"Mom, I want to learn how to draw talismans." Zhang Xinyue said with his head held high.
Zhang Hulan looked down at Zhang Xinyue. The little girl's eyes were as bright as black gemstones.
Zhang Hulan didn't want her daughters to learn this. She just wanted her three daughters to live an ordinary life.
Even if her three daughters can't do anything, she will just raise them. It's not like she can't afford to raise them.
It’s just that she doesn’t want to restrict her daughter because of her own wishes. Everyone has her own thoughts and destiny, and they need to choose their own path.
Zhang Hulan asked, "Do you like drawing talismans?"
Zhang Xinyue nodded like a chick pecking at rice, "Yeah, I like it! It's fun."
Zhang Xinyue turned around and asked, "Will you teach me how to draw talismans in the future?"
Daohe said, "If you go up the mountain, you will be my junior sister and I can teach you."
"I can also teach you." Daoxu said.
Daohe snorted, "Humph, he can't draw as well as I do."
Zhang Hulan asked Daochen, "Master, I will take my daughter back first. If she still wants to learn after a while, I will bring her up the mountain. If she is just interested, then forget it."
Dao Chen smiled and bowed, "Good!"
"Please go in and pay your respects, my brother will take his leave now."
Dao Chen bowed again, then turned around and left with Dao and Dao Xu.
Zhang Hulan looked at the backs of his three fellow disciples as they left, his sleeves fluttering in the wind. Now he looked like a serious Taoist priest.
After entering the Taoist temple to worship, the group went down the mountain.
Zhang Hulan kept thinking about what Daochen said along the way and still found it mysterious.
Zhang Hulan somewhat believes in cause and effect, but she doesn’t know whether it is cause or effect that the Taoist priest from Ziyang Temple wants to accept Zhang Xinyue as his disciple?
As soon as she got home, Zhang Xinyue ran into Li's room.
He gave the amulet to Li and said, "Aunt, this is the amulet I got from the Taoist temple. If you carry it with you, it will keep you safe."
"One is yours, one is my uncle's, and the other is my little brother's."
Li took it with a smile, "Thank you Yueyue!"
This gift is good, Li likes it very much. Peace and safety are more important than anything else.
Zhang Xinyue then ran out of the room and said to Zhang Hulan, "Mom, I want to go home."
Zhang Hulan asked: "Why are you going back now? Wait until you have dinner before going back."
Zhang Xinyue said, "Mom, I want to go back and draw the talisman. I still remember how Daohe drew the amulet, I want to draw it, otherwise I will forget it in a while.
I want to draw lots and lots of amulets, so that they can bless our family to be safe and sound."
Zhang Xinyue then said to Shanzi, "Brother Shanzi, lend me your pen, ink, paper and inkstone."
Shanzi nodded, "Okay!"
Zhang Xiaobing said, "Yueyue, you don't have to go back. I have some too. My aunt also bought me some writing brushes, inkstones, and paper."
Zhang Xinyue was stunned for a moment, "Oh, I forgot."
Zhang Xiaobing immediately took out his pen, ink, paper and inkstone and gave them to Zhang Xinyue, and then the children ran to draw talismans.
Zhang Hulan wanted to remind Zhang Xinyue that cinnabar was needed to draw talismans, but she thought that the little girl was just drawing for fun, and she also wanted to see if she could find out that something was wrong, so she didn't remind her.
Zhang Xiaobing was very active. He helped Zhang Xinyue clean the table and grind the ink.
Zhang Xinyue climbed onto the stool and leaned on the table with her butt sticking out. She held the pen like Daohe did, and when she was about to dip it in ink, she found that the color of the ink was wrong.
Zhang Xinyue said, "Brother Xiaobing, your ink is wrong. Daohe's ink is red, and yours is black."
Zhang Xiaobing said, "But I don't have the red one! The one my aunt bought me is the black one."
Shanzi said, "Mine is also black."
She got down from the stool and ran to find Zhang Hulan, "Mom, why is Daohe's ink red? Can I use black ink?"
Zhang Hulan smiled and said, "Daohe doesn't use ink, but cinnabar, which is specially used to draw talismans. You are just practicing now, and it's the same if you use black ink. When you learn it, mother will buy you cinnabar to draw with."
"Okay, Mom!" Zhang Xinyue ran to draw the talisman again.
Soon Zhang Xinyue came over again and said, "Mom, Daohe's paper is different. His paper is yellow."
Zhang Hulan added, "Use white paper to draw first, and I'll buy you yellow paper later."
"Okay, Mom!" Zhang Xinyue ran away again.
Zhang Hulan shouted, "Yueyue, be careful not to get ink on your clothes, or you won't be able to wash it off."
Zhang Xinyue shouted: "I will be careful!"
Wang smiled and said, "It seems that this little girl really likes drawing talismans."
After a while, Zhang Xinyue came over again, holding a piece of paper in her hand, "Mom, look, does the talisman I drew look like it?"
Zhang Hulan took it and looked at it, and almost laughed out loud.
The talismans drawn by others are neatly drawn, with every stroke being neat and the runes being clear.
As for Zhang Xinyue’s painting...all you can see is a blob of ink.
It would be strange if a little girl who has never written and can't even hold a pen could draw good talismans.
Zhang Xinyao and the others were standing behind Zhang Xinyue, their shoulders shaking, trying to hold back their laughter.
Zhang Hulan didn't want to discourage the little girl, so she said against her conscience: "Yeah, not bad, quite similar."
Zhang Hulan wondered if she could show the talisman drawn by the little girl to the Taoist priests in Ziyang Temple, would they change their minds and would they still accept the little girl as their disciple.
Zhang Xinyue clapped her hands happily, "I'm so smart, I got it after just one try."
"Yes, yes, our Yueyue is the smartest."
"Mom, this talisman is for you."
Zhang Xinyue felt that this was the first talisman she had ever drawn and it was particularly precious, so she wanted to give it to her mother.
Zhang Hulan accepted it with a smile, "Okay, Mom will keep it well."
"Mom, I'm going to draw talismans again."
Zhang Xinyue was greatly encouraged and decided to work hard to draw many amulets...
…
The year passed by unknowingly.
Most people go back to their parents' home on the second day of the Chinese New Year, but none of the Zhang family's wives went back.
Li doesn’t even know where her parents’ home is now, and even if she knew, she probably wouldn’t go there.
Xiang Chunhua didn't go back to her parents' home, and she would never go back again.
She must educate her son well, as he will be her life in the future.
They played for three more days on the second, third and fourth days of the Chinese New Year. On the fifth day, Zhang Hujun, Zhang Hubing, Zhao Cheng and Zhou started to work.
Zhou also told Zhang Hulan that they would take a leave on the 16th day of the first lunar month to go to the provincial capital to see their daughter-in-law.
Zhang Hulan told them to go without worry and to borrow from her if they didn't have enough money.
Zhou held Zhang Hulan's hand and kept expressing her gratitude.
On the eighth day, work began on the farm.
Those who are clearing land continue to clear land, those who are building houses continue to build houses, and the new year officially begins.
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