Sitting opposite
An important matter came to Jiang Yufan's attention. She felt it was all a coincidence. She wasn't a devout Buddhist practitioner; she had only dabbled in fortune-telling and divination. How could she have predicted it so accurately? Was Heaven playing a joke on her, letting her settle down and become a Bodhisattva?
No, this shouldn't be the case. If she had the choice, she wouldn't actually want to become a Bodhisattva, spending her life with only the ancient Buddha and the dim lamp. She still harbors resentment in her heart. How could the gods and Buddhas just forgive and tolerate her like this?
"This can't be," Jiang Yufan thought, feeling troubled and without an answer. She clasped her hands together, holding the prayer beads, but no matter how much she tried to calm herself, she couldn't find peace. She opened her eyes and sighed softly.
"Buddha, is there something troubling you? You might as well speak it out. The gods and Buddhas will listen attentively." Daoyun looked at the broken incense sticks beside her and knew that the Buddha was not concentrating on chanting.
"Daoyun, I learned last night that Gu Sidu will not give gifts."
"That's wonderful! It means the gods and Buddhas have accepted you. You should be happy." Daoyun was only slightly shocked after hearing this, but she quickly smiled.
"In that case, the Buddhist nun won't have to worry about being exposed anymore."
That's how it should be, but Jiang Yufan still shook her head; that wasn't what she truly thought. She felt somewhat apprehensive and afraid that if she kept acting, she might never truly escape it in her lifetime.
Before the troubles were over, new troubles arose. Just then, a loud noise outside caused Jiang Yufan and Daoyun to turn around and look outside, wondering what had happened.
It was already dark by then, and there shouldn't have been any noise.
Dao Yun followed Jiang Yufan outside, and they saw Gu Sidu lying face down against the wall in an indescribable position.
"Lord Gu, what are you doing here?" Dao Yun was stunned. She was about to call someone to help Gu Sidu, but Gu Sidu gestured for her to be quiet, telling her not to attract attention.
Gu Sidu straightened up and walked over: "Please don't be offended, Bodhisattva. I was just afraid that you would be angry, so I came to apologize."
"Apologize on the wall?" Jiang Yufan had already guessed it. If Gu Sidu could be in the corner, he must have rolled down the wall. And the person on the wall must have been eavesdropping. Jiang Yufan wasn't stupid; she was very clever.
"Hehe, well, since we're already here, we just wanted to hear what you guys were saying," Gu Sidu rubbed his butt. "But I didn't hear anything before I fell down. Don't worry, I don't know anything."
Jiang Yufan remained expressionless; she was neither angry nor amused by Gu Sidu's actions. Daoyun, on the other hand, covered her mouth and chuckled, then stopped when she realized no one was laughing.
“Go back. I’m not angry. You should mind your own business and think about your own affairs,” Jiang Yufan said.
"What's wrong with me?" Gu Sidu pointed to himself. "How come I don't even know about it?"
“You haven’t even delivered your gift yet. The person in charge will definitely try to make things difficult for you in the future. What will you do then?” Jiang Yufan reminded Gu Sidu, who had accomplished nothing today.
Jiang Yufan thought that Gu Sidu would at least come to his senses and worry about her, but Gu Sidu didn't care about any of that at all.
Hearing Jiang Yufan's words, he laughed loudly: "So what? That's a matter for tomorrow. We'll talk about it tomorrow. Bodhisattva, now that I'm here, won't you invite me in for a cup of tea? I fell to the ground because of you."
"The Bodhisattva is compassionate and will surely save all sentient beings."
"What a shameless person!" Dao Yun wanted to refuse, as it was already late and such an intrusion was inappropriate. However, seeing that Jiang Yu Fan did not seem to mind, Dao Yun remained silent. Perhaps the Buddhist nun had something on her mind tonight, and having someone to talk to might offer her some comfort.
Jiang Yufan turned around, letting Gu Sidu walk up behind her with a smile, muttering something unintelligible.
It's a bit annoying, but at least the house has a bit of life now.
"I have no wine here, and we can't drink tea after nightfall. Does Lord Gu still want to stay here?" Jiang Yufan asked Gu Sidu.
"It's alright if I don't talk to the Bodhisattva; I can't sleep alone."
Jiang Yufan sat down and looked up at Gu Sidu upon hearing this. Gu Sidu then realized what he had said that he shouldn't have. He covered his mouth, wishing he could slap himself, but fortunately Jiang Yufan didn't get angry, otherwise Gu Sidu would have felt guilty again.
Perhaps Jiang Yufan noticed Gu Sidu's frustration, because she said, "It's alright, I told you I'm just a fake bodhisattva."
"Why do you always say you're a fake Bodhisattva?" Gu Sidu had long been puzzled. Jiang Yufan's words always came true, so why did even the Bodhisattva not believe him?
"Would you like to hear a very ordinary story?" Jiang Yufan asked.
It's better to have things said early on, so that the seeds of deception won't be sown in her heart, and she won't feel uneasy. Whether Gu Sidu believes her or not is up to him. At worst, she can just go back to Chenxiang Temple; she's gotten used to it over the years.
Gu Sidu certainly enjoyed listening to stories. He sat up straight and bowed respectfully to Jiang Yufan: "I will listen attentively to every word the Bodhisattva says."
It wasn't anything important; Jiang Yufan could explain it in a few words. However, this story was set eight years ago, which is too far in the past, and telling it now sounds like someone else's story.
“There was a young lady from an official family who should have been living a life of wealth and luxury, and temples and Buddhist halls had nothing to do with her. But one day, a man who looked like a fortune teller said that this young lady had a connection with Buddhism and that she should be sent to a temple to cultivate, otherwise her parents and family would suffer.”
"So this daughter of an official was abandoned by her parents and forced to enter a temple."
Even if Gu Sidu were a fool, he would know who this official's daughter was. He didn't say much, but simply focused his gaze on Jiang Yufan: "And then, was the fortune teller's prediction accurate?"
"That wasn't fortune telling at all; it was just something he said offhand. Later, when the young lady from the official family went to the temple, she found out that the fortune teller was actually a monk in disguise. The temple wasn't very popular, and there weren't enough people to clean it, so they came up with this idea to have the young lady from the official family pretend to be a Bodhisattva to save mortals."
This was truly a strange story. Gu Sidu was shocked and looked at Jiang Yufan. He had taken it all to heart and couldn't help but ask, "Didn't that official's daughter ever think about escaping?"
"She thought about it, she wanted to escape, how could she willingly be deceived? But she failed, she couldn't succeed, she had nowhere to go, she could only stay in Chenxiang Temple, accepting the fate she didn't want to accept."
"Where are her parents? Don't they want their own child either?"
Gu Sidu pressed for more details, but Jiang Yufan shook her head.
If something could endanger them, even their own child, how could they possibly want it? They would rather never have had the child at all.
"It's outrageous! That monk took advantage of wealthy families who were forced to abandon their children to avoid disaster and offer incense money. But what happened to him?" Gu Sidu slammed his fist on the table and said angrily, "He should have been punished!"
"As fate would have it, while he was cleaning the incense burner, he fell headfirst into it while trying to pick up some gold and silver that someone had thrown in, and died."
"Good, that's satisfying! Karma works. He tricked someone into going to a temple for money, and in the end, he died because of money." Gu Sidu clenched his fist and was about to slam it on the table again, but this time he used much more force. His hand hurt, and he grimaced as he held his hand.
Jiang Yufan looked at Gu Sidu and blinked.
Gu Sidu sat down obediently. He glanced at Jiang Yufan, then couldn't help but glance at her again: "You don't need to be sad. Everything has its cause and effect. This can be considered as heaven avenging you."
"Now that things have come to this, do you still think I'm a true bodhisattva?" Jiang Yufan asked Gu Sidu.
With prayer beads in her hand, brimming with green light, Jiang Yufan's fair fingers twirled the beads. Her words were ruthless, yet her eyes held a compassionate embrace for all beings. She repeatedly warned people not to believe her, yet every word she uttered was a gem, guiding them on the right path.
Jiang Yufan hadn't looked in the bronze mirror, so she couldn't see her true self, nor did she know what she looked like at that moment. She slightly raised her eyes and saw Gu Sidu staring at her intently.
"Gu Sidu, have you thought this through?" Jiang Yufan thought Gu Sidu was out of her mind. She frowned, wanting to give Gu Sidu some pointers, but she saw Gu Sidu stand up and grab her hand.
"Everything has a cause and effect. Although you were deceived, that monk brought you a connection to Buddhism. With a connection to Buddhism, you can believe in Buddhism. You are still my Bodhisattva."
Jiang Yufan's face stiffened slightly. She tried to pull her hand away, but the more she struggled, the tighter Gu Sidu gripped it. After a few attempts, she sighed.
"Believe it or not, it's up to you. The story I just told you is my own story. I have no wisdom and am just a fake bodhisattva. I can't reason with you. Anyway, believe it if you want. Perhaps there are some coincidences in my life. Maybe I can help you, as long as you think I can."
"Buddha saves those who are destined to be saved, but I am not Buddha. Regardless of whether you are destined to be saved or not, I will not save you."
But Gu Sidu asked, "Why not cross over?"
"Gods and Buddhas enlighten people, making them aware of all kinds of suffering, and helping them understand the Dharma to achieve liberation and let go. But enlightenment is only the result; gods and Buddhas are always just waiting for people at the end. But what about the process of saving people? It is full of suffering. Who can save people?"
“I have things I can’t let go of, I don’t understand Buddhism, and I can’t help others.”
Jiang Yufan couldn't let go of her worldly ties, and she ultimately harbored resentment.
Gu Sidu rarely saw Jiang Yufan speak so much, and he was stunned once again, only able to stare straight at Jiang Yufan.
"What's wrong with you?" Jiang Yufan looked at him calmly.
“I think what you said makes a lot of sense,” Gu Sidu said, clapping his hands. “Although I don’t understand it.”
Jiang Yufan took a deep breath.
"Although I don't understand Buddhist teachings, I do understand that my life is better than before since you came. I like living like this. You have brought me good fortune. You are a Bodhisattva."
“You are a good person, and you will be rewarded. This is your karma. It is because of this karma that the things you encounter are effective. It is the Buddha who is helping you. The Buddha has chosen you and is on your side. In my heart, you are my Bodhisattva.”
“Bodhisattva, since I’ve already spent all my incense money and you don’t want to stay at Chenxiang Temple, let’s cultivate together from now on,” Gu Sidu’s eyes lit up as he leaned forward. “Bodhisattva, if that’s the case, can we still get married?”
Gu Sidu was kicked out once again, without exception.
The bright moon hung high in the sky, ethereal and otherworldly. Gu Sidu didn't miss such a beautiful moonlit night and saw it all clearly.
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