The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

However when Fanzheng looked down again, he saw that the entire living room was empty. There was no television, sofa or any other furniture except for two plastic stools and an old, damaged aluminum table. A brick was placed on the table to hold down a plastic tablecloth. Apart from that, there was nothing in the massive living room. To the left of the entrance was a bedroom which had its door open. It was as spartan as the living room; it only had a tiny bed with some neatly folded blankets. Everything was very tidy, but there wasn’t even a table in the room. By the head of the bed was a somewhat old and damaged children’s storybook. Its cover was already torn, and scotch tape was used to ensure that it wouldn’t fall apart. By the side of the book was a Barbie doll with one missing leg.

Fangzheng walked forward into a dining room. Although it was supposed to be a dining room, there was no dining table. The ground was covered in newspapers, plastic bottles, and cardboard. By the side of the dining room was a master bedroom. Right in front of it was the kitchen which had a washroom next to it. Without walking in, Fangzheng quickly swept it with his eyes and found the kitchen very clean. But it was similarly empty. Apart from a rice cooker, a stove, some bowls, and cutlery, there wasn’t anything else.

Upon seeing this, Fangzheng knew that this family didn’t have it easy.

At this moment, the door to the main bedroom opened. Fang Ke walked out with a frightened expression, her hands pulling at the edge of her blouse. “Mommy wants to talk to you…”

Fangzheng nodded and smiled at Keke to ease her. Then he walked into the bedroom. Keke didn’t follow him in and instead, she closed the door behind him. However she did stay by the door, worried.

Fangzheng was surprised that the bedroom wasn’t dirty or messy. It wasn’t empty either. There was a clothes cabinet, bed, and a dressing table. Whatever one would expect a normal household to have was present.

The bed was also very clean with red bedsheets and a red blanket. There was a huge rose embroidered on it, making it look extremely striking. On the bed was a woman who lay there motionless. However, she asked warily, “Who are you? Leave. Our house has nothing that you might want. Don’t scam my daughter…”

Her voice was a little cold and angry, but it also contained signs of horror and worry.

Fangzheng looked at the woman and pressed his palms together. “Amitabha. Patron, don’t worry. This Penniless Monk is a monk, with the Dharma name ‘Fangzheng’. Little Patron Keke was on the streets hiring a father. This Penniless Monk felt moved, so he came over to take a look. Patron, are you blind, by any chance?”

The woman didn’t seem to believe Fangzheng. She shook her head and said, “You don’t have to care about my condition. My family doesn’t need any help. If there’s nothing else, please leave. By leaving you will help our family the most.”

Fangzheng knew that it would be rather impossible to gain the trust of the woman with just a few words. Hence, he came to the woman’s side and said, “Patron, do you think your family has anything This Penniless Monk could scheme for?”

The woman frowned. “Although my family isn’t wealthy, we still have some things.” Upon saying that, she sighed and said with an air of grievance and pain, “If you see anything you like, take it. I just beg you not to harm me and my daughter as we are all alone.”

Fangzheng felt his heart wince in pain seeing the state the woman was in. She probably didn’t even know that there was already nothing anyone could scheme for in the house apart from her bedroom. As for where the other things had gone, Fangzheng could more or less guess a thing or two.

Fangzheng said, “Don’t worry, Patron. This Penniless Monk really is a monk, and not an evil person. Also, This Penniless Monk knows a little bit about medicine. If you permit me, This Penniless Monk can check your condition.”

Fangzheng’s voice was very gentle and calm with an air of righteousness that soothed one’s mind.

Although the woman was blind and immobile, she wasn’t a fool. If the person opposite her was a bad person, he wouldn’t be so polite with her and her daughter.

Hence the woman asked suspiciously, “Are… you really a monk?”

Fangzheng said, “This Penniless Monk is a genuine monk.”

At this moment, Fangzheng felt for the first time that being a monk was advantageous. At the very least, it made people believe that he wasn’t an evil person once he introduced himself. Even if he was still bad, he could only be a fake monk at most; nothing too serious.

Only then did the woman’s brows ease a little. She shouted. “Keke?”

Her shout was a little hurried, as though the woman had thought of something. She was worried for Keke’s safety, worried that she would be abducted. Upon hearing the shout, Keke immediately ran in and saw Fangzheng standing by the bedside, warmly looking at her mother. Her mother had shouted for her rather anxiously, so she immediately said, “Mommy, I’m at the door.”

“That’s good. That’s good.” The woman immediately felt relieved. She beckoned with her hand, and Keke ran over. When the woman pulled her into an embrace, she said to Fangzheng, “Master, thank you for your kind intentions. We are grateful for that. If you really wish to help us, don’t keep us in a state of apprehension. It’s best you leave.”

“Mommy, Fangzheng is a daddy I hired. He said he will handle our meals in the future,” Keke said.

The woman frowned and said sternly, “What do you know! Do you really think a daddy can be hired?”

Keke instantly shut up from being shouted at.

When Fangzheng saw this, he also frowned and asked, “Patron, are you certain you don’t need help?”

“I don’t.” The woman shook her head. Clearly, she didn’t trust outsiders.

Fangzheng sighed. “Patron, do you not know that apart from your room, there’s nothing in the other rooms in your house?”

“What? We’ve been burgled? Keke, what happened?” the woman cried out from fright.

When Keke heard this, her eyes reddened as she squirmed into a ball as though she had done something wrong.

“Keke, I’m asking you a question!” the woman asked worriedly.

Only then did Keke said pitifully, “Mommy, we don’t have any money left. The doctors need a lot of money… An uncle said he could lend me some money when I didn’t have any. When I didn’t have any money to pay him, he moved the things away.

Upon hearing that, Fangzheng frowned. He had an instinctive feeling that something was wrong here.

The woman was stunned as she sternly asked, “How much did you borrow?”

Keke said, “Two hundred. Back then, the doctor said that Mommy needs to be nourished, so I borrowed money to buy a chicken.” Upon saying that, Keke felt the abnormal atmosphere and turned a little afraid.

Indeed, the woman flared up, but the moment her anger rose, she lost all her strength. She slumped down, motionless. After a while, she said with a sigh, “So be it. As long as the debt is paid.”

Seeing that her mother hadn’t flared up, Keke heaved a sigh of relief, but she still said hesitantly, “But that uncle said that the money isn’t enough. He will come again in two days.”

“What?” The woman widened her eyes in anger. Unfortunately, her turbid eyes couldn’t see a thing, but anyone could sense her fury.