"So much has changed over the years..."
Lan Xu gazed at the renovated gate before her, which appeared much wider and taller than she remembered. The courtyard walls were now made of blue bricks instead of the original bamboo fence, and stone slabs paved the ground in front of the main gate, clean and tidy. She thought to herself that on rainy days, there would no longer be muddy water dirtying one's shoes.
"I've grown old. I wonder if they still remember me..." Lan Xu felt a surge of apprehension as she approached her hometown. She hesitated, standing outside the gate of Fuling Temple, muttering to herself.
"Mom, you're only in your thirties. You're still young!" Jiang Ning said, pulling Lan Xu through the open gate.
Behind the gate was a courtyard with a lush bodhi tree. Directly opposite the entrance stood the main Buddha hall, housing a statue of Buddha. The sound of chanting emanated from within, creating a solemn and dignified atmosphere.
Surrounding the main hall were likely the living quarters of the nuns, with rooms neatly arranged in a circle. One could faintly see vegetable plots behind the buildings.
Everything looked different from the dilapidated Fuling Temple in Lan Xu's memory. She stood rooted to the spot, overwhelmed by a sense of bewilderment.
"Amitabha~"
Suddenly, an elderly voice came from behind. The mother and daughter turned to see an old nun in gray robes standing not far away. She stood with her hands clasped together in greeting, her expression calm and serene. A broom as tall as half her height leaned against her, indicating she had been sweeping when she noticed the two visitors.
"Master Pu Xuan!" Lan Xu choked up at the sight of her, then rushed over without regard for Jiang Ning, falling to her knees before Pu Xuan. "Disciple Ming Zhen pays respects to Master!"
"Ming Zhen?" Pu Xuan was astonished. She quickly helped Lan Xu up and examined her closely, finally recognizing her face. "It really is Ming Zhen!"
"Master, it's me, it's me..." Lan Xu nodded tearfully, then called out to Jiang Ning, "Ling'er, come here quickly!"
Jiang Ning obeyed, approaching the two. Lan Xu pushed her in front of Pu Xuan, saying, "Master, this is Ling'er. Do you remember? The Ling'er you delivered with your own hands."
"Ling'er?" Pu Xuan looked at Jiang Ning standing before her, tears glistening in her eyes that were as calm as ancient wells. "Little Ling'er has grown into a young lady! How wonderful, how wonderful... You and your mother have been reunited, how wonderful, how wonderful..."
Jiang Ning didn't know how to address the elderly woman before her and could only stand there with a sweet, obedient smile on her face.
"Ming Zhen, come, let's go to the meditation room. We have so much to catch up on, and there are many others who have been thinking of you and your daughter..." Pu Xuan said, leaning her broom against the wall. She then took Lan Xu's hand in one of hers and Jiang Ning's in the other, leading them towards the back of the main hall.
The two quickly moved to support Pu Xuan. Along the way, they encountered several young nuns who, upon seeing the three walking together, neither questioned nor stared, but simply greeted Pu Xuan with a "Master Pu Xuan" and clasped hands before going on their way.
"After you left, Prime Minister Nangong's father sent people to renovate our Fuling Temple, saying it was to thank us for taking care of his granddaughter..."
Both Jiang Ning and Lan Xu were surprised by this revelation.
Jiang Ning, in particular, was amazed that her grandfather, whom she had never met, had done such a thing for her and her mother.
Pu Xuan continued, patting Lan Xu's hand, "Over these past ten years or more, Fuling Temple has seen many new faces. We now have nearly forty people here, much more than when you were here."
Lan Xu smiled, reminiscing about the past with deep nostalgia in her eyes. "When I first came, there were only thirteen people here. Are they all still doing well?"
Pu Xuan's expression stiffened slightly, her eyes flickering. "Birth, old age, sickness, and death - life is impermanent. Of that group of nuns, including myself, only seven remain."
Lan Xu's smile faded, her expression becoming dazed.
The meditation room was behind the main hall. Pu Xuan called out to a passing nun, "Ming Xin, go and ask Pu Jing, Pu Kong, Pu Hui, Hong Min, Hong Zhi, and Ming Chen to come to the meditation room."
After Ming Xin left, Pu Xuan looked at Lan Xu and said consolingly, "Ming Zhen, you know, before you came, Ming Chen was the youngest at over thirty. For us old bones, after seventeen years, to still have half of us alive is already a blessing from Buddha."
Lan Xu nodded with reddened eyes, listening as Pu Xuan continued, "We personally saw those who passed on to their final rest. You needn't be sad."
"Yes, Master. Your disciple understands," Lan Xu replied.
Soon, those whom Ming Xin had gone to call arrived one by one at the meditation room.
Several of them recognized Lan Xu at a glance, and when they learned that Jiang Ning was the little girl from back then, they all crowded around, calling her "Little Ling'er" one after another.
"Amitabha, our Little Ling'er has returned! Buddha be praised, Buddha be praised!"
"Little Ling'er and Little Ming Zhen, mother and daughter reunited..."
"Little Ling'er has grown up and become so beautiful, how wonderful!"
...
Jiang Ning found herself surrounded by the elderly nuns, her hands being held in turn, with one or two even reaching out to touch her face. Each of them looked at her with the same undisguised love as Lan Xu, their eyes and words full of affection for her.
Enveloped in such intense love, Jiang Ning felt her eyes sting for the first time in her life. She had originally only intended to accompany Lan Xu here, unaware that this place held such deep ties to her.
Lan Xu couldn't control her tears, crying uncontrollably.
In a sense, Fuling Temple was no different from home to her. These people were family to both her and Jiang Ning.
"Little Ming Zhen, why are you crying? This is such a joyous day!"
Pu Hui, the eldest at eighty years old, still saw Lan Xu and Jiang Ning as children.
"I'm... I'm just too happy..." Lan Xu sobbed, answering brokenly, "I'm just... just so happy to see you all... I thought I'd never see you again in this lifetime..."
"Ah~ Silly child," Pu Hui tapped Lan Xu's head lightly, then opened her arms and embraced her. "Didn't Buddha say? Cause and effect come full circle, life is death, and death is life. All phenomena arise from causes and conditions, all phenomena cease due to causes and conditions..."
As the old woman's words, filled with Buddhist wisdom, sounded in her ears, Lan Xu's heart gradually calmed, and her tears finally stopped.
By now it was nearly noon, and Pu Xuan suggested that the two stay for a meal at the temple. Jiang Ning and Lan Xu naturally agreed.
All the nuns knew of the mother and daughter's past ordeals. Now that they had returned to Fuling Temple together, regardless of the reason or how long they would stay, none of that mattered to these elderly women.
So when, after lunch, Jiang Ning prepared to leave while Lan Xu chose to stay, no one expressed curiosity or tried to make her stay. They simply called out, "Little Ling'er, be careful on your way down the mountain."
To have met once was already a great fortune.
Jiang Ning descended the mountain step by step, unsure of her own feelings.
In this place, almost cut off from the world, there were so many people who loved her and wished her well. She didn't know how to respond to such genuine affection.