Chapter 44: On the Mountain
"Then let's not do it."
The girl looked up and out the window, then gave up on treatment...
Outside the window was a dense flock of sheep. An uncle in short-sleeved shirt was herding the sheep, trying to make way for the car.
But the size of the flock is still a bit too large for this county-level road.
Suddenly, Linzhou was a little confused.
"Xiao Xi, why is your family so rich? Your father and mother have to live in the suburbs. We are already on the edge of the city."
"Because Dad doesn't take care of anything now, he lives here and can find a few old men to go fishing with him." Jiang Xiyue explained to Linzhou calmly. After all, Sakurai Kei had asked this question before.
Even after I explained it, Xiaohui still didn't understand.
After hearing about fishing, Linzhou suddenly realized that there were no rivers in the urban area, and people usually have some strange hobbies when they reach middle age.
With this much money, all you have to do for business operations is make major decisions.
The rest of the time is for self-satisfaction.
No wonder my uncle drives an off-road vehicle, and it’s a diesel one…
After thinking it through, Lin Zhou replied to Jiang Xiyue, "Okay, it's normal for middle-aged people to have some hobbies."
"But he was fishing in the Tamsui River, and brought back small yellow croakers..." Jiang Xiyue's voice sounded somewhat helpless, and saying "small yellow croakers" was just giving face to her father.
They said the longfish was caught from the river, which doesn't make sense no matter how you think about it.
…
More than half of the sheep had passed by, so Linzhou simply unbuckled his seat belt, stared into Jiang Xiyue's eyes, and spoke earnestly.
"Xiao Xi, promise me that next time even if uncle brings back the hairtail, you won't laugh, okay?"
"Okay." Although she felt a little confused, Jiang Xiyue still nodded slightly.
Don’t laugh if you don’t want to. Your mom will laugh anyway.
After all the sheep had passed, Linzhou fastened his seat belt again and set off.
After following the winding mountain road to the top of the mountain, the two arrived at the end of their trip. The Taoist temple was not big, covering an area of only about 300 square meters. When they stepped in, they could see an extra-large incense burner.
But there is no fragrance on it...
The two of them walked side by side, and no one came out from beginning to end. However, Jiang Xiyue was very skilled. She walked to a house next to the incense burner and came out holding a few incense sticks that were almost as tall as her.
"Sister, you are no longer superstitious..."
"No, I just like the big ones. Zhou Zhou, go and help me. They are so heavy..." Jiang Xiyue stuffed the three big incense sticks into Linzhou's hands, "I have something to do. You go ahead and I'll be back soon."
Judging from the direction he left, it should be the backyard, probably going to the bathroom.
Holding three incense sticks, Linzhou placed the incense tips on the fire in the incense burner and waited patiently for them to ignite...
This kind of incense is very thick and it takes a long time to light it.
But it’s great that this is a Taoist temple and not a Buddhist temple.
Linzhou is not very interested in monks, especially in today's advanced Internet age, the scandals among them are almost as frequent as those of big stars.
What's more, all the talk about the afterlife is just to control people's minds...
Buddhism in prosperous times, Taoism in troubled times, this is by no means aimless.
The incense was quickly lit. Linzhou picked it up, carefully inserted it into the incense burner, and began to observe the surrounding buildings.
The main hall, which faces south and sits north, is hundreds of years old. Judging from the mortise and tenon structure and traces on it, that beam is the oldest thing in this Taoist temple.
"Sir, do you have anything to ask of me?" A steady voice came from behind, interrupting Linzhou's observation.
Subconsciously turning around, Linzhou saw an old Taoist priest with a kind face.
"There's nothing to ask for. You can't give me what I ask for."
Hearing Linzhou's words, the old Taoist priest smiled, reached out and took an orange from under the Three Pure Ones statue and threw it to Linzhou, "Young layman, you are quite open-minded. I really can't give you anything. Don't you bow to me when you see me?"
"It is better to rely on yourself than on others. Besides... worshiping a clay statue is really boring ..."
"But your girlfriend believes it." The Taoist priest stood there with a smile, pointing at Jiang Xiyue who walked in from the back door.
Hearing this , Linzhou knew that this Taoist priest had not been in contact with young people for a long time.
Nowadays, young girls usually treat this kind of thing as entertainment, such as fortune-telling, horoscopes, tarot cards...
This time I came here to ask for the amulet, probably just on a whim.
After Jiang Xiyue ran to his side, Linzhou answered the old Taoist priest, "Believe it if you want, it's not a conflict."
…
The girl did not interrupt the conversation between the two, but took out a jade plaque with green and purple from her bag and placed it on the altar.
"I'll leave the Taoist priest to you. I'll take him out for a walk."
After saying that, Jiang Xiyue pulled Linzhou out of the hall and headed towards the backyard.
After passing the main hall, Linzhou saw a vegetable field. Although it was already October, there were still some vegetables.
All that was left was the courtyard wall and a few ordinary houses, with takeout and clothes hanging out to dry. It looked like the Taoist priest lived here at night.
He brought Linzhou to the courtyard wall, and the two of them looked down the mountain together.
"Zhou Zhou, do you know what I'm thinking about today ?"
"Tell me about it."
"I was thinking, what if your driving skills are rubbish and I die? We haven't even held hands yet!"
…
Hearing this, Linzhou was silent for a moment, his eyes looking at the fields below the mountain, and his tone rose several tones.
"You should hope for the best. Besides, I'm pretty good at it. I can even drive around in a crappy pickup truck... Besides, what's the feeling of holding hands? Why not just try holding your left hand with your right hand?"
The girl didn't say anything. She responded to Linzhou with a deep breath, then moved closer and tried to interlock her hands with his.
"Huh? What's the matter..."
When Linzhou was confused, the little hand responded with even more force.
Looking at the scenery at the foot of the mountain, Linzhou also understood and cooperated by holding the other's hand.
Jiang Xiyue was satisfied now, and her tone became very gentle and soft, "Stupid, how can you try it out with your left hand and right hand? But now I know what it feels like."
"What does it feel like?" Linzhou asked subconsciously.
However, the girl turned her head away, looked at the sparrows on the treetops, and pinched Linzhou's hand hard.
"Even if you and I have a good relationship, I would still be shy if you asked me this kind of question!"
………
Linzhou was shocked at the time. He turned his head and stared at the girl's face for many seconds, then blurted out.
"Really? Yeah, I am indeed shy."
Jiang Xiyue was very happy when she found that Linzhou was getting nervous, but she didn't show it on her face and her voice remained soft.
"Well, I am a little shy, but it feels better than I thought..."
