We're Not the Same Species

Speaking of Gula, I continued explaining, "Thoughts are invisible, so they're yin. By contrast, visible, tangible things are yang.

The eyes are the windows to the soul. Open those windows, let yang into your heart, and wash away the excess gloom inside. That's all it takes.

Gula has actually learned how already. She just needs to practice on her own.

I can practice with her for another couple of days, too, to turn this way of doing things into a habit."

"Sorry for the extra trouble, then," President Chen said politely.

We happily agreed on the times: the following morning, then after I got off work on Monday, the day after that.

Gula really was quick to grasp things, and the change in her was striking. When we met the next day, she was already taking the initiative to start conversations.

"Master, tell me some more about yin and yang."

There was a teasing edge to the way she addressed me.

Seeing that I wasn't about to take offense at a child, President Chen and his wife said nothing more. They sat up straight and listened closely.

"Yin broadly refers to things that move downward, are subdued, are still, are invisible, and so on.

Yang broadly refers to things that move upward, are lively, are out in the open, are warm, and so on.

Exercise is yang, too. That's why some people feel better when they go for a run, hike up a mountain, or get some sunshine when they're feeling down. All of those replenish yang.

Spending a lot of time thinking is yin.

Once you've thought things through, act on them. Action is movement, and movement is yang. The moment you start doing something, you introduce yang, and strength follows."

"No wonder I sometimes feel powerless. I've been thinking too much and doing too little." Gula nodded in understanding.

"Yin and yang need to be balanced at all times.

With reading, if you only take things in and never put anything out, you become a bookworm.

With money, if it only comes in and never goes out, you become a piggy bank. Sooner or later, it'll all be left to someone else."

All three of them kept nodding as they listened. Before long, they all started chuckling at once.

It seemed they really did understand.

On the third day, as Gula and I were heading out, Mrs. Chen asked cautiously, "May I come along for a walk?"

President Chen also looked at me expectantly.

"Of course." Gula seemed perfectly fine now, no longer withdrawn at all, so having a few more people along wouldn't be a problem.

Overjoyed, President Chen and his wife followed us.

I deliberately dropped back a few steps to walk beside them.

Gula led the way up front.

She skipped along, chatting with the flowers one moment, greeting a tree the next, then making eyes at the blue sky and white clouds.

She was completely lost in selfless joy, not caring in the slightest what anyone else thought.

Uh... she did look a little crazy.

"Isn't she a bit too lively?!" Mrs. Chen asked in disbelief.

Perhaps she had spent so long seeing her child withdrawn and cold that the sudden change was a little hard to get used to.

"Plenty of people talk to cats and dogs. She just talks to flowers and plants instead. It's nothing to worry about," I said.

"That's right, Mom. Ever since I went crazy, I've felt so much more spirited!" Gula turned around and laughed, deliberately trying to scare Mrs. Chen.

"I think girls should be this cheerful and outgoing. Gula was just this carefree when she was little. Happiness is priceless!" President Chen said, deeply moved.

Mrs. Chen cried tears of joy, quietly wiping the corners of her eyes.

Still skipping along, Gula turned to look at me and asked, "You said what you taught me was a simplified version of the Mind-Cleansing Spirit-Nourishing Art?"

"Mm." I nodded, unsure what she was getting at.

"So there's a complete version, too?"

"Yes. There's a phrase, 'purity of the six senses.' Those six are sight, hearing, smell, taste, touch, and thought. Cleansing the mind and nourishing the spirit involves purifying and nurturing all six. What I taught you was purification through sight," I explained truthfully.

"I want to learn all of it!" Gula declared, determined to get her way.

"You're already doing very well. The complete version includes an inner cultivation method, so it's a little complicated. You'd also have to become my disciple. There's no need for that."

"No, I want to! Becoming your disciple is nothing. I'd even marry you!"

"Cough, cough, cough..." I choked on my own spit and coughed for ages, my face turning bright red.

"Gula, stop messing around!" President Chen sternly rebuked her.

Gula didn't answer him. She just kept staring at me, determined to wait for my reply.

I racked my brains for an excuse. "Uh... you're a little fairy, and I'm just an ordinary mortal. The two of us... aren't the same species..."