Xiao Nanhui had never consulted fortune-telling before. She didn't understand the laws of fate, only that everyone had their own destiny, and that the more she calculated it, the thinner it became. She considered herself unlucky and couldn't handle such calculations. But for some reason today, Yao Yi's words kept lingering in her mind, and they resurfaced as soon as she saw the fortune-telling box.
Do you think those people would let him go if he knew now?
Xiao Zhun is no longer the naive young man he was back then. But things are unpredictable, and the Xiao family is a prime example. If people can foresee impermanence, can they avoid it?
Xiao Nanhui didn't know, but when she reacted, the lottery box was already in her hand.
The outer layer of the octagonal wooden tube was polished to a shine, and the one hundred skewers gathered inside felt heavy.
Xiao Nanhui closed his eyes and shook the lottery box while reciting silently.
Crash, crash.
A slender bamboo stick emerged from the stick tube. Xiao Nanhui still closed his eyes, exerted force with his hand, and the stick flew out with a "whoosh".
Xiao Nanhui opened his eyes, feeling a little amused and helpless.
On both sides of the Buddha statue enshrined in the main hall were hung huge prayer flags that reached the roof. The prayer flags were a few inches above the ground, and there was just a gap. Xiao Nanhui's stick slipped into the gap and landed not far away.
This was the main hall of Yongye Temple, and outsiders were not allowed to enter the chanting platform behind the Buddha statue. Xiao Nanhui stretched out his arm to reach the stick, but he was always just a little short.
Suddenly, a very light sound of footsteps was heard from deep within the hall.
Xiao Nanhui froze. She didn't expect that there was someone else in the hall besides her.
Could it be the abbot, Master Yikong? Or the monk who looked after the temple? But in the past, if there were monks in the temple, they would come forward and help recite a few passages of scriptures when pilgrims came to burn incense.
Maybe he is just a young monk who has just entered the temple?
Xiao Nanhui lowered his body slightly and looked inside through the gap under the prayer flags.
In the dim light, she could vaguely see a pair of boots approaching from afar, stopping a few steps away from her, and then a slender hand wearing Buddhist beads picked up the bamboo stick.
Those shoes were definitely not the kind worn by those practicing in temples, but those Buddhist beads were of a rare quality that only practitioners could possess.
Suppressing his doubts, Xiao Nanhui still said politely, "I didn't know Master was here. Sorry to bother you."
After a while, a voice was heard through the curtain.
"No problem."
These two short words made Xiao Nanhui stunned.
The voice was far too young, and it couldn't possibly remind one of those old monks who sit in meditation and chant. But if it was young, it also had a neutral tone, like an old monk, calm and composed, leaving one unable to discern the emotions.
Before she could react, the voice rang out again: "What is the matter with the donor?"
Xiao Nanhui hesitated for a moment, then answered truthfully, "Ask if my family members are safe."
There was a moment of peace behind the curtain, and then he said, "Since you have already asked for peace, you do not need to ask again. To ask and then ask is to show that you do not believe."
Xiao Nanhui felt embarrassed, knowing that the other party had heard what he had just said, but he also felt that what the other party said made sense.
A hand stretched out from under the prayer flag, picked up the stick and accurately put it into the stick box, so fast that Xiao Nan came back and didn't have time to see what stick it was.
"The donor personally visited the mountain gate, why did you only ask others and not yourself?"
Xiao Nanhui thought for a moment and answered honestly, "I don't know what to ask."
Xiao Nanhui had lived for twenty years. Before the age of seven, she had only sought safety and survival. After that, Xiao Zhun had provided her with that safety, so she prayed for Xiao Zhun's safety. As for herself? She didn't know what else she needed.
The person behind the prayer flags didn't seem surprised, and simply said, "Merchants ask about their fortunes, patients ask about their luck, officials ask about their careers, and women ask about their marriages."
Marriage? Could her destined marriage be with Xiao Zhun? Today was her birthday. She had never wished for anything special before, but today seemed different.
People always seem to be like this, expecting God to answer questions that they themselves cannot answer.
Xiao Nanhui hesitated for a moment, then picked up the stick holder again and shook it carefully. After a long time, a stick fell out. Xiao Nanhui took a look.
Forty-nine.
April 9th is her birthday.
Throw thečcup, one heads up and one tails down.
Win the lottery.
The hand behind the prayer flag picked up the bamboo stick and seemed to look at it for a while. Xiao Nanhui's heart beat a little faster.
A moment later, a thin fortune stick was handed over from under the prayer flag.
Xiao Nanhui reached out to take it, his heart skipping a beat.
In the middle are three characters: "bad fortune", and below are four sentences:
I see a lamp in the distance in the mountains, but the road to the abyss is hard to see.
I wanted to look for the person in the shadow under the lamp, but the wind blew and the clouds blocked the moon.
Xiao Nanhui's fingertips turned white, and the soft rice paper wrinkled in her hands.
"I wonder what you just asked?"
Xiao Nanhui said awkwardly, "Marriage."
"The donor's marriage has been rough."
Do you even need to tell me? Xiao Nanhui felt a surge of anger in her chest. If it weren't for this person's instigation, she might not have asked for this fortune stick in the first place. She immediately disregarded the person behind the prayer flag, completely disregarding the proper respect for a monk. She stood up, straightened her clothes, put the cushion back in its place, left a small amount of money for the incense offering, and prepared to leave.
A voice suddenly rang out from behind the prayer flags, even with a hint of laughter: "Donor, do you understand the principle of finding a way out of a desperate situation?"
The calm voice finally had a hint of humanity, but Xiao Nanhui was not happy at all: "Master, what are your thoughts? Please explain it clearly once and for all."
The voice regained its composure. "In the past, Yongye Temple had no blessings, yet it sought them, ultimately falling into despair. Once it realized its mistake and focused on eliminating its karma, it was reborn. The same is true of the donor's marriage."
Xiao Nanhui didn't respond. He crumpled the fortune slip into a ball, stuffed it into his sleeve, and walked out quickly.
The man with a sword in front of the palace gate was looking at her with his arms crossed. Xiao Nanhui's feet were in the wind, and he didn't bother to pay attention. The golden camellia in the yard was swaying in the wind, and tiny petals fell down, as if sighing.
As he rode his horse out of the temple gate, Xiao Nanhui couldn't help but look back at the dilapidated plaque on the gate.
Permanent.
Karma. Karma obstacles.
He hadn't felt it before, but now it really seemed unlucky. Xiao Nanhui quickly patted Jixiang's butt twice, comforting himself to relax. Then he took out the fortune sticks from his sleeve, tore them into pieces and threw them into the bushes.
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