Chapter 50 Legend
Everyone in Mogao Grottoes is familiar with a legend related to this place.
In the second year of the Jianyuan reign of the Former Qin Dynasty, a monk named Le Zun traveled from the Central Plains to the Western Buddhist kingdoms to seek Buddhist scriptures. Passing through Dunhuang, the sun was setting and the horses were exhausted, so he decided to stop there to rest. Dusting off the dust from his robes and about to lie down to rest, he looked up at Mount Sanwei and was astonished by the view. A dazzling golden glow shone from the mountain, as if the Buddha's light were illuminating the land, and thousands of Buddhas appeared. So he "cut through the dangerous terrain, creating a cave and a niche." Later, the monk Faliang also carved caves and created statues at the Mogao Grottoes.
"The rise of the monastery began with two monks."
The exact location of the caves excavated by these two eminent monks remains a mystery. However, later generations followed their lead and, after thousands of years of construction, the present-day Dunhuang was created.
Hang Liumei had seen that kind of Buddha light once in 1995.
Hang Liumei still shudders at the memory of that rainstorm. Dunhuang has always been arid, and the summer rains come and go as quickly as a forced march. That year was an exception. Since August, there had been several consecutive downpours. At first, everyone regarded them as rare, but gradually, they began to feel uncomfortable. Finally, they just hoped that a god would come and patch up the leaky sky.
During that time, Hang Liumei was always overwhelmed by the same darkness from the moment she closed her eyes the previous night until the moment she opened them in the morning. Finally, one morning, the sun shone on her face. She pulled back the covers, put on her shoes, and opened the window. Although the sky outside wasn't completely cloudless, the sun finally showed. Hang Liumei turned around and told Lao Jiang and her son to get up quickly.
After packing everything, she went to Mogao Grottoes with her bag on her back. She happened to run into Teacher Gong who was also walking out. After asking, she found out that the heavy rain had interrupted Teacher Gong's work at Yulin Grottoes, and she and several colleagues had to rush over.
Hang Liumei advised them to wait a few days before setting off again. The Gobi Desert was made of gravel roads, with few plants and water unable to seep in. The terrain was also flat. Although the weather had cleared up, there was still a risk of encountering heavy rain and floods as they traveled more than a hundred kilometers.
But Teacher Gong was already ready and couldn't wait any longer. She took Hang Liumei's hand and said, "I know the way here very well. Don't worry. The important thing is to see if the murals over there have been damaged by the rain. We'll talk about it when I get back. By the way, let's go."
After saying that, she turned around and ran towards the car.
Hang Liumei glanced up at the sky, hoping the clouds overhead wouldn't stir up any storms. She'd entered the cave, diligently copying. Her neck ached from looking up so long, she set down her brush for a short break. Then she heard a strong wind start to blow outside. She reached the cave entrance and saw the poplar trees rustling, sand and rocks whistling past. Some colleagues were already running to the dormitories, their sketchpads clutched.
A colleague from the next cave said to her as he walked out, "Xiao Hang, why are you still standing there looking? The clouds coming down from the mountain over there are so heavy, and the wind is blowing so hard, it's going to rain soon. Go back and collect your clothes!"
Hang Liumei looked over and saw that dark clouds were indeed looming over the city, and the suffocating feeling she had before the rainstorm returned.
"Xiaomei! Xiaomei!" Old Jiang yelled as he ran towards her. He stumbled while climbing the stairs and twisted his foot. Hang Liumei quickly stepped forward to support him. Old Jiang panted and said, "Let's go! They say it's going to rain again, and I'm afraid it will be heavier than the last few times. Go back to the dormitory and I'll go get that brat."
Before everyone had settled into their rooms, large raindrops began to fall. At first, a few tentative drops hit the ground, then a relentless downpour. My colleagues who had returned late simply stopped running in the rain; they were soaked in no time. The road was unclear, so it was best to take it easy. Getting your clothes wet was a minor concern, but falling and getting covered in mud was a real hassle.
The endless beaded curtain trapped them beneath the eaves, and everyone could only watch in silence. A faint figure emerged from the rain. It was Old Fan, the gatekeeper. Wearing a black raincoat, he trudged through the mud. "It's a disaster! It's a disaster! The Dangquan River is going to flood!"
When he ran into the courtyard, everyone surrounded him and asked what was going on. He said that it had rained too much recently and too fast, and the accumulated water had all poured into the river. The Dangquan River couldn't handle so much water, and now the water level was rising rapidly and was about to flood the Mogao Grottoes! The director had already brought the armed police to fight the flood, and all the young and middle-aged people were asked to help. It would be too late if they were late!
When everyone heard this, they grabbed their raincoats and rushed out. Hang Liumei and Old Jiang were no exception. Their son Jiang Yunyi wanted to follow, but Hang Liumei pushed him back into the house. "Those who drown are those who can swim. You're usually so brave, but now's not the time to show off. Stay home and wait for Mom and Dad to come back!"
After saying that, the two of them followed the crowd and ran to the Dangquan River. This big river really showed its power as Lao Fan said. The rushing river water kept overflowing to both sides. There were countless whirlpools in the river, struggling to suck in all the leaves and branches blown down by the wind. They swallowed more and more, and the more they swallowed, the bigger they became. Everyone was frightened, but they did not stop.
The director's thin figure weaved through the crowd, her hoarse voice guiding everyone to pass sandbags around and build a flood wall. Hang Liumei took a sandbag from someone and carried it to the river. A familiar figure appeared diagonally in front of her. She rushed forward and saw that it was indeed her son, Jiang Yunyi. Hang Liumei was furious: "I told you to wait at home, why didn't you just run out!"
"Mom! I'm a grown man now. You are all busy here. What's the point of me hiding in the house alone? I promise I won't go into the water. Just let me stay!" The son said firmly, holding the sandbag tightly in his hand.
Hang Liumei glanced up at the river before them. Unable to waste time arguing with her son, she reluctantly nodded in agreement. Her son snatched the sandbag from her hand, slung it onto his back, along with his own, and ran off. Hang Liumei shouted behind him, "Be careful!" but her voice was drowned out by the rain.
Another small tree was blown down by the wind. Hang Liumei went back to the dormitory yard to get a shovel to pry it up and move it away. On the way, she saw three or five people helping one person to stand up with difficulty. She ran over and asked, and found out that the new guy was going to drive to pick up Teacher Gong and the others, but he fell and poked his eye, and now he can't walk anymore.
That’s right! Teacher Gong and the others must be trapped in Yulin Grottoes. The river over there is even more turbulent. Teacher Gong is in danger!
Hang Liumei said she could drive and would pick them up. Other colleagues tried to dissuade her, saying the road conditions were different today and that a newbie shouldn't take any risks. Hang Liumei ignored them and headed for the parking lot outside, only asking her colleagues to notify Lao Jiang and ask him to stay put.
The wind was strong and the rain was heavy. Hang Liumei started the car but it wouldn't move. Both rear wheels were stuck in the mud. She was about to get out to check when she saw several people in the rearview mirror. They were her colleagues helping her push the car. With their help, Hang Liumei started the car again and drove it out of the mud.
Someone knocked on the car door. It was Lao Jiang.
Hang Liumei rolled down the window: "Lao Jiang, I want to pick up Teacher Gong. Don't try to persuade me, I have to go!"
"I won't try to dissuade you," Lao Jiang said, then he opened the car door and got in. "Son, I've asked them to help keep an eye on it. Once the flood control wall is built, there won't be any problems. I can't rest assured that you're alone. Come on, I'll go with you."
The couple realized that neither of them could persuade the other, so they simply stepped on the accelerator and hit the road.
The road to Yulin Grottoes was extremely bumpy, and the car seemed like it would fall apart at any time, but they seemed to have really gradually left the rainy cloud, and the raindrops on the glass became fewer and fewer. When they reached the foot of the mountain near Yulin Grottoes, the sky actually cleared up.
Teacher Gong and two other seniors had indeed taken shelter under a cave. Seeing a car approaching, they supported each other and waved to Hang Liumei. Once they boarded, everyone's hearts finally relaxed. Trapped for most of the day, frightened and exhausted, the three of them quickly fell asleep in the back seat.
The road down the mountain was bumpy and slippery, and the sun was setting. Lao Jiang, worried about Hang Liumei, replaced her and took over as driver. There was only one road down the mountain, but as they drove, it felt different from the way up. Finally, the couple had to admit that they were lost.
Teacher Gong woke up in the back row and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Teacher Gong, we seem to have taken the wrong road." Hang Liumei suppressed her anxiety and spoke as calmly as possible.
Teacher Gong leaned forward, looked ahead, then glanced at the road through the rear window. He comforted Hang Liumei, "It's my fault for sleeping so soundly. There's a fork in the road right now, and it's easy to go the wrong way. You guys haven't been here long enough to know it. It's okay. You can still go around it."
Hang Liumei was relieved for a short time, but the speed of driving could not keep up with the speed of sunset, and it would be troublesome if she could not get down the mountain before dark.
After passing a forest, the group drove onto a relatively flat path.
"Look! What's that over there in front?"
By the time Hang Liumei sighed, the others had already noticed. The sun shone brightly ahead, as if two suns were setting over the mountains. It was the nearest hilltop. The rest of the area was lush and green, the top still shrouded in mist, but the mountainside was barren, empty, with only a dazzling golden glow.
Her anxious heart, which had been irritated by the rush of travel, suddenly calmed down, and Hang Liumei began to fantasize about an impossible possibility.
Lao Jiang slowed down and turned the next corner, where they could see more clearly. A low cave suddenly appeared in the center of the golden light, with two long rainbows surrounding the cave entrance. The light was so strong that the cave entrance looked extremely deep and dark, making it impossible to see what was inside. But the neat cave entrance was clearly man-made, and the swaying branches on both sides seemed to guide them forward.
"Teacher Gong, do you think this place might be..." When Hang Liumei turned around and asked, the three teachers had all woken up, and their faces showed the same expressions of surprise and excitement as hers.
"Maybe, Mei, yes."
Lao Jiang stopped the car, and the couple turned around. The five of them looked at each other, but no one spoke. They were all thinking the same thing: a deserted mountaintop hiding an isolated cave. It sounded like a fairy tale. They had been going back and forth on this road countless times over the years, but why had it never appeared before?
But wasn't that how the Mogao Caves were discovered? Everyone seemed bewitched, and no one at the Mogao Grottoes could resist the curiosity to find out what was going on. However, time was running out to get down the mountain, and staying would be in danger of landslides and flash floods at any time.
In the end, it was Hang Liumei who said, let's go and take a look. We were destined to take the wrong road today and destined to come here. There is no reason not to see clearly.
So they abandoned the car and walked, and when they climbed to the front of the cave, the setting sun shone a beam of light in.
After entering the cave, everyone held their breath.
It was indeed God's will that they came here.
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