Four-Faced Buddha [To My Shore] - Chap 113
Chapter 113 (Final Chapter) The Four-Faced Buddha
The ninth day of the ninth lunar month is auspicious for moving into a new house.
The car stopped in a parking space in the upscale residential area. Fan Xiao turned from the driver’s seat, ruffled Tian Tian’s hair, and said with a smile, “We’ve arrived at our new home.”
He got out of the car, opened the back door, picked Tian Tian up from the child safety seat, locked the car, and drove downstairs. Looking up at the building, his eyes were full of longing: “Uncle You is waiting for us at our new home.”
Tian Tian patted his shoulder, her voice childlike: “Then let’s go up quickly.”
The man’s tone was also somewhat urgent: “Okay, let’s go up quickly.”
Without choosing to enter the door code, Fan Xiao knocked on the door.
“Wait a moment.” You Shulang’s voice came from behind the door, causing both the man and the child outside to raise the corners
of their lips. The door opened, and a warm current and the aroma of food wafted out from inside—the homely warmth Fan Xiao had longed for. A man in pajamas and an apron stood before him with a broad smile. Behind him was a solitary island in the surging sea, safe and abundant—Fan Xiao’s home.
Tian Tian saw the huge toy castle, exclaimed excitedly, wrapped her arms around You Shulang’s neck, gave him a affectionate hug, and ran towards the toys.
Without Tian Tian, the two men inside and outside the door gazed at each other. You Shulang leaned gently against the doorframe, his dark eyes filled with a gentle smile and a clear, genuine love, a vortex that was captivating.
“Would you like to visit your new home, Mr. Fan?”
Fan Xiao, a pharmaceutical distributor overseeing three provinces, had been incredibly busy before the Lunar New Year, frequently traveling to various cities for business. It had been half a month since he last left home. He was eager to return, and only after landing did he learn that You Shulang had scheduled his housewarming for today. You Shulang had instructed him to pick up Tian Tian from kindergarten and come over together.
Still tired from the journey, Fan Xiao seemed a little clingy. He slipped his fingers between You Shulang’s and gently pulled him into a hug.
“Tian Tian is still here,” You Shulang reminded him.
Fan Xiao casually pushed open a door in the house, the sound of the door closing mingling with a satisfied sigh. You Shulang was embraced tightly. The man’s cool body and warm breath on his neck made his heart ache with a bittersweet feeling. It felt good to be cherished and missed, especially since the other person was his lover.
He kissed him first, but warned beforehand, “Don’t push your luck. I made your favorite food, so it tastes best now.”
The kiss was deep and passionate. Fan Xiao, filled with unbearable longing, inhaled the scent of the person in his arms, anticipating his response. He felt as if he were being roasted by fire, and a fine layer of sweat broke out on his back.
You Shulang let him advance, but managed to control the situation just before it got too intense. The deep kiss turned into light pecks, and he placed delicate kisses on the corners of the man’s lips, saying somewhat nervously, “I was thinking of showing you around this room after dinner, but you couldn’t wait to barge in.”
Fan Xiao, whose blood was still boiling, reacted a beat slower. He slowly turned around and saw the furnishings of the new home.
It was an art studio, not very large, with floor-to-ceiling windows connecting to a terrace. The corners of the curtains rose and fell, depicting the movement of the wind.
The studio was simple yet exquisite, predominantly white with occasional touches of gray, exuding a gentle yet stark beauty in the abundant light. Paintings, oil paintings and sketches, hung haphazardly on the walls; some with delicate, graceful brushstrokes, while many others displayed the awkwardness and stiffness of a beginner.
In the center of the studio stood an easel, upon which lay an unpainted draft. The raw lines sketched the image of a woman—beautiful, with the gentlest of smiles.
Fan Xiao took a step back, suddenly looking down at his feet. The gray wooden planks were interlocked, yet no cold seawater surged forth.
“Fan Xiao.” A warm embrace came from behind, and You Shulang’s voice rang in his ears, “Don’t be afraid, I’m here.”
His cold fingertips were enveloped in warmth, and You Shulang took Fan Xiao’s hand, asking, “Shall we leave here first?”
“No need.” Fan Xiao looked up at the painting again, his voice low and husky, “Where did you get these?”
You Shulang looked at Fan Xiao’s sharply defined profile, carefully choosing his words, “Your older brother, Fan Bo, wants to return a studio to you.”
Fan Xiao turned to stare at You Shulang, a bloodthirsty red glint in his eyes: “Who wants to return my studio?”
Besides the paintings, the sculptures displayed throughout the studio filled the place with an artistic atmosphere day and night. You Shulang and Fan Xiao leaned against each other on the terrace, sharing a stick of rouge.
“The other day, Fan Bo actually called me. We exchanged some incoherent pleasantries for a while before getting to the point.” You Shulang took a cigarette from Fan Xiao’s mouth, put it in his own, took a light drag, and loosely held it between his fingers. “He said he regretted treating you coldly and violently when you were little.”
The setting sun cast long shadows in front of the two of them. When Fan Xiao’s shadow moved, even the shadow seemed unbelievable. “He said he regretted it?”
You Shulang nodded. “Yes, I thought he was going to play some trick again, but… he choked up a little. His ex-wife, your former sister-in-law, took the phone and conveyed Fan Bo’s feelings to me.”
Fan Xiao hurriedly snatched the cigarette back, biting it between his teeth until it deformed. “What did she say?”
“She said Fan Bo has always had a deep-seated problem: he was cold to you when you were little, and even used violence.”
Fan Xiao scoffed. “Even now, he’s never been kind to me.”
“Fan Bo believes your mother’s involvement led to your father and mother’s divorce, so he has always hated you and opposed you at every turn, even repeatedly vandalizing your and your mother’s studio. During that tsunami, although he couldn’t save you, he didn’t do his best to fight for you and your mother against your father, something he feels guilty and regretful about.”
You Shulang embraced the slightly trembling Fan Xiao and said softly, “Five years ago, when your sister-in-law was sorting through the house after her divorce from Fan Bo, she found your mother’s diary hidden in the dressing table.” He looked at Fan Xiao, who suddenly raised her eyes, and walked to the bookshelf in the studio, pulling out a leather-bound notebook. “I shouldn’t comment on your parents’ affairs…” “You can read it yourself.”
Fan Xiao trembled as he took the yellowed notebook, and after a long while, he said in a hoarse voice, “It’s okay, go ahead and tell me, I can handle it.”
You Shulang lit another cigarette for Fan Xiao: “Then I’ll get to the point. Fan Bo learned from this diary that your mother was cheated on by your father, who threatened her not to report it to the police by using photos of her and his connections at the police station. After Fan Bo’s mother discovered their relationship, she divorced your father. Your mother was already pregnant with you at that time, and your father reluctantly married her. In public, he pretended to be considerate, but in private, he was extremely cold towards your mother.”
Fan Xiao’s eyes turned from icy white to blood red, as if tempered by evil fire, revealing bloody hatred and pain.
You Shulang pulled him into his arms again, his warm fingers running through the man’s hair. “I hesitated for a long time about whether to tell you this. Although your father has been punished, I still think you should know about this, about your mother’s past.”
Fan Xiao was like a broken doll, held intact in You Shulang’s arms. He hadn’t gone mad, nor had he fallen into a nightmare. His strong and gentle lover was by his side, facing the evil and ugliness of the world with him.
“Is there anything else?” he asked.
You Shulang kissed the man’s temple, watching the sunset’s afterglow as he continued, “This matter greatly affected Fan Bo. His hatred slowly dissipated, but he still couldn’t be close to you. In his own words, he no longer knew how to face you. He said he always knew you were investigating him, investigating Fan Yu and your father. He also knew your plan—that you wanted to destroy the entire family to avenge your mother.”
Fan Xiao slowly straightened up from You Shulang’s embrace, frowning at him.
“Fan Bo said that the evidence you found about counterfeiting and selling fake goods four years ago was deliberately leaked to you by him. As the eldest son, he is in charge of the company’s main business, so it is naturally easier for him to investigate these dirty things than for you.”
Fan Xiao’s expression turned even more shocked. He pondered for a long time before slowly saying, “I investigated the counterfeiting and selling of counterfeit goods for a long time, but all I found were some minor, peripheral pieces of evidence. Four years ago, Fan Bo abruptly complained to me that the security system at the old house was broken. He and my father went out to a meeting, and the study door, which was always tightly closed, was unlocked. I used some methods to copy all the files from the encrypted computer and escaped safely. My usually meticulous father only returned from outside at that time.”
He fell silent, and after the hatred and pain, he was lost in confusion.
You Shulang pulled Fan Xiao from the terrace into the room: “Fan Bo said he smashed your studio many times, and now he wants to return the favor. These paintings were moved to the storage room after your mother passed away. At the time, he thought you all died in the tsunami, and his heart softened, so he didn’t burn them.”
You Shulang pointed to the paintings on the wall: “These paintings are so-so, are they your work?”
Fan Xiao finally showed a brief smile: “I painted them when I was seven years old.” He then became sad, “The other paintings were painted by my mother.”
“What about this one?” You Shulang looked at the woman on the canvas, “The brushstrokes aren’t very smooth, but they are very expressive and vivid. I like it very much.”
“The person in the painting is my mother. This was one of my proudest works at the time. I planned to color it when I came back from vacation, but…”
You Shulang’s not-so-delicate fingertips gently squeezed Fan Xiao’s hand: “You can finish it now too. This will be your greatest work.”
The afterglow finally disappeared, and the last ray of light was hidden in the darkness. The nightmare that had imprisoned Fan Xiao for over twenty years ended in the most familiar darkness. There was no sea or the sound of waves, no cold or lonely night, no pale face in the water. Now, the studio was still warm and quiet. His mother was the gentle and beautiful figure on the painting, and there was his lover, the one who had been deceived, hurt, and plundered, yet still told him that the world wasn’t so bad after all.
“Draw me another picture,” he heard him say. “The last one you drew was terrible.”
“Okay.” Fan Xiao quickly wiped his eyes and promised, “This time I will definitely draw well, with all the knowledge I have gained in my life.”
You Shulang raised his eyelids: “Sign your name in Thai?”
Fan Xiao’s gloomy mood brightened, and he slowly smiled: “Your most devout believer, Fan Xiao.”
…
A month later, You Shulang stepped out of the coffee shop and heard Fan Xiao beside him saying goodbye to the shop owner in Thai.
The streets of Bangkok are filled with towering buildings and bustling pedestrians. Cars crawl along, while songthaews and tuk-tuks speed by, bringing a touch of coolness to the sweltering air.
You Shulang, mimicking Fan Xiao, clasped his hands together in farewell to Fan Bo and his wife. The two brothers stood aloof, just as they had in the coffee shop, barely exchanging a word.
The beautiful woman subtly nudged Fan Bo, who then awkwardly spoke, “Third brother, bring Director You and Tian Tian back to visit often.” For
over twenty years, the two had been accustomed to their verbal sparring. Fan Xiao, however, felt a chill run down his spine. He looked at the woman and smiled, asking, “Sister-in-law, aren’t you planning to remarry my brother? It’s good to reconsider. There’s plenty of talent in China; I can introduce you to someone even better.”
“Fan Xiao!” The man opposite him gave a familiar look.
Fan Xiao laughed heartily, “You and your sister-in-law came together, so you can keep an eye on things.”
He put his arm around You Shulang’s shoulder and waved, “See you later.”
You Shulang nodded slightly to the two of them, and slowly disappeared into the bustling crowd with Fan Xiao.
Lighting candles and incense, You Shulang placed the leaping flames in the ornate candlesticks. Turning around, he walked to the Four-Faced Buddha, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply, piling the flower garlands from his wrist before the Buddha. He then walked clockwise to the next face, repeating the action once more.
The smoke from the incense swirled, and after bowing to all four faces, You Shulang was led by a young novice to a side hall of the temple. Crossing the threshold weathered by time, he heard the long, drawn-out chanting of Buddhist scriptures.
An elderly monk, clad in his robes, sat cross-legged before a bronze alms bowl. After You Shulang offered him a Buddhist amulet, the old monk closed his eyes and chanted sutras, his profound and lingering words of Zen resonating endlessly.
The holy water in the copper bowl was scooped up by soft branches and leaves, and poured onto You Shulang’s forehead, cool and refreshing. The old monk returned the Buddha amulet, revealing a benevolent smile.
Stepping out of the side hall, he saw Fan Xiao leaning against a shield-shaped wooden tree, his tall and upright figure standing out in the canopy of green. He looked at You Shulang with a dazzling smile, his expression both carefree and arrogant.
It was nearly noon, and the sun was growing increasingly intense. You Shulang stepped into the shade, and in the rare coolness, he smelled a faint floral fragrance emanating from the man.
“What were you doing?”
“I’m helping an old lady sell flowers. I’m handsome, so I sell them the fastest.” He held up a string of gold-chained flowers. “You offer them to Buddha, and I offer them to my Bodhisattva.”
The wreath was placed around You Shulang’s neck. Fan Xiao examined it for a moment and frowned slightly. “I’m not the most handsome Laomama (old lady) around this temple anymore.”
You Shulang found him boring and reached out to pluck a few petals from his hair. As he drew closer, he heard Fan Xiao ask softly, “Where has Director You been?”
An antique-looking sacred wood powder Buddha amulet slipped from his fingers and dangled in front of Fan Xiao. “I threw away your amulet, and now I’ve got a new one for you.”
You Shulang unfastened the chain, placed his hands behind Fan Xiao’s neck, and his soft voice drifted slowly through the dense shadows of the trees: “The Four-Faced Buddha embodies the four virtues of loving-kindness, compassion, joy, and equanimity. I only wish that you be free from hatred, anger, resentment, and regret, unburdened by the past, unperturbed by the future, living freely, and… loving me.”
The solemn and compassionate amulet clung tightly to the radiant and sacred golden chain, and in the dappled light, the soul that had once contemplated death was gently cradled in his palm, now yearning for dawn and dusk, and lingering in the mortal world.
“Bodhisattva, may I be your companion on the path to enlightenment life after life.”
A breeze stirred, the leaves rustled, and beneath the hundred-foot-tall golden statue, the covenant was sealed, immortal and unwavering…
