The Monk That Wanted To Renounce Asceticism

“You nag others like that?” Chang Le looked at Fangzheng in surprise.

Fangzheng thought and said, “That’s right.”

“When?” Chang Le subconsciously asked.

Fangzheng thought for a moment and said, “Back then, This Penniless Monk seemed to be over a year old.”

Chang Le was taken aback for a moment before shaking his head. “That makes you a child. Your limbs are unstable and your curiosity is great. It’s normal”

Fangzheng nodded as well. “That’s right. Back then, my body wasn’t fully developed, so everything I did was normal. Fathers can all tolerate it, but when a father is old and his body is sick, things no longer are in balance. If his brain isn’t working well, is that abnormal?”

When Chang Le heard that, he looked at Fangzheng in surprise.

A glint flashed in Fangzheng’s eyes as Chang Le felt the world before him turn blurry. Following that, the world before him changed…

Chang Le looked at the door in front of him, dumbfounded. He rubbed his eyes and surveyed his surroundings.

This was an old staircase, the railings and doors of the stairs were all from the 80s or 90s. There was a word ‘Prosperity’ stuck on the door, and on two sides were couplets.

Chang Le found this scene very familiar. He exclaimed, “This… This is my home when I was young? I almost forgot what it looked like! But, how did I return to this place? Rebirth?”

Unfortunately, no one answered Chang Le’s question.

At this moment, an innocent voice came from downstairs. “Daddy, what did you buy?”

“Daddy bought noodles.” A familiar man’s voice rang out. His voice was magnetic and pleasant, with a tinge of warmth!

At that moment, Chang Le’s eyes turned red. He could tell that it was his father’s voice!

“Daddy, what did you buy?” the child asked again.

“Daddy bought noodles. Once we are home, shall Daddy make some dumplings for Lele?” The man chuckled.

“Alright, Lele wants to eat dumplings!” the boy exclaimed excitedly.

“Alright, I’ll let Lele eat huge dumplings. It’s all for you.”

At the same time, the two of them had already appeared in front of Chang Le. A man in an old vest carried a two-year-old boy on his back and a small bag of noodles in one hand as he slowly walked upstairs.

Upon seeing these two people, Chang Le instantly recognized them. They were him and his father, Chang Jianghe!

“Dad…” Chang Le subconsciously called out.

Unfortunately, Chang Jianghe didn’t seem to see him, nor could he hear him. He carried the young Chang Le on his back and prepared to open the door.

When Chang Le saw this, he subconsciously reached out to grab him. However, his hand passed through Chang Jianghe’s body.

Chang Le was stunned.

“Daddy, what’s on the door?” Little Chang Le asked.

“This is the word ‘prosperity.’ It brings prosperity to our family. With it, Lele can grow up happily every day,” said Chang Jianghe.

Little Chang Le said, “Prosperity… Daddy, can we bring prosperity home?”

“Lele, this is to be hung on the door. You can’t bring it in,” Chang Jianghe replied patiently as he opened the door with one hand.

After entering the house, Chang Jianghe happily placed Little Chang Le on the ground and said, “Daddy is going to make dumplings. Lele, can you play by yourself for a while?”

“No.” Little Chang Le hurriedly shook his head and grabbed Chang Jianghe’s pants.

“Lele, why not follow Daddy into the kitchen and watch Daddy cook something delicious for you?” Chang Jianghe asked.

“Alright,” Little Chang Le said happily.

When they entered the kitchen, Little Chang Le looked up and asked, “Daddy, what are you doing?”

Chang Jianghe smiled and said, “Daddy is cutting vegetables to make the fillings.”

Little Chang Le: “Why?”

Chang Jianghe chopped the cabbage as he explained to Little Chang Le. He was busy, but he constantly paid attention to Little Chang Le. It was as though he had infinite patience when facing little Chang Le.

It was time to eat…

“Daddy, Lele wants to eat dumplings.” Little Chang Le stared at the golden egg and shouted.

Chang Jianghe smiled and said, “Alright. Lele, eat the dumplings. I’ll give them all to Lele. Lele will be strong and healthy.”

“Dumplings, delicious! Delicious! Dumplings! Lele still wants more.” Chang Le cried out as he ate.

“Alright, all for you, Lele…”

“Daddy, are chicken eggs laid by chickens?”

“That’s right. A hen lays eggs. It’s those hens who cluck…”

“Cluck! Cluck… can Lele lay an egg?”

“When Lele grows up, he can do so.”

“Then Lele has to grow up quickly…”

Piak!

“Waa…” In his joy, Little Chang Le swept the bowl on the table to the ground, smashing it to pieces. He instantly cried out in fear.

Chang Jianghe hurriedly hugged Little Chang Le in his arms and said with a smile, “Alright, Lele don’t cry. It’s just a broken bowl. When Lele grows up, you won’t break bowls anymore… Lele just sit here and don’t move. Let Daddy clean up the bowl, alright?”

“Alright…” Little Chang Le stopped crying after hearing Chang Jianghe’s words. However, he still looked pitifully at Chang Jianghe who was cleaning up the broken shards on the ground. The two dumplings on the ground were also stored away. Chang Jianghe brought them to the kitchen, washed them clean, and poured them into his own bowl. Then, he picked up a clean dumpling and placed it in a small plate, handing it to Lele.

Chang Le stood by the side and watched. His eyes were red as he mumbled, “I remember now. At that time, all the bowls at home were shattered by me… but Daddy never scolded me. Also, dumplings, I love eating dumplings made by Daddy. Whenever he has time, he’ll make dumplings for me when he has the money…”

“Daddy, the dumplings are delicious.”

“Mmm, delicious.”

“Daddy, look at the skin of the dumplings. Look…”

“Mm, looks nice.”

“Daddy, the dumplings soup is delicious.”

“Then drink more.”

“Daddy, there’s meat in the dumplings! Look!”

“Very big meat, Lele shall eat it quickly…”

…

Upon hearing the conversation between the father and son and watching how his father answered his questions patiently, Chang Le covered his face and cried, “Daddy, I’m sorry. I’m not human… I was wrong…”

“Amitabha. Patron, it’s getting late. Go home early.” At that moment, a Buddhist proclamation sounded.

Chang Le was taken aback as he recalled that he shouldn’t be here. He should be chatting with a monk on a park bench!

In the blink of an eye, Chang Le was surprised to discover that he was still sitting on a bench. The monk dressed in tattered clothes was smiling at him.

“This… I… Master, I just…” Chang Le did not know what to say.

Fangzheng smiled. “Patron, return home early.”

“Eh… I’ll go home first. Master, why aren’t you going home?” Chang Le asked.

Fangzheng said with a bitter smile, “This Penniless Monk temporarily has no home to return…”

“Then why don’t you come to my place? I have space at home, how about that?” Chang Le asked.

Fangzheng was truly hungry. Besides, he could accept this kind gesture after what he had done, so he nodded in agreement.

Chang Le swept away the haze from before and happily got up. He led Fangzheng towards his house.