How can I justify myself as a Magnate if I don't indulge myself?

Chapter 401 - 185: You Can Also Play the Violin?_2

Gu Heng merely shrugged his shoulders indifferently upon hearing that, not indicating much.

Ouyang Nana looked at Gu Heng’s expression and asked him in puzzlement, "Don’t you have any beliefs?"

"No, what’s the use in believing in such things?"

"How can it be useless!"

Facing Ouyang Nana’s suddenly passionate rebuttal, Gu Heng casually said, "Both of my parents believed in Buddhism, making sure to go to the temple to offer incense every first and fifteenth of the lunar month. Regularly, the Buddha figures in our house maintained their constant incense offerings.

My father was always kind to others. Occasionally, when he encountered a beggar, even if that beggar was plump and well-fed, my father still gave him money.

I remember asking my father when I was little why he did this, and he told me: if it weren’t for genuine distress, who would want to bow and kneel, reducing themselves to a beggar? Accumulating virtue and doing good, the Buddhas in heaven are watching, and there will be blessings later on."

Although Ouyang Nana didn’t know why Gu Heng suddenly talked about this, she still responded with admiration, "Then your father must be a devout Buddhist, and a good person too."

Gu Heng nodded, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, "Everyone who knows my father thinks like you. If according to Buddhist beliefs of karma, a person like my dad who has done good deeds his whole life, and worshiped Buddha his whole life, should, if not wealthy, at least have a life free from illnesses and disasters right? Experience exclusive tales on novelhall.Côm

Then do you know how my dad’s life actually turned out?"

Ouyang Nana hastily asked, "How?"

"My grandfather died when my dad was eight. My grandma remarried and only took my little uncle with her. Although I nominally had an uncle, he never took care of him for a day; no one in the village helped him either. He became an apprentice to a carpenter at the age of eight. Calling it an apprenticeship is actually just being a servant, doing chores like cooking and getting beaten when something didn’t suit his master’s liking, all for the sake of having a roof over his head and some food to eat.

This situation continued until my dad was in his teens when he finally learned a trade and could support himself.

Later on, because my dad was honest and did carpentry well, people in the village liked to hire him. He was considered a promising young man in the area, and my mom married him, thinking life would only get better. But after I was born, an accident made my dad a cripple, compounded with many chronic illnesses from childhood malnutrition, leaving him bedridden for the first few years I can remember. My entire family was then supported by my mom until my dad’s health improved and our family situation gradually got better.

Even so, we were still the poorest in the village, and because we were poor, people outright called my dad ’Gu the Cripple’ in front of him, and ’the Dead Cripple’ behind his back."

Gu Heng spoke about his family like an observer, his expression indifferent, his tone steady, while Ouyang Nana, listening by his side, couldn’t help but open her mouth, incredulous.

She couldn’t imagine that Gu Heng, who now splashed his money around carelessly, once had such a childhood...

And Gu Heng’s voice continued, his gaze meeting her eyes, "So you tell me, what use is there in belief? Rather than believing in these so-called deities and Buddhas, it’s more probable to believe in pies falling from the sky, like suddenly acquiring a system from above would be much more likely than these deities showing miracles."

"But..."

Seeing Ouyang Nana still wanted to argue, Gu Heng knew that he couldn’t change a devout believer’s mind with just a few words and cut her off, "I’m just explaining why I personally have no faith.

I wouldn’t bother others out of the blue to give up their beliefs; I respect everyone’s thoughts as long as they don’t concern me."

Mentioning her professional talent, Ouyang Nana proudly straightened her neck.

She wouldn’t argue if you said her acting was poor.

But if you said her cello performance was bad, she would never admit that.

Hearing Gu Heng say this and thinking of the street performer with frequent wrong notes, Ouyang Nana responded, "Alright, but I didn’t bring my cello to Europe. I’ll play for you when I get back home."

"Why go back home? There’s a cello right here. Don’t tell me you have special requirements for instruments?"

"That’s not it, but this is somebody’s livelihood, they might not be willing to lend it to me."

Gu Heng smiled, "You said it yourself, it’s their livelihood. If I make sure they’re well compensated, that should suffice, right?"

Having said that, Gu Heng squeezed into the crowd and, under the puzzled looks of the onlookers and the street performer, pulled out all the 1000-plus euros in change he had on him and threw it into the cello case laid out in front, then began communicating with the street performer in French.

After hearing Gu Heng’s words, the street performer hurriedly counted the euros in the case...

Over 1300 euros...

That was enough to buy the cello itself, and the man in front of him only wanted to borrow it. How could he refuse?

Seeing the street performer agree, Gu Heng waved Ouyang Nana over, "Come on, the stage is set for you, now it’s your showtime."

As someone who had held concerts, Ouyang Nana certainly wasn’t daunted by a few dozen onlookers and didn’t mind the dirtiness of the street person, promptly taking over the cello to tune it...

Gu Heng, bored, looked around and noticed a violin with its case open nearby, and an idea rose in his mind.

Three seconds later, Gu Heng, after closing and reopening his eyes, picked up the violin placed nearby and stood next to Ouyang Nana.

As for the street performer, he had already received Gu Heng’s payment of 1300 euros and certainly wouldn’t object...

Seeing Gu Heng holding a violin next to her, Ouyang Nana was slightly surprised, "What’s this?"

"It felt a bit dull letting you perform alone, I thought I’d add some flair."

Ouyang Nana: "???"

"You can play the violin too?!"

"Not really, just a bit, bare enough to accompany you on the side."