Chapter 56 Jade Pendant
Chapter 57 Jade Pendant
This century-old temple is not as big as imagined. The apricot-red temple door is full of historical mottles. There are two golden door knockers embedded on the vermilion temple door. A plaque hangs above the door with three big characters "Tongyang Temple" written on it. The small doors on both sides are fully opened to facilitate tourists to enter the temple. Father Fang walked into the temple first. There were few monks in the temple. Except for a monk who was cleaning the temple, everyone could only faintly hear the sound of wooden fish knocking and monks chanting.
My father looked around and didn't know where to go, so he went up to ask, "Excuse me, Master, where can I burn incense?"
The monk put his hands together, politely pointed them in the direction, and then continued the cleaning work. Fang Qing and his companions followed the path pointed by the monk, walked all the way back, bypassed the quiet corridor, turned around and saw an open space, and a Buddhist temple appeared in front of everyone.
There is a small wooden table on the left side of the Buddhist hall, on which are placed free incense sticks and merit boxes.
It was Fang Qing's first time to burn incense in the temple. He followed his mother's footsteps closely, lit incense and offered it, then knelt down and prayed.
Fang Qing didn't know what she wanted or what she should pray for, but when she came to this temple, facing the majestic Buddha statue in the hall and hearing the sound of wooden fish, her heart magically calmed down. Fang Qing couldn't help but slowly close her eyes and put her hands together, recalling all the painful memories of her previous life.
Fang Qing didn’t know whether the Buddha could really resolve her doubts, but at this moment she sincerely hoped that if there really was a Buddha in the world, he would bless her family with safety and health. As for her own future path, she believed in herself more.
The lingering incense in the temple surrounded Fang Qing, and she felt like she had instantly entered a magical world. In a daze, she seemed to see the entire temple, her mother muttering with her eyes closed, and herself kneeling on the cushion and praying. Then she seemed to enter a ball of light and saw herself in her previous life.
At this time, she was skinny and lifeless, lying in a dim room, with her hands and feet tied to the bed. The doctor and nurse came forward to check her condition, and only breathed a sigh of relief when they confirmed that she had completely calmed down. Then a man came in, asked everyone to leave, and then whispered something in her ear. Fang Qing, who had been as quiet as a corpse just now, suddenly struggled violently, but she could no longer speak complete sentences due to the long-term torture of drugs. She could only stare at the man with her eyes wide open, looking viciously, and muttering something in her unclear mouth.
Fang Qing, floating in the air, looked at these scenes in confusion. Could it be that he had been reborn for too long that he could not remember these scenes? Just when Fang Qing was full of doubts, the man smiled and left the room, leaving Feng Qing struggling alone on the bed, and seemed to be muttering something from his mouth.
"What is wine?" Just when Feng Qing was confused, she suddenly heard a bell sound beside her ear. The sound seemed to come from the sky, instantly pulling her out of the fog. When she opened her eyes again, Fang Qing found that she was still kneeling on the futon, and the Buddha statue in front of her was looking at her with compassion.
At this moment, a tear suddenly flowed from the corner of Fang Qing's eye. She stared blankly at the tear in the palm of her hand, and everything that just happened seemed like a dream she had experienced. Looking at the Buddha statue again, Fang Qing's expression was full of awe. No matter whether what she just saw was real or not, she was grateful to the Buddha for giving her a moment of peace.
The sound of wooden fish surrounded his ears. At this moment, Fang Qing finally prayed devoutly, hoping that his family would be safe and healthy, and that he could get what he wanted, and then knelt down sincerely.
After burning incense, Fang Qing felt relaxed, and his mother also felt that the temple was a magical place, and coming here would make people relax. When they turned around and were about to leave, his mother saw the merit box on the side, and she took out more than ten yuan and threw it in solemnly. Fang Qing saw several sachets on the yellow wooden table at the door.
At this time, a fat monk with a round head came over. Seeing Fang Qing looking at the sachets, he smiled and explained, "My dear donor, these are amulets blessed by the abbot of this temple. Wear them to ward off evil and bring good fortune. If you like them, you can take a few back."
Fang's mother hurried over and picked up a few delicate little sachets to examine them carefully. "These sachets are so beautifully embroidered. Master, what are their uses? Are there any taboos when wearing them?"
The monk's eyes lit up, and he quickly introduced the functions of various amulets to them, "Some are for praying for wealth, some are for praying for children, and some are for blessing peace and health..."
Although Fang Qing felt that the amulets in the temple might not be as effective as the monks said, buying some and carrying them with him was also a psychological comfort. Although these amulets were small, they were not cheap. While Fang Qing was hesitating, Fang's mother actually bought seven or eight of them. Fang Qing immediately felt that the monk opposite him was smiling even more.
After getting down the mountain, Fang Qing was holding the seven or eight amulets in his hands, not knowing whether to laugh or cry. In the past, his mother would haggle with others for a long time before buying vegetables, but he didn't expect that her mother would be so generous in the temple.
But my mother believed that this thing could bless peace, so it was worth buying even if it cost dozens of dollars, not to mention a dozen. She also told Fang Qing to follow the fat monk's instructions when he returned home, and wear the amulet inside his underwear after bathing and fasting.
They went to the temple to burn incense in the morning, and at noon the family of four had lunch at a farm house at the foot of the mountain. Fang's father heard that there was a small antique market in Tai County, so he took the family of four there for a look.
After strolling around the antique market for a long time, Fang's father bought a copper incense burner and an emerald green bracelet for Fang's mother. Although Fang Qing didn't understand, he felt that his father must have been fooled. The color was at most jadeite, but Fang Sheng said it was jasper. The family couldn't stop him, so Fang's father paid for it.
The eldest brother was not interested in these things and followed his family in boredom. Suddenly, he saw a jade pendant and thought it would look great on his sister. The boss squatted on the ground and ate his food without even looking up. He told Fang Ming that the thing was not valuable and that if he wanted it, he could take it for 20 yuan.
Fang Qing came over and saw the pendant and liked it very much, so he immediately paid for it. The pendant was oval in shape, like an unfull moon, and it didn't look like real jade, but it was warm to the touch, and Fang Qing liked it more and more the more he looked at it.
She didn't know why she thought of Wen Ning when she saw the jade. Maybe in her eyes, Wen Ning was the warm and beautiful jade, so she put it together with the amulet.
(End of this chapter)
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