This humble Taoist priest wants to take the college entrance exam.

Chapter 156 Prayer
"Shi'an, come in and sit down. Is this the bicycle you bought? You rode all that way back?"

"Yes, it's inconvenient to bring it up the mountain. I was thinking of leaving it in Grandpa Wang's yard first, and then riding it back down the mountain in a couple of days."

"It's nothing! Shi'an, find a place for yourself. There's a lot of dew at night, and if you leave it in the yard, it might rust and damage your car. Just put it inside."

Chen Shi'an pushed his bicycle into Grandpa Wang's courtyard. The villagers in the small mountain village had received a lot of care from the masters and disciples of Jingchen Temple on the mountain, so this little favor was really nothing to mention.

Grandpa Wang's two big yellow dogs were old friends with Chen Shi'an. When they saw him come back, they wagged their tails and came up to him, sniffing him.

Chen Shi'an reached out and rubbed the dog's head, then looked up at Grandpa Wang's house.

"Sister Xiuzhen gave birth?" Chen Shi'an asked with a smile.

"Shi'an, how did you figure that out?" Grandpa Wang exclaimed in surprise.

"It's not that I count, I just heard the baby crying."

"Heh, this kid is really troublesome!"

"A boy?"

"Correct!"

"Congratulations, Uncle Wang."

"Sigh! There's going to be a lot of trouble coming up!"

The Xiuzhen Sister that Chen Shi'an mentioned is Grandpa Wang's granddaughter-in-law. Most of the young people in the small mountain village who are capable of working have gone to work in the cities outside, including Grandpa Wang's son, daughter-in-law, and grandson. They have all gone to work in other places, leaving only the old man and woman and the granddaughter-in-law who just gave birth at home.

"Didn't Brother Yuan and the others come back for the holiday?"

"No, there's no such thing as fake work on construction sites. They probably won't have time to come back until the New Year. When Xiuzhen gave birth in the middle of the month, Ayuan did come back for two days, but he had to rush back again."

"Well, then I'll have to trouble Grandpa Wang and Grandma Wang to take care of the people on weekdays."

“We’re not having a hard time here. If we can still manage, we’ll help out as much as we can.”

Hearing the voices outside, Luo Xiuzhen came out of the house carrying the baby in swaddling clothes.

"Is that Shi'an? Weren't you studying out of town? How come you have time to come back?"

"Sister Xiuzhen."

Chen Shi'an greeted her with a smile, "I just happened to have a few days off, so I came back to the mountains to visit. Congratulations, Sister Xiuzhen!"

Luo Xiuzhen smiled sheepishly, but the baby in her arms started crying again. She couldn't even talk to Chen Shi'an anymore, so she just patted the baby gently to soothe him.

Although she was already married, Luo Xiuzhen was actually younger than Li Wanyin, only twenty-one years old this year, and she had married into the family from the next village.

Chen Shi'an was quite curious about what Wan Yin would think when she met her younger sister, who was already a mother.

Grandpa Wang, standing to the side, scratched his head somewhat awkwardly, then, after thinking for a moment, mustered his courage and said to Chen Shi'an:

“Shi’an, I haven’t wanted to bother you by calling while you’ve been away from the mountains these past few days. Now that you’re back, I’m going to shamelessly ask you to pray for this child. I don’t ask for any great wealth or status, I just wish for him to be safe and sound. In this area, I know that the only people you two, Shi’an and Master Chen, are truly capable…”

"It's nothing, no trouble at all."

Chen Shi'an smiled and readily agreed.

Grandpa Wang was relieved and nodded repeatedly.

"Okay, okay, thank you for your trouble, Shi'an. Please see if there's anything we need to prepare, and I'll go and prepare it right away."

“I carry all the necessary tools with me. Uncle Wang, just help me find some mugwort, a bowl to hold some water, a red silk cloth, and an octagonal table in the courtyard… You should have an incense burner and incense sticks, right?”

"There are some!"

Having received Chen Shi'an's instructions, Grandpa Wang hurriedly went to make preparations.

Luo Xiuzhen, who was standing to the side, also held the baby and bowed slightly to Chen Shi'an to express her gratitude.

"Thank you, Shi'an..."

"Sister Xiuzhen, you're too kind. May I take a look at this child?"

"of course can!"

The chubby baby in the swaddling clothes was still crying and fussing, making Luo Xiuzhen feel a little embarrassed.

Chen Shi'an didn't mind and reached out to take the boy from her arms.

Strangely enough, the little boy, who was making a huge fuss and would cry no matter who held him, started sniffling and gradually calmed down when he was in Chen Shi'an's arms.

A pair of small hands clenched into tiny fists, and clear, big eyes, still glistening with tears, blinked as they curiously examined the little Taoist priest in front of them.

"Wow! She's stopped crying! Shi'an, you really know how to soothe a baby!" Luo Xiuzhen exclaimed in surprise.

This was the first time Chen Shi'an had ever held a baby in swaddling clothes. He was a little nervous. It felt like the beginning of life, and the baby's features showed traces of its parents. This feeling of life continuing was quite magical to Chen Shi'an.

Chen Shi'an couldn't resist making a little face to amuse the child, and the little guy started laughing and gesturing wildly.

"His eyes and mouth look exactly like Sister Xiuzhen's, but his ears and nose are somewhat like Brother Ayuan's," Chen Shi'an commented with a smile.

"haha, yes."

"What time were you born?"

"September 12th, 7:20 AM, the lunar calendar date is..."

As a mother, Luo Xiuzhen remembers these exact times more clearly than she does her own birth date and time.

"Have you chosen a name?"

"Yes, his name is Wang Haobo." "Haobo, not a bad name."

Chen Shi'an smiled and then looked down at the child, saying, "Your mother asked me to pray for you today, wishing you peace and safety year after year, that you may know good and evil, right and wrong, that righteousness reside in your heart, and that knowledge enrich your body. If you encounter storms, may you remember the peace and tranquility of this courtyard today, and remember that someone prayed for your safety and protected your path."

The baby in the swaddling clothes was completely bewildered.

Luo Xiuzhen, standing to the side, understood what Chen Shi'an meant. Hearing his heartfelt blessing, the mother was deeply moved.

"Come here, let Sister Xiuzhen hold you tight."

"Yes, thank you, Shi'an!"

"It's just a little effort."

On the other side, the things that Grandpa Wang had just been asked to prepare have also been prepared.

Chen Shi'an set up the eight-immortal table, first washed his hands and burned incense, then lowered his eyes and recited scriptures.

His voice was deep and soothing, like a clear mountain spring.

Grandpa Wang, Grandma Wang, and Luo Xiuzhen, who was holding a baby, stood quietly to the side.

When the incense had burned down to half an inch, Chen Shi'an took out a brush and drew a talisman.

As the brush tip moved across the paper, the lines of vermilion ink seemed to shimmer with a subtle light.

After drawing the talisman, he folded it into a triangle, wrapped it in red silk, and placed it in the baby's swaddling clothes.

He then rinsed the mugwort in the bowl three times with clean water. Next, Chen Shi'an bent down, dipped his fingertip in a little water, and gently touched the doll's forehead with it, continuing to chant scriptures.

After Luo Xiuzhen lit incense as Chen Shi'an requested, the simple blessing ceremony came to an end.

The significance of the blessing ceremony cannot be simply summarized as 'useful' or 'useless'. After all, Chen Shi'an is not a god, the peach wood sword cannot draw a substantial barrier, and the chanting of scriptures cannot change the laws of nature.

But when he cleansed his hands and burned incense, the swirling smoke concealed the most devout reverence for life; when he gently touched the doll's brow with his fingertip, that touch of clear water was not only a mark of peace, but also Sister Xiuzhen's concern and expectations.

When facing an unknown future, every action and every verse of scripture recited by Chen Shi'an embodies the belief in peace and blessings, giving them more certainty amidst their confusion. This emotional comfort is itself an irreplaceable and useful quality.

Of course, the talisman drawn by Chen Shi'an was different from those drawn by other Taoists. After all, it used magic power and had a certain protective effect. Moreover, he also used the supernatural power of conveying meaning through objects to carry the emotions within it.

Just as he had just said to the child—'If you encounter wind and rain, remember this peaceful scene in the courtyard today, remember that someone prayed for your safety and protected you on your path.'

Nothing could be a greater source of strength for his growth and help him overcome difficulties than the purest and most sincere love from his mother.

……

"Shi'an, thank you so much for today!"

Grandpa Wang was a kind and simple man. He kept saying thank you while stuffing a red envelope into Chen Shi'an's pocket.

"What are you doing, Uncle Wang!"

"Yes, Shi'an, you keep it, keep it..."

Helpless, Chen Shi'an repeatedly blocked and declined his offer.

"Uncle Wang, you're too kind. We're all from the same village, it was just a small favor. Besides, I'm counting on you to watch my car. This is no good, Uncle Wang, please keep it."

"Oh dear... Shi'an, you're just like your master! What are our little things compared to your kindness...!"

"If you really feel bad about it, then that's perfect. It's almost lunchtime, so I'll shamelessly ask you for lunch at your house, okay?"

“There’s no reason why I can’t! I’ll go prepare the meal right away! Shi’an, take this, take this…”

"Uncle Wang, if you keep stuffing things into my pocket, I'm just turning around and pushing my cart away!"

"..."

Helpless, Grandpa Wang had no choice but to take back the red envelope. He went inside to get the smoked cured meat that he only ate during the New Year, caught a chicken in the chicken coop, and found some rare wild mushrooms that he had dug up from the mountains. He then prepared lunch for Chen Shi'an in the highest standard of hospitality among the mountain people.

The dining table was simple, with four people at it, but there were six large bowls of food on the table.

A bowl of bamboo shoots stewed with cured pork, a pot of mushroom stewed with chicken, a bowl of soybeans braised with river fish, a bowl of ginger and vinegar braised pig's trotters, a bowl of wild mountain vegetables...

The cured pork is two parts fat and two parts lean, with three layers of fat and five layers of fat. When you pick it up and look at it through the light, the fat part is transparent and golden. This is a local pig slaughtered before the New Year, which was smoked with pine branches for half a month. The dried bamboo shoots are winter bamboo shoots dug from the mountain last year. After peeling off the outer shell, only the tender white bamboo shoot heart is left. They are cut into rolling pieces and put into a ceramic pot with the cured pork. They are simmered on a wood-fired stove for an hour. When the lid is lifted, the aroma of meat mixed with the aroma of bamboo shoots can fill half of the yard.

The stream fish in that bowl was caught by Grandpa Wang in a cage in the mountain stream this morning. The palm-sized stream fish didn't need to be scaled; you just needed to use scissors to remove the internal organs, fry them in hot oil until fragrant, and then stew them with soybeans. They had no fishy taste at all, and the bones were so soft that you could eat them directly. They even had a faint sweet aftertaste. This kind of freshness can only be produced by the living water in the mountains, and it's hard to find at ordinary banquets.

As for the chicken stew with mushrooms, needless to say, the chicken was just running around in front of me. It was freshly killed and stewed, simmered over low heat until the meat was falling off the bone, and the chicken soup was a light golden color. Skimming off the surface oil and taking a sip, it was so delicious that it made your eyes squint...

The square table wasn't large, but it was filled with several large, rough-earth bowls of food.

The elderly couple kept adding food to the large bowl from the pot, and as soon as it was less than half an inch, they immediately filled it to the brim again.

They kept saying, "Eat more, it's all homegrown and home-raised, nothing fancy," but the table full of fresh mountain delicacies was already the highest level of hospitality that the mountain people could offer their guests.

After eating away from home for a month, Chen Shi'an and Fei Mao'er enjoyed the familiar ingredients and flavors back in the mountains with great relish.

When he was done and leaving, Grandpa Wang gave him a bag of new rice, two pieces of cured meat, half a chicken, and a large bag of vegetables he had grown himself.

"Shi'an, take some up the mountain to eat!"

"..."

Can't refuse.

Let's deposit it into the account.

(End of this chapter)