At the center of the hall stood a Buddha statue cast in gold, its expression compassionate, its eyes lowered slightly, as if gazing upon the countless living beings of the mortal world.
The abbot, well past sixty, sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion. He wore a loose kasaya, his eyes gently closed, a string of prayer beads rolling between his fingers. With kind brows and benevolent features, he looked every bit like an enlightened monk.
He opened his eyes. Clear yet filled with wisdom, they settled calmly on Shang Yuze. His voice was even. “You’ve come.”
He gestured for Shang Yuze to sit and speak.
Shang Yuze knelt on a cushion, facing the abbot. The cold indifference usually in his eyes was tinged with a hint of tension. “Abbot, will diverting disaster cause harm to the one who bears it?”
In the past, he would never have believed in such an absurd notion, nor in gods or Buddhas.
But when it concerned Gu Qingyue, he had no choice but to be cautious.
The abbot rolled the prayer beads, his expression utterly unchanged. “Her eight characters are excellent. Ordinary people lack the fortune to bear them. What is stolen must eventually be returned.”
If the Gu family had treated Gu Qingyue well, they might barely have been able to make up for the stolen fortune. But they brought this upon themselves. No matter how miserable their future became, it would be of their own making.
Hearing this, the taut string in Shang Yuze’s heart finally loosened a little.
The abbot glanced at him and spoke slowly. “Fine things in this world are never enduring. Colorful clouds scatter easily, and glazed glass is fragile.”
Shang Yuze’s heart was instantly hoisted up again, the string that had just relaxed, tightening once more.
With a compassionate expression, the abbot sighed regretfully. “Her eight characters are too strong, yet her fate is too thin. Her fate cannot suppress her eight characters, so they in turn clash with it. She is destined to drift through life, without family to rely on.”
Shang Yuze’s pupils shrank sharply. An unprecedented panic enveloped him, and even his voice turned urgent. “Abbot, is there a way to resolve this?”
“Not all wishes in this world can be fulfilled,” the abbot said. “Sincerity is the only path.”He took out two bracelets woven with red cords from his sleeve and handed them to Shang Yuze.
Shang Yuze lowered his head slightly and accepted them with both hands. “These are?”The abbot spoke ambiguously. “Red threads bind marital fate. When destinies are linked, misfortune turns into blessing.”
Shang Yuze understood at once and thanked him sincerely. “Thank you, Abbot.”Before leaving, he lit three sticks of incense before the Buddha statue and kowtowed three times with utmost reverence.
“Men on the left, women on the right. Don’t wear them the wrong way,” the abbot called out to stop him. “When her fate returns to its rightful course, remember to bring her here.”
“Alright,” Shang Yuze replied.Today was Friday. Gu Qingyue only had one class in the afternoon, so after class she returned early to Yujing Manor.
At the moment, she was sitting on the sofa watching television, eating the snacks Shang Yuze had bought for her. Her cheeks puffed in and out as she chewed, looking adorably cute.
Cangyun came running in from outside, his tail wagging briskly. He first rubbed his head against Gu Qingyue’s leg.
Gu Qingyue patted his head. “What’s wrong?”Cangyun tugged at her clothes with his teeth, trying to pull her up.Seeing how eager he looked, Gu Qingyue guessed, “You want me to play with you?”
Cangyun panted happily, his tongue hanging out.
Gu Qingyue stood up and followed him outside.Yujing Manor was absurdly large. She had not lived there long and was busy with school every day, leaving her no time to explore. She only remembered the route from the main gate to the main villa.
As the surroundings grew more and more unfamiliar, she could not help asking, “Where are you taking me?”
Cangyun wagged his tail, as if saying that following him was the right choice.
Gu Qingyue looked around and rubbed her temples with a headache. “I can’t find my way back. Can you?”
She was a bit directionally challenged. More importantly, she could not tell east from west. She had not memorized the route when they came, so getting lost was inevitable.
Getting lost in her own home. She thought she was probably the first.She wondered whether navigation would even work here.“Woof, woof,” Cangyun barked twice.
Yes, yes.He had lived here for three years. He knew every nook and cranny by heart.Knowing that he could find the way back, Gu Qingyue felt reassured and continued following him.
Perhaps they were close to their destination, because Cangyun suddenly started running excitedly.
Gu Qingyue reacted and hurried after him. “Slow down.”Now Cangyun was her only hope of getting back. If she lost him, she really would not be able to return.
Two legs were indeed no match for four. By the time she found Cangyun, the big dog was already lying lazily on the ground with his eyes closed, looking as though he had been there for quite a while.
Gu Qingyue panted heavily. “Cangyun, why are you running so fast?”Cangyun jumped up and ran circles around a pomegranate tree.
After Gu Qingyue caught her breath, she finally noticed the tree and looked up.
The late-autumn dusk was brilliant and dazzling. A golden hue, like a veil of gauze, draped over the lush pomegranate tree. Heavy fruits bent the branches low, and the crystal-clear red pomegranates, set against the twilight, looked like an oil painting soaked in the passage of time.
Gu Qingyue stared greedily at the plump red pomegranates, saliva gathering in her mouth.
The tree was not very tall, only about three meters. With so many pomegranates, picking just one to taste should not be noticed, right?Cangyun nudged her with his head.
Gu Qingyue bent down to pat his head and said seriously, “You’re the one who wants to eat it, not me. I’m picking it for you. If someone finds out, it’s all on you.”
Cangyun: “……”
In truth, he simply thought the tree full of red pomegranates was beautiful and wanted to bring Mom over to see it. How did Mom get the idea that he wanted to eat them?
This blame was too heavy.He could not carry it.Gu Qingyue searched within her reach for the biggest, plumpest pomegranate.
Once she had chosen one, she stretched out her arm to pick it, only to realize that she had overestimated her height. No matter how hard she tried, standing on tiptoe and reaching with all her might, she was still just a little short.
Sigh,A poor start.Just as she was about to give up, an arm reached over her head and plucked the red pomegranate down.
“That” Seeing the pomegranate in hand, Gu Qingyue was delighted and turned around to thank the person behind her.
Shang Yuze was standing right behind her, the two of them very close.
As she turned, she crashed straight into him. Since she had been standing on tiptoe and was already unsteady, the collision made her lose balance and fall backward.
Just as she was about to hit the tree behind her, Shang Yuze raised his hand in time, wrapping his arm around her slender, soft waist and pulling her back.
After she steadied herself, his large hand still rested on her waist.
Gu Qingyue’s attention was entirely on the big pomegranate in Shang Yuze’s hand, and she failed to notice someone’s subtle, calculating intentions.
But she had picked a pomegranate without Shang Yuze’s permission. Would he be unhappy?
She lowered her head, looking like a child who had done something wrong.
Shang Yuze keenly sensed the change in her. A trace of tenderness gathered in his dark eyes. What kind of life had this little girl lived in the Gu family? How was it that even picking a pomegranate in her own home made her so cautious and uneasy?