The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

Liu Beijun was taken aback. When he looked at the closed monastery door as well as the distant pitch-black night, for some baffling reason, he felt a sense of security seeing the white wolf despite having found it terrifying during the day.

At that instant, all the rage and grievance he had amassed vanished. He only felt exhaustion, and a relaxed and calm heart. As the exhaustion overwhelmed him, he leaned on the wall and fell asleep sitting down.

He did not know that after he fell asleep, a blanket was draped over him. Following that, a white-robed monk sat beside him and only left when it was almost dawn.

“Master, he’s almost awake. Why are you back? He won’t know how good you were to him. He will definitely not feel any gratitude towards you. Won’t everything you did have been for naught?” Squirrel jumped onto Fangzheng’s shoulder from the bodhi tree and asked perplexedly.

Fangzheng smiled. “It’s too exhausting to want to earn gratitude from others for everything you wish to do. Just do what you wish to do. As for what others think of it, that’s their matter. As for Patron Liu Beijun, he should thank his father, Liu Hongyun. It was his father who brought him up. He was provided for and sent to school by him. His father gave whatever he could give. What This Penniless Monk has done is nothing worth mentioning when compared to the fatherly love.”

Squirrel scratched his head. Fangzheng had explained in a roundabout matter, but he did understand one thing. If one thought about the returns when doing something, it was tiring!

When Liu Beijun woke up, he saw Lone Wolf slumped beside him, yawning. He was a little afraid seeing Lone Wolf yesterday, but after a night of companionship, Liu Beijun felt that Lone Wolf was the nicest guy in One Finger Monastery. Just as he was about to say something, Lone Wolf raised his paws and pointed at the monastery.

Only then did Liu Beijun realize that the door was open, and a broom was placed beside him.

Liu Beijun immediately returned to reality amid his warm, snug feelings. Indeed, he still needed to do work! And for the sake of breakfast, Liu Beijun quickly picked up the broom and swept away the falling leaves. As he swept, he grumbled. “This tree sucks. Why do you not go bald when you drop so many leaves every day? You still look so lush and green. How weird.”

Liu Beijun was not the only one to share this thought. In fact, Fangzheng was also puzzled. As a tree, it was common for it to shed leaves, but the bodhi tree in his courtyard was especially hard-working, to an unprecedented degree. Even if it did not shed its leaves to become bald like Fangzheng, it should still be to a similar degree as Red Boy. Fangzheng had observed it for a long period of time, and on the contrary, the bodhi tree’s leaves seemed to be getting prettier, and the branches were turning thicker and firmer. Fangzheng guessed that the bodhi tree was absorbing the wish forces and incense from the monastery daily, causing it to change. It was unknown what it would eventually become.

He shook his head and could not be bothered to think further about it. Before long, breakfast was ready. Liu Beijun rushed in time for breakfast and wolfed down his breakfast before immediately rushing out with the broom in hand to remove the few leaves that had just fallen. He finally realized that dealing with the freshly fallen leaves was much easier than sweeping them later.

Seeing Liu Beijun turn more hardworking and grumble less, with him also forgetting about any thoughts of running, Fangzheng nodded. He knew that his monastery had little more to provide to Liu Beijun.

Later that day, when Liu Beijun was still sweeping, Fangzheng suddenly came to his side and asked, “Do you wish to go down the mountain?”

“Can I?” asked Liu Beijun in return.

Fangzheng nodded. “Not alone. This Penniless Monk needs to make a trip. If you are willing, you can join This Penniless Monk.”

Liu Beijun’s eyes lit up the instant he heard that. Even in his dreams, he had been yearning to leave the mountain! However he replied warily, “Fine, but I’m not going to school.”

“No problem.” Fangzheng nodded. Liu Beijun was instantly delighted as he followed Fangzheng down the mountain.

On the way, Liu Beijun asked out of curiosity, “Abbot Fangzheng, why don’t you let me leave the mountain?”

“Then why do you not wish to study?” returned Fangzheng.

“I’m not meant for studying. I can’t understand a thing the teachers say. I just don’t learn anything. I’m always one of the last few during exams. Tell me, what’s the point in me going to school? Since I won’t be able to get into college, I think I’ll be wasting my life going to school. Wouldn’t it be better to spend this time doing something else?”

“Then, what do you wish to do?” asked Fangzheng.

Liu Beijun thought for a moment and said, “I’m not sure. However, anything is better than school.”

“Children who do not attend school only have a few paths ahead of them. Either they enter factories to work day and night, or they stay in the village to farm while enduring the elements. Of course, you can also work hard to set up your own company. But that requires monetary help from wealthy family and friends, which you lack. So that option has nothing to do with you. Do you really like such a life?”

“Not really, but compared to going to school, I’d rather suffer outside. Besides, not everyone ends up useless, right? There are many people who didn’t attend school who managed to become huge entrepreneurs. Aren’t there numerous people who attended school yet ended up working for them?” said Liu Beijun stubbornly.

Fangzheng smiled and did not continue. Words were useless in certain matters. Only experiencing it for oneself would help in such a case. For example, one would never think of the fact that although luck was needed to be successful, and that it was often a matter of being at the right place at the right time, would one person who was educated and another who was uneducated begin from the same starting line if everything else was equal?

Liu Beijun thought that Fangzheng was not convinced. He immediately said, “I heard something from a bro who works at a coal mine. He said that his company hired many graduates with Masters or even PhDs. In the end, the few jokers went into the mines and did nothing except use their pen and paper to draw and make calculations. Stuff like angles and height. What a f**king joke. My bro said that there was no need to go through so much trouble. It’s obvious at a glance where to put stuff and how to handle it. That is the difference in ability!”

When Fangzheng saw how the little guy was getting caught up in other people’s stories, he finally asked, “How many years has your bro been working in the mines? What sort of job does he do there? How long were those graduates there?”

“I think he’s in charge of transporting the coals. It has something to do with forklifts and stuff like that. He has been working there for more than a decade. Those students likely worked there for a year or two? Why?” Liu Beijun asked matter-of-factly.

Fangzheng said, “He’s been working the same job for more than ten years. It’s true that experience can achieve that. This is the process of turning ability into instinct.”

Liu Beijun raised his head, feeling a lot prouder and believing that Fangzheng had acknowledged his explanation.

Fangzheng continued. “Fresh graduates have to go from books to actual tools. They do not have more than a decade of experience. They only have their knowledge, so they might not be as familiar with the technology as your bro, but they are rigorous enough, using their formulas and computational methods to complete their own jobs. Your bro has no skill except for his particular expertise. Those students maybe needed more time to attain the same, yet what those students know is not something your bro can learn. That is the difference.”