Chapter 7: I’m Going Out to Find a Part-Time Job
“Shijian, I don’t mean for you to become a monk, so you don’t need to rush to cover your hair like that.” Yu Hui chuckled after seeing my gesture of covering my head.
“Uh? Oh, I understand. You mean I don’t need to worry about reciting Sanskrit that I can’t even pronounce, right? Honestly, I’m not particularly intelligent. Understanding profound Buddhist scriptures is like playing a lute to a cow for me. Memorizing them is one thing, but comprehending them is another. It’s asking too much of me. Therefore, what I’m going to teach you isn’t that kind of Buddhism. It’s a practical approach called the ‘One Thought Mantra’.”
“One Thought Mantra?”
“It’s a practical Buddhist method, not even complicated by scripture. It’s simple, but there are two conditions. First, you have to pause for three seconds after mentally reciting a number before reciting the next. Second, you must not think about anything other than the numbers during that time. If you violate either of these conditions, you have to start over from the beginning until you’ve counted to one hundred.”
“That sounds pretty simple. Can it really suppress my evil thoughts?” I raised an eyebrow and looked at Yu Hui questioningly, surprised it was such an ‘ordinary’ method.
Yu Hui just smiled and didn’t reply. “You’ll know once you try it.”
“I understand. I’ll try it now.” While I count, I wonder what Yu Hui will be doing beside me. Could there be some hidden meaning to this? Well, I’ll try it first.
I closed my eyes and started counting from one to one hundred.
“One… Right, I need to pause for three seconds. I have to start over.”
“…Ugh, I have to start again.”
“…I don’t know if I paused for three seconds. I can’t gauge the time interval properly.”
“….. .. … ….. Where did I get to just now?”
Realizing I couldn’t even count to twenty, I opened my eyes and said dejectedly. “This is unexpectedly difficult…”
I underestimated this ‘One Thought Mantra’. The hardest part is not thinking about anything other than numbers. I consider myself a stable person and don’t usually have wandering thoughts, but I keep thinking about whether I paused for three seconds or not. Because of the required three-second pause, it’s easy to get distracted and think about other things, leading to a reset.
Yu Hui seemed to have expected me to hit a wall. She curved her lips and said, “That’s precisely why it can help you eliminate distractions and suppress your evil desires.”
“So that’s why… If I could actually count to one hundred in five minutes, I guess all my desires would disappear. I’d be able to control my own spirit.”
“Indeed, this method is very effective. If I can continuously count like this in five-minute cycles, it’s much easier to understand Buddhist scriptures than memorizing them. It’s essentially a method of diverting attention. It’s more suitable for me than memorizing scriptures. More importantly, because the method is simple, I can start anytime. If I had to recite scriptures in an emergency, I might not even be able to recall them.”
“However, there’s still one drawback. This is just a preventative measure, isn’t it? What if I don’t even have a chance to count?”
Yu Hui nodded. “It’s almost impossible for you to break free from that state on your own once you’re in it. So, you just need to take preventative measures. If you really make a mistake, I’ll slap your face. Just two slaps should do.”
“Then I’ll count on you, Yu Hui. Don’t hold back when it happens.”
“I understand. I need to set a standard for myself too. To what extent should I guard against it? Touching a girl starts it? No, that’ll be too late. Hmm, five fingers… I’ve finally decided that whenever my eyes can’t help but stare somewhere, I’ll close my eyes and enter the ‘One Thought Mantra’ state. Thinking about it, thighs, underwear… the back should be included too, and the stomach and neck, clavicle… Oh my god! This is so hard! The feeling of wanting to look but having to restrain myself is agonizing. I might as well gouge out my eyes and perhaps awaken my ‘cosmic power’ and the eighth sense.”
“Sigh… I’m overthinking it, really. It’s just that recently, there have been quite a few girls gathering around me, so I have to strengthen my defenses a bit. My good fortune in romance must also be influenced by my past life. But then again, is there no way to fundamentally get rid of this?”
“Well, the ‘One Thought Mantra’ is…” Yu Hui hesitated and then turned her head away, her face flushed, pointing. “There is one method that solves everything once and for all—”
“What? What method is there? Please tell me,” I said eagerly.
Yu Hui hesitated for a moment, then turned her head away, her face flushed, and pointed. “That is to cut off… that place.”
“…Self-castration. As expected, it’s a method that solves everything once and for all. I won’t practice the ‘Sunflower Manual’. If I can’t show off after cutting it off, I’d rather not. But the family lineage can’t end with me. Our An family has only one son, and it can’t stop with me. This is a headache. Do I really have to live a life of abstinence?”
“Don’t worry. Please believe me, Yu Hui will definitely find a perfect solution within the allotted time!”
“Thank you. You always help me so much, I don’t know what to say. Is there anything you want? Don’t hesitate to say it, no matter what it is. If I can do it, I will surely fulfill your wish. I will never forget others’ kindness. Yu Hui has helped me so much; she even took a knife for me once. That’s already a huge debt of gratitude.”
“This is what I should do. Tell me what you want.” Yu Hui still shook her head, waving her hands to refuse.
“Ah, this is troublesome. Let me put it this way. Shijian, I now command you to tell me what you want!”
“Didn’t you say you would listen to anything I say? If that’s the case, then this should be fine.” It’s strange to have to command someone to accept a reward.
Yu Hui heard my command and no longer refused, lowering her head nervously and fiddling with her hands. “…Yes, I want…”
“Huh?” I only heard one syllable; the rest was too quiet. I asked again because I didn’t hear clearly.
Yu Hui immediately recoiled like a startled kitten, her face red, and retreated to the corner. “N-no! I don’t want a kiss! …. It’s not because Jiang Xueqing kissed you many times, and I just because… there’s absolutely nothing like that! It’s not because I felt competitive with Sister Lianbing that I agreed to this!”
I immediately bit the tip of my tongue and then covered my mouth in pain, realizing I had said something I shouldn’t have. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Hehe-” She unexpectedly showed a cute side. She’s not bad at lying; she just can’t hide her true feelings. This makes me feel a little embarrassed.
“Well, then let’s fulfill that wish! I immediately closed my eyes, counted for a bit, and then reopened my eyes, scratching my head sheepishly at Yu Hui. “Uh, you know my mental state is a bit… so… can we change it to something else?”
“I’m sorry, I really can’t do that.”
“No! It’s not your fault! I had an inappropriate thought and caused you trouble! I’m truly sorry!”
“Don’t worry, calm down first.” Yu Hui took several deep breaths, calmed herself, and looked at me again. “There are only two of us here, and if anyone saw this, they might think badly of us. So, what I just said doesn’t count. I’ll officially state my wish now… Can you go on a date with me?”
Of course, if you’re unwilling or don’t have the time—”
A date, that’s something I can manage. So I agreed. “A date? No problem, I’m available anytime.”
Yu Hui beamed upon hearing my agreement and bowed gratefully. “Thank you very much.”
“Leave it to me.” I also agreed to go on a date with Lianbing. Whether it’s once or twice, I’ll handle it perfectly! So, we’re back to the original problem. I need to find a part-time job to fund our date.
I need money for the date, but I don’t think most jobs are suitable. There are job紹介 services, but I’d prefer something I can do at home. I really don’t want to hand out flyers or deliver food. As for tutoring, I’m not skilled enough to teach others yet. My grades are only average. So, working part-time at a fast-food restaurant or a supermarket might be better. In any case, I’ll go out and look for now. Even if I stay home, the part-time job won’t come to me. It’s still early, so I’ll go out and wander around.
“Lord Juncheng, are you still going out?” Yu Hui handed me my keys and phone and asked.
“Yeah, I think I’ll go out and find a part-time job.”
“Part-time… Is there anything you want?”
“Not really. Just to save up some funds. By the way, when I was in the hospital, Kaoru Tsukiyose brought my jacket and wallet. She said it was for medical expenses. Although she returned my wallet, the money inside was gone. Xueqing told me she used it to buy props for cosplay. If she cosplays characters like Dream Eater from “Manga X-Files” or something, the resemblance would be incredibly high. I wonder when her next exhibition is. Maybe I’ll go join the fun.”
“Can I follow you?”
“Sure. If I can’t control myself, you can slap me.” I straightened my collar and said to Yu Hui in a joking tone. “But don’t follow me around like a stalker 24 hours a day. If it’s nighttime, I’ll just go home, and I’ll go home obediently too.”
“I know my limits and won’t inconvenience your daily life. You can rest assured, my Lord.”
“Yes, you’re the one I trust the most. You’re at the same level as Xueqing and my family.”
After putting on my clothes, I put on my glasses and walked to the room door. I was about to say something to Yu Hui, but she had already disappeared. She’s really elusive. Does she only appear when I need her? She’s practically Doraemon. Well, I should head out now and find a part-time job.
