March 26, 2009: Accompanied An Yu to return the Buddha head.
March 27, 2009: Received a call from the client. Call recording 200903270938.mp3.
"Hello, Mr. Dou. We've taken care of the matter with the Buddha head."
"Mm, I know. I..."
"Did something happen?"
"Mm... I, I dreamed of him again. It was still that same monk. But this time... this time, the monk's expression... How should I put it... It was that phrase, 'compassion for all living things.' Compassion for all living things! That was the look on his face. He thanked me again. But... but it also seemed..."
"What did he say?"
"He just said thank you. But... I can't help feeling that his expression seemed forced, like he was sad? I'm not sure. Did something happen?"
"I see... Something has come up at Qingchazhuang. When we found the Buddha head, there were local people there who saw us. We can't keep this from them or suppress the news. The local cultural relics bureau and Buddhist organizations should be visiting the site soon. The statues will probably be taken out and dealt with separately."
"Dealt with separately?"
"They'll first be appraised as cultural relics. Based on the results, they'll decide whether to keep them in a closed collection or put them on public display. The location of the statues can no longer be kept secret, so the local authorities will certainly protect them."
"I see... Sigh... I can't help feeling that something's off. I'll probably go back again someday to see the statues intact. I suppose that would be nice, too."
"Yes."
March 27, 2009: Case closed.
After listening to the final recording, I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.
I vaguely remembered the matter of the Qingchazhuang statues.
I searched online, and