"Director Dai, how about this? I'll think about it for two days. If I can find the time, I'll go. If I really don't have time, I'll give you this dzi bead bracelet to take with you..."
Recalling the late Jampa Lodro Living Buddha, Zhuang Rui pictured the kind old monk who couldn't speak Chinese. Putting everything else aside, he felt he should do his part in gifting this string of dzi beads.
However, Zhuang Rui didn't give a definitive answer. He still needed to go back and discuss it with Qin Xuanbing, and make arrangements for the work at the museum before he could make the trip. Now he was no longer alone; he had a career and a family, and he couldn't just leave whenever he wanted like before.
"Okay, Mr. Zhuang, thank you so much..."
After receiving Zhuang Rui's reply, Deputy Director Dai was pleased and shook hands with Zhuang Rui.
His attitude aroused curiosity among the staff members nearby, who were puzzled by Zhuang Rui's identity. Deputy Director Dai, who always sat in his office with an official air, was being so polite to a young man.
However, after seeing the mansion where Zhuang Rui lived, the accompanying staff members understood. Being able to live in such a large mansion covering thousands of square meters in such a central location is not something that can be achieved simply by having money.
After exchanging business cards with Deputy Director Dai and seeing the others off, Zhuang Rui frowned slightly in distress and turned to walk towards the Intermediate People's Court.
The courtyard has been unusually lively these past few days, with several families moving in: Liu Chuan and his wife, Zhao Guodong and his wife, and Ouyang Jun and his wife who are also staying and refusing to leave. Every day, the garden in the middle courtyard is filled with the sounds of people chatting and children playing.
The white lion, who was getting annoyed by Nannan's harassment, immediately went to greet Zhuang Rui when he came in. However, it seemed to sense that Zhuang Rui was in a bad mood, so it did not play with him and quietly followed behind him.
"Honey, what's wrong?"
Qin Xuanbing has woken up from her afternoon nap and is currently sitting in the pavilion by the pond talking with Xu Qing and Lei Lei. Without a doubt, the famous Xu Qing is sharing her experience with the two newly pregnant women.
When a woman doesn't have children, she definitely puts her husband first. Qin Xuanbing was no exception. When she saw Zhuang Rui walking over with a worried look on his face, she immediately asked him a question.
Zhuang Rui walked into the pavilion and sat down next to Qin Xuanbing, casually replying, "It's nothing. People from the Religious Affairs Bureau just contacted me, wanting me to go to Tibet to participate in a ceremony before the search for the reincarnation of the Living Buddha Qiangba Luozhu. I'm considering whether to go or not..."
Although it was July or August, the hottest and most humid month, there was a tall locust tree next to the pavilion. Its dense foliage blocked out the sunlight, and with two vents facing the wind, it was very cool to sit inside.
"Zhuang Rui, it's not that I'm criticizing you, but Xuanbing is pregnant. You can't go out and run around. You should stay home and take good care of Xuanbing..."
Upon hearing Zhuang Rui's words, Xu Qing immediately stood up for Qin Xuanbing.
"Yeah, old classmate, I also have to say something to you. I haven't seen you for seven or eight days. If Xuanxuan hadn't mentioned it yesterday, you probably wouldn't even know yet, right? You're so careless..."
Lei Lei also joined in the verbal attack on Zhuang Rui. Three women make a drama, and all of them are women Zhuang Rui can't afford to offend, which made Zhuang Rui extremely resentful. Where are Ouyang Jun and Liu Chuan? Why don't they discipline their wives properly?
"Sister-in-law, old classmate, I didn't say I was going..."
Zhuang Rui smiled wryly. His mother didn't know about this yet, otherwise she would definitely have given him a good scolding.
"Zhuang Rui, it's not that serious. I'm newly pregnant and my mom is taking care of me. I just need to be careful. If you want to go, then go ahead..."
Qin Xuanbing's words surprised Zhuang Rui. Everyone says that pregnant women need their men's company the most. How could his wife be so understanding?
Not only Zhuang Rui didn't understand, but Xu Qing and Lei Lei also stared wide-eyed at Qin Xuanbing in bewilderment.
"Why are you all looking at me like that? This is what I'm thinking: Zhuang Rui's involvement in the search for the reincarnation of the Living Buddha is a great act of merit. It can pray for our unborn child, so that our baby can grow up healthy..."
As Qin Xuanbing spoke, she gently touched her still-flat stomach, her face radiating maternal glow.
There are many Tibetan Buddhists in Hong Kong and Macau, and many of them are lay Buddhists who are engaged in worldly affairs. Some wealthy lay Buddhists even invite masters from Tibet to their homes to preach and support them.
Qin Xuanbing's family are all believers in Tibetan Buddhism, so she certainly wouldn't object to something as meritorious as finding a reincarnated child.
"That's true..."
Upon hearing the prayers for the baby, the other two women, radiating maternal warmth, nodded in agreement. For them, the baby in their womb was now the most important thing; their husbands and such could be temporarily set aside.
"This isn't urgent. Let's discuss it with Mom later..."
Zhuang Rui was initially reluctant to go, but after hearing his wife say that it was a meritorious deed, he hesitated. Although the so-called meritorious deed was ethereal and intangible, it didn't mean that it didn't exist.
That evening, Zhuang Rui brought up the matter with his mother, and Ouyang Wan nodded in agreement. As someone who had been through it all, she naturally knew that being newly pregnant wouldn't affect anything, and Zhuang Rui didn't need to serve her every day.
On the other hand, Ouyang Wan also didn't feel comfortable letting her clumsy son serve her wife.
"Brother Huangfu, is our VIP system ready yet?"
After spending a day at home with his wife, Zhuang Rui drove to the museum the next day. It would be a bit unreasonable for the boss, Zhuang Rui, not to show up during the museum's opening period.
"Hey Mr. Zhuang, other business owners care about their companies' performance, but you're something else entirely, you didn't even ask about yesterday's sales..."
Sitting in his deputy director's office, Huangfu Yun turned on his computer as he spoke, saying, "Take a look for yourself. The webpage is very simple; just add some sections. I've had a VIP page set up inside; you can log in with your account later..."
"Hmm, not bad. Have someone call everyone who attended the opening ceremony and give them their corresponding VIP account number. By the way, what was yesterday's revenue?"
While browsing the web, Zhuang Rui casually asked, not that he didn't care, but he was just too busy. Besides, if the business were really doing so badly, he believed Huangfu Yun would have called him long ago.
"Yesterday we had a total of 13,000 visitors, and the total revenue was 650,000 RMB. My friend, our museum has more visitors than many national museums..."
Huangfu Yun was a little excited. Before returning to China, he never expected that Zhuang Rui's museum would be so large, and with Zhuang Rui's connections and background, it would be difficult for it not to make money.
"Brother Huangfu, things will definitely be better in the first few days after opening. After a while, tourists will return. It would be good if we could maintain five or six thousand visitors a day. Don't have too high expectations..."
Zhuang Rui was naturally happy that the museum could make money, but he had already decided that all the museum's income would be used to purchase antiques to enrich the collection, so he wasn't too excited.
Huangfu Yun nodded and said, "I know that. Tourism also has peak seasons. If we seize a few peak seasons, we can boost ticket sales for the whole year, and also..."
Zhuang Rui waved his hand to interrupt Huangfu Yun, saying, "Brother Huangfu, don't tell me these things. How to run the business is your business, I won't interfere. I'm going to Tibet the day after tomorrow, and I don't know how long I'll be gone. I just came to let you know..."
"You little rascal, you're just a hands-off boss, aren't you?"
Huangfu Yun shook his head speechlessly. He now understood that Zhuang Rui had already filled all the management positions in the museum, intending to wash his hands of the business.
Chapter 719 Journey to Tibet (Part 2)
"Mr. Zhuang, I am Yang Kaiwen from the Tibet Religious Affairs Bureau. Welcome to Tibet..."
After Zhuang Rui's private jet came to a stop at Lhasa Airport, he had just stepped out of the cabin when a middle-aged man of short stature, about 1.7 meters tall, came to greet him.
Zhuang Rui glanced at Yang Kaiwen. The man was in his early forties. Although he was not tall, he had a resolute expression. You could tell from his eyes and brows that he was a very principled person. His face was slightly red from the high altitude, which meant that he had probably been in Tibet for some years.
"Director Yang, hello. Sending someone to pick me up would have been fine. How could I trouble you with your presence..."
Zhuang Rui extended his hand and shook hands with Yang Kaiwen. Before coming to Tibet, he had spoken with Yang Kaiwen on the phone and knew that this man was in charge of all religious affairs and communication between the government and Tibet.
"Mr. Zhuang, you're too kind. It's only right..." Yang Kaiwen was also sizing up the young man in front of him. The leaders of the General Administration had repeatedly instructed him to receive Zhuang Rui with the highest level of hospitality. He was also a little curious about this person's background. Why would the Jokhang Temple and the government leaders value him so much?
Zhuang Rui's clothes looked ordinary, but Yang Kaiwen could tell that the fabric was quite fine. Moreover, this young man exuded an air of authority, and his aura was no weaker than his own.
Moreover, the words "Xuanrui" on Zhuang Rui's plane indicate that it is a private jet. Yang Kaiwen had only seen people traveling on private jets when he was hosting a super-rich man from Hong Kong, which made Zhuang Rui even more mysterious in Yang Kaiwen's mind.
"Mr. Zhuang, please get in the car. Let's talk at the hotel. Wow... such a big Tibetan Mastiff!"
Just as Yang Kaiwen was about to let Zhuang Rui get into the car, a Tibetan mastiff with snow-white fur jumped out of the cabin. It seemed to be feeling uncomfortable in the cabin, and as soon as it got off the plane, it raised its head and let out a low growl.
The white lion's roar wasn't very loud, but it carried far in the open airport. After the sound reached the airport, a flock of birds were startled and took flight. This kind of sound is unaffected by human ears, but it is extremely deadly to animals.
Due to his work, Yang Kaiwen often visits temples in Tibetan areas and is familiar with Tibetan mastiffs. He could tell at a glance that this snow mastiff was of purebred quality, and it would be difficult to find another one like it even in Tibet.
"Old friend, you've really nailed this calculation..."
Zhuang Rui reached out and beckoned the white lion over, patting its head twice. The plateau is the Tibetan Mastiff's home, the grassland is its living space, and fighting with jackals, tigers, and leopards is its nature. Zhuang Rui could hear the meaning behind the white lion's roar.
It was a wild, untamed energy returning to nature. Although it hadn't lived here for long, the white lion knew that this land under the sky was its territory. That roar represented the return of the king, and the white lion's announcement of its arrival.
After calming Bai Shi down, Zhuang Rui looked at the crew members disembarking and said, "Old He, Old Ding, you two go back to Beijing first. Peng Fei can stay here. I'll let you know in advance when I get back..."
"Understood, Mr. Zhuang. We'll head back after we fill up the gas tank later..."
He Shuang nodded in agreement. To be honest, working with Zhuang Rui was really comfortable. In nearly half a year, he only did four or five jobs, but he still got paid in full.
Flight attendants like Liuli and Tianya, if they weren't already married, they might have wanted to pursue a relationship with Zhuang Rui. Where can you find someone young, rich, and generous like him?
"Yes, thank you for your hard work, please be careful..."
Zhuang Rui patted He Shuang on the shoulder and gave him a few instructions. The reason he was taking his private plane to Tibet was to bring Bai Shi along. However, this trip was considered official business, and if Zhuang Rui was shameless enough, he could get the fuel and airfare reimbursed by the Religious Affairs Bureau. ...
Returning to Lhasa, Zhuang Rui felt as if he had been to another world. Almost two years had passed in the blink of an eye. Lhasa was still as quiet as ever, the sky was still as blue as ever, and the people coming and going on the streets still smiled with such pure and simple joy.
Unlike the bustling and tense inland cities, the specific geographical environment makes the pace of life in Tibet very slow. Here, you won't see white-collar workers rushing by with briefcases, nor will you see loud vendors. Everything seems so harmonious and peaceful.
"Mr. Zhuang, we've arrived..."
The car finally stopped after driving for nearly an hour. Zhuang Rui looked out the window and realized that they were almost out of Lhasa. He had originally thought he would be staying in a hotel near the Jokhang Temple.
"This is the bureau's house in Lhasa, used to entertain VIPs..."
Yang Kaiwen glanced at Zhuang Rui cautiously, afraid that he might be dissatisfied.
"Director Yang, thank you so much. It's really kind of you. Actually, staying near the Jokhang Temple would be fine. I stayed there last time..."
Looking around, it was a villa area. Each villa occupied a large area and was separated from the others by thirty or forty meters. The lawns were lush and the environment was very nice. After getting out of the car, White Lion ran around the villa, presumably to mark out his territory.
Zhuang Rui suddenly remembered that night he spent in Lhasa, when he first kissed Qin Xuanbing. Their ambiguous relationship was broken after that night.
"Mr. Zhuang, Mr. Zhuang?"
Yang Kaiwen was leading the way, but after taking seven or eight steps, he looked back and saw Zhuang Rui still standing there in a daze, so he called out to Zhuang Rui a few times.
"Ah? Sorry, Director Yang, I was just wandering off when I was revisiting this place..."
After hearing Yang Kaiwen's shout, Zhuang Rui came to his senses, shook his head with a smile, and followed. Tibet not only brought him love, but also the first upgrade of his spirituality in his eyes happened here.
"Mr. Zhuang, please rest for a bit. I'll pick you up for dinner tonight and tell you about the itinerary for the next few days..."
After leading Zhuang Rui into the house, Yang Kaiwen was about to take his leave. The 11th Panchen Lama, who was only sixteen years old the next day, would be visiting the Jokhang Temple. He needed to make some arrangements in advance, as this was a very important political task.
The Religious Affairs Administration of Tibet is a key department in the national religious work, and the administration itself has a great deal of authority. For events like the Panchen Lama's travels, the administration is responsible for security. If even the slightest problem occurs, it would be a huge blunder.
"Okay, Director Yang, please go ahead with your work..."
Zhuang Rui nodded. Yang Kaiwen had been on more than a dozen phone calls in the car, he was extremely busy. Zhuang Rui was not so arrogant as to need the head of a bureau to accompany him.
"Peng Fei, how about a cigarette?"
Zhuang Rui sat on the sofa in the living room of the villa, took out a pack of cigarettes, and tossed one to Peng Fei with a wicked grin.
People who come to Tibet for the first time will find it difficult to adjust, let alone smoke, and they will be out of breath even if they run a few steps quickly. Zhuang Rui was deliberately teasing Peng Fei.
Peng Fei took the cigarette without saying a word, lit it with a lighter, took a deep drag, and said, "Brother Zhuang, with the training I received, I could easily do a five-kilometer cross-country run here, let alone smoke on the plateau..."
Zhuang Rui laughed and cursed, "That's pretty freakish, you're on par with White Lion..."
"Brother Zhuang, you're not bad either. You've smoked quite a few cigarettes by now, haven't you?"
To be honest, Peng Fei was extremely envious of Zhuang Rui's physique. From the last trip to the Savage Mountain, Peng Fei knew that apart from lacking experience in wilderness survival, Zhuang Rui's physical fitness was far superior to his own.
"Don't compare yourself to me. I'll have kids soon, do you?"
Zhuang Rui laughed smugly. When it came to endurance, he believed that no one in the world could compare to him. If he got tired, he could just use his spiritual energy to recover. In any case, with the amount of spiritual energy he had now, he could easily have a full-body massage.
"Alright, I'm not going to argue with you anymore. What you did was called premarital pregnancy..."