The next day, Li Ran didn't go out, but nested in the Ear House tearoom, reading a few new books that had just been delivered by the bookstore.

Xie Pei invited her to live in Zhuangzi for a few days, saying that she only invited Wang Ji and the two sisters Yang Yi and Yang Yu of the Lu State Mansion.

Li Ran didn't go, not because there were many suspects or anything else, but because Mrs. Shen's words that day were so obvious that she didn't want to have more dealings with the Xie family.

In the afternoon, Li Ran seemed to be asleep while reading a book, closed the book, and was hesitating whether to sleep for a while, when Zhou E came in.

Li Ran hurriedly sat down and looked straight at Zhou E.

"It's Shi Nan, ask if you are not in the mansion, if you are free, please go to Xiaoyan Temple, yes, it is General Xie's meaning."

Zhou E walked to the door of the ear house, her tone was a little stiff, and she didn't seem very happy.

Li Ran immediately put down the book and got up to stay.

"Let's change your clothes." Mama Fu greeted the door of the ear house and said.

"Huh?" Li Ran looked down at the apricot red skirt on her body, what was inappropriate?

"It's a temple, after all." Mama Fu explained vaguely, "I asked Xiaoyun to come in, and the girl waited for her to comb her hair again, and her sideburns were a little hairy." ”

Mama Fu said, without waiting for Li Ran to answer, she had already raised her voice to call Xiaoyun in, and she hurried out to pick up clothes in the wing.

Mama Fu went out and came back quickly, Xiaoyun just spread out and combed through Li Ran's hair, turned her head to look at the duck egg green skirt that Mama Fu brought over, the crab shell green long gown, and combed a simple double bun very neatly.

Mama Fu had already picked out two strings of pearls, handed them to Xiaoyun, and decorated them on her bun.

Li Ran quickly changed her clothes, came out with Zhou E, got into the car, and went straight to Xiaoyan Temple.

Xiaoyan Temple, as usual, is quiet and lonely.

When she saw the yellow wall of Xiaoyan Temple, Zhou E looked back at Li Ran, "Walk over?" ”

Li Ran was stunned, looked at Zhou E, and nodded.

Zhou E has never expressed any opinion on her itinerary, and now, if she wants to go over, there must be a reason for her to go over.

Li Ran got out of the car, and Zhou E walked along the wall of Xiaoyan Temple to the temple gate.

The coachman drove the car straight to the temple gate first, looking for a place to wait.

"This Xiaoyan Temple, twelve or thirteen years ago, is still a dilapidation, said that the ruins are raised, almost a ruin, only the Daxiong Hall is still intact, that is, not much leakage, and the Tibetan scripture building next to it, at least it has not fallen.

There are only two old monks, with three or four little novices, who are here to live a hungry and full life.

The two old monks later said that Buddhism is profound, that they are successful in cultivation, and that they are not moved by the world or anything, hey. ”

Zhou E laughed with disdain.

Li Ran glanced at her, Zhou E had no good impression of the monks and Buddhas, and she didn't even enter the mountain gate of the Great Xiangguo Temple, her voice was obviously with a sarcastic smile, Li Ran listened indifferently.

Later, General Xie came here and asked the two old monks to do a ritual and give silver, but in three or five years, this Xiaoyan Temple was rebuilt.

Halfway through the construction, the incense of this filial piety temple is very prosperous.

This prosperity, according to their statement, is half because this Xiaoyan Temple is also a great temple that has gone through hundreds of years, and everyone is watching it, and it is being built day by day, and the Dharma is immortal, what is it. Second, you look at this Xiaoyan Temple, how beautiful it is, it is lively and good-looking, there are many idlers in this capital, and where it is lively to run to the men and women.

The other half is because General Xie often comes.

However, General Xie is so quiet. ”

Zhou E's words paused, and she was silent for a while before she continued:

"Not lively for a few months, this filial piety temple on the temple door closed, said that the monks in the temple need to be quiet and clean, a month, just a few days, the temple door is ajar, allow people to go in incense.

It's been a little ten years, it's always been like this, this Xiaoyan Temple can't give money, don't accept the law, just a few days a month, the temple door is ajar, it's not necessarily a few days.

This temple, just like that, neatly and magnificently idle, full of monks in the temple, are all closed doors, quietly chanting and cultivating.

In the future, I am afraid that it will continue like this, in the hands of the emperor, and even more so in the hands of the prince. ”

Li Ran looked at Zhou E, Zhou E met her gaze, squinted at her, and stopped talking.

"Are you reminding me, don't be like this filial piety temple?" Li Ran raised her hand and patted the wall of Xiaoyan Temple.

Zhou E didn't speak.

"If the money for building this Xiaoyan Temple was taken out by General Xie, then this Xiaoyan Temple is regarded as private property by General Xie, then there is nothing wrong with it, right?

This temple does not accept Shi Yin now, and even the temple door is not opened, what do the monks of this temple do for a living? Is it relying on General Xie's offerings?

If it was all dependent on General Xie's offerings, would there be anything wrong with it now? ”

"It's not General Xie, it's the emperor, General Xie often comes here, General Xie doesn't like to be lively, the emperor sealed this temple, and the silver is not all General Xie's, the prince gave a lot, the mother also gave a lot, and the princess, the princess's mother also gave two big Zhuangzi to the temple.

General Xie didn't want this Xiaoyan Temple! ”

In the last sentence, Zhou E bit very hard word by word, obliquely tilting Li Ran, how can you be so stupid with a face.

"If General Xie had harvested this Xiaoyan Temple into his Xie family temple, he wouldn't have to talk so much nonsense with you, but he didn't ask for it, he didn't ask for it!

Why don't you want to think about how old General Xie is this year? Thirty ......"

"Twenty-eight!" Li Ran immediately corrected.

"What's the difference with thirty? He is a person who is cold and cold, and has a human taste, but he is just a little bit of a star, and he is pitiful.

A few days ago, I thought you would be able to become a family temple, but since you came back to the present, there is no wind outside, no one knows where you have been, no, you are not in the capital for a few days, no one knows.

Do you know what that means?

Just like this Xiaoyan Temple, General Xie often comes, but he doesn't receive any intention from his hands.

But the emperor, what about the crown prince? They can seal this Xiaoyan Temple, what about you? Can you get married?

If General Xie doesn't marry for a day, you can't marry for a day, and one day the sun comes out of the west, and General Xie marries someone, unless he marries you, otherwise, I see, you still can't marry someone.

So what do you do? ”

"Then don't get married, I didn't plan to marry in the first place." Li Ran looked at Zhou E in a happy tone.

Zhou E took a sharp breath, "Okay! Okay, okay, I'm nosy, and I know I'm nosy again.

It's not that I'm nosy, I'm a person who has long been ruthless and unrighteous, I don't care about anyone's business, I'm ...... Because Momono! ”

Li Ran stood still, looked at Zhou E, for a moment, reached out and stroked her arm, smiled, and said in a low voice: "I know, you said this, I didn't expect it, and I didn't think about it." However, I don't care, if I can never marry for the rest of my life, like you, like Momono, it will be a great blessing.

If only ......"

Li Ran paused and lowered her eyes, "Now like this, it's already good." Thank you. ”

Zhou E put her hands behind her back for a long time, and let out a long sigh.

The temple door of Xiaoyan Temple is hidden, when Li Ran is ten steps away from the temple gate, the temple door is pushed open from the inside, Shi Nan stands out, stands with his hands down, and waits for Li Ran and Zhou E to enter the temple gate one after another, and is busy following up.

Behind Shi Nan, the two little novices closed the temple door.

Shi Nan walked a few steps in front of Li Ran, passed through the Heavenly King Palace, and stopped moving forward, only pointing to the Daxiong Treasure Hall and signaling Li Ran to enter by himself.

Zhou E and Shi Nan stopped together, one after the other, and turned to the side room.

Li Ran went straight forward.

The sound of chanting faintly heard outside the temple came from the Daxiong Treasure Hall.

Li Ran crossed the threshold, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he adapted to the candlelight from the bright sun to the main hall, and saw Xie Ze sitting cross-legged on the side of the Buddha statue, and behind him, and on the opposite side of the blank space, twenty or thirty monks were sitting cross-legged, concentrating on reciting Buddhist scriptures.

A small novice quickly sent a futon to Xie Ze's side, and Li Ran went over and sat down next to Xie Ze.

Xie Ze didn't seem to notice Li Ran's arrival, he only raised his head slightly, looking at the Buddha who was looking down at the world with compassion in his eyes, and his expression was sad.

The chanting voice is low and melodious, revealing an indescribable feeling, full of suffering, but full of gentleness, as if the face of an old woman who is extremely old and weathered, rough as the bark of a tree, but her eyes are as clear as a girl.

Li Ran gradually sank into the sound of chanting, as if sinking into warm and peaceful water.

"Let's go." Xie Ze stood up, bent down and patted Li Ran, who was still in a daze.

Li Ran sighed and hurriedly stood up.

The ritual was over, and outside, the setting sun had set below the horizon, leaving only a few brilliant sunsets.

Li Ran followed Xie Ze out of Xiaoyan Temple, through the ruins of the Daqing Palace, and arrived at the door of the small restaurant facing the lake.

Xie Ze didn't enter the yard, Shi Nan took a few small servants and moved tables and chairs out, Xie Ze instructed Shi Nan to ask for a bowl of noodles and two side dishes for Li Ran, but he only drank wine.

Li Ran put it down after eating half a bowl of noodles, took a cup, and put it in front of Xie Ze.

Xie Ze poured the wine into Li Ran's cup, and Shi Nan stepped forward and took away the dishes, chopsticks and side dishes.

After drinking a pot of wine, and drinking another pot, Xie Ze felt a little drunk, raised his head and drank a glass of wine, and sighed lowly: "Today is Arun's death day, this is it." ”

Li Ran's hand holding the wine glass froze.

Arun's death day. Xie Run, his only younger brother.

"That day was like this, such a waning moon."

Xie Ze gulped down his wine.

Li Ran moved his chair, almost next to Xie Ze, took the wine jug from Xie Ze's hand, poured wine for Xie Ze, and poured it for himself.

"At this time of year, I have to think carefully about how many things I did wrong that day, and if those things were not wrong, would Ah Run not have to ......?"

Xie Ze's throat choked for a while before he slowly breathed through his breath.

"Do you think more and more?" Li Ran sighed lowly.

"I shouldn't have said that: Arun is going to fall. If he hadn't said it, maybe he would have taken us with him. ”

Xie Ze's voice was extremely low.

Li Ran listened intently, was he his father Xie Ling?

"I shouldn't let go of my hand, if I don't let go, Arun won't cry, and they won't find out about us."

Xie Ze said word by word, his tone was slow and heavy, and Li Ran's heart was like a boulder slowly pressing down, so that she was a little breathless.

"I shouldn't have fainted, I shouldn't have woken up, I shouldn't have woken up, I shouldn't have rolled out, I shouldn't have abandoned Arun and left."

"When you fled, did Arun wake up?" Li Ran asked in a low voice.

"Arun is in the pot." For a long time, Xie Ze said in a low voice.

Li Ran only felt that the hairs on her back stood up, and she subconsciously asked, "Where?" ”

"In the pot, Arun's head, next to me, he opened his eyes and looked at me, I failed him." Xie Ze spit out every word with extreme difficulty.

"He was ...... You're not awake yet. ”

"Well, Ah Run is timid, he is most afraid of pain, when he goes on the road alone, he must look at me and call my brother, but I can't respond to him, on the Huangquan Road, he is also alone, he is timid, afraid of the dark, I should go to accompany him, I am scared ......"

Xie Ze's lips trembled, and he couldn't go on with the rest of his words.

"Is it Huang Ningbu?" Li Ran put down the cup and reached out to press it on Xie Ze's slightly trembling arm.

"Hmm." After a while, Xie Ze replied in a low voice.

"We are all ordinary people, we can't make ourselves perfect, Arun is so scared, you will cry, you are very scared, you will escape, we are human beings. If God were God, he would not have made such a mistake, would not be weak, would not be afraid, and would not have remorse. ”

Li Ran's voice was low, she was silent for a moment, sighed lowly, and continued:

"I just prayed that I would die before you. I'm not afraid of death, but I'm afraid of being alone, I wasn't afraid before, but now, I'm afraid. I don't know how you are, I don't miss you, I only think about myself. ”

Xie Ze raised his hand and patted Li Ran's head, and for a moment, he sighed deeply.

Xie Ze stopped talking, Li Ran stopped talking, and the two of them drank another pot of wine, Xie Ze stood up slowly, stretched out his hand and pulled Li Ran up, "I'll send you back, go down that alley?" ”

"Okay." Li Ran didn't let go of Xie Ze's hand.

Xie Ze's footsteps staggered a little, and when he walked into the alley, Xie Ze paused in his footsteps and looked at Li Ran, "Ah Run likes to listen to me sing a song the most." Once, when I took him out to play, I heard it, and they didn't let me sing it, but Arun likes to listen to it the most, and I'll sing it to you? ”

"Good!" Li Ran looked up at Xie Ze.

"Jiangnan can pick lotus, lotus leaves He Tiantian, fish play between lotus leaves.

Fish play lotus leaf east, fish play lotus leaf west, fish play lotus leaf south, fish play lotus leaf north. ”

Xie Ze's voice was clear and magnetic, and it was very pleasant.

After listening to him sing, Li Ran slapped his face hard, "It's so good, this word, I've learned it, how good it is, why don't they let you sing it?" How good does it sound, is it because it sounds good? Because it's so good? ”

"I don't know, she is too particular and disgusting, phew!

Do you think it sounds good? Then I'll sing it to you again. ”

Xie Ze's voice was higher this time, and his singing was even better, Li Ran staggered, reached out and grabbed Xie Ze's sleeve, and couldn't stop laughing.

In the quiet alley, Xie Ze's singing was mixed with Li Ran's laughter, flying in the darkness.

(End of chapter)