Ten minutes later, Coach Ma drove the car to the Dali Prison located in Tianjingshan. The prison was actually quite well-lit, but even under the bright sunlight, I felt a sense of gloom. I thought it must be related to my mood. I had been detained for drunk driving before, so I knew better than anyone what those people went in felt like... Sometimes, even when the sun was shining brightly, sitting on the empty playground made me feel inexplicably heavy and damp. I would gladly accept being released, even if it meant eating a mouthful of excrement!
...
Because I was feeling depressed, I rolled down the car window a little and glanced at Coach Ma. He seemed completely calm and was looking at something that looked like a manual. I looked closer and realized it was a pocket comic book.
I asked him, "You monks, do you even look at this kind of thing?"
"If you have Buddha in your heart, you will see Buddha in everything."
"Oh, so this is what they mean by 'wine and meat pass through the intestines, but Buddha remains in the heart'...?"
"That's the idea... Buddha never adheres to any particular form."
I laughed and said, "I think you want to return to secular life."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Haven't you noticed that you're consciously making excuses for your vulgarity?... Today you can find amusement in a comic book, and tomorrow you can be holding a woman and saying you have Buddha in your heart; anyway, your understanding of Buddha isn't bound by form, just like the way of humanity, the way of heaven, the way of earth, the vagina, the way of yang, the white way, the black way, and the way of Buddha—they're all ways, as long as you dare to walk them, even the urethra is a way..."
Coach Ma was stunned for a long time before nodding and replying, "You can understand it that way. Life is born between excrement and urine, and the urethra is of course a path... In fact, all the thousands of paths in this world lead to the same destination."
"Then do you know there's another path called 'Nonsense'?" (Tank's new book is first published on the WeChat official account "Tank's Bookstall". Remember to follow for protagonist pictures and daily interaction with the author.)
Coach Ma was stunned again... but I'm used to it. Ever since he became a monk, he's often found it hard to justify his views...
Actually, he didn't need to explain to me. I talked to him not to try to figure out any secrets. I was just feeling nervous and wanted to talk to someone to distract myself.
...
In the brief silence, I glanced at the gate again, and a moment later a Mercedes-Benz S-Class sedan stopped on the left side of the gate. It seemed to be there to pick someone up as well. The driver, like us, did not get out of the car, but judging from the level of the car, the person inside must be very wealthy and powerful.
It wasn't until this point that I spoke up and asked Coach Ma, "When Tie Nan comes out later, should we tell him about Tao Zi?"
"If you think he can handle it, then tell him."
When was the last time you visited him?
"Let me calculate... too"
It's been almost three months.
How is his mental state?
This time, Coach Ma didn't answer directly. Instead, he asked me, "In the years he's been in there, Taozi hasn't visited him once. Do you really think he didn't notice anything at all? ... If he's really grown up during those years in there, then he should have let go of these things."
"I hope so... I think that people who have received this kind of extreme education will either become better or they will go in a worse direction... But apart from Tetsuo himself, no one knows what state he is in now."
"Isn't that obvious... Don't overthink it. Since you're here, just make the best of it... He should be coming out soon."
...
As they spoke, the door, a symbol of justice and solemnity, was finally opened, and then someone walked out from inside...
Although I knew that people who committed crimes and went to jail would have their hair cut off, the image of Tie Nan with long hair was already deeply ingrained in my mind, so I was a little hesitant to recognize him. Besides, the figure was extremely thin, which did not match Tie Nan's burly physique.
I looked at Coach Ma, wanting to confirm with him, and he nodded and said, "It's him. Life inside is tough. As you endure it, you change..."
After a brief pause, Coach Ma said again, "It's better to change than to be useless... Let's go, let's bring him back."
I felt like I was in a bind, but I still nodded reluctantly.
Unexpectedly, the Mercedes S-Class opened its door in front of us, and a man and a woman got out. The man looked rather old, and the woman looked about the size of a peach, but she was definitely not a peach.
Coach Ma held down my hand as I tried to open the car door, and said in a low voice, "Don't move yet. The people getting out of the car are Tie Nan's dad and his stepmother... If he can forgive even his dad, then there's even less to say about you."
That's what I thought too, so I held my breath and watched the situation unfold through the car window.
...
It was unclear what they were saying, but Tie Nan's stepmother walked towards him first and reached out to take his duffel bag... Tie Nan didn't let her take it, but he didn't show any displeasure either. Then he reached out to his father for a cigarette, lit it, and stood there smoking...
I finally remarked to Coach Ma, "His dependence on cigarettes hasn't changed at all... However, I can sense that he's become much calmer. If this were before, he would have already lost his temper in this situation, right?"
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