The Blue Pearl

Chapter 1 The Voucher

Billy almost laughed.

How often do you see two grown men, two monks with their shaven heads, staring at a heated water pot in utter most concentration, waiting for it to boil?

So many jokes! Stop! Billy looked around, trying to distract himself.

Three other men in expensive suits besides Billy were sitting cross-legged, looking at the two monks with the pot. Billy knew their type. Rich folks. Rich and powerful folks who were meticulous about their appearances. And yet there they were, sitting besides Billy and wrinkling up their suits. They were as bored as Billy, but they were trying to hide their bewilderment with a seriously constipated look.

OK! OK! I have got to stop now. Billy thought. It was one thing to not be intimidated by these so called Monks, but it was quite another to insult them by laughing his head off in a obviously serious ceremony.

But a tea party? In Billy’s mind, he started to picture the two baldhead men staring at the pot in pink dresses…

Just before Billy finally lost his control. The two monks moved.

The older monk picked up the pot just when steam coming out its sprout. He stood at the same time with the grace of a dancer. He walked seven deliberated steps towards the little table.

Then he poured into a ceramic teapot. The steam was long, accurate and powerful. An aroma arose from the pot. Good tea!

Suddenly, Billy’s mind quieted down. His eyes fixed on the monk pouring the tea. The man’s movements were like a magician. The water pot disappeared. The ceramic tea pot took center stage. It spilled gently into five cups. His movement was lightening fast, and not a drop was outside of the cups.

Before Billy reached for one of the cups, the tea suddenly overflowed the cups, and the cups tipped over, bathing themselves in the precious tea.

Billy paused for a moment. But his hand still reached over, and picked up a full cup of flavored tea.

Just between the time his mind paused and his hand traveled the one foot distance between him and the cup, the monk had finished rinsing the cups, poured another pot of water into the teapot and filled all the cups.

Billy wasn’t the first that reached the cup. The other monk, the younger one had already picked up a cup. He smelt it, and sipped loudly.

Billy could hear the tea rolled around the man’s tongue before he gulped it down, all done with the noise of a flushing toilet.

The old monk stood with eyes closed and hands folded in his robe. He was the only one without a cup.

The other three men reached for the cups with difficulty. It looked like they were trying their best not to rip their bulging suits.

They picked up their cups expertly, and smelt them, let the flavor sank in.

Billy sipped his tea. He was thirsty. It was hot, bitter and without any taste. His mind started to ask the question, “Can someone pass the sugar and cream?”

Then he swallowed. The hot liquid went down like molten lava. Every pore of his body opened, he could feel the sudden return of his innocence.

He was six, hiding in his mother’s closet, eating a big peach all by himself. Every bite was heaven. He was so concentrated on that peach, he lost the time, the place, and he lost even himself.

It was that good!

And that sip of tea was the exact duplicate of that peach.

He sipped, again, and again, until it was all gone.

The fragrance of the aftertaste was what had awoken him, from the trance.

He found himself sitting in a room with three other men, facing two monks.

Suddenly, he had the urge to cry.

-------------------------------------------
The older monk stood, slightly bowing to the young monk.

After a long while, the young monk said, “ Not bad, but not your best. Too forceful, not peaceful enough. The young one distracted you, I understand, but … You are still proud.”

Proud was not a good word in their world.

The older monk bowed low, “Yes, master.”

The young monk nodded, “We shall try again later. I hope the young one can still be here.”

Billy looked around, the other three men looked at him with annoyance. He was the youngest in the room.

Billy decided that was the chance for him to speak up. He cleared his throat.

The sound was like a knife cutting through the fabric of tranquility. All the other people stared at him.

It was too late to back out now. Billy gave everyone a smile.

“I doubt it, Master Woo,” he said to the young monk in the middle, “ I am here strictly on a small worldly matter. You see my young secretary made a mistake when she gave one of your disciple a money voucher. It was intended for another charity, a children’s hospital, as a matter of fact. So, I am here to reclaim that voucher.”

The room was quiet. Billy could feel the murderous glares from the other three men. Billy decided to ignore them. He knew they must have paid a fortune to be here, but he did not care. He was not one of them, and he did not want to be one of them. His mission was simple. He wanted that money back, and he did not want anything to do with these monks, regardless of how good their tea was.

The young monk smiled back at him and nodded.

Billy almost signed in relief, but the monk said, “I am not Master Woo.”

The old monk turned towards Billy. From his eyes, Billy could see that he was trying very hard to restrain himself. If he was superman, his glaring eyes would have melt Billy with laser by now.

“I am Master Woo,” his voice was louder than it should be, “ I am the head of this temple. You could have dealt that matter with the Brother who was in charge with the financial matter.”

Billy shrugged, “He said I should speak with you. And your next free appointment time was in three weeks. So … since I already got the invitation for this tea par … Eh, tea ceremony, I figured I could kill two birds with one stone.”

The room was silent again. Billy looked around, and the three men besides him had actually turned pale. Master Woo suddenly looked tall and puffed. Billy could see a bulging vein on his forehead.

Did I say anything wrong, Billy wondered, who cares about a tea party?

“Mr. Lin,” The young monk broke the silence, he was still smiling, “I am Master Han. I was invited by Master Woo for his tea ceremony. I am the one who sent the invitation to you. And I was quite … amused when my disciple got a money voucher in return. However, I was very delighted to receive such a generous gift. I was going to buy a new set of robes with that money.”

Master Han picked up a piece of paper from his robe and put it on the little table. Billy could see that was the voucher he had come for.

Before Billy could say a word, one of the men in suit leaped up with surprising agile, “Master, please allow me the pleasure to replace that …”

He looked at that voucher, and a look of shock was on his face, “50,000 Yuan?” His looked at Billy from head to toe.

Billy felt himself a little taller.

The man pulled a checkbook from his suit. “Here is a check for 500,000 Yuan, master,” He flourished a signature, “For your new robe.”

The other two men also produced two checks as if by magic,

“600,000 for your new sandals, master.”
“650,000, Ehh, just a little bit of pocket money for your pleasure , master.”

Billy slumped with a bitter smile. Of course, 600,000 Yuan just for a pair of sandals. All of his assets combined could not have topped that.

Whatever! Billy felt contempt and relief at the same time. This is not his world. He bowed and leaned to pick his voucher up.

Master Woo, the old monk moved a step, as if to stop Billy, but a look from Master Han stopped him.

Billy paused. Something weird was going on here. Both of the monks were looking at him with intensity without a glance at the other three checks. It was as if his meager 50,000 Yuan voucher was more important than the other three.

Was this a trick? A setup of some sort? Billy had heard of money scams involving monks. He glanced to the three men. They looked genuine. He looked at the two monks again. They looked genuine too. And the temple was a big famous temple in the region. Why would they set him up just for 50,000 Yuan?

“Mr. Lin …” Master Woo started, but Master Han interrupted him, “Mr. Lin. I begged your indulgence for a moment.”

Billy looked at the young monk. The young monk was smiling with a eager smile.

“Please trust me when I say I know how you feel. And I know that you felt your secretary or you company had made a mistake. But in our understanding of this world, there is no such thing as a mistake. Everything is as it should be. In a world filled with random, senseless violence, it was sometimes, so good to offset it with a random and senseless kindness.”

Billy stared at the voucher for a moment. The money was supposed to be donated to a children’s hospital, but it was just a front.

It was actually a bribe to a government official. The official’s wife owned the hospital. 50,000 Yuan to expedite a building permit.

Suddenly, Billy felt tired and dizzy. It was not the words of the monk, but rather the tea made him feeling oddly sad.

Well, who cares about some stupid money. Greed, who needs that? It is Spring outside. The peach flower was blooming. He just had some good tea. Now the best thing will be to go home and take a good nap!

Among the young monk's words, Billy only heard "Random and senseless kindness."

Well, that was an interesting concept. Let's give that try.

Billy stood without bowing, and walked out of the room.

The voucher stayed on the table.

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The monks were alone in the room. The three rich men left with Master Han’s blessings. Master Woo made another pot of tea, but Master Han did not drink it.

“Your heart was not in it.” Master Han observed flatly.

The old monk bowed without a word, poured all the tea into a spittoon.

Master Han picked up the voucher and gave it to the old monk. The other one took it by both of his hands and bowed low.

The young monk suddenly smiled, “I know I should have given you a long speech about controlling your pride and such … But it is good to see the old master again.”

Master Woo cracked a toothless grin, “I can’t believe it when I see him. How did you know it was him? I mean, he was not at all the old master, but, somehow, I could see the old master’s reflection in his body.”

Master Han stood and walked to the door. Through it, he could see the blooming of peach flowers in the yard.

“Before he died, he designated me as his watcher. I can feel him by that bond. I was there when he was reborn and when the time was ready, I would be there to wake him …”

He turned and faced the old Monk, “When the time is right, Little Mouse, not before! You almost jeopardized that today.”

The old monk rolled his eyes, “Please master! Do not call me Little Mouse anymore! Look at me! Look at us! I look like your grandfather, master. It was bad enough that I had to endure all these strange looks from the patrons and the disciples.”

The young monk smiled at the old one, “Look at the old master. You saw him. You heard what he was thinking. Two baldheaded monks in pink dress, having a tea party. Huh!"

Master Han laughed out loud. He turned to the yard, the pink flowers were falling with the wind. "Control your pride, Little Mouth. Watch it, understand it, discard it. One of these days, you would understand. Appearance was an illusion. Age was an illusion. Time was irrelevant. Only Enlightenment was our destiny.”

The old monk bowed to his master.

But he still rolled his eyes.