69novels Chapter 21 Encounter in the Temple
Chapter 21 Encounter in the Temple
Chen Che walked over with a smile and greeted them respectfully, "Hello, uncles and aunts, my name is Chen Che, Chen as in 'ear east,' and Che as in 'clear.'"
Chen Maorong and Cen Jing saw that he was a handsome young man who spoke gently and was polite and well-mannered, so their first impression of him was quite good.
"Oh my, you're related to us by blood. We're Sui Sui's parents," Chen Maorong explained briefly.
Chen Sui, who was standing to the side, stuffed a 20-yuan bill into Chen Che's hand and explained the reason. Chen Che smiled, speechless, but upon closer inspection, it really was something his family would do.
"Uncle and Aunt, there's really no need to give this money. We just happened to run into each other, so I'm just showing my hospitality." Chen Che waved his hand, the distance between them now shifting from "you" to "us."
"No, the money that's owed still needs to be paid."
After several attempts to refuse, Chen Che stopped arguing and casually stuffed the 20 yuan into his pocket. The temple's assets quietly lost 20 yuan, which inadvertently created a favor between Chen Che and Chen Sui's family.
"Xiao Chen, our family came from Shanghai for a visit. You're a local, so if it's convenient, could you show us around the temple?" Cen Jing made a small request.
This put Chen Che in a bit of a dilemma, since he had made plans with his high school classmates to go to an internet cafe together to farm Lord Pink items.
How could I stand someone up just to be their tour guide? Besides, I know absolutely nothing about the history of the temple or Buddhist culture, and I would immediately expose my ignorance if we started talking about it.
So Chen Che nodded decisively and said, "No problem, I'll take care of it." He then sent a message to the other person: "Go have fun by yourself. I ran into a college classmate, a pretty girl. I'll show them around."
High school classmate: "?"
The group walked into the courtyard, where a line of people waiting to kowtow and worship the Bodhisattva stretched from inside the main hall all the way down the dozens of steps outside. Chen Sui's family also joined the line with great interest, while Chen Che chatted with them casually.
"Xiao Chen, you're so young and you've already become a Buddhist?" Cen Jing said.
Originally, it was just to keep the conversation going. Cen Jing thought Chen Che would say something like "letting go of distractions" or "cleansing the soul," or at least quote some Buddhist classics. Her family lived near Jing'an Temple and had been exposed to the sound of the morning bell and evening drum every day, so they could talk about them. But Chen Che shook his head and said...
"I don't believe it, but I find people who believe in Buddhism and Taoism quite interesting."
Throughout history, people have always sought solace in things beyond their control, from small hopes for their children's academic success and their family's good health to the realization by scientists that their theories cannot explain everything and that only the existence of gods or God can achieve perfect unity.
"Perhaps some people did not believe it at first, but later when a family member became seriously ill, there was only so much they could do, and their anxiety needed an outlet. This cannot be considered feudal superstition."
"In any case, no matter how high a person's status is, there are things they cannot do; no matter how low their status is, they still have a sincere heart. From the perspective of detaching from the group, humanity is also very insignificant."
When it was their turn, the family of three knelt side by side on the prayer mats, devoutly putting their hands together in prayer. Chen Che did not kneel, but he also put his hands together in a simple greeting.
If Buddha and Bodhisattvas were above, and if our Chen family ancestors were also floating around, they would also listen to the wishes of their descendant, Chen Che.
If it can keep my family healthy and safe, I, Chen Che, am willing to be rich and powerful!
We can't just accept the offerings from our descendants for nothing. If you heard this, shouldn't you at least offer something in return?
Suddenly a strong gust of wind blew by, causing the candlelight to flicker and a green Bodhi leaf to flutter around, eventually landing in Chen Che's collar and making the back of his neck itch.
An elderly woman with gray hair, who had been squinting, suddenly opened her eyes wide and said to Chen Che in an exaggerated tone, "Young man, you have a great opportunity! This is not a withered leaf. How could such a green leaf be blown down by the wind and onto someone for no reason? Moreover, this is the Bodhi tree under which Buddha attained enlightenment. Buddha is giving you guidance."
Chen Che scratched his head and chuckled, "Am I some kind of chosen one?"
"Yes, if you add my peace charm, the effect will be doubled. It only costs 20 yuan a piece..."
"Uh... I don't have money, I won't buy it."
"You, you, you, you...you have no affinity with Buddha!"
The old woman said angrily.
.......
Xiyuan Temple is not large, and it didn't take the group long to walk around. Among the various halls, the most popular was Shen Wansan's God of Wealth Hall. The number of coins in the treasure bowl was noticeably higher than that of the other deities, and it always exceeded the temple's KPIs every year.
After finishing the tour, the group initially found it somewhat novel, but after a while, they grew tired of it. Cen Jing said with a hint of disappointment, "It's similar to Jing'an Temple back home; it doesn't seem to have anything particularly interesting."
The only difference is that the ticket to Jing'an Temple is 51 yuan. I feel like a complete victim of being ripped off. My opinion is that it's better to wait until Thursday to go crazy.
Upon hearing this, Chen Che smiled and said, "Auntie, I wonder if you've ever heard of a poem?"
"Oh, what poem?" Cen Jing asked with some curiosity.
Chen Che smiled, his tone calm, and began to recite softly:
"The misty rain of Lushan and the tides of Zhejiang, a thousand regrets cannot be dispelled until one has been there."
Having arrived, nothing more to do; the misty rain of Mount Lu and the tides of Zhejiang.
This is a seven-character ancient poem by Su Shi, a famous travel blogger from the Song Dynasty. It describes Su Shi's mindset when he was (forced) to go on a trip.
There are some things that you always feel a tingling sensation in your heart when you don't have them, and you can't let go of them no matter how much you think about them.
It seems that missing out on the latest generation of smartphones, tablets, and game consoles means falling behind the world's technological advancements.
There isn't a specific gun or knife skin; it feels like shooting in the game will always cause a lag (except for the alternate art flash knife).
If you don't buy the grains of a certain character, you can't be considered his or her true love.
But once you have it, it's really not that special.
Handheld consoles with screen protectors and cases eventually succumb to the fate of running out of lithium batteries and becoming unusable.
The old, faded graphics card was retired and sold to a black market kiln, replaced by a new wife with greater power and higher rendering efficiency, and the cycle continued.
Cen Jing understood immediately upon hearing it, grasped the Zen meaning in the poem, chuckled, and said "Oh."
"Tourism is just a group of people going to a place that another group of people are tired of seeing and exploring."
"The most interesting people are always the locals. What kind of people does a particular place nurture? What kind of language do they speak? What kind of food do they eat? What kind of personality do they have?"
"Hehe, you're absolutely right." Cen Jing nodded with a smile, as if she were a mother-in-law evaluating her son-in-law.