After staring at the child for two seconds, Qinghe squatted down and teased, "Little one, what's your name? Where's your mother?" She looked around but didn't see any villagers anxiously searching for the child.
The child wasn't shy at all, calling out, "San, Sansheng, my name is Sansheng, my mother is gone."
Qinghe rubbed his little head. It seemed that he had gotten separated from his family. There were many people coming to pay their respects today. The best thing to do was to stay where he was and wait for someone to come and find him.
Shen Xun walked over, saw the child, and asked, "What happened?"
Qinghe: "I got separated from my mother and am waiting for someone to come and find me."
When Xiao Sansheng saw Shen Xun, perhaps because they were all children, he was a little excited and opened his arms to hug him, but Shen Xun walked away in disgust.
Seeing that he couldn't get a hug, the little boy burst into tears, tears streaming down his face like beans. His shrill cries drew onlookers.
Qinghe pushed Shen Xun forward and advised, "It's just a hug, it won't hurt you."
Shen Xun said, "I'm only doing this because of you." He opened his arms and let the child hug him.
While dealing with the child, he asked Qinghe, "How is the Divine Pearl?"
Qinghe pointed to the tree roots, "Right here."
Shen Xun glanced at it and nodded: "We have the direction, so what do we do?"
Qinghe thought for a moment, and considering that there were people around, he sent a divine thought to Shen Xun: "Come and see when it's dark and windy."
Shen Xun: "I'll go with you."
Qinghe agreed.
After playing under the tree for a while, the adults and two children came out. Mu Dong and Ling Yin each held a lucky bag and a red silk ribbon.
When it was hung on the tree, Qinghe joked, "I didn't expect you to believe in this."
As Mu Dong hung the red silk ribbon, he said, "It's better to believe it's true than not to believe it's not. It's just for peace of mind."
Qinghe looked at the words of peace on the red silk, "What is love in this world that makes people willing to die for each other?"
Mu Dong: "...I'm doing this to prevent problems before they arise, to constantly remind myself not to be troubled by love, to cultivate the righteous path, and to benefit the world."
Qinghe took his words as true and stopped joking. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the red silk in Lingyin's hand, on which was written a poem: "In life and death, we made a vow; I will hold your hand and grow old with you."
At such a tender age, they all yearn for beautiful love. Qinghe glanced at Lingyin, then at Mo Junqian, her gaze lingering between the two. She couldn't help but sigh, the protagonists were destined to be unable to escape their fate.
Looking at the red ribbons fluttering in the wind, Qinghe suddenly missed the little fox. Unfortunately, she had put it in her space when she came, so she couldn't pet the fox and could only have unrequited love.
At the same time, a fox in the space sneezed twice in a row, its eyes slightly open, its blood-red eyes flashing with a flowing and eerie light. A red light gradually rose around it, enveloping the entire fox's body. A moment later, the fox disappeared, and a figure slowly emerged from the red mist, dressed in red with a black belt, exuding a sinister and flamboyant charm.
Qi Rong rubbed her nose and murmured, "Who's thinking about me?"
At this moment, Qinghe was unaware that her fox had truly become a spirit, and was enjoying the beautiful scenery in a serene manner.
Suddenly, a scream was heard. A simply dressed woman was anxiously calling Sansheng's name. She was startled when she saw the group of people under the tree and rushed towards Qinghe.
"Sansheng! What are you doing here? Do you know how worried your mother was!" The woman picked up the child and gently patted his back. Although her words were reproachful, her tone was anxious and tender, clearly showing how worried she was.
She looked at Qing and the others with gratitude, "Thank you so much. There were so many people here, and I almost got separated from my son. Thank you all so much." She then bowed to them.
Qinghe offered a slight helping hand, "No need to be so polite, is Madam also here to offer incense?"
The woman nodded and said that she was offering incense, her face showing a hint of piety: "Yes, I come every month. The Crane Shrine is very efficacious; every wish I make comes true."
She sized up the attire of the people from Qinghe and other places, and asked, "Is this your first time here? Have you offered incense?"
Qinghe shook her head, about to say "I don't believe in these things," but changed her mind and said, "Not yet."
It's clear that the locals have great respect and trust in the Crane Shrine. Unless absolutely necessary, it's best not to challenge people's beliefs.
The three babies in her arms kept babbling. The woman looked at the crowd around her and said, "That's true. There are too many people now. You can't even squeeze into the queue. You should wait a while before you pray."
Time flew by quickly in the bustling crowd of seven minutes, and before they knew it, it was noon. The woman had to go home to cook, so she took Sansheng with her and left. Before leaving, she bought a string of candied hawthorns for Shenxun, saying it was a thank you gift for playing with Sansheng.
Shen Xun stared at the candied hawthorn in his hand, hesitating to take a bite.
Qinghe teased him from the side, "Eat it quickly, or it will melt."
There was no response.
Qing bent down to investigate and found that his gaze was not on the candied hawthorn, but on the ground, lost in thought.
Qinghe: "What are you thinking about?"
Shen Xun: "I'm wondering if I should change my body."
Qinghe gestured to his small body, which barely reached his waist, and said seriously, "We need to change to another one."
After leaving the Crane Temple, the group walked along the streets of Crane Village.
The village of Xianhe, bathed in sunlight, is peaceful and serene, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys and the occasional aroma of food wafting through the air.
Mu Dong rubbed her stomach and looked at Li Jiang: "I'm hungry."
Upon hearing this, everyone except Li Jiang turned their attention to her, the meaning of which was quite clear.
Li Jiang sighed softly and said, "Let's go back to the inn first, and then I'll buy you some food."
Mu Dong: "Why not go to a restaurant?"
Li Jiang glanced at him sideways: "Because we don't have money."
It's a cruel reality.
I've been working myself to the bone at Yujing Manor these past few days, but the wages are meager. And prices in Luochuan City are high. How could I possibly afford to go to a restaurant with such a small amount of money?
Just as everyone was lamenting that they couldn't afford to eat, Qinghe deliberately coughed, took out a hundred-tael silver note from his sleeve, waved it in front of everyone, and said, "I have money, I'll treat you to a meal at a restaurant."
Apart from Shen Xun, everyone else stared wide-eyed. Mu Dong rubbed his eyes hard, and after confirming that he wasn't seeing things, he asked in surprise, "Where did you get so much money?"
Qinghe smiled mysteriously: "I have a brilliant plan."
Remembering the wealthy and powerful Qi Rong she had met before, Mu Dong gave her a strange look: "You two didn't do anything shady, did you?"
Qinghe chuckled and stomped on his foot, saying, "If you keep talking nonsense, you'll never have food to eat again."
Mu Dong covered his foot, but the teasing words he wanted to say remained unspoken. After all, these things were nothing compared to being able to eat a full meal.
Li Jiang was not easily fooled. When Qing He took out the silver notes, he immediately thought of a possibility and said, "You sold the pills that your master gave you."
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