Promised period

The story is over.

In the early morning of the next day, the two dressed up and drove out, heading straight to the Zhiwei Temple in the suburbs.

For a total of more than 20 kilometers, Chen Jue drove very slowly because there was still thick snow on the ground.An hour later, the car stopped directly at the entrance of the scenic spot, and when we went down, we could smell the unique smell of the mountain forest and the fragrance of Buddha.

Because they came earlier than last year, the people who grabbed the first prizes had not yet returned, so the crowds in the scenic area looked even more spectacular than last year.

The two entered the mountain gate, and a majestic temple stood in the distance.

"That's the main hall." Song Ke said.

"Yeah." Chen Jue followed his gaze and looked up, then took off the scarf and handed it to him, "Wrap around, I'm not cold."

Song Ke didn't give in either, she lowered her head and tied it up.Walking all the way, slowly turning the prayer wheel beside the road, stepping on a thick layer of fallen leaves, making a crackling sound.

The steps on the mountain are covered with moss, weeds are overgrown in the gaps, and the cold stone slabs are built in the wet soil.I feel cold just looking at it, let alone kneeling.

But this time, like last time, there were still people praying while crawling.At every flat step and every life-sized Buddha, they had to stop, close their eyes and bow down reverently, pressing their warm foreheads to the wet and cold ground.

Chen Jue seldom comes to this kind of place. Like Song Ke, he doesn't believe in Buddhism.But when he saw these people, he would still stop and wait quietly for them to finish knocking before leaving, so the process of going up the mountain became slower.

Along the way, he held Song Ke's right hand and asked halfway up the mountain, "It was also snowing when you came last time?"

Song Ke took a breath and shook her head: "No, it snowed very late in Linjiang last year, you forgot."

He said, "That's good."

Feeling his fingers tighten slightly, Song Ke looked sideways at him: "What's the matter?"

"I'm afraid you're cold."

At first Song Ke didn't understand this sentence, until when she arrived at the main hall, there were too many people offering incense, Chen Jue didn't go to line up, but just knelt down on the stone slab to realize it. Chen Jue meant that he was afraid that he would kneel last year cold.

The towering tree in front of the hall is engraved with ancient traces of time, and water droplets are condensed on the blue stone slabs. Chen Jue's back is very silent, kneeling there, holding a handful of incense in his hand.

Nothing has changed here, only the person who asks for protection has changed.

Song Ke stopped under the side corridor, leaning against the red lacquered wooden pillars, waiting for Chen Jue Jingxiang, while looking up at the snow on the eaves above her head, and the slanting geese.

The same scene, the same place, last year he was like a dying person struggling in the quagmire, every pore was soaked in the cold and desperate air.This year he just came to fulfill his wish, he still has leisure and spare energy, and he can take a look at everything that is gentle and peaceful around him.

Looking away again, Chen Jue had already knelt down.He didn't put his palms together, but spread them against the ground, and the incense was placed between his arms.Even though he could still be seen from a distance with his eyes closed, his expression was very solemn, his shoulders were broad and straight, and he hadn't got up for a long time.

Song Ke turned her face away, closed her eyes and took a few breaths of fresh air, with a long-overdue certainty in her heart: no matter what Chen Jue asked for, she was willing to accompany him to complete it.

When he came over, Song Ke was already emptying out.

"What are you thinking about?"

Turning her head to see that it was Chen Jue, Song Ke smiled and rubbed a leaf in her hand, "It's nothing, I'm guessing what wish you made."

"Why didn't you just ask me?"

Chen Jue looked at him, his eyes were slightly cool like a bluestone slab, and he felt a gentle feeling in his heart.

"It won't work if you tell it. Forget it, you won't understand it if you tell it."

Chen Jue smiled and didn't argue with him.

The two stayed for a long time at the magic weapon circulation place.

Because they were holding hands, some people gave them sideways glances, but they didn't let go.There were three floors in front of the glass counter, and it was rare for the two of them to get close.Chen Jue has good eyesight, and soon found a familiar object: "Is that the wind chime you hung before?"

He even remembered.

Song Ke didn't think so, you admitted it wrong, but Chen Jue still felt familiar.It happened that a monk noticed the two of them and offered to introduce them: "Which one do you want to see?"

Chen Jue signaled: "This."

"This is a wind chime tower. It has the functions of warding off evil spirits, dispelling evil spirits, and ensuring safety. It can be used as a town house at home." After a pause, he added, "If you are sincere, you can also invite the souls of your relatives back, and invite them to come back and see." look."

Chen Jue took a breath slowly, thinking of going elsewhere.He walked out of the circulation area empty-handed, raised his eyes, and saw that the outside was snow-white.

It's snowing heavily.

The two of them were so lucky that on the first day of the new year, they unexpectedly enjoyed a snowfall among the mountain forest temples.Snowflakes like goose feathers fell one after another, and the incense in the stove continued to burn, and the white smoke curled up in the snow, making the scene in front of us more and more unreal.

The snowy day meant a lot to both of them.The snow is pure and white, but it is also icy cold.Just like the two of them have walked along the way, there have been good times and bad times, happy times and heart-wrenching times, everything always has two sides.

Because of a layer of snow, it is much more difficult to go down the mountain than to go up the mountain.Chen Jue held Song Ke's hand all the time, and the two walked slowly without talking to each other.

About halfway through, the turning suddenly opened up, and there is a hotel and villa for tourists located not far away.Chen Jue suddenly suggested: "Do you want to stay here for one night tonight?"

Originally, I just mentioned it casually, because I think such a snow scene is rare, especially in the mountains, where I pray to God and Buddha, it adds a sense of holiness.Unexpectedly, Song Ke readily agreed: "Okay, go over and ask if there is a room facing the mountain on the opposite side. The mountain over there is high and the forest is deep. It must be beautiful when the snow accumulates at night."

Ask the front desk in the past, the room is very plentiful.

An old-fashioned hotel without an elevator, the environment is simple.The two of them didn't bring any luggage, so they went upstairs and opened the door of the big bed room. They found that the decoration inside was very simple, and even the windows in the room were made of wooden frames.

And very fortunately, the window was facing the mountain.

Pushing open the window, there is a small semi-suspended balcony outside, which is very narrow, and there are three discarded clay flower pots.There were no flowers in the flowerpot, and a thin layer of snow fell on the soil, barely covering the barrenness inside.

It was still early, and they took off their coats for an afternoon nap, and when they woke up they were hungry.

When they went downstairs to look for food, the boss told them apologetically, "The chef is sick today, and the meal can't be cooked. There are some convenience foods in the refrigerator in the kitchen. How about I boil water for you and you two will make do with it?"

What else can I do if I don’t, seeing the snow is getting bigger and bigger, it’s impossible to go down the mountain and eat again.The two of them looked at each other and nodded with a wry smile: "Okay, take us to have a look."

Holding the idea of ​​either a bag of instant noodles or dried noodles, I was pleasantly surprised when I entered the kitchen.The boss is really humble, high-grade ham, frozen black tiger prawns, handmade dumplings, Zhixin beef tendon balls, etc. can also be called convenience food?

After negotiating with the boss, Song Ke happily announced to Chen Jue that today's meal can be hot pot.

The water is cold, and Chen Jue is responsible for washing and cutting vegetables. There are cabbage, tofu, oyster mushrooms, etc. in the refrigerator. Song Ke is responsible for moving the induction cooker, soup pot and chopped vegetables to the room.

If you have something to eat, climbing stairs is nothing.

It took several trips back and forth with the cutting board to finish moving things. On the last trip, Chen Jue told him not to come down, so he boiled water upstairs, and brought the bowl and chopsticks up by himself.

Song Ke went back to the room by herself first, cleared out a table, two wooden chairs, and put a thin blanket on the chairs, so it was all right.The heating in the room is fully turned on, and the windows do not feel cold.

When Chen Jue came up, the water was already boiling. They threw in the hot pot base that the boss kept privately, and cut out a small bowl of chopped green onions with scissors. They sat next to each other, facing the heavy snow outside the window.

The surrounding is very quiet, only the sound of gurgling in the electric hot pot.

After silently guarding the pot for a while, Song Ke suddenly turned to smile at Chen Jue, but didn't say anything.Chen Jue touched his face with a cold hand and asked, "So happy?"

"Of course I'm happy to eat some."

Chen Jue leaned over and kissed him.First the forehead, then the tip of the nose, and finally the lips, like holding a snowflake.Song Ke wanted to push Chen Jue away, but she didn't try too hard, she just raised her head and asked, "What's wrong?"

Chen Jue said, "I miss you."

Even though we have been together all day, I still think about it, and my heart curls up when I think about it.

Song Ke turned her body around so that Chen Jue could kiss more comfortably and freely.Just kissing each other like this, smelling the hot aroma from a corner of the table, touching each other's cheeks and earlobes, there is nothing more unsatisfactory.

This hot pot meal lasted from afternoon to sunset, and I didn’t do anything else in the middle, just eat, watch TV, talk, and enjoy the snow.After eating, Song Ke was so stretched that she could barely move, lying on the bed dying.

Chen Jue cleaned up the mess, took down the tableware and garbage and went back to the room. Seeing Song Ke's appearance, he smiled and walked over to touch his stomach through the sweater.

Soft and warm touch, slightly bulging belly, these two things appearing on Song Ke at the same time is really shameful.

Song Ke turned over to prevent Chen Jue from touching her.Chen Jue had no choice but to take off his shoes and lie down next to him, staring at him quietly with his elbows on his elbows, and kissing his lips every once in a while.

A small room, simple, the setting sun poured in through the wooden windows, covering them in it.

This is a feeling that is difficult to describe in words. The two of them have gone through so many trials and tests, and finally came together, but they don't want anything.They just want to lie quietly together like this, to be able to see each other, talk to each other, eat together, and live an ordinary life.

I didn't think about the vigor and vigor, and I didn't think about the afterlife and this life, just a little time with each other, a little bit is good.

Later, Chen Jue fell asleep slowly, but Song Ke did not.Song Ke pushed back the broken hair on his forehead with her right hand, and kissed his forehead as if teasing him, but he didn't wake up.

I saw that he was wearing a ring on the ring finger of his left hand, which had not been removed for a long time, and there was a circle of marks around it.Song Ke lowered her head, stroked his fingers for a moment, then stared at her own, quietly lost in thought.

After seeing enough and letting go, I got out of bed silently, and took out an amulet from the inner pocket of the down jacket hanging on the coat rack.

This is what I asked for while waiting for Chen Jue.

He put it in Chen Jue's clothes, and after putting it away, he pressed it with his hands to prevent it from falling out.How could it actually fall out?Chen Jue saw it all on the bed, and he would naturally put it away tomorrow morning, and he would never lose it for the rest of his life.

By the time he turned off the light and returned to bed, the sun had already set.There was no light in the dim room, he gently lifted the quilt, lay beside Chen Jue and slowly closed his eyes.

Not long after, the body was hugged.

"Song Ke."

"Ok?"

Chen Jue said in a low voice: "Hang up that wind chime when you go back. Since it is for my uncle, it will only be effective if it is hung all the time."

He couldn't help being startled for a while, and it took him a long time to understand the meaning of these words.

"Aren't you superstitious?" he asked.

"Occasionally, you can trust a little bit."

"for example."

"For example, the wish I made today, I hope it will come true."

He still didn't ask Chen Jue what kind of wish he made, but he knew it in his heart, so after a while, he said quietly: "Don't worry."

These three words are a promise.

Facing the majestic snow-capped mountains and the swarming snow, he gave Chen Jue a promise.What he means is that no matter what happens in the future, the memories belonging to the two of them will never disappear unless he dies.

What about Chen Jue?

Chen Jue naturally understood.

In the past, he had briefly forgotten about Song Ke, that was the darkest period of Song Ke's life, quenched like hell.But fortunately, fortunately, Chen Jue remembered again.

For them, perhaps the promised period is no longer far away.They all once had a snow mountain in their hearts, where they could see and where their hearts went.Song Ke once thought that they had to walk to that mountain, touch the snow, and wait for the incense to burn out before they reached the end.

Actually not that far.

The snow mountain is there, and no one can take it away.The memory is there, and no one can take it away.In this life, they don't want to go anywhere, they don't want to accomplish something, they just guard each other.They don't want anyone to forgive, they don't want anyone to promise, they have already promised themselves.

Maybe they are selfish, maybe, but Song Ke is willing to be a selfish person.Because Chen Jue has been waiting for him for too long, and so has he.

—End of the full text—