Chapter 7

A messenger walked in from outside the clinic. He was dressed like someone from the Hong Kong Coliseum.

He walked straight up to Rong Ti and said respectfully, "Doctor Rong, the Hong Kong Coliseum invites you."

After Rongti finished writing the last word of the prescription, he paused and nodded to the messenger, "Please wait for me for a moment. I'll pack my medical kit and come right back."

After leaving the clinic, just across the street, the side door next to the wall of the Hong Kong Coliseum comes into view.

The clinic where Rong Ti worked was located next to the Hong Kong Coliseum. Although it was officially located in the market, anyone with a discerning eye would know that the medical staff there were paid and fed by the Hong Kong Coliseum. To put it nicely, they had a "legitimate" reputation; to put it bluntly, they were handling miscellaneous matters that were "indecent and corrupt."

Ordinary people are simply unwilling to patronize this restaurant, for fear that those low-class people in the Hong Kong Coliseum may be infected with some serious disease, which would be disastrous if it were to spread to them.

Rong Ti followed the messenger through the side door. The teachings these doctors had always heard were: Don't look, don't listen, don't remember.

So when he entered the Hong Kong Coliseum, he lowered his head and stared at the shoes of the person leading the way in front of him, looking very submissive.

He should have been the most inconspicuous person in his plain clothes, but Rongti had white hair and handsome features. When he passed by the attic where the actors and concubines lived, it was common for people to whistle at him and throw red flowers at him.

Some people say that Dr. Rong is like the old monk in the vegetarian scriptures. He was born with such a body, but he is unmoved by it and has no heart to enter the world of worldly affairs.

He was untainted by the dust of worldly affairs, more like a handful of snow in a clear sky. Unlike the Red Pavilion, unlike the nights spent with fine wine, he was simply himself, the kind of person the girls in the venue would subconsciously preen upon seeing, not daring to neglect.

The road there was long, and the bustle of the day had faded, revealing the quaint side of the Red Pavilion. Smoke drifted in the distance, adding a touch of homely charm and lessening the extravagance of the extravagant.

Rong Ti has witnessed too many sad things, even in this Hong Kong Coliseum.

He never considered the women here any different from those outside. They were all human, and had experienced the suffering of the world. Perhaps it was his childhood that influenced him, but he saved people and felt compassion. But there were always times when he could do nothing, so he just did his best. At least he could make the mourning quieter, and let those suffering from illness leave with peace of mind.

He had seen the blushing faces of prostitutes who were criticized by the world; he had also seen actors chatting and laughing when they were not playing or singing. He was just like everyone else outside the high walls, except that he lived in a different way, that was all.

Rongti looked up and saw a tall Bodhi tree, something he had never noticed before. It was a gloomy day with no wind, but dark clouds and a thin mist. Leaves were falling from the Bodhi tree, and birds were chirping.

Dad said that they got their name because they saw the Bodhi tree and landed on the ground.

Their mother passed away after giving birth to them. Their father was a cook, his cooking skills were highly praised and he could earn a living in the county town. But since their mother had passed away, without breast milk, they could not feed them. So their father took the two children and went to the ancient temple on the peak of the fairy mountain.

The abbot of the temple had only one request, which was to adopt one of the gold and silver twins as his disciple.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t stay. Dad said he left his brother in the temple.

Bodhi Bodhi, also known as the awakening tree, my father said that the abbot said our family has a connection with Buddhism, so he named the twins, the older brother "Ti" and the younger sister "Bo".

The elder brother was an adopted son of the temple and dropped his family name, called "Rongti", while the younger sister took her father's surname, "Li".

The temple kept its promise and fed the twins with goat milk. However, when Rongti came to recognize them, the temple asked the father to take the sister away.

When Rongti heard his sister learn to call him "brother", he saw his father for the last time under the Bodhi tree, and then was called by the abbot to chant Buddhist scriptures. When he came back, his father and sister were gone.

The abbot said that his ties with his family were over, and that what he should do now was to let go of personal feelings and focus on teaching Buddha and compassion for all living beings. That year, Rongti was three years old, and he never saw his family again.

The abbot took Rong Ti to clean himself and said he would change his fortune. The price was thirty years of his earthly life and the fate of the other half of his twins, the gold and silver.

Rong Ti aged prematurely, and on the day the cleansing was complete, his hair was completely white. The abbot simply told Rong Ti that this was the good fortune, the Buddha's luck, and the immortal mountain's continued efficaciousness and reputation that he had earned in exchange for his thirty years of life.

But he never mentioned that his good life was exchanged for his sister's fate.

The abbot said that Rong Ti would be the next abbot. He had seven stars of purple celestial being on his head, and his future was promising.

Rong Ti believed his words and stayed in the temple for eighteen years.

At the age of twenty-one, the abbot, near death, had run out of oil in his lamp. He called Rongti to his room to listen to a sermon. He told him about the dharma treasures that made his temple so popular. He thought he had converted to Buddhism after eighteen years of meditation and practice, so he told him about the twins.

"You are all under the sister's grace today."

The abbot told Rongti this.

The temple owes its fame to the cleansing methods passed down from generation to generation.

It was just like dragging one person into the abyss and using it to send another person up to the clouds. The next day, the abbot of the temple died, the ancient scriptures he had been teaching disappeared, and the grown-up donor disappeared without a trace.

Rongti became a doctor, not for any other reason, but just to accumulate merit for the sister whose face was so vague in his memory that he could not see it clearly.

After eighteen years of ascetic practice, he had some minor supernatural powers. For a long time, Rongti dreamed of a woman screaming in pain.

Twins, born from the same roots. He could understand her suffering in her dreams. Day and night, she had no peace.

——

The bird on the Bodhi tree flew away.

Rongti came back to his senses and continued to follow the shoes of the person in front of him.

He knew that he would be atonement for the rest of his life.

To make the person in my dream who cries every day feel at ease.

In the blink of an eye, many years had passed. He seemed to hear a babbling voice calling him, "Brother."

Rongti closed his eyes and stopped thinking about it. He just thought about burning incense and praying again when he returned home today.

This is what he does every month, burning incense and praying for the person he misses under the moonlight: hoping that she will be safe, happy, healthy, and everything will go well.

The person leading the way suddenly stopped and saw a burst of wailing and wailing coming from the sky, suona playing funeral music, and a funeral procession coming in a mighty manner from the other end of the road.

Rongti recognized the group of people in front of him who were wearing palace costumes and crying. The coffin was covered with white cloth and everyone was wearing mourning clothes.

He had heard that a lady had entered the Hong Kong Coliseum yesterday. He didn't think much about it, nor did he ask any questions. He just bowed and paid his respects, following the etiquette of the people in front of him. He vaguely heard the people weeping and singing saying:

"My dearest daughter, when you cry, I shed many tears."[1]

"You are a bodhisattva in this world, and you have done good deeds in the underworld. In the next life, you will enjoy supreme wealth and honor. In the nine heavens, your children and grandchildren will bless you. We miss you so much that we can't eat or drink tea. We wash our eyes with tears every night. You have a miserable life. May you be blessed in the next life and be your mother's daughter again, and a concubine in the palace."

"My dearest daughter, when you cry, I shed so many tears..."

She cried so heartbreakingly that Rongti sighed inwardly and expressed his condolences.

After the funeral procession left, the leader started walking again and Rongti followed.

When they arrived at the clinic, the patient was a manager who had accidentally broken her leg. Rongti was bandaging her wound. There were no outsiders around at the moment, and several managers were sitting together, not paying any attention to Rongti at all, and chatting among themselves.

"You say this lady died at such a bad time. She was only here for a day and she's already passed away. It's really sad."

"Tsk tsk tsk, I guess he's used to living in the palace and can't suppress the evil in our hall, so his life is short."

"It's quite interesting. How did His Majesty choose her? A woman from the Hong Kong Coliseum became a royal concubine. Wouldn't that be a joke to the world?"

"It was said that she was pregnant with a dragon seed, but she died very soon. She was not blessed to enjoy it."

"To put it bluntly, it's just a worthless life. Li Puzi, Li Puzi, you really think you are a Bodhisattva, hahaha..." Several people laughed together. However, the person who applied the medicine was stunned.

Rongti looked up and happened to meet the steward's eyes. The steward asked him:

"Doctor, but my injury..."

"What did you just say?" Rong Ti interrupted her and dropped the herbal jar in his hand.

"Oh, I thought it was something else. I guess doctors are also gossipy." The steward laughed. "It doesn't hurt to talk about it. The person is gone. What can they do to me?"

The steward looked at Rong Ti and said, "Isn't she the empress who came to the palace yesterday? She passed away today."

"It's also mysterious."

"That lady...what's her last name..." Rong Ti was a little speechless.

"My surname is Li, my name is Puzi, and I used to be a courtesan of some repute in my house."

The moment he heard it, Rongti fell down.

He had been in Mingjing for only a year, and he always remembered what the manager said: Don't look, don't listen, don't remember.

He had no interest in politics or the court. He walked alone, completely absorbed in atonement, healing the dying and the wounded, burning incense and praying for blessings. He forgot to find out who was asking him to "atone for his sins."

The abbot said that our family had a connection with Buddhism, so he named the twins, the older brother "Ti" and the younger sister "Bo."

My sister took my father's surname. My father said to call my brother Li Rongti and my sister Li Puzi.

…

Rong Ti was stunned on the ground for a long time, then asked again in a hoarse voice with disbelief:

"What's your name?"

"You, the doctor, are confused, Li Puzi, Concubine Jue."

"You're talking nonsense!" Rong Ti suddenly stood up, his eyes red. He smashed the medical kit and said angrily, "That's it for today. I can't do anything to treat your injury!"

Rongti rushed out and headed towards the place where the most paper money was scattered. He saw white banners hanging all over the building.

Rong Ti had fallen on the way here, tearing his clothes. He pushed the door open again and bumped into a maid coming out. She was frightened by him and cried out in surprise.

There was a person kneeling on the ground in the hall, burning paper money.

The maid came to her senses, recognized him, and said, "Doctor Rong, you've come just in time. Go and persuade him! He's been kneeling here all day and all night, and he won't leave no matter what."

Rongti didn't answer. He walked over and was suddenly stunned.

The flames devoured the paper money, and the corners of the clothes of the person kneeling on the ground were burned, but he didn't notice.

Rong asked, "Dad?"

He clenched his fists, hoping that the person would not respond to him, that everything was an illusion, and he could continue to live in fantasy, pray for her, and atone for his sins.

But the man agreed, and when he turned around slowly to look at him, his eyes were almost blinded by tears.

Rong Ti collapsed, sadness finally showing on his face. He questioned him, "Dad... Li Shisan! Why are you here? Didn't you promise to take my sister to the south to enjoy a better life?"

"Rong'er... Rong'er..." Tears squeezed out of Li Shisan's cloudy eyes again. The paper money in his hand was thrown into the brazier, and the flames rose three feet in an instant.

Li Shisan began to slap himself and kowtow to Rong Ti repeatedly, muttering, "It's all because of my useless father... It's all because of my useless father. He didn't protect you, and he didn't protect Pu'er."

Li Shisan burst into tears and slapped himself furiously, muttering something as if to confide in himself, but with even more self-blame: "I was going to Jiangnan with Pu'er, as I promised you... Pu'er likes Jiangnan."

"That night, there was a heavy snowfall, and we couldn't travel any further. I took Pu'er to a tavern to stay, but there were no rooms available. Since I wanted to save money, I decided to stay with another family."

"They have no children and love Pu'er very much. I have caught a cold and am very sleepy..."

"I saw how much they loved Pu'er, so I asked them to help take care of her. But who knew that when I woke up, Pu'er and they were gone."

Li Shisan cried so hard that he almost vomited: "It's all my fault... I fell asleep, damn it! Damn it!"

"Later, I heard that Pu'er had been sold here. I followed her, but before I even saw her, she was about to enter the palace."

His eyes were blinded by crying. He aged beyond recognition overnight.

He kept repeating in his mouth: "Pu'er, my Pu'er..."

The next moment he threw himself into the brazier.