Chapter 216 World Nine (Thirteen)
The small Buddhist temple was cleaned, and the servants scrubbed it three times with clean water, not stopping until the floor and the Buddha statues were dust-free. Because it had been unused for a long time, the small temple always had a lingering smell of decay. Manager Zhao ordered people to hold long incense sticks and fumigate the small temple inside and out, completely covering up the odor.
According to the laws of this dynasty, after the death of her husband, her wife must observe a hundred-day mourning period, wearing light-colored clothing, removing her hairpins and jewelry, and eating a simple diet, consuming little or no meat. It was rumored that during this hundred-day period, the deceased husband's spirit lingered. If she offered incense and prayed for blessings, the accumulated blessings would enhance the deceased husband's fortune and ensure a good reincarnation.
Therefore, Baoshan wanted to use this small Buddhist temple to accumulate some blessings for Wei Mao, so that Wei Mao could be reborn into a good family and not be reborn as an orphan. Instead, he could have loving parents, a harmonious family, and be healthy and grow old naturally.
Bao Shan held three long incense sticks tightly in her bare hands and inserted them into the double-handled bronze incense burner with carved floating clouds. Bao Shan clasped her hands together, lowered her eyes and closed her lips, her posture extremely respectful.
She did not pray out loud, but silently said in her heart: "May my husband Wei Mao have everything going well in the next life."
Don't be someone else's wolfhound anymore, being controlled by others.
In the double-handled bronze incense burner with carved floating clouds, the long incense sticks emitted a scarlet flame, and a few wisps of thick smoke like white mist slowly drifted away.
In the center of the small Buddhist hall, there is a golden Buddha statue with a gentle face and a compassionate expression.
But when I looked closely, I felt that the Buddha statue showed neither sadness nor joy.
Baoshan turned, her long, floor-length skirt swaying in a graceful arc, like the emerald canopy of a lotus or the ripples on a lake. Baoshan knelt on the soft cushion. Directly in front of her was a copper basin filled with a few pieces of charcoal, the finest silver-thread charcoal.
Although there was fire, there was no smoke, and it did not stink when you got close.
Baoshan picked up the neatly folded yellow and white paper next to him, on which various prayer patterns were cut.
Baoshan put the blessing paper into the copper basin, and the red flames quickly devoured the blessing paper.
The warm firelight reflected on Baoshan, as if she was wearing an orange-red dress instead of a plain one.
The firelight made Baoshan's beautiful face appear bright and dim, and it further revealed the endless sorrow in her dark eyebrows.
I am happy to see a beautiful woman sad, and I also feel pity for her worry.
A beautiful woman who always smiles will certainly make people's hearts move.
But it is the beauty with sadness in her eyes that makes people feel uneasy and worried.
I wondered who caused this sorrow, and after figuring it out, I became anxious and worried because the sorrow was not caused by myself.
When Lu Yuanhui walked into the small Buddhist hall, he saw Baoshan's sad face. The surging flames reflected on Baoshan's face, as if the slender woman would be melted into the flames in the next moment.
Lu Yuanhui did not approach immediately, but stood beside the door of the small Buddhist temple, looking at the slender figure from afar.
In Lu Yuanhui's extremely rare memories of his mother, there is such a scene.
Mother Lu has a gentle personality, and her relationship with the gentle and refined Master Lu is so harmonious that it is very enviable.
But ever since Lu Yuanhui was born, a hint of indelible sadness has appeared in Lu's mother's usually gentle expression, and no one can relieve it.
Lu Yuanhui once heard that when Mother Lu and Master Lu were arguing, this gentle mother actually shouted at the top of her lungs: "... Others only think that you treat me well, but how long can this kindness last? When I die, won't you still marry another wife, even for ten years...
No, even after five years, who in the mansion would remember what I look like?
Even Hui'er might not even remember me as his biological mother and would happily call someone else his mother."
Mr. Lu didn't understand Mother Lu. As the mistress of the Lu family and having given birth to a legitimate son, everything went so smoothly for her, so why would she be so depressed that her health was damaged?
Master Lu said in a cold tone, "The doctor at the mansion has examined your pulse and found that you are depressed. It is important to comfort yourself and not do anything unreasonable."
Lu Yuanhui clung to the wooden door and looked inside, only to see tears in the corners of Lu's mother's eyes.
Everyone in the mansion said that Mother Lu's temperament had changed drastically. She was often sad about the passing of time. Although the doctor said she was not sick, she had lost a lot of weight.
Praying to gods and Buddhas has always been something that only women with gentle temperaments can do.
The small Buddhist temple was built by Lu's mother. Since giving birth to Lu Yuanhui, Lu's mother has been staying in the small Buddhist temple, chanting scriptures and praying for peace of mind.
Lu Yuanhui has been indifferent since childhood. He is neither like the gentle and polite Master Lu, nor like the gentle Mother Lu.
His temperament is like that of an orphan without parents, who has no one to take care of him and has developed a cold and hard temper in a poor place.
Lu Yuanhui was not close to his father and mother, except that day when he came to pick up his crossbow.
The crossbow was won by Lu Yuanhui from the son of the Dali Temple's Shaoqing. It was exactly the same as the one used by adults, except that it looked like it was wielded by a child.
The crossbow fell into the small Buddhist temple. As soon as Lu Yuanhui approached, he saw Lu's mother turn around and look at him.
Compared to the last time I saw her, Mother Lu's eyes were filled with even more sorrow. She had lost a lot of weight, and she looked as if she could be blown down by a gust of wind. Lu Yuanhui stood outside the door and said abruptly, "My crossbow is here."
When Lu Yuanhui and his mother met, they didn't seem like mother and son, but more like unfamiliar strangers.
Mother Lu stood up from the mat, picked up the crossbow and handed it to Lu Yuanhui.
Mother Lu looked at Lu Yuanhui's face and stature, then suddenly leaned over and hugged him.
"Hui'er, you've grown taller."
Lu Yuanhui didn't like Lu's mother getting close to him, especially since she was extremely thin and her bones poked at him, causing him pain.
Lu Yuanhui broke free from Lu Mu's arms and left the small Buddhist temple without looking back.
He didn't like this place; it was gloomy and quiet, making him feel suffocated.
But Mother Lu regarded this place as a safe haven, as if all her sorrows could be easily solved by simply bowing and kowtowing to the Buddha statue.
Although Lu Yuanhui was young at the time, he understood that hiding in the Buddhist temple was an extremely cowardly act. When encountering trouble, he should take out his bow and crossbow, shoot at it hard, and completely destroy it.
But Mother Lu obviously didn't know that she still passed away because of the sorrow lingering in her heart.
And just as Lu's mother said, in just a few years, her closest husband and most beloved child had completely forgotten her.
Lu Yuan walked back to Bao Shan's side, picked up the blessing paper that had splashed on the ground, and put it back into the copper basin.
Baoshan, upon hearing the sound, suddenly opened his eyes, but when their eyes met, neither of them spoke.
Baoshan finished reading today's scriptures, closed the Buddhist scriptures, and then lowered his eyes and asked, "When did you come, sir?"
Lu Yuanhui was not wearing Feiyu clothes today, but a light suit. The dark black belt tied his waist tightly. It was not as slender as a woman's, but it exuded strength and revealed the strong outline under the outer clothes.
As careful as Bao Shan, he found that something was wrong with Lu Yuanhui at this moment. He was not as unapproachable as usual. It was as if a tightly closed stone suddenly had a tiny crack.
If it were any other day, Lu Yuanhui would not have such good patience to answer Bao Shan's questions one by one.
"More than a moment."
Lu Yuan leaned over, picked up the Buddhist scriptures that the treasure fan had placed on the cushion, and asked, "Which passage were you reading just now?"
Bao Shan walked up to Lu Yuanhui, but she didn't take the scroll. Instead, she placed it in Lu Yuanhui's hand, flipped it over, and pointed with her slender finger, saying, "Appearances are born from the mind; circumstances are transformed by the mind."
Lu Yuan looked back with a gloomy expression.
The two of them were very close to each other, and their auras blended with each other when they were close.
Lu Yuanhui didn't even know how to dodge. In this situation, even if the treasure fan came closer, Lu Yuanhui would probably not refuse it.
But Baoshan knew very well that too much is as bad as too little. When Lu Yuanhui regained consciousness, he became the usual Lu Yuanhui and only felt that her approach at this time seemed deliberate.
Then, Baoshan raised her face, looked at Lu Yuan and said, "What are you thinking about, sir? I am not well versed in Buddhist scriptures. If you want to know more, why not go to a nearby temple and ask for advice?"
Lu Yuanhui finally came back to his senses, and said in a cold tone: "I'm not curious about things that pretend to be ghosts."
Upon hearing this, Baoshan's face turned pale, and the palm hanging by his leg tightened slightly.
Lu Yuanhui just said it was getting late and turned to leave the small Buddhist temple.
But Lu Yuanhui had not been away for long when he heard light footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw a face with furrowed brows.
Bao Shan hesitated for a moment, but finally took out the item and presented it with both hands.
Seeing Lu Yuanhui's puzzled expression, Baoshan's eyelashes trembled slightly, and he explained softly, "This is a peace amulet I begged for. I placed it under a Buddha statue and recited scriptures for seven days. If you carry it with you, it may be able to..."
Baoshan was about to tell Lu Yuanhui that carrying it with him would keep him safe, but then he remembered that Lu Yuanhui didn't believe in ghosts and gods, so he timidly changed his words.
"Maybe it can bring peace of mind."
Ever since Bao Shan was brought back to the Lu family by Lu Yuan, she has been well-behaved and has never done anything inappropriate.
Moreover, Baoshan and Wei Mao had a very close relationship, so Lu Yuanhui naturally would not suspect anything else and just thought that Baoshan was living in the Lu family.
Because he felt uneasy about being protected, he wanted to do something for Lu Yuanhui.
Even if the treasured fan belonged to Wei Mao's wife, Lu Yuanhui would not accept it.
Lu Yuanhui didn't believe in ghosts and gods, so why bother carrying the amulet with him.
However, before Lu Yuanhui could open his mouth to refuse, he thought of Lu's mother's bony hands.
Lu Yuanhui lowered his eyes and looked at the amulet made of yellow paper, with words written in cinnabar faintly visible inside.
Mother Lu's hands were originally as soft and delicate as a precious fan.
Lu Yuanhui raised his head slightly and looked into Baoshan's gentle eyes. He seemed to hear his mother Lu's sigh in his ears.
"Back."
Lu Yuanhui reached out and took the amulet.
Baoshan's frowning brows suddenly relaxed, and her tightly pursed lips also lifted slightly, showing obvious joy.
It is always a joy to be accepted by others' kindness.
Lu Yuan turned over the amulet in his hand, wondering where to put it.
Lu Yuan raised his hand and wanted to put the amulet on his waist.
Bao Shan opened her watery eyes and whispered, "Sir, let me do it."
The amulet made of yellow paper fell into Baoshan's hands.
She stood on tiptoe slightly, gently pulled Lu Yuanhui's lapel, and placed the amulet on Lu Yuanhui's chest.
"grown ups."
Baoshan tilted her head to look at Lu Yuanhui, and the small plain flowers in her hair tilted accordingly.
Because there were no hairpins or rings to hold back the long black hair, the waterfall-like hair looked a little loose, and the small plain flower pinned in it was almost tottering at this moment.
"It should be placed here."
Lu Yuanhui could hear the dull beating sound coming from his chest.
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