Chapter 26
Almost no one got out of the car straight away. They all supported each other, trembling and shaking with every step. They might even vomit when they reached the tree pit. Lu Bai looked like he was having trouble breathing, but he was still very good at talking:
"Li An, come and kowtow to your Grandpa Lu," he said after a few words, pausing to speak slowly. "Grandpa will spare you the three kneelings and nine kowtows. Just one loud kowtow will do."
"I was the only one who shouted. Didn't you shout?" Li An was already thin, and now he looked even more like a stick figure swaying in the wind. "Everyone heard it. You thought I didn't hear it?"
"Where's the evidence? Where's the witness?" Lu Bai was feeling better, but he still held onto the tree trunk with one hand. His other hand was massaging Zhang Xiaotian's neck, pinching and kneading it. Zhang Xiaotian sat on the bench, also listless, letting him toy with him.
"We're all witnesses!" Li An said, straightening up. "Who didn't hear you call 'Tian'er' twice? We all heard it."
Lu Bai seemed to have just remembered and turned to look at the people standing beside him. Yin Li nodded at him with her eyes closed, and Han Chengcheng also nodded. Lu Bai quickly glanced at Zhang Xiaotian and then said cunningly, "I only called out twice. Li An, do you know how many times you called out? You almost called out the names of the dishes."
"Then let's just forget it. We're even now." Li An patted his butt and was about to leave. "Everyone's waiting to play. We don't have time to play couples' worship with you. Let's go!"
"Who is bowing to you and your wife? Hey, come back here!" Lu Bai wanted to grab him, but when he looked back and saw Zhang Xiaotian still sitting on the bench, he came back.
"Tian'er, are you okay?" He took the water bottle from Zhang Xiaotian's hand, unscrewed it, and put it back in his hand. "Drink some water and rest for a while?"
Zhang Xiaotian shook his head, tilted his head back and took a sip: "Let's go, I'm fine."
Although it was a bit stimulating, since they were all young people, it was no big deal. After a short rest, the four of them were full of energy again. The two teams continued to have fun and played until nightfall before gathering back to the hotel.
After returning to the hotel to wash and pack, Yin Li and Han Chengcheng came to the house and arranged to go to Lu Bai and Zhang Xiaotian's room to play poker.
"We bought some midnight snacks, and the address is also your room. Let's eat together later." Lu Bai blocked Yin Li from entering the room, but Yin Li insisted on squeezing in. "Play for a while, don't rest so early!"
"Would you like some milk tea? I'll buy it now." Han Chengcheng was holding up her phone, ready to place an order. Lu Bai quickly stopped her, and Yin Li took the opportunity to sneak into the room.
"Hey, you two!" Just as Lu Bai turned to stop Yin Li, Han Chengcheng also entered the room and smiled at Zhang Xiaotian inside. Zhang Xiaotian had a towel on his head and was still damp from the bathroom. He had just heard the conversation outside in the bathroom, and seeing the two extra people in the room wasn't surprising. "Then I'll buy some snacks too, so we can all eat together?"
"I won't buy it for them!" Lu Bai didn't stop anyone and was in a state of helplessness and rage.
"No need, Xiaotian. What I bought is enough for us." Yin Li, unfazed, moved the table over and pulled out her playing cards. "Let's play 414. We'll play against each other. Chengcheng and I will be one team, and you two will be the other. Whoever gets through first wins, and the loser takes a big risk!"
"With or without upgrades?"
"certainly!"
"Okay, don't cry if you lose!" Lu Bai came over and shuffled the cards.
"Lu Bai always talks tough, right, Chengcheng?" Yin Li hurried over and took a seat. Four people sat at the table, with those in the same group sitting opposite each other. Starting with Yin Li, they drew cards in a clockwise direction.
Zhang Xiaotian carefully considered his next move. His father's family rarely held such events, and even when they did, he rarely participated. As a result, he knew how to play, but his skill was average. Lu Bai, however, seemed to be quite good at it. Although he seemed absent-minded, he could occasionally help him out. As a result, after a few rounds, he wasn't at a disadvantage, but rather had a slight advantage.
"Thank you, thank you!" Lu Bai threw the last card in his hand and won another round with Zhang Xiaotian. "We'll win the next round."
"I won't let you guys have it that easy!" Yin Li quickly gathered the cards, shuffled them three times, and then spread them out. "Come on!"
If he lost this time, Yin Li and the others would be even closer. Not wanting to be held back, Zhang Xiaotian perked up, but his luck was clearly lacking. The cards were fragmented, making them difficult to play. Zhang Xiaotian carefully considered his moves, always hesitating before making a move.
It was Zhang Xiaotian's turn to play again, and he subconsciously glanced at Lu Bai. Lu Bai quickly exchanged glances with him, picked up his phone and tapped a few times, causing Zhang Xiaotian's phone to vibrate twice.
Zhang Xiaotian picked it up and saw that it was Lu Bai who had sent a questioning emoji. He replied, "Nothing." He then sent another message saying, "I'm not playing very well."
"It's okay, I'll take you. I play all the time at home." Lu Bai replied, along with an emoji of a man with his chest puffed out.
Zhang Xiaotian had just finished playing his cards, picked up his phone and saw it, then bowed to him in return.
"I say," Yin Li arranged the cards in her hand into a fan and fanned them in her face twice, "are you two hiding something from us?"
Han Chengcheng turned her head to look at her in a flash, and the movement was so big that it scared Lu Bai. Lu Bai didn't understand what was going on: "What's wrong? Are you so surprised? Are you two having a secret?"
"Xiaotian, you two, seven." Yin Li threw out two cards. "His phone vibrated as soon as you sent a message. Are you two whispering something that even Chengcheng and I can't hear?"
"Wait! Post it!" Han Chengcheng hurriedly pulled out two stickers and threw them on the table. "What if Xiaotian's phone is vibrating because there's a group message? I think the group is really busy."
"Really? Let me see." Lu Bai took out his cell phone again.
"Stop playing with your phone and play your cards!" Yin Li threw out four fives and slammed them on the table. "Who cares! Anyone want them? If not, I'm leaving!"
Zhang Xiaotian shook his head. Lu Bai glanced at him and said no, then continued to look through the group messages.
"A sharp card!" Yin Li threw out an ace of hearts. They played two more rounds. Lu Bai was a bit distracted, staring at his phone, fiddling with something. Yin Li never got a chance to play the remaining cards in her hand, so she could only watch them play. As she watched, she remembered something and asked, "Lu Bai, why were you screaming when you were riding the roller coaster?"
"Three circles!" Han Chengcheng shuddered and frantically threw out three Qs. "It should be an interjection. Um, it's because I'm too scared, right, Lu Bai?"
Three circles, just to take care of Zhang Daner? Zhang Xiaotian didn't understand. He turned to look at Yin Li sitting next to him. It seemed that she was about to jump up and ask Han Chengcheng to take back the three circles.
"Hmm? What did you say?" Lu Bai came back to his senses and asked, "What happened?"
"Can you guys please have some fun?! Those of you looking at your phones are just looking at your phones, and chatting isn't fun anymore. Besides, Chengcheng, what's wrong with you? Why are you getting out of this circle?" Yin Li slammed the table vigorously. "I've already signed up for the movie, so let me go first!"
"...It's okay, we can win." Han Chengcheng shrank his neck, glanced at Zhang Xiaotian's hand full of cards, and played a card, "A nine?"
"A hook." Zhang Xiaotian followed with a Jack. Yin Li snorted and didn't play. Lu Bai played a Queen, and the cards fell back to Han Chengcheng. Han Chengcheng pondered, played an Ace, and said to report the card. Zhang Xiaotian was about to intervene when Yin Li stood up and threw the cards on the table.
"Right on point, not good!" Yin Li rubbed her hands. "I'm leaving!"
"Death warrant, are there four of them?" Han Chengcheng sorted out the cards in his hand and said, "No one cares what I do."
Zhang Xiaotian didn't have four identical cards in his hand. Just as he was about to call Lu Bai, Han Chengcheng had already discarded all his cards. "Shuanglong, let's go."
"Yeah! We won!" Yin Li cheered. "If it weren't for you, Chengcheng, who bothered me a few times, we would have won a long time ago!"
"Blame me." Han Chengcheng picked up the cards and shuffled them.
"What? I haven't played a card yet!" Lu Bai finally returned his attention to the card table. "No, this doesn't count!"
"Why shouldn't it count? Who told you to play with your phone?" Yin Li sat back on the stool.
Lu Bai explained, "You don't know what was posted in the group just now. Li An was stripped naked by some classmates and photos of him in his underwear were taken. I hurriedly saved one photo and withdrew the rest!"
"I don't believe it unless you show it to me."
Yin Li leaned over to take a look, but Lu Bai quickly blocked her view: "Don't look at me! You're a little girl, you need to behave yourself!"
"We haven't decided what big adventure they should take yet." Han Chengcheng reminded from the side.
"Oh, right!" Yin Li waved her hand. "Then, Lu Bai will go to the hotel lobby and dance and sing 'Qinghai-Tibet Plateau,' and Xiaotian will..." At this point, she thought for a moment, "Xiaotian will be in charge of recording the video."
"I don't accept it!" Lu Bai protested, "Why should Tian'er just record the video?"
"Just because you're holding Xiaotian back, if you played your cards right and didn't check your phone, Xiaotian might have left!"
"Well, actually, I'm not very good at fighting..." Zhang Xiaotian tried to explain, but his voice was not as loud as Lu Bai's.
"But if we miss this opportunity, we'll never have the chance to save the photos of Ang Lee's underwear!" Lu Bai put the phone in his pocket like a treasure, "I'll sing if I want to, who's afraid of you?" After saying that, he pulled Zhang Xiaotian and walked out of the room, followed closely by Han Chengcheng and Yin Li.
Lu Bai got scared as soon as he stepped into the elevator. After much persuasion, he changed his singing and dancing to just singing without dancing. Lu Bai came downstairs and turned his grief into loud voice. He was very powerful, but his voice was really out of tune. After singing only a few sentences, he was asked to go back to the room by the security guard downstairs. His singing was not only recorded by Zhang Xiaotian, but also by a classmate passing by downstairs who secretly recorded a video and sent it to the class group. The number of spreads instantly exceeded that of Li An's underwear photo.
Over the next few days, they visited almost every major and minor attraction in City B, not wasting a single moment. Zhang Xiaotian felt so fulfilled every day in City B that by the last day, he almost didn't want to go home.
"Is there anywhere else you want to go?"
"I just sent a message to Yin Li, and she said that Han Cheng and the others stayed up late watching TV series last night and couldn't get up, so it was just the two of us." The two of them had just gotten up. After washing up, Lu Bai wiped his face with a towel while asking Zhang Xiaotian: "If there is any, we will go there soon, and we will go back in the afternoon."
A place he wanted to visit? Zhang Xiaotian suddenly thought of the Baoguang Temple. Neither of his parents had religious beliefs, and he hadn't been exposed to them since childhood. But for some reason, Zhang Xiaotian always thought of that mythical story in his spare time. Now that Lu Bai had asked him, he was genuinely curious, but...
Zhang Xiaotian took the opportunity to secretly look at Lu Bai while changing clothes.
These past two days, Lu Bai looked happy wherever he went, whether it was an amusement park, a museum, or a park square.
But will he be willing to go to the temple?
There's not much to see in the temple, and... there should be some things you can and can't do, which might be very restrictive. Thinking about it, it would be quite boring...
But Lu Bai was also very quiet and well-behaved when visiting the museum, probably...
Zhang Xiaotian put on his clothes and wanted to ask, but he didn't dare. Just as he was struggling, Lu Bai suddenly sat on his bed, leaned over and held the phone in front of him.
"Look here, are you interested?"
Zhang Xiaotian looked carefully and found that it was the Baoguang Temple he had just thought of.
"Why are you..." Zhang Xiaotian asked in surprise.
"They said the scenery around here is pretty good, and there are murals and other things inside. I thought you might be interested." Lu Bai scratched his head. "Don't like it? Then let me look for it again?"
Zhang Xiaotian quickly said, "No, that's it."
Compared to other popular attractions, this place is much quieter. Red walls and golden tiles, surrounded by green trees, colorful prayer flags flutter in the wind. With few tourists coming and going, the quiet footsteps are clearly audible. The two walked along the well-connected stone paths all the way to the main hall, where there were more people around. Zhang Xiaotian opened the guide he had searched in the car and showed it to Lu Bai. Following the guide, the two first burned incense, then followed the monk to view the murals. After walking around, the monk didn't tell them about the story Zhang Xiaotian had read online.
"Maybe it was made up for traffic." Zhang Xiaotian told the story to Lu Bai. Lu Bai said after listening, "But it's good as long as it can attract people."
After a long walk, they returned to the main hall. A large crowd gathered beneath the tall willow tree, with a prayer ribbon hanging at the entrance. The wind rustled through the leaves, brushing against my face. Monks swept fallen leaves from the ground, while visitors prayed and made wishes beneath the tree. The warm sunlight of midday poured down, and an orange kitten basked in the sun in the corner. Lu Bai whispered to Zhang Xiaotian, "Should we go pray and hang a sign, too?"
Zhang Xiaotian nodded, and the two of them walked under the tree.
Zhang Xiaotian thought for a long time before he put pen to paper. His wish had been made long ago, and it hadn't changed in all these years. He wanted a home of his own, a home that belonged entirely to him. But if he wanted to elaborate, Zhang Xiaotian couldn't say anything.
What does it mean to belong to him? This definition is too vague, and Zhang Xiaotian can't imagine it. He remembered the day when his mother said she was going to take him away and asked him to go back to his father's house to pack his luggage. As soon as he entered the house, he saw a small cardboard box at the door of the bedroom. He walked over and opened the cardboard box. Inside were toys that he had broken when he was a child and some old clothes that he often wore. Zhang Xiaotian didn't see his book and thought he forgot to take it, so he opened the door and wanted to get it himself. When he went in, he saw that the book was being flipped through by his younger brother. That was his half-brother. He was lying on the bed where he used to sleep. The sheets and pillowcases were also replaced with new ones. For a moment, Zhang Xiaotian couldn't remember what this place looked like before.
"Xiaotian, you're back? I left your luggage at the door..." Dad's wife appeared behind him and explained, "Your brother will be going to elementary school next year. He's a big boy now and can't always sleep with mom and dad. Your mom is here to pick you up, and I thought the room was empty anyway, so I cleaned it up and gave it to your brother." She paused and continued, "It's okay. When you come back here occasionally, this room will be yours!"
"It's okay, Auntie." Zhang Xiaotian shook his head. "I don't mean anything else. I just want to take the book."
"What book?" She walked into the room and saw her child flipping through a book. "Yangyang, give the book back to your brother. He's going to take it away."
"No!" The little fat boy was lying on the bed. He quickly pressed the book under his belly and said, "Mom, didn't you say that my brother gave it to me?"
"Kid, when did I tell you that?" The woman was a little embarrassed and wanted to grab it directly. "Give it back to your brother. If you want to buy it, tell your dad. When hasn't your dad bought it for you? Hurry up, let go!" After saying that, she grabbed it directly and put it in Zhang Xiaotian's hand.
Seeing this, the little fat boy pursed his lips and tears immediately fell. The woman said he was disobedient, but she still held him in her arms and coaxed him. Zhang Xiaotian looked at the book in his hand, which was accidentally pressed by the child. This was the book his father bought for him one day when he was drunk. He didn't know what day it was that day. His father was drunk and confused. He brought the book home and hugged him and cried. But he was too young at the time and didn't understand why his father was crying. He had read this book many times. In fact, it didn't have any memorable meaning, but it had indeed accompanied him for many years.
Zhang Xiaotian wondered what he was thinking at that moment. He watched his stepmother carefully coaxing her child, while his father, knowing he was leaving today, still hadn't shown up, and he couldn't even take a book away quietly.
He remembered that he had actually felt a little embarrassed at the time, at his loss of what to do at that moment, and also at the situation he had been in this house for so many years. He didn't take the book away with him afterwards. Perhaps the book didn't belong to him, but only stayed in his hands for a short time.
Zhang Xiaotian closed his eyes, not knowing how to start writing.
"Have you finished writing?"
Lu Bai had already hung up the scroll, and seeing that Zhang Xiaotian hadn't started writing yet, he walked towards him. He leaned over and looked over, only to see that Zhang Xiaotian hadn't written a single word yet.
"I have so many wishes, I don't know which one to write?"
Zhang Xiaotian didn't explain and just hummed randomly.
"Then just write the same as me!" Lu Bai smiled and put his arm around Zhang Xiaotian's shoulders and said, "Just write, get into a good university, and then... be my good brother for life!"
"Write it like this?" Zhang Xiaotian looked at his profile, and when he saw Lu Bai turning to look at him, he couldn't help but smile too.
"Just write it like this!" Lu Bai nodded, "Don't be too greedy."
"Okay then." Zhang Xiaotian turned around and wrote down what he had just said, stroke by stroke, before hanging it on the tree. The blessing sticks on the tree contrasted beautifully with the green willow branches. Zhang Xiaotian clasped his hands together beneath the tree. If the wish on the sticks could come true, that would be great.
"They say there's a temple fair." Seeing that Zhang Xiaotian had already hung up his fortune sticks and made a wish, Lu Bai walked towards him. "Would you like to take a stroll before leaving?"
"Is it too late?" Zhang Xiaotian asked.
"There's still time. Besides, we have packed our luggage." Lu Bai pulled him towards the temple fair.
Temple fairs are usually bustling after dark, but at this time, the fairgrounds aren't much more crowded than the temple itself, and there aren't many stalls open. The two of them walked side by side on the cobblestone path, the wind blowing in the air carrying the scent of shabu-shabu skewers and egg waffles.
"Would you like something to eat?" Lu Bai walked towards the snack stand. "How about we eat here for lunch?"
"I'm not very hungry yet." Zhang Xiaotian didn't follow him, but Lu Bai still bought two servings.
As noon approached, the crowds gradually increased. Under the blazing sun, one had to get closer to see the faces of the people coming. The two of them ate as they walked, neither of them talking. Zhang Xiaotian wasn't really hungry, so he took a few bites and put it away. Lu Bai finished his and took Zhang Xiaotian's.
"You..." Zhang Xiaotian hesitated to speak.
"Ah, what?" Lu Bai spoke vaguely, not even swallowing a bite of food.
What? Seeing his silly look, Zhang Xiaotian almost wanted to hold his head. You just naturally see other people's leftovers?!
"Nothing." Zhang Xiaotian looked to the side and pointed at a random stall, "Let's go over there and take a look."
This stall sold a variety of decorative items. The tabletops were filled with a wide variety of ornaments, featuring flowers, birds, fish, insects, animals, and everything in between. Before the two of them approached, some people were already looking at the stall. Zhang Xiaotian hadn't wanted to join in the fun, intending to simply stand aside and take a quick look. But he'd actually spotted something of interest at that first glance.
"...You just want to see this?" Lu Bai came over after throwing away the garbage and saw Zhang Xiaotian playing with a ceramic ornament, which was a puppy that looked vaguely familiar.
Zhang Xiaotian held it in one hand, his fingertips caressing the glaze of the little porcelain dog. It was a little uneven, but the touch was very good. He held it up to show Lu Bai: "Look, it's exactly the same as the one on your pajamas."
"I didn't expect you to remember it so clearly." Lu Bai walked over and held out his hand for it, and Zhang Xiaotian handed it over. The puppy figurine was the size of a palm, with a yellow body and brown ears. It lay in his palm like a piece of butter. While Lu Bai was still looking at it, Zhang Xiaotian had already paid for it.
"Do you like it so much that you want to buy it?" Lu Bai was surprised.
"It's quite interesting." Zhang Xiaotian put away his phone and reached out to take it back, but was blocked by Lu Bai.
"I'll mark it for you so you don't lose it." He picked up the marker on the stall and drew a flower on the dog's belly without thinking.
"What is this?" Zhang Xiaotian was speechless as he looked at the puppy figurine with its belly blooming.
"This way, this little fat dog will be different from other little dog ornaments." Lu Bai waved the little fat dog in front of Zhang Xiaotian, "The little dog blooms!"
"Isn't it childish?" Zhang Xiaotian grabbed Lu Bai's hand, took the little fat dog down and put it in his pocket.
As the two were leaving, Zhang Xiaotian suddenly remembered: "You said we both said our wishes out loud when we made them, so can they still come true?"
"Damn, Tian'er!" Lu Bai was also stunned when he heard this. "What should we do? How about we kowtow a few more times?"
"That's enough!" Zhang Xiaotian laughed at him.
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