Chapter 108: There Was Once A Mountain
“Once upon a time there was a mountain, and on that mountain there was a temple. In the temple there was an old monk and a young monk. The old monk told the young monk a little story: Once upon a time there was a mountain, and on that mountain there was a temple. In the temple there was an old monk and a young monk. The old monk told the young monk a little story…” Lin Ling lay on the recliner, holding a six- or seven-year-old girl in his arms, and the girl held a lazy big black cat in hers.
The little girl looked at Lin Ling, who was tirelessly repeating the nested story, with a shocked gaze, and said incredulously, “Boss Brother, are you just trying to brush me off like this?”
“First-grade classmate Li Yuning, please put your hand on your conscience.” Lin Ling said seriously, “Where did I brush you off? Look, I’ve been going back and forth telling it to you for more than ten minutes. If I really wanted to brush you off, could I talk for so long?”
“…But you’ve been telling the same repeating story.” Li Yuning fell somewhat silent. It seemed she also felt that, in terms of the time spent telling the story, the other party’s behavior wasn’t brushing her off, but she still pouted, saying somewhat aggrievedly.
Lin Ling shook his head and smiled, “This is exactly my purpose.”
Li Yuning was bewildered: “Huh?”
Lin Ling gently stroked Li Yuning’s soft head, “Old Li, or has your teacher taught you that if you can’t sleep, besides listening to stories, you can also count sheep?”
Li Yuning nodded.
“Same reason.” Lin Ling said righteously, “It sounds like I’m telling a repeating story, but actually I’m achieving a hypnosis purpose just like counting sheep.”
“Is that so?”
“Just say, does it make sense?”
“Um… it seems to make sense.” Li Yuning fell into thought.
“Look how soundly Little Black is sleeping. That’s the magic of my story.” Lin Ling squinted his eyes and sighed, lifting his chin in a somewhat proud manner that looked a bit profound and inscrutable.
“I get it.” Li Yuning looked at the big black cat in her arms, nodded in a dazed understanding, then handed the cat back to Lin Ling, jumped down from him, and ran with small steps to Li Jiahong’s side, who had been watching the whole time and chuckling darkly. She shook his hand and said obediently, “Father, then I’ll go back and sleep well by myself, and I won’t disturb you and Boss Brother at work.”
“Go on, go on. And don’t always cling to your Boss Brother in the future.” Li Jiahong gently stroked his daughter’s little head and said, “Didn’t you say you’re a little lady? A little lady can’t always cling to boys.”
Li Yuning tilted her head and blinked, as if she didn’t understand what her old father said.
Li Jiahong was helpless. He was already used to his daughter’s mischievous nature hidden behind her obedience. She was pretending not to understand now, and he could only sigh lightly and gently flick her little earlobe, “You… never mind, go back to sleep.”
Li Yuning giggled, waved “bye-bye” to Li Jiahong and Lin Ling, and trotted out the back door of the shop from the small dwelling. As soon as she opened the door, there was a pitch-black void in front of her. As long as she stepped inside, her consciousness would return to her body in reality.
After first-grade classmate Li Yuning left, Li Jiahong apologized to Lin Ling: “Sorry about that, Boss Lin. My daughter caused you trouble again.”
“No trouble. Caring about an employee’s family is also a standard of a good boss.” Lin Ling said seriously.
Li Jiahong smiled, “Yes, you’ve always been my good boss.”
Lin Ling nodded, his calm demeanor unclear whether he was happy or calmly and matter-of-factly accepting the praise as deserved.
Li Jiahong recalled that two years ago, he first discovered that his daughter could also come with him to the forest cabin where he worked while falling asleep. Since then, his daughter seemed to have gained the same permission as him to enter dreams and come to the small dwelling at any time, as long as she fell asleep and dreamed.
At first, his mood was somewhat panicked and uneasy. He was afraid his daughter would unintentionally anger Boss Lin, and also afraid that the eccentric Boss Lin would suddenly try to sell his daughter the “goods” in the shop.
But unexpectedly, Boss Lin’s attitude toward his daughter wasn’t particularly close, but also not distant.
Actually, carefully recalling the time spent with Lin Ling, Li Jiahong could also feel that Lin Ling had a strange inclusive quality. Lin Ling seemed to tolerate everything, whether it was respectful or impolite toward him; he treated them all equally.
He had been working here for so long and had never seen Lin Ling have too many emotional fluctuations, let alone anger.
The reason for the panic was, Li Jiahong felt, his own awareness of the difference in identity and class with Lin Ling, and on the other hand, because Boss Lin himself was mysteriously powerful, often giving an awe-inspiring feeling that made people think his authority was inviolable.
Of course, even if Lin Ling might be easygoing, Li Jiahong still often privately taught his daughter not to do anything offensive to Lin Ling, to apologize immediately if she did something wrong, and not to casually make requests or trouble Boss Lin, etc.
However, although Li Yuning listened to her old father’s advice, she didn’t completely. She would still cling to Lin Ling like a favorite neighbor big brother and often act coquettish toward him. Fortunately, Li Yuning’s requests were never excessive, and Lin Ling seemed to quite like this lively and cute little girl, always happily agreeing to her requests.
But just like the storytelling earlier, although Lin Ling would properly agree, he would always “brush off” the completion of the request.
At first, Li Yuning also felt Lin Ling was casual, but over time, Li Yuning found Lin Ling’s way of happily agreeing but then delivering a “brushed-off” attitude to be interesting. So every time, although she would make some requests to Lin Ling, her main purpose was no longer to complete the thing itself, but to see how brushed-off Boss Lin could be when brushing someone off.
Today, Li Yuning was clearly very satisfied.
Li Jiahong recalled that not long before, he had also heard the story Lin Ling told his daughter. It was a story Boss Lin told a guest, and this time unusually, Boss Lin didn’t rent out goods, but instead sold the story as goods to that guest for full price.
“Boss, does that old monk and young monk story really have no termination?” Li Jiahong asked curiously.
Lin Ling roughly stroked the black cat back and forth, treating its plump, fluffy body like a toy. Hearing Li Jiahong’s inquiry, he smiled and answered, “There is.”
Li Jiahong was stunned, his curiosity increasing a bit, “Then what is the ending?”
“When you don’t want to tell it anymore, it ends.” Lin Ling smiled.
Li Jiahong blinked his eyes full of confusion and surprisingly tasted some profound reason from Lin Ling’s simple sentence. After pondering for a moment, he nodded gently and thanked, “I get it. Very philosophical.”
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