A piece of Japanese incense

After the meal, my father gave Yu Nian a few more instructions, looked at me a few times, and left in a hurry.

After he left, everyone was obviously relieved and relaxed.

Aunt Hong let out a long sigh and said, "I have digested a lot of it. Let me try the flower cake made by He'er."

Grandma snorted, "Who made the flower cake? Don't you know?!"

Aunt Hong took a bite and said with great enthusiasm: "There is no chili powder and no salt this year, and girl, I have to criticize you for this, why didn't you perform normally!"

There was laughter in the house.

A servant came in and whispered something in Aunt Hong's ear. Aunt Hong looked calm, but with a smile in her eyes, and said, "Grandpa, Madam, Sister He has finished her meal, and the carriage is ready. Let's go to the temple!"

Since I was kidnapped when I was five years old, the person behind the kidnapping has never been found out. My family has protected me very tightly. I have to report wherever I go and a group of people follow me. Only during festivals will our family go to the temple to pray, go to the market, and move freely.

Lingshan Temple is the largest temple near the capital. It is built on the top of Lingxia Mountain and is also very popular. The bluestone steps leading up to the top of the mountain are so long that they have been weathered by wind and rain and trampled by people for many years. They are as smooth as a mirror without even a trace of moss.

I was an unshakable materialist. I didn't believe in the legends of the world, nor did I believe that gods and Buddhas really existed. Until I came to this world, now whenever I see gods and Buddhas, I will put my hands together and pray to the gods to protect my grandmother and bless me to return to modern life as soon as possible.

First, my grandmother and grandfather knelt before the Buddha, kowtowed, stood up, made a wish, and kowtowed again. After the three rituals, my mother and Aunt Hong stepped forward...

I leaned leisurely against the door of the temple, looking down at the endless stream of devout believers coming and going at the steps. Amid the smoke of incense, I caught a glimpse of a man walking hurriedly through the crowd with his head lowered, heading towards the meditation room at the back of the temple.

He was wearing a dark satin robe, his hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, and there was a black mole on his neck. It seemed familiar, I recalled the person I had met recently, and he turned out to be one of the many guards who followed my father.

"It's so mysterious. Could it be that Dog Dad is here too? Is he conducting his shameful deals here?" With a puzzled attitude, I secretly avoided the crowd and followed him.

The sound of bells is far away, and the sound of chanting is endless. The courtyard behind the Zen room is more like a pure land far away from the hustle and bustle of life, with strong mountain winds, swaying pines and cypresses, and twisted roots of ancient trees.

I soon lost track of that person and was wandering alone in the courtyard of the ancient temple.

Walking to the edge of the courtyard, you will be blocked by a bluestone fence. Below is a bottomless abyss with swirling fog, like a fairyland.

A young man stands in front of a big tree. He is wearing an exquisite robe with densely embroidered black patterns. The material of the robe is soft and the sleeves are fluttering. A thin ribbon is tied around his waist, the color complements the robe, adding a touch of elegance and mystery. The two ends of the ribbon hang down, swaying gently, like clouds in the wind. At the cuffs of the clothes, the delicate embroidery outlines exquisite patterns with bright colors, as if a gorgeous flower blooms on the sleeves.

There was a stone table under the tree, with a chessboard and tea sets on it. I walked towards him and asked, "Hello, I want to ask, have you seen a person in black passing by?"

He turned around in high spirits, walked briskly to the stone bench, sat down, and said calmly, "We've never met before."

"Oh, thank you. You're busy."

"The temple is built on the edge of a cliff, and the mountain road is winding. Girl, you'd better not wander around and go find your family quickly."

"Okay, okay, feel free to do as you please!"

In fact, I am also very socially anxious. After telling him, I ran away quickly.

The scorching sun was setting in the west, and an occasional breeze blew, causing the pines and cypresses that blocked out the sun in the temple to tremble gently, making a sound like waves. The towering temple remained motionless in the softness.

"Ahe!"

Turning around, it was Yu Nian.

There were beads of sweat on his forehead, and he must have been looking for me for a long time.

"If I wasn't paying attention, you'd slip away."

"Hey, I've never seen white plum blossoms. Now the plum blossom season has passed. It's cold in the mountains, so I thought there should still be some plum blossoms blooming, so I came out to look for some." I made up an excuse.

"Then have you found it?"

I shook my head.

Yu Nian helplessly tapped my nose and said, "Let's go back. If our grandmother finds out, she'll be worried again."

I held onto the corner of his clothes and walked out of the temple.

"Do you remember how to get back?"

"of course!"

"You can't tell the difference between east, west, south and north, right?"

"Don't worry about it! Just follow me! Brother Nian, are you going to take the imperial examination soon?"

"Well, the Spring Examination will be held next month!"

"Wow! Then come on! No, just work hard! You can do it!"

"You will be entering the palace soon, and I'm afraid we will see each other less and less."

"No. As long as we are still a family, we will definitely see each other many tomorrows and later."

"Miss! Why are you here? The old lady can't find you and has sent someone to look for you." Yuyi and Yuzhu came over in a hurry.

"I know, we're going back now."

My grandmother was worshipping Manjusri Bodhisattva when Aunt Hong saw us coming and waved us over: "Come over and worship Manjusri Bodhisattva. May he bless you with academic success!"

My grandmother and the others also came over after they finished their worship, pinched my arm symbolically, complained about the injustice, and then told us to kowtow quickly.

After we got down the mountain, the sky was already dark. The market at the foot of the mountain was crowded with people, shops lined up, customers coming and going. It felt like the prosperous and lively Qingming Shanghe Tune was unfolding before our eyes.

Many little girls were selling flowers along the street with baskets full of flowers. We bought a lot of flowers. My mother made a wreath of flowers and put it on my head. I took it off and put it on my grandmother's head, blindfolded her, and asked my grandmother to guess what flowers were on her head. Only if she guessed correctly could she take them off. My grandfather and others laughed so hard that they couldn't straighten their backs.

Our family laughed and joked along the way until we reached the blessing tree. There is a custom of admiring red flowers during the Flower Festival, where women take out five-colored paper, write poems and blessings on them, and then hang them on the branches.

Looking at this crooked tree, I feel that it is quite pitiful. Without so many colorful strips, it would probably grow straight and strong like other trees.

"He'erbao, you should write one too. Your grandmother and I are tired from walking. Let's go to that teahouse and have some tea!" said the grandfather.

I pulled Yu Nian and squeezed into the crowd.

Walking into this tree and standing under it, I was still deeply shocked.

We walked around the wishing tree, looking at the sincere wishes written on the colorful silk. The candlelight shone light on the tree. The power of life and the expectations of life shone through the swaying leaves, brought by the wind and people's wishes, making the wishing belts glow and dance slightly with the wind.

I bought more than a dozen at a time. Yu Nian smiled grimly and said, "You buy so many every year. I don't know how God will bless you."

"It depends on their mood. They can achieve whatever they want."

I lowered my head and answered him while writing.

I wish my grandma and grandpa good health and longevity.

I hope my mother can live the rest of her life without any worries and spend her years in peace and quiet.

May Aunt Hong be blessed with auspicious stars and clouds, and may she see happiness when she looks up.

I wish my brother would follow the times and be happy in everything.

While Yu Nian went to hang up the colored paper, I quickly wrote another one: I hope grandma is safe and healthy and will wait for me to come back!

I walked to the tree alone, hurriedly hung it on the branch with the most colorful silk, and bowed.

"Have you finished writing?"

"Yes, let's go find grandpa and the others!"