Sweet slice-of-life love story: Wife, Let's love again
Chapter 64: Get this done, and I promise you 13.

Chapter 64: Chapter 64: Get this done, and I promise you 13.

Wrapped up like a silkworm in a cocoon, they dawdled in bed for a long time, and it was past eight when Qin Guanglin and He Fang finally got up to wash. Qin Guanglin emptied everything from his backpack and, carrying the empty bag, prepared to leave.

He Fang turned off the air conditioner, scanned the room to make sure nothing was left behind, and then took Qin Guanglin’s hand to head outside, "Let’s go, breakfast first."

Even though he hadn’t slept well, Qin Guanglin was still full of energy. He Fang pulled him along for a leisurely stroll and they ended up having a big bowl of wontons with three sticks of fried dough for breakfast in a local eatery.

Eat light in the morning, eat full at noon, and eat well at night. That was what he had heard from Qin’s mom since he was a child, though he wasn’t sure if it made sense. Anyway, he wasn’t deliberate about feeling full for breakfast; just a light meal would do.

"Boss, I’d like to ask, do you know where I can buy incense and candles nearby?" After finishing his meal, Qin Guanglin wiped his mouth and inquired with the eatery owner.

The owner, a man in his forties, was very hospitable to the diners. He led them outside and pointed the way: "The closest store is over there. Just go in that direction for about ten or fifteen minutes, and you’ll see it."

"Alright, thank you so much."

Qin Guanglin expressed his gratitude and, following the owner’s guidance, they set off. Their spirits were high and strides brisk – it took them less than ten minutes to reach the shop that the owner had indicated was a fifteen-minute walk away.

He Fang browsed through the shop, and after some consideration, she picked out the best bamboo incense in the store. It had a yellow body with a red handle and was highly durable, unlikely to break. Each tube contained about a hundred sticks, and He Fang picked up three tubes and put them into Qin Guanglin’s backpack.

"Do we need this much?" Qin Guanglin was surprised. Normally, for offering incense, a few sticks would suffice and even if they were to offer several times, one tube would more than enough.

"It’s better to burn more; it’s never too much," He Fang reasoned as she took out her wallet to pay. "We shouldn’t skimp on offering incense."

It’s better to be prepared. It would be embarrassing if they ran out while paying respects.

"Right, we won’t skimp," Qin Guanglin agreed, letting her have her way. After all, it was just incense – if needed, they could burn it by the handful.

The incense store owner loved customers like them, chuckling to himself without interrupting. Only when they had paid and left did he call out a farewell, "Take care!"

Next, they went to a nearby supermarket and bought some snacks like bread and biscuits, filling Qin Guanglin’s backpack to the brim before hailing a taxi at the roadside, heading toward Cuihua Mountain.

The road to the mountain offered a view completely different from that of Luo City. He Fang, full of enthusiasm, looked out the window. After a while, she suddenly shook Qin Guanglin’s arm, "Look, The Thunderclap Monastery!"

"Where?" Curious, Qin Guanglin looked back. The car was moving fast, and by the time he turned around, all he could see was a small shabby house with an unreadable sign hanging above.

Doubtful, he pointed back, "That little mud house?"

"Yeah, I saw the sign," He Fang was also puzzled. How could such a humble mud house dare to call itself The Thunderclap Monastery?

Qin Guanglin glanced back again, but there was nothing to see now. He pondered, "It’s probably self-proclaimed... we’ll have another look on the way back."

The Thunderclap Monastery was legendary as a place of Buddha’s practice. It would surely require a tremendously large temple to bear such a name. That small, shabby house was nothing more than an ordinary mud-brick dwelling, its roof seemingly thatched with straw...

The taxi sped along, conveyed them smoothly to the foot of Cuihua Mountain, beside the road leading up the mountain.

Cuihua Mountain was known as the unique beauty of the Zhongnan range. After their research the previous day, He Fang had decided to make it the target for their first day. Standing before the mountain path, she looked up and then took Qin Guanglin’s hand, marching upward.

Even on the weekend, there were plenty of people around: old people with walking sticks, couples hand in hand, and families with children all meandering up the mountain trail. The two of them, brimming with excitement, held hands and moved as if the wind propelled them, quickly passing many others. They reached the temple square at the mountain gate, where even more people gathered, already queuing at the ticket office.

Qin Guanglin lined up to buy tickets and picked up a map from the stand next to them. He approached He Fang and asked, "Which way first?"

"Let me see." He Fang studied the map, tracing a route with her finger, "This path."

Up the Cloud Ladder, through the Heavenly Pool, and then on to the Cuihua Palace.

"Just what I was thinking." Qin Guanglin grinned.

Two people’s thoughts coincidentally matched, and this kind of thing is always heartwarming.

He Fang looked up with a touch of regret, "It’s a pity we came a bit over a month early. I heard the temple fair is on the first day of June. That’s when it’s really lively."

"The fewer people, the quieter it is—each has its own merits," Qin Guanglin said as he led her toward the entrance. "If you really want to see the temple fair, I’ll accompany you here again."

"You mean that?"

"I mean that."

He Fang pecked him on the cheek, satisfied. "It’s the thought that counts. Next time, we’ll go somewhere else."

It was midday, and the sunlight was intense.

A light breeze swept by, creating ripples in the water of the Heavenly Pool, which spread out wave by wave.

Qin Guanglin followed closely beside He Fang with a sun umbrella, careful not to let his fair-skinned girlfriend get a tan—that would be terrible.

Cuihua Palace was now in sight, with mostly couples around, and only a few small tour groups wearing matching hats and carrying flags, casually strolling around.

Inside Cuihua Palace stood a marble statue of Goddess Cuihua, who was the theme of this place. Even Cuihua Mountain wasn’t originally called that—it used to be Taiyi Mountain. It was renamed Cuihua Mountain because of this lady.

The legend says she eloped with her lover, but her family forcefully betrothed her to a wealthy man. Goddess Cuihua then fled and hid on the mountain, waiting for her lover to find her. Instead, her brother found her first and was about to drag her back home when suddenly, there was a loud noise from the sky and all sorts of omens occurred—the earth shook, springs flowed... and before you knew it, Cuihua turned into an immortal in broad daylight...

Qin Guanglin looked at the story written beside him and was somewhat speechless. What was this? Where was the lover? How did she suddenly become an immortal? It’s ridiculous.

His intrigue dropped significantly, but He Fang wasn’t as affected. After exclaiming "how touching," she pulled him inside.

They walked around the statue of Goddess Cuihua. The incense burning there was quite lively, all offered by couples praying there.

"Let’s also make a prayer," He Fang said as she opened up Qin Guanglin’s backpack, took out a stick of bamboo incense, and handed him a small bundle.

Qin Guanglin, holding the incense, looked up and said, "We don’t have any fire..."

"..."

He Fang paused, having forgotten about that.

"Hey, there’s some over there, how thoughtful," Qin Guanglin glanced around and soon spotted several lighters placed next to the incense burner.

"Professional."

He Fang nodded in approval, picked up a lighter, lit the incense she was holding, shook it a few times to extinguish the flame, then raised it to her forehead, closed her eyes, and mumbled a prayer.

Qin Guanglin leaned in but couldn’t make out what she was saying. After she inserted the incense into the burner, he too followed suit, lighting his own small handful of incense and bringing it to his forehead with closed eyes, muttering.

"May Goddess Cuihua bless me and Teacher He to continue being good together, without fights, pettiness, or conflicts. If things could always be like this... Oh, and also bless us to get married soon, preferably by next year. I’ll come back and burn ten sticks of incense for you... And please bless my upcoming meeting with my father-in-law-to-be, ensure it goes smoothly, oh and..."

After quietly muttering for a while, he sincerely inserted his incense into the burner and joined his hands together, bowing several times.

Turning around, He Fang looked at him curiously. "What did you pray for? It took so long?"

Everyone else finished with just a few words, but this silly guy had just gone on and on.

"How can I tell you?" Qin Guanglin said seriously. "Wishes don’t come true if you say them out loud."

"..."