Chapter Fourteen: Throwing Oneself to the Ground

  The day Buddha should appear has finally arrived.

  Although today's weather forecast is sunny, it was overcast and sunny in the morning, and after lunch, it was the same. This made Lu Zhengdong's heart inevitably a little nervous. The more he waited, the more anxious he became, and if Luo Jinming's face twitched once more, the chance of success would be reduced by one time.

  After lunch, Lu Zhengdong still picked up Tong Da and his party at Guiyun Temple.

  The boss of Tongda is surnamed Zeng, and besides Manager Li, there was another man accompanying Mr. and Mrs. Zeng, who looked like a seasoned professional at first glance. In this day and age, anyone who can afford to bring a bodyguard must be quite wealthy.

  Song Zhen Fang Zhang had a brief courtesy meeting, then went to attend to his duties. Lu Zhengdong and Yi Zhi Ke Seng accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Zeng on a tour of the temple, where Mrs. Zeng showed great piety towards Buddhism, bowing to every Buddha statue they encountered.

  After the visit, the knowing guest monk of Guiyuan Temple presented fragrant tea. Lu Zhengdong accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Zeng Tongda and Manager Li to sit in the pavilion in the front courtyard of the Grand Hall, where they chatted while drinking tea and waiting for the time to arrive.

  The autumn wind was rising, and the clouds floating above his head were also slowly dispersing. The azure sky and the warm sunshine made Lu Zhengdong's heart slightly more at ease.

  The time has come, and everyone involuntarily gets up and walks slowly towards the main hall.

  Monks in yellow robes have begun to chant scriptures, the sound of which is clear and low, continuous and uninterrupted, making people involuntarily solemn.

  Everyone was filled with expectation, and they couldn't help but stare at the space between the Buddha's eyebrows.

  Luojinming was even more nervous, having spent over 20,000 yuan and so much time on this, it all comes down to these few short minutes.

  The wait was always very long, just when everyone felt it had been a long time, a bright light suddenly appeared on the face of the Buddha statue without warning. It quickly shone on the two eyebrows of the Buddha statue, and a brilliant light instantly poured onto the objects being consecrated, illuminating the glowing bodies on them, like a spark that ignited a large basin of fire. The entire consecration tower suddenly emitted a dazzling array of colorful lights.

  With the majestic and elegant Buddha statues, the faintly rising sandalwood incense, the solemn monks, and the chanting voices that pierce through to the soul, a breathtaking scene is formed.

  Everyone present looked at the scene with a solemn expression, an unbelievable look, and Mr. and Mrs. Zeng couldn't help but kneel down in front of the Buddha statue, piously kneeling.

  It was a complete success!

  It's worth it to have such an effect. Lu Zhengdong couldn't hide the joy in his heart either...

  ——————————

  After the opening ceremony ended, Mrs. Zeng politely said a word to him after coming back from shock.

  "Mr. Lu, Mr. Luo, may I have a word with you?"

  Lu Zhengdong nodded, and Zeng's wife had found them, definitely to discuss the launch of new products.

  The three of them walked into the pavilion in the courtyard. After they sat down, Mrs. Zeng said straightforwardly:

  "Mr. Lu, Mr. Luo, my husband and I have come from afar to visit the Gu Yun Temple with sincerity and piety to pay respects to the Buddha. The Tong Da company is something I do in my spare time, actually it's mainly for praying for the Buddha's blessing for my husband's business to be smooth and successful. I have an impolite request, I'd like to give all these blessed items to my husband. Please, Mr. Lu and Mr. Luo, grant me this wish."

  Lu Zhengdong hesitated for a moment before saying:

  "Mrs. Zeng and Mr. Zeng have a deep affection for each other, it's really touching. If we can make it happen, we will definitely try our best to make it happen. Director Luo, this time let's just give everything to Mrs. Zeng, and let the Southeast Asian side wait for the next opportunity, what do you think?"

  Southeast Asian businessmen are just an excuse for Lu Zhengdong to raise prices. Seeing Zeng's wife say so, Lu Zhengdong naturally took advantage of the momentum to go downhill.

  Luojinming naturally had nothing to say, he was a man who looked up to Lu Zhengdong in everything, and simply nodded.

  Since Mrs. Zeng is collecting it herself, she can't use the business method of haggling over prices. Lu Zhengdong thought for a moment and looked at Mrs. Zeng before saying:

  "This price... I think it's like this, just based on Mrs. Zeng's sincerity towards the master and her piety towards Buddha, it's also something that commands respect. However, the Guanyin Temple urgently needs donations for repairs, which Mrs. Zeng has also seen. As for Director Luo's side, in order to cooperate with Tongda in the future, we must show our sincerity, even if it means lending a hand. So, let's just say 18.8 million, what do you think, Mrs. Zeng?"

  Luojinming nearly spat out the water he had just swallowed when he heard this.

  These products, plus the cost of opening and giving to Guiyun Temple, etc., are only around 3 million at most. As for the renovation costs of Guiyun Temple, according to the agreement with Guiyun Temple, it's at most 1 million. One hundred and eighty-eight million? After deducting these costs, the craft factory can still make a profit of 15 million. Lu Zhengdong is really bold, Madam Zeng will definitely not agree.

  It was even more unexpected for Luo Jinming that Zeng's wife had a relaxed expression on her face:

  "This trip is really worth it, thank you Mr. Lu and Luo for your hard work... It's too tiring for the two of you to handle this matter, this is just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it..."

  Luojinming watched as Mrs. Zeng took out two large red envelopes, and he couldn't help but feel even more puzzled: Mrs. Zeng was a craftswoman who had just been taken advantage of in such a big way, yet she still wanted to give red envelopes to Lu Zhongdong and him?

  Later, Hongbao, Lu Zhengdong would definitely not accept it, so he politely declined:

  "Mrs. Zeng, this is not right. If we accept your things, then we would be making a mistake, and I'm sure you wouldn't want us to make mistakes and get punished either. You have that intention...then just donate it to the temple."

  Lu Zhengdong believed that Luo Jinming would not think he had blocked his way to wealth either. The craft factory earned over a million, and Luo Jinming must have taken a lot. Seeing their resolute attitude, Zeng's wife could only give up.

  Lu Zhengdong hesitated for a moment before continuing:

  "Master Zeng's wife, Master Songchan has entrusted me to pass on a message to you and your husband: 'The willow trees in the flower city are so sorrowful that they kill people, but with the eastern wind comes a spring in full bloom.' I had to use great effort to get Master Songchan to explain it clearly. Mr. Zeng's wealth is in the West, which means on the mainland. Although the overall situation is still unclear at present, the mist will soon clear up. It would be best for Mr. Zeng to make good plans within the next year or two. If he seizes the opportunity, when the overall situation changes, he will rise to great heights all at once."

  Luk Ching-tong fabricated this speech in the name of Cheung Man Yuen, and there are reasons for that. As 1997 is approaching, many Hong Kong people cannot see clearly the future of Hong Kong. In a special year like 1990, many Hong Kong people also cannot see clearly the direction of domestic policies. Many rich men and entrepreneurs in Hong Kong hold an attitude of watching and waiting.

  And he knew how the sequel would develop, in the spring of '92 a famous "The East Wind Brings Spring to My Eyes" spread the Nanxiang speech throughout the country, triggering a new round of reform and opening up. If Mr. Zeng made a lot of money, he would not forget Guiyuan Temple, nor would he forget this "nobleman" who brought him news, maybe in the future he could still help him out, if such a good opportunity couldn't make money, then no one could be blamed.

  Zeng's wife was overjoyed when she heard the news and immediately expressed her intention to donate an additional 800,000 to the Guiyun Temple.

  Mr. Zeng and his party left with great joy, and Master Songchan also couldn't hide his delight. He quickly raised nearly 200,000 yuan in donations, far exceeding his expectations, so he kept expressing his gratitude to Lu Zhengdong.

  Out of the Guiyun Temple, Luo Jinming was so happy that his mouth couldn't be closed, and his face was smiling all over. All the previous resentment towards Lu Zhengdong's "extravagance" had been thrown away to Java.

  "Director Lu, over 15 million! This time we made a profit of over 15 million! Each and every one of them became a scapegoat yet still wants to be grateful, Director Lu, you're really something..."

  Lu Zhengdong smiled, one hundred and eighty-eight million, this price is not cheap either. But with the information Lu Zhengdong borrowed from Song Chan, Mrs. Zeng's one hundred and eighty-eight million was well worth it. As for Guiyunt Temple, not only did it solve the urgent need for repair funds, but it also gained a way to make money, and it would be strange if they didn't feel grateful...

  Luojinming looked at Lu Zhengdong, who was smiling but not speaking, with a calm face. In his heart, he also felt a lot of emotion. He had never thought that he could make so much money in his dreams, but Lu Zhengdong not only achieved it, but also made others feel grateful. It's really true that heroes are born young...