novelraw Chapter 75 : For You, I Start Believing in Buddhism
Chapter 75 : For You, I Start Believing in Buddhism
Chapter 75: For You, I Start Believing in Buddhism
In the year 2000, Lingyun Temple had not yet been overly commercialized.
The green mountains and cypress trees were beautiful, and there weren't many tourists, providing a great environment.
The six of them climbed up from the foot of the mountain, following the steps and chatting along the way.
The three beautiful ladies were in high spirits, occasionally stopping to find a good spot to take photos.
Ma Xiaoshuai had brought a Canon DSLR camera from home.
The three girls loved it and would strike poses to have their pictures taken whenever they reached a new location.
After reaching the top of the mountain and entering the temple grounds, the atmosphere changed noticeably. Smoke wafted through the air, and even the surrounding trees seemed more solemn and dignified.
Before entering the main hall, Su Ruochu noticed an old monk sitting nearby with an offering box in front of him.
After a moment of thought, she pulled Chen Fan over.
"Master, is there a required amount for donations?" she asked.
The old monk chanted "Amitabha" once.
"Benefactor, any amount donated is a blessing. Our temple has no requirements."
Su Ruochu nodded, took out her wallet from her bag, and handed him twenty yuan each.
"We'll donate twenty each."
Chen Fan was taken aback and hurriedly said, "I have my own money."
But Su Ruochu shook her head, refusing to let Chen Fan pay.
The old monk gestured for Su Ruochu to put the money into the offering box, then chanted another Buddha's name. He took two thin incense sticks from nearby and handed them to Su Ruochu as a gift from the temple.
Su Ruochu expressed her gratitude, then pulled Chen Fan away.
"I could have paid myself," Chen Fan said in a low voice.
But Su Ruochu wouldn't hear of it.
"This is a blessing I sought for myself. You don't need to pay."
Chen Fan joked with a smile, "Might that be a bit too little? Should I go and add some more?"
Su Ruochu shook her head again.
"Whether donating much or little, it should be within one's means."
"Forcing a larger donation would be unbecoming."
Chen Fan thought about it and realized she was right.
Upon entering the main hall, Su Ruochu's expression became noticeably more solemn.
She walked in front of the Buddha statue, knelt down reverently, and closed her eyes in pious prayer.
Chen Fan stood by, watching as Su Ruochu knelt like a devout believer, her eyes closed in sincere devotion.
At that moment, Chen Fan seemed to be touched.
In his previous life, Su Ruochu had firmly believed in these practices.
Whenever they went traveling and encountered a temple, she would always go to worship.
In his previous life, Chen Fan had sneered at all of this.
But now, he had been reborn.
And he had been given another chance with Su Ruochu.
Chen Fan felt that there must be some divine will behind all of this.
So after a moment of hesitation, he walked over and knelt down beside Su Ruochu.
Su Ruochu opened her eyes, looking at him in surprise.
Chen Fan grinned at her.
"From today onwards, I will devoutly believe in Buddhism."
Su Ruochu's eyes widened in surprise, before the corners of her mouth curved upwards into a radiant smile.
Under Su Ruochu's guidance, Chen Fan then learned how to kowtow and burn incense.
Before the Buddha, he made only one wish:
That the Buddha would bless him and Su Ruochu to be forever happy and walk together in this life.
After finishing the Buddhist rituals, Chen Fan felt as light as a feather, though he didn't know if it was just a psychological effect.
As they exited the main hall, the group noticed a majestic, ancient cypress tree in a nearby plaza.
A signboard introduced it as a cypress tree over a thousand years old, designated as an important protected plant in Yunhai.
Hanging from its branches were numerous red cords, each with two small wooden plaques the size of a thumb tied to them.
Upon closer inspection, names could be seen written on the plaques.
A monk explained that these were "marriage plaques."
For just twenty yuan, a pair of marriage plaques could be purchased and hung on the tree.
The plaques were made from fallen branches of this very cypress tree.
Couples would hang their marriage plaques on the tree, symbolizing that their love would endure as long as this ancient cypress.
Wu Di muttered under his breath, "Who says monks don't know how to do business?"
"For six of us, that's sixty yuan. This business is practically printing money..."
Sure enough, after hearing the explanation, the three girls had almost no resistance.
The boys had no choice but to obediently pay up, each buying a pair of marriage plaques.
The monks would write the names of the couple on the plaques for free.
Additionally, the couple could write their wishes for their love on the backs of the wooden plaques.
Chen Fan secretly glanced at Su Ruochu beside him, who was writing intently with her head lowered.
Chen Fan couldn't help but smile slightly, then earnestly wrote on the plaque:
"I have been a resolute materialist all my life, but for you, I have decided to start believing in Buddhism from today onwards. I hope for a next life!"
As he finished writing and looked up, he found Su Ruochu also looking at him.
Their eyes met.
A faint smile.
"What did you write?"
Su Ruochu pursed her lips. "I'm not telling you."
Chen Fan smiled, tied the two plaques together with a red cord, then stood on his tiptoes to hang them on a branch.
On the other side, Ma Xiaoshuai, Wu Di, and the other two couples had also chosen spots and hung up their plaques.
Wu Di suddenly suggested taking a group photo under the tree to commemorate the occasion.
So the three couples each stood under the tree, leaving behind a memento photo.
Su Ruochu stood beside Chen Fan, her expression seeming a bit tense.
But Chen Fan grinned, suddenly reaching out to pull Su Ruochu's shoulders towards him in a tight embrace.
Click.
The moment was frozen, the photo capturing the boy's radiant smile and the girl's blissful expression.
On the way back down the mountain, Su Ruochu whispered to Chen Fan,
"When the photos are developed, keep one for me."
Chen Fan smiled and nodded.
No problem.
Afterwards, the six of them went to a commercial street, shopping, and watching a movie before finally eating dinner and returning to school after nightfall.
Seeing Su Ruochu carrying shopping bags, her face full of happy smiles.
Chen Fan felt that this outing organized by Ma Xiaoshuai was truly wonderful.
It seemed they would have to do this more often in the future.
...
Chen Fan quickly settled into his university routine.
Whether he had morning classes or not, Chen Fan would wake up early every day.
He would jog a few laps around the track.
Having been reborn, Chen Fan realized the importance of having a healthy body.
Initially, he could only manage one lap, but gradually, he began attempting two laps, three laps...
Now, he could easily complete three kilometers.
As for classes, except for English, Chen Fan rarely attended lectures.
From the moment he started university, he had no intention of pursuing a master's or doctoral degree.
Chen Fan's goal in this life was simple: earn money, a lot of money, and then allow Su Ruochu and his family to live comfortably.
In the dormitory, there were two factions when it came to attending classes.
The studious Wu Di, Sun Hao, and Han Xu always chose to sit in the front row.
Meanwhile, Chen Fan, Ma Xiaoshuai, and Luo Wenjie were steadfastly glued to the last row of the classroom.
During most classes, Ma Xiaoshuai would be listening to music on his MP3 player.
Luo Wenjie, on the other hand, had a handheld gaming device where he played a game called Magic Tower.
The game's content was simple, the player had to navigate through level after level, using keys to climb from the first floor all the way up to the ninety-ninth floor to rescue the princess...
Chen Fan had watched Luo Wenjie play a few times and found that the guy had no skill whatsoever, just playing randomly.
Eventually, Chen Fan could no longer watch and quietly advised him: "Brother, with your brain, you'd better just play Snake. This game isn't suitable for you."
Luo Wenjie dejectedly tossed the gaming device onto the desk.
"Sigh, I'm bored with all the current games. When will some fun new games come out?"
His words reminded Chen Fan of something.
Wasn't the game 'Legend of Mir' about to be released online?