"Madam, we are here." Cai'er's soft call woke up Baitao and He Runjia who were deep in thought. He Runjia came back to her senses and subconsciously looked to her side, only to see Chu Miaoer wake up faintly, with a look in her eyes.
Somewhat confused.
"Sister, can you fall asleep even if the carriage is bumpy?" He Runjia said with a chuckle, "It seems that there are many things in the palace, and it takes too much effort."
"Naturally not as leisurely as my cousin." Chu Miaoer said this lightly, ignoring He Runjia's expression. She stood up, put her hand on Baitao's forearm, and slowly got out of the carriage with the help of her strength. While Baitao was adjusting her dress,
At that time, she stopped and looked around. People were coming and going, and the smoke was dim. She hadn't been back for several years, but she didn't expect that there were still so many pilgrims in Ling'an Temple.
He Runjia was also helped down by Cai'er and said with a smile: "Cousin, has there been any change in Ling'an Temple?"
"The temple has not changed, and there is still a constant flow of incense. It's just that my mood has changed," Chu Miao'er smiled and shook her head. "When I come here again, I just feel like a tourist in a hurry, and I don't have that much sense of intimacy anymore."
In the first year of her marriage, my grandmother went to Kyoto alone to make a big fuss and brought back her mother's urn. It must have been that time that she got angry. After she came back, her health deteriorated, but even so, she still
She insists on accompanying her to Ling'an Temple to pray. Grandma does not ask for her own good health or for the He family to be rich. She just asks the Bodhisattva to bless her descendants of the He family for a happy life and not to make the same mistakes as her miserable daughter.
"I used to be accompanied by my grandmother every time I came here, so it's obviously different," He Runjia said sourly, "Grandma has always regarded you as a treasure in the palm of her hand, and no one else can tell."
Hearing the implication, Chu Miaoer smiled lightly and said, "Grandma treats everyone equally, and she also takes my cousin into consideration."
"Okay, okay, cousin Miao'er, there's no need to talk about the past. I know how others treat me." He Runjia immediately showed an impatient look after hearing what she said. He waved his hands and walked away, "This
People from Ling'an Temple come and go, and it's not an exaggeration if they bump into old acquaintances, it's just fate, just say hello."
Chu Miaoer understood the implication of her words, but she didn't know who she meant by old acquaintance. Looking at the steps reaching the sky in front of her, she began to feel uneasy in her heart. She didn't know how many times she had walked these steps.
, I used to accompany my grandmother, and it would take me at least a quarter of an hour to reach the top, but now I can walk much faster by myself, and I have reached the incense burner in the blink of an eye.
"Obviously there are walking chariots in the temple, why does Madam still insist on walking up step by step?" Baitao said, panting slightly. He followed her up quickly, his breath already a little unsteady, "Old Madam is also so stubborn, obviously
If you take two steps by yourself, you have to take a break, or if you don't listen to advice, you have to walk up by yourself."
Chu Miao'er watched He Runjia slowly get off the chariot, chuckled and whispered: "Grandma said that only by taking one step at a time can we show our sincerity, and only then can the Buddha understand our intentions."
After hearing this, Baitao just nodded slightly and said no more, and He Runjia didn't even hear what she said. He came forward to hold her hand affectionately, but Chu Miaoer slightly avoided her.
Just now she was in the mansion because she had to put on a show, and it was difficult to directly stop her from getting off the stage in front of everyone. What is she doing now? Who is she trying to show to? Bodhisattva?
Sensing her lack of cooperation, He Runjia was not angry, but smiled and explained: "Sister Miao'er, I saw that there were many people in the temple, but we got separated, which caused trouble for the two girls..."
"My cousin is walking in front, so I will follow," Chu Miao'er said calmly, "It's even more unfavorable if there are many people walking side by side."
She refused very simply, and He Runjia didn't insist any more. When she turned around, the smile on her face dropped. She was anxiously looking for something in the crowd, her eyes kept turning around, but there was nothing.
If I couldn't find it, could it be that someone else has left?
"Cousin, what are you looking for?" Chu Miaoer was very puzzled when he saw her absent-minded look.
The sudden sound she made made He Runjia's heart skip a beat, and he quickly came back to his senses. A smile appeared on his face, and he said while cleaning his hands: "No, no, I just saw someone who looked very familiar, and I couldn't think of it for a moment.
When I saw who it was, I took a second look."
Chu Miaoer nodded slightly, turned around and took the three sticks of incense from the monk's hand, knelt on the futon, and looked at the gilded Buddha statue in front of him silently. Seeing this, He Runjia also knelt on the futon, but his eyes looked to the side from time to time.
He glanced, as if his heart was not here.
"Cousin, you must meditate in front of the Buddha." Chu Miaoer stood up and saw it, and reminded him lightly while offering incense.
He Runjia herself does not believe in Buddhism. She came today just to reunite her and Fang Yanru, their old friends. At this time, she did not even want to put up the incense. She motioned to Cai'er beside her to take it, lifted up her skirt and said with a smile: "If
After I have purified my heart, how can the Buddha know what is in my heart? Coming to kneel before the Buddha is just for the desire in my heart. No one is a saint, and there are always seven emotions and six desires. It is better not to be too hard on others."
Chu Miao'er didn't want to argue with her in front of the Buddha, so he just said that, so he didn't mind listening. After kneeling down and bowing three times devoutly, he turned around and left the palace with her.
"Donor, please stay." A deep and gentle voice came from behind, and Chu Miaoer turned around in response. After being stunned for a moment, she immediately broke into a smile.
"It turns out that the eminent monk who came to Ling'an Temple today is Master Mingjing. We have come thousands of miles to meet you." Chu Miaoer stepped forward and bowed slowly. Although Baitao had never seen him before, he also followed the rules of his wife and bowed.
Master Mingjing looked at Chu Miao'er and said with a smile: "The poor monk just speculated whether he would meet Madam here, but he didn't expect that he actually did."
"I used to come here often with my grandmother, but I haven't been here since she passed away. Today I came here with my cousin," Chu Miaoer turned to look at He Runjia beside him and said with a smile, "My cousin really said it right.
So I know.”
Master Mingjing then looked at He Runjia, and saw her twitching the corner of her mouth slightly in embarrassment. After nodding politely, he said to Chu Miao'er again: "Madam has lived here for many years, and now she is reborn. She should live up to her previous life."
To say goodbye," he smiled slowly, "If we are destined, we may see each other again, so the poor monk will go first."
Watching his retreating figure, Baitao asked in a low voice: "Madam, have you seen this eminent monk?"
Before Chu Miao'er could answer, He Runjia jumped in and said, "My cousin has followed her grandmother in kneeling before the Buddha since she was a child. I guess she has a lot of connections with the Buddha. Otherwise, how could she say that my cousin's life is so good that it is enviable? This Buddha is also
Goodbye, the eminent monk has also met," she said with a smile, "Cousin, let's go back, I'm afraid they'll have too much fun at home."
Chu Miao'er and Baitao looked at each other and followed He Runjia into a trail. Ling'an Temple has always had rules. You come from the main gate and go from the back door. There are many green bamboo groves planted around the trail, which are connected together. You can walk slowly.
I also felt a gentle cool breeze blowing on my face.
"Madam, madam!" Baitao called hurriedly from behind. Chu Miaoer turned his head to look at her without knowing what was going on, and asked softly: "What's the matter?" She saw that her cheeks were red with anxiety, just like those in the flowers.
Delicate red camellia.
Her cry naturally attracted He Runjia's attention. He Runjia raised his eyes and saw Fang Yanru walking towards him not far away. He was also supporting a weak woman in his hand, always reminding her to be careful about the path she stepped on, speaking softly,
He seems to be in a very good mood.
Seeing that Baitao couldn't explain it for a long time, He Runjia chuckled and reminded: "Cousin Miao'er, look at the front. If it weren't for the word 'fate', it would be really elusive. Buddhism does not lie."
Chu Miaoer moved her eyes from He Runjia's face, and saw a familiar face suddenly appeared in front of her. The elegant temperament overlapped with the shadow of the past, and Chu Miaoer was stunned for a moment.
"Brother Yan... Yanru?" She couldn't help but call softly. After realizing that she had called out, Chu Miaoer immediately covered her mouth, frowned, and looked at it as if she was at a loss.
.
After making such a big noise, Fang Yanru naturally saw a few of them. He paused slightly. Fortunately, the woman beside him warned him, so he didn't become panicked and embarrassed. However, he still couldn't stop his heart from beating wildly. Why did she do this?
Appearing in Dongling, why in Ling'an Temple? Fang Yanru quickly lowered his eyes and thought about how to avoid it, but the bamboo forest path happened to accommodate two people, so it was obviously impossible to avoid it.
Seeing the two of them, He Runjia was a little flustered, with a faint smile of schadenfreude on his face. He originally thought that today's bamboo basket fetching water would be in vain, but he didn't expect to meet like this. The wish that the Buddha prayed for really came true.
"Ms. sir, who is this lady?" They met soon, and the woman beside him asked softly. Her eyes were clear, and although she was smiling, she tried hard to hide the suspicion in her heart when she looked at Chu Miao'er.
, Chu Miaoer saw through it at a glance.
Not long after I heard that she got married, Fang Yanru was arranged by the old lady of the Fang family to marry a young lady from an aristocratic family. Now she seems to be in love with her, and her life seems to be very satisfactory.
"Mr. Fang, I haven't seen you for many years," He Runjia smiled and took Chu Miao'er's hand, took her a step forward, and said, "Cousin Miao'er just returned to Dongling yesterday, and today she accompanied me to the temple to go to the temple.
"Xiang met you here, it's really fate." She glanced back pretending to be casual, and still said with a smile, "I guess this is your wife, right? She is so pretty and pretty."
"
In the past, my grandmother and the old lady of the Fang family had always been on good terms, and they would always go in and out of Ling'an Temple together to worship Buddha and offer incense. The Fang family has been a scholarly family for generations, and has produced several top scholars. It seems that the two young people are of the same age, and the two families are of the same age.
Going back and forth, both houses intended to become in-laws, until an imperial edict came down.
"Husband, my stomach seems to be not feeling well... let's go back first..." Mrs. Fang understood the implication of He Runjia's words and suddenly said, holding her stomach.
After hearing her say that she was feeling unwell, Fang Yanru did not dare to waste a moment, supported her and left, but when passing by Chu Miaer, he looked at her deeply.
This was the woman he had missed for more than ten years when he was young, how could he forget?
"Cousin Miao'er, what's wrong with you?" He Runjia asked pretendingly, seeing her holding her forehead with a faint look of pain on her face.
