Xuan Jing did not seem like he had any intention of explaining the meaning of his cryptic message. He immediately bade farewell to Xi Shiqing and Ning Xi before leaving quickly.
Ning Xi could only turn to Xi Shiqing, confused. "Mr. Xi, you ought to understand the Master better than I do. Look at this flower he drew me. What could it mean?"
Xi Shiqing held up the paper and analyzed it closely but he had no clue either. "I cannot guess Abbot's thought process either."
After he said that, Xi Shiqing expressed his surprise to her, "Every day, many people ask the Master similar questions and every time, his answer would run along the lines that everything has been destined. Very unexpected of him to actually draw something personally for you."
Ning Xi's mouth twitched as she softly mumbled, "Well, if you put it like that, even though I feel honored, this flower is a little too mysterious, isn't it? Forget it, I'll go home and sleep on it!"
Just before they were leaving the hall, Xi Shiqing turned around and stared at the Buddha statue for quite a while.
Ning Xi put her hand over his shoulders and firmly steered him around, not letting him look any longer, "Hey, don't look anymore. What's so good about being a monk? You recite the Buddhist scripture every day, you can't drink or eat meat, you can't even get married! Next time, I'll treat you to drinks and prepare a carnivorous feast for you. I guarantee that you won't want to become a monk ever again! What's the difference between a life where you can't pick up girls and being a salted fish..."
Ning Xi was using all her brain juice to come up with endless reasons not to become a monk. Xi Shiqing finally stopped looking at the statue and faced her instead, with clear eyes reflecting nothing but her...
After half a day of hard work, Ning Xi did not disappoint and brought Xi Shiqing home after all.
At this moment, Mother Xi was silently crying at the hut, she had already lost hope of her son ever changing his mind.
Father Xi looked troubled.
Even though Elder Xi did not say anything, he was the most pressured of all the Xi family members. After all, the reason his grandson had such a determination to learn Buddhist teachings could be attributed to his influence.
"Why is this taking so long?" Elder Ning anxiously looked out for the duo for half a day.
Elder Xi sighed, "Old Ning, tell Ning Xi to come back. We'll think of something again."
"In such a short time frame, what can we come up with?" Mother Xi looked at the time, exclaiming, "There's still another half an hour before Qingqing is going to go bald!"
Her fat drops of tears fell even faster. "If my Qingqing really becomes a monk, I'll shave and become a nun too!"
Father Xi panicked at the sound of his and he admonished, "You...what nonsense are you spewing?! Such rubbish!"
"How am I being nonsensical now? Our son's already becoming a monk, what more is there for me?"
"So, you'll just stop caring for our other son, Shixuan, and forget about me?"
...
The entire family was still debating anxiously when they suddenly saw someone walking over from the end of the corridor.
Ning Xi was back.
Mother Xi was about to console Ning Xi so she wouldn't feel too bad but in the next second, they saw a familiar shadow trailing after her.
It was her precious son!
Mother Xi was instantly astonished, then she cried in elation, "Qingqing!"
"Shiqing..." Mother Xi, Grandfather Xi and Elder Ning were surprised and happy to see Xi Shiqing.
However, uncertainty loomed in their hearts. Could this be their final meeting before he took the plunge to go bald?
Until Xi Shiqing walked in front of them and called out one by one, "Father, Mother, Grandfather, Grandfather Ning..."
Wait...He had actually stopped saying, "Benefactor this, Benefactor that"!