“So this is an orphanage?”
“No, it’s just a Taoist temple. Its original name was Qingniu Temple,” Xiao Chen said. “It’s just not well known.”
“Then how does the Taoist priest support all these children?” Song Ziyan asked.
“He makes house calls to treat illnesses. Occasionally he performs funeral rites and rituals. Some of the income also comes from donations from people in society,” Xiao Chen replied.
“That money can’t possibly be enough, right?” Song Ziyan looked around in confusion. Most of the children’s clothes did not fit properly.
Fortunately, each of them looked clean and tidy. Only the Taoist priest himself was thin and frail, as if a gust of wind could knock him over.
“Just barely,” Xiao Chen said. “Master does his best to help them. When I have the ability, I’ll do everything I can to help as well.”
Song Ziyan nodded gently. The skinny Taoist priest filled her with a sense of respect.
“I can ask my uncle to contact the media and bring some attention here.”
“No. Master doesn’t want that,” Xiao Chen shook his head.
“Why? There are still many kind-hearted people in society,” Song Ziyan said, puzzled.
“Master says Buddhism speaks of cause and effect, and Taoism speaks of karmic burden,” Xiao Chen explained. “He says in life, instead of calculating fate, it’s better to change it. Instead of seeking blessings, it’s better to cultivate oneself.”
“So for him and for these children, bearing karma is simply part of their practice.”
As he spoke, Xiao Chen continued working.
Song Ziyan nodded, half understanding.
Watching him busily moving about, she felt a trace of joy. She had discovered another shining quality in him.
“Xiao Chen, next time you come here, call me. I want to help too.”
“It’s enough for me to come alone. You should focus your energy on physics. The first mock exam is coming soon,” Xiao Chen said, gently tapping her nose.
“I won’t let it affect my studies. I just want to do my part,” Song Ziyan protested.
“Alright,” Xiao Chen smiled.
Song Ziyan picked up a broom and began sweeping and wiping tables enthusiastically.
Some of the older children came to help, fetching water and washing mops.
She had never done such things at home. The household staff handled everything, so she was a bit clumsy.
Xiao Chen patiently taught her, showing her how to use less effort.
In the blink of an eye, the entire afternoon passed.
When he came, he had bought some pork and tofu.
There was also cabbage available here. He planned to make a large mixed stew.
“Doesn’t the Taoist priest avoid meat?” Song Ziyan asked.
“Master belongs to the Zhengyi sect. He doesn’t strictly avoid it, but for the sake of cultivation, he doesn’t eat these things,” Xiao Chen said. “But the children have meat every day.”
Song Ziyan nodded and helped Xiao Chen cook.
The tofu was fried in oil and cut into strips. Pork was sliced. Glass noodles were soaked in water. The cabbage was chopped and washed clean.
Dried daylily and dried bean curd sticks had already been soaked and prepared.
In a large pot, lard was heated to stir-fry scallions, ginger, and garlic until fragrant. Visit g.com for the full chapter.
Pork belly was added and stir-fried, then salt and light soy sauce were added. The cabbage was tossed in.
Finally, water was poured in. Once it boiled, the bean curd sticks and other ingredients were added.
Soon, a large pot of fragrant stew was ready.
“Wow, it smells amazing,” Song Ziyan almost drooled.
“When Grandma and I lived in the countryside, this dish was often made at banquets when we helped out,” Xiao Chen said with a smile.
He filled a large bowl for her. “Try it.”
“Okay.” Song Ziyan eagerly took the bowl.
After one bite, she exclaimed in surprise, “It’s so delicious. Xiao Chen, I didn’t know you could cook so well.”
Xiao Chen smiled slightly and took a tissue to wipe the soup from the corner of her lips.
His movements were gentle and careful. Their eyes met.
For a moment, her heart fluttered like a startled deer.
Xiao Chen also froze. Being so close, the faint fragrance from the girl made him lose focus.
Their eyes locked. The world around them fell silent. The children’s laughter and the rustling wind disappeared. In their world, there was only each other.
Xiao Chen suddenly realized that in his previous life, he had not had much interaction with Song Ziyan.
Yet after being reborn, this girl had rushed into his world.
He did not know what it meant, but at that moment, he felt as if he had met the right person.
“Brother, is the food ready?” A little boy suddenly ran in, breaking their private world.
“It’s ready. Time to eat,” Xiao Chen said, snapping back to reality.
“Time to eat!” The children rushed over eagerly.
“Have you all washed your hands? Sit properly,” Xiao Chen said with a smile as he served them.
Each child received a bowl of stew and two steamed buns. They ate with great appetite.
The Taoist priest’s food was lighter in flavor. He ate slowly and calmly.
After the meal, Xiao Chen cleaned up the dishes until the children had fallen asleep.
“Master, this is 30,000 yuan. Please keep it for now,” Xiao Chen said, taking out the money and handing it to him.
At present, he had 500,000 yuan in his stock account. He kept 50,000 yuan on hand, gave 20,000 yuan to Grandma Wu, and this 30,000 yuan was for the temple.
Money would continue to come in. The temple’s livelihood would not be a problem.
The Taoist priest nodded and accepted the money. He looked at Xiao Chen with deep eyes. “Good. You’ve grown up.”
“Remember this. The immortal path values life and endlessly saves others.”
“Master, what does that mean?” Xiao Chen was slightly stunned.
“You will understand in the future,” the Taoist priest said with a gentle laugh.
“Taoist priest, I don’t have much cash. I’ll give you all of it,” Song Ziyan said as she took out the money she had on her.
It was not much, only a few thousand yuan.
“Infinite blessings,” the Taoist priest nodded lightly and looked at her. “Young lady, you are also a destined person. Thank you.”
“No need to thank me. I’m Xiao Chen’s classmate. His matters are my matters,” Song Ziyan said.
When they left the temple, it was already completely dark.
“Classmate Song, shall I walk you home?” Xiao Chen asked.
“No need, Xiao Chen. Someone is coming to pick me up. You should head back,” Song Ziyan waved.
After Xiao Chen left, she returned to the car.
She took out her phone and made a call. “Dad, I need some money.”
“How much?” her father asked on the other end.
“Let’s start with 5 million?” Song Ziyan thought for a moment.
“5 million?” Even though the Song family was wealthy, her father was startled. “What do you need so much money for?”
“It’s like this.” Song Ziyan explained the situation at the temple.
“Dad, that Taoist priest is really admirable. I want to help.”
“I’ll look into it first. If there’s no problem, I’ll handle it,” her father said. “You focus on your studies. You’re already in your final year.”
“I know, Dad. You’re the best,” Song Ziyan said happily before hanging up and heading home.
At the Xiao Group office, Xiao Yan was processing documents.
At that moment, the desktop version of WeChat chimed with a notification.
She opened it and saw that the matter of restoring the hard drive she had entrusted to a university alumnus had progressed.
“Senior Xiao Yan, I’ve recovered the surveillance hard drive data you asked for,” a message came from a junior in the computer science department.
“However, the hard drive was badly damaged. And because so much time has passed, new footage had overwritten the old data, so I only managed to recover a small portion.”
“Okay, thank you. I’ll treat you to dinner another day. What was on the hard drive?” Xiao Yan asked eagerly.
Ever since the Blue-and-White Porcelain vase incident, she had harbored doubts.
Everyone believed that Xiao Chen had broken it, yet there was no evidence proving that he had.
The family had only listened to Xiao Ming’s words.
Although her attitude toward Xiao Chen had improved and she now believed he did not break the vase, she did not want to think that her seemingly obedient younger brother Xiao Ming had lied.
So she had asked her junior to recover the hard drive data.
A video file was sent over WeChat.
Xiao Yan opened it immediately.
The footage showed the date clearly. Xiao Ming sneaked into her room furtively.
Moments later, the sound of a vase shattering came from inside.
Then he stuck his head out, looked around cautiously, and walked out.
When Xiao Ming came out, he was holding a bag.
Judging from the shape and broken outline visible through it, the bag contained fragments of porcelain.