Chapter 38: The Buddha or Me, Which Matters More?

Chapter 38: Buddha or Me, Which Matters More?

They couldn't be pried apart.

"You're a monk, do you even know what you're saying??"

"I do."

"Then how could you..."

"So what." Lan He's tone was cold and sharp. "The Buddhist path is merciless, with its precepts and rules. Compared to what's right in front of me, what could be more important than a moment of joy? Don't you think?"

"I... I'm not a monk."

"If that's the case, then between Buddha and me, which matters more?"

"???"

What is all this nonsense.

He felt Lan He's forehead. "No fever. You're not so badly hurt you're losing your mind, are you?"

Lan He grabbed his hand as it roamed: "Answer my question seriously."

He suddenly—and inappropriately—remembered Ji Huaiyu—no, a joke Ji Huaiyu once told. He said that in their village, women loved to ask the men they loved one question:

'Who matters more, me or your mom?'

Or:

'If your mom and I fell in the water, who'd you save first?'

When he heard that joke, he asked Ji Huaiyu the same thing, and Ji Huaiyu said: "I don't have a mother, so you matter most. Even if I had a mom, I'd save you first."

Back then.

Pei Yuhuai was lost in a sweet haze, his heart full of silly joy.

Looking back now.

That ungrateful bastard was a terrible son—parents are everything, yet he could so easily say his dead mom didn't matter.

Pei Yuhuai zoned out for a second.

Lan He grew dissatisfied, his eyes going cold and dark. He stared at Pei Yuhuai's neck, raising his hand.

Maybe I'll knock him out and carry him off.

Just as he was about to do it, Pei Yuhuai spoke.

"I'm not a Buddhist monk. My respect for Buddha is just basic human decency, but Buddha is ultimately nothing—surely no one matters more than the person right in front of me."

Lan He went still.

He looked at Pei Yuhuai in disbelief: "You really mean it?"

"I do."

"What if you were a monk? Would you still think the person in front of you matters more?"

Pei Yuhuai actually thought about it seriously.

Every second felt agonizingly long to Lan He.

He didn't know why he was so hung up on such a pointless answer, but he had to know—he had to know what he truly felt.

Pei Yuhuai blinked and looked at Lan He: "Why are you asking me this? You're not catching feelings for me, are you?"

"..."

He patted Lan He's head innocently: "You're a monk, so that's not gonna work. And besides, I could never become a monk in this life—I haven't had my fill of the mortal world yet. So that's not even a real question."

"..."

Lan He's face fell.

Pei Yuhuai quickly backtracked: "But you're still more important. Ahem... it's cold."

The moment he said he was cold.

Lan He's heart softened again, and he took Pei Yuhuai's hands in his to warm them.

Lan He was pretty banged up, so they stayed at the temple for several days. Pei Rongjing said he'd come to pick people up, but he never actually picked anyone up or took care of anyone—he was gone all day.

-

Occasionally, he'd hug a hairpin and grin like a fool, laughing like some crazy person on the street.

Poor guy.

Pei Yuhuai felt bad for his dumb little brother while secretly sneaking off to meet Lan He at night.

Though they couldn't do much, kissing and hugging were no problem.

He seemed to be getting more and more attached to Lan He, even wondering if he could get Lan He to leave the monkhood—otherwise, being with a monk always felt so forbidden.

It went against all rules and decency.

Five more days passed.

-

Lan He's injuries had mostly healed, and he followed Pei Yuhuai down the mountain and went back to his new place.

As soon as he entered the capital, Qu Ying received a new system notification.

"Alert! Alert! The male lead Lan He has been successfully set straight. The following plot has been adjusted. Please receive the new plot and complete the main story tasks."

"Sending plot..."

Pei Yuhuai returned to the Marquis's mansion.

-

The moment he stepped through the door, he was caught by his father, who was rushing out.

"Stop! Where have you been running off to?"

"???"

Pei Yuhuai froze. The Marquis scowled and scolded him: "All you do is mess around all day, no decency at all—what kind of behavior is that!"

"Father," Pei Yuhuai said, shocked. "I, I just got back home. I was kidnapped..."

"Taken away?"

"Yes, I was taken away by bad people and just got back. I wasn't out gallivanting."

He hurried to explain, and Pei Cang looked him up and down, puzzled, as if recalling something, then broke into a smile: "Oh, right, good to have you back, good to have you back. You're still in one piece."

"Father..."

Can't you wish me something better?

"Good that you're back. Go on inside, then. I've got things to do—I'm heading out."

"Father? Father?"

Pei Yuhuai was completely baffled, feeling like his old man had changed, yet somehow hadn't. And what about Mother and the others?

Pei Yuhuai hurried toward the back courtyard.

He'd only been gone half a month, but it felt like a year, and everything seemed different.

In the back courtyard.

Pei Yingci, Pei Wantang, and Pei Siming were all there, and Su Zichen was there too, all gathered around their mother, enjoying a warm and harmonious moment.

"Mother, I'm back."

Pei Yuhuai called out loudly as he walked in quickly, and everyone's gaze landed on him at once, all with delighted expressions.

"Sorry for worrying you, Mother."

The lady was both surprised and overjoyed, and tears immediately streamed down her face. She hurriedly helped him up. "Get up, get up, my son. You've been through so much. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, I'm perfectly well. It was the Imperial Preceptor who saved me."

"Then we must thank him properly. How about we invite him over for a meal another day?"

"Sounds good."

"Come, sit by your mother." The lady held his hand and wouldn't let go, looking at him again and again, her joy at having him back beyond words.

Everyone else chimed in with words of comfort.

Pei Yuhuai turned to Pei Yingci and Pei Wantang: "Greetings, brother and sister."

"It's good that you're back. Sit down, quick. If you'd stayed away any longer, Mother would've kept fretting endlessly." Pei Wantang teased with a smile.

Pei Yingci chimed in: "Yeah, Mother missed you a lot. Without you around, the manor's been a lot less fun."

Pei Siming threw himself into Pei Yuhuai's arms, hugging his waist: "Brother, you haven't come to play with me in so long. Aming missed you so much."

Pei Yuhuai was both moved and amused.

He patted the simple child's hand to comfort him: "Aren't I back now? Has Aming been a good boy at home?"

"Good." Pei Siming turned to look at Su Zichen, a shy expression on his face. "Brother Su kept me company. Aming was very good and well-behaved. I finished reading two books. Brother, would you like to hear them?"

"Sure, I'd love to. How about you tell me tonight, Aming?"

"Okay."

Pei Wantang looked around and asked, "Where's the third brother? Why didn't he come back with you?"

Pei Yuhuai grinned: "Him? He's got things to do. He'll be back later—probably not until evening."

At that moment, he was helping Venerable Nun Nianzhen with a charity clinic, so why would he be in a hurry to come back?

The lady watched her children getting along so harmoniously, her eyes crinkling with joy, and immediately ordered the kitchen to prepare a feast that evening to welcome him home.

As the eldest brother, Pei Yingci took the initiative to arrange the banquet and went out to shop for the feast.

Everyone chatted cheerfully.

Pei Yuhuai didn't dare mention what he'd been through, afraid of worrying them. He only said everything was fine and that it had been a close call but nothing serious.