"Yes, my Xiaoyuan can't let her bring disaster to me." Chen Qiuyu wiped away her tears, a trace of determination flashed across her face, and she said, "Sister Yunxiang, the old woman said that Xiaoyuan can't go to college and wants him to go to Ning'an Temple to become a monk. Ugh! She's so beautiful!"
"Ah?" This time, not only Zhao Yunxiang was stunned, but even Ren Zhongyuan outside the door was stunned.
Asking an 18-year-old grandson, who was about to enter a prestigious university and had a bright future, to give up the college entrance exam and become a monk? Old Lady Ren, who could make such a request, was truly an unprecedented and unparalleled eccentric!
How much must Old Lady Ren hate Ren Dahai's family to come up with such an idea? Compared to Old Lady Ren, her "former mother-in-law," Wu Jinfeng, seemed perfectly normal. After all, Zhou Zhixin wasn't Wu Jinfeng's biological child, so it was understandable that Wu Jinfeng was partial to her own flesh and blood. This was Zhao Yunxiang's truest thought at the moment.
Huaxia Country, Dong Province, Heping County, Hongqi Village.
Early in the morning, when it was still dark, every household had already turned on the lights.
Today is the first day of the Lunar New Year, and the villagers are rushing to Ning'an Temple to burn the first incense stick.
Speaking of Ning'an Temple, it is a famous place in Heping County. It is said to have been built during the Ming Dynasty and has a history of hundreds of years.
Before liberation, Ning'an Temple was incredibly popular, attracting not only nearby villagers but also people from major cities hundreds of kilometers away to burn incense and worship the Buddha. Especially on New Year's Day, everyone rushed to the temple to light the first incense stick. People within a hundred miles of Ning'an Temple knew that whoever managed to light the first incense stick each year would enjoy incredible luck for the entire year.
A few years ago, during the Cultural Revolution, the Buddha statues at Ning'an Temple were smashed to pieces by Red Army soldiers from the city. The local government promoted a policy against feudal superstition, and the temple's popularity gradually declined. In those days, not only were people not allowed to burn incense at the temple, but even ancestral worship at home was forbidden.
As the spring breeze of reform and opening up blew across China, some previous taboos were lifted, and Ning'an Temple also ushered in its spring.
Two years ago, an overseas Chinese came from nowhere and after taking a tour of Ning'an Temple, he felt that it was a pity to destroy such a good place. After returning to China, he invested over a million to renovate the Temple.
A year ago, Ning'an Temple was renovated. Not only did the scenery become more beautiful, but even the Bodhisattva in the temple performed a "miracle." Since then, the temple has gradually become more popular.
The nearby villagers also picked up the old custom and went to Ning'an Temple on the morning of the first day of the Lunar New Year to light the first incense stick.
Huang Laoer, who got the first incense stick last year, is from Hongqi Village. In the past year, Huang Laoer made a lot of money, built a big tiled house at home, and bought a car.
The villagers like to follow the trend. Seeing that some people really "got rich by burning the first incense stick", they all wanted to try it. This year, everyone got up early without being called and prepared to go to Ning'an Temple to burn the first incense stick.
Ren Lao Niang and her family also wanted to be the first to burn incense this year, but they weren't praying for wealth, but for a son. Ren Xiaohua had two daughters, and her mother-in-law hadn't been kind to her in the past two years. Ren Xiaohua was the apple of her eye, and she was determined to make plans for her. Ren Lao Niang had the final say in the family, and at her command, her two sons and their wives were all busy.
Ren's mother and father simply didn't sleep. After setting off New Year's Eve firecrackers, they packed up incense and candles and other things they would need to go to Ning'an Temple at home, and woke up the whole family at four in the morning.
The distance from Hongqi Village to Ning'an City was about 20 miles, a mountain road entirely on foot, and would take an average person over an hour. Ning'an Temple didn't open until six in the morning, and Ren Lao Niang planned to have the whole family wait outside the temple for a while, then rush in when it opened.
Over the years, Ren Dahai's two brothers and one sister have all gotten married. Ren Dajiang has two sons, Ren Dahe has a son and a daughter, and only Ren Xiaohua has two daughters.
Ren Xiaohua married in Heping County. Her family opened a grocery store and they lived a decent life. The only drawback was that she didn't have a son, so she didn't have a strong enough position in her husband's family.
It takes at least two and a half hours to get from Heping County to Ning'an Temple. Hongqi Village is close to Anning Temple, so Ren Xiaohua took her husband Chen Jinwei and their two daughters back to her parents' home last night to get the first incense stick. Chen Jinwei is usually a bit lazy, not even willing to help with a fallen oil bottle. However, to have a son to carry on the family line, Chen Jinwei didn't shy away this time. When his mother called him, he yawned and stood up.
The children were still young, so Ren's mother asked them all to stay at home, with the older ones looking after the younger ones to avoid being crowded together.
When Ren Xiaohua went out, she saw that some villagers had already set off, and she couldn't help but feel a little anxious.
"Mom, hurry up, what if we're late and can't get the first incense stick?" Ren Xiaohua urged Ren Lao Niang. Compared with Ren Xiaohua's impatience, Ren Lao Niang seemed much calmer.
"Why are you in such a hurry? Xiaohua, even if we can't get the first incense stick, hasn't the master pointed out a golden road for our family to follow?" Old Lady Ren patted the creases on her brand new clothes and said casually.
"Oh my God! Don't you know how much my eldest brother cherishes his son and my eldest sister-in-law? If he refuses to agree, my plan will be ruined. Hurry up and grab the first incense stick first." Ren Xiaohua knew what Ren Lao Niang meant, but the old lady was not in a hurry. She was anxious!
Ren Xiaohua wasn't as optimistic as Ren Lao Niang. Over the years, Ren Dahai's position had grown increasingly powerful, and his authority had grown. In front of Ren Dahai, Ren Xiaohua didn't dare ask for his help. Fortunately, Ren Lao Niang kept Ren Dahai in check; otherwise, the three siblings combined wouldn't be a match for him.
"Hmph! I'm Dahai's mother. How dare that couple be unfilial to me? I'll run to his army and turn everything upside down." Mother Ren curled her lips, not caring at all about the cold water poured by Ren Xiaohua.
In Ren Laonian's heart, her greatest pride was that she had successfully gone to Ren Dahai's army and asked for his salary seventeen years ago.
So what if Ren Dahai became a high-ranking official? How dare he disobey her, his own mother? If he really didn't obey her, she would go to the army and make trouble for him.
As for Chen Qiuyu, Ren Lao Niang didn't care about her at all. She just cried all day long and bullied her, not even daring to complain to the boss.
"Mom, let's grab the first incense stick first. Even if we don't pray for a child, it would be nice to pray to the Buddha to bless us to make more money this year!" Ren Xiaohua said sweetly and immediately felt her mother's pulse. When Ren Xiaohua said this, Ren's mother's face was full of smiles.
Over the years, if there was one thing Ren Lao Niang wasn't happy about, it was Ren Dahai's salary, which was too low. Such a high-ranking officer, but only making fifty yuan a month.
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