Chapter 1, A Modest Origin

An ordinary and unfortunate child suddenly inherits the legacy of the Cosmic Vinyl Monster, gradually discovers his shapeshifting abilities, and thereby acquires an ancient treasure chest, transforming from a poor boy into a millionaire

"What? What time is it? You want to eat already? Fine, I'll treat you to lunch. Stop thinking about it and come play basketball with me." Xiao Hai and Xiao Fo are the best of friends. Ever since Xiao Hai visited Xiao Fo's desolate home, he has spent all of his disposable pocket money on Xiao Fo. Indeed, anyone who sees the situation at Xiao Fo's home would feel compelled to spare some pocket money to help him.

The small Buddha leaning against the street corner occasionally has tears glistening in his eyes. The poor child survives each day on just a corn cake, yet miraculously, he has not dropped out of school. He understands that without knowledge and without family, miracles will not occur in this world; he is left with only a dead end.

"You called my name again. Didn't I tell you? Call me Mei'er," Zhang Mei said angrily, twisting his ear and forcing him to say, "Call, Mei'er, in the fourth tone"

Although Xiao Fo does not make a fuss at school, he has always been the apple of the eye of several kind-hearted individuals in this institution. Despite his reluctance, he cannot refuse the goodwill of these benevolent people and can only accept their kindness. From time to time, these kind individuals provide him with assistance, which has also brought him considerable benefits at school. Xiao Fo has kept a mental note of this and hopes to repay them in the future

The emaciated stray dog "Harry," whose skin hangs loosely, has come begging for food again

This is his life creed; no matter the situation, he always maintains an open mind. Having experienced so much, he has learned to view everything with detachment. Now, when he thinks of his parents, he does not feel as unhappy as before, because he believes that everything is as it should be, that it is all normal. In recent years, he has also studied a considerable amount of Buddhist teachings. Although he does not fully believe, he has forced himself to accept the concept of reincarnation and to believe that everything is determined by fate. Since heaven has given him an unjust past, it will also grant him a glorious future. He believes that everything is as it should be, that it is all normal, because in recent years, he has also studied a considerable amount of Buddhist teachings. Although he does not fully believe, he has forced himself to accept the concept of reincarnation and to believe that everything is determined by fate. Since heaven has given him an unjust past, it will also grant him a glorious future.

This old dog," Xiao Fo muttered discontentedly again

No one in the house answered him, nor did he care; this situation had persisted for nearly two years, ever since his father was killed by a passing car, and his mother had become a madwoman under the overwhelming stress. He had not heard any response to him in the house since then

Oh, Zhang Mei, what brings you here as well?" Xiao Fo looked at Zhang Mei in surprise. "Did you not say you were going out to have fun today? You even took a leave of absence, yet you still came.

The broken clock picked up from that pile of garbage rang on time

Miracles always emerge behind the ordinary. What was unexpected was that in the following days, so many events would unfold for Xiao Fo, that even the deities would exclaim, "My goodness, I am dizzy"

He found a street corner with not many people, looking at the restaurant in the distance that was not too far away. From time to time, someone walked by. The little monk squatted down, placed a small basin down, rubbed his frozen little hands, tucked them into his sleeves, lowered his head, and tried to put his head as close to his lap as possible, as this was a bit warmer.

"No, call now, hum," Zhang Mei insisted.

Sigh, after tidying up the house, I put on the most worn-out cotton-padded jacket, picked up the tattered aluminum basin from the corner, and mumbled, "Time to get to work again." Little Fo tightened her waist, which was so thin it could barely be grasped, and walked towards the door

"Hey, wait for me, you guy who values romance over friendship," Xiao Hai chased after him. "Don't forget that I'm treating at noon, Xiao Mei, let's go together."

"Hi, Little Buddha," Xiao Hai greeted from a distance. "What brings you such leisure today? Not reading, hmm?"

Although he had become accustomed to the task of returning home from school every day, Xiao Fo still walked with his head down and hunched over, as if afraid of being seen. He moved along the corner of the wall, with snowflakes occasionally landing on him, soon resembling a small snowman as he walked quietly. Many families had already begun preparing dinner, and the aroma of stir-fried chives and eggs, along with the scent of pancakes, tantalized his taste buds. Swallowing hard, he turned his neck and began to run quickly; he did not want that enticing aroma to linger in his nose, lest he be unable to sleep at night.

For more than half an hour, no one has thrown down a dime. Little Buddha squats there in boredom. After enduring such days for too long, even the child has become accustomed to it

With a beautiful three-point shot, Xiao Fo walked off the court, drenched in sweat and feeling hot. A girl with a ponytail handed him a towel and said, "Xiao Fo, you must be tired. Come on, I’ll treat you to a soda."

Xiao Fo has been living this way since the upheaval in his family. After his mother passed away six months ago due to illness and hunger, he survived without anyone to care for him. Previously, with few relatives, Xiao Fo relied on the charity of neighbors for a few months. Eventually, no one looked after him anymore. Sometimes he would ask for food, and at other times he would beg for some money.

In the blink of an eye, Xiao Fo has turned fifteen years old. On this day, he walks on the playground wearing a pair of tattered sneakers he found. The school he attends is the most ordinary one in this city. Although his academic performance has always been excellent, he, being without money, can only choose the most rundown school in the city to attend.

Little Buddha couldn't help but smile and said loudly, "What's going on today? There are people treating everywhere. Fine, if there's free drink, let's not miss it. How about we invite my friends to join us?"

Alright, Mei'er, Mei'er, this should be fine, let go quickly, it will fall.

The room fell silent once again, and the little boy counted on his fingers. Today should be his ninth birthday. Although no one would remember it anymore, he still counted the days, even imagining that he might receive an unexpected gift. Perhaps a distant relative would think of him, sending him a sumptuous meal and giving him a few coins as pocket money

"Let's go, don't pay attention to these people, they are all heartless individuals" Zhang Mei said as she took Xiao Fo and walked out of the crowd

"Alright, alright, my name is, please let go of me first," Xiao Fo said, wincing and waving his hand. "Can I call you after they leave?" Xiao Fo looked at her pleadingly.

"Go away, go away, I have nothing to eat, where would I get something to feed you?" Little Buddha angrily kicked, "Ow!"

The little bird seeks worms, the naturally born child seeks to survive, kind-hearted people, please lend a hand, the unfortunate child needs to grow up, if you have money... The little beggar sang his improvised song for alms, running along the way. Whenever he sang this song, he used to receive money, so even though the song was quite sorrowful, the little beggar felt very happy when he sang it, always thinking about the time when he would have money to go to school and to eat, which made him quite content.

"How could that be possible? I can't afford so many people with my old wife. If it's just the three of you, that would be acceptable." Upon hearing this, the old lady felt distressed and quickly fell silent.

The first thing to do upon waking up in the morning is to exercise, a habit formed over the years, because my mother once said that going to bed early and rising early is good for one's health, and the early bird catches the worm. Regardless of whether it is sunny or cloudy, he rises early and performs a set of outdated radio calisthenics.

Xiao Fo is not concerned; he is inherently someone who requires assistance from others. Accepting help from friends is nothing to be ashamed of. Once he finds a job in the future, he will repay them.

Sigh, I won't watch anymore, I've seen it all," Xiao Fo replied nonchalantly. This is not boasting; Xiao Fo usually has no hobbies, and only studying gives him a sense of purpose. Therefore, six months ago, Xiao Fo completed all the high school courses on his own. Now, he no longer needs to worry about his studies; instead, he is concerned about his tuition fees and his meal expenses

This girl is named Zhang Mei, a beautiful young lady with a round little face and a long ponytail tied up on her head. She wears a blue school uniform and a black mini skirt. She is the most popular school beauty in this school, often referred to as "Fox Mei'er" by many. Several charming young men are pursuing her, but she uniquely favors a big boy who is usually silent and has a face full of weariness. In her eyes, only such boys can grow up to become real men.

One side of the little sea was grinning mischievously while pinching its nose to blow wind and ignite a fire. "Did you hear that? From now on, you must call me Mei'er, otherwise I won't agree with you, hmm," several guys playing ball were also laughing and cheering on the side.

Under the sun, the well-built body of the young boy and his beautiful goals garnered waves of applause, especially in the eyes of those middle school girls who pursued strength. This usually quiet boy was seen as an exceptional talent. His extraordinary achievements and athletic physique were unmatched by those well-groomed boys.

"Dad, don't pick me up at noon," Zhang Mei said as she took out her limited edition Love phone. "Dad, don't come at noon, I have an event, um, that's it, no one else, just a few classmates, alright, stop nagging, I'm hanging up." After saying this, she hung up the phone with a snap, pouting her lips, "Let's go, I'll treat you to some soda first."

Time passes in these mundane days, he does not wish for the future, nor does he dwell on the past, he only desires to survive

Hmm, what? Oh, I was thinking about what to have for lunch, hehe. Xiao Fo chuckled, and over the years, Xiao Fo has become much more cheerful.

In the winter dusk, thin snowflakes began to fall, and the little monk lowered his head, reluctantly stepping out of his home.

Every day, he has to go out to beg, asking for a few cents, as even buying a bun requires money. He also needs to save for next year's tuition fees. If he encounters a kind-hearted person, he might even receive a cotton coat to wear.

The elderly woman at the school gate saw Xiao Fo and the others, immediately opened the refrigerator, and loudly called out, "Come, come, Xiao Fo, it's on me, come have some soda"

"Hey, what are you thinking about? Why haven't you said anything for so long?" Xiao Hai said, affectionately patting Xiao Fo on the shoulder as he noticed his silence

At around 9 o'clock, Xiao Fo returned home holding a piece of 0.8 yuan, which was thrown to him by a kind-hearted prostitute. She was familiar with him as she solicited clients in that area every day and was afraid he might starve. Whenever he was unable to earn money, she would always toss him a piece worth 0.8 yuan.

"This is more like it. From now on, you must call me this way, do you hear? Hmph," Zhang Mei said while playfully rubbing his ear.

Oh, let's go and have some soda together. A group of classmates started to cheer, "Our charming girl is treating us, beautiful girls and soda, it's going to be a blast"

"Hey, hey, hey, who invited you? Unrelated people, step aside, this is only for the three of us," saying this, he pulled Xiao Fo and waved to Xiao Hai, then walked towards the school gate

"I am back," came a weak voice as the door creaked open. A barefoot little boy squeezed in, dropped his backpack, and walked straight to the cold kitchen. Seeing a piece of cornbread left over from the morning in the pot, he reached out and grabbed it, nibbling on it while fetching some water from the jar in the corner of the room.