Jiang Yufeng was lost in thought, his gaze still fixed on the spot where that graceful figure had disappeared.
Just then, Abbot Du’e stepped into his line of sight, blocking his view of the corner.
Jiang Yufeng finally snapped back to reality, withdrew his gaze, walked up to Abbot Du’e, and performed a respectful bow as a junior, addressing him as “Master.”
Abbot Du’e was his mentor.
The eminent monk who had saved him during that childhood accident was Du’e.
Later, after much effort and with the help of financial resources, he became a disciple of Abbot Du’e.
The Five Precepts for lay Buddhists he received upon taking refuge were bestowed by Abbot Du’e.
Even his Dharma name, “Yufeng,” was given to him by Abbot Du’e.
It symbolized listening to the teachings of Buddhism amidst the strength of Yu and the tranquility of Feng, attaining inner peace.
As a child, he had almost idolized Abbot Du’e.
But as he grew older and spent more time with him, he gradually discovered that Abbot Du’e’s true personality in private was far from the “venerable and respected” image of a monk he had imagined.
At that moment, Abbot Du’e’s voice came through, “Yufeng, the Buddhist temple is a place of purity. What are you worrying about here? Keep your eyes to yourself.”
Jiang Yufeng’s usually cool and detached face now showed a mix of helplessness and speechlessness.
Clearly, Abbot Du’e’s words had left him at a loss for words more than once.
Before he could say anything, Abbot Du’e’s voice sounded again.
“What brings you here today?” Du’e asked.
Jiang Yufeng smiled and said, “I came to see you.”
Upon entering the meditation room, Jiang Yufeng immediately noticed two teacups on the tea table.
It was evident that Du’e had just had a guest.
Du’e sat down on one side of the tea table, put away the teacup Ye Ximeng had used, and brewed tea for Jiang Yufeng.
“Master, how has your arm been lately? Has the old injury flared up again?” Jiang Yufeng asked.
Abbot Du’e had sustained an injury to his arm years ago, and it was aggravated when he saved Jiang Yufeng. Now, it was a chronic ailment that was difficult to heal.
Du’e moved his left arm and said, “Same as always, nothing serious.”
Jiang Yufeng took a box of ointment from his pocket and handed it to Du’e. “This is the latest wound medicine developed by Academician Lin from the General Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It’s for external use. Try it and see if it works.”
“Alright, I’ll try it tonight. Thank you for your thoughtfulness,” Du’e said as he accepted the ointment.
With the topic concluded, master and disciple drank their tea in silence.
Jiang Yufeng occasionally glanced at the empty incense burner on the tea table.
Having been master and disciple for many years, Du’e could easily read Jiang Yufeng’s thoughts.
With a chuckle, Du’e said, “Are you thinking about my incense again?”
Jiang Yufeng didn’t beat around the bush and asked directly, “Has that junior of yours sent any calming incense lately?”
Ever since the childhood accident, his sleep had never been good.
At its worst, he had needed sleeping pills just to get a few hours of rest.
About eight years ago, Abbot Du’e had somehow obtained a type of calming incense.
It was a miraculous incense. When lit, its refreshing scent allowed him to sleep peacefully through the night without medication.
Unfortunately, there wasn’t much of it, and Abbot Du’e, with his old injury, also needed the calming incense to sleep well at night.
When he asked Abbot Du’e about the source of the incense, the abbot simply smiled and shook his head, saying it was a gift from a junior, handmade and in limited supply.
He asked again who that junior was, but Abbot Du’e refused to say, only occasionally sharing some calming incense with him.
However, strangely enough, last night in the bridal chamber, after smelling the pear-blossom incense in the living room, he actually slept slightly better than usual.
He thought of the online shop Ye Ximeng had mentioned to him that morning.
If the pear-blossom incense really worked, he would buy some and send it to Abbot Du’e to try.
Du’e took out the calming incense from the drawer of the cabinet beside him, opened the box, reluctantly separated a small bundle, placed it in another empty incense box, and handed it to Jiang Yufeng.
Jiang Yufeng accepted it with equal reverence.
After receiving the incense, Jiang Yufeng brought up another matter.
“Master, I have something else to tell you this time.”
Du’e looked at Jiang Yufeng, waiting for him to continue.
Jiang Yufeng didn’t keep him in suspense and went on, “I got married.”
Du’e was stunned. After a long pause, he said, “Have there been any particularly auspicious days lately? Why is everyone getting married around this time?”
Jiang Yufeng looked up in surprise and asked, “Has someone else also gotten married recently?”
“A junior. I was actually thinking of introducing the two of you…” Du’e shook his head, ending the topic.
“I didn’t prepare any wedding gift for you, but there’s that piece of Vietnamese Nha Trang sinking-grade qinan I’ve been keeping. Haven’t you always had your eye on it?”
Hearing Du’e mention that piece of sinking-grade qinan, Jiang Yufeng’s cold, deep eyes seemed to flicker with faint starlight.
He was a lover of incense.
As Du’e said, he had indeed coveted that piece of sinking-grade qinan.
Once, he had subtly asked Du’e if he planned to sell it.
Unfortunately, Du’e refused.
Now that Du’e suddenly brought it up and linked it to the idea of a wedding gift, Jiang Yufeng couldn’t help but wonder.
But based on his understanding of Du’e, there was likely still a twist to come.
So, he remained silent.
Du’e’s voice came again, “I had that piece of sinking-grade qinan polished into prayer beads—exactly 108 of them.”
Jiang Yufeng’s expression remained calm. He had seen that piece of sinking-grade qinan before—it was a top-grade piece of agarwood.
For agarwood of that quality, preserving it as a collectible was the proper way. Polishing it into prayer beads felt somewhat wasteful.
However, the item belonged to Du’e, and how he chose to handle it was not for Jiang Yufeng to criticize.
He guessed there was more to come.
Sure enough, Du’e continued, “I’ve already given the prayer beads to someone with a connection. There are some leftover scraps—do you want them?”
That sounded more like the Du’e he knew…
Even after being teased like this, Jiang Yufeng showed no sign of annoyance.
It seemed this kind of interaction was the norm between master and disciple.
Du’e stood up and took another brocade box from the treasure cabinet behind him.
If Ye Ximeng had been there, she would have recognized it—this brocade box was identical to the one given to her, in material, size, and pattern.
Du’e pushed the brocade box toward Jiang Yufeng and said, “Here, all the leftover scraps of the sinking-grade qinan are inside.”
Jiang Yufeng composed himself and accepted the brocade box with great solemnity.
Despite Du’e’s dismissive tone, even the leftover scraps of Vietnamese Nha Trang sinking-grade qinan were still incredibly valuable.
“Master, thank you. I truly appreciate this wedding gift,” Jiang Yufeng said earnestly.
…
After leaving Abbot Du’e’s meditation room, Jiang Yufeng went to the main hall to pay respects to the Buddha and offer incense.
There was still some time before the afternoon Dharma assembly, so he found a quiet spot to stay.
He enjoyed the atmosphere of the temple; amidst the lingering scent of incense, he could feel a sense of inner peace.
He opened his phone, first made a donation to Pudu Temple, and then opened WeChat to find Ye Ximeng’s chat window.
Sure enough, Ye Ximeng had recommended an online shop to him.
He copied the link and opened the online store.