Chapter 562: Chapter 562: The Radiance of the Great Buddha Temple

On Saturday, early in the morning, Lu Chuan was already waiting downstairs at Forensic Doctor Shen’s building.

Soon, against the rosy dawn, Shen Yan, wrapped in a wool coat, walked out of the unit door.

"My wife is really beautiful!"

"Come on, give me a kiss!"

No cases, a light heart.

The case of the civet cat replacing the crown prince had been solved, and the Criminal Investigation Team didn’t have much else going on these days, so Lu Chuan and Forensic Doctor Shen could enjoy a wonderful weekend.

Today is also the first day of the lunar month, and the two plan to take a stroll at the Great Buddha Temple.

Firstly, there’s a temple fair there today for them to explore and enjoy; secondly, they plan to light an incense at the Great Buddha Temple.

Of course, as police officers, both Lu Chuan and Shen Yan are pure materialists who don’t believe in that feudal superstition stuff.

But as Old Liu and Wang Changjiang said, there’s no harm in paying a visit.

Actually, within the group of forensic doctors and Crime Scene Investigation, quite a few people do believe in these things.

Old Liu even has a few friends who, after every Crime Scene Investigation, need to burn paper money, drink white liquor, and eat red eggs.

He even knows two old friends who, after returning from a scene, would twirl a peach wood sword around themselves.

Saying it could ward off ghosts and evil spirits.

Old Liu doesn’t really believe in this, but the experiences of Lu Chuan and Shen Yan make him somewhat believe.

How can they encounter a case every time they go out on a date?

You could say once or twice is just a coincidence, no big deal.

But how many times have Lu Chuan and Shen Yan bumped into cases while out on a date?

Four or five times at least.

The Criminal Investigation Team solved about a third of the murder cases they found in the past half year.

The two discussed on their way home last night, saying that since it’s the weekend and they don’t have any work, they might as well check out the temple fair which neither of them had been to before, and it’s apparently quite interesting. Besides, paying respects at the Buddha doesn’t hurt either.

The East Mountain Great Buddha Temple in Haizhou City was built more than ten years ago and is the tallest Buddhist structure within hundreds of miles, with a thriving incense scene.

On the first and fifteenth of the lunar month, there are grand temple fairs at the Great Buddha Temple.

The first is a small temple fair, the fifteenth is a large one.

The so-called small temple fair means that on the first day, many vendors will gather in the market near the Great Buddha Temple.

Because most people coming to worship at the temple are older and this group has not developed the habit of online shopping.

Buying daily necessities at the market is part of their lifestyle.

Some elderly people even bring their children over.

It has a vibe similar to a rural market from ten years ago.

Of course, now the market stalls are very organized, with designated booths.

The nearby government has zoned areas specifically for these vendors, sorted category by category, which looks much more organized.

The large temple fair sells pretty much the same things as the small one; they’re all stalls set up outside.

But at the Great Buddha Temple, there are worship activities, and the abbot comes out to preach.

It’s said that the abbot of the Great Buddha Temple is a high monk from the southern Wutai Mountain.

But actually...

The person was just transferred here to make an appearance.

Nowadays, temples aren’t like they used to be; you can’t just casually run one or become an abbot.

An abbot of a temple needs to be appointed, and being a monk isn’t something you can just choose to be.

Lu Chuan has a high school classmate, who after the college entrance exam, went to a Buddhist academy.

He ate vegetarian and recited scriptures every day, being a monk is just his job.

Yes, being a monk has become a profession now.

It’s not about teaching Buddhist philosophy or seeking Buddhist fate, only about having a degree.

At the end of the year, when this person returned, he met up with Lu Chuan and the others.

That guy was tall and skinny in high school, but when he returned, he was chubby, his face shining with health.

Classmates joked at the time, asking if he was really a vegetarian monk.

He was looking more prosperous than those living in the secular world.

He said he was a professional monk, not a monk who left the secular world.

The old classmate gave Lu Chuan and the others a good lesson on what it means to be a professional monk.

There’s a salary, bonuses, performance reviews, they can have a family, get married, and have kids.

"My classmate even said that professional monks are like us, the police; they have a system and rank."

Indeed, it makes sense when you think about it.

These days, not as many people are vegetarians or faith-driven as before, temples can’t survive on just farming or offerings from visitors.

Shaolin Temple is very famous, but even it has to do business.

Most local small temples don’t have financial sources, they survive on allocations from the government budget.

Even if some wealthy individuals donate, it can only solve temporary issues, not be a permanent solution.

Monks in temples are sustained by government funds, so coming to pay respects at Buddha is just for peace of mind, there’s no concept of receiving blessings.

But truth be told, it’s quite fun to just browse the temple fair even if you’re not there to worship.

"Lu Chuan! Candied haws!"

The two didn’t expect that this temple fair would be just like the markets they visited tens of years back in their childhoods.

Candied haws, popcorn, baked sweet potatoes.

Beer, white liquor, wine.

The place was bustling, very lively.

Though it wasn’t at the point where shoulders brushed and you couldn’t move, it was still crowded and bustling.

Lu Chuan held a cotton candy, while Shen Yan had a skewer of candied haws.

A bite for you, a bite for me, they leisurely followed the crowd towards the Great Buddha Temple.

The shouts of children nearby and the calls of vendors intertwined, making people feel extremely relaxed.

For Lu Chuan and Shen Yang’s profession, most of the time their work is very tense.

Their work pressure is also very high.

Especially when handling cases, when they are required to solve murder cases no matter the circumstances, everyone in the Criminal Investigation Team is extremely tense after a murder occurs.

Though the two have gone out a lot before, it was the first time they felt so relaxed like today.

Shen Yan was bouncing around, just like a little girl, liking everything she saw.

Before long, they were inside the temple.

Compared to outside the temple, it was much quieter inside.

The incense-burning visitors ranged from devoutly kneeling devotees to those buying consecrated items from the monks in the shop.

The same glass pendant that sells for ten outside the temple was priced at a hundred here.

According to the monks, the items might be the same, but those in the temple were consecrated by a high monk and could be used as amulets.

The word "consecrated" could add ninety to the price.

Forensic Doctor Shen pouted, quietly thinking it was really expensive.

But just because the two of them didn’t buy, didn’t mean others wouldn’t.

The store was doing great business.

After leaving, the two went to the shop next door...

Yes, from the moment you entered the temple gates, there were shops on both sides.

This one sold incense.

Visitors wanting to light incense had to buy it here, as for incense from outside...

Sorry, the Buddha in this temple doesn’t accept incense from outside.

Shen Yan looked at the incense prices on the wall and clicked her tongue.

"This stick of incense... ten thousand?"