Bodhisattva manifests

Wei Qiao and his two companions checked into a side room at Yongning Temple before sunset. After speaking with the temple's guest monk, they would hold a blessing ceremony for Xichun over the next three days.

The next morning, Xichun and Jiang Jiao took a carriage driven by Chu Wei to Yongning Temple. Xichun wanted to thank Chu Wei and also pray for her daughter at the temple, so she planned to spend the night there. After dropping them off at the foot of the mountain, Chu Wei drove back to the city, agreeing to pick them up at the foot of the mountain the following afternoon.

Holding Jiang Jiao's little hand, Xi Chun climbed the steps one by one, and the magnificent buildings of Yongning Temple, nestled among the verdant mountains and forests, gradually came into view. Since Xi Chun moved to Yanzhou City, she would come to Yongning Temple every spring to pray for her deceased relatives, so she was quite familiar with the temple.

Yongning Temple is very popular, and the number of rooms available for worshippers is limited. Fortunately, it is not the peak season for worshippers to burn incense. With the help of the monk in charge of the reception, a small room was found for her and her daughter in the backyard.

"Thank you, Master," Xichun said to him.

The monk greeted her and said, "Please don't be so polite, but the temple will be holding a religious ceremony for people in the next few days. If you happen to be there, please do not disturb us."

After putting away their luggage, Xichun took her daughter to visit Yongning Temple. They prayed in the various halls while trying to find their benefactor, but unfortunately, they found nothing after a whole day. Jiangjiao fell asleep as soon as she hit the bed that night, but Xichun couldn't sleep. After covering her daughter with a blanket, she stayed by her side, thinking about things.

Later, she suddenly decided to visit Yongning Temple that evening. Without further ado, she got up, dressed, closed the door, and headed towards the Buddha Hall, unaware that a little tail was following her.

The temple was even more serene and tranquil at night, with moonlight and the scent of sandalwood mingling together. Xichun admired the autumn chrysanthemums that could be seen everywhere in Yongning Temple under the moonlight as she walked towards the Buddha Hall. In front of the Guanyin Hall, there were several pots of the largest chrysanthemums. After admiring the chrysanthemums, Xichun saw that the hall door was not closed, so she went inside to worship Guanyin. Just as she was about to take a step out, she saw that there were already people kneeling and worshipping before the Guanyin statue inside the hall.

Unable to sleep on his couch, Wei Qiao rose and came to the Guanyin Hall. Today, he had heard more pilgrims at Yongning Temple recount their own or their friends' miraculous prayers. He had never believed in gods or Buddhas, but kneeling before the Guanyin statue, gazing at the kind-faced Guanyin holding a vase, he felt an unprecedented surge of piety.

"If Guanyin Bodhisattva has a spirit, please let me see Xichun again in my lifetime, even if it's just in a dream."

Wei Qiao's voice wasn't loud, but in the surrounding silence, it drifted on the wind to Xi Chun's ears. At first, she couldn't believe it was him, but upon hearing his voice, Xi Chun froze on the spot. She knew about the great victory in the Northwest; her neighbor's son from Tangli Lane had returned home a few days ago. He had said the army had returned to the capital, so Wei Qiao should have returned to the capital as well. How could he be here with her at Yongning Temple on the outskirts of Yanzhou?

Recalling her daughter's description of her benefactor's physique and appearance, as well as his accent that wasn't local, Xi Chun felt all her blood rush to her head. Could it be that the savior her daughter was talking about was Wei Qiao?

Jiang Jiao played with fireflies by the roadside for a while, then saw her mother standing outside the palace looking inside, so she ran over to her side.

"Mother," Jiang Jiao called out, taking Xi Chun's hand.

Hearing her daughter's voice, Xichun turned around and was surprised to find that Jiang Jiao hadn't gone to sleep and had gotten up to look for her. She asked, "Why are you here?"

Wei Qiao, sitting on the futon, felt as if he were dreaming when he heard the voice he had been longing for. He turned his head and saw a fleeting figure by the chrysanthemums outside the door. He immediately got up and chased after it, but the figure disappeared instantly.

Wei Qiao stood alone at the empty entrance of the Guanyin Temple. He looked around, but there was no trace of her. He was certain that the voice was real; this was the first time he had heard her voice in all these years. A spark suddenly ignited in his lifeless heart. Perhaps his Xichun hadn't died at all. Perhaps, like before, that fall into the river was a well-acted act she staged to leave.

Wei Qiao took out the silver bracelet from his sleeve pocket; the twin lotus blossoms shimmered under the moonlight. He looked at the compassionate and silent Guanyin Bodhisattva in the Guanyin Hall, his eyes filled with tears. This time, Heaven had finally heard his heart's voice.

Inside the side room, Jiang Jiao watched her mother packing her things, puzzled. "Mother, aren't we still looking for our benefactor?"

“No, Mother remembers there are still many things to do at home. Mother has already prayed for that benefactor today, and the Bodhisattva will bless him. We’ll go home tomorrow morning,” Xichun said.

She placed her packed bundle on the table; in reality, she hadn't brought much, just two sets of clothes for herself and her daughter. Xi Chun coaxed Jiang Jiao to sleep, but she gazed out the window, unable to fall asleep herself. She didn't know why Wei Qiao had come, but she absolutely couldn't let him take her daughter away.

The next morning, Xichun found the monk who was in charge of receiving guests early in the morning, gave him five taels of silver as incense money, and hurriedly took her daughter down the mountain. Fearing that Wei Qiao would bump into her, Xichun even put on a face mask.

The descent down the mountain went smoothly. At the foot of the mountain, Xichun found an oxcart that could take them to town. Jiang Jiao got on and was paying the driver when she overheard her daughter talking to a man. Xichun glanced over and saw it was Zhao Yu. She quickly shrank back beside the cart. Luckily, they only exchanged two words before Zhao Yu rode away. Xichun breathed a sigh of relief and got on the cart herself.

After sending the ginger and peppers to Xingchun Hall to ask Yue Mei to help look after them, Xi Chun went back to the steamed bun shop to help sell steamed buns.

Seeing her return, Chu Wei asked in surprise, "You're back so soon? Did you find that kind person?"

"No, I felt a little unwell, so I came back early." After washing her hands, Xichun put on an apron and went behind the counter to help wrap the buns.

Seeing that she didn't look well, Chu Wei quickly grabbed her hand and said, "If you're not feeling well, go home and get some sleep. Xiao Peng and I are here at the shop."

"Yes, Xichun, you have dark circles under your eyes. Didn't you sleep well? Go home and get some sleep. I'll work with Chuwei to sell the steamed buns properly," Zhao Xiaopeng said with concern.

Seeing the concerned looks from her two friends, Xichun nodded, returned to the courtyard, and woke up feeling refreshed after a nap.

Zhao Yu put down his bundle of clothes. Last night, when he was slashing mosquitoes with his sword, he accidentally cut the clothes into several pieces. Since he had no clothes to wear, he had no choice but to go down the mountain to the city to buy some clothes.

After the midday ritual concluded, Wei Qiao and the other two ate lunch in a side room. After the meal, Zhao Yu served Wei Qiao tea, and while he drank his tea, he told the two about his extraordinary encounter that day.

"You said you met the little girl we rescued yesterday at the foot of the mountain this morning?" A-Gui asked.

Zhao Yu winked at him, "Yes, the little girl said she came with her mother. She even thanked us. It seems that a lost child was brought to the temple by their family to calm their nerves."

Wei Qiao, who was drinking tea, paused. A little girl, Mother—he had indeed heard a little girl's voice last night before hearing her own. His guess was correct; his Xichun was not dead. And the little girl named Tuantuan he had saved was very likely his daughter.

Wei Qiao was overjoyed, unaware that the teacup spilled and burned his hand. A-Gui, seeing this, quickly took the teacup from his hand. "Your Highness, what happened?"

He's with the prince every day; there's no reason he shouldn't know something. A-Gui looked at Wei Qiao with suspicion, and when he didn't answer, he looked at Zhao Yu. Zhao Yu shrugged, indicating that he didn't know either.

After a long while, Wei Qiao suddenly sat up abruptly from his chair.

He said to the two, "Let's go down the mountain!"

On the way, Wei Qiao shared his thoughts with the two men. Although A Gui and Zhao Yu thought their prince might be obsessed with missing his concubine, upon closer reflection, they realized it wasn't impossible. After all, they both felt that the little girl's smile yesterday was very similar to their prince's.

Wei Qiao hurried to the steamed bun shop with great excitement, but he did not see Xi Chun or the little girl.

Just as he was about to leave, Zhao Xiaopeng saw him from inside. He remembered that Wei Qiao had brought Jiang Jiao back that day, so he quickly pulled Wei Qiao into the house.

"Please sit down, please sit down!" Zhao Xiaopeng said, gesturing to the three of them.

Chu Wei thought Zhao Xiaopeng had mistaken the person for someone who wanted to buy steamed buns, so she quickly pulled Zhao Xiaopeng aside and whispered, "Xiaopeng, the person didn't say they wanted to buy steamed buns."

Zhao Xiaopeng waved his hand, "I won't buy steamed buns. They are good people, the good people who brought Tuantuan back."

After he said that, Chu Wei finally understood that this was the person who had saved Tuantuan that day. She quickly picked up a few steaming buns and put them in front of the three of them. Seeing that Wei Qiao was sitting while the other two were standing, she realized that he was their master. She said, "Thank you for saving my young lady that day. Please try these buns. They were made by us and taste very good."

"Is that little girl your daughter?" Wei Qiao asked.

"No, no, that's my young lady's daughter," Chu Wei said with a smile.

Wei Qiao understood immediately, and recalling the signboard of the steamed bun shop, his thoughts became even more certain. Seeing Chu Wei and the other person looking at them, Wei Qiao invited A Gui and Zhao Yu to sit down and eat steamed buns with him. Wei Qiao ate a tofu-filled bun. He wasn't a big fan of steamed buns, but at that moment, he felt it was the most delicious one he had ever eaten.

Wei Qiao waited in the shop for over an hour for Xi Chun, and even ate the sweet soup Chu Wei brought him, but Xi Chun still didn't return. Seeing that Chu Wei and the other woman were about to close the shop, Wei Qiao felt embarrassed to stay any longer. So he paid and prepared to leave.

Seeing the half-coin Ah Gui handed her, Chu Wei quickly waved her hand, "How can this be? You are our family's saviors, we absolutely cannot accept your money. My young lady took her young mistress to Yongning Temple yesterday to thank you in person, but unfortunately she couldn't find you and wasn't feeling well, so she went home early. Luckily you passed by here, so we can say we've met again. We..."

"Is she not feeling well?" Wei Qiao interrupted Chu Wei, asking anxiously. Xi Chun has been running a steamed bun shop in this remote little town all these years since she left him; she must be having a very hard time.

Chu Wei didn't think too much about it, only feeling that the other party was concerned. She said, "Yes, that's why my young lady didn't come to the shop today. If you don't mind, my benefactor, why don't you come to our house for a simple meal? My young lady would like to thank you in person."

Normally, Wei Qiao wouldn't have bothered with such a small matter and would have waited for someone's thanks. But since the person was Xi Chun, he shamelessly agreed. Thinking it wouldn't be right to arrive empty-handed, especially since it was his first time meeting his precious daughter, he asked Chu Wei for the address and then said he had errands to run and left.

Wei Qiao, along with A Gui and Zhao Yu, went on a shopping spree in Yanzhou City, only stopping when the three of them could no longer carry the loads. A Gui hadn't seen his prince so lively in a long time. In the years since the concubine's incident, the prince had cared nothing for anything but war, as if his heart had died. Now, knowing that the concubine was alive, the prince's heart had come back to life.

After returning to Tangli Lane, Chu Wei told Xi Chun about meeting the person who saved Jiang Jiao.

Jiang Jiao was recently sent home by Miao Wendao, and she was very happy to hear that her benefactor uncle was coming.

"Auntie, is what you said true? Is Uncle really coming to our house as a guest?" Jiang Jiao asked, tugging at Chu Wei's sleeve.

Chu Wei gently tapped her nose with her finger and smiled, "Really? Then Uncle will be here in a little while."

When Xichun heard the news that Wei Qiao was coming, she was so frightened that she almost fell off her stool.