Chapter 342 Laba Festival
The eighth day of the twelfth lunar month is the day Buddha attained enlightenment.
Although the Li family had previously brought home a statue of a deity from Xuandu Temple because of Li San Niang's lie, Li's mother always believed in worshipping gods and Buddhas whenever she encountered them.
It happened to be Laba Festival, and Li's mother thought that she had been focusing on the Taoist ancestor all year and hadn't visited the Buddha's temple much, so she decided to take her family to Ci'en Temple to pray.
However, Li's father made it clear that he had to stay and sit in the office and could not go.
Therefore, Brother Li Er would have to go along.
“Alright, I can leave Xiao Wu with you. Xiao Wu has a good temperament, and it won’t be a problem for me to take him with me,” Father Li said to his second brother.
As for Li San Niang, she was going to take Qiu Xiang to Shengpingfang to continue her duty and provide free medical consultations, so she couldn't go either.
"Although you can't go during the day, you can still come with us to see the lanterns after you finish your shift. The ward chief has already said that the curfew will be extended today."
Li San Niang wasn't really keen on going, but looking at Lu Zhu'er beside her, and realizing it had been a while since they'd done any parent-child activities together, she agreed to her mother's suggestion. "Alright, then I'll call a car with Qiu Xiang and head over there."
After Li San Niang left, Li's mother had the four children fetch water to boil so that everyone could take a bath on the appointed day.
"Hurry up, once the water is hot and the temperature is up, all of you go to the kitchen and wash up while it's still warm."
Tiger Head, keep an eye on things and don't let Little Four get too caught up in playing in the water.
Wait until your hair is completely dry before coming out.
Thus, the four little ones and the men of the house were washed in the morning, while in the afternoon, Li's mother and her daughters were washed together in two separate sessions.
Taking advantage of the sunshine, everyone changed into clean clothes. Li's mother even went next door to call Qin Niangzi to come along, and Li's second brother had to call another carriage outside to accommodate so many people.
Bao Ya sat inside, holding Lu Zhu'er in her arms. "Bao Ya'er, let me hold Lu Zhu'er, you should rest."
Thanks to you, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to manage.
Sister-in-law Li reached out and took Luzhu'er from Baoya's arms, placing her on her lap. "Luzhu'er, sit with your aunt. When we get there, we'll get some medicine and food for you, so you can get through this year without illness or disaster."
As for the medicinal food, it is actually food that monks stir-fry with vegetable oil and flour on this day, which is meant to cure diseases and prolong life.
Dewdrop didn't quite understand the meaning of going to worship Buddha, but she was still very happy. After all, the whole family going out like this was enough to make Dewdrop happy.
As a result, before they even reached the entrance of Ci'en Temple, the street was already so congested that no cars could get in.
The Li family had no choice but to get out of the carriage. Li Er, seeing the commotion of people, said to Li Dalang, "Tiger Head, keep an eye on Sanlang and Silang. It would be better if they got separated at this point, but I'm afraid there might be kidnappers."
Li Dalang responded and took Xiao Silang's hand with his left hand. Li Sanlang, who was already grown up, just nodded and looked at Li Dalang, indicating that he would definitely not lose him.
Little Silang will be nine years old next year, but he doesn't feel ashamed at all. He even smiled happily at Li Dalang and said, "Big brother, you have to keep an eye on me. What if someone thinks I'm good-looking and snatches me away?"
Brother Li didn't know how to respond to this. Brother Li Er laughed and patted Xiao Silang's head. "Hehe, you're only good-looking because you're young. When I was your age, it was my second uncle who led me around."
Xiao Silang turned to look at Li Erxiong, who had a serious expression, then turned back to look at Li Dalang, who was holding his hand with a friendly expression and who usually bought him picture books. He gave Li Erxiong a cryptic "hehe" and happily followed Li Dalang toward Ci'en Temple.
Dewdrop, nestled in Sister-in-law Li's arms, looked curiously at the elderly people around her, wondering why the outside world was so fascinating.
After much effort and more than an hour, Li's mother finally entered Ci'en Temple. She quickly handed over her money bag to the monks and received a small bowl of medicine and food from each of them.
Even a little kid like Lu Zhu'er gets a bowl of this fried noodle dish made with boiling water. It's actually quite fragrant.
Dewdrops smeared all over her face as she ate. Halfway through, she said to her mother, "Grandma, Mom has nothing to eat. Leave some for Mom."
Mother Li picked up a handkerchief and wiped the fried noodles off Dewdrop's face before smiling at her and saying, "My dear Dewdrop, just eat. Grandma has packed up your mother's portion. We'll make it for your mother when we get home."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zhu'er realized that Li San Niang would receive a share, and then lowered her head to continue eating.
As dusk fell, Li's mother and the others waited in an open space in the temple. After a while, when it was completely dark, many young monks walked around and told everyone that the lamp-lighting ceremony would begin at 5:00 PM.
"Those who wish to light the lamps themselves, please go to the outer hall to request a lamp."
After the young novice finished speaking, he put his hands together, chanted a Buddhist prayer, and went to the next place where many people were gathered.
...
Li San Niang's side still had quite a few patients today. Apart from being able to rest for half an hour at noon, she really didn't have a moment to spare.
I had to ask the manager for the paper for this square meter twice.
The main reason is that in the past few days, Li San Niang's reputation as a female doctor has spread throughout Shengpingfang.
If it weren't for the fact that the clinic hours were fixed for each neighborhood and people couldn't go to other neighborhoods for treatment, the line at Li San Niang's clinic would probably be even longer.
If we were to ask what the fastest way to transmit a message is at this moment, it would be...
That must be a person's mouth.
The story of a female doctor doing free clinics spread from the first female patient who came to see her. Within a few days, the word spread to two people, then four, then eight, and so on, multiplying outwards.
At that time, which poor woman didn't have some kind of illness?
They just usually endure it.
Thus, Li Sanniang was truly exhausted over the past seven or eight days.
As her shift was about to end, and seeing that the number of people queuing outside had not decreased, Li Sanniang sighed.
"In that case, how can I possibly manage to take care of everything by myself?"
But these people are too embarrassed to see that male doctor. What can I do?
Thinking about this, Li San Niang resignedly told Qiu Xiang to call the next person into the tent for a consultation.
Finally, it was the manager with the narrow beard who stepped forward and gave out numbered tickets to the people in the back of the line in advance, telling them to come and line up earlier the next day, which finally dispersed the crowd.
After finishing this, Li Sanniang quickly picked up her medicine box and headed to Ci'en Temple with Qiu Xiang.
Thankfully, the curfew was extended today, otherwise Li San Niang wouldn't have made it in time.
Even with such a hurried pace, by the time Li San Niang entered Ci'en Temple, the lamp-lighting ceremony had already begun.
Many monks knelt before the Buddha statue, softly reciting Buddhist scriptures. Behind them were three-tiered lamp stands, and the abbot, dressed in a kasaya, used a long-handled tinderbox to light the lamps on the stands one by one.
Once all two rows of three-tiered lamp stands were lit, the Buddha statues inside the hall appeared to have kind and benevolent expressions.
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