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墨書 Inktalez
Lin Miaomiao took out some snacks and handed them to Red Boy. Red Boy thanked her obediently and sat quietly eating the snacks. It must be said that Guanyin Bodhisattva was quite strict in this regard; Red Boy was notoriously mischievous, yet he was being disciplined like a good child.
"Hey, have you talked to your dad about what happened yesterday?" I asked Lin Miaomiao. This matter needed to be resolved as soon as possible. Upon hearing this, Lin Miaomiao put away her smile.
"Not yet. I haven't figured out how to explain it to him. If I tell him I encountered a ghost, he definitely won't believe me," Lin Miaomiao said with a headache. After all, who would believe something they hadn't experienced?
"Yeah, this is a bit tricky. I've temporarily lost my powers," I said, feeling troubled as well. If I still had my powers, it wouldn't be such a big deal for me; after all, one should send the Buddha to the west. At worst, I could do a little spell for that Hungry Ghost's son, but now, I could barely take care of myself.
"Would your dad be willing to offer more compensation? Just consider it spending money to avert disaster; after all, what happened isn't very fair to your dad," I suggested.
Actually, according to Hungry Ghost laws, the responsibility should be shared equally since the Hungry Ghost also didn't follow traffic regulations. However, given that the other party suffered more severe losses and Lin Miaomiao's family likely wasn't short on money, it would be good if they could spend a bit more to resolve the issue. At least we shouldn't only focus on the deceased.
"It seems my dad is determined to go through legal procedures and resolve it by law," Lin Miaomiao frowned, resting her hand on her forehead with a look of grievance. "I don't know what kind of bad luck has struck my family lately; my dad's business suddenly got tied up, and now this happens when we get home."
"What's meant to be will come; what's meant to come will not be avoided." Red Boy, who was eating snacks quietly, suddenly said this.
Right! I still have someone like him by my side! I can't waste such good free labor.
"Hong, what do you think of this sister?" I began to entice the minor.
"She's great! The breadsticks she gave are really tasty," Red Boy looked up at me while speaking, crumbs of chips still lingering at the corners of his mouth.
"This is called potato chips," Lin Miaomiao laughed at Red Boy.
"Ahem. Back to business, would you be willing to help this sister with something?"
"Sure!"
K! The plan succeeded! I didn't expect Red Boy to fall for it so easily.
"However, I will charge a fee!" Red Boy looked at me slyly. "And it's not cheap!"
I can't believe I forgot this guy's true nature...
"Am I an idiot? If I were doing well, sure, I would help, but right now I'm barely getting by, so I can't be a do-gooder," Red Boy said with a sense of entitlement.
"Aren't you Buddhists supposed to be free of desires?"
"That doesn't mean I can starve to death."
"…"
I looked at Lin Miaomiao and shrugged, indicating my helplessness. This obedient child almost made me forget who he really was. Now it seemed that a person's nature is hard to change.
"Are you going to have him solve this?" Lin Miaomiao looked at me in confusion. "He's still a child."
"If he's a child, then what are you?" I muttered. "Don't worry, he's definitely more professional than I am."
I was just saying that casually, but it shouldn't be wrong. I know my own situation well; even if you just catch a jumping Deity, he would look more professional than me...
Lin Miaomiao still looked doubtful. "What are you planning to do?" She was asking about Red Boy.
"You first explain the situation."
I detailed how I encountered the Hungry Ghost yesterday, how the Hungry Ghost died, and the situation at Lin Miaomiao's home.
"This is simple; just follow the natural order," Red Boy said as if looking at an idiot. "If you intervene, that's your karmic burden, you know?"
"What do you mean?" I asked humbly.
"Our task is with that Hungry Ghost, not dealing with the aftermath. If you intervene, it's against the rules. Actually, sending the Hungry Ghost to the Underworld would suffice. But we Buddhists also emphasize causality, so generally we need to guide them towards goodness and help them let go of their past. Your approach isn't much different from coercion; while it may be effective, it's not a good thing for the future."
Red Boy grabbed a handful of chips and mumbled, "And handling the aftermath also has causality for the girl's father. If he is dissatisfied, resentment will arise towards you if you intervene, so generally we don't get involved in such matters."
"Isn't your Buddhism about saving Sentient Beings?"
"But that's not a sin; it's just each person's Causality retribution."
In other words, Causality is personal. Even Buddhism won't interfere, and what Buddhism emphasizes most is Causality retribution.
"So we just ignore it?"
"We can't do anything about it. If that Hungry Ghost hadn't gone down yet, I would have a way. Since you've already guided him to the Underworld, his Causality for this life is severed. However, if he suffers any losses because of this in the future, it will be on you."
"Did I do something wrong?" I broke out in a cold sweat.
"It depends on who you're talking about. For the Hungry Ghost, you were unfair to him, but for this sister, you did a good deed. However, transforming the Hungry Ghost from an Evil Spirit into a living being is also considered a Merit."
"Merit can be so Trouble," I hadn't thought that much.
"That's right. Where there is cause, there is effect. Conversely, where there is benefit, there must be harm," Red Boy said seriously. "Bodhisattvas should never do good deeds based on their own views; what you think is good may actually be evil."
"So we just ignore it then?"
"You can hint at it."
"Hint at what?"
"Hint that we are also powerless."
"…"
"I'm more concerned about whether you still want to charge me for this," I thought this kid was really a scammer; after all that, he just told me there was nothing he could do.
"What fee? I didn't do anything. But you owe me a favor," Red Boy said before continuing to eat chips and ignoring my protests.
I subtly expressed to Lin Miaomiao the meaning of Red Boy and told her not to worry, as this matter no longer had much to do with her; it was just that her father might be in trouble.
Since I was a new student, I had to report at noon. However, Lin Miaomiao went to buy groceries, preparing for me to cook.
"Hong, do you eat meat?" I asked Red Boy.
"Have you ever seen a monk eat meat?" Red Boy retorted sarcastically.
"I have. There’s the drunken monk Lu Zhishen, he definitely counts. If Lu Zhishen isn’t considered a proper monk, then what about Ji Gong? He is the Dragon Subduing Arhat, personally taught by the Tathagata..."
"Anyway, I don’t eat," Red Boy ignored me. "You should help me find some clothes; I didn’t feel anything in front of the Bodhisattva, but once I’m in the mortal realm, it feels so awkward."
"Well, I can’t help you much; I only have a few pieces of clothing myself. By the way, do you know Uncle Xing? You should come with me to report to him later. He might be able to help you."
I didn’t plan on taking Red Boy in for the long term since I was still under someone else's roof...
"And also, you need to change your appearance; it's too eye-catching."
"This is easy; just shave it all off."
I thought he would refuse. After all, didn’t ancient people believe that one's body and skin were given by their parents and should not be harmed? But then again, he had already become a monk; why would he care about such things?
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