The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

As they walked, Liu Beijun’s eyes were filled with wonder. The metro was new to him, there were handsome men and beautiful ladies all around him, and even the elder men and women looked different. The countless skyscrapers left him in wonder, and even his first entry into their hotel was wondrous!

That night, Liu Beijun rolled in bed, unable to sleep. Finally, he slumped over the tiny window and watched the bustling roads, mumbling, “A large city sure is beautiful… It’s so clean. There are so many cars. Abbot Fangzheng, Abbot?”

Liu Beijun turned his head and realized that Fangzheng had already fallen asleep.

Liu Beijun continued looking out the window before finally letting out a complicated sigh and going to bed.

The next day, Liu Beijun was woken up by Fangzheng before dawn.

“Abbot, what do you want to do? It’s still so early.” Liu Beijun saw that it was only three!

Fangzheng said, “If you want to watch the flag-raising ceremony, you have to hurry. If not, you can continue staying here in bed.” Since it was their first time in Shengjing, their trip would be in vain if they did not go to Tiananmen Square to watch the raising of the country’s flag. Although Fangzheng was a monk, he never thought of himself as someone separate from the mortal world.

Upon hearing that they were heading out to watch the flag-raising ceremony, Liu Beijun jumped out of bed. He changed into his clothes quickly and ran out while pulling Fangzheng. As he ran, he said, “Quickly! Quickly!”

When they were out of the hotel, Liu Beijun was dumbfounded. How were they to get there?

Fangzheng shook his head and led Liu Beijun to the metro station. They then took the metro to Tiananmen Square. Even though they were not late, there were already hordes of people on the square. Meanwhile, troops of soldiers patrolled the area. Upon seeing the valiant soldiers, Liu Beijun could not help but praise them. “That’s what real men look like! Cool!”

Fangzheng nodded slightly in agreement with Liu Beijun’s compliment. Next, they followed the crowd. The soldiers at their posts stood upright and still like statues. Fangzheng passed by them and saw that on one soldier’s face, there was a mosquito having a feast! Yet the soldier kept his eyes strained ahead as he remained motionless. It was as though he did not know of the existence of that mosquito.

Fangzheng frowned and just as he was about to do something about it, a girl suddenly walked over and waved her hand to shoo the mosquito away. Then she took out a piece of tissue to wipe the sweat off the soldier’s forehead and smiled before leaving.

Upon seeing this, Fangzheng’s heart warmed up.

Liu Beijun whispered, “I heard that people are not to approach a soldier while they are at their stations. What if―”

“Good guys and bad guys are different,” Fangzheng said.

Liu Beijun scratched his head, finding Fangzheng’s words incomprehensible. Did bad guys have the words “bad guy” written on their faces?

Fangzheng knew that although bad guys did not have it written on their faces, the warmth and radiance a good person emitted could instantly illuminate everything.

The duo followed the crowd and arrived in front of the square. At that moment, a soldier walked over and said, “Everyone, please take note. People on the first three rows, please squat. If possible, please sit. Thank you for your cooperation.”

Then, the first three rows of people began to sit down. Fangzheng and Liu Beijun happened to be on the third row. Fangzheng thought nothing of it since the White Lunar Monk Robe could not be dirtied, so he sat down. Liu Beijun thought nothing of it either and sat down as well. There were people who had brought posters with them to pad their buttocks. Soon, the first three rows were sitting down.

As such, everyone’s view was guaranteed.

“Abbot, we are quite far. I can’t see it clearly from this distance. I thought we would see it closer up like on television,” Liu Beijun said, feeling a little disappointed.

“The determination of distance depends on one’s heart. Are you really here to see a few people march and raise the nation’s flag? Ask yourself, what are you here for?”

Liu Beijun was taken aback. As he looked at the soldiers around him and the audience that had looks of anticipation, he could not help but ask inwardly, “Are they really here to see the flag-raising ceremony? This anticipation; everyone’s eyes are filled with anticipation. Are they anticipating a flag-raising ceremony that they can’t even see clearly? Or will something special or amazing happen when the flag is raised?”

Upon having this thought, Liu Beijun also began to wait in anticipation.

Fangzheng did not say a word when he saw Liu Beijun’s actions. All he did was watch silently.

With the passage of time, the ceremonial squad finally appeared from a distance. All of them looked macho and valiant as they marched in step. Although they were too far away, preventing Liu Beijun from seeing the details, he suddenly felt his heart race! It was like a rusty engine that had been in disuse had been given an impetus to work again.

Liu Beijun had already forgotten when the last time he had such a feeling was. He had even believed that he would not be moved for the rest of his life. He had not felt such intense emotions in a long time. Liu Beijun stared intently at the ceremonial squad, watching them arrive at the flagpole. Following that, a soldier raised his hand as the bright red flag fluttered in the wind, fully unfurling in an instant!

Liu Beijun subconsciously clenched his fists. At that instant, he suddenly realized what he was there for. It was not for a flag-raising ceremony, but to satisfy his passionate love for his country! At the instant the flag was unfurled, he had no idea what was on his mind. Yet he had an irrepressible urge, like hot, boiling blood was about to spew out of his mouth. He subconsciously opened his mouth and began singing the national anthem while tears streaked down the corner of his eyes.

He did not know that although the monk beside him appeared unperturbed, he too felt tumultuous emotions.

Although Fangzheng was a monk, he still had the passionate love for his country. In this moment, his hot blood was ignited too as he began singing the anthem. He took in the emotions that emanated from the square. There was no individual, just the love for a country.

After leaving Tiananmen Square and walking a short distance, Liu Beijun finally snapped out of his agitation. He looked at Fangzheng and said, “Abbot Fangzheng, I do not know why I wanted to see the flag-raising ceremony, but at that instant, I felt really agitated. I really wanted to cry… Well, I cried.”

Fangzheng said, “It’s good that you cried. It means there’s still hope.”

“What do you mean by that?”

Fangzheng did not say a word. Instead, he led Liu Beijun to the Wangfujing Pedestrian Street. They watched the bustling streets, with people rushing to their destinations, and the towering skyscrapers that lined the area. Fangzheng did not say a word, while Liu Beijun kept looking everywhere, afraid he would miss out on something new and exciting. Everything he saw appeared both familiar and unfamiliar to him. It was familiar because he was seeing the scenes from television in real life. And he found it unfamiliar due to the atmosphere around him. It was completely different from a village!