Republic of China, 1928: Starting from a Wonton Shop

After breakfast, the three of them got ready, locked the door, and set off towards Baiyun Temple.

On the first day of the Lunar New Year, although most shops were closed, the streets of Beiping were still bustling with people, mostly large families dressed in new clothes, going to temples to pray for blessings.

Candied hawthorn skewers! Huge skewers of candied hawthorn skewers!

"Windmill! The big windmill is spinning!"

The shouts of vendors rose and fell, adding a touch of warmth to the cold winter day.

Li Chunsheng hailed two rickshaws. He rode in one, while Yunniang and Yaya rode in the other. The drivers were both young and strong men who pulled the rickshaws with extra effort.

Baiyun Temple, located outside Xibianmen Gate in Beiping City, is the ancestral temple of the Quanzhen Longmen School.

There's an old saying in Beijing: "The immortals have vanished without a trace, leaving only a stone monkey in the temple." This refers to the Baiyun Temple.

Before the car even reached the entrance of the temple, it was blocked by the surging crowd.

"Let's walk there." Li Chunsheng paid the fare and gave each of the two drivers a small red envelope. The two drivers bowed and thanked him repeatedly.

Shen Xiuyun held Ya Ya's hand, while Li Chunsheng stood guard on one side. The three of them squeezed in with the flow of people.

The air was filled with the smoke of incense and the tolling of bells. Everywhere, devout men and women came to pray for blessings. The area under the tall archway at the main entrance was already packed with people.

"Brother Chunsheng, what are they doing?" Yaya, riding on Li Chunsheng's shoulders, curiously pointed to a group of people in the distance from the mountain gate.

A large crowd was gathered there, queuing up to touch a small stone monkey on the stone archway.

"That's the Stone Monkey," Li Chunsheng explained, supporting Ya Ya's leg. "Legend has it that it was transformed from a deity. Touching it will bring you good health and intelligence for the whole year. Come on, let's go touch it!"

"I want to touch it! I want to touch it!" Ya Ya shouted excitedly.

The stone monkey was actually quite inconspicuous, carved into the relief patterns of the stone archway. Over the years, it had been worn black and shiny from being touched so many times.

"Come here, Ya Ya, pat the monkey's head, and you'll have no worries; pat the monkey's tail, and everything will go smoothly." Li Chunsheng lifted Ya Ya up high.

Ya Ya reached out her little hand and patted the stone monkey several times, muttering, "Bless Mommy with good health, bless Brother Chunsheng with great wealth, bless me with delicious food!"

Those around him were amused by his words.

Yunniang also reached out and reverently touched the stone monkey.

Her hands trembled slightly, her eyes were closed, and she was silently reciting something in her mind: bidding farewell to the past and praying for a peaceful future.

Once inside the mountain gate, the atmosphere was even more lively.

Under Wofeng Bridge, there is a unique attraction at the Baiyun Temple Fair: "Hitting the Money Eye".

Under the bridge arch hangs a huge copper coin model, with a small copper bell hanging in the square hole in the middle. If you can hit the copper bell with a copper coin and make it ring, it will bring good luck for the year.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The crisp sound of clashing coins echoed continuously, and copper coins littered the area under the bridge, where several old Taoist priests were maintaining order.

"Chunsheng, shall we give it a try?" Yunniang looked at the lively scene and was also eager to try.

"Try it! We have to try!"

Li Chunsheng took out a handful of copper coins from his pocket and gave them to Yunniang and Yaya.

"Ya Ya, aim carefully and throw it at that clock!"

Ya Ya took the copper coin and threw it with all her might, but unfortunately she was too weak. The coin drew an arc in the air and landed on the ice under the bridge.

"Oh no! I didn't win!" Ya Ya said, somewhat annoyed.

"It's okay, let's try again!"

This time, he held Ya Ya's hand and aimed at the bronze bell.

"Get out of here!"

"clang!"

A clear and melodious bell rang out.

"I got it! I got it!" Ya Ya clapped her hands excitedly.

Yunniang tried a few times, and although she didn't hit the bell, she hit the edge of the coin, which was a good omen.

Li Chunsheng also casually tossed one, and it struck the bullseye with a clang, drawing cheers from those around him.

After crossing the Wofeng Bridge, the three arrived at the Qiu Zu Temple, a place dedicated to Qiu Chuji, the founder of the Quanzhen School of Taoism, and also the most popular temple for worshippers.

The hall was solemn and dignified, with tall incense sticks burning in the huge incense burner, and wisps of smoke rising straight up.

Li Chunsheng bought three sticks of incense and handed them to Shen Xiuyun and Yaya.

The three knelt on the prayer mats and respectfully kowtowed three times.

Yunniang closed her eyes, clasped her hands together, and her lips moved slightly:

"By the Ancestral Master, I, Shen Xiuyun, have spent half my life wandering and suffering. Fortunately, I met the benefactor Li Chunsheng, who allowed me to see the light of day again. I do not ask for great wealth or honor, but only for peace and prosperity, and for my restaurant to flourish. I also pray that my daughter Shen Nian can study and understand reason, and not repeat my mistakes. I am willing to accumulate virtue throughout my life to repay the grace of Heaven."

Two lines of clear tears slid down her cheeks and dripped onto the prayer mat.

Li Chunsheng was also praying.

As a time traveler, he knew what kind of suffering this land would endure in the next ten years or so, with war imminent and countless lives lost.

After getting up, Yunniang wiped away her tears, feeling as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders, and she felt much lighter.

"Chunsheng, let's go take a look over there. It looks like they're distributing porridge there," Shen Xiuyun said, pointing to a corner of the side hall.

There were several large pots set up there, steaming hot, and a group of ragged people were queuing up, waiting to receive a bowl of millet porridge.

Li Chunsheng looked at those people and sighed inwardly.

"Behind the red gates, meat and wine go to waste, while on the roads, frozen corpses lie." Even on the first day of the Lunar New Year, some people are still worried about filling their stomachs.

Just then, a commotion suddenly broke out in the crowd.

"Get out of the way! All of you, get the hell out of my way!"

Several men in black cotton-padded coats rudely pushed aside the poor people in line and swaggered in. The one in the lead had a long scar on his face and looked fierce.

"They're from the Black Tiger Gang." Li Chunsheng frowned slightly as he looked at the clothing bearing the Black Tiger Gang's insignia.

The scarred-face man squeezed in front of the Taoist priest distributing porridge, grinning as he said, "Taoist priest, it's the New Year, how about giving us brothers a few bowls of blessed porridge to try?"

The old Taoist priest looked troubled: "Layman, this porridge is for the poor. You are all strong and capable, and you have your own skills. Why are you fighting over this food?"

"Oh ho? You old bastard, you're asking for trouble, aren't you?" Scarface's face darkened, and he slammed his hand on the table. "I'm only eating your porridge because I'm doing you a favor! You think I won't smash this pot of yours?"

The poor people around were so frightened that they all retreated, daring not to speak out against their anger.

"stop!"

A furious shout came from behind the crowd.

Everyone turned around and saw a man with a pockmarked face walking over, twirling two iron balls in his hands.

"Ma? Third Master Ma?" Upon seeing the newcomer, the scarred man's arrogance instantly diminished by half, and he quickly greeted him with a fawning smile, "What brings you here?"

Ma San ignored him and walked straight to the porridge bucket. He cupped his hands in greeting to the old Taoist priest and said, "Master, you've been frightened. My subordinates were ignorant."

After saying that, he turned around and stared coldly at the scarred man: "On the first day of the Lunar New Year, running wild in this peaceful place, do you have a death wish? You've completely disgraced the Black Tiger Gang! Get out of here!"

As the right-hand man of the Black Tiger Gang leader, Ma San was highly respected within the gang.