Chapter 153 Late at night, I suddenly dreamed of my youth

Chen Qi stayed by Xie Yuduo's bedside for more than ten days.

At the bedside, she woke up from her dreams countless times and stretched out her fingers to feel his breath countless times.

Fortunately, although it is weak, it is steady.

At night, for some reason, when everything around was completely silent, in this most prosperous area of the capital, one could faintly hear the chirping of insects.

Chen Qi hadn't closed her eyes for a long time, and finally couldn't bear it anymore. She lay down at the head of Xie Yuduo's bed, fell into a deep sleep, and fell into a hazy dream again.

…

In this dream, she seemed to be still a child.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, in Baihe Town, my parents went up the mountain to burn incense. The family, carrying pancakes and eggs, chatted and laughed as they walked along the mountain road to the temple to burn incense.

Young Chen Qi seemed to have slept on her father's back for a while, and when she woke up, the person carrying her had become Xie Yuduo.

He looked like he was young, and Chen Qi also looked like a young girl. She had a wild flower in her hand, which she casually put in his ear and spoke to him with a smile.

"Look how beautiful you are."

Xie Yuduo smiled and tilted his head to bite the wild flower beside his ear. Chen Qi quickly picked it up, put it on her own ear, and asked him with her head tilted.

"Look, do I look good?"

Xie Yuduo nodded, turned his head and pretended to smell the flowers, but took the opportunity to kiss her cheek.

Chen Qi was smiling and hiding from him when she suddenly saw the gate of the temple on the top of the mountain.

She jumped off his back in an instant, ran to hold her mother's hand, and the mother and daughter went to kowtow to the Bodhisattva together.

My mother knelt in front of the Guanyin statue, muttered to herself, and made a New Year wish to the Bodhisattva.

Chen Qi followed suit, kneeling on the cushion with his hands clasped together.

But what wish should I make?

Chen Qi couldn't think of anything, she seemed to have everything she needed.

After a long moment, she turned and looked back.

Xie Yuduo was standing outside the door, tall and graceful, waiting for her with a smile.

Chen Qi turned around and knelt down, clasped his hands together, and made a pious wish.

"Goddess of Bodhisattva, please bless my husband and I to have a long-lasting love and live together till old age."

Chen Qi made a wish and seemed to see the Bodhisattva nod in agreement. She was overjoyed and hurriedly got up and ran out to tell Xie Yuduo about it.

The Bodhisattva has already promised himself.

Just as she was about to run into his arms, Shen Qi accidentally tripped over the threshold. When she looked up again, a thick fog suddenly blew in, drowning the figure in front of her...

…

Chen Qi suddenly woke up from his dream, covered in cold sweat.

She hurriedly picked up the lantern to check. Xie Yuduo on the bed was breathing slowly, his eyes were closed, and his forehead was sweating. He was still in a coma.

Fortunately, it’s still a dream.

Late at night, I suddenly dream of my youth.

But this dream is not a good omen.

Chen Qi breathed a sigh of relief, and as usual, she wiped the sweat from his forehead with a handkerchief, trying to make him feel a little more comfortable in his sleep.

Looking at his increasingly thin appearance, Chen Qi held his hand while recalling the dream just now.

Suddenly, some things from her youth came back to her mind, and she felt like she was struck by lightning.

When I was young, my marriage was broken off, and rumors spread all over Baihe Town...

The rumor said that she was destined to be unlucky in marriage.

…

For many years, she hardly ever took such words to heart.

But she was stunned for a long time in front of her husband's bed. She didn't know what she remembered, so she turned around and walked to the outer hall and opened the door.

She hadn't left her room for more than ten days. The servant on guard outside was startled and got up in a hurry.

Chen Qi ordered someone to keep a close eye on Xie Yuduo, and he himself took a lantern and walked quickly to the front yard.

Her steps became faster and faster, and she ran straight to a house. Immediately, a servant on night watch opened the door for her.

This is the Xie family's storehouse. The high and low shelves are filled with brocade boxes of all sizes, which contain the good things that Xie Yuduo has collected throughout his life, including jewelry, jade, pearls, jadeite... They are priceless and rare in the world.

But Chen Qi didn't even look at it. He walked straight to the back and checked several shelves in a row. He searched everywhere and finally found what he was looking for at the bottom of the corner.

The wooden box that she brought as a dowry.

Over the years, the couple made money and moved several times, but Chen Qi always carried these two boxes with her wherever she went.

There was a lock on the box, which looked rusty. She pulled hard several times but couldn't open it.

Xiao Ling had been summoned by the maids a long time ago. Seeing that she was about to open the box, they hurriedly handed her a bunch of heavy keys. Chen Qi's hands were shaking a little, and she tried several keys in a row, but none of them could open it.

Xiao Ling snatched it away, found an old key in a few seconds, and opened it in one go.

The maids who were watching with lanterns immediately stepped forward and helped the lady open the heavy wooden box.

Most of the things in these two boxes were things the couple had used in Pingshan County. There were clothes and utensils that she and Xie Yuduo had loved wearing when they were young, as well as the pair of large pearls he had given her, the brocade and silk that the Shen family had given as a dowry, and even a few stacks of yellowed banknotes...

Chen Qi rummaged back and forth in a mess, and finally found what he was looking for at the bottom of one of them.

It was a brocade box of dull color.

Inside is the Bodhisattva statue that her mother specially asked for her from the South Mountain in Baihe Town.

Chen Qi remained silent, holding the brocade box, walked out of the door carefully, and walked slowly back to the main hall.

She respectfully brought out the statue of the Bodhisattva and placed it on the high table in the center of the main hall. She brushed her clothes, combed her hair, bowed down, clasped her hands together, and made a sincere wish:

Bodhisattva, I have been insincere and neglectful for many years.

If a believer's fate truly holds the misfortune of being unlucky in marriage, please do not let it happen to your husband. He lost his mother at a young age, suffered hardships at a young age, and now wanders the world for his country and his people, yet he has suffered this misfortune. It is truly an unprovoked disaster.

If you want to punish me, please let the Bodhisattva take responsibility for it.

I have been loved by my parents since I was young, and I have found this ideal husband, raising a pair of children. I have enjoyed the love and wealth that are rare among all living beings in the world. To this day, I have no regrets in death.

If the gods knew, I only beg you to spare my husband's life. I am willing to sacrifice my life and serve the gods, and be your disciple for all eternity.

Bodhisattva, Bodhisattva, please, I really love him.

…

Chen Qi said it over and over again, and kowtowed again and again until dawn, when her forehead bled and she fainted in front of the Bodhisattva statue.