Chapter 116: My own fate

From the moment Uncle Jonny said he saw Dya and Patel, I had a bad feeling.

I have been in India for a few days, and even though I don’t know much about this country, I have heard a lot about it. The strict caste system is a given, and although the elimination of discrimination and injustice between castes has been written into the constitution, it has not eliminated the barriers in people’s hearts, and it has done little to help. Among these, inter-caste marriage is a very serious matter.

The so-called inter-caste marriage refers to the marriage between the higher castes and the lower castes. In their view, it is a matter of ‘polluting’ the bloodline and is simply intolerable.

So if Patel and Zoya really…

Thinking about this, my expression also became serious. Uncle Jonny was still bitterly telling the story, and my mood seemed to be suffering with Uncle Jonny.

“It was a normal day off. Even strict ascetics must relax. On that day, I had an appointment, and Patel knew it. But he refused our group activities, saying he had something to do. Perhaps heaven wanted me to know something. That day’s appointment was canceled due to a sudden change. In boredom, I went to find Patel, but his room was empty. Instead, a fellow ascetic gave me a clue.

“Sharma, I don’t want to spread any gossip about Pater, but do you know what? I suspect that Pater has a lover. Here’s how it is,” said one of the practitioners to Sharma.

In strict Hinduism, there are many taboos, and messy relationships between men and women are prohibited in any religion, including Hinduism. But that is always on the table, and in fact, there is not much restraint on this group of top figures. As long as it is not too out of line, it is just gossip circulating in the circle.

So, Sharma didn’t pay much attention to this news. At his age and with his achievements, it was not too much for Patel to have one or two women. Sharma even thought it was reasonable, just like him, who had also experienced some women.

What Sharma didn’t expect was that Patel had kept it a secret from him. Could this be a sign of a relationship breakdown? Or should he go and meet Patel and see his lovely lover? Perhaps their relationship could be further improved. It is extremely easy for men to become intimate again if they know a little about each other’s privacy.

With this in mind, Sharma asked the monk more questions.

Naturally, he also got an answer. It turned out that the cultivator had seen Patel twice with a lovely woman in a high-end place, a hotel, and they looked very intimate, but Patel had not noticed him.

“Sharma, I assure you, Patil’s lover is so beautiful, I really envy him. Go and see, this weekend, the kid is not here, you might see him again there.” The monk described Patil’s lover in this way, which made Sharma, who wanted to improve relations, even more curious.

“I don’t remember the specific process of looking for Patel, I just remember that afternoon, it was raining heavily, and the city, which was already a bit messy, was even more muddy. I was in a mess, my clothes were covered in mud, and I was almost expelled from the foreign manager of the luxury hotel. I could only prove my identity. Just as I was entangled with him, I saw Patel. He came out of the from the hotel corridor. At that moment, I saw his face and was very happy. I wanted to call out to him, but the next moment, I saw a woman on his left, holding his arm. They were talking intimately and laughing happily. Patel’s eyebrows and eyes were full of happiness, so much so that in the luxurious lobby where people came and went, Patel couldn’t help kissing the woman next to him. You see, at that time, the customs in India were still conservative… At that moment, I thought it was funny that Patel had really fallen in love. I should be happy for him, but when I saw that woman, I almost went crazy…” At this point, Uncle Johnny’s expression became even more painful. He wiped his face with his hand and then grabbed his hair and said, “I saw that woman. It was Dia, my lovely sister Dia.”

At that moment, Sharma’s first feeling was one of betrayal. Patel had completely betrayed him and his family. Otherwise, why would he meet with Dia in such a desperate manner, knowing full well the difference in their status? It was clear that there could be no outcome, and his father would never agree to Dia marrying him. Even if the whole world didn’t know that he was a Dalit, his father knew.

If she married him against all odds, the consequences would be extremely serious, and it would even bring shame to their families for a hundred years… It is no exaggeration to say that her life would be completely ruined, and even that guy Patel would be destroyed.

Everything was like a slow-motion scene, with Patel’s adoring gaze, the smile on his lips, the happy look on Yaya’s face, and the blooming smile… They slowly walked past Sharma, who was less than five meters away, and Sharma, who was still arguing with the manager, experienced what it felt like to be spinning around for the first time in his life.

“Patel, I’m going to kill you,” Sharma shouted in a rage, almost screaming with all his strength.

Patel and Dia’s happiness was also frozen at this moment, shattered. They both turned around and saw Sharma, who was roaring.

“I will never forget their expressions at that moment. Patel seemed to be very frightened, but his eyes were calm and terrifying. At that moment, there was even a kind of indifference that anticipated this. And Dya was really scared. Her eyes were so frightened, her face was pale to the extreme. She wanted to cry but didn’t dare to, looking at me with a kind of even pleading expression.” Uncle Johnny seemed to be immersed in that moment. I saw tears in his eyes.

“I swear I love Zia. It was this love that made me unable to bear it, and it also made me at a loss. At that time, my only reaction was to beat Patil up…” Uncle Johnny sniffed his nose, calmed down a bit, and continued to tell the story.

But Diya stopped him: “Please, brother, let’s go somewhere quiet and talk. Don’t hit Patel. It’s all my fault, brother…”

Sharma could not bear to see his sister in such a state of distress. For a long time, she had been his angel, the light of his life, and his sister of the same blood. So he let go of Patel, who had already taken a few punches from Sharma. His eyes were swollen and there was even a nosebleed.

But he didn’t fight back. He was surprisingly calm throughout the whole incident. This was the conclusion that Uncle Johnny came to after a long time. Yes, he was very calm… And it was also a long time later that Patel confirmed Uncle Johnny’s thoughts, but this was a long time later and had nothing to do with the chaos at the time.

In a quiet place, Sharma, in the midst of extreme chaos and agitation, listened to the story of Dya and Patel. If the caste system were to be set aside, this would be a simple and beautiful love story. A girl who had just begun to fall in love felt a subtle difference when she learned that one of her brothers, whom she had always admired, was not her own brother.

At that time, the girl was also at her loneliest. Growing up in adolescence, the two closest people she had ever known had left her to go to school.

In this loneliness, the brother returned, and the companionship that came with him every year allowed the already subtle emotions to begin to ferment, eventually maturing, and they fell in love recklessly…

“Brother, you forgive me. Patil didn’t accept it at first. I was the one who insisted.” Dya’s tears were so painful.

Sharma’s heart was broken by her pain. He said as calmly as he could, “It’s not a matter of whether I forgive you or not. It’s just that you two can never be together. Do you understand? It’s impossible! Don’t you understand?”

“Brother, love is a simple thing. Why is it linked to a person’s status? Why is it even linked to a person’s name? Isn’t that ridiculous? Brother, you are also the most important person to me. I don’t care if others don’t understand, I just hope that you can understand.” Dya was unusually persistent, and often women are so persistent that they are more determined than men. Not to mention that because of her prominent family, Dya has received an advanced Western education since childhood, and her thinking is more open and free!

“But what will you do in the future? What if you get my understanding? Do you think you can get the understanding of others? This society simply has no place for your love with Patel. This is the truth! Give up while things are not too bad.” Sharma used his last calm persuasion. In fact, his heart was about to be overwhelmed by his anxiety, but because of his love for his sister, he was able to maintain such restraint.

“I don’t want to get any understanding in this unfair land. I and Patel can leave! Go to England, Spain, Portugal, we can leave, there is no unfairness, and Patel’s excellence will be recognized to the greatest extent. The power of love is so great that Diao Yao even has the intention to leave her homeland.

During this conversation, Patel remained silent, looking uneasy and unable to speak. In fact, only after combining his memories with what Patel said later did Uncle Johnny realize that he was actually watching a good show.

There is no doubt that this decision of Dya’s ignited the anger of the young Sharma, who could not tolerate his sister drifting away from home just for her ‘great’ love.

The conversation ended in a fight, and for the first time, Sharma hit his sister. He slapped her, and Patel stopped Sharma at this point, turning the fight into a scuffle between the two of them.

To be precise, it was Patel who let Sharma beat him up.

“To this day, I still can’t tell which side is right when family and love conflict. As a brother, I can’t bear to see my sister drifting away from home for the rest of her life. I want her to get a blessed marriage and live a happy life. Is that wrong? As a sister, is it wrong to pursue my own love? The emotions of this world are often mixed together because no one feels that they are wrong, which contributes to the tragedy of the people involved. But how should compromise be achieved? Who can guarantee that things will be perfect after one side compromises? To this day, I still can’t see through it.” Uncle Johnny’s voice was full of bitterness.

I thought of a saying my master once made, and couldn’t help but say, “Uncle Johnny, my master once said that feelings are a debt, so they can only be the cause of giving, not an excuse for being bound. The only one who can control their own destiny is themselves, but in this world, others often try to control the destiny of others because of a feeling in their hearts. This is actually inappropriate. Whether Zhenya is fortunate or unfortunate, it is only the process of her life refining herself. Only when she gains, gives, loses, and gains some understanding can she be considered complete. But what people often value is not this kind of fulfillment, but… the so-called happiness. As for whether this kind of happiness is spiritual happiness, more and more people don’t care.

“What do you mean? Can you be more specific?” Uncle Johnny suddenly froze.

“I… I can’t say for sure.” In fact, because of the limited time I have spent on cultivation, and because my master has already pointed out that cultivating the mind is my weakness, my understanding is not that deep, and I dare not speak to Uncle Johnny about it.

“Tell me anyway.” Mr. Johnny was very anxious.

I could only say, “I think that other people’s blessings, the fulfillment of love, and the warmth of family ties can all be considered happiness, but who can guarantee that this happiness will last forever? For example, blessings will eventually fade, lovers may leave, and family members may not be able to accompany you for your entire life. What is left? It is the satisfaction and peace of mind… a sense of relief and no regrets after letting go… If you had treated Zhiya like you did back then, would she still have this kind of happiness in her heart? I don’t think so! I think the greatest happiness in a person’s life is to have pursued and faced everything, and to have finally achieved spiritual fulfillment… Sometimes, not letting go of others is a kind of cruelty, a cruelty that is done in the name of your happiness and well-being.

“Hahaha…” After listening to my words, Uncle Johnny suddenly burst into laughter. When he laughed, his eyes were actually filled with tears. After laughing, he patted my shoulder and said, “Back then, Li only said this about such things: I won’t let go, and Jia didn’t have a chance to let go either. I don’t understand… it turned out to be like this.”