4. How long can a Buddhist practice last?

Ding Xiaojuan's phone rang at that moment, and she thought to herself, "Is this really so strange? We've been able to communicate telepathically all these years?"

Ding Xiaojuan and Gao Sheng have known each other since junior high school. They were in the same county high school, and both of them consistently ranked first or second in the entrance exams for the city's top high school. Then, they worked hard together to get into universities in Beijing, after which they confirmed their relationship. There was no dramatic chase or suspicion, no doubt or distrust, just a natural and steady progress and mutual support in their hard work.

After graduation, one of them entered a state-owned enterprise that others dream of, and the other entered an unknown law firm. They entered the hall of marriage in an orderly manner. Neither of them felt that they were marrying above their station, nor did they feel that they were losing out. They both believed that the other was the one they wanted forever.

In their small apartment, it felt like being back in a library during their student days, with them still engrossed in their books under the lamplight. Of all the conflicts between couples, only the initial disagreement about washing dishes was peacefully resolved with a game of rock-paper-scissors. Later, even that conflict disappeared. Ding Xiaojuan said, "I don't want to do housework, and I won't force you to. Let's hire a part-time housekeeper."

How many men in this world are willing to do housework? How many men are willing to listen to women nagging about housework? Arguments over housework often stem from women's reluctance to hire housekeepers and their unwillingness to do the hard work themselves. Women are willing to outsource tasks that no one else wants to do, and how many men would disagree, especially since their income is more than enough?

During the time she was studying for her bar exam, Ding Xiaojuan canceled their weekly movie date. It's said that marriage requires effort, and although the couple were both busy after marriage, they still maintained their weekly date with great care. A month later, Gao Sheng asked, "Wife, when is your exam?" Ding Xiaojuan immediately replied, "I know, I'll pamper you tonight."

If you make a request, it will be fulfilled.

Like business partners, Ding Xiaojuan sometimes feels a bit lost: Are we husband and wife, or business partners? Do we love each other, or do we need each other? Are we pursuing our ideals, or have we given up on life?

When Gao Sheng told her about an internal position with a salary three times her current income, plus even greater raises and faster promotions, Ding Xiaojuan immediately sensed it and asked, "Which country?" She knew it must be a backward country, a country she couldn't go to and didn't want to go to.

"Cambodia."

Sure enough, Ding Xiaojuan nodded silently. "What do you think?" Although she asked the question, she actually knew the answer. Otherwise, why would she have brought it up? "I think we should seize the opportunity to earn more money while we're still young."

"several years?"

"At least three years."

Three years is acceptable. Ding Xiaojuan, who has always known what she wants and doesn't want, and how to achieve her goals step by step, thought, "I'll use these three years to finish all the exams I need to take and get all the certificates I need. Then I can put my baby-making plan on the agenda and enter the stage of having children."

Ding Xiaojuan briefly considered her future plans.

However, three years later, the "cost-effectiveness" of returning is too low.

But having a baby remains Ding Xiaojuan's plan.

The two of them, with a love and trust that most people don't have, spent ten years together, a period marked by more separations than reunions. Ding Xiaojuan sometimes wondered if, after ten years, the bond between them had grown stronger or weaker.

She had just said goodbye downstairs and gone back to her room when she suddenly received a call. She answered, and He Miao's voice was low and clearly anxious: "Xiao Juan, could you call Zhuang Jia for me? Yi Yi's phone is off. He Tian suddenly has severe stomach pains and is rolling around in agony; I can't handle him by myself!"

Ding Xiaojuan instantly snapped out of her self-pity, jumped up, rushed out of the room, and knocked on Yi Yi's door. The two, still half-asleep, instantly snapped awake upon hearing the situation.

The diagnosis was acute gastroenteritis. He Tian was taken to the hospital for an IV drip and didn't return to the villa until dawn. Exhausted, Zhuang Jia supported him and said with a smile, "Old He, you really should lose some weight. My back almost broke carrying you last night."

He Tian's face was pale, and he chuckled weakly twice: "Yeah, I should lose weight."

He Miao gave him a pitying glare, but her words were sharp: "You fat otaku! You never exercise, all you do is stare at your phone all day. Now look what's happened!"

"I'm sorry to trouble you to take good care of the child today," He Miao said, turning to Zhuang Jia with a look of apology and gratitude. "Thanks to you last night, otherwise I really wouldn't know what to do in the middle of the night."

Yi Yi told Zhuang Jia to hurry up and catch up on her sleep. The beach was much quieter in the morning, and the children were playing with Ding Xiaojuan and her energetic mother-in-law.

The hustle and bustle subsided, and Ding Xiaojuan sat alone on the terrace, gazing at the calm sea. The melancholy she felt last night about her own loneliness had been replaced by longing for her husband far away. What if he fell ill in a foreign land? Who could take care of him? The urgent hope that he was well instantly overwhelmed all fears about the "adjustment" process. She picked up her phone, intending to send him a message.

Almost simultaneously, the WeChat video call request notification rang. Ding Xiaojuan glanced at it and saw it was Gao Sheng. A smile involuntarily spread across her face, and she quickly greeted her mother-in-law and Haha.

"Why are you calling at this time?" she asked, her voice so soft that she herself didn't even realize it.

"I saw Mom's post on WeChat Moments last night, and I know you're at the beach. I was thinking you should be up by now..." Gao Sheng's voice came through the receiver, carrying a familiar gentleness.

Haha ran over like a little whirlwind, snatched the phone, and cried out, "Dad! Dad!"

"Haha, did you have fun?"

"happy!"

What games did you play?

"We dug a sandpit! We buried both uncles! And a frisbee, it flew into the sea and almost drifted away... Rolling's dad, no, Uncle He, had a stomachache last night and went to the hospital..."

Ding Xiaojuan took back her phone and laughed, "Alright, if you keep talking, your breakfast will get cold. Hurry up and eat, we still need to collect seashells after we finish!"

She cheered and ran off. Ding Xiaojuan took her phone and went into her room, leaving Yi Yi behind, teasing, "Oh, oh, oh, hiding away to whisper secrets!"

Ding Xiaojuan turned around, gave Yi Yi a flirtatious yet smug look, and closed the door.

“Mom is truly amazing,” Ding Xiaojuan exclaimed to Gao Sheng on the other end of the screen. “She gives her all and knows when to step back. She is a role model for parents everywhere.”

“But I can’t be like Mom,” she said, a sly smile playing on her lips. “I’ll have a lot of things to do when I’m old.”

“I’ll be with you,” Gao Sheng laughed on the other end of the screen. “We can look after our grandson while doing what we want to do.”

“You haven’t spent enough time with your son, and you want to make up for it with your grandson? I’ve spent enough time with him, I’m not watching. You can watch if you want.” Even though they were separated by a screen, Ding Xiaojuan wouldn’t budge an inch. Just a moment ago she was full of concern, but in the blink of an eye, they had a disagreement on “long-term planning.”

Gao Sheng's emotional intelligence was clearly on point, and he immediately agreed: "Okay, okay, I'll listen to you. I don't care about that little brat! By the way, I'll be going back next week."

"Didn't you say you'd be back next year?" Ding Xiaojuan was taken aback.

"What, does it sound like you're not too happy to see me?" Gao Sheng teased her on purpose.

“Yes!” Ding Xiaojuan played along, “I was such a happy single woman, but as soon as you came back, I became a ‘married woman’.”

"Fortunately, I'm only going back for half a month to report on my work and visit a few leaders." Gao Sheng's words stirred something within Ding Xiaojuan.

"What? You're not coming back next year?" She keenly sensed something.

"Do you want me to come back, or not?" Gao Sheng continued to joke.

Ding Xiaojuan rolled her eyes at the screen: "People don't matter! As long as the money comes back."

Gao Sheng, however, saw through everything and smiled confidently: "You're just saying that. I know what you're thinking, just as you know what I'm planning. When I go back, I need a suitable position. I'll take this opportunity to meet some key figures. In the next few days, take a look and prepare a few appropriate gifts for me."

Ding Xiaojuan is an expert in this area. She not only maintains her law firm's network of relationships but also helps Gao Sheng cultivate connections within China. She knows exactly which leader has what preferences and what price range is appropriate yet meaningful. Now is a crucial moment, so the significance of the gift is naturally different.

“Okay, I’ll think about it.” She agreed readily.

When I left the room, He Miao and Zhuang Jia, who hadn't managed to catch up on sleep, were chatting quietly in the living room, and Yi Yi was also there. Unsurprisingly, the topic circled back to the children.

“Other kids are cramming for math and English, but we even canceled our English class just to go out and have fun. Isn’t that a bit… too lax?” He Miao said this, but her face didn’t show much real anxiety.

“Learning is a lifelong endeavor, and maintaining interest and intrinsic motivation is the key,” Yi Yi added. “To deprive children of their natural inclination to play for the sake of elementary school knowledge seems like putting the cart before the horse.”

“I totally agree!” He Miao responded immediately. “That’s why we are the laid-back parents of Chaoyang District.”

When He Miao saw Ding Xiaojuan come out, she gestured to her with her lip and said, "Look, someone is about to 'defect' and leave the organization."

Yi Yi asked in surprise, "Xiao Juan, are you moving?"

“Yes,” Ding Xiaojuan nodded, “I bought a house in Wanliu a few years ago and registered my household there. We’ll move there when Haha starts elementary school.”

"And what about you?" Yi Yi asked He Miao.

“I’m going to take the Buddhist approach to the extreme,” He Miao shrugged. “I don’t have that much money to buy a big house, and I don’t want to buy an old, run-down apartment just to live in a good school district.”

“Actually, you could buy a small place to register your residency, rent out the apartment here, and then rent a more comfortable place in Haidian,” Yi Yi suggested. “You’re Beijing residents, so you have more options than we do.”

“Although Mencius’ mother moved three times to find the right environment for her son, I don’t want to be Mencius’ mother,” He Miao said seriously. “There is more than one path to success. I think things are fine as they are now. My child is happy, and our parent-child relationship is good.”

Yi Yi is actually a little afraid to talk about these things. Although she has been a full-time mother for several years, she spends more of her free time reading, visiting exhibitions, and developing her own interests. Regarding her child's education, she always wavers between various theories: sometimes she feels that she has delayed her child's development, and sometimes she firmly believes that she should give her child back his childhood.

"So how exactly does one... qualify as 'successful'?" she murmured, as if asking someone else, but also as if asking herself.

Ding Xiaojuan walked over, picked up an orange and slowly peeled it, her tone calm yet with a resolute strength: "Moving there isn't about betting on a sure-fire path. It's just that since he has the ability, we should give him a broader platform to see more possibilities. As for how far he can go, that's his business. We parents are there to build the stage, not write the script."

Sunlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows, bathing the three women. The sea breeze carried a salty, damp scent, and the distant laughter of children could be faintly heard.

At this moment, there seems to be no standard answer to whether to adopt a "Buddhist-style" or "tiger-hyper" approach, or whether to choose a "Chaoyang" or "Haidian" district. Behind each choice lies the best possible compromise made at that moment, based on their own understanding, resources, and knowledge of their children.

Looking at Ding Xiaojuan's calm profile and then at He Miao's relaxed expression, Yi Yi felt the lingering uncertainty in her heart seem to have dissipated somewhat with the sea breeze. She didn't necessarily agree with all their choices, but she began to understand that behind every attitude towards life, there was a self-consistent logic supporting it.

She herself needs to find her own logic, the one that belongs to her and Kaikai. This process of searching is perhaps more important than a ready-made answer.