At night, after a tiring day, Nan Yu felt sleepy quickly. After washing up, she got into the quilt early.
She had put the scattered Buddhist beads into a bag and was going to take them to Changuang Temple together the next day. Afraid of forgetting, she specifically placed the bag on the bedside table.
Although she went to bed early, she didn't sleep well that night.
Her dreams were filled with Tan Linyuan's cold and emotionless eyes and Nian Nian's repeated words.
Words about avoiding disasters and bearing sins kept disturbing her.
She felt guilty throughout the night.
Early the next morning, Nan Yu got up and fried an egg for herself. While eating, she searched for information about Changuang Temple on her phone.
The search result was quite a surprise. It turned out that this temple was the most popular one in the whole Jiangcheng, with pilgrims coming to burn incense and pray all year round.
Nan Yu scrolled down a bit and saw a photo of Tan Linyuan.
Looking at that face with extremely elegant appearance and temperament, his eyes calm and placid, he was hailed as the cold and detached "god without desires."
Under the post with Tan Linyuan's photo, all the comments were full of admiration and longing for him. Some pilgrims from other places even traveled a long way just to catch a glimpse of the living Buddha.
Nan Yu swallowed the last bite of the fried egg expressionlessly.
It was a good thing that there was no such thing as sales volume in the temple, otherwise Tan Linyuan would definitely be the top salesperson.
It was easy to understand why Changuang Temple was so popular.
After breakfast, Nan Yu set off for Changuang Temple on time. As expected, there were a constant stream of pilgrims. By 8 a.m., the temple was already crowded.
In front of the worshipped gods and Buddhas, there were many devout believers kneeling on the ground, each with their own desires and wishes, praying for the gods' momentary favor.
Nan Yu seemed to turn a blind eye to all this. She casually stopped a young monk who was sweeping the incense ash and asked about Tan Linyuan's whereabouts.
"Are you looking for Brother Tan, benefactor?"
The young monk had a round head. Looking like he had been asked this question countless times, he shook his head and said, "Brother Tan is still doing his morning prayers. If you want to meet him by chance, you'll have to wait a while."
He mistook her for one of those who came here just to see the "living Buddha."
Nan Yu didn't explain. Instead, she took the Buddhist beads and went to find the abbot of Changuang Temple first, asking him to restring and bless the beads. Then she waited in front of the hall.
While waiting, the young monk told her that the string of Buddhist beads she brought was quite rare. Ordinary people rarely had such a long string with so many beads.
"Ordinary believers usually carry a string of 21 Buddhist beads, while only those who are on the path of spiritual cultivation would carry 108 beads." The young monk said, shaking his head, "Are you also a spiritual cultivator, benefactor?"
"This isn't mine." Nan Yu pursed her lips, thought for a while and then asked, "Is there any special meaning behind it?"
"The 21 - bead string is mostly for seeking blessings and peace for oneself, while the 108 - bead string is for saving all sentient beings."
The 108 beads represented 108 kinds of afflictions and also 108 kinds of merits. To have such a compassionate heart was to show pity for all sentient beings in the world.
After listening to the young monk's explanation, Nan Yu's impression of Tan Linyuan was once again refreshed.
With his years of spiritual cultivation in Changuang Temple, his charity work, and the image of a detached Buddhist disciple he had created...
If one didn't consider his bad behavior towards her, he really deserved the praise of a "living god."
But he was only a god in other people's eyes.
In her eyes, he was an unforgivable villain.
Thinking of this, Nan Yu couldn't feel any respect for Tan Linyuan.
After the abbot finished the religious ceremony for the string of Buddhist beads, he returned them to Nan Yu. Without much thought, Nan Yu put the beads on her wrist.
She didn't believe in gods and Buddhas, but it didn't mean she wasn't in awe of them.
Just now, the abbot had also told her that wearing the blessed Buddhist beads on the wrist would be more conducive to the Buddha's protection and care.
Just then, there was a sudden commotion in the main hall.
The young monk immediately reacted and said to Nan Yu with a smile, "Benefactor, Brother Tan has finished his morning prayers and is back."
As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Yu also looked up into the crowd.
The front was blocked by people. The crowd was so dense that she couldn't see clearly at all. So she just stayed where she was and didn't go forward to join the fun. Instead, she asked if Tan Linyuan had any other arrangements.
"After the morning prayers, Brother Tan will still meditate and chant scriptures in front of the Buddha Hall for about the time it takes to burn an incense stick."
Nan Yu stood there. Looking up, she could see Tan Linyuan's back.
He had just finished his morning prayers and came out from the backyard. Wearing a plain robe, his expression was calm and serene. He put his hands together and stood in front of the Buddha statue.
Maybe it was because of the atmosphere of the temple, but he seemed a bit more gentle than usual today.
Tan Linyuan was tall, quite different from the other disciples who were also praying and chanting scriptures beside him. He was easier to spot in the crowd.
At this moment, he was kneeling on the futon under the Buddha Hall, chanting scriptures and praying for the people of the whole Jiangcheng.
The light in the hall shone on Tan Linyuan, as if he was covered with a layer of golden light, like a god who had never fallen into the mortal world.
Nan Yu couldn't take her eyes off him. For a moment, she suddenly understood those who believed in Buddhism a bit.
In one's life, one should have a belief.
Without belief, one would be just an empty shell.
But what should her belief be?
...
By the time all the ceremonies were finally over, Nan Yu was already feeling sleepy. She leaned against a pillar in the corner, her eyes half - closed.
The noon sun was warm, making her feel extremely comfortable. She even had an impulse to just lie down on the floor and take a nap.
Just then, the people in the hall stood up.
Nan Yu yawned and straightened up. Standing in the crowd, she wasn't very noticeable.
But Tan Linyuan still saw her.
She stood among countless different faces, in a sea of black and white figures.
It seemed that in the whole world, only she had color.
Tan Linyuan frowned slightly, but only for a moment. Then he looked away indifferently.
Nan Yu craned her neck to look into the hall. Seeing Tan Linyuan turn his head in her direction, she subconsciously thought he had seen her, but quickly dismissed the idea.
There were so many people here, and the sun was so bright.
Tan Linyuan withdrew his gaze, smoothed the wrinkles on his robe, and walked down the hall.
At that moment, the crowd rushed up, eager to get closer to this living god in the hope of getting some so - called good luck.
Nan Yu was standing at the back in the first place. Now that the crowd was all huddled together, there was no way she could get through to find Tan Linyuan.
She touched the beads on her wrist, wondering how she could find an opportunity to return the string of Buddhist beads to its original owner.
Just as she was thinking, the young monk from before came over and whispered to her, "Benefactor, Brother Tan asked me to take you to his meditation room."
Nan Yu was stunned for a moment.
Could it be that Tan Linyuan really saw her just now?