Changping Village, the backyard of Yang Huazhong's family.
"Qing'er, you say... I must have been asleep, right? When I slept until midnight last night, I suddenly heard someone knocking on the door in the front yard."
"I listened attentively, and the sound disappeared again. I stayed half asleep and half awake for the rest of the night. When it was almost dawn, I heard someone knocking on the courtyard door again, and it seemed that Xiao An was shouting: Mom, I'm back. Open the door!"
"I sat up in an instant and said, 'Come on, come on.' Your dad was woken up by me and asked me who I was talking to. I said Xiao An was back and was knocking on the door!"
"Your dad quickly went to the front yard. He came back after a while and said there was nothing wrong. It was just a dream."
"Qing'er, I really wasn't dreaming. The sound of banging on the door is so similar to the sound he makes when he comes back from outside. He always takes pictures like that."
"And when he called me to open the door, I really heard him!"
In turn, Mrs. Sun held Yang Ruoqing's hand tightly and used strength as she spoke. By the end of the sentence, her eyes were red, and Yang Ruoqing's wrist was also red.
She did not pull her wrist out of Sun's hand, but squatted in front of her, raised her head and persuaded softly: "Mom, you have been thinking about it day and night, and you are hearing hallucinations."
"Hearing hallucinations is normal. It usually happens when we miss someone too much. I've had it too. Don't be afraid, don't panic!"
"Is it an auditory hallucination? Does it mean it's fake?" Sun murmured.
Yang Ruoqing felt helpless. It must be a fake. If it were true, then Xiao An would be back!
"Qing'er, is this... a bad omen? That's Juxian Town. Xiao An and the others have to go home from there..."
Tears rolled down Sun's eyes, her eyes full of worry and helplessness.
Yang Ruoqing took out the handkerchief and wiped her tears. No wonder the kitchen knife was curled. It turned out that her mother had been worried that this was a bad omen.
Because she believed in that thing. Not only did she believe it, but all the villagers in the ten miles and eight villages believed it. This was their belief.
Although Yang Ruoqing has no faith in this matter, she believes that there must be a set of natural laws operating in the universe that govern the birth and death of all things in the world. No one can escape the control of natural laws.
Unless, you can jump out of this dimension.
"Mom, little Anfu will have good fortune. That's what the fortune tellers who passed by our village said when he was little. They said he would live to be over ninety years old. Don't scare yourself!"
The roles were reversed, Yang Ruoqing squatted in front of the crying Sun, coaxing her like an adult coddling a child.
The fortune teller's prediction finally made Sun feel better.
At this time, she finally discovered the curled kitchen knife, and she felt distressed and annoyed at herself.
"Look at me, what have I done? I'm such a loser..."
"Mom, it's okay. It's just a kitchen knife. I'll take it back later and ask my blacksmith uncle to help me beat it a few times."
"Hey, we can only trouble him," said Sun.
Yang Ruoqing went into the kitchen, took out a new kitchen knife, and squatted there to chop pigweed.
"I don't want you to chop it, just let me do it."
Sun wanted to come over and snatch it away, but Yang Ruoqing got out of the way.
"Mom, please sit down and rest for a while. I will chop it up in a moment. If you are idle and bored, just talk to me."
Mrs. Sun had no choice but to sit back again. The two of them talked and talked and finally turned the topic back to Xiao An.
"Qing'er, I have an idea. I want to go to the Taoist temple in the morning to make a wish to Xiao An and the others."
"Okay, I'll just go with my mother after breakfast. It happens to be a double day."
In the Taoist temple.
Yang Ruoqing originally wanted to go to Daoist Yuan quietly to say hello, so that Sun could hear some optimistic words later.
As a result, I was informed that Taoist priest Yuan was invited to attend a consecration ceremony at a Taoist temple in a neighboring county and had not yet returned. His apprentice Xiao Mo had also gone with him. Yang Huaming and Zhao Damao were taking care of the daily affairs in the Taoist temple these days.
Yang Ruoqing asked Zhao Damao to accompany Sun to buy incense and candles and burn them together later.
He winked at Yang Huaming, and the uncle and nephew came to the bottom of the wishing tree in tacit agreement.
"Qing'er, today is not a special day. Why did you come to the Taoist temple?"
"I came here with my mother, and I have to ask my fourth uncle for something later."
"Whatever it is, you just say it."
Yang Ruoqing then told Yang Huaming about the collapse of the Juxian Town mountain, Xiao An's only way, and Sun's auditory hallucinations last night.
After hearing this, Yang Huaming was stunned for a moment, and then said: "Those are all nonsense. Your mother must have been hallucinating because she thought too much."
Yang Ruoqing said: "I feel the same way, but my mother has been in a state of disbelief these days, especially after hearing the hallucination last night."
Yang Huaming patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, I'll come and have a word with her later to make sure she feels at ease."
The uncle and nephew agreed, and over there, Mrs. Sun also came over selling incense and candles.
Yang Ruoqing quickly turned around and went to greet Sun.
"Mom, have you bought the incense candles?"
"Well, Da Mao helped me pick it out. He didn't charge me any money. I said it's okay. You can get whatever you deserve."
Yang Ruoqing raised her eyes and smiled gratefully at Zhao Damao, who scratched his head honestly.
"My aunt insisted on giving the money, saying it was out of reverence for the gods, so I had no choice but to put the money in the merit box." He explained.
The Taoist temple was built with money from other people's girls. Every brick and every statue in it, including their wages, was all built with money from other people's girls.
My mother came over to burn incense, but she still had to pay for the incense candles.
Yang Ruoqing said: "Brother Zhao, just follow my mother. As she said, this Taoist temple is full of good men and women, and it is pious to pay for it yourself."
Yang Huaming also came over and said to Mrs. Sun, "Third sister-in-law, come to this copper stove to burn incense."
Mrs. Sun nodded, took the incense candle and followed Yang Huaming to the copper stove. Yang Ruoqing accompanied her. Before leaving, she said to Zhao Damao: "Then let's burn incense. Brother Zhao, go ahead and do your work." "
In front of the copper stove, Mrs. Sun lit the incense candle according to Yang Huaming's instructions and inserted it into the copper stove. She took a few steps back, clasped her hands together in front of her chest, lowered her eyes and recited her wish silently in her heart.
Yang Huaming held a copper rod in his hand and fiddled with it gently in the stove from time to time.
After a while, Yang Huaming, who was playing with the ashes, suddenly paused and his expression changed slightly.
Mrs. Sun still lowered her eyes and made a wish to the gods in her heart. She didn't notice the change in Yang Huaming's face, but Yang Ruoqing saw it.
Fortunately, Yang Huaming's expression soon returned to calm and he continued to fiddle with the ashes.
When Mrs. Sun opened her eyes, the incense candle was almost burning.
Yang Huaming's voice was filled with excitement and he said to Mrs. Sun, "Sister-in-law third, what was your wish just now?"
Sun was stunned for a moment and looked at Yang Huaming in confusion.
Yang Huaming pointed to the incense in the copper stove and said to her: "Look at the shape of the incense, does it look like a big peach?"
