GHLCS Chapter28

The ferry terminal in the early morning looks like a shark with its mouth wide open.

 

A ship was parked at the shore, and a few workers were preparing to sail, all of them looking listless.

 

In the distance, an oxcart carrying goods slowly approached the dock. Then a person in a black cloak rushed over and helped an old man down from the oxcart. The two looked at each other, hugged each other, and cried together.

 

The cloak slipped off, it was Ruan Xiaodie.

 

“Father! When I saw the strings, I knew you were still alive. God has mercy on us. We have finally made it through!”

 

The old man also shed tears, turned around, and knelt down to a figure on the ox cart: “I am truly grateful to you, my benefactor! You’re like a living Buddha! Even in the afterlife, I will repay you by serving faithfully, like an ox or a horse!”

 

That person in the ox cart didn’t look very emotional, but rather a little cold, and said, “Hurry up and get on the ship, or you won’t be able to leave if you’re late.”

 

Ruan Xiaodie was a little worried: “Benefactor, although you asked me to buy train tickets as a concealed but in this way… can we really leave Hezhou City safely?”

 

The person in the ox cart continued, “The Commander has already destroyed the Governor’s opium, so there’s no need to inspect this ship again. An empty ship won’t raise any suspicion. Once you’re on board, look for an opportunity to disembark quietly. Head to the city in the northwest—it’s beyond the Commander’s influence.”

 

“En. But…” Ruan Xiaodie hesitated, her pretty eyebrows twisted together. “Benefactor, will you really be fine? If the truth comes out and we just leave like this, what will you, what will you do…”

 

“This is not something you need to worry about,” That person blew on his hands, “As long as you don’t show up in Hezhou City again, the truth will not be revealed. Also, you don’t need to call me a benefactor. I also have my own purpose in helping you.”

 

Ruan Xiaodie looked at the person with gratitude, knowing those words were meant to comfort her and ease her guilt. She was powerless to change anything. With a heavy heart, she knelt down and kowtowed deeply, full of determination.

 

“Xiaodie will definitely do what the benefactor asked me to do!”

 

Supporting her father, Ruan Xiaodie hurried away.

 

Since then, Hezhou City has lost a beautiful song and a pair of dexterous hands.

 

There hasn’t been much change in Hezhou City these days. Wang Ronghuo’s death was still a mess, but the murderer has not been caught. The higher-ups have been urging them to do something, so Wang Ronghuo’s body cannot be buried and is kept frozen in a cold storage.

 

When this incident was reported, the Military Control Commissioner was the most shocked and astonished. Suspecting a personal grudge between Duan Yelin and Wang Ronghuo, he sent multiple telegrams and made several phone calls, questioning Duan Yelin harshly.

 

Duan Yelin tried to explain a few words at first, but later he was too lazy to pay attention and simply let Yuan Ye explain the whole story to his father himself.

 

Strangely, ever since Yuan Ye submitted several suspicious pieces of evidence related to the governor’s case, the Military Control Commissioner had gone silent. He no longer pressured Duan Yelin to find the murderer; instead, he seemed eager for the case to be closed.

 

When they asked the Military Control Commissioner to return the evidence for record, they found that the only thing missing was the gold hairpin.

 

This story became even more bizarre.

 

While Duan Yelin was struggling with the Military Control Commissioner, Xu Hang went to the Faxi Temple to burn incense leisurely.

 

Faxi Temple is actually the least visited temple in Hezhou City. Nestled halfway up the mountain, it is difficult to reach due to the steep and rugged path. However, Xu Hang believes it offers the most breathtaking scenery and that the monks here are the most learned in scripture—unlike those at the foot of the mountain, who seem more focused on profiting from incense offerings.

 

Before he even entered the door, the little monk sweeping the floor clasped his hands together and said, “Donor Xu, I hope you are well.”

 

He hasn’t been here for three months already. He used to come here once a month, light the eternal lamp, recite the Great Compassion Mantra, and meditate for half a day.

 

“Is Master Chang Ling here? I want to invite him to chant for me today.”

 

“The donor is unlucky today. That female donor has already made a reservation.” The little monk pointed to a woman under a tree in the distance.

 

Xu Hang turned his head and saw a woman in black standing under a Bodhi tree ten meters away from the temple gate.

 

She was exceptionally tall, her body swathed in layers that accentuated her elegant silhouette. A large Western-style hat perched on her head, obscuring half her face, yet the black veil dangling from it failed to conceal her striking scarlet lipstick.

 

She was smoking there.

 

It’s rare to see a woman smoking, especially one who smokes so beautifully. She holds her neck high, and the smoke rings she exhales are all elegant. From her slightly raised chin, one can tell that she is an arrogant woman. Her arrogance is not the noble and elegant Black Swan type, but the opium-like arrogance, which is very aggressive.

 

Finally she finished smoking, twisted the cigarette butt on the tree trunk, threw it on the ground, and stepped on it into the soil with her high-heeled leather shoes. Then she walked to the flowing spring nearby, scooped some water with a ladle, rinsed her mouth, and then walked into the temple.

 

After lighting the eternal lamp, Xu Hang passed by the sutra recitation room and took a glance. He saw that the woman had wiped off her red lips and taken off her hat. She was sitting in front of Master Chang Ling and listening to him recite the sutra. Her eyes were sincere, like a Buddhist disciple seeing the Buddha who saves all living beings. It was very touching.

 

This obedient and docile look was completely different from what she was just now.

 

What an interesting and strange woman.

 

Xu Hang had never been very interested in strangers, but for some reason, this woman always gave him a feeling that he had seen this face somewhere before, but he just couldn’t quite remember where.

 

It was not until the sun was high in the sky that Xu Hang was able to talk to Master Chang Ling.

 

Master Chang Ling was originally an abandoned child, picked up and adopted by the previous abbot. He is only about twenty-six or twenty-seven years old, but his knowledge of Buddhism is quite amazing. He has a quiet personality, and Xu Hang comes to visit frequently, so the two of them are old acquaintances.

 

“Donor Xu,” Chang Ling made him a pot of tea, “I really owed you a lot for the last temple renovation.”

 

Xu Hang declined: “I owed you a lot for asking you to chant sutras for so many years. Money is just a thing outside of my body.”

 

“Today, you still seem to have a worried look on your face. Haven’t you gotten rid of your troubles yet?” Chang Ling’s heart was sharp and perceptive. Though he didn’t know the cause of Xu Hang’s troubles, he understood that Xu Hang’s heart was as deep and mysterious as a bottomless ravine.

 

In the distance, he could hear the rustling sound of the monk sweeping the temple. Xu Hang smelled the fragrance of tea and felt that this place was very comfortable. However, this comfort was only a very short-lived escape. He knew that he had no way to transcend, so he asked, “Buddhists always preach that we should repay evil with kindness and make forgiveness our duty. But I find myself unable to do so. There are still many things I am unwilling to forgive. Master, do you think I am right or wrong?”

 

Chang Ling put his hands together and replied, “Do you know what ‘be content’ means?”

 

“Does Master want me to stop when I’m satisfied?”

 

“No,” Chang Ling stretched out his finger, dipped it in the tea, and wrote these two words on the table, “知, meaning to know, and 足, meaning under your feet[mfn]知足 when put together is translated as be content, but it has different meanings when separate.[/mfn] You must always be aware of where you stand. Don’t be overly ambitious, but also don’t put yourself down. Just know where your next step should be, and that will be enough.”

 

Xu Hang stared at the two words on the table until the moisture in them evaporated and disappeared.

 

He never set his sights on high aspirations, nor did he ever belittle himself; however, he never knew where his feet stood.

 

So that’s it.