After leaving Yishan Waterworks, Wen Liang went to Tianlou Mountain Pufang Temple. Since it was not a holiday, there were not many tourists going up the mountain. The monk who was in charge of reception was sitting at the gate, guarding the merit box with boredom, holding a book in his hand and reading it intently. Wen Liang glanced at the cover, fortunately it was a serious Buddhist scripture, not a messy novel such as martial arts, romance, pop, etc., which was much higher than those so-called Buddhist disciples in later generations who never leave their mobile phones.
"This Master..."
The monk in charge of reception raised his head impatiently, took a look at Wen Liang's clothes and demeanor, as well as the tall and mighty Chang Cheng following behind him, and his face suddenly became enthusiastic. He stood up and asked, "Are you here to burn incense or to draw lots?"
Wen Liang nodded and said, "I would like to see the abbot of your temple. Could you introduce me to him?"
"Well, I'm sorry, the abbot usually doesn't see outsiders..."
Wen Liang smiled but said nothing. Even if Chang Cheng was no longer a worm in his stomach, he was at least one of the people who knew him best. He immediately understood and counted out ten old man tickets from his wallet and put them in the donation box. Pufang Temple has lost its former glory in recent years. Although there are many believers, it is the first time that a donation of more than one thousand yuan has been made at a time. The eyes of the monk in charge of reception lit up. Wen Liang did not wait for him to speak and said earnestly: "I came here specially from Qingzhou. I hope the master will be lenient."
The monk in charge of reception hesitated for a moment. He had no choice but to say, "Okay, I'll report to the abbot, but I can't guarantee that I will see you."
"Thank you, Master. Regardless of whether it succeeds or not, I appreciate your kindness!"
After the monk in charge of reception went to the courtyard at the back, Wen Liang turned around and stood on the steps with his hands behind his back. The soft sunlight shone on his face through the old locust tree in the courtyard, accompanied by the melodious bells of the temple. He didn't know if it was an illusion, but in Chang Cheng's eyes, he suddenly felt that the boss had a more worldly look.
How should I put it? The feeling was very strange, as if he was really standing there, and yet he didn't seem to exist, as if he didn't belong to this world at all!
Chang Cheng shook his head, blinked hard, and looked over again. Wen Liang's figure was clear and bright, and it couldn't be more real.
He breathed a sigh of relief and laughed, thinking that he had seen things in his eyes. He forgot about it in an instant and turned around to look around. The gray tiles and blue bricks, the small square courtyard, were extremely plain and simple. He muttered, "What a shabby place. A bunch of bald guys who only know how to eat vegetarian food and chant Buddhist scriptures. They are so bored."
Wen Liang turned his head with a hint of blame in his eyes. Chang Cheng immediately shut his mouth and stood obediently aside, watching his actions and staying still.
After a while, the monk in charge of reception came over quickly, clasped his hands together, looked at Wen Liang with a strange look, and said, "Please follow me."
The abbot of Pufang Temple, Master Zhiyuan, was not as famous in the Buddhist world as the contemporary eminent monk Master Zhifa, but his status within the Tiantai Sect was no worse. In recent years, apart from holding Buddhist lectures, he rarely saw outsiders. But just now, when he said that he was a visitor from Qingzhou and was young, he ordered someone to be brought in, which was really unusual.
After passing through several moon-shaped stone gates, the monk in charge of reception led Wen Liang to an ordinary Zen room and said, "Please come in. The abbot is waiting in the room."
"Thank you!"
Wen Liang took a deep breath, straightened his clothes, and slowly climbed the stairs. Chang Cheng was about to follow him, but the monk in charge of reception stopped him and said, "The abbot only saw him, so why don't you go to the front yard to rest for a while."
Chang Cheng was stunned for a moment, Wen Liang had already pushed the door open and walked in, so he could only say unhappily: "I'll just stay here, you go and do your thing."
The monk in charge of reception did not leave, and chatted with Chang Cheng with great interest, "You came from Qingzhou? You drove here, right? The early bus is still on the way... Are you doing business, or working? I guess you are doing business, and your business must be very big, right?"
Chang Cheng got angry when asked, but Wen Liang seemed to respect the abbot here, so he didn't dare to be presumptuous. He chatted with the monk in charge of reception: We are not doing business, we are all bricklayers at the construction site. We just changed into clean clothes before going out today. We usually hide them on the kang and don't want to wear them. I'm driving a car, I can't even afford a bus. I walked from Qingzhou with my legs, and my soles are rubbed with blisters. I don't know how painful it will be when I go back.
The monk in charge of reception obviously didn't believe it. How could such a poor man donate 1,000 yuan at once? Chang Cheng immediately said with tears in his eyes, "Who told us to believe in Buddhism? We don't want to spend the money on ourselves, but we want to spend it on Buddha. I worked hard for a year and only earned this little money. I can only make do with cold water and plain steamed buns. Well, I will give it all to you without hesitation."
The monk in charge of reception became anxious and asked, "What do you mean by 'give it to us'? That is for accumulating virtue and doing good deeds. Didn't you see the words written on the box? Merit. No matter it is one yuan or one thousand yuan, it is a good deed of accumulating virtue and doing good deeds."
Really? Master, please be kind. I’m short of money right now. Why don’t you give me half of the money in the merit box? It will be considered as a good deed for me, okay
The monk in charge of reception originally wanted to ask Chang Cheng some questions to see what Wen Liang's background was that made the abbot take the time to meet him. But he didn't expect to meet such a hottie. In a few words, he changed the topic to how to divide the money in the merit box to be considered as real merit. The two were talking nonsense when the door creaked open and Wen Liang walked out with a serious face.
Chang Cheng immediately shut up, took three steps back, and looked straight ahead, like the old locust tree in the courtyard. The monk in charge of reception was still not satisfied, as if he would tarnish the glory of Buddha if he didn't convince Chang Cheng, and was about to continue the debate with him, but Wen Liang walked out as if he didn't see them.
Chang Cheng glared at the monk in charge of reception and hurriedly followed him away. The monk in charge of reception scratched his head, looked at Wen Liang's back in confusion, then looked at the closed meditation room and followed him.
When they reached the mountain gate, Wen Liang seemed to be awakened from his trance by the cold wind. He said to Chang Cheng, "How much money do you have on you? Donate it all."
Chang Cheng didn't ask why. He took out his wallet and put the remaining 5,000 yuan into the merit box. The monk in charge of receiving guests was overjoyed and kept bowing and chanting the Buddha's name. Buddhists also need money and rice to live, which is nothing wrong.
After coming down the mountain and on the way back to Qingzhou, Chang Cheng secretly glanced at Wen Liang, secretly wondering what the trip to Pufang Temple was all about. As a smart boss, he would not be fooled by the old monk and donate all his money in a daze, right
Wen Liang suddenly laughed and asked, "Do you think I was deceived by the old monk?"
Chang Cheng said with a guilty conscience: "How is it possible? It's impossible!"
"I had a nightmare last night. I dreamed that I was walking alone on a never-ending single-plank bridge. On the left was a sea of red flames, and on the right was a raging wave. There were also countless bleeding faces flying around. These faces were all people I recognized!"
Chang Ben was a man who had no taboos. Even if there was a miracle in front of him, he would probably urinate on it. But in the broad daylight in the car, when he heard Wen Liang casually recounting his dream last night, he shuddered unconsciously.
I wanted to hear Wen Liang continue talking, but he closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Chang Cheng knew the conversation was over, and he didn't want to ask any more questions. He held the steering wheel tightly and tried his best to make the car run more smoothly and comfortably. (To be continued)