Jiangnan City is a first-class metropolis in Huaxia, enjoying a reputation as a land of plentiful rice and fish. Its climate is pleasant and the area prosperous. Besides the local residents, this city draws in a large number of non-local people who either make contributions by striving for their lives here, or they are here for their dreams. This has also contributed to the thriving scene of the city…

Jiangnan City symbolizes the vanguard, the fashionable, and the trendy. This can be seen from the clothing and style of pedestrians on the streets. However, an eye-catching sight emerged on one bustling street in Jiangnan City today!

A young monk was wandering on the street! It is not unusual to see a monk as there are quite a number of Buddhists in Huaxia. What’s peculiar is this young monk’s attire, he was not in a monk’s Kasaya but instead in a Zhongshan suit. The strong scent of the last century gives pedestrians a sense of discordance.

The young monk did not care about the weird looks from passers-by, portraying an air of a carefree enlightened monk. Suddenly his eyes lit up, as a mutton hot pot restaurant nearby caught his attention. His spirit lifted and he quickly entered the mutton hot pot restaurant.

The young monk licked his lips and carelessly walked to an empty seat and sat down. Without any hesitation, he shouted, “Waiter, one hot pot, three jins of mutton.”

The young monk’s actions naturally drew the attention of other customers in the shop. A male waiter with a look of disbelief on his face approached him.

"Sir, are you an actor? You really got into your role!”

The waiter was no pushover, showing no trace of customer service spirit, he instead started mocking the young monk to vent his dissatisfaction. In his view, the young monk was just a lunatic, shouting for the 'second son', did he think he was in a time-travel show? What a jerk! The waiter muttered to himself, clearly displeased.

But it seemed as if the young monk didn’t hear him at all, completely ignoring him, which left the waiter feeling rather embarrassed.

“Sir, you need to pay before eating in our shop!” the waiter stated, even though there was no such rule. The waiter was intentionally making difficulties for the young monk.

“I have no money! I'm here for alms!" The young monk responded innocently with his hands spread out.

Upon hearing this, the waiter was initially shocked, then an amused expression spread across his face.

"Are you a monk? A real monk?"

"Yes, my dharma name is Shuangxiu. I came to your store for alms, could you please help me out?"

“Pooh, you’re so ridiculous. What kind of dharma name is 'Shuangxiu'? I might as well be 'Weekend'. This is a mutton hot pot restaurant, don’t you have eyes when begging for alms? Besides, you just ordered three jins of mutton, I remember it clearly. I believe the other customers in the store also remember!"

The male waiter deliberately spoke loudly, intending to cause a scene so that all the other customers in the shop knew about it. He wanted to fiercely humiliate the young monk, leaving him nowhere to hide his shame.

"What I want to eat is mutton, I, the monk, don't abide by the rules and precepts. There's an old saying that alcohol and meat pass through the intestines, but the Buddha's principles reside in the heart. As long as the heart is good, that is all it takes!"

Shuangxiu said this with a serious face, causing the male waiter to truly admire him inwardly. Under such public scrutiny, Shuangxiu was able to remain unashamed and his audacious words impressed the waiter even more. It seemed that Shuangxiu was a shameless rogue, humiliation of any sort had no effect on him.

"Monk, if you eat meat and do not observe the fair rules and precepts, you think you’re Ji Gong, the Living Buddha? If you don't have money, get the hell out! I'm very busy and have no time to waste on you."

The male waiter vigorously grasped Shuangxiu's clothes, intending to throw him out while loudly making a ruckus. The customers in the shop chuckled at this drama. Although Shuangxiu's actions provoked ridicule, the waiter's grossly offensive language greatly diminished people's impression of him.

"You're sick!"

Just as Shuangxiu was about to be thrown out by the waiter, he exclaimed this sentence!

"You swear at me…?" The waiter, wide-eyed, roared in anger.

"I didn't swear at you, you really are sick!" Shuangxiu said seriously.

This really infuriated the waiter - he released Shuangxiu, turned around to pick up a wooden mop handle, and was about to fiercely beat Shuangxiu with the thicker end.

"Recently, haven't you been urinating more at night, waking up three to four times? No matter how much you sleep, you always feel tired. Plus, every now and then, your joints mysteriously ache…"

Shuangxiu stood still. Just as the male waiter was about to swing down at him, Shuangxiu suddenly said these words. The waiter froze as if he had been struck by lightning, his rising anger dissipated, and he was unexpectedly quiet. Clearly, what Shuangxiu just said had accurately matched his symptoms.

"I am a monk, but also a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, so I am honestly not cursing you!"

"What disease do I have?" the waiter asked in tranquility.

"Early stage of chronic kidney failure, commonly known as uremia," explained Shuangxiu.

After saying this, the male waiter looked as if struck by thunderbolts. His spirits instantly drained by half. Everyone knows what uremia implies – the astronomical medical bills and the immense pain from the dialysis. For the poor, it's akin to a terminal illness...

The male waiter, considered part of the lower-middle class, knew that although uremia was not fatal, the costly dialysis fees would still immerse his life into the darkness of despair. Unable to imagine, and dare not think about the consequences of having uremia.

"Get lost, get out of my sight right now, or don't blame me for getting unpleasant."

The waiter remained silent for a while before he suddenly exploded, venting all his anger on the young man. Seeing his sad look, the man, known as Shuangxiu, sighed sympathetically. That's life – it's never smooth sailing, only one storm after another.

"Hey Dasheng, stop making a fuss. I heard from Xiaomei earlier. Let this young man have a free meal if he doesn't have money. Serve him whatever he wants..."

At this moment, a young woman in purple clothes came down from upstairs to step in. With her long hair draped over her shoulders, she was very attractive. Shuangxiu guessed she must be the boss of this place. Shuangxiu’s sharp eyes not only appreciated beauty but also detected underlying issues. This woman’s complexion was fair with some rosy cheeks, but an abnormal pale! Despite the distance, Shuangxiu was confident he was not mistaken.

Upon hearing the woman boss' words, the waiter named Dasheng had nothing to argue. But given his persistent character, he would usually be relentless. Now, however, he was preoccupied with his illness and so distressed he almost lost himself into tears.

Shuangxiu sat at the dining table, devouring the delicious mutton hotpot. He quickly finished off three pounds of mutton, which made the woman boss laugh!

"Bring me another three pounds of mutton!" Shuangxiu called out again with unrestrained enthusiasm.

"You are truly shameless!" Dasheng shouted angrily, on the verge of losing his cool. The woman boss immediatly stopped him, requesting Xiaomei to serve another three pounds of mutton for Shuangxiu.

"Xiaoping, you are just too kind-hearted!" Dasheng murmured, sounding rather helpless, which made Xiaoping, the woman boss, smile. Shuangxiu just watched them silently while he continued enjoying his mutton. He consumed six pounds of mutton without even burping, much to the surprise of everyone present.

"You sure can eat, can't you?" Xiaoping teased.

"The mutton is simply too delicious! As a monk, you can just call me little monk!" Shuangxiu joked. He knew that Xiaoping didn't believe he was a monk, hence why she referred to him as 'young man.'

"You're just a glutton reincarnated. Is there anything you don’t like to eat? With such a big appetite, you should be called 'Meat Monk,' not 'Little Monk'!" Dasheng retorted sarcastically.

"Oh, there is! I don't like vegetables..." said Shuangxiu seriously. Dasheng's face twitched a few times, but he didn't say anything. Xiaoping, however, was amused and broke into delightful laughter.

"Miss, you truly have a kind heart. As a monk with no place to stay, given our destined acquaintance, may I stay here?” Shuangxiu said with a smile, feeling no embarrassment at all.

"You are pushing your luck!" Dasheng could not stand it any longer!

Shuangxiu kept quiet, calmly meeting Xiaoping's gaze. As Xiaoping looked back at him, she briefly remained silent before breaking out into a smile. "Fine, you can stay. I will provide you with food and shelter, but you'll need to work for me."

"As long as there's meat!"

"And enough to eat!"

"Then it's a deal!”

Smiling, Shuangxiu responded and then happily high-fived Xiaoping. Xiaoping did not reject the high-five, returning it with enthusiasm. Both laughed joyously, while Dasheng, standing off to the side, was feeling rather sour. He could not understand why this crazy monk, Shuangxiu, seems to be so darn lucky.

Xiaoping is a girl with a kind heart. Seeing Shuangxiu eat so much, she thought he must have been starved for a long time. Furthermore, he was dressed oddly and spoke in a strange, ambiguous tone, suggesting that he must be going through some difficulties. Shuangxiu feigns madness and plays the fool out of helplessness; she wouldn't deliberately expose him to save face. She held the thought that if she could help, she would.

Personally, Xiaoping led Shuangxiu to his room! As he watched her leaving, he muttered to himself: “Good people are rewarded! Kind-hearted people are protected by the heavens. Ah, everything is fated. Master, you told me you'd arrange a grand villa for me, but it seems I'm not fortunate enough to enjoy it. It seems like I'm destined to save this young girl. After all, he who accepts favors is obligated."

Shuangxiu pulled out a jade pendant from the pocket of his Zhongshan suit, took a look at it and then tucked it back in.

Shuangxiu recalled his master's words: "A healer's heart aims to save all who can be saved! Everything in this world is predestined. Even the most skilled doctor cannot save every person. Patients treated are people you are destined to meet; those saved are those who can be saved." Xiaoping happened to fit these criteria. If she had previously refused to give Shuangxiu food and drink and rejected his request to stay, he certainly wouldn't have lingered. Much like Dasheng who was reportedly suffering from kidney failure, there was no obligation for Shuangxiu to treat him.

"It's terrible, terrible! Sister Ping fainted. You need to help out quickly!"

Not long after, the waitress, Xiaomei, burst into Shuangxiu’s room with a desperate expression, calling out urgently. Responding with a cool "Got it," Shuangxiu left his room swiftly. This indifferent behavior annoyed Xiaomei greatly; she thought that Shuangxiu was an ungrateful wretch. However, given the urgency of the situation, she had no time to argue with Shuangxiu.