, Fangzheng was in no rush. As long as everyone worked hard, he believed that the environment would only improve.
Another day passed as Fangzheng's mind wandered.
At dawn the next day, Fangzheng looked at the time. It was just five. Thinking of yesterday's agreement, he got up and cleaned the temple hall. Without eating, he opened the monastery's door.
Indeed, the father and daughter were already waiting by the door.
Fangzheng pressed his palms together. "Patron, you sure are early."
"I …" Just as the girl was about to speak, the man patted her on the head. She fell silent.
"Venerable One, sorry to disturb you."
Fangzheng smiled and made way. The man led the girl in and continued offering incense as he silently prayed. Although One Finger Monastery's incense offerings were gradually flourishing, this was the first time he had encountered such an odd father-daughter duo. Fangzheng could not figure out why the father and daughter had come to offer incense so early. Furthermore, they looked travel-worn. The man appeared especially exhausted. His eyes were red as though he had not slept in a long time. He was only holding on through sheer willpower.
However, Fangzheng did not do anything. He watched the duo slowly depart after they kowtowed.
Fangzheng looked at their backs and searched his memories. He could not recall where he had seen the father and daughter before. In that case, the father and daughter were likely not locals. At the very least, they were not from the nearby villages. If not, Fangzheng would have had some impression of them.
As the Dragon Boat Festival passed, the number of visitors that came to One Finger Monastery to offer incense decreased. Even One Finger Village's agricola at the foot of the mountain became a lot more leisurely. With nothing to do, the villagers gathered together once again to chat about their daily lives and their income. They competed to see who had the most regular customers. Or they would exchange their culinary insights …
The entire world seemed to be peaceful. Apart from the sun getting bigger and brighter, the heat made people feel uneasy. Lone Wolf had been running to the Crystal Rice paddy nearly every day for the past two days. He would soak in the water and stick out his tongue to cool himself.
Squirrel made a basin and filled it with water. He would lie in it and eat pine nuts and bamboo shoots. The little guy spent his days in bliss, as though he would never have any worries.
Compared to the rest, Monkey was much quieter. He would wake up with Fangzheng. He would sweep the yard when it was time. It was as though it had become his habit. When Fangzheng recited the scriptures, he would sit by the side and listen. He would appear to be deep in thought every day.
In Red Boy's words, "Senior Brother Jingzhen, if you shave off your hair, you can be a real monk."
Red Boy was still the same. It rained at night, and he ate and slept during the day. He slept and ate. He was almost like a little pig.
Fangzheng's days were quite leisurely. He read Buddhist scriptures, fetched water, and preached to Crystal Rice. Time passed quickly.
On the third day, Fangzheng woke up even earlier. He woke up at four in the morning and cleaned the temple hall. After eating breakfast, he opened the monastery's door at half past five. To Fangzheng's surprise, the father and daughter were already there when he opened the door so early! He stood at the door and seemed to have been waiting for a while.
Fangzheng said, "Patrons, why do you come so early every day?"
The man lowered his head and looked at the little girl. He did not say anything. Obviously, he was a father who was not very good with words.
Having met Fangzheng twice, the girl wasn't as afraid of him as the first day. However, she still didn't dare speak.
Noticing the man's silence, Fangzheng nodded slightly and made way.
The man led the girl into the monastery and offered incense once again …
But at that moment, Fangzheng walked into the temple hall and sat behind the wooden fish. He gently struck it and chanted the scriptures. As the scriptures were chanted and the wooden fish was struck, the entire monastery fell into a state of emptiness. It was as though the entire world had turned silent. However, the scriptures were odd. It did not make the man forget his troubles. Instead, it made them more intense and clear! All his troubles were laid out in front of him like silk from a cocoon. There was no way to escape!
This was Fangzheng's recent insights from chanting the scriptures. It was also from the Diamond Sutra that the System had rewarded him. The fundamental goal of the scriptures was to understand one's heart and see oneself. Chanting the scriptures allowed one to understand one's heart, but that was only the Hinayana stage. The Mahayana stage was to help others understand their hearts.
Many people's troubles were not really troubles. Most of them were troubles that clouded their hearts. They did not know what they wanted and were vexed in their confusion. For example, many students would stand at a crossroads after graduation. They did not know what kind of future they wanted. Most of them were in a daze. They thought of following the crowd and finding a stable job before considering things in the future. However, they did not understand that when one walked out of school, one would be in high spirits with boundless ambitions. If one were to choose a goal and work hard for it, the chances of success would be extremely high. And once one stepped into the dye vat that was society, one's heart would be clouded by all sorts of things. It would be difficult to find one's heart and give up everything to fight for it.
Fangzheng did not know why the father and daughter were so persistent. They had woken up so early to pray to Buddha. Furthermore, they had come for three consecutive days. He was somewhat curious, so he chanted the scriptures to see if he could help them.
As the man began to reveal his true feelings, Fangzheng took a deep breath. A Golden Millet Dream!
The next moment, Fangzheng appeared in a mud house in a village. The house was a little dilapidated, but it could still shelter him from the elements. A woman was sitting in the yard in a daze. She held a piece of paper in her hand as tears dripped down her cheeks.
At that moment, the door opened and the man walked out. He said with a deep and hoarse voice, "I'm going to work. Don't worry. There will be a solution."
"What other solution can there be? The medical fees are so high. I've borrowed all the money I can, but I'm still short of more than two hundred thousand. Boohoo! "After the woman said that, she hugged her head and cried.
The man patted the woman on the back and said, "Don't worry. There will be a solution."
With that said, the man left.
"What solution can you have? The child is already in such a state. I've borrowed all the money I can. Are you counting on that bit of salary of yours? "the woman cried out.
The man replied with a hoarse voice, "There will be a solution. Trust me."
After saying that, the man straightened his back even more and strode out.
The scene changed. In a dark mine, the man was digging with great difficulty. He was sweating profusely as though he had just been fished out of the water.
At that moment, someone shouted, "Brother Cao, it's time. Go up and rest."
"Ah? Oh. I'll work a little longer. You can go up first, "said Cao Can.
"Alright then. Be careful. Come up early. It will be mealtime in a while," shouted the person before there was silence.
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