As Ren Mo walked ahead, Ren Yu took the cotton socks from his down jacket pocket, their threads cut and clips removed, and handed them towards Liu Chen.
Liu Chen looked at the pair of white cotton socks in Ren Yu’s hand, then at Ren Yu’s black overcoat that day, beneath which a gray sweater hugged his chest tightly.
“Thank you.”
After a quiet thank you, Liu Chen took the socks and slipped his feet out of his snow boots. Just as he was about to bend down to put on the socks, Ren Yu knelt on one knee ahead of him and took a bandage from his black coat pocket.
Ren Yu calmly applied the bandage to Liu Chen’s small, slightly curled toes, which had become rosy from shyness and the cold.
When Ren Yu’s hand touched Liu Chen’s toes, Liu Chen felt a sudden burning sensation, as if they had been coated with chili peppers.
After Ren Yu finished applying the bandage, Liu Chen quickly bent down, put on the socks, and then tucked his feet back into his snow boots.
Both of them moved swiftly. As the adults ahead were taking the mineral water from Ren Mo and drinking it, they didn’t notice this scene.
Only the supermarket owner across the street, who had come out from behind the counter in frustration and was now standing outside pretending to sunbathe, witnessed the entire event.
“Tsk tsk, young couples these days, so many tricks when dating. They might not even be a couple. They look like they came to burn incense with family. What if they’re siblings?”
As soon as the owner finished speaking, she saw the handsome young man pull out the strawberry lollipop she had just given him from another pocket and offer it to the little girl opposite him.
“Alright, looks like they are indeed a couple. Young people dating are so superficial; they fall for looks!”
Liu Chen, blushing from being looked at, finally reached the entrance of Xinxiang Temple after queuing for an hour under the rare winter sun. The old monk distributing incense sticks looked at her red face and specifically advised,
“Little benefactor, if you feel warm, you can take a stroll in the temple’s woods after offering incense; it’s cooler there.”
Liu Chen could only quickly agree and thank the master.
Entering the temple, Liu Chen’s somewhat restless heart immediately calmed down. Although she wasn’t someone who liked burning incense and praying in her previous life, after being reborn this time, she felt a sense of reverence towards temples.
Following her mother, Liu Chen paid respects at the Hall of Heavenly Kings and the Hall of Guanyin before arriving outside the Great Hall of Heroes.
Perhaps because it was New Year, the incense burner outside the Great Hall of Heroes that day was almost completely filled with incense sticks. Nearby, a monk from Xinxiang Temple stood with a water hose, constantly vigilant against any fire incidents.
Liu Chen looked at the densely packed incense burner, holding three lit incense sticks in her hand, and stood outside the burner, unsure of where to begin. She felt as if trying to insert her incense would burn her hand with the surrounding burning incense.
Just as Liu Chen hesitated, she saw an old man wearing a yellow cotton vest and white knit gloves approach.
Upon closer inspection, the cotton vest had the characters 'Volunteer' written on the back.
“Make way, make way!”
He dispersed the people who, like Liu Chen, were hesitating in front of the incense burner. The old man then reached into the incense burner with his right hand, pulled out a large bunch of incense sticks, and tossed them into the iron bucket he was carrying.
The incense sticks that had filled the burner were quickly cleared away. The old man waved his sleeve, as if he had taken nothing with him, and left with a large bucket of incense.
Liu Chen looked at the incense burner, now empty, then stepped forward to its side and steadily inserted the three incense sticks she had been holding for a while right into the center of the burner.
Then she took a step back, stood before the incense burner, clasped her hands together, and murmured:
“I am Liu Chen, studying in Class Six of Grade Three at C City Normal University Affiliated High School. My wish is for my family and friends around me to be healthy, except for my dad.”
After speaking, she bowed deeply three times towards the Great Hall of Heroes, then opened her eyes and moved aside, making way for those waiting behind her.
The family standing behind Liu Chen was stunned upon hearing her so meticulously state her origin, name, and wish.
This…
Is praying so detailed?
After much thought, they finally murmured behind Liu Chen:
“I am XX from XX Street…”
Meanwhile, Liu Chen had already walked to the East Garden behind. It had to be said that the sweater her mother had chosen for her that morning was truly hot.
Especially now that her tolerance for the cold had improved, even after taking off her down jacket, wearing this pure white sweater under the strong sun made her sweat profusely.
Liu Chen kept walking towards cooler places. Ren Yu, after lighting his incense and placing it next to Liu Chen’s, made no wish and followed Liu Chen’s footsteps towards the garden.
Hearing the footsteps behind her, Liu Chen turned around alertly and saw Ren Yu, a little surprised: “Hey? Brother Ren Yu, you finished your wish so quickly?”
“My wish can be realized by myself.”
Alright…
Liu Chen didn’t know what to say for a moment. She pursed her lips and walked along the stone path in the garden.
Ren Yu also remained silent, following behind Liu Chen. She didn’t know what kind of trees were planted in the East Garden; even in the middle of winter, they were lush and green, providing shade from the sun overhead.
The two walked in the garden for half an hour before Liu Fang called.
“Thanks to your godmother, she booked a private room at a nearby restaurant. We can drive over now and order our food without waiting for a table,” Liu Fang said cheerfully from the driver’s seat.
Chen Long, sitting in the passenger seat, saw Liu Fang’s happiness and added somewhat grudgingly:
“Actually, I also know someone at a restaurant nearby…”
Liu Chen blinked. Recalling Chen Long’s reaction when her godmother arrived during the earlier wait, she shifted her seat to the middle of the back row.
“Uncle Chen Long, do you know my godmother?”
“Huh? Why do you ask?” kuAiδugg
Chen Long didn’t answer directly but asked a question back.
Liu Chen narrowed her eyes. She pondered that if Chen Long knew her godmother, it wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. At least, if Chen Long’s character was questionable, her godmother would likely warn her mother or Chen Long himself.
With this thought, Liu Chen smiled:
“Just guessing. Because you, Uncle Chen Long, have connections, and godmother has connections. What if your connections are the same person, then wouldn’t you know each other?”
Hearing this, Chen Long quietly let out a sigh of relief.
“According to what you said, Chenchen, couldn’t I also be acquainted with the President of the United States?”
Liu Fang smiled and nodded while driving:
“Yes, according to your logic, Chenchen, then you and Ren Yu’s fiancée are also acquainted.”