Reservoir Dogs chapter 95

The World is Full of Suffering

The knife had entered his back, wedged between his ribs, missing his heart but still penetrating his chest cavity, requiring puncture treatment and repair.

After the surgery, Xiao Zhou lay unconscious in bed, an IV drip attached, looking peaceful with his pale face and relaxed muscles.

Jiang Chengyuan stayed by his side, pulling two all-nighters. His dark circles were heavy, his clothes disheveled, and his hair messy, looking nothing like his usual composed and elegant self.

In the hospital room, the heart rate monitor beeped rhythmically. Xiao Ping entered with a bowl of porridge, softly urging Jiang Chengyuan, “Eat something. Your body won’t hold up if you don’t eat.”

Jiang Chengyuan didn’t respond. After a few attempts, Xiao Ping placed the bowl on the bedside table and sat on the small stool beside the bed.

A doctor came in to check on Xiao Zhou, and Jiang Chengyuan stood aside. The doctor checked his pupils and breathing, confirming that he was out of danger and just sleeping, causing both men to breathe a sigh of relief.

After the doctor left, Jiang Chengyuan sat back down. He held Xiao Zhou’s hand, head bowed, gently playing with a few of Xiao Zhou’s fingers, seemingly bored but also completely focused. Bending and straightening them, he noticed some dried blood under Xiao Zhou’s nails. Jiang Chengyuan straightened up and took a tissue, wetting it to carefully clean each nail. He was meticulous, checking each nail thoroughly, not missing any crevice. After finishing one hand, he moved to the other, spending most of the day this way.

Xiao Ping sat to the side, almost nodding off. He couldn’t understand how Jiang Chengyuan had endured three days and two nights without sleep.

In the meantime, the police came to question Jiang Chengyuan about the incident. The perpetrator, a young man in his twenties, had been captured but remained silent, unyielding to both harsh and soft interrogation methods, frustrating the investigators. They had no choice but to seek breakthroughs from the victims.

Jiang Chengyuan ignored them completely, treating their presence as mere background noise. The officers, hitting a wall with him, returned dejectedly to figure out how to get the perpetrator to talk.

After cleaning Xiao Zhou’s hands and tucking them under the blanket, Jiang Chengyuan suddenly stood up, grabbed the bowl of cold porridge on the bedside table, and gulped it down. He then turned to Xiao Ping and said, “I have something to take care of. Keep a good watch on your brother, and call the doctor immediately if anything happens.”

Xiao Ping jumped up like a soldier receiving orders, “But where are you going? Ge will wake up soon, and he’ll definitely want to see you.”

Jiang Chengyuan looked down at Xiao Zhou again, his expression softening as he brushed the bangs from Xiao Zhou’s forehead to the side. “It’s okay. I’ll be back soon. There are some things I need to handle before he wakes up.” With that, he turned and left the ward.

Cheng’an Temple was located on a small hill in the suburbs. The hill wasn’t high, with lush vegetation, and from the foot of the hill, one could vaguely see a corner of the black eaves through the dense forest at the top. The car could only go halfway up the hill, as the rest was narrow mountain paths, some parts filled with stones, making it difficult for people to pass through.

At the top of the hill, there was a red-painted wooden door. Jiang Chengyuan knocked on it, and a young monk came out, greeted him with palms together, and said that the temple was still closed to the public.

Jiang Chengyuan glanced past the young monk and saw a glimpse of the temple through the half-open door. Though remote, it wasn’t desolate; the courtyard was well-maintained, and ancient trees towered overhead. He retracted his gaze and bowed to the young monk, “My surname is Jiang. I’m looking for Mr. Lin, who is staying here.”

The young monk hesitated for a moment, then asked him to wait and quickly ran inside to inquire.

Jiang Chengyuan stood alone at the temple gate, looking at the clouds and trees surrounding the hilltop. The gentle slopes and the chirping of birds in the early autumn created a serene atmosphere, making his previously restless heart gradually calm down. The hand that had reached into his pocket for a cigarette fell back to his side. He squinted, thinking that Lin Jianan, despite his rough background, had chosen a good place.

Soon, an older monk came to greet him and led him through the main hall, the Guanyin Hall, and the bell and drum tower, to a small courtyard. The courtyard was not large, with some flowers, plants, and trees, monks’ quarters on the left, the kitchen and dining hall on the right, and a well in the corner.

The courtyard led up to the Dharma Hall. The monk guided him up the stairs into a dimly lit room filled with incense smoke. In the center, an old monk with a white beard down to his chest was seated on a cushion, chanting scriptures. The monk led Jiang Chengyuan to a corner where Lin Jianan was also sitting cross-legged on a cushion, holding a string of prayer beads, his eyes slightly closed, and chanting softly. His previously somewhat domineering face was now relaxed and devout.

Jiang Chengyuan did not interrupt. Seeing an empty cushion nearby, he also sat cross-legged. The monk handed him a local sutra and then quietly left. For a while, the low voices of the chanting monks floated around the dim room like mist.

Jiang Chengyuan flipped through a few pages of the book before closing it and setting it aside. He was not a believer and always felt that Lin Jianan’s devotion was merely for show. After committing many misdeeds, pretending to be righteous seemed hypocritical to him. If everyone relied on divine intervention after death, there would be no need to live through the present.

After the chanting ended and the monks left, Lin Jianan gestured for Jiang Chengyuan to join him in the courtyard for a talk. Beside the courtyard was a bamboo grove with a small path through it. After this brief ordeal, Jiang Chengyuan had calmed down significantly and no longer felt the initial urge for drastic measures.

Despite being in the temple, Lin Jianan was well-informed. “Lawyer Jiang, surviving such an ordeal, indeed calls for a visit to the temple to cleanse yourself of bad luck.”

Jiang Chengyuan gave a mocking smile, “Whether it’s a natural disaster or a man-made one is still unclear. I heard that this person was doing fine in prison, and someone with powerful connections got him out.”

Lin Jianan’s expression didn’t change. “As they say, every drink and peck is preordained; life is about cause and effect. I heard you know this person.”

Jiang Chengyuan had no patience for the pretense, his heart already filled with rage. He sneered, “I’ve always relied on my own skills to make a living, not on others or on fate. I can overturn evidence or nail it down. If you don’t believe me, Mr. Lin, you can find out whether being my friend is easier or sleeping soundly as my enemy.”

Lin Jianan’s face changed, not expecting such blunt and merciless words.

The trigger for this incident stemmed from a case Lin Jianan had asked Jiang Chengyuan to handle not long ago. Although Jiang Chengyuan helped Luo Jing evade punishment as Lin Jianan had wanted, he disapproved of Luo Jing’s methods and played a small trick in secret, causing Luo Jing to stumble. Originally, he thought he could get away with it, but unexpectedly, Luo Jing was still sentenced to three years.

An old tiger, baring its teeth, was taught to be a sick cat in prison, and how could Lin Jianan not be resentful, especially since he couldn’t find any fault in Jiang Chengyuan?  After the incident, Jiang Chengyuan had returned a third of his payment, saying he only took what he deserved. In fact, how the case was handled was very subjective; if it were someone else, it would already be considered a great success.

Moreover, during this period, Jiang Chengyuan had been getting close to the Jiang family, using force against force. How could Lin Jianan not see through it? So, he arranged this accident to warn Jiang Chengyuan. A young man with no power or means couldn’t cause too much trouble and wouldn’t really kill Jiang Chengyuan. Most importantly, he was crazy enough and not one of his people, so Jiang Chengyuan couldn’t blame him. This attack was more of a threat than an actual harm.

But what Lin Jianan didn’t expect was that Jiang Chengyuan never yielded to force. Provoking him was like pulling a tiger’s whiskers. Jiang Chengyuan simply tore off the mask and refused to play along.

Lin Jianan forced himself to remain calm and began to play the emotional card, trying to ease the tension. “Chengyuan, we’ve known each other for almost ten years and have always cooperated well. Why must it come to this?”

Jiang Chengyuan replied coldly, “I have always treated others as they treat me. Forgiving offenses is the way of tolerance; an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth is the way of directness. I’m straightforward and can’t be magnanimous. There’s no reason to offer the other cheek after being slapped.”

Lin Jianan’s face turned a shade as if it was smeared with soy sauce, and he finally gave a dry laugh. “You weren’t the one hurt, so why are you so angry?”

“If it weren’t for him, you’d be visiting me in the hospital today.”

Lin Jianan’s face turned cold. “So what do you want? Do you want to stab me too?”

Jiang Chengyuan’s expression was stern. “Everything should be fair. This time, you owe me one.”

Lin Jianan left, but Jiang Chengyuan did not hurry to leave. After their conversation, he felt restless. Though he had seen many tragedies and had a deep understanding of life’s uncertainties and sufferings, he had never felt so uneasy and troubled as he did this time.

He wandered aimlessly around the temple, looking at murals in side halls and listening to orioles singing on the branches. In the main hall, the Buddha statues were solemn and majestic, with golden bodies towering high.

The ceiling was extremely high, and looking up, he felt as if it was pressing down layer upon layer, squeezing from all sides, making it hard to breathe, like being trapped in a net where all beings suffer retribution and fall into the abyss with no power to resist.

He closed his eyes, and the bloody scene filled his mind again. He couldn’t explain how he felt seeing Xiao Zhou lying in his arms covered in blood. It was the first time he had ever been so scared. He even began to regret pushing Xiao Zhou. He thought it would have been better to let him go than to see him so badly hurt now. Unconsciously, Xiao Zhou had become so important to him that even if he couldn’t keep him, he didn’t want him to be harmed.

Jiang Chengyuan felt a sharp pain in his heart, took a deep breath, and opened his eyes. He saw a monk carrying several boxes coming out of the main hall, which contained prayer beads blessed by the temple masters.

After a brief thought, he stepped forward to stop him. Since he was already here, he might as well personally request a string of prayer beads.

There was a small table beside the main hall. He sat down cross-legged, and amidst the sound of wooden fish and chanting, he focused on stringing the prayer beads with plain thread. A young monk told him to think about his wishes while stringing the beads. If he was sincere enough, the Buddha would hear and respond.

This time, Jiang Chengyuan didn’t scoff but lowered his long eyelashes and earnestly followed the instructions. For the first time, he was so devout and reverent. Perhaps being in such an environment, surrounded by the devotion of countless believers, had influenced him.

This simple, repetitive task helped calm his mind and clear his thoughts. The faint scent of sandalwood wafted around him. As he strung the beads, he found himself lost in thought. The image of Xiao Zhou running back to save him kept appearing in his mind. Why did Xiao Zhou come back when he knew it was dangerous? Was it just because he knew he was in danger? What made him care so much? Why was there someone so foolish in the world?

Jiang Chengyuan paused, gently rubbing the beads, feeling both amused and heartbroken. Indeed, why would someone be so foolish? He had already exposed all his flaws to Xiao Zhou, yet Xiao Zhou still liked him so stubbornly. How persistent must he be to almost lose his life for him…

Sitting at the low table, surrounded by incense smoke curling gracefully, Jiang Chengyuan wore just a shirt and trousers, appearing casual but with a solemn expression. The hall was brightly lit with candles, drapes hanging in layers, the flickering light swaying with the breeze. His eyes, however, were steady and sincere.

After spending the entire afternoon in the temple, Jiang Chengyuan personally strung a bead chain with 108 beads. After having it blessed by the monk, he carefully placed it in a box and descended the mountain.