A "mutual connection" that lasted two years

Typhoon ’Champi’ had just passed when I arrived at Bao’en Temple.

My job today was to unpack pet supplements. There are still plenty of these small packages—kind donations from the public—in the warehouse. Although the individual packages are a bit of a hassle to open, Master Zhixiang often says, “These are all given with goodwill. We shouldn’t ask for more.”

I poured the contents of the cut-open small bags into a plastic container. Mr. Lu crushes these freeze-dried nutritional supplements, blends them into the dry food using a blender, and then feeds the mixture to the dogs. Every day, the dogs go through nearly 60 kilograms of dry food.

After unpacking the four big boxes, today’s work was done. It was as if these little guys had been waiting for this moment—they immediately came strolling over without me even having to call them. They circled around my feet, their big heads jostling to rub against my hands, their tails wagging with such joy.

Seeing them come right up to me with complete trust, the tiredness of cutting those packets instantly vanished.
In reality, I’ve only invested a little bit of my weekend time and energy, yet I’m always rewarded with such a warm welcome from them. I suppose this is the “mutual connection” we've built over the past two years. The familiarity and joy they show me warm my heart, and are the biggest motivation for me to keep coming back here time and time again.