After learning she could take a paid leave of absence with Rong Guang in the afternoon, Chacha excitedly went to find Ye Zi and ask if she wanted to go burn incense with them.
She often went to the mountains in her hometown, but she had never properly offered incense before and had long wanted to try it!
Ye Zi readily agreed and was even eager to go to the wardrobe department to sneak a few costumes. She wanted to better fit the scene and create a sense of authenticity, as if they were ancient people going to offer incense. Rong Guang and the others barely managed to stop her.
After all, it wasn’t the peak tourist season, and wearing ancient costumes to a temple would seem a bit strange.
Ye Zi expressed deep regret and ultimately, somewhat reluctantly, made a pact with Chacha. After Chacha graduated, they would definitely pick a time to travel everywhere in beautiful Hanfu and take lots of photos as best friends.
Although the temple was on a mountain, the entrance was actually on a flat area. All the mountain paths were inside. Outside were the steps leading to the five mountain gates, which were built later. Beyond that was the road.
Outside the mountain gate, there were many tourists coming and going. Even more numerous were actors from the film base who had nothing better to do. They would come to visit and pray for blessings for themselves. There were actors of all tiers; anyone on a break could come for a stroll. After all, being idle was being idle.
Rong Guang and her group happened to have rented small four-wheeled vehicles. Chacha and Ye Zi each drove one. With few people and cars on the road, they could ride side-by-side and have fun.
“Sister, are you still carsick?” Rong Guang glanced at Chu Feiliang.
It was the hottest part of the day, mid-afternoon, and the weather was cooperating beautifully. It was exceptionally sunny. Although hot, it was much better than a rainy day. Everyone in the group wore sunglasses, so Rong Guang couldn’t see Chu Feiliang’s eyes clearly.
“I’m not. Riding in this kind of vehicle is quite comfortable.” Chu Feiliang smiled lightly and said, “When I was in B City, I often went to the nearby farmer’s market to buy groceries and would rent an electric scooter. I’ve seen these four-wheeled ones, but I’ve never used one. I have to say, it’s really comfortable.”
Rong Guang nodded as well, her eyes curving as she said, “Chacha gets carsick too, very badly. When it’s severe, she even gets sick on trains. We usually avoid taking cars if we can. These little vehicles are so convenient.”
“Mmm.” After leaving the film set, Chu Feiliang’s mood seemed to have relaxed considerably. She leaned back against the seat, a pleasant expression on her face, completely different from how she was in the van.
After parking the vehicles at the designated spot, they walked for a while before reaching the mountain gate.
Rong Guang had only heard of this temple but had never been here before. Standing at the entrance, she looked around, searching for the main gate, feeling a bit at a loss.
Although Chu Feiliang had invited her, Rong Guang still hoped to be a bit more proactive and not become a burden to Chu Feiliang.
Chacha asked Ye Zi, “Have you been to this temple before?”
“I have,” Ye Zi said in a low voice. “See those people selling things over there, my dear Chacha? Those shop owners are total rip-offs. If they see you’re an out-of-towner with an unfamiliar face, they’ll sell you incense and then trick you out of your money.”
Chacha was completely bewildered, unfamiliar with this kind of scheme. “How do they trick you? Aren’t the prices clearly marked? Can’t you just not give them the money?”
“They’re very cunning,” Ye Zi said with a look of deep resentment. “They’ll say they want to take you to have the incense consecrated. They’ll lead you into a small dark room, mumble some gibberish, and then tell you it’s been consecrated and you need to pay for incense offerings to show your sincerity.”
“Don’t give it to them!” Chacha said indignantly. “Did you get scammed?”
“I was scammed out of a full ninety-nine yuan.” Ye Zi pouted, heartbroken. “Poor me, my weekly allowance in middle school was only a hundred yuan…”
“They only left you with a one-yuan coin. They’re so mean.” Chacha was heartbroken for her too. She pulled a one-yuan coin from her pocket and said, “For my dear Coconut.”
“Wuwuwu, Chacha, you’re so nice.” Ye Zi took the one-yuan coin and went to a nearby supermarket to buy two lollipops.
Hearing the two little ones chattering, Rong Guang’s internal alarm bells immediately started ringing.
However, Chu Feiliang had already bought the incense and was waving at Rong Guang to come and have the incense ‘consecrated’.
The little antenna on Rong Guang’s head immediately shot up. She ran to Chu Feiliang’s side with great alertness and said, “Sister, there are scam shops here. Be careful not to get cheated.”
“Don’t worry.” The smile on Chu Feiliang’s lips deepened for a moment, and then she glanced at Rong Guang.
From her angle, looking to the side, she could see Rong Guang’s delicate eyebrows and eyes, which were vigilantly scanning the surroundings, like a little puppy protecting its owner, diligently searching for any potential lurking dangers.
This thought made Chu Feiliang pause for a moment. She smiled to herself and said, “The people here all recognize faces. They don’t dare touch acquaintances. If they really did…”
She paused.
Rong Guang instantly looked up. “What would happen?”
“They can forget about making a living in this area,” Chu Feiliang said lightly. “Although every place has people who ignore industry rules and create their own unwritten ones, things that can’t see the light of day will never see the light of day. Especially in a place like this, unless they don’t want to be in the business anymore, most people are quite well-behaved.”
Rong Guang thought for a moment and said, “That’s true… Just now, Ye Zi said these shop owners only scam out-of-towners and girls who look easy to bully.”
“There’s something else Ye Zi didn’t tell you,” Chu Feiliang suddenly laughed out loud.
Rong Guang asked, “What?”
“—That hundred yuan of hers was originally meant to buy a pendant for her mother. After being scammed by the shop owner here, Sun Yuzhi found out that very night and came over directly with people. Coincidentally, that shop that scammed Ye Zi had a trend of keeping a ‘merit book,’ recording every single cent. Every person who ‘donated for incense’ had to leave their name and phone number. Sun Yuzhi didn’t even have to go to much trouble; he shut the place down overnight.” Chu Feiliang shrugged.
Rong Guang was dumbfounded. “It can be like that…?”
“Why not?” Chu Feiliang said, “That book had a lot of underage girls in it. After receiving calls from the police for inquiries, they were all furious and identified the culprits one by one. Some could even recall the year, month, and time they paid the money. The amount involved in just one year exceeded three hundred thousand yuan, enough to land them in jail for over a decade.”
After hearing this, Rong Guang sighed with a mix of emotions.
Following the old custom, the shop owner sold incense in the front, and in the back, they set up an ancestral hall to ‘consecrate’ the incense for tourists.
Chu Feiliang walked in calmly and said to Rong Guang, “Let’s go.”
Rong Guang, Chacha, Ye Zi, and Wang Lujie were all about to be led to different places—only then did Rong Guang belatedly realize why those scammed girls didn’t resist and just foolishly donated money.
This was a chain operation!
Everyone knew each other. As soon as someone shouted, ‘Take them for consecration,’ several people immediately appeared from nowhere and led them to different ancestral halls.
If you were alone in an unfamiliar place, who would resist if spending a little money could ensure your safety?
If something unexpected happened, no one could bear the consequences.
The place Rong Guang was led into was a very small room.
The room was filled with smoke, and the strong scent of sandalwood emanated from the newly lit bundle of incense on the altar, making her eyes a little uncomfortable.
“Patron, please offer a stick of incense.” A woman dressed as a nun lit a stick of incense and handed it to Rong Guang. Her eyes were downcast, and her face even had a look of being detached from worldly affairs.
Rong Guang frowned, took it, and thanked her subconsciously.
In front of her was a statue of Guanyin Bodhisattva. Rong Guang hesitated for a moment, then knelt on the cushion in front of it and kowtowed heavily three times.
First wish: for her family’s peace and well-being.
Second wish: that tragedy will not repeat itself.
Third wish… for Chu Feiliang to have a life of peace and joy, free from illness and disaster.
After the three bows, Rong Guang raised her head and placed the incense bundle into the incense burner in front.
“Patron was referred by a benefactor,” the nun-like person said softly. “Normally, according to the rules, we would need to see your sincerity for the Bodhisattva. But since you were referred by a benefactor, you are a fated person. This humble nun can chant scriptures and pray for you, wishing that all your requests will be fulfilled.”
After speaking, the nun-like person took a one-yuan coin from her sleeve pocket and dropped it into the lotus-shaped porcelain jar in front of the Bodhisattva.
Rong Guang’s lips pressed into a line.
For a moment there, she even had the thought that not offering money for incense would be a great disrespect to the Bodhisattva and the Buddha.
In this kind of atmosphere, one really gets the illusion that their thoughts are being influenced.
For a long time after coming out, Rong Guang still felt a bit angry.
She shook her head, thinking that if Chu Feiliang hadn’t brought her here today, she probably would have been one of the people who got fleeced.
In that kind of environment, people feel like they’re being led by the nose, completely unable to help themselves.
She seemed to be the first one out. Out of boredom, Rong Guang sat on a nearby bench, looking at the stick of incense Chu Feiliang had given her. Thinking of something, she smiled.
Although the process had some unpleasant parts, the world was still lovely and beautiful.
It was Chu Feiliang’s spontaneous suggestion to come here. Rong Guang thought for a moment; it was good to treat this trip as a way to broaden her horizons.
When Chacha and Ye Zi came out, they were both a bit listless, not as lively as before.
They were probably influenced by the solemn and dignified atmosphere of the temple. The two normally lively little ones were now very well-behaved.
Chacha and Ye Zi, with lollipops in their mouths, were both looking down, studying the ants on the ground, one on the left and one on the right, in perfect sync.
Rong Guang sighed and patted the two kids’ heads—children are always more sensitive to atmosphere than many adults. It was normal for them to be a bit quiet under the influence of this solemn and dignified environment.
Before long, Chu Feiliang came out of the room.
When she came out, her reception was completely different from that of Rong Guang’s group.
The woman dressed as a nun was all smiles, not at all like the compassionate and sorrowful person who had received Rong Guang, and she kept nodding.
The incense shop owner who had initially led them in also came out to see them off.
Rong Guang was surprised, watching Wang Lujie carry a pile of things towards them.
Over there, Chu Feiliang was still talking with several shop owners, glancing over here from time to time.
Rong Guang quietly asked Wang Lujie, who was fanning herself from the heat, “Is Teacher Chu very familiar with this place? Why does everyone here seem to welcome her so much, and so naturally…?”
After hearing this, Wang Lujie thought about it seriously.
Then she looked left and right, gave Rong Guang a solemn look, and said, “I’ll tell you this secret, but don’t tell anyone else.”
The two ‘other people’ consciously covered their ears, their eyes wide, pretending that if they covered their ears, they couldn’t hear anything.
Chacha and Ye Zi weren’t really outsiders, and besides, if they wanted to know, they could just ask Sun Yuzhi. So Wang Lujie didn’t hide it and said in a low voice, “Actually, Xiao Chu was also scammed here not long ago.”
Rong Guang blinked, finding it hard to connect this statement with the Chu Feiliang who had just domineeringly said, ‘unless they don’t want to be in the business anymore’.
She was stunned for a long time before saying, “Someone as smart as Teacher Chu…”
How could she be scammed?
Wang Lujie remembered something and said sheepishly, “The more obsessed a person is, the easier they are to be scammed. Sometimes, even if you know it’s a scam… you’re willing to be scammed. Of the people who come here and choose to donate money, how many can say they don’t have some wish in their heart? The more you want to achieve your goal, the easier it is to be fooled by those old hands.”
Get instant access to all chapters now.
