Extra 3: Live up to the morning and evening
Getting up in the morning
The morning light filtered through the branches of the redwood trees, casting dappled shadows across the cabin's floor. Tashi Phuntsok woke first, turning sideways to gaze at the peacefully sleeping face beside him. Her face, sleek and graceful, was much softer than it had been during the day. Her long eyelashes fluttered like butterfly wings, and the corners of her lips curled slightly upward, as if she were dreaming a sweet dream.
He stood up quietly, not wanting to disturb her sleep, but just as he was about to get out of bed, a warm hand grasped his wrist.
"Are you going to pick herbs so early?" Her voice was lazy, as if she had just woken up, and her eyes were not fully open yet.
"Today is the fifteenth day of the lunar month. It's time to go to the Holy Lake to collect morning dew." He turned around and kissed her forehead. "You should sleep a little longer."
She then sat up, her long black hair cascading down her shoulders. "I'll go with you. Yesterday I promised to find a tranquilizing herb for the Gyatso child."
After a quick wash, they headed out, carrying their medicine baskets and herb collection baskets. The grasslands were ablaze with morning dew, and every step they took stirred up tiny droplets. Qi Diao Yanfei deliberately stepped into a patch of particularly lush grass, watching the dewdrops splatter and refract a rainbow of colors in the morning sun.
"Look, does it look like those glowing crystals in Xingchen Academy?" She turned around and smiled at him.
Tashi Pingcuo took a few quick steps to walk side by side with her, and reached out to brush away the grass debris in her hair: "It's more beautiful than those crystals." His eyes always stayed gently on her.
Herb Picking
At the holy lake, morning mist shrouded the surface like a veil. Tashi Phuntsok was carefully collecting morning dew from lotus leaves, a crucial ingredient for a tranquilizer. Qidiao Yanfei, on the hillside a little further away, was searching for tranquilizer herbs.
"Pingcuo, come quickly!" she suddenly called softly.
He immediately put down his work and rushed over, only to see her squatting in front of a bunch of plants with lavender flowers, with a focused expression.
"This is the Twin Anshen Grass," she pointed to the special plant, "two plants grow from the same root, and the medicinal effect is better than ordinary ones." As she spoke, she began to dig carefully.
Tashi Phuntsok squatted beside her and took the spatula from her hand: "Let me do it. Your hands are worn out from yesterday."
She didn't argue, but quietly watched his skillful movements. The sun gradually rose higher, gilding his serious profile with a layer of gold. She suddenly remembered that many years ago in Chang'an, he had also been so focused on preparing medicine for Du Fu.
"What are you laughing at?" He noticed her gaze and looked up and asked.
"I'm thinking of a doctor who got lost on the streets of Chang'an," she said with a sly glint in her eyes. "If I hadn't found you in time, you would have spent the entire day wandering between the East and West Markets."
He feigned displeasure: "If it weren't for a certain soul ferryman who insisted on trying every snack in Chang'an, we wouldn't have gotten separated."
The two smiled at each other, the morning air filled with the faint scent of herbs and sweetness.
lunch break
The afternoon sun filtered through the window lattices, casting a warm glow across the room. Qi Diao Yanfei sat by the window, mending clothes, while Tashi Phuntsok sorted through the medicinal herbs he had gathered that morning.
"Is this robe the one Xuanjian gave you when you were in the future Buddhist kingdom?" She picked up the needle and thread, carefully mending a tear on the corner of the robe.
"Hmm," he glanced up, "I remember you said the color was too plain."
"Now that I'm used to it, I think it suits you very well." She bit off the thread and shook the robe open to examine it. "But even though the material is fine, it won't stand up to constant wear."
He put down the pestle in his hand, walked over to sit beside her and said, "It's broken, so there's no need to go to so much trouble to fix it."
She shook her head, "This is a memory we share. How can I just throw it away?" She pointed to an inconspicuous patch on the inside of her lapel. "I accidentally cut it at the Three Realms Inn." Then she pointed to an embroidered patch on her cuff. "This is the embroidery technique Baima Zhuoga taught me at Xingchen Academy."
Tashi Phuntsok held her hand and said, "Over the years, you have mended more than just clothes for me." His eyes were deep, as if he could see the long years they had walked through the needle and thread.
She leaned into his arms, listening to his steady heartbeat: "If I could, I would sew for you my whole life."
Cook tea
In the evening, the aroma of butter tea wafted through the hut. Qi Diao Yanfei sat by the fire, watching Tashi Phuntsok expertly brew the tea. The fragrance of tea, mingled with the aroma of milk, was the most soothing aroma on the grassland.
"Try it," he handed over a bowl of freshly brewed tea. "Today I added the spices you brought back from the secret land of mountains and seas."
She took the teacup and took a sip. Her eyes suddenly lit up. "Is this the 'Dream Recall Flower' given by the Daughter of Chaos?"
"Well," he looked at her expectantly, "do you still like it?"
The tea begins with the richness of butter tea, followed by a subtle floral aroma, and finally leaves a sweet aftertaste. Even more amazing is that with every sip, a beautiful memory flashes through my mind.
She saw them drinking butter tea together for the first time on the grasslands. He was still a reincarnated spirit boy then, so reserved that he blushed even at the touch of her fingers. She also saw them chatting around the fire with Baima Zhuoga and her disciples at the Redwood Monastery. And at the Three Realms Inn, Su Li taught them how to savor fragrant teas from across time and space...
"This tea..." Her eyes were slightly warm, "Every sip brings back memories."
He sat down beside her and drank a bowl of tea together. "That's why it's called 'Dream Reminiscence Tea.' From now on, we'll drink this every time we want to reminisce."
As the dusk deepened and the aroma of tea lingered in the air, the two sat side by side, drinking a bowl of tea that brought out a thousand flavors and a million kinds of tenderness.
Night Reading
As night fell, the oil lamp cast a warm glow on the table. Qi Diao Yanfei took out the frayed copy of "Poetry of Tsangyang Gyatso," their nightly homework.
"Which poem do you want to read today?" She turned a page at random.
Tashi Phuntsok took a newly pressed bookmark from the medicine basket and gently placed it between the pages: "Read your favorite poem."
She looked down and saw that it was the poem "Believer". But to her surprise, the bookmark was filled with notes written in neat small handwriting, which were all his thoughts on the poem over the years.
"This is..." She read the notes carefully and found that from the initial immature understanding to the profound comprehension later, each note recorded the changes in his state of mind.
What moved her most was the latest paragraph: "I once thought 'not cultivating for a future life' was giving up, but now I know it's a greater commitment. I don't cultivate for a future life, because this life is enough; I don't cultivate for a future life, because every future life will bring me to meet you."
She looked up at him, his eyes were gentle and firm under the light.
"This book has accompanied us through so much time," he said, stroking the pages gently, "and every poem bears witness to our love."
She leaned on his shoulder and recited softly. When she read the line "In that life, I circumambulated mountains, rivers, and pagodas, not for the sake of cultivating my next life, but only to meet you along the way," his arm gently wrapped around her shoulders.
"There's no need to travel far now," he whispered in her ear, "because I've already met you."
Night Talk
Before going to sleep, the two of them lay in bed, looking out the skylight at the starry sky. The stars from three universes shone against each other in the night sky, each telling a story.
"Today I received a message from Dawa," Qi Diao Yanfei said softly, "He has found a soulmate in the third universe."
Tashi Phuntsok turned to face her: "Are you worried?"
She shook her head. "Our child has grown up. It's time for him to find his own destiny." After a pause, she smiled again, "I just don't know what that destiny will be."
"He must understand true love." He held her hand. "Just like his parents."
After a moment of silence, she suddenly asked, "If you had the chance to do it again, would you still choose this path?"
He answered without hesitation: "If I cannot meet you, what good is it to become a Buddha? If I cannot be with you, what joy is there in living forever?"
She chuckled: "Such love words seem to have been learned from the poems of Tsangyang Gyatso."
"Every word comes from the heart," he said earnestly. "It hasn't changed since the day we first met."
The stars flickered, the night breeze was gentle. On this grassland they had protected, under this redwood tree that witnessed their love, two figures slept in each other's arms.
Tomorrow will be another ordinary yet precious day. And they will continue to be together day and night until the end of time.
Because true love lies not in earth-shattering vows, but in the trivial daily companionship. Living up to the Tathagata and living up to your lover is ultimately realized in every day and night spent together.
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