Chapter 467: Winter Solstice Festival (2/2)

Ning Que remembered the two monks he met on the street of Chang'an, in the early morning of spring, as well as Master Daos.h.i.+, who was from the Xuankong temple in the Unknown Place. He could remember his dialogue with the stone Buddha in front of a solitary graveyard in the spiritual world, especially the secret part in the dialogue. His eyebrows twisted and kept silent.

”Don't talk about these boring things. Have some mutton giblets soup first.”

He looked at Ye Hongyu and smiled. He said, ”The mutton giblets must be eaten while they're hot, so that you can enjoy the flavor at its best.”

Ye Hongyu frowned and said, ”Now it's not the Winter Solstice Festival. Why eat mutton giblets soup?”

”Who said that mutton giblets soup has to be eaten only at Winter Solstice Festival? Who said you can't kill when your spear is blunt?”

Ning Que's words seemed to be inexplicable, at least for Ye Hongyu. There were hidden meanings that only Ning Que himself could understand.

After a moment of silence, he said, ”Besides, I may not have time during the Winter Solstice Festival.”

Although Ye Hongyu was forced to leave Peach Mountain, as the Grand Master of the Judicial Department, she still had the intelligence sources in Chang'an city. Therefore, when she heard Ning Que's words. Her eyebrows could not help but twist; her eyes were full of doubts and shock.

The day of Winter Solstice Festival was also Xia Hou's honorable retiring day.

As time went by, the aura of autumn faded.

In Chang'an, a little Taoist temple collapsed and the warmhearted neighbors helped the people from the Taoist temple to rebuild the houses. Then, they knew that there was a new enthusiastic person who liked to wear plain robes. No matter what happened to the neighborhood, they would get help from that person; the man did not seem to know what troublesome was.

At the back of the Academy's mountain, a small yard also collapsed. With the sound of the waterfall as company, that man wore his ancient style hat and sat in the pool. He meditated for many days, n.o.body knows for how long. A fat man sighed and followed Sixth Brother, carrying stone, mud and wood. They were working on repairing the small courtyard.

The successor of the Zhishou Abbey, Ye Su, in the warm and secular world of Chang'an City, walked calmly and silently on the path to sainthood. Mr. Second, Jun Mo, was receiving a wet mist baptism before a deserted waterfall. His face became increasingly indifferent, and his eyebrows became progressively straighter.

General Xia Hou, who returned from the frontier fortress, was constantly accepting the imperial court's rewards. He continued to have feasts at the various royal mansions. No one knew that he was still used to sit in the back garden of his General's Mansion late at night, silently staring at the bare branches and falling snowflakes.

Ning Que kept coming and going to the back of the Academy's mountain and Yanming Lake. He cultivated quietly and sometimes he fought with Ye Hongyu through their consciousness. For most of the time, he just silently stayed at the gradually withering lotus field.

Chang'an City was very silent, so it appeared to be peaceful. People in the city were silent, so they were calm. For most people, this silence and calm would at least continue until the 15th year's winter of the Tianqi era. It seemed that no one could disturb this calmness.

The cold wind and heavy snow brought the winter and drove away the autumn. The day of the Winter Solstice Festival came.

On this day, General Xia Hou would submit his official retirement request to His Majesty in the Palace. His Majesty, the Emperor of the Tang Dynasty would reward him again for his meritorious service, and he would be given the honor of a royal feast. Then all the senior officials and officers would see him off from Chang'an City.

On this day, the little Taoist temple was finally rebuilt. Ye Su seriously combed his Taoist bun and stood behind the skinny Taoist like a secular usher in a countryside wedding. He gave thanks to the neighbors who came to attend the ceremony, before he carried the chickens and ducks given by the neighbors to the back kitchen.

On this day, in the old library at the back of the Academy's mountain, the Third Sister, Yu Lian smiled and said something to Tang Xiaotang who was next to the short table near the east window. The iron house beside the Mirror Lake was full of steam. Seventh Sister embroidered in the mid-lake pavilion. Everything was calm as usual. However, under the waterfall, the high hat which was like a laundry bar could not be seen. Eldest Brother was not at the back of the mountain, but went to Chang'an City as a guest.

The Eldest Brother walked up to the stone steps and looked at Ye Su. He smiled and said, ”Congratulations.”

Ye Su looked at a new Taoist temple behind him and the roofs of the neighbors repaired by him. He revealed a sincere smile and said, ”Thank you, Mr. First.”

The people in the Yanming Lake House had also woken up.

Sangsang waited on Ning Que as he took a bath and changed into a new black Academy uniform. He fastened his hair carefully and put on a flat hat. These made him look more charming than before.

Sangsang also took a bath and then cut her hair short with scissors. She carefully made a small braid and painted her face against the bronze mirror.

”You look very good.”

Ning Que looked at the fresh and cool little girl in the mirror and said with a smile.

Sangsang stood up from the stool and turned to tidy the Academy uniform for him. She took off the thread on his shoulders and said, ”Today is our big day, so no matter what, we should take it seriously.”

Walking out of the bedroom, Ning Que made a snap to call up the dark horse, who had boringly spent the night eating the wintersweet in the corner of the garden. He gently beat the horse's b.u.t.t and said, ”Go back to the Academy on your own.”

The Big Black Horse slightly raised its head and felt confused. However, after all, he was not a human. Even if he had doubts, there was no way for him to express them. He had to run out of the house and go outside the city through the long street.

Ye Hongyu was not the Big Black Horse.

She stood under the tree in the garden gate, looking at Ning Que and Sangsang who wore new clothes. She suddenly pointed her fingers to the sky above the courtyard, and calmly said, ”It will snow heavily today, and you are still going out?”

In the dark sky, dim clouds were floating. The clouds were looming with dense coloring, like mountains; it seemed that it might snow at any time.

Ning Que looked up at sky and said, ”The rain can keep people, but not the snow.”

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