Chapter 31 Chapter 31

After Jiang Jinghui returned home, she told Li that she wanted to go to Miao'en Temple in a few days.

When she heard the words "Miao'en Temple", Li's expression became particularly unnatural. She hadn't been to that place for a long time. In all these years, she only went there once or twice when she had no other choice. She asked, "Why do you suddenly want to go there?"

Jiang Jinghui replied, "Today I heard people on the street saying that there will be a Dharma Assembly in the temple in the next few days. I heard that drawing lots is particularly effective, so I thought about joining in the fun."

Li was a little reluctant. She said, "Well, what's so exciting and interesting about it? It's just a ceremony held by the monks in the temple. They just want to collect some money from incense offerings. It's meaningless."

After hearing what Li said, a look of disappointment appeared on Jiang Jinghui's face.

"Is that so... I heard about the name of Miao'en Temple when I was not in the capital before. At that time, I thought it would be nice to visit it when I came to the capital in the future. I never thought that mother would say it was boring. However, since mother said so, it seems a bit boring. I don't think it's worth going."

Li felt uncomfortable after hearing this. She sighed and said, "If you want to go, go ahead. Your brother will be at home taking a rest, so let him take you there. It's too crowded there, so I won't go."

Jiang Jinghui's face lit up with joy, and she quickly said, "Then bring your sister along."

Li refused subconsciously, "Your sister doesn't like that place either."

Jiang Jinghui said, "I saw that my sister was still unhappy because of Mr. Fang's matter, so I wanted to ask her to go to a lively place to have a look, so that she can liven up a little. Also, I thought that if she prayed for a fortune there, she might be able to find a good marriage."

What she said made sense, and it really didn't seem like a good idea for the two siblings to go out and leave Jiang Jingchun alone at home.

Besides, this is also an opportunity for Jiang Jinghui and Jiang Jingchun to get to know each other.

She was just afraid that Jiang Jingchun would find out what happened back then, but it had been so long...who would remember it?

She thought to herself that she was too suspicious and afraid of this and that. After thinking for a while, Li changed the subject and said, "You are right. Then you can take your sister with you to have a look."

*

The weather was getting hotter and the daylight hours were getting longer. As the day went by, the sun was setting in the west, and the fiery red sunset fell on the windowsill and shone into the house. The man's white clothes seemed to be dyed with a layer of red sunset.

In the Gu family, Gu Huaisheng has been resting at home for nearly a month, and will return to work at the Metropolitan Procuratorate in a few days. But this month, although Gu Huaisheng is at home, he is not relaxed. He doesn't know what he is busy with, and often stays in the study all day without going out.

This day, Lord Gu was off duty, so I went to his study to look for him.

Hearing the voice of Lord Gu coming from the door, Gu Huaisheng stood up and opened the door himself.

After opening the door, he turned aside to give way to Lord Gu, but heard the latter say, "I won't go in for now. I just came here to talk to you about something."

Gu Huaisheng had been sitting at the desk for a whole day, and his temples were a little sore. He relaxed for a rare moment and half leaned against the door, rubbing his forehead and waiting for what Lord Gu would say next.

Lord Gu coughed lightly and said in a nonchalant manner, "In a few days, it will be the anniversary of your husband's death..."

As soon as he said this, he saw Gu Huaisheng pause slightly.

The dusk fell on his profile, and his long eyelashes cast a shadow under his eyes, obscuring his expression. After hearing this, Gu Huaisheng took a moment to react. He raised his eyes and looked past Lord Gu into the courtyard. He saw that everything in the courtyard was dyed red by the setting sun.

Just like the evening my husband died.

His blood dyed everything red.

He withdrew his gaze, but said to Lord Gu with an indifferent expression: "Did father forget that he had already said that he no longer acknowledged me as his student?"

Lord Gu was choked by these words, and his throat was so stuffy that he couldn't speak. After a long time, he finally found the strength to speak.

"But after all, we are teacher and student. Why are you so...? He is dead and the lights are out. Can't you even take a look at him? After all, he treated you like this in the past."

Gu Huai sneered, with disdain in his eyes, "How did he treat me? He kicked me out in front of everyone and said we would never see each other again in this life. He also said that I, a child, depended on the family for support, but I was just a vain person... He said that he would rather not have a student like me in this life, so why should I go to see him?"

Lord Gu looked into Gu Huaisheng's eyes and saw that those black pupils and ears were filled with disgust towards his teacher.

Gu Huaisheng leaned against the door and used one last simple sentence to break Lord Gu's mind, "He is a traitor to the country, and you want me to go see him and do something."

When Lord Gu heard this, his eyes turned red, "Chang Qing would never do such a thing!"

Lord Gu had a very kind temper, but at this moment, he trembled all over and let out a low growl at Gu Huaisheng's words.

However, Gu Huaisheng paid no attention to his sadness. Compared with Lord Gu's sorrow and anger, his voice was indifferent and cold.

He said, "But he died because of it."

Lord Gu's figure trembled.

Gu Huaisheng didn't look at him again. He went back to the inner room and sat back at the desk.

After a while, he looked up again and saw that there was no one at the door.

After Lord Gu left, Gu Huaisheng sat at the table all the time. Even when it was dark outside, he still did not make any other moves. He leaned on the table, leaning forward slightly. The incense burner on the table dimmed his eyebrows and eyes a little, making it difficult to tell his expression.

When Shuliang came in from outside, he saw him in a daze without lighting the lamp, and asked curiously, "What are you thinking about, young master? You are so absorbed in it."

As he spoke, he turned on the light.

The room suddenly became bright, but Gu Huaisheng still looked listless.

Shu Liang did not bother him by asking any more questions. He told him the purpose of his visit. He said, "Madam said that there will be a ceremony at Miao En Temple in a few days. Since you have nothing to do at home, she asked you to go with her then."

Miao'en Temple.

Hearing this place, Gu Huaisheng's eyes finally showed some emotion.

In the end, he didn't say anything, just said "hmm" as a response.

*

A few days passed quickly.

Jiang Runchu and his two sisters got on a carriage and went to Miao'en Temple.

Jiang Jingchun was not very willing to go at first, but seeing Jiang Jinghui's warm invitation, he did not refuse and followed them out.

Besides, she was indeed somewhat curious about fortune-telling. But Li had not been happy with her going to temples, so she had rarely been there. She could count the number of times she had been there on one hand.

In the carriage, Jiang Jingchun and Jiang Runchu didn't like each other, and they had a big fight last time, so apart from Jiang Jinghui who was there to moderate the atmosphere, the other two didn't talk much. Later, Jiang Jinghui had nothing to say, so she gradually became quiet, and the carriage was even more silent for a while.

This ceremony will last about two days, and the three of them plan to rest in the temple tonight.

It was already afternoon when they arrived here, and the Dharma Assembly had already begun.

Miao'en Temple is located halfway up the mountain. The forest is deep and the sunlight shines through the leaves, creating mottled patterns on the soil. After climbing the mountain, there is a platform. It takes 88 stone steps to reach the temple gate. The three of them got off the carriage and stood at the bottom of the stone steps. They looked up and vaguely saw the plaque with the three big characters "Miao'en Temple" shining brightly in the light.

There were already quite a few people standing there, and it looked lively and noisy; the sound of chanting and talking could be faintly heard from there.

They went up the steps and reached the temple gate.

Miao'en Temple is very popular. As soon as you get up there you can see the fragrant mist. There is a special place for drawing divination sticks at the entrance, which is now packed with people.

Jiang Jingchun just took a look at the noisy crowd and gave up the idea of ​​getting a lottery ticket. Even if it was crowded, there was no telling how long the queue would end.

The other two siblings also stayed away from that place.

Everyone has their own doubts and intentions. They all say that this fortune is effective. Since they have come from far away, it doesn't hurt to ask for a fortune. But looking at the crowd, they don't know when it will be their turn. The three of them were silent for a moment, and finally Jiang Runchu said, "Forget it. It looks like we don't know when it will be our turn. Let's come back later when there are fewer people."

Let’s go inside first.

The other two did not refute, and they walked inside.

But at this moment, a clear voice came from behind, "Jiang Jingchun!"

Several people stopped and looked back, and found that it was Song Xuan'an.

Beside him stood two other people, one was his mother and the other was his brother Song Xuanjing.

Today's ceremony was lively, and many wealthy families came. It happened that Song Xuan'an would take the imperial examination in the autumn in a while, so Mrs. Song wanted to come to the temple to pray and worship, and have a fortune-telling to see whether Song Xuan'an could pass the exam in one fell swoop.

Song Xuan'an was not very willing to come at first, as he thought it was no use being crowded together. But Madam Song insisted on dragging him along, so he had no choice but to follow. Song Xuanjing was resting at home today and had nothing to do, so he was also dragged out by Song Xuan'an.

But Song Xuan'an didn't expect that Jiang Jingchun would also come today.

Jiang Jingchun found out it was Song Xuan'an and thought it was quite a coincidence, so he greeted him. Then he saw his mother and brother were also there, so he saluted them.

Although Mrs. Song did not like Jiang Jingchun as her daughter-in-law, she did not have any other feelings towards her. When she saw people smiling at her, she also smiled and nodded.

Jiang Runchu heard the commotion and saw Mrs. Song, so he took Jiang Jinghui to say hello to her.

Last time, they did not invite the Song family to Jiang Jinghui's ancestral recognition banquet. Now that they met today, it would be time for Jiang Jinghui to meet Mrs. Song.

Mrs. Song recognized Jiang Jinghui's identity at a glance. Judging from her appearance, she should be Jiang Nan's biological daughter.

She took Jiang Jinghui's hand and exchanged a few words with her warmly, "This must be Xiaohui, right? I didn't have the chance to see you last time, but this time, by chance, I bumped into you in the temple. You are really pretty. Hey, by the way, I held you in my arms when you were little. Have you been doing well these years? It's a good thing you're back..."

She lost track of what she was talking about, and the atmosphere was about to turn sad. Song Xuan'an hurriedly pulled her sleeve and said, "Okay, mother, it's a good day. Why are you talking about the past?"

This is what people say. When the noise comes, everyone will be unhappy.

After Song Xuan'an finished saying this, he glanced at Jiang Jingchun's expression. He didn't see any change in her facial expression, as if she didn't take his words to heart, so he breathed a sigh of relief.

"You seem quite clever." Mrs. Song replied calmly.

He used to be so stubborn and stupid, but now he is very good at reading people's expressions.

However, although Mrs. Song said this, at least she didn't talk about anything else.

Jiang Runchu and Song Xuanjing served in the same court, so the two families had some friendship. They would usually greet each other when they met in the court. Today, when they met here, they just went aside and exchanged a few words of greeting.

Since the two families happened to meet at the gate of Miao'en Temple, they walked together from then on.

Jiang Runchu was talking with Song Xuanjing, and Song Xuanan naturally walked with Jiang Jingchun.

Mrs. Song was still chatting with Jiang Jinghui. She asked curiously, "Why didn't I see your mother today?"

Why are there only three young people coming out, and no Li?

Jiang Jinghui replied obediently, "Mother didn't come out because she felt too crowded."

Mrs. Song nodded and didn't ask any more questions.

Several people did not plan to stay at the door, and thought of going to the meditation room to put their luggage first. However, Song Xuan'an did not know what he wanted to do, and insisted on dragging Jiang Jingchun to draw lots first.

Jiang Jingchun asked him, "Why are you in such a hurry? There are so many people here, it's so crowded."

Song Xuanan said: "You can get there by queuing up, so you don't have to go out again later."

Song Xuan'an pulled her towards the long queue. Jiang Jingchun couldn't hold him back and was half-dragged away by him.

Mrs. Song didn't know what was wrong with him. Just now she asked him whether to go or not, but now they were going to the meditation room, but he insisted on dragging her to ask for fortune. I'm afraid he just wanted to spend more time alone with Jiang Jingchun. The other two brothers and sisters of the Jiang family were still there, so she couldn't say anything. She just shouted at his back: "I'm not watching you, don't let anything happen to you."

When Song Xuan'an heard this, he just waved his hands and said "hmm" without even turning his head. It was unclear whether he heard it or not.

Song Xuan'an pulled Jiang Jingchun into the crowd. There were quite a lot of people today. This Dharma Assembly was held once a year, and men, women, old and young all came here to join in the fun. The two of them finally squeezed through and lined up with great difficulty.

After they stood still, they had a chance to talk. Song Xuan'an turned his head and asked Jiang Jingchun a question. However, the crowd was noisy, and Jiang Jingchun only saw his mouth opening and closing, but he couldn't hear what he said.

She frowned and raised her voice to ask him, "What are you talking about?"

Song Xuan'an leaned over and whispered in her ear, "What are you here to ask for today?"

What signature do you want?

When he asked this question, Jiang Jingchun realized that he just wanted to join in the fun, but hadn't really thought about what he wanted.

She doesn't seem to want to know anything for the time being.

Marriage? But ever since the incident with Fang Zhiping, she had no idea about it for the time being. It was destined by heaven, what was meant to happen would happen, and there was no point in rushing if it wasn't meant to happen.

Relatives?

That's right.

They have always avoided talking to her relatives, and Jiang Jingchun wants to know if she will have the chance to meet them again in the future.

She opened her mouth and was about to respond to Song Xuanan, but the surroundings were really crowded and she didn't know who suddenly bumped into her back. Before she could say anything, she was knocked hard into Song Xuanan's arms.

The boy's broad and strong chest muscles hit her nose and hurt her, and she subconsciously let out a cry of pain.

Both of them seemed to be stunned, and for a moment they didn't know how to react.

Especially Song Xuan'an, the noisy sounds around him had automatically disappeared from his ears, and time seemed to slow down at this moment. His nose was full of the girlish scent of Jiang Jingchun, and his ears turned red, but he didn't react to pull her away.

Until an extremely cold voice came from the side.

"You walk so carelessly, and you won't even apologize if you bump into someone."

The two were finally brought back to their senses by the sound of someone else's voice, and Jiang Jingchun hurried out of Song Xuan'an's arms.

I looked towards the voice and found that a space had been cleared from somewhere nearby. In the crowd, the beautiful man stood out, totally different from the people around him. He was like a god, and the people around him unconsciously made way for him.

When Jiang Jingchun saw Gu Huaisheng, four big words immediately came to his mind.

The haunting.

Gu Huaisheng was accompanied by Mrs. Gu and Gu Huailang. It seemed that their family also came to Miao'en Temple to worship Buddha and draw lots.

The capital city is not a small place, but it is not a big place either. The bad thing is that the more you don’t want to see someone, the more you see him or her.

Even if you go to a temple, you can still encounter this.

The person who bumped into Jiang Jingchun heard what Gu Huaisheng said and quickly apologized to her.

He had just bumped into someone but didn't take it seriously. He turned around and wanted to run, but he didn't expect to be caught by someone. He couldn't leave even if he wanted to. He looked at the person who was talking. The person was gorgeous and had an imposing manner. His voice was like winter ice, and it was cold for no reason. He didn't dare to provoke this person, so he quickly apologized to Jiang Jingchun and wanted to make peace.

Jiang Jingchun didn't think much about it. He didn't mean it. She shook her head and said "it's okay", and the matter was over.

However, before she could say a few words, Jiang Jingchun felt her nose getting hot. She thought it was because Song Xuan'an's chest was as hard as a city wall and it almost broke her nose. She touched her nose and found blood on it. She quickly took out a handkerchief from her sleeve and covered her nose with it.

She turned her head and complained to Song Xuan'an, "No, you're too hard."

Song Xuan'an didn't expect that she would be hit and bleed. He lowered his head and saw that her eyes were unconsciously red. It seemed that she was really hit hard.

He felt pain when he saw it, so he pulled her hand off and looked at her nose. Without the towel to block it, blood gushed out. He immediately pushed the towel back and then used his hands to turn her head back so that she was lying on her back.

He coaxed her, "It's my fault, it's my fault. Don't be angry. The more angry you are, the more blood will flow."

The actions and conversation between the two men were particularly irritating in Gu Huaisheng's eyes, but he was also an extremely strange person. The more uncomfortable he felt, the more he wanted to watch.

He refuses to face his own emotions, but is terribly sensitive to other people's emotions.

He doesn't take Fang Zhiping seriously because people like him are just rotten.

But Song Xuanan is different.

Watching them getting closer, his fingers hidden in his sleeves unconsciously clenched.

Until Mrs. Gu next to her spoke, she walked up to Jiang Jingchun and said to her: "Xiaochun, are you here to draw a fortune?"

Jiang Jingchun nodded, and then heard Mrs. Gu say, "Go back to the meditation room and change your clothes first. It's not good to get them stained with blood."

Mrs. Gu was afraid that Jiang Jingchun was too young to understand these things, so she came to remind her.

This was the first time Jiang Jingchun had heard such words, but since she had said so, she did not refute it. She said to Mrs. Gu, "Thank you for reminding me, Auntie."

Seeing that only she and Song Xuan'an were there, Madam Gu couldn't help but ask curiously, "Could it be possible that the two of you come here by yourselves today?"

Jiang Jingchun shook his head and replied, "I came here with my brother and sister. Now I am going to the Zen room with Aunt Song and Brother Song to put our luggage."

so it is.

Hearing that the three brothers and sisters had all come here, but Li was the only one who didn't come, Mrs. Gu knew the reason in her heart. She would never be willing to set foot in this place again.

She looked at the crowded crowd and stopped thinking about asking for divination. She said to Jiang Jingchun, "I don't know when this place will be less crowded. We also want to go to the Zen room. Let's go together."

Song Xuan'an was obviously not willing to do so. He finally had a chance to be alone with Jiang Jingchun, but then the Gu family came again. He was about to speak, but Gu Huaisheng beside him said, "There are so many people here now. I don't know when you can come. Come later, there will be fewer people."

Compared with Mrs. Gu's gentle inquiry, his words had a tone of irresistibility.

It was just a simple sentence, but it sounded fierce when it came out of his mouth.

Before they could react, they saw Gu Huaisheng had already turned around.

The two men didn't say anything more. That was all, they were just walking the same short distance.

But after walking with them, Song Xuan'an and Jiang Jingchun became even quieter. They didn't say anything all the way. They followed behind them obediently, without saying a word. Only Mrs. Gu would occasionally say a few words, but later, seeing that the two of them were not in high spirits, she didn't say much either. When they arrived at the Zen room where the guests were staying, the group said goodbye first.

There are many people coming to Miao'en Temple today. Because the Dharma Assembly will last for two days, dozens of meditation rooms have been reserved for the distinguished guests to stay overnight.

The meditation rooms of the Jiang and Gu families were not far from each other. The person who arranged the rooms in the temple knew that the Jiang and Gu families were related, so they arranged the two families closer. The male and female family members were not in the same place. Song Xuan'an sent Jiang Jingchun back to the room, and then said goodbye to the Gu family members who were still standing not far away and left first.

After watching the two men disperse, Mrs. Gu suddenly asked Gu Huaisheng, "Jingchun seems to have changed a lot, and seems to be unwilling to get close to you..."

就連顧夫人都有些察覺出了事情的不對，只要從前顧淮聲在，姜淨春必然會跟到他的身邊，然而，不知道是從什麽時候開始，竟對他是避之不及。

顧夫人都不知道是不是自己的錯覺。

“人都是會長大的。”

少年時總是一腔熱情，被澆滅了之後，自然也就一瞬間跟着長大了。

說完這句話，顧淮* 聲就陷入了長久的沉默。

他那突如其來話說的人有些莫名其妙，顧夫人都有些聽不明白這是何意。

他的視線也一直落在姜淨春的房間上面，他的眼中，帶着她看不懂的情緒。

*

到了差不多傍晚的時候，顧淮聲獨自一人去了求簽的地方。

此刻人已經少了很多，再沒白日那樣擁擠熱鬧。廟門前的蒼天古木下，擺着一張桌子，桌旁立着“求簽”二字，落日的餘晖撒在寺廟門前，一旁香爐中散出的袅袅煙氣也染上了紅。

一切如夢似幻，像是虛境。

顧淮聲走到了求簽處坐下，對面解簽的大師擡眼看了他一下。

他愣了片刻，随後道：“我記得你。”

大師約莫已過了五旬，是寺中德高望重的主持，他盛名在外，世人尊他為“悟能大師”，今日來求簽問蔔之人如此之多，一是因為法會之緣故，二是因為悟能大師會在這坐整整一日為世人解惑。

所以，究竟是法會之緣故讓今日的簽尤其準，還是僅僅是因為悟能大師在坐鎮的原因，事到如今也分辯不清了。

聽到悟能大師的話後顧淮聲片刻無言，他抿唇，道：“我也記得大師。”

悟能大師笑了笑，“三年前你從這裏離開之後，我以為你再也不會來了的。”

三年前顧淮聲來過一次妙恩寺，在妙恩寺待了整整七日。他一個人在菩提樹下靜坐了整七日，坐累了就睡，睡醒了繼續坐。

這樣奇怪的人，悟能大師從前見過許多，顧淮聲不是第一個。

他知道，總有年輕人會迷失自己人生的方向，而後來佛堂之中尋找自己的慰藉，在顧淮聲之前，那棵千年菩提之下坐過許多的人，他們都妄圖像王陽明那樣，能有自己的一場龍場悟道，一步入聖。

然而，或許是時機終不成熟，又或許是他們心中所圖太過，從沒人能在那裏悟得屬于自己的道。

除了顧淮聲。

他同那些人都太不一樣，光是一眼就能看出。

他在那裏坐了整七日。

七日，或許是因為內心實在煎熬，手上閑不住動作，周遭的那片草都被他拔禿了，直到他離開之後，他周遭坐過的地方也仍舊寸草不生，後來妙恩寺的人背地裏頭給顧淮聲取了綽號：百草枯。

這綽號實在難聽不像話。

不過也好在，後來顧淮聲再沒來過此處，這難聽的話也沒能去到他的耳朵裏面。

自顧淮聲離開之後，悟能大師再聽旁人提起他時，他已是京城中為人不可觸及的存在。

他想，他已經悟到了自己心中的道，所以也不會再來了。

可沒想到今日竟會在這處又見到他。

對于顧淮聲的出現，悟能大師顯然是有些訝異。

他笑着問他，“之前的問題解決，你整整三年不再出現，今時，是又碰到了其他什麽麻煩事？”

人一生都在追求道的路上，當時候的道他求到了，現如今，他一定是又碰到了什麽其他的事。

麻煩事......

确實是麻煩事。

拿又拿不起，放又放不下。

他後悔當日之舉，也時常會被那件事情折磨得不能安眠，可他後悔了，又能如何呢。只能眼睜睜看着她同別的人走在一起，抱在一處卻又無可奈何，想去制止，卻都已經不知該出于什麽立場。

理智告訴自己，放下才是明智之舉，顧淮聲不是沒有嘗試過。可一想到她往後終歸要嫁人，卻又忍不住去想，她萬一所嫁非人，又會不會被人欺負……

放不下，他真的放不下。

顧淮聲沒有将自己的困境同悟能說，因為說出來也無濟于事。

王陽明曾言，凡事向外求十年如一日，向內求日日如新生。

顧淮聲也不會将自己的困境寄托到旁人的身上，企圖旁人能為他解決苦痛。

但，都說今日的簽準……

求支簽又不是什麽要緊的事。

他對悟能說，“大師，求支簽吧，便當解惑了。”

顧淮聲說完就從袖口中掏出了一袋銀錢，往一旁的功德箱裏頭丢。

悟能大師先一步攔住了功德箱的口子，笑得頗為和善，“你身上功德重，我們廟小，收不起，今日這簽，送你。”

這話意有所指，含義極深，不過顧淮聲也不将這事放在心上，既他這樣說了，他也不再執意。

悟能讓顧淮聲在心中默念了問題後，拿出簽筒抖了幾下，沒兩下，“啪嗒”一聲，就掉出了根簽子在桌上。

顧淮聲此刻竟有些緊張，害怕卻又迫切地想要知道那上面寫的是什麽。

悟能大師拿起簽子，借着微弱的霞光眯眼看了看，而後，他出聲道：“得償所願。”

得償所願……

這簽假的吧。

顧淮聲聽到甚至都有些想要譏諷的笑出聲。

他雖希望自己能求得上上簽，可卻打心眼裏知道，自己已經根本不可能有什麽好結局。

姜淨春避他如蛇蠍，他能償哪門子的願。

他忽然像是想到了什麽，擡眼看向了悟能大師，他輕笑了一聲去問，“大師，強求來的東西也能算得償所願嗎。”

他實在不知道現下還怎麽能去得償所願了，除非......去争去搶。

可這想法也只是在腦海中一閃而過，畢竟，他實在不喜歡做些什麽強求別人的事情。

那是混賬才做的事。

他只是怕她過得不好而已。

他想，僅此而已。

悟能活了大半輩子，什麽人沒見過，可此刻卻也看不懂眼前的男子了。

分明是支不錯的簽子，他怎麽瞧着還不高興了？

然而尚來不及再開口，就見顧淮聲已經起身離開。

他這樣突然離開的舉動甚至算做得上唐突，可悟能看着他的背影，沒有生氣，竟還笑了笑。

罷了，那小聖人的心，他去猜個什麽勁，他猜得明白嗎。

眼看天也黑了，裏頭出來了個小僧童出來喊他去用飯。

悟能看周遭也沒什麽人，剛打算起身，卻見迎面走來一雙少男少女。

小僧童想上前去撤了求簽的牌子先，卻被悟能阻止，來都來了，也不差那會吃飯的功夫。

姜淨春和宋玄安兩人坐下各自求了一簽，可結果好像都不怎麽好，兩人臉色都有些黑。

姜淨春求親人，悟能替她解簽，雖這簽不大好，可他說将來還是能有機會見得所念之人。

而宋玄安便更倒黴了些，竟是下下簽。

回去路上，姜淨春有些好奇他這是求了什麽，宋玄安臉色不大好看，随意道：“沒什麽，只是問了問今年秋闱如何。”

對，宋玄安過些時日就要秋闱了，姜淨春才想起來。

只是，這簽竟說是不怎麽好。

那不是完了嗎……

秋闱三年一回，若這次沒中，豈不是又要再等三年。

姜淨春的眉頭也跟着皺了起來，她說，“這簽也不一定就準嘛……你可別把這事放在心上，這次秋闱一定沒什麽問題的。”

她知道的，宋玄安這人雖然平日裏頭不怎麽正經，可還是有那麽些本事的，若不出意外，怎麽會是下下簽？不可能，肯定是算錯了的。

她怕宋玄安多想，到時候本沒什麽事，反倒因這一簽想東想西，倒鬧了不好。

宋玄安聽了姜淨春的話，卻仍舊是提不起什麽興趣的樣子，敷衍地應着聲。

姜淨春見他仍舊興致不高的樣子，便忽地拉起了宋玄安的衣袖往佛堂方向去，兩人早些時候已經錯峰去用過了晚膳，現下天要黑了，佛堂裏頭的人都去用晚膳，這處便沒什麽人了。

宋玄安不知她是做些什麽，任由她拉着自己。

“去哪這是？”

“方才大師說的話你沒聽進去嗎？不是說喊你來求神拜佛，去去晦氣嘛。不就是求了根破爛簽，拜拜佛祖觀音，會庇佑你的啦。”

姜淨春聲音故作輕快，她也不大想讓宋玄安被這件事情影響了心情，她盡量把這東西說成一個不妨嫌的小事，想要讓他不将這事放在心上。

宋玄安聽着她的話，腦海中也不知是在想些什麽，他沒再說話，任由她拉着自己走。

宋玄安見姜淨春擔心，想開口她別多想。其實方才他問的根本就不是秋闱的事情，可話到了嘴邊，卻又不知該如何開口。

算了......不說了。

她說得不錯，不過就是一個破爛簽子嘛，有什麽好放在心上的呢。

兩人去佛堂之中，跪到了蒲團上。

殿宇巍峨，一派莊嚴肅穆之像，蓮花寶座上是一坐巨大的金身佛，這座金身佛面目慈悲，被香煙緊緊纏繞，看着有那麽幾分不真切。

姜淨春扭過頭去對宋玄安道：“心誠則靈，佛祖會庇佑你的。”

Having said that, she put her hands together and bowed, then kowtowed.

Song Xuan'an didn't really believe in these things, but seeing Jiang Jingchun doing this, he imitated her movements and kowtowed along with her.

Under the Buddha statue, young boys and girls worship devoutly.

The night wind blew through the window, and the prayer flags in the hall fluttered above their heads. They kowtowed three times.

Jiang Jingchun kowtowed three times and greedily made three wishes. One was that Song Xuan'an could pass the autumn examination, the second was that she could have the hope of seeing her relatives, and the third was that her relatives would still want her.

She was even a little scared now. They let the Jiang family take her back home because they didn't want her.

Song Xuan'an kowtowed three times, but made only one greedy wish: he really wanted to marry Jiang Jingchun.

He had figured it out. He had figured it out since the day he said this. He didn't want to marry anyone else. He wanted to marry her for the rest of his life.

The fortune he had just drawn at the door was actually about his marriage with her.

After worshipping the Buddha, that broken stick will no longer count.

The sky and the earth were dark, and the Buddha lowered his eyes and looked down, taking in everyone and everything in his sight. Day after day he was so sad and gentle, but it was unknown whether the compassionate Buddha had listened to his children's words.

The two knelt here for a while, then stood up and left. The men and women were not in the same place. After Jiang Jingchun was sent back to the room by Song Xuan'an, he watched his back gradually disappear from his sight, so he also planned to go back to the house.

But before he had taken a few steps, he heard Jiang Jinghui's voice from behind.

"Sister, where did this come from?"

Hearing the sound, Jiang Jingchun turned around and saw Jiang Jinghui walking out of the room and walking towards her. The bright moonlight shone on her body, making her face look even softer and more beautiful.

Jiang Jingchun saw her coming, and there was no place to hide in this situation, so she walked towards her and obediently called out, "Sister."

She replied to Jiang Jinghui and said truthfully, "I just went to the Buddhist temple with Song Xuan'an to worship."

Jiang Jinghui smiled, "July 10th is a good day. Praying to the Buddha and worshipping the gods is the most effective."

Jiang Jingchun didn't know whether this was true or just a polite remark, so she asked her, "Sister, did you come out to see me for something?"

She looked like she was waiting for her there, so she must have something to say to her.

Jiang Jinghui's smile grew even brighter. "This afternoon, I happened to hear someone talking about an old story in the Buddhist temple. I found it quite interesting, so I wanted to tell my sister about it. Are you interested in coming to my room to listen?"

Jiang Jinghui's smile was clearly very kind, but for some reason, when Jiang Jingchun stared into her eyes, he inexplicably felt a sense of panic and uneasiness.

She didn't know how to answer for a moment. She seemed to have a strong premonition that this might not be a good thing. But in the end, for some reason, she nodded and followed her.

Jiang Jinghui took her to her room, where a candle was already burning. The candle was dim, flickering in the room like a ghost fire.

The two sat opposite each other at the table.

Jiang Jinghui did not remain silent or hesitate, and went straight to the point.

"Today I heard the monks talking about that old story. I thought I'd tell you a story to pass the time. But this story is very sad and pitiful. My sister, please don't be sad and cry after listening to it."

Jiang Jingchun looked at her expression and pursed her lips uneasily.

Jiang Jinghui's face clearly showed concern, but in Jiang Jingchun's eyes, she seemed to be pretending. She looked like she wanted her to cry.

But now that I've come here with her, there's no reason for me to leave.

Jiang Jingchun nodded and said, "Sister, please tell me. I definitely won't cry."