The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“I got nagged at by my parents for three days and three nights. How can they blame me? When I was applying to colleges, both of you were overseas. None of you came back to help me, so I applied to Hefei University of Technology by myself. To think they even blame me. Seriously…”

“Onwards to college! Are the hunks there ready? I’m coming!”

“That idiot Wang Lun actually dares call me chewing gum, that I stick to him and cannot be escaped from! Seriously, who wants to stick to him? If the luggage wasn’t too heavy, would I be with him? Wasn’t I just trying to get free labor? But here comes the problem. Why was I the one carrying two suitcases, while he leisurely carried two haversacks? I can’t accept it! I’m a girl, a weak girl!”

“First day of college. I beat two boys, one against two! My name has spread throughout the school. I’m famous! They all call me the Queen in the computing faculty. Seriously, am I that fierce? It’s clear that it was the two boys who were too weak…”

“That idiot Wang Lun, is his stomach huge or something? He finished his food allowance in less than a month. He even came to feed off me! Boohoo… With him around, it made me embarrassed to eat large servings of roasted rice with meat. I even had to act demure and ate a small bowl of noodles. I’m starving! Worst of all, he actually dared say I was acting demure in front of him! I ate all his food in anger. Awesome! Ha! However, it’s really hard to feed two people with a single meal card… From the looks of it, I have to eat less, or he will definitely not have enough to eat. Boys expend more energy, right? I can also diet by eating less… I’ll show my kindness and treat it as though I’m rearing a pet.”

“Junior year! Time passes so quickly. I’m almost going to graduate. We plan on returning to our hometown to develop ourselves. It’s quite good. My dear parents, although you only come back a few times a year, I still miss the both of you. But didn’t Wang Lun, that idiot, keep saying that he wanted to go to Haicheng? What a strange fellow.”

“Alright, the answer is revealed. The idiot came back because he’s trying to court his long-haired goddess, Shao Xinxiu. Seriously, what the f**k… I asked him what he likes about her, and he told me that he likes her long hair! Is long hair that nice? This idiot has liked long hair since a young age. But…”

“After discussing an entire night, we finally determined on his confession plan. Alright, as a good bro, I’ll support him. But why does my heart feel so painful? Forget it. I’m not thinking any further. Sleep time!”

“After doing the accounts the entire night, we lack the money to support our plan. To complete it, it appears I will need to exert all my strength. I’m really beginning to wonder whether I’m Wang Lun’s bro or his mom. Argh.”

“A**hole! My cousin actually calls me a violin idiot and says I won’t be able to amount to much from practicing! I refuse to believe it. I’m going all out. I’ll stay at his place without leaving. Apart from my meals, I’ll be playing the violin the entire day. I don’t believe it!”

“My shoulder hurts. My finger hurts. My back hurts… But I will still continue!”

“My cousin called my mom and said I was mad. He said I have been practicing the violin like crazy? Am I crazy? Isn’t it because of… But why should I do this for him?”

“My cousin is mad. He gave me his violin and begged me to leave. Alright then, I’ll practice at home.”

“The neighbors called the cops. I have decided to practice by the sea. There’s quite a lot of people there, though.”

“The crowds by the beach are thinning. The damage I deal is quite high after all. But I have found a new base. A beach laden with stones. No one goes there. I can play the violin there freely. However, my feet were cut as a result. It hurts. But where else can I go besides there? I wish to cry. But no one will soothe me even if I cry. Why should I cry then…”

“I met a music teacher who retired from working at a college. She is willing to listen to me play the violin. She taught me a lot. I can not play a complete piece yet, but I’m indeed a genius. Should I gift something to my new teacher? I should be grateful, right?”

“I found a new job at the aquarium. Hehe. After some time, I might get familiar with them. I might be able to save some money.”

“Coach Han is quite a nice person, and we click well. He taught me a lot. But it’s really difficult acting as a clown. I twisted my ankle… Darn Wang Lun, he actually doesn’t know about this. Boohoo. I have to go to work even in pain. Life sucks.”

“Coach Han has agreed to arrange for a dolphin performance for me. Haha. I knew my people skills were good!”

…

The diary was very thick. The daily entries were not especially long. They were at times a single line, and at times, there was a long period of inactivity. There were a few years when it was blank. But when Fangzheng was about to close the diary, he discovered a line written on the last page!

Fangzheng read it and surprisingly, it wrote: “Haven’t you noticed that the hair of the girl beside you has already grown long?”

That sheet of paper was the only one that was warped, as though it had been wetted by water droplets.

Fangzheng imagined a girl sitting by a window, listening to the song, Weeping lily. She wrote down that line with tears dripping down her eyes. However when she looked up, she showed a smiling face again, as radiant as the sun, carefree and also flawlessly beautiful.

Fangzheng closed the diary and sighed. “Amitabha.”

At that moment, Red Boy ran over and asked, “Master, how about it?”

Fangzheng nodded. “Got it. What do you think should be done?”

“I think Ding Yu suits Wang Lun better. They should be the couple!” said Red Boy immediately.

“Why do you think that way?”

Red Boy decisively answered, “Because she’s good to me!”

Fangzheng: “…”

Red Boy said in shock, “Master, what’s up with that expression of yours? Am I wrong? I obviously will help the nice person. Would I help the one I don’t know?”

Fangzheng was unable to answer to that. The reasoning seemed warped, but it sounded reasonable! However, how could he help? Love was not something that could be forced. If Wang Lun did not like Ding Yu, Fangzheng ultimately could not really hit him into submission with a bat, right? From the looks of it, he had to understand the mutual attitude between the two.

With this in mind, Fangzheng stood up and said, “Jingxin, this is what we will do later.”

“Ah… Ah? Master, aren’t you afraid we will screw things up?” Red Boy exclaimed, “Sister Ding Yu places great importance on this. If we screw it up, she will probably die of anger.”

“No, there are certain things that need to be shown to him.”

Having sorted out his thoughts, Fangzheng was in no rush to inform Ding Yu that he had read her diary. The trio sat by the sea and watched it as the proud sun in the sky gradually had its fiery flames extinguished. It slowly descended into the horizon. It was Fangzheng’s first time seeing a sunset at a beach. He quite liked the feeling.