Chapter 57 Love Poems
"The sun and the moon gaze at each other, never leaving our hearts.
Seeing you walking or sitting, it feels like my body is on fire."
The thin piece of paper was first folded, then crumpled in the hand, and finally stuffed into the pocket. As the person moved, the corners were bent and the edges were torn, making the densely packed scriptures printed vertically on the front seem even more ancient.
Xiaomai took a quick look and saw something written on it: "I vow to save all sentient beings... All dharmas will give rise to the six supernatural powers and illuminate with compassion..."
He doesn't understand Buddhism and can't understand it.
This poem was printed separately on the back. Twenty words were squeezed into a row on the empty paper, like ants crawling on a wall. It took Xiaomai a long time to decipher them against the light. It was easier to understand than the Buddhist scriptures on the other side.
It was a really contradictory piece of paper. On one hand, it was renunciation of worldly affairs for the sake of Buddha, and on the other hand, it was heartbroken for love. He asked his father where this came from.
"I saw this with Lao Zhao today at the ring-making shop. That person is a Buddhist and collects Dunhuang manuscripts in his spare time. He said that this one of mine is no longer in China. It was taken away by the British. I forgot the number. It was number s.1824. It is now in the British Museum. Anyway, this sutra is called 'The Text of Receiving the Ten Precepts'. You don't have to worry about it. What I want is the poem at the end." Dad Mai took the paper back from Xiaomai and read it again, feeling very satisfied.
Xiaomai was worried: "Dunhuang manuscripts? We don't even know what they mean, can we just use them as love poems?"
"You read it. Isn't this about lovesickness?" Dad Mai argued with his son, cigarette in hand, holding up the paper. "People say it's something the academic community hasn't settled on. But isn't Buddhism all about 'it's not the wind that moves, it's the heart that moves'? What you think is what you see. Buddhists read it to encourage practice, but I'm a layman, and when I read it, it's like a vow of love. Anyway, I've written down everything I want to say to your mother."
"That's it!" Dad Mai said, patting his son on the back. "Let's choose 'Wanzhuan Bu Lixin'. Copy it out for me and I'll have it engraved on the ring."
Xiaomai couldn't argue with him, so he had to copy the poem neatly as ordered.
Suddenly, Mai's father's phone rang: "Hello? Has the car arrived? Okay, we'll be right down! Xiaomai, go ask them next door if they've packed up. We're moving into the courtyard today."
"What about these two pieces of paper?"
"You keep it first. I'll go downstairs to see where the car is parked. You go and call your grandma and the others." Dad Mai said as he opened the door, took a cigarette, went downstairs to tell the driver, and hurried out.
Xiaomai read the poem twice more and memorized it unconsciously.
Hang Liumei and Qi Xiuchun had barely lain down in bed when they were scooped up and packed up. The five of them, packed and small, moved into the small courtyard Zhao Xiaowei had introduced them to. A poster for a cultural and creative competition was posted at the entrance of the alley. Hang Liumei anxiously asked Xiaomai for paper and pen to write down a contact number. Xiaomai handed the paper he had just copied a poem for his father to his grandmother and then went about unloading his luggage.
Finally resting in the house, Hang Liumei took out the piece of paper and flipped through it to find the love poem, which was written in Xiaomai's handwriting. Hang Liumei sighed. It wasn't that she wanted to peek into her child's secrets, but every time she did, it just happened to catch her eye.
"Grandma, have you seen one of mine—" Xiaomai pushed the door open and asked as she walked in. Before she could finish her words, she saw Hang Liumei holding the piece of paper. "It just so happens that it's here."
"Hey?" Hang Liumei called out to Xiaomai, but she didn't know how to start. She hadn't dealt with boys' love affairs much. Her son, Jiang Yunyi, had always been playful when he was little, and if he liked anyone, it was only with Mai Sui. Her grandson, Xiaomai, had always been well-behaved, and many girls liked him. There was only one time, when he was in middle school, when he went to the movies with a few girls and ran into the class teacher. His parents were called in, but it seemed nothing happened.
Hang Liumei's mouth seemed to be covered with maltose, and she stammered, "This, you, you write this..."
"Grandma, have you seen it?" Xiaomai asked her first.
Hang Liumei nodded honestly.
Xiaomai crossed her arms helplessly and smiled: "Actually, you know everything, right? The previous letter was written by me to Sister Zhihe, but this one is for the ring my dad wants to use on my mom. It's not mine."
Hang Liumei let out a long sigh: "Your dad? He has this ability? What about you? Do you know what Zhihe thinks?"
Xiaomai shook her head: "She probably thought I was just joking on a whim. I never told her about this in person."
Hang Liumei grabbed her grandson's ear and said, "You've been making a fuss for so long, and you haven't explained anything to her clearly. Why are you so unconfident? Tell grandma first, when did you start liking her? What do you like about her?"
"This..." Xiaomai stopped. He couldn't tell his grandmother that he liked Pu Zhihe first and then let her get close to him. He avoided Hang Liumei's gaze and said vaguely, "I can't tell when it started, but I just think she's very special. Grandma, don't you think you two are a bit similar? You both suddenly have some ideas and then do some unconventional things."
"A little bit." Hang Liumei thought to herself. If it weren't for this, she wouldn't have kept her even though she knew she wasn't the one she was looking for. But she couldn't tell Xiaomai this. "Do you want grandma to help you find out?"
Xiaomai was startled: "No need, just in case, it will be very embarrassing anyway."
"That's nothing. I'm just hinting at it. If you really want to expose the truth, you'll have to do it yourself. So what are your plans?"
"I've already given her the letter." Xiaomai said, then took out her phone, pulled up a picture, and handed it to Hang Liumei. It was a pair of ceramic earrings. "Last time, Sister Zhihe and I were out, and she lost an earring that looked like this. Since we're going to ask Uncle Zhao to make cups, I also want to see if I can make a pair like this—"
As the two were talking, the door was slammed open and Qi Xiuchun came in, shaking a rag: "Xiaomei! Quickly clean the windows of our room. Look, it's so windy and dusty outside. If you wash it, you'll end up with a basin of dirty water!"
Hang Liumei and Xiaomai were so shocked that they immediately stopped talking and stared at the newcomer. Qi Xiuchun looked at them like this, standing there with his hands on his hips, and he just felt funny: "I say, we are all outside cleaning up, and what are you two hiding here discussing? I have observed you several times. Are you hiding something from me this time? Xiaomei, you are really not nice!"
Qi Xiuchun stood at the doorway, chattering like a machine gun. Hang Liumei was afraid that she would attract Pu Zhihe again, so she pulled Qi Xiuchun in and carefully closed the door. She said to her grandson, "I've told your grandmother Xiuchun, okay?"
Seeing that it had come to this, Xiaomai could only nod in agreement. Qi Xiuchun's mouth dropped open, and he finally blurted out, "Xiaomei, the men in your family are all quite unusual in terms of emotions."
She turned around and said to Xiaomai, "Xiaomai, grandma is not saying this is bad... You are at your age, it is normal to have someone you like. Your grandma is right. Let's take her out for a good talk tomorrow..."
Outside, Mai's father yelled at everyone to have dinner, and the matter was hastily settled. The next day, Xiaomai accompanied Mai's father to make the ring. Hang Liumei and Qi Xiuchun got Pu Zhihe into the car early in the morning, with her as the driver, and the three of them headed to Yadan Devil City.
After falling asleep the night before, Qi Xiuchun couldn't help but ask Hang Liumei, "Let's talk about this in private. Xiaomai likes Xiaopu. Do you really agree with this? I don't have any objections to anyone, but the age difference between them is ten years! One has been in society for several years, and the other has just started college. Don't you think this is realistic? It's simply... I can't spoil the fun in front of the children this afternoon. You are a grandmother, what do you think?"
Hang Liumei smiled in the darkness and turned over. "To tell you the truth, I found out in Hong Kong. That's when I read the letter he wrote to Zhihe. At first, I was just like you; I thought it was unlikely. But as I observed him along the way, I felt that Xiaomai was quite serious. Later, I came to terms with it. Life is full of uncertainty, and it's not easy to meet someone you like. For those with a good relationship, like Lao Jiang and I, it only lasts a few decades. For those with a bad relationship, like you, even if we eventually break up, we've already lost a lot of skin, right?
If he really likes someone, I don't want to stop him. Zhihe is more mature than him and she knows her limits. I just think that people live their lives, not for results, but for experiences. Whether they succeed or not is up to God and their own business.
"Forget it, I don't know. What you said does make some sense. Anyway, your family looks normal, but you do all kinds of crazy things. I'm used to it. So let's all make fun together. Don't set up the stage but end up not being able to finish it. Go to sleep. You have to get up early tomorrow. It's quite tiring to go out with you guys..." Qi Xiuchun fell asleep after he finished speaking.
Now that they were in the car, facing Pu Zhihe at the steering wheel, neither of them knew how to start. They rambled on and on, but couldn't change the subject.
"Zhihe, you—" Hang Liumei had just opened her mouth when the phone rang. She hadn't even figured out her new phone yet. She rummaged through it while mumbling, "Why is someone calling me so early in the morning?"
As soon as she picked up the phone, her tone changed immediately: "It's Sui Sui! Why haven't you contacted Mom for so long? He's already here. Why did you ask him to come over? It would have been nice to have him stay with you in Hong Kong... What? You're here too?!"
Mai Sui landed at Dunhuang Airport this morning, so they changed their plans and went to the airport to pick someone up. However, Mai Sui was not in a hurry to go home. Instead, she took the three of them to a teahouse and immediately told them not to tell Mai Da that she had come to Dunhuang.
"Why, why is this happening? Are you two having a conflict?" Hang Liumei didn't understand and became a little anxious.
"Mom, when did you give birth to your son? Have you forgotten the date? Xiaomai's father's birthday is coming up in a few days. I just happened to get a job here, so I can stay a few days longer to celebrate his birthday. He's a very excited person, so don't let him know in advance. Don't let anyone know that I'm in Dunhuang too. By the way, why are only the three of you out today? Where's Xiaomai? I asked him and his father to take care of you, so why are both of them gone?"
"Uh—" Hang Liumei, Qi Xiuchun, and Pu Zhihe exchanged glances, all hesitant to come up with anything. Hang Liumei was the quickest to react, quickly saying, "It's the apprentice I recognized here back then. He insisted on hosting a family dinner for us tonight, so I asked Xiaomai and his father to buy the wine and meat. It wouldn't be nice for so many of us to just come to the dinner with our mouths, so the father and son need to show off their skills. They're working in the house! Look how well he's doing now."
Mai Sui was relieved. "That's good. You're not in a hurry to go back, are you? Then let's have lunch here. Let's not just talk about our own affairs. We still have important things to deal with. Mom, Professor Hashimoto is still waiting for your reply. She won't be staying in China for long. Shouldn't you give her a definite answer as soon as possible to avoid any more trouble?"
"I can't give her a definite answer," Hang Liumei said with an embarrassed look on her face. "I'm here for one thing. Once I see that the protection of the new grottoes has improved, I can go to Japan with peace of mind."
After listening to Hang Liumei's plan to design porcelain inspired by murals to participate in the competition, Mai Sui calculated that the time was just right, so he let her stay. Anyway, as soon as the competition was over, he would get on the plane and leave.
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