Chapter 36: A Lion

With Feng Yuqin's words, Zeng Yi could not refuse. He steeled himself and agreed to the task, "Then I'll make another trip."

Gu Xiankun was overjoyed. After Feng Yuqin left, he immediately ran over to open the car door, "Mr. Zeng, please."

The car left the compound of the Health Department. Zeng Yi said, "Let's not rush to the Ming Shi Building. Find a quiet place for lunch; there are some things I need to inquire about from Mr. Gu."

Gu Xiankun mentioned a location, and the driver nodded, heading toward the destination.

Sushanfang was a property of Lingjue Temple, specializing in vegetarian cuisine. It was considered a very distinctive restaurant in the entire Rongcheng. One side of the restaurant was next to Lingjue Temple, and the other side was by the Qing River, making it a very quiet place.

Zeng Yi looked at the restaurant's sign and said, "I didn't expect Mr. Gu to be a vegetarian."

Gu Xiankun shook his head with a smile, "My mother is a devout Buddhist who often comes to Lingjue Temple to worship. She then brings me here to eat the vegetarian food. I just like the taste here, but I am not a vegetarian."

Zeng Yi nodded, "I see. I didn't expect Chairman Gu to be a Buddhist." He thought to himself that if Gu Mingzhu really believed in Buddhism, it would be good, as the Four Emptinesses would prevent her from getting this illness. However, he did not point this out in front of Gu Xiankun, smiling and following him into Sushanfang.

The chefs of Lingjue Temple indeed had their skills. A few cold dishes were made fresh and delicious, leaving a lingering fragrance in the mouth, a taste that could not be found elsewhere. The hot dishes were also exquisitely prepared, achieving the flavor of meat dishes. Without careful tasting, one could not tell the difference, though the texture was slightly inferior.

Gu Xiankun picked up the teacup on the table and said, "This is Sushanfang, and there is no alcohol. I will use tea as a substitute for alcohol and apologize to Mr. Zeng for the incident this morning. I will set up a formal banquet tonight to make amends."

Zeng Yi waved his hand, "Let's not talk about unpleasant things during the meal."

Gu Xiankun had no choice but to agree. After they were full, and Zeng Yi put down his chopsticks, he asked, "I wonder what Mr. Zeng wants to inquire about?" He thought Zeng Yi might take the opportunity to make some requests.

"Of course, it's about Chairman Gu's illness!" Zeng Yi picked up his teacup and took a sip, "Since you've seen many doctors, they must have told you. I'll get straight to the point. I want to know why Chairman Gu got this illness. What exactly happened that made her so upset?"

Gu Xiankun was somewhat surprised, not expecting Zeng Yi to ask about this.

"If it's inconvenient to talk about, then forget it!" Zeng Yi said.

"It's not that I can't talk about it," Gu Xiankun sighed, "Our family's affairs are known to many people in Rongcheng."

Gu Mingzhu was the daughter of the former provincial party secretary of Nanjiang, Gu Zheng. She came from a prestigious family, was beautiful and charming. When she was young, many young nobles pursued her, but she fell in love with her current husband, Cui Shiyi.

Cui Shiyi was an archaeologist who grew up in the countryside. The difference in their backgrounds was vast, so Gu Zheng strongly opposed the marriage. However, Gu Mingzhu was determined, and Gu Zheng reluctantly agreed. The marriage caused a great stir in the upper-class circles where Gu Mingzhu grew up, with many people waiting to see her fail, believing her marriage would not last.

Gu Mingzhu had high aspirations. The more people doubted her, the more she wanted to prove them wrong. After marriage, she and Cui Shiyi had a very good relationship. She also took great care of Cui Shiyi's relatives, never refusing to help when they came to her, and did everything she could to assist them.

Gu Mingzhu's intentions were good, but Cui Shiyi had some reservations. He believed that if the relatives truly needed help, it was right to assist them, but if they made endless demands, it would be a bad thing.

Initially, Gu Mingzhu did not see it this way. She thought that since she had the means, it was right to help her husband's family. After all, they were not short of money. However, the events that followed broke her heart.

One year, when Cui Shiyi's nephew got married, Gu Mingzhu and Cui Shiyi gave a generous gift: a new house in the city and a luxury car. The next day, the keys to the house and car were returned. Gu Mingzhu thought they felt the gift was too heavy and were embarrassed to accept it, so she personally returned the keys.

However, Cui Shiyi's brother, Cui Shijie, said that the house was too shabby. If they were going to give a gift, it should be a villa. The car was also not of high enough quality; it had to be a Porsche or a Ferrari.

Gu Mingzhu did not say anything at the time, but she was furious when she returned home. She thought, "How can this be? I give a gift and get blamed for it? Even my own son, Gu Xiankun, does not have an independent villa or such a good car. It's not that we can't afford it, but I think it's too showy for young people and doesn't match their status."

In the end, although the Cui family accepted the gifts, neither side was satisfied. Later, when Cui family members came to ask for help, Gu Mingzhu was no longer as generous. She helped those she thought deserved it and firmly refused those who did not.

Once, a Cui family member did not get what they wanted and started cursing outside the Ming Shi Building, even attracting reporters. Gu Mingzhu lost face, and almost half of Rongcheng knew she was mean and treated her in-laws poorly. She was also ridiculed by the people in her social circle.

Two years ago, Cui Shiyi renovated his old house in the countryside, partly for his mother to live in and partly for himself to stay in after retirement. On the day the house was completed, according to local customs, two stone lions should be placed at the front door. However, his brother, Cui Shijie, came to cause trouble. Since their houses were opposite each other, Cui Shijie said the lions' mouths were too big and would eat all the luck from his house. In the end, only one stone lion was placed at Cui Shiyi's door.

Gu Mingzhu fainted on the spot and fell seriously ill when she returned home. She never went back to Cui Shiyi's hometown again. Whenever she thought of the single lion at their new front door, she would get angry and fall ill. The two iron lions at the Ming Shi Building were also removed by Gu Mingzhu.

Zeng Yi now understood the situation and thought, "No wonder she is ill. The stone lions at the front door are a symbol of a family's face. If someone only allows you to place one lion, how would you feel? You might even fight for it, let alone someone as particular about face as Gu Mingzhu. Cui Shijie's behavior was almost a slap in the face, and he even displayed it at the front door for everyone to see."

"I finally understand why you are called Gu Xiankun, not Cui Xiankun," Zeng Yi said.

Gu Xiankun was somewhat embarrassed but nodded, "My mother strongly insisted on the change. She did not want me to have any ties with the old family."

Zeng Yi sighed, "Every family has its own troubles, even the emperor's family."

This touched Gu Xiankun's heart. If it were someone else, his mother might not have been so ill. Because it was his father's family, his mother could only suffer in silence, with no place to vent her grievances.

After finishing their meal, they walked downstairs. Zeng Yi was thinking about how to treat Gu Mingzhu's illness. As the saying goes, "Herbs cannot cure emotional illnesses." Since the illness was rooted in her emotions, it needed to be addressed from that angle.

"Master Mingkong!" Gu Xiankun suddenly stopped and greeted someone.

Zeng Yi looked up and saw a monk in his fifties, with a fair and gentle appearance, looking very amiable. Behind the monk stood a middle-aged man in his thirties, who was stout and had eight gold rings on his ten fingers, clearly a nouveau riche.

"It's Mr. Gu, greetings, greetings!" Master Mingkong stopped and bowed, with a kind and benevolent look.

"I didn't know Master Mingkong was dining here. I should have come to greet you earlier."

Master Mingkong politely replied and asked with concern, "How is your mother's illness recently?"

Gu Xiankun pointed to Zeng Yi, "This is Mr. Zeng, the doctor I just hired. He is about to go and treat my mother."

"What use is a doctor!" The nouveau riche suddenly interjected, "You should make a wish to Buddha at Lingjue Temple and have Master Mingkong teach you a sutra. Even the most difficult illnesses will be cured."

The nouveau riche became excited, "Do you know why I'm here today? I'm here to fulfill a vow. My precious son has been sickly since childhood. A sneeze could cause a cold, and a swing of his arm could dislocate his shoulder. Later, Master Mingkong had me make a vow to Buddha and taught my son a sutra. After reciting it for less than three months, his health improved."

Zeng Yi was very surprised. Could reciting a sutra cure illnesses? He asked, "What sutra did you recite?"

The nouveau riche held up five fingers, "It's very simple, just five words: 'Xu, He, Hu, Si, Chui.' Walk a thousand steps quickly every day, and recite these five words loudly a hundred times."

Zeng Yi laughed when he heard this, and he bowed to Master Mingkong, "I didn't expect Master to be a medical expert."

Master Mingkong's face clearly paused, then he returned to normal, chanting "Amitabha," and said, "I don't know any medical techniques. It's the deep Buddhist connection and sincere worship of this benefactor that brought the blessings of Buddha. Buddha's power can heal all diseases."

"Yes, it's the protection of Buddha!" The nouveau riche was overjoyed, "Master Mingkong, I plan to donate one million to light a perpetual lamp before Buddha. What do you think?"

"Amitabha!" Master Mingkong had a profound look, "Well done, well done!"

Zeng Yi smiled and bid farewell to Master Mingkong.

After leaving the building, Gu Xiankun asked, "Mr. Zeng, do you know the meaning of Master Mingkong's five-word sutra?"

Zeng Yi asked in return, "Have you ever seen such a sutra before?"

Gu Xiankun shook his head, "I have been reciting Buddhist scriptures since childhood, but I have never seen such a sutra."

"That's right. The old monk's method has nothing to do with Buddhism. It's called the Five-Organ Detoxification Method, derived from the Yellow Emperor's Inner Canon. The specific method is to take a deep breath and then shout out the five words with all your strength, one word at a time. This can help expel the toxins from the five organs. If done consistently, it can improve one's constitution." Zeng Yi smiled, "The nouveau riche's son was probably pampered from a young age, leading to a weak constitution. So the old monk added the requirement to walk a thousand steps quickly every day, which is essentially a form of exercise."

Gu Xiankun laughed when he heard this, "I didn't expect Buddha to use medical methods to subdue people!"

Zeng Yi was taken aback by this statement and then said, "Let's go. I have an idea for treating Chairman Gu."

Page AD starts

Page AD ends