Zhuang Rui waved his hand and said, "Don't mention money yet, Brother Suo Nan. You go and compile the list first, then give it to me. After we leave the mountain, we'll contact the local education department to make arrangements..."
Sponsoring these children's education is not a financial burden for Zhuang Rui at all, but he is worried that some departments and parents might just do a superficial job and use the money for other purposes. Therefore, he wants to talk to County Chief Lunzhu about this matter directly after he leaves the county.
"Okay, I'll take care of it now. Oh, by the way, those kids who need to be checked will be coming out soon, you and Basang keep an eye on them..."
Suo Nan gave Zhuang Rui a deep look, then turned to find the village chief. In such a remote mountain village, the village chief was an absolute man of his word. As long as he agreed to let the children go to school, there would be no problem.
"Master Zhuang, how can we tell that this child is the reincarnation of the teacher?"
After Suonan left, Basang scratched his head and asked Zhuang Rui. Although he was the most important member of the search for the reincarnation of the Living Buddha, Basang was still a big kid and didn't understand such things.
"this……"
Zhuang Rui scratched his head for a moment, then said, "How about this, when they're being tested later, we'll take out some things the Living Buddha used to use and tease them, see how these children react..."
Zhuang Rui was also helpless about this. He couldn't expect those breastfeeding babies to rush over to them as soon as they saw them, could he?
Basang nodded and followed Zhuang Rui toward the hospital work team that had been prepared. The herders with children all bowed respectfully to Basang upon seeing him.
In Tibet, if the regional chairman is with a lama, the Tibetans will be assured that they will bow to the lama first.
Although Basang looks very young, he still commands the respect of the Tibetan people. If he weren't holding a child in his arms, they would probably kneel in respect.
The first to be tested were the two- or three-year-old children. Although high-altitude congenital heart disease is more common among people who have migrated to high-altitude areas, the indigenous people also have a high chance of developing the disease.
According to Dean Laba Tsering, their current equipment is not very advanced and is not very good at detecting heart rate; they can only perform some relatively basic examinations.
Even so, for the Tibetans who live in the mountains year-round, this is a rare and precious opportunity. Almost every household brought their children out, and laughter filled the village's threshing ground.
"Brother Zhuang, is this big white dog yours?"
Except for the two girls, the rest of the mountaineering team from Tsinghua University gathered around to watch the excitement. The student named Zhao Jun, who was the first to greet Zhuang Rui, was now looking at Bai Shi with envy.
"That's a Tibetan Mastiff, don't you know? Go away, Brother Zhuang, can we take a picture with it?"
The mountaineering team leader couldn't hold back any longer. After using his authority to send Zhao Jun aside, he stared longingly at Zhuang Rui.
"I have no objection, but you should ask White Lion if he's willing."
Zhuang Rui chuckled, and the white lion beside him raised its head in response, letting out a low growl. The students were so frightened that they quickly retreated. The white lion was no ordinary creature; imagine how many people wouldn't be terrified if a lion stood in front of them.
“Xiao Zhuang…”
Seeing that it was almost time to test several children under one year old, Suo Nan, who was talking to the village chief, quickly called out to Zhuang Rui.
"Alright, here's a video recording for you, just don't disturb my work..."
Zhuang Rui handed the DV camera used by the white lion to a few students, and then joined the middle of the testing group.
"This child is so cute, come here, let uncle give him a hug..."
Zhuang Rui held the dzi bead on his wrist and teased a seven or eight-month-old boy. Perhaps because the language was different from what he usually heard, the child suddenly burst into tears and frantically tried to hit the dzi bead in front of him with his little hands.
"Holy crap, this actually works?"
Just as Zhuang Rui withdrew his hand, he suddenly felt something warm on his chest. Looking down, he saw that the little child had turned his grief and indignation into strength and was protesting to Zhuang Rui in another way.
"Don't wipe it, a boy's urine is a very auspicious thing..."
Just as Zhuang Rui took out a tissue to wipe his clothes, Jiacuo stopped him. The people around him laughed, making Zhuang Rui feel a little embarrassed.
After the child was examined, Basang stepped forward to give him a blessing, and then the next child was brought over, this time the youngest baby.
Although he didn't want to be a weird uncle anymore, Zhuang Rui still took the dzi bead necklace and went over. In the eyes of the villagers and doctors, his behavior was a kind act, so naturally no one stopped him.
"Hmm? Something's strange..."
Although the child was very young, with wrinkles just beginning to smooth out on his face, his small eyes were exceptionally bright. What surprised Zhuang Rui the most was the child's ears, especially his earlobes, which were very large. The earlobes alone were almost the same size as the entire small ear.
According to the ancients, having hands that reach past the knees and large earlobes that reach the shoulders is considered a sign of good fortune.
Chapter 739 Candidates
"There's no scientific basis for it..."
Zhuang Rui drew a conclusion about the child's appearance. He couldn't conclude that big ears meant good fortune just because Liu Da'er and those Buddhist monks had big ears. Zhuang Rui's ears weren't small when he was born either, but he still lived a poor life for more than 20 years.
"Don't let the water out..."
Zhuang Rui held up the dzi bead bracelet and teased the child. His words made everyone around who could understand Chinese laugh out loud.
"Huh?"
The little guy, who had been quietly watching Zhuang Rui, suddenly started to struggle after Zhuang Rui took out the bracelet. His two small hands, which couldn't be closed, were grasping at the air, as if he wanted to grab the bracelet in front of him. However, his left hand was open, while his right hand was always tightly clenched into a small fist.
"Yes, kids always like to grab things..."
Zhuang Rui didn't believe that the reincarnation of the Living Buddha could be found so easily. After waving the bracelet in front of the little guy, he put it away.
Seemingly sensing that his toy had disappeared, the two-month-old little guy looked around and suddenly saw the white lion behind Zhuang Rui. He pointed at the white lion with his little finger and kept giggling.
What Zhuang Rui found somewhat amiss was that the white lion actually stepped forward, stuck out its blood-red tongue, and gently licked the little guy's clenched fist.
"Giggle...giggle..."
The little guy seemed very happy, his little face beaming with joy. His right hand, which had been clenched into a fist, suddenly opened, and a Buddhist prayer bead fell to the ground.
“￥##%￥…”
The little boy's mother picked up the prayer beads and smiled as she spoke to the people beside her in Tibetan.
What did she say?
Zhuang Rui asked the doctor next to him.
She said her son loved playing with the family's Buddhist prayer beads, but he never put them in his mouth...
The Tibetan doctor explained to Zhuang Rui that children like to grab things, which is their nature, but they also like to put things in their mouths, which is also their nature.
However, this child is a bit strange. He usually only likes to play with Buddhist prayer beads. Once he grabs the prayer beads, he doesn't want to let go. Sometimes he will hold them for a whole day without crying or making a fuss. The adults in the family all say that this child has a connection with Buddhism and are planning to send him to a lama temple to become a novice monk when he is a little older.
The doctor's words not only touched Zhuang Rui's heart, but also made Basang and Suonan start to pay serious attention to the child. Suonan, in particular, who had experienced searching for a reincarnated child, stared intently at the baby still in swaddling clothes.
However, the child was clearly more interested in Zhuang Rui and the white lion, and even stretched out his little hands, wanting Zhuang Rui to hold him.
Zhuang Rui didn't pick up the child, but looked at Basang and said, "Basang, why don't you hold him? See if he'll stay with you."
After hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Basang stood in front of Zhuang Rui and reached out her hand to the little guy. The little guy leaned forward without hesitation and was taken by Basang.
"Brother Hot Guy..."
Zhuang Rui turned around, nudged Suo Nan, and walked out of the crowd.
"What's wrong?"
Suo Nan followed Zhuang Rui without making a sound and asked in a low voice.
“My white lion never takes the initiative to get close to people. In all its life, apart from the Living Buddha and the Panchen Lama whom I met a few days ago, it has never taken the initiative to get close to anyone else…”
In Zhuang Rui's memory, Bai Shi was indifferent to Nannan and his mother. He would only show a little affection occasionally because of his threat. Being affectionate towards a child like just now was almost unheard of.
Zhuang Rui's words made Suo Nan's eyes light up. Although he felt that this child was somewhat extraordinary, he still couldn't believe that this search would be so easy. After glancing at the crowd, he said, "White Lion's actions alone don't prove anything, do they?"
"But the fact that holding the prayer beads and they reacted to my dzi bead bracelet should say something, right?"
To be honest, before coming here and even after setting off, Zhuang Rui didn't really believe in reincarnation. He thought that when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; there's only this life, so how could there be a past life? However, the little guy's actions just now made Zhuang Rui's belief waver.
Children like to grab things, which is understandable, but why specifically Buddhist prayer beads? And why does it smile when it sees me and the white lion? What does that signify? Could it be that reincarnation truly exists in the unseen world?
Zhuang Rui was somewhat bewildered at this moment. Although his eyes were strange, he couldn't quite accept the idea of gods and Buddhas. If there really were gods protecting them, why didn't these powerful beings wipe out the Japanese with a single breath more than half a century ago?
"Perhaps it is people's beliefs that alter the magnetic field through brainwaves, causing many incomprehensible things?"
After thinking for a long time, Zhuang Rui, with a more scientific approach, came up with a seemingly plausible answer for himself.
Scientists have confirmed that when a person concentrates on thinking about something, their brainwaves become unusually active. If the person is mentally strong, it can even affect the magnetic field within a certain range around them.
"Xiao Zhuang, Zhuang Rui, did you hear me?"
Zhuang Rui, who was deep in thought, was suddenly interrupted by Suo Nan. He looked up, slightly bewildered, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "Brother Suo Nan, I was just thinking about something and got distracted. What are you talking about?"
Suo Nan looked at Zhuang Rui with a mix of amusement and exasperation. The two were less than a meter apart, yet Zhuang Rui could still be distracted while talking so close.
"I said the child is too young to determine whether he is a reincarnated lama, but based on the examination just now, he is definitely one of the candidates for reincarnation..."
Suo Nan paused here, thought for a moment, and then continued, "How about this, you tell them you want to see the snow-capped mountains, and we'll stay in this village for a few more days..."
Even candidates are very important to Sonam. When they were searching for the reincarnation of the Panchen Lama, six or seven teams searched for six years before finding three candidates for the reincarnation.
"One of the candidates? There's a candidate for this one too?"
Zhuang Rui asked, somewhat puzzled, "No one has ever told me about this."
Suo Nan looked at Zhuang Rui strangely. He didn't know how someone like Zhuang Rui, who knew nothing about the reincarnation process, had managed to get into the search team.
However, Suo Nan still explained to Zhuang Rui, "Of course there need to be candidates. When we were searching for the 11th Panchen Lama, there were three candidates, all of whom had the potential to become the reincarnation. After multiple assessments and communication with high-ranking monks, the current Panchen Lama was selected... However, the other two were also people with a karmic connection to Buddhism, and they were sent to temples afterward and are now studying at Buddhist academies..."
"Alright, Brother Suonan, since you're the team leader and you say it's a candidate, then it's a candidate. I'm going back to Beijing in a few days. Finding a candidate for a reincarnated lama makes this trip worthwhile..."
Zhuang Rui smiled. He had a strange feeling about the child, but the little guy was too young to express his emotions. Perhaps, as Suo Nan said, he should list him as a candidate first and observe him more carefully when he grows up.
Moreover, as Suonan just mentioned, when the reincarnated Panchen Lama first met the search team, he pointed to someone and said he knew him, and pointed to a Buddhist artifact in the artifact's hand, saying that the artifact was originally placed in Tashilhunpo Monastery. His behavior was even more astonishing than that of the child.
"Tell the villagers I'm staying for a few days..."
Zhuang Rui returned to the crowd while talking to Suo Nan. There were still two children who hadn't been seen yet.
Back in the crowd, Zhuang Rui saw a group of people pointing at his white lion and seemingly talking about something. He couldn't help but ask curiously, "What are you talking about?"
When Jiacuo saw Zhuang Rui return, he quickly said, "Little Zhuang, they say that when this child was born, someone saw a Tibetan Mastiff come down from the snow-capped mountains. It was also pure white, but much smaller than yours. Some people believe it, and some don't, and they're arguing about it now..."
"What? You saw a snow mastiff that looks just like a white lion?"
Zhuang Rui was stunned when he heard Jiacuo's words. This was even more shocking than when he discovered that the child seemed to be a reincarnated lama. You see, the idea of finding a wife for the white lion had been troubling Zhuang Rui for a long time.
"Who was it? Who saw it?"
Zhuang Rui, no longer caring about the remaining two children, asked loudly.
Gyatso said to a Tibetan man in his forties, "Dawa, you were the one who said you saw it, right?"
The man nodded, walked up to Zhuang Rui, and said in broken Chinese, gesturing as he spoke, "Tibetan Mastiff, white, this big, female..."
“Brother Gyatso, can you ask him how he knew that Tibetan mastiff was female?”