After Yang Shuying and Jiang Qiaoyun left, Jiang Xuan went to the store again, bought three sticks of incense, and explained the situation to Lu Xiaomei.
She took out four patches and said, "Little sister, two aunties who were doing their morning exercise at the entrance of the residential compound yesterday bought my pancakes. One of them has curly hair, and the other is very tall. Could you please help me put these patches on them, two for each of them?"
"Okay, I got it, HyunHyun-jie. I knew who it was as soon as you said it."
"Thank you for your hard work, little sister. If I come back late this afternoon, could you please pick up Dian Dian and Fan Xing again?"
"Don't worry, Sister Xuanxuan, I'll take good care of Diandian and Fanxing." Lu Xiaomei lowered her voice. "Last night, an uncle from the military came to our house. I guess my dad called him. He said he wouldn't care about my brother, but he might be investigating him secretly, so don't worry."
Jiang Xuan was overjoyed, "Uncle Lu really went to investigate?"
"I'm just guessing. Anyway, I'll let you know as soon as there's any news."
"Okay, thank you, little sister. By the way, Dian Dian and Fan Xing haven't had breakfast yet, and I'm not in the mood to cook today. Could you buy them some steamed buns or something?"
"Don't worry, I will."
*
White Pagoda Mountain.
A light mist hangs in the morning air, and the mountain path winds its way through the pine and cypress forests, creating a serene and solemn atmosphere.
With its ancient white pagoda and beautiful natural scenery, Baitashan Mountain attracts countless devout men and women who come to pray for blessings.
Ma Xiaolan and Jiang Xuan walked slowly along the mountain path.
We passed several small towers along the way.
"Sister Lan, should we burn incense at these pagodas?"
"No need, burning it at the white pagoda on the mountaintop will be more effective."
Holding incense in her hand, Jiang Xuan walked step by step up the stone steps toward the white pagoda at the top of the mountain.
She took each step very carefully.
She silently recited a prayer in her heart, praying that Lu Shengye would return safely.
About an hour later, they finally arrived at the White Tower.
The white pagoda soars into the clouds, its body as white as jade, and a faint scent of incense permeates the surroundings.
Ma Xiaolan stood in front of the tower, bowed respectfully, and then carefully lit the incense in her hand.
Following her example, Jiang Xuan lit incense, clasped her hands together, closed her eyes, and silently prayed.
"May the gods bless my husband, Lu Shengye, and protect him so that he may be safe and sound on the front lines and return home soon."
Jiang Xuan's hands trembled as she repeatedly murmured the words to herself, tears welling up in her eyes.
She inserted the burning incense into the incense burner, and as the smoke curled upwards, she clasped her hands together again, bowed deeply, and then stood in front of the tower, gazing silently ahead without moving.
Ma Xiaolan took her hand and said, "Alright, Jiang Xuan, let's go. God will protect Platoon Leader Lu."
Jiang Xuan nodded.
The morning mist in the mountains gradually dissipated, and sunlight shone through the clouds onto the white pagoda.
Strangely enough, a sense of peace welled up in Jiang Xuan's heart.
They came up via steps, but there is actually another road leading to Baitashan.
You can see more scenery along this road.
The two slowly walked down the road.
The mountain air is fresh and the view is expansive, offering a panoramic view of the entire Ningzhou area.
The winding river, like a pale yellow ribbon, flows through the city.
In the distance, the undulating outline of Fengtai Mountain is sketched as a dark blue silhouette on the horizon. At the foot of the mountain, in the exposed loess gullies, a green train is winding westward, emitting white smoke.
Ma Xiaolan smiled and said, "How are you feeling, Jiang Xuan? Are you feeling any better?"
"I feel much better, Sister Lan. It's really amazing. When I first came up here, I was very uneasy, but now I feel at ease."
"Yes, whenever I have something I can't figure out or feel anxious about, I come here to pray for blessings. I always feel that the gods can understand what I'm thinking."
"Thank you, Sister Lan. I need to apologize to you."
"Hmm? What's wrong?"
“I had a fight with Brother Sun yesterday, and I regretted it a bit later. Although I was speaking up for you, he is your husband, and I was afraid that he would be implicated in your situation.”
Ma Xiaolan smiled and said, "It's okay, please don't think like that. I'm really happy that you're protecting me like this. Sun Jianjun and I are a couple, that's true, but we're not much different from strangers."
"Then why did you marry him?"
“He wasn’t like this before. At least when we first met, I thought he was a decent person. Once, it was raining heavily and I didn’t have an umbrella. He came to pick me up at the factory gate. I was really touched.”
At this point, a blush rose to Ma Xiaolan's face.
Jiang Xuan felt that although Ma Xiaolan was already 27 years old, she was still a girl at heart.
A little girl who is very easily moved.
Why didn't Sun Jianjun cherish such a good girl?
"When did he start to change?"
"After we got married, my in-laws insisted on living with us. Don't you know my mother-in-law? She loves to meddle and wants to make all the decisions, big and small, in the house. Sun Jianjun is a very filial son and he never argues with his parents. In addition, his sister, who was sent to the city as an educated youth, also lived with us. Over time, conflicts arose."
"Have you ever thought about having Sun Jianfang move out?"
"I've definitely thought about it, but I've never mentioned it. In this family, everyone's opinions are likely to be adopted, but mine are simply ignored."
Ma Xiaolan sighed, "I have no illusions about Sun Jianjun now. Let him do whatever he wants. I just want to wait for my Xiuxiu to grow up and find her a good family. Then my mission in this life will be complete."
“Oh, Sister Lan, what you’re saying sounds really awkward. You’re only in your twenties, but you’re already thinking like an old person. You need to live more for yourself, you know? Xiuxiu is your child, that’s true, but the separation between parents and children is a process, and she will have her own life in the future.”
“I know, but if I don’t think this way, I feel like I can’t even get through a single day.”
“How could you not make ends meet? I think you’re already changing. Look, you’re earning your own salary now, so you and Xiuxiu should eat better.”
Ma Xiaolan said with a smile, "I'd like to too, but with so many people in my family, it's not good to eat alone, and it's not realistic to eat out all the time."
Jiang Xuan clapped her hands. "Oh, isn't that simple? We still have our family, right? If you want to make something for Xiuxiu, just tell me, and I'll make it. After it's done, you can let Xiuxiu eat at our house. If they ask, just say I treated Xiuxiu to it. What can they do? Come and question me?"
"Also, didn't they take Xiuxiu's malted milk powder? So what if they took it? There's no need to get involved with those kinds of people. I'll go buy another can today and keep it at our house so Xiuxiu can drink it every night."
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