There are indeed many Bodhisattvas in Buddhist scriptures, and their names are often strange and unusual. For example, in the first chapter of the Lotus Sutra, which Simon often reads, many venerable Bodhisattva names appear.
Among them are familiar ones, like Manjushri Bodhisattva and Guanshiyin Bodhisattva; elegant and pleasant ones, like Bodhisattva Baoyue and Bodhisattva Yueguang; cool and handsome ones, like Bodhisattva Wuliangli and Bodhisattva Yuesanjie; but there are also some that make one choke, such as Bodhisattva Dali, and Bodhisattva Buxiuxi. Simon especially suspects that these strange names are just to make up the numbers.
As for the Dharma name Lu Yuan that he chose for himself, it is neither mighty nor solemn, but rather quite artistic. He is personally very satisfied with it, and the monks also find it acceptable.
Thus, the farce of finding a Dharma name for Simon came to an end. Before the Bald Donkeys caused trouble again, Simon had a period of peace.
After some discussion, the parents of the little girl Sun Lichai finally agreed to send her to Yigu Nunnery for cultivation, but it would be after the New Year. At that time, the bhikkhunis from the nunnery would come to the separate courtyard to take away the abandoned baby girls, and could pick up Sun Lichai along the way.
She herself did not express an opinion on this, neither happy nor sad, not even showing any sorrow about leaving home. Children of this age cannot leave their parents, but Sun Lichai was as steady as an adult.
Simon still noticed her low spirits, but she seemed to be naturally skilled at concealing her emotions, or perhaps the illness that had tormented her since birth had covered her young heart with thick armor. In short, Sun Lichai was always innocent and happy, never showing any negative posture to make others worry.
Everyone around said that going to Yigu Nunnery to learn some Buddhist teachings and martial arts was a great thing for the little girl, and she herself seemed to confirm this. When others teased her, asking if she would be scared to be alone outside in the future, she said no. When asked if she would miss home, she said yes. When asked if she was happy to go to the nunnery, she would grin, revealing her white baby teeth, and loudly answer, "Happy!"
So the listeners all laughed.
Sun Wangshi looked radiant.
Sun Lichai was such a well-behaved, sensible child who brought joy to people.
But this happiness would be short-lived.
Her superior affinity bead was shrinking.
This change was very subtle, but Simon still noticed it, because for a child her age, the superior affinity bead should be growing.
It seemed she was slowly becoming disconnected from the world; the lines connecting her to her superior affinity were becoming fewer and fewer.
It truly was a sign of early death.
Simon remained silent.
He watched her laughter, her learning to speak, her bright eyes, and the hope for the future deep within those eyes, all in silence.
Time flew by quickly, and soon the scorching heat of summer receded with the increasingly low chirping of cicadas in the branches.
August entered autumn, and it was the season when crickets were active. The fields and forests were filled with clear insect chirps everywhere.
Sun Lichai was especially happy. She asked her parents for some money and bought several crude insect nets from a family in Jianchuan Town that caught crickets.
She wanted to catch the most beautiful cricket to give to Simon, and such nets were, at best, barely adequate.
Catching crickets is not difficult; these small insects are active in the fields and can be seen everywhere. But finding a good cricket is not easy. As the saying goes, "When the Cricket King appears, a hundred li are silent." One must go to places where everything is quiet, and only the chirping of insects can be heard, to possibly find a rare cricket.
The day before she set off, she excitedly told Simon that her father would take her to find crickets. In the little girl's simple narration, her father was a meticulous person; if there was any major event in the family, her father would handle it, and he was often resourceful and capable. In Jianchuan Town, her father Sun Zhengdao was also highly praised. Such a person, as a father, probably no child would dislike.
At least in Sun Lichai's mind, her father was an omnipotent person.
"I'm going to catch crickets, and I'll come see you in a few days." The little girl waved subtly to Simon and left with Sun Wangshi.
She thus stepped into the gradually chilling autumn wind, walking on the earth. This dark soil nurtured the golden scent of harvest, and Sun Lichai's every step, in its rise and fall, seemed to tread on golden sparks. This was the color of the golden wheat fields, the color of heavy rice ears, the color of withered leaves, the color of the evening glow, the color of creation harvesting the vitality of all things.
And she, however, was like a wisteria blooming in spring, never to wither.
Simon still sat on his couch, as if rooted to the spot, but his ancient branches extended to the four directions.
No matter how far Sun Lichai walked, he could see her.
Sun Zhengdao took his daughter to a swamp next to Jianchuan Town and caught a rare sixth-grade Captain "Purple Tooth Pale Purple" among the bushes. As the saying goes, "Deep purple teeth as dark as ink, biting autumn insects makes people lose color." Such a cricket was enough for its owner to be a temporary champion among children. In the past, if someone caught a Captain, they would certainly boast greatly about their good fortune.
But Sun Lichai was not satisfied, nor did she offer it to Simon.
In her eyes, a rare sixth-grade cricket was not worthy of Lu Yuan Bodhisattva.
The girl longed to catch a rare Cricket King.
But she dared not voice this wish, simply because everyone knew how rare a Cricket King was, almost a legend.
No one would believe a five-year-old child had the ability to catch a Cricket King, just as no one would believe the sky would fall, the sea would dry up, or the stars would extinguish.
People who yearn for miracles often do not believe there are so many miracles in the world.
Sun Lichai, however, believed.
She hid this hope in her smile, without a trace of emotion.
But such a longing would eventually show itself, at least in Sun Wangshi's eyes, her little daughter had been somewhat distracted lately.
"Chai Chai, are you afraid that if you go to the nunnery to cultivate, you won't be able to come home?"
She shook her head.
"Are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
She hastily said she was perfectly fine.
But Sun Wangshi became even more worried.
This mother always felt her child was drifting away from her; an inexplicable panic had been bothering her lately. Some nights, she would dream of herself in a small boat, while her daughter Lichai floated on the shimmering moonlight lake, calling for her mother. But no matter what she did, she couldn't get the boat close to her child, always separated by such a long distance, until she, too, jumped into the water, which would interrupt the nightmare.
Waking up with a start, Sun Wangshi felt layers of cold sweat on her back and couldn't help but feel a chill to the bone.
She did not want her gaze to leave Sun Lichai, watching her day and night. She fully believed that as long as she kept watching her child, she could hold that string tightly in her hand, preventing Lichai, whose life was like a paper kite, from losing her way in the stormy weather.
However, her greatest fear still came true.
One evening, she walked out of the kitchen with a dish, but did not see the tiny figure at the table.
Sun Lichai was missing.
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