Chapter 283 Climbing High
"Um?"
Unexpectedly, the third person to ask Song Chunxue for a lucky charm would be the keeper of the Taoist temple.
Song Chunxue thought to herself that she seemed to have made something of herself.
She couldn't help but look at her senior brother, and took out two bills from her purse and handed them to Wang Shouming.
"I happened to bring two with me today. They're not as good as what you described, but you can give them a try."
Practicing Buddhism at home, with elderly parents and young children to care for, money is of utmost importance.
No one can resist a lucky charm, even a fake one.
"Thank you very much, Uncle-Master." Wang Shouming accepted the gift with both hands and carefully put it into his purse.
"Please offer incense, my two senior uncles."
The Taoist priest drew a talisman with wheat on the large table.
Song Chunxue placed the sweet fermented rice and guokui (a type of flatbread) she had brought on the table.
Although she did not recognize the statues of the gods enshrined above.
Afterwards, the Taoist priest led everyone in offering incense.
Actually, there are quite a few temples on this mountain, but the ones built by Taoists are rather scattered.
The magnificent and well-preserved temple is inhabited by monks; there are the most monks on this mountain.
Many locals don't even know whether the temples or shrines they worship belong to Taoism or Buddhism; they just believe that if the deities or shrines have spirits, that's enough.
Most of the Taoist priests here are lay practitioners; there are almost no Quanzhen Taoists.
“Let’s go, let’s go to the top of the mountain and see how they’ve built such a high mountain. I’ll bring some incense and paper money.” The Taoist priest looked at Wang Shouming. “The children will need to eat offerings later for good luck, right? Will you stay with your wife and children or come with us?”
Wang Shouming looked at his wife who was holding the child and said, "I think I'll stay here and guard the mountain. The top of the mountain is very steep, and I'm afraid I won't be able to get down with the child in my arms."
“Alright, then I’ll go to the mountaintop with my junior brother.” As he spoke, the Taoist priest had already stepped out of the temple gate.
Song Chunxue nodded to the family and followed behind her senior brother.
They got up early today, and although it took them quite a while, the sun has only just risen.
The two brothers were quick on their feet and climbed to the top in half an hour.
From a distance, a group of teenagers had built a small hill two meters high with clods of earth and fine soil, and were lighting a fire.
This is the highest point in Zhuanglang County, even higher than Peach Blossom Mountain on the left. Looking down at everything below, she couldn't even see where her own yard was.
"Senior brother, go burn incense, I'll stay here and take a look."
She didn't want to join the crowd; everyone on the mountaintop today was a man.
"Very well," the Taoist priest said with a smile. "You can meditate here; the energy of heaven and earth today is extraordinary."
"good."
Song Chunxue sat down cross-legged and looked up. The sun on the opposite mountain looked like an orange, warming her chest.
Although she didn't know why things were different, Song Chunxue felt an unprecedented warmth in her heart, which had been surging from yesterday until now.
She sat cross-legged amidst the laughter and chatter of a group of teenagers, not having any luck, simply admiring the view from above.
"Ta-da..."
A series of hurried footsteps approached her, and she knew without guessing that it was Sanwa.
"Mom, you've come to the mountaintop too! Why don't you come and play with us?"
As he spoke, Sanwa sat down beside her, not caring whether the grass and dirt on the ground would soil her new clothes.
"Play?"
Song Chunxue smiled and said, "I just came to see what's going on. You kids can play together."
The third child remained silent, a gentle breeze caressing his face, the rising sun warming his body.
"Mother, doesn't it feel like a dream?"
Sanwa plucked two foxtail grasses and put them in his mouth, his face beaming with undisguised joy.
“At this time last year, I was still herding sheep at home. My mother was busy in the fields every morning and evening, shoveling dandelions to sell for money. A big bag of them only sold for a few dozen coins.”
Sanwa took a deep breath. "This is like a dream. I wouldn't dare wear such beautiful clothes even in my dreams."
Song Chunxue turned to look at him, her chest throbbing with a bittersweet feeling that threatened to burst.
With a smile, she couldn't help but pat Sanwa's head. "Yes, I remember back then, the two of us were the ones who suffered the most and worked the hardest in the family. The others were like ancestors in our family. I've always felt indebted to you."
"Perhaps God heard my complaints and made me keep picking up silver coins on the road, so that we could live a good life." Her eyes glistened with tears. "Sanwa, are you happy now?"
Sanwa nodded and pressed his head against Song Chunxue's arm, not wanting her to see the tears in his eyes.
"Yes, I'm so happy. I wish I could jump all the way down this mountain, somersault like a monkey, and tumble and crawl all the way down to the apricot grove at the bottom of the mountain to have a good time."
Song Chunxue looked at the hillside and said, "If you roll down here, your bones will probably be broken. Go to the other side of the hillside, it will be more gentle, and you won't hurt yourself too much."
Sanwa chuckled and patted Song Chunxue's arm. "Mom really wants me to get lost, huh? I'm wearing new clothes today."
As he spoke, he lifted his buttocks and squatted on the ground, saying, "When you're wearing new clothes, you have to act all high and mighty."
"It's okay, if it gets dirty or torn, I'll make you another one. We've got the money."
Sanwa laughed loudly, "Yes, yes, our family is rich now, so we don't need to worry about that. But it's not good to waste money, what if God takes it back?"
Song Chunxue's heart skipped a beat, and she nodded involuntarily, "That's true."
“I originally wanted to buy another flock of sheep and hire someone to herd them, but when I thought about how raising so many sheep would ultimately be about exchanging their lives for money, I felt it was better to continue farming. It doesn’t feel so cruel to cut down the grass and trees.”
Sanwa looked at her in surprise, "Mother has actually come to this realization? Does Mother intend to become a vegetarian from now on?"
“It’s hard to say. Eating meat will get stuck in your teeth and make them age faster,” Song Chunxue laughed. “But it’s not so easy to give up. Look at the Taoist priest. Although he is a member of the Zhengyi sect, I guess he originally wanted to practice the Quanzhen sect. He can give up women but not alcohol and meat. This shows how difficult it is to give up the desire for food and drink.”
Sanwa nodded.
"It's time to go down the mountain." The Taoist priest walked behind them and looked down at the scenery below. "If I had known this would happen, I would have chosen tomorrow to open the clinic."
As he spoke, he sat down on the ground, patted his knees, and said, "How about we reschedule for tomorrow? It's a rare opportunity to climb up high and enjoy the view, let's sit for a while longer."
Song Chunxue was both amused and exasperated. "The date was chosen long ago. Is it appropriate for Senior Brother to change his mind at the last minute?"
"What's wrong with that? Tomorrow is an auspicious day." The Taoist priest said nonchalantly, "A clinic is different from others. Even if they open today, they'll probably be happily celebrating the festival and won't come in out of curiosity to have their pulse taken."
He pulled a small gourd from his waist. "Junior brother, would you like a drink?"
"I won't drink it, I'm afraid I'll roll down."
The Taoist priest tilted his head back and took a sip. "I'll go down the mountain later and try some realgar wine."
As he spoke, he handed the gourd of wine to the third child, "Here, have a sip."
"No, senior brother, Sanwa and Lao Si are both heavy drinkers, they'll really fall over."
The Taoist priest looked regretful. "Tsk, then you should drink even more."
Song Chunxue was still thinking about hanging willow branches when she got home.
The Taoist priest said that, in principle, hanging mugwort would be better.
"Yes, I would have cut mugwort on this day in previous years, but I forgot to plant it this year, so I have to go to the street to buy some from others."
The Taoist priest shook his head, "No need to buy them. Wang Shouming has planted a patch of them on the mountain. We can just go down and pick some."
"That's even better."
Sanwa chuckled from the side, "It would be great if the Taoist priest could stay at my house all the time. My mother seems to smile more when someone is with her. Aren't you fellow disciples? Are you afraid of what others will say?"
He looked at the Taoist priest and said, "You can stay at my house and have someone cook three meals a day. Why do you want to go up the mountain?"
Song Chunxue secretly pinched Sanwa's thigh.
Sanwa remained unfazed. "Is the Taoist priest trying to avoid suspicion?"
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