Extra 8: Protect My Love
On the morning of the 14th day of the first lunar month, the group met at a homestay in Xining.
They have their own rules for traveling together. They go together and come back together, but they can do whatever they want during the trip. They can play together or form their own teams. So after everyone had a reunion dinner, everyone went their separate ways.
The elders spontaneously formed a team. Because of Qiao Lifu and Luo Weijun's frustrating photography skills, Qu Bai also thoughtfully found a photographer to help Yang Shujun and Ling Nan take pictures throughout the whole process.
Heizi brought Chu Yonggen and his wife. Chu Yonggen wanted to watch the folk performance, and Aunt Chu wanted to go to the temple to pray for the safety of the children. They originally wanted to go with Yang Shujun and the others, but Aunt Chu was a bit introverted and was afraid of causing trouble for everyone. Heizi was afraid that they would be embarrassed, so he suggested that they go alone.
Ge Jingyi and Scorpion brought Scorpion's grandmother with them. Grandma's legs and feet were not in good condition and she had a slight altitude sickness. They were afraid of being crowded whether they were watching the community fire or going to the Buddha Sunbathing Festival in Ta'er Temple. Scorpion booked a teahouse with a good location so that they could watch the community fire from there. When there were fewer people, they also took grandma to the temple to pray for safety.
Lin Guo was a little averse to the feeling of being in a crowd, but he was very interested in the Tibetan Buddhist culture here. Qu Bai said that he knew a master in Ta'er Monastery and could take him in for a visit. Before Lin Cuo could speak, Lin Guo nodded happily.
Gui Lai didn't want to disturb Lin Cuo and Jiang Yiguo's world of two, so he asked Shi Tianyi who was also alone to go watch the folk performance happily.
Luo Xun and Chi Xia originally wanted to be with Qu Bai, but Qu Bai refused without even thinking: "Are you two a couple or are the three of us a couple? I am having fun with your brother, can you stop clinging to me at such an age? I have my own things to do and I want to be alone."
Chi Xia didn't ask what happened, but just pretended to be sad: "You despise me?"
Qu Bai laughed, pushed the two out of the room, and warned Luo Xun: "Watch her carefully, she can be terrible if she gets crazy."
Luo Xun deeply agreed with this, and held Chi Xia's hand, with their fingers interlocked: "Don't worry, she's in my hands, she won't get lost."
After Chi Xia and Luo Xun left, Ade, who had been deliberately avoiding Qu Bai, slowly walked out, walked slowly to Qu Bai, lowered his head and called out, "Sir."
Qu Bai looked at him, sighed softly, and said helplessly: "Raise your head."
Ade looked up at him, his eyes somewhat guilty. Qu Bai sighed again, and stepped forward to help him straighten his clothes. When he got to the collar, Ade bent his legs and leveled his eyes with Qu Bai.
He asked Qu Bai: "You knew this a long time ago?"
Qu Bai hummed and patted his shoulder: "Go, find your roots. In this life, people must always know where they come from and where they are going, and the same goes for you."
There was some stubbornness in Ade's eyes: "But they really didn't want me at the beginning."
Even though his subsequent situation was definitely not what his parents, who did not want him, wanted , all the suffering he endured came from the fact that his parents did not want such a seemingly unintelligent son to become a blood-sucking worm on their bodies.
They wanted to survive, which was not wrong, but they abandoned their own flesh and blood. Ade knew that no matter what the reason, it was wrong.
But time flies, and when he found out that Qu Bai had already found their whereabouts, he still wanted to see how they were doing now, whether they were alive or dead, good or bad, and whether giving up on him would really make their lives better.
He hadn't dared to think about how he would feel if they lived well or not.
"Can you come back tomorrow morning?" Qu Bai asked him again, "Accompany me to the Buddha Sunning Festival."
"able."
Ade said: "No matter what, I will come back and accompany you to the Buddha Sunning Festival."
Ade knew very well what Ta'er Monastery meant to Qu Bai, so no matter what happened, he would come back to be with his husband, his savior.
"That's good."
Qu Bai took a half step back: "Go ahead, the sooner you go, the sooner you will come back."
…
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the Lantern Festival, Xining is particularly lively.
Those who came from Qincheng had a lot of fun. When they came back, they pulled Shi Tianyi up and down, and they were in great admiration for this folk culture.
Shi Tianyi was so tired that he almost cried and said to him, "Brother, Gui Zong, I beg you, please let me go. If you continue like this, I will lose my faith and I will be short of oxygen."
Gui Lai sighed, patted his shoulder lovingly, and shouted in the midst of the din, "There's a lack of oxygen here! But! There's never a lack of faith!"
Lin Cuo and Jiang Yi were not far from them. They heard the sound through the gongs and drums. Lin Cuo stood on tiptoe and shouted in Jiang Yi's ear: "Did you hear that? It's that idiot Gui Lai!"
Jiang Yi was about to reply to her when he heard the returning big fool shouting, "Old One! Look, that kid is asleep. Hahahaha, look, that kid is asleep up there!"
Shi Tianyi yelled at the top of his lungs: "My name is not Lao Yi!"
When he came back, he shouted again: "Then I can't call you God!"
Shi Tianyi almost yelled: "Calling me Old Shi is against the law, right?"
Jiang Yi couldn't help laughing and didn't reply to Lin Cuo. The two looked at each other with helplessness in their eyes, and held hands tacitly and walked away from this place.
Chi Xia and Luo Xun followed the crowd of the community fire. Chi Xia couldn't help running forward. This kind of folk activity made her very excited. Her cheeks were flushed and her palms were warm. Luo Xun looked at her profile and felt that the surroundings had become quiet. There was only Chi Xia in his eyes.
The two followed the crowd for a long time, until many people around them had dispersed. Luo Xun stopped and asked Chi Xia, "Officer Chi, do you feel happy?"
Chi Xia put the back of her hand against her face, her voice trembling a little because of happiness: "Of course I'm happy, Luo Xun, I am the happiest person in the world now."
"What do you wish for?" Luo Xun asked her, "Don't tell me. I'll know once you think of it. I'll pray for you in front of the Buddha."
They are staunch atheists, but Luo Xun thought that if there really were gods and Buddhas in this world, then she would beg them to make her lover's wish come true.
Chi Xia smiled at him, leaned over and lowered his voice: "Then I hope there are fewer prisoners in the world?"
Luo Xun smiled: "Gods and Buddhas have no control over these things. This is our mission."
Chi Xia curled her lips: "What does the Buddha care about?"
Luo Xun just smiled and didn't tell her.
He looked at the receding community fire and the spire of the distant temple, and said in his heart: "Oh, God and Buddha, if you really exist in this world, I only hope that you can protect the people in front of me, and bring peace and happiness every year."
Seeing that he didn't say anything, Chi Xia snorted and followed his gaze towards the temple in the distance.
She thought to herself: God who exists in the universe, please protect the person I love beside me, and let him live a clear and bright life and die peacefully.
…
The fifteenth day of the first lunar month is the Buddha Sunbathing Festival at Ta’er Monastery.
Ade rushed back very early, and like Qu Bai, he changed into the monk's robe sent by the master of the temple, and followed Qu Bai quietly.
Qu Bai didn't ask what happened specifically, and he didn't tell Qu Bai what he saw, as if it was a tacit understanding that had been established for a long time.
But he knew everything. Even if no one told him the truth, he knew it was Qu Bai who did it.
He knew it was Qu Bai, and knew that he should have found out the whereabouts of his biological parents and the place where he was born a long time ago.
He knew it was Qu Bai. He knew that he saw his parents abandon him, had a normal child, but still did not live a good life.
He knew it was Qu Bai, and he knew that he was aware of the unspeakable kindness in the deepest part of his heart. He gave them a decent life, gave him the confidence to hate two people, and gave him a sense of dignity.
He suddenly felt relieved.
What is the meaning of persistence? He has actually got the answer.
He watched them from afar and realized clearly that he was not a burden or a disaster. He was no different from ordinary people. He was even better and he deserved better. So he met Qu Bai, Chi Xia and his friends.
He had suffered, but things were smooth sailing after that.
When the huge Buddha statue was carried out and spread out under the scorching sun, Qu Bai and Ade stood at the front of the crowd, with the prayer wheel in Qu Bai's hand turning slowly.
He looked devoutly at the Buddha's eyes in the sunlight, and remembered that many years ago, he had also come here secretly.
He escaped from Old K's surveillance and came here, following the people who were praying willingly, barefoot, with his hands stretched out and slowly raised to the top of his head, pausing at the top of his head, between his eyebrows, his throat and his heart, silently repeating his wish over and over again.
As he begged again and again, he spread his hands forward with his palms facing up, and knelt forward willingly.
Then he crouched, stood up, and crawled again.
He walked towards the Bodhi tree in the center of the temple over and over again, but still did not dare to think about days like today.
When Qu Bai laughed silently, an unfamiliar laughter sounded beside him.
He turned his head and saw Song Yanci, who was also wearing a monk's robe.
Song Yanci smiled, his tone somewhat teasing: "Boss Qu, no wonder you looked familiar to me the first time I saw you. It turns out that our fate was planted a long time ago."
Qu Bai searched his memory and vaguely recalled the people who had made the pilgrimage with him back then. They had walked the entire pilgrimage in silence, as strangers, but had moved forward together tacitly, walking the same path towards the same Buddha.
As far as I can remember, he was handsome. He should have had the strongest back, but he bent his spine towards Buddha.
It turned out to be him.
Qu Bai smiled and said, "Officer Song, you should be a staunch atheist and shouldn't believe this."
“I don’t believe it.”
Song Yanci's eyes were firm, but he laughed at himself: "But sometimes, when one is desperate, one will try any possible means, even a turtle. If someone says it can fulfill my wish, I will probably kneel down before him."
Qu Bai paused and asked him, "For whom?"
Song Yanci's eyes were gentle: "My love."
