As night deepened, the lights in the stairwell were turned off one by one.
Meng Zihan huddled in the shadows of the corner, but the cold wind still blew against her.
Even wearing a down jacket, she felt cold all over.
My toes were so cold they were almost numb.
She stomped her feet back and forth, hoping to regain some feeling in her numb feet, while keeping her eyes fixed on the intersection, not daring to look away.
It was already past nine o'clock, and she hadn't even eaten dinner. Her stomach felt painfully empty, but she didn't dare to leave, fearing that Gu Yifei would come back as soon as she left.
Then all the suffering and humiliation she's endured these past few days will have been for nothing.
The image of her mother's panicked state that afternoon flashed through her mind again and again.
It wasn't just simple disgust, but a kind of panic at the fear of running into Gu Yifei.
This means Gu Yifei will be back soon, probably within the next day or two.
She had to stay here and couldn't afford to make any mistakes.
This is her only hope for the rest of her life. Whether she can turn her life around depends on these next few days!
Meanwhile, the ancient temple on Qingfeng Mountain in the suburbs was bustling and warm.
It was already dark, and the stone lanterns on both sides of the mountain road shone with a dim yellow light, illuminating the way up the mountain clearly and quietly.
The mountain gate is a faded vermilion, and the plaque above the gate is inscribed with the four large characters "Qingfeng Zen Temple".
As soon as Ye Linchen, Feng Linlin, Lin Xiaojuan, and Shen Yanlin stood at the foot of the mountain gate, they were enveloped by the warmth and incense smoke emanating from the temple.
"There are so many people!"
Looking at the densely packed pilgrims in the temple, Feng Linlin couldn't help but sigh.
Lin Xiaojuan replied matter-of-factly, "The incense here has always been very strong."
She was clearly not a first-timer; as soon as she entered the mountain gate, she pointed to the brightest and most crowded hall in the distance.
"Look! Look! It's there!"
"Let me tell you, the God of Wealth Temple here is incredibly effective!"
"I made a wish here last time, and guess what?"
"I won five yuan in the lottery as soon as I got back!"
Five yuan isn't much, but it's enough to buy several of her favorite snacks.
More importantly, this stroke of good luck that came out of nowhere is something she'll be talking about for years to come.
The three friends immediately got excited.
After all, who doesn't hope to get rich?
This is the simplest and most genuine wish.
Feng Linlin's eyes lit up immediately: "Really? Is it that effective?"
She looked up and down at the brightly lit palace, as if it contained not statues of gods, but mountains of gold ingots.
"We absolutely have to go and pray!"
Ye Linchen readily agreed: "Great! Since we're already here, let's go pray. Sincerity is key; what if it really works?"
Hearing their conversation, Shen Yanlin nodded slightly: "Let's go. I'll go try it too, and see if I can pray for good fortune."
The four hit it off immediately and headed excitedly toward the Temple of the God of Wealth.
The temple of the God of Wealth was crowded with people, and the incense smoke was even stronger, with smoke swirling around and filling the nostrils.
Following the example of other devout worshippers, the four first put some change in the donation box at the entrance, then obtained incense from an old monk, found an empty spot in front of the God of Wealth statue, and, imitating others' actions, bowed respectfully to the statue.
One bow, then another, then a third.
Everyone closed their eyes tightly, clasped their hands together in front of their chests, and told the gods their simplest and most sincere wish, word for word.
After lighting the incense, Lin Xiaojuan called to everyone, "Let's go buy Kongming lanterns."
She took the lead and led them to the lantern stall.
Soon, each of the four people had a neatly folded paper lantern in their hands.
Lin Xiaojuan borrowed a black marker from the stall owner. She unscrewed the cap and said to the three of them, "Write your wishes on it. The more carefully you write them, the higher they fly, and the more likely they are to come true."
After she finished writing, she handed the pen to everyone so that they could write their wishes on it.
When he arrived at Shen Yanlin's place, he took the pen and, without a moment's hesitation, bent down and quickly wrote something on the thin lamp paper.
Ye Linchen only saw his wrist flicking, and before he could see what he wrote, he had already lit the fuel block under the lamp.
Orange flames rose, and the Kongming lantern quickly filled with heat, swelling into a full shape before slowly rising from his hand and flying into the night sky.
By the time Ye Linchen and the other two girls finished writing down their wishes, Shen Yanlin's lamp had already risen very high.
Lin Xiaojuan looked at his Kongming lantern and complained, "Hey, Shen Yanlin, why didn't you wait for us to release it together!"
Shen Yanlin raised his head, gazing at the light, his cool face devoid of any extra expression.
"I wasn't paying attention just now, I put it down as soon as I finished writing." He thought for a moment, then added, "Next time, I'll definitely be waiting for everyone next time."
Lin Xiaojuan wasn't really angry. After hearing what he said, she waved her hand and generously forgave him.
Shen Yanlin strode over to Ye Linchen's side.
"Xiao Chen, what wish did you write on your Kongming lantern?"
Ye Linchen didn't hide anything, raising the Kongming lantern and turning the side with the writing on it towards him.
She pointed to the large black characters and read them to him word by word.
"My wish is very simple, it's just this: 'Get rich, get rich, get very rich!'"
After she finished speaking, she couldn't help but laugh, her eyes curving like crescent moons in the sky.
"I hope I can save enough money as soon as possible, then come up with a good business idea, become my own boss, and succeed in my business!"
After saying that, he asked Shen Yanlin a question out of curiosity.
"And you, what is your wish? You posted it so quickly, as if you were afraid we would see it. Did you write down some unspeakable secret?"
Shen Yanlin looked down at her.
Two tiny flames flickered in Ye Linchen's pupils, shining incredibly brightly.
Unconsciously, the corners of Shen Yanlin's mouth curved slightly upward, and he answered succinctly with four words: "Same as you."
Ye Linchen was stunned for a moment, then realized what was happening and burst out laughing.
"So you're a money-grubber too."
Shen Yanlin's smile deepened, spreading from his lips to the depths of his eyes.
He didn't say anything more, but stood quietly beside her, helping her light the Kongming lantern that carried her dream of getting rich. Then they looked up together and watched it sway and fly into the night sky.
Lin Xiaojuan also released her Kongming lantern and waved to them.
"Come to the backyard and have some glutinous rice balls!"
Ye Linchen agreed and said to Shen Yanlin, "Let's go, let's eat tangyuan."
After saying that, he walked towards Lin Xiaojuan.
Shen Yanlin stood there, his gaze following her light and quick figure as she ran away, a hint of loneliness in his eyes.
He turned his head and looked again at his Kongming lantern, which had become a small dot.
There were his handwriting on it, simple and clear.
"Wishing Ye Linchen all the best, peace and happiness."
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