Translator: CKtalon Editor: CKtalon
The moment Zhao Baolin heard that, he felt a blow to his heart. If he had still been holding onto some hope prior to this, everything was obvious now. What Fangzheng had said was likely true!
Zhao Baolin hurriedly ran out as he went from house to house to find Han Xiaoran. However, it was to no avail, and he became gripped by anxiety.
After Chai Hong heard Zhao Baolin’s explanation, she did not panic. Instead, she said calmly, “This… is nothing, right? They already collected their marriage certificate. No matter where she runs to, she’s still our Yuhe’s wife.”
“Amitabha. Patron, is the marriage certificate at home?” Fangzheng asked.
Chai Hong immediately found it and said smugly, “I especially took it from them to keep it myself. Abbot, look. An authentic marriage certificate.”
Fangzheng took it and scrutinized it before asking, “Did you do the paperwork for this certificate together?”
“That’s right. But Xiaoran said that she had a friend who worked in the bureau, so there was no need for her to line up. She could get it done immediately, so she took her documents and entered to find her friend… Wait. This isn’t fake, right? I saw her enter the Bureau of Civil Administration with my own eyes!” Chai Hong started to panic as she said that.
Fangzheng said, “That explains it. This certificate is fake. The stamp on it isn’t clear. An authentic certificate would not appear so blurred.”
“Ah!” Chai Hong felt a jolt run through her when she heard that. She fell onto the bed-stove in a daze.
Zhao Baolin shared the same dazed reaction. Just yesterday, they had experienced the most joyous day of their lives. They had never expected that all of that would turn into a tragedy in the blink of an eye! What they had was gone. What they hoped for was gone. At that instant, darkness seemed to engulf their vision, preventing them from seeing anything. They could not see hope, only despair!
The couple did not know how to face their son, nor did they know how to explain it to him. Once they told him, would he be able to withstand the blow? If Zhao Yuhe were to return to his former self, the family would truly lose all hope.
“Patrons, at this moment in time, sadness and regret won’t help. It’s better to think of solutions,” said Fangzheng.
“What solutions can there be? She’s gone. We can forget about the money, but what are we to do with Yuhe? It wasn’t easy to have some hope ignite in him. Are we to make him feel despair once again?” Zhao Baolin rubbed his forehead and he looked like he had aged considerably.
When Fangzheng saw this, he felt upset as well. The marriage scam looked like a monetary scam, but in fact, the true damage was not limited to money. Instead, it was worsening the situation of a family which was already on the brink of collapse! It would be fine if they could survive this blow, but the family would be finished if they didn’t. Especially Zhao Yuhe. He wasn’t of low intellect and wouldn’t be fooled. He was a very smart person, so he would eventually learn of the truth. His wife was gone, and the marriage had been nothing but a scam. He was deaf-mute, and his father had nearly had his kidney robbed. If news of this spread, how was he to face society with his back straight? Could he even stand up? If he continued wallowing in his inferiority complex and continued hiding, he would be no different from a cripple! His family would also be crippled as a result.
Zhao Yuhe was in the house all this while. He could not hear or speak, so no one acted any differently in front of him. He watched all of this in a daze, unsure as to what had happened. Why was his family, which had still been in a festive mood before, suddenly acting this way?
Fangzheng let out a long sigh when he saw this. He could easily capture Han Xiaoran and bring her back, but that was not something the family could withstand. Once the family collapsed, it would mean an entire family had been destroyed. That way, Fangzheng would not receive much merit despite doing so much.
At that moment, Fangzheng’s gaze landed on the confused Zhao Yuhe. Regardless, he felt that Zhao Yuhe had the right to know everything.
Therefore, Fangzheng looked into Zhao Yuhe’s eyes and smiled. A Golden Millet Dream!
“Amitabha. Yuhe, This Penniless Monk has something to talk to you about. This is a secret between you and This Penniless Monk. Can you agree not to tell anyone about this?” A voice suddenly sounded in Zhao Yuhe’s mind. It was a voice he had never heard before, but he knew that it belonged to the monk in front of him!
There was excitement in Zhao Yuhe’s shock, as well as a baffling sense of panic. However, he nodded at Fangzheng.
Fangzheng did not hide anything from him. He told him about how Zhao Baolin had wanted to sell his kidney for Yuhe’s wedding, as well as how Han Xiaoran and company had worked with Wang Hu to create the entire sham marriage.
Zhao Yuhe wore a look of shock and confusion. He found it unimaginable that such a thing had happened without him knowing! He never expected his fated marriage to be filled with such darkness, much less the fact that his parents had paid such a huge price for his wedding and happiness. His father had nearly lost his life! With this in mind, Zhao Yuhe’s eyes turned red.
When Fangzheng saw this, he was pleased. He immediately said in Zhao Yuhe’s heart, “Yuhe, you are a man! This home of yours is about to collapse. Let This Penniless Monk ask you, do your parents treat you well?”
“Yes!” Zhao Yuhe answered immediately.
“Do you love them?”
“Yes!”
“But look at your parents. They are now exhausted both in body and mind. They see no hope at all. Tell me, where is their hope? Do they still have hope?” Fangzheng asked.
“Yes!” Zhao Yuhe’s voice was turning louder.
“Where is their hope?”
Zhao Yuhe was taken aback. Where was their hope? He was a little lost. He could not speak or hear, nor did he have any marketable traits. The only thing he could do was farming work. His parents were old and after numerous setbacks, what sort of fighting spirit could they have left? This made him recall what his father had been like several years ago. He had been idling his time as though he wanted to seek death at any moment.
“Zhao Yuhe, your home is collapsing! Once your home collapses, your parents will be buried. When that happens, as the man of this home, tell This Penniless Monk. What should you do?” Fangzheng asked loudly.
“I… I…” Zhao Yuhe subconsciously wanted to answer, but it remained at the tip of his tongue.
“What about you? Your home is collapsing!” Fangzheng continued asking. At the same time, he extended the dream realm of A Golden Millet Dream. Zhao Yuhe saw his house about to collapse. His parents were in peril and without a thought, Zhao Yuhe charged forward and stood in front of his elderly parents.
At the same time, Zhao Yuhe yelled, “I’ll hold it up!”
“Who?”
“Me!”
“And who are you?”
“I’m Zhao Yuhe!”
“And why will you hold it up?”
“Because I’m a man!” Zhao Yuhe roared with his eyes reddened as countless scenes flashed in his mind. He had suffered an inferiority complex since he was young. He was cowardly and weak, but none of those traits had brought him any benefits. Instead, it only brought him misery. Today again, he was suffering the worst pain in his life. His home was collapsing! He did not wish for this to continue. He wanted to change. He wanted to live like a man, and not some good-for-nothing!
When Zhao Yuhe roared, Fangzheng smiled and seemingly vanished amid resplendent Buddhistic light. Fangzheng stood in the air as he looked at Zhao Yuhe. “Zhao Yuhe, the senses of hearing, smell, and sight are not the most important things in life. All you need is a desire to improve! Believe in yourself. There is nothing you can’t do in this world! Beginning tomorrow, come to One Finger Village and learn carving from Lame Ma. You were born deaf and mute, so no one can distract you. This Penniless Monk believes that you will definitely be successful!”
“Thank you, Abbot Fangzheng.” Zhao Yuhe knelt down and kowtowed.
