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墨書 Inktalez
After Mei Shuang came out, she was worried that the little boy might get punished for letting her go. After walking for a while, she couldn't shake off her concern and turned back. She carefully instructed the little boy and told him that if his mother returned early, she would wait for him under the Big Huai Tree not far from the village entrance.
However, if the sun set behind the mountains and he still hadn't arrived, she would leave first. If he was safe, he could carve a horizontal line on the Big Huai Tree, and she would know he had come and would feel at ease.
In fact, when the woman returned, Mei Shuang saw her from afar while hiding in the tree. Just as she was anxiously waiting up there, she suddenly spotted the little boy bouncing down the mountain.
She took a careful look behind him to confirm that no one was following. When the little boy reached under the huai tree and paused for a moment, she finally climbed down from the tree.
The little boy exclaimed in surprise, "Sister, you can climb trees?"
Mei Shuang smiled, "Yes, when I was young, I loved to play just like you do. So what's so surprising about climbing trees? Oh, by the way, did your mother praise you?"
Zheng Yi lifted his little head proudly and said, "My mother wouldn't praise me out loud, but I believe she thinks I'm smart."
Hearing this from Zheng Yi, Mei Shuang finally felt relieved. It seemed that his mother didn't punish him for letting her go, which also indicated that her hostility towards Mei Shuang wasn't as strong as before.
Seeing Mei Shuang lost in thought, Zheng Yi hurriedly asked, "Sister, does your promise still count if I come on time to go to that place with me?"
Mei Shuang came back to her senses and looked at the little boy who was sweating profusely and had an eager expression on his flushed face. She remembered how he bravely climbed down from a high wall to save her and even fell hard but still insisted it didn't hurt just to keep their promise. Overwhelmed with emotion, Mei Shuang's eyes misted over as she took a deep breath to suppress her feelings and nodded repeatedly. "Okay, don't worry. I will definitely go."
The little boy's eyes lit up instantly as he clapped his hands in joy. "That's great! Sister, shall we meet by that big tree after breakfast tomorrow?"
Mei Shuang nodded.
After they high-fived, the little boy bounced home while waving goodbye to Mei Shuang.
Mei Shuang watched him disappear into the valley with a hint of envy. After a long while, she let out a bitter laugh; he was coming after breakfast tomorrow, but where would she stay tonight? Not to mention where she'd find breakfast tomorrow in this remote area without any village or inn nearby.
Mei Shuang walked along the road in a listless manner, glancing back occasionally, fearful that someone might be following her. She was also worried that if the sun set before she reached the bottom of the mountain, she would have to spend the night outdoors.
After tightening her bundle, she quickened her pace. As she approached Mountain Base, the trees along the roadside increased, and with the setting sun, dusk began to creep in. Even the slightest rustle made her tense up.
Suddenly, she heard faint footsteps behind her. Raising her eyebrows, she stopped but did not turn around. After listening carefully for a moment, she moved forward again, only to stop suddenly once more. She repeated this several times and could basically confirm that someone was tailing her.
When she reached a large tree, she pretended to rest against it. Moving to one side of the tree, she crouched down cautiously and looked back. Sure enough, there was someone behind her—a limping man who walked with an unsteady gait. He was short, dressed in coarse cloth, and carrying a burden on his shoulder; he appeared quite simple-minded.
Mei Shuang let out a sigh of relief; no wonder the footsteps were so loud. Otherwise, with her keen hearing, she wouldn’t have noticed at all.
Her earlier actions of stopping and disappearing seemed to have little effect on him; he simply kept his head down and continued walking with his load.
However, Mei Shuang's previously relaxed heart suddenly tightened again. Throughout her journey down the mountain, aside from the winding path, she hadn’t seen any houses. When she had looked back earlier, there had been no one behind her—how had this porter suddenly appeared? Moreover, how had someone with such unsteady legs managed to follow her without her noticing? Her pace was quick enough; how could he seem to be moving faster than her?
It was strange!
A layer of cold sweat broke out on Mei Shuang’s body as she noticed the long shadow cast by the porter swaying left and right in rhythm with his steps against the backdrop of the setting sun. It reassured her that he was indeed human.
Usually, she would have greeted him and walked alongside him for company. However, ever since being schemed against by that woman, she had adopted a distrustful attitude towards anyone appearing in this area. She thought to herself that it would be best if he just walked ahead while she followed behind.
The porter continued forward with his load. Mei Shuang stepped out from behind the tree and inadvertently observed his speed; she was taken aback.
Although his legs were uneven, it did not affect his walking at all—within moments, he had moved several dozen meters ahead. If he had normal legs, he would surely be flying!
Only then did Mei Shuang understand why he had caught up with her so quickly.
As she neared the bottom of the mountain, an impulse drove her to rush forward. “Hey there, brother! I’m just passing through and wanted to ask if there’s anywhere nearby where I could find shelter for the night?”
The Porter stopped, seemingly indifferent to Mei Shuang's words.
Mei Shuang thought her voice was too soft, so she repeated herself, but the other person still looked completely confused. After wiping his sweat, he pointed to his mouth and shook his head.
What the heck!
Mei Shuang felt greatly discouraged; it turned out he was both deaf and mute! He couldn't hear or speak.
She thought for a moment, then clasped her hands together, placed them by her ears, closed her eyes, and pretended to sleep. Afterward, she opened her eyes and asked if he understood.
Fortunately, the deaf-mute wasn't foolish. He raised his hand to point ahead and then pointed to himself, indicating for her to follow him.
Mei Shuang was overjoyed; this gesture was indeed effective. It seemed she wouldn't have to spend the night on the streets after all.
The Porter's speed was astonishing. Mei Shuang found herself alternating between walking and jogging to keep up with him. The Porter showed no concern for her at all, continuing forward without checking if she could keep pace.
After descending the mountain, Mei Shuang was already panting. The path hadn't seemed that long when she came, so why did it feel so much longer on the way back?
Moreover, after going down the mountain, she should have been able to see the big tree where she had arranged to meet that little boy, but there was no sign of it anywhere.
The Porter stopped again, pointed ahead, and gestured right, indicating that they should continue forward and then turn right.
Following his gaze, Mei Shuang could vaguely see a temple hidden among the trees. After looking for a while and turning back, she realized the Porter had already left.
Watching the Porter's retreating figure, Mei Shuang thoughtfully surveyed her surroundings.
After examining the area closely for a moment, she suddenly had a strong intuition that she was lost.
Unknowingly stomping her feet in regret, encountering a person who could not speak, she couldn't even ask for directions. This was definitely not the path she had taken initially, which meant that on her way down the mountain, she had likely taken a wrong turn. However, throughout this journey, everything had seemed straightforward, and she hadn't felt lost at all.
Mei Shuang was sweating profusely. Looking up at the sky, she noticed that more than half of the sunset was already hidden behind the mountains. If she didn't turn towards the temple soon, it would be difficult to walk at all.
She tightened her backpack and hurried towards the temple.
Regretting having spent so much time at that woman's house drinking water, she blamed herself for being too inquisitive about matters related to Eastern Language. Sigh, too many words lead to mistakes.
Fortunately, the place wasn't too far; after turning a corner, she arrived.
It was a solitary temple that seemed to have been abandoned for a long time. The gray walls and gray tiles made the roof appear dull from a distance. A small path worn by footsteps was overgrown with weeds on both sides, making it hard to imagine anyone living here.
Sighing at the gloomy atmosphere of this place, Mei Shuang nearly cried.
The porter had only mentioned needing a place to stay but hadn't informed her it would be such a desolate location. Could anyone actually live here? Moreover, temples were often eerie at night; how could anyone stay here?
Steeling herself as she approached, she pondered how she would spend the night in such a terrifying and desolate place when she noticed that the entrance was surprisingly clean, with traces of sweeping still visible.
Her spirits lifted immediately; this meant there were still signs of life here. It seemed that the porter hadn't deceived her after all.
Checking her appearance, she tidied her clothes and brushed off any grass clippings before gently knocking on the door. "Is anyone there? Sorry to disturb you; I am passing through and would like to find shelter for the night."
After knocking for a while without receiving a response, Mei Shuang found it strange. She knocked again but still got no reply, so she gently pushed open the courtyard gate.
The yard was tidy and free of weeds, with the central door open, revealing a statue of Buddha inside.
She walked in and saw that the large main hall contained only a Buddha statue about her height. In front of the statue, three incense sticks had already burned down significantly, with wisps of smoke rising. There was nothing else in sight.
However, seeing Mei Shuang made her feel quite at ease; at least this place had some presence, and judging by the surroundings, it seemed like someone who valued cleanliness and tidiness lived here.
Curiosity struck her—what kind of person would live in such a place?
Since no one was around, she decided to step outside and take a look around the courtyard. Apart from the central door being open, all the doors to the side rooms were closed. Mei Shuang merely glanced around the courtyard.
The temple appeared to have been uninhabited for quite some time, yet inside it was simple and tidy. She suddenly looked up and noticed that the gray eaves were actually made of glazed tiles; they were nearly indistinguishable unless one looked closely. Moreover, the entire temple's eaves were like this. Glazed tiles were still a luxury in this era, used only by royalty or wealthy families.
But in this desolate place, how could an ordinary temple afford such precious materials?
After circling the temple and observing it closely for a while, Mei Shuang increasingly felt that this temple was unusual. The eaves were made of glazed tiles, and the vermilion pillars in front of the corridor were surprisingly made of rare golden silk nanmu wood, secured at the bottom with octagonal stone beads engraved with lotus flowers.
Typically, temples are constructed using cedar wood, which is treated with tung oil to prevent decay. This choice is practical and aligns with Buddhism's aversion to "flashy but insubstantial" elements. Yet here was a temple that resembled a common dwelling but used such valuable materials—it was indeed astonishing.
While she was contemplating this, she suddenly heard a puzzled voice behind her asking, "Who are you?"
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