Early in the morning, the bamboo chimes hanging under the eaves of the house rang out. Zhao Qingli opened the door and looked at the sky, then stepped out of the room and began sweeping the courtyard. This was the nineteenth year of living alone in the small temple.
Nineteen years ago, Zhao Qingli left the small temple for the last time, and after returning to Wen City, she realized that she had lost contact with her family. At that time, the situation was beginning to become chaotic, and Zhao Qingli's parents, who were in the north discussing business with her little sister, had already set out to return, but did not wait for anyone on the appointed day. Brother, where the troops around the war, since the war is tight on the confiscated letters, I do not know is too late to write back, or letters halfway lost, or ...... Zhao Qingli do not want to guess.
Zhao Qingli asked people to inquire, finally heard, because encountered decades of snow, a northbound train bad on the way, passengers are all stranded in the nearby county, according to the date of departure of the train projections, it is likely that parents and sister riding that one. Zhao Qingli was worried, but the snow closed the road. When the road finally opened, it was a month later. She asked her friend Mr. Tang to drive her to find the pickup truck, but asked all the stranded passengers, but no one has seen her description of the family of three.
Zhao Qingli returned to Wencheng in a state of confusion. Spring, hibernation, Qingming, grain rain, Zhao Qingli in the day after day waiting more and more panic, and finally in the summer before the arrival, she was completely desperate. She left her parents' house in a daze and looked back at the small, slightly dilapidated two-story building.The small building that had lost its popularity seemed to have aged as well.
Zhao Qingli decided to go to the small temple. Fortunately, she still had the small temple. The small temple was the last peach blossom garden in her heart, where it was quiet and calm, far away from the hustle and bustle, and where there was a little monk named Qing Yin.
On the day of her departure, Mr. Tang drove her. She looked out the window of the car at the hurried passersby, suddenly felt like a bystander, cold-eyed look at the chaos of the world, a solid heart. Suddenly, Mr. Tang said:
"This conscription office is getting more and more excessive, even the monks are not spared.
"Gurus?" Zhao Qingli's heart skipped a beat and she was busy looking at the car window by Mr. Tang's side. A group of soldiers outside the car seemed to be dragging a person, Zhao Qingli glimpsed Nuri for a moment and did not see the bare head.
Mr. Tang's car took Zhao Qingli to the entrance of the small village at the foot of the mountain. Zhao Qingli did not stop and carried the package straight up the mountain. She was wearing flat shoes today, so she was finally able to take big steps forward. She was out of breath, her palms were slightly sweaty, but her heart was free. She imagined Qing Yin's surprised and confused expression when she found out that she wanted to live here permanently, and couldn't help but laugh out loud. It had been too long since she had felt so happy, the beautiful life she had dreamed of was right in front of her, within her grasp.
The sun was setting, the afterglow of the setting sun on the rustic small temple gilded a layer of golden edge, the open space in front of the small temple door spread a thin layer of fallen leaves. Zhao Qingli didn't pay any attention to this and gasped with excitement as she pushed open the temple door. "Qing Yin!"
There was a silence.
Zhao Qingli entered the temple door and looked around the familiar small courtyard before noticing the abnormality. She put down her traveling bag and walked around the front and back of the house. She saw that all the things were neatly placed in their proper places, and she could tell that someone had carefully organized them; she saw the rearranged side room, neatly stacked with brand new bedding; she saw that most of the water was still in the water tank in the courtyard, and it seemed that the person had filled it before leaving.
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However, everything was covered with a light layer of dust, and there were a few withered leaves in the water tank that had soaked through the water and sank to the bottom. Oh yes, there was also a layer of leaves on the ground inside and outside the courtyard. It looked like the ten days Qing Yin had left were not short.
Zhao Qingli's mood was as if she had one foot in the air and was empty. She looked up at the sky and gritted her teeth as she rushed out of the temple door and headed toward the village at the bottom of the hill. She had a bad feeling in her heart, and the scene she had encountered at the city gates replayed itself in her mind.
At the last moment before sunset, Zhao Qingli rushed into the courtyard of Blacksmith Li's house at the entrance of the village.
"Uncle Li, do you know where Qing Yin went?"
"Aiya, Miss Zhao, why are you here, it looks like it's getting dark."
"I just came down from the temple, Qing Yin is not there. Uncle Li, do you know where he went?" "Oh, Qing Yin went to Wen City to look for someone, he's been gone for almost a month, at that time, I gave him a ride to the county town on the way."
"Wencheng? Looking for someone?" "Yes. Hey, you say this world is so chaotic, I do not know if the child will find the person he wants to find."
Zhao Qingli could no longer hear what Li Tiegong was saying, she only felt a sensation of dizziness and lightheadedness.
"Hey, Miss Zhao, are you okay ......" By the time Zhao Qingli came to her senses, she was already sitting paralyzed on a small bamboo chair in the courtyard, and Li Tiegong's daughter-in-law, Aunt Li, was holding her up. "Uncle Li, I'm going to Wencheng, tell me how to get there."
"Miss Zhao, it is so chaotic outside now, how can you go as a girl, this is in case you meet any accidents on the way ......"
"That's right, Miss Zhao, and it's unlikely that Qing Yin will come back in a few days."
At this time, the sun in the sky violently withdrew its last ray of light, and the sky suddenly went dark. Zhao Qingli calmed down, knowing that she couldn't walk back to Wen City on her own.
Blacksmith Li didn't feel comfortable with Zhao Qingli walking the mountain path alone in the dark, so he held a torch to send her back to the small temple. "Miss Zhao, be careful on your own, come to me if you need help."
"Thank you Uncle Li." Zhao Qingli pulled the corners of her mouth stiffly and closed the door.
......
Thirty-six years later, a senile old man came to the small village. The people in his village were asking for directions to the small temple in the middle of the mountain. In the smithy at the head of the village, Aunt Li trembled and pointed up the hill: "It's been decades, I didn't think people would still come to ask about this temple.
The old man leaned on his walking stick and limped up the hill. He saw the temple. The courtyard walls were mottled and the small temple was old. He walked around the back of the temple and looked back and forth into the forest. He saw the graves. But there were two graves. The old man walked forward to distinguish them carefully, but he realized that they were both old graves.The one on the left had fallen to the ground, and the writing was not visible. The right side of a tombstone was still intact, and the old man stretched out a dry, thin, old hand, brushing away the dust and moss on the north side, and vaguely recognized a word Qing.
"Looks like this is it."
The old man took out a small cloth bag from his pocket, opened it with great care, lifted the chain of the golden pocket watch inside, and carefully hung it on the tombstone.
"Brother, I finally have you back." The old man carefully straightened the pocket watch.
A fresh breeze whipped through the mountains, and the tinkling of bamboo chimes came from somewhere far away. A ray of sunlight slanted through the cracks in the branches onto the pocket watch, refracting a golden light. Three clear words were engraved on the cover of the watch: Cheng Mingzhao.