At daybreak, Xu Jiang bathed and burned incense, then changed into plain clothes, without any ornaments or makeup. She wore only the jade ring given by Xizhi, and left the post station for Qinggang Garden with Liu Mei, Shan Bo and two guards.
The other two guards stayed behind to guard the luggage.
Yongsui County is not big. Qinggang Garden is located in the south of the city. It was originally a garden built by Xu Yuan's father after he earned his fortune. Later, after his death, it was occupied by the Xu family, and the orphan and widowed mother were driven to the old house west of the garden.
Not long after, Xu's mother also passed away, leaving only Xu Yuan and a few servants. These servants later left or fled, leaving only Xu Twelve, who was younger than Xu Yuan, to stay with him.
But who would have thought that what was left behind would be a disaster.
The carriage rolled over the dusty ground and drove into the dusty old year. Even the city sounds around seemed to have never changed.
Xu Jiang looked around through the carriage window. There were shops and houses, some new and some old, but most of them still looked the same as they did back then. When the carriage reached the corner of the street, Xu Jiang shouted "Stop".
The guard quickly reined in his horse and asked, "Miss, what's wrong?"
Xu Jiang looked at the shop on the corner. Its layout and appearance were the same as before, except that the signboard had changed and the operation had changed. It had been transformed from a bookstore into a grocery store.
She looked at the door and saw the words "Zheyun" engraved on the tenon next to the sign.
That was her mischievous childhood work.
Liu Mei asked, "What's wrong?"
Xu Jiang shook his head and said to the guards, "Let's go."
Things and people have changed, it's just a common phenomenon in the world.
As the carriage passed the street corner, Xu Jiang seemed to hear a voice that broke through the thousands of noises and shouted into her heart.
"Xu Jiang, you lazy girl, where have you been hiding again?"
Xu Jiang turned around suddenly, but saw only the mundane world, not the person she had been thinking about. Tears immediately filled her eyes. But through her tears, she could see two figures, one large and one small, slowly appearing at the door of the bookstore, walking in hand in hand.
She looked at the two figures and couldn't help but curl the corners of her mouth. Tears fell down and formed two flowers on her clothes.
The carriage arrived at Qinggang Garden and stopped at an open space nearby. Xu Jiang dismounted and looked around. She saw a new look. She thought it must have been renovated by the wealthy man who built the Wenchang Temple.
Two gardeners saw the carriages approaching and approached to inquire. Upon hearing that several of the people were from the capital, they became more eager. One led the guards to park the carriages while the other led the people into the garden.
"Since we enshrined Wenchangjun in our garden, we have produced several top scorers in the imperial examinations. It's very effective. If you all worship him, your son will surely pass the imperial examination."
"Our young man has passed the imperial examination." Shan Bo looked proud.
"Oh, congratulations, congratulations." The gardener heard this and became even more enthusiastic. "Your presence here is a great honor to our garden."
Xu Jiang had no intention of listening to the two people's conversation. She looked around as she walked.
The garden has retained its original layout, with only some pavilions and corridors added. The houses have been renovated, painted, and tiled, making them much more refined than before.
They entered from the east gate, crossed the garden to the west, and arrived at the old house where Xu Yuan lived, now the Wenchang Temple.
Xu Jiang stopped and looked at the temple hidden among several huge ash trees, but before his eyes was a raging fire.
"Originally, there were several old houses here. Later, for some unknown reason, a fire broke out and burned them all down, taking with it the surrounding ash trees that looked like torches. We thought they had burned to death, but after two years of wind and rain, they came back to life and grew stronger and stronger. Now they have become a scenic spot in our ash garden."
Shan Bo glanced at Xu Jiang and said, "This is called becoming a talent through fire and blood, or rebirth through nirvana."
The gardener said, "Who says it isn't? Many believers come to worship Wenchang Jun and regard these trees as auspicious trees. They write their wishes on red silk and throw them onto the trees. If they can cling to them, it's a good omen, and their wishes will surely come true."
When everyone looked closely, they saw a piece of red silk floating under the tree, which looked like a dancing flame when blown by the wind.
Xu Jiang asked, "Who built this temple?"
"All I know is that he was a wealthy and secretive businessman. After the temple and garden were completed, he handed them over to the abbot of the Wuque Monastery. We don't know his name or where he lives." The gardener sighed, "He must be a kind-hearted man who does good deeds without leaving his name behind."
Wuque Temple? Xu Jiang's heart skipped a beat. "Is the abbot's name Qinglongzi?"
The gardener was surprised and asked, "How did you know that, madam?"
"The abbot and I are old acquaintances." After saying that, Xu Jiang quickly walked towards the Wenchang Temple. Liu Mei and Shan Bo looked at each other and immediately followed.
When I arrived in front of the temple, I looked around and saw that there were indeed people throwing red silk under the trees on both sides. If I could climb up, I would kneel down and worship quickly. If I couldn’t climb up, I would try again.
Walking into the temple, the original courtyard gate has been converted into a worship pavilion, and the main hall opposite it has been converted into the main hall. There are two plaques in the left and right wing rooms respectively, which are probably presented by the top scorer in the high school entrance examination.
Beyond the main hall, there is a two-story wooden building in the backyard. The building is brightly lit and is where divinations are interpreted with lamps.
The temple was rebuilt on the foundation of the original house.
Xu Jiang crossed the Baiting Pavilion and saw a tripod in the courtyard. Green smoke was curling up from the tripod, and sparks were shining. The incense was indeed very popular.
She looked up and saw a golden cloud above her head, which was the crown of the ash tree.
Only the sky remains the same as before.
The gardener had left. Shan Bo looked around and saw that although the temple was bustling with people, it was very quiet. He couldn't help but praise it, "It's a nice and quiet place."
Liu Mei pointed to a wooden sign beside the front door of the hall and said, "There's a rule prohibiting making noise here."
Xu Jiang and Shan Bo looked at the wooden sign, only to see a calm word "quiet" written on it. Xu Jiang recognized the handwriting; it was from Qing Longzi's hand.
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