"Of course I know that!" Qin Anmin said irritably, his face full of annoyance.
"What bad luck! I was in such a good mood today, and she ruined it all!"
Su Qinghe smiled dismissively.
"What's meant to happen will happen. According to her, even if we hadn't run into her today, she would have found time to visit your residence. So it's better to know sooner rather than later and prepare accordingly."
Baili Honglan nodded in agreement. "That makes perfect sense. I need to send a message to Kyoto as soon as I get back today."
Qin Anmin looked distressed and waved his hand impatiently.
"Alright, alright, stop mentioning her. Let's go inside quickly. If we go any later, the monks in the temple will be having lunch, and then there won't even be anyone to guide us or offer incense."
As instructed, a large group of people entered Lingyan Temple.
As Qin Anmin had said, there were not many worshippers left inside. Those who were there were going in the opposite direction, having finished offering their incense and preparing to leave.
"Are all the monks at Lingyan Temple men?"
Looking at the few scattered monks sweeping the ground around her, Su Qinghe asked in confusion.
Qin Anmin looked at her with surprise. "Is this your first time here, Sister Xian?"
Seeing Su Qinghe nod, she quickly and enthusiastically explained.
“Tianhe County has many mountains and temples. Nuns are usually in higher mountains, where the mountain roads are difficult to walk. So, low-lying temples like these are mostly Buddhist temples.”
As Qin Anmin spoke, his smile turned lewd, and he leaned close to Su Qinghe's ear.
“Buddhist temples like this are usually for people to pray for marriage, so young men in the city like to come here. Women who are lustful or want to find a new husband often come to this temple to try their luck. If you want to find a new husband in the future, you can also come here.”
Su Qinghe gave an awkward smile and silently moved a few steps away from her.
After thinking about it, I realized that I had indeed seen many men along the way.
"But unmarried men wear veils when they go out, so how can they distinguish between beauty and ugliness?"
This time, it wasn't Qin Anmin who answered her, but Ji Yuan, who was slowly walking beside her while supporting his pregnant belly.
He wore a gentle smile and looked at Su Qinghe meaningfully.
“You have to wear it outside the temple, but you take it off when you go inside to worship, so that the Buddha can see your face clearly. It is said that this makes it more effective.”
"If my wife wishes to see it, she can come back another day at an earlier time. It is not possible to see it now."
Sensing the unspoken meaning in his words, Su Qinghe glanced at him with amusement. How could he be jealous of something like this?
Ji Yuan's face flushed slightly, and he coughed awkwardly, turning his head to the side.
The group chatted idly all the way to the main hall, where only a fair-skinned monk remained to guard the empty space.
Su Qinghe looked around curiously; this was the first time in her two lives that she had entered a Buddhist hall.
It's quite strange that someone like her would one day come to offer incense to the so-called Buddha.
A huge Buddha statue is enshrined in the center of the hall. The statue is solemn and dignified.
The incense burner emitted wisps of smoke, filling the entire hall with a faint fragrance.
Seeing the large group of people suddenly surge in, the little monk, who had been dozing off, instantly sprang to his senses.
He quickly wiped away non-existent drool, took the incense and candles from the altar, and hugged them to his chest.
"Esteemed benefactors, our temple will be closed for the day in less than half an hour. If you are only here to offer incense, that is fine, but if you wish to request a fortune telling, we are afraid you will have to wait until the abbot arrives in the afternoon."
His expression was calm, his eyebrows were lowered, his eyes were closed, his hands were clasped together, and his voice was clear and cold, making him look very serious.
Su Qinghe sized him up and raised an eyebrow.
The monk was indeed handsome, but he looked like a lively person. He pretended to be quiet and serious, which seemed a bit hypocritical.
Su Qinghe smiled and shook her head, explained her purpose, took a large handful of incense and candles from his hand, and then distributed them to everyone with him.
After everyone had received theirs, Baili Honglan was the first to go up and pay her respects.
Without saying a word, she knelt down on the prayer mat and kowtowed three times. The whole sequence of movements was clean and smooth, without any hesitation, leaving Qin Anmin and the others stunned.
After she finished praying and returned to the crowd, Qin Anmin smiled and patted her on the shoulder.
"Hehe, I can tell you've been kneeling in the ancestral hall a lot, haven't you?"
Bai Li Honglan blushed.
"What do you know? That's my way of showing filial piety as a junior. You should go and pay your respects."
She pushed Qin Anmin out in one swift motion.
Qin Anmin chuckled a few times, but still finished his bow in a proper manner.
When it was Su Qinghe's turn, she simply stuck three incense sticks into the cauldron, gave a weak bow, and then turned and walked away.
Everyone was stunned. The monk looked embarrassed, shook his sleeves, and withdrew his hand that was about to take the incense and candles.
“My friend, only sincere prayers will be effective,” he said solemnly to Su Qinghe.
Su Qinghe waved her hand upon hearing this. "Thank you for the reminder, but I am not a Buddhist. I just came out today to clear my mind. Little Master, you don't need to pay attention to me."
Wu Wang frowned.
"Buddha saves all sentient beings, and all sentient beings are equal. Even those who do not believe will be blessed by Buddha as long as they are sincere and do good. Since you have come to the temple to worship, how can you be so casual? This is disrespectful to Buddha."
Seeing the little monk speaking so earnestly, Su Qinghe smiled dismissively.
"It's all just an ethereal thing. Even if I were disrespectful to him, what could he do? Besides, if he's really as you say, willing to save all living beings, he must be broad-minded and wouldn't hold it against me."
Hearing her remarks, Wu Wang wanted to say something more, but then she spoke again.
"May I ask why you, young monk, went up the mountain to become a monk?"
Wu Wang was stunned for a moment, wondering why he had been brought up again.
“I have been living in the courtyard since I was a child. The abbot took me in.”
Su Qinghe's smile widened. "So you don't know who your mother and father are?"
Wu Wang nodded. "Of course, but the fellow monks in the temple treat me very well, even better than family."
Su Qinghe clicked her tongue twice, staring at him with sharp words.
"If Buddha saves all sentient beings, then how come you were abandoned by your mother and father?"
Wu Wang paused for a moment, thought for a moment, and then said:
“They must have had their own unavoidable difficulties, and I am living a good life now. This is another way that Buddha has made amends to me.”
Su Qinghe remained noncommittal.
"How can we make up for the separation of family members? Since Buddha couldn't bear to see sentient beings suffer, why didn't he help your parents when they were in trouble?"
"Young monk, you have the love and care of your fellow monks and elders in the temple, and you have your own family. But what about your parents? They lost a child and haven't found him yet. Has Buddha relieved their pain of losing their child?"
Wu Wang's heart tightened. Su Qinghe's words echoed in his mind, questioning the Buddha. He instinctively felt that what she said was wrong, but he couldn't find a reason to refute it for a long time.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
