N City was located on a plain, and the mountains were generally not very high.This mountain road was once the main route into the city, but as the tunnel was completed, it gradually became abandoned. Now, the weeds on both sides of the road had grown as tall as a calf, and there were no pedestrians to be seen along the way.
At the end of summer, the trees were still lush, and that day was indeed a sunny day. Sheng Min had slept through the night and felt much better than last night. He had breakfast and complimented the old woman’s cooking, which made her smile and wish she could fry him a couple of eggs. His eyes were still slightly swollen and red, though.
He spoke vaguely, saying he wanted to find a tree, so Li Xuan accompanied him on a leisurely stroll, walking and stopping according to his mood, just like an ordinary outing. They didn’t find any special trees but picked up a lot of wildflowers that had fallen along the roadside.
They stopped when they saw a small Buddha shrine halfway up the mountain, about the height of a person, with a statue of the Earth Store Bodhisattva. The Bodhisattva held a jewel in the left hand and a staff in the right, standing on a thousand-petaled lotus.
The shrine was likely placed there to ward off evil, as the road was a sharp curve where accidents often occurred. People often hope for blessings from deities when they are unable to resolve matters themselves.
Now, the shrine was no longer tended to and had accumulated layers of dust.
But the Bodhisattva didn’t care about worldly matters and remained kind and merciful as ever.
Sheng Min picked up a white hibiscus flower from the bushes.
“I’ll do it,” Li Xuan said, worried about him being exposed to the sun. When they left the old woman’s noodle shop earlier, he had grabbed two straw hats, which now proved useful. One was already filled with various fallen flowers, so he naturally reached to take it from Sheng Min, and offered the other hat to him.
“I’m not picking anymore.” Sheng Min smiled lightly, took the hat, and placed it on Li Xuan’s head. As if discussing the weather, he casually told him, “The place where the accident happened, they say, is on this mountain.”
Li Xuan guessed what he was talking about and studied Sheng Min’s expression, silently.
“Did you see any trees that seemed like they had been broken by a crash on your way up?”
He couldn’t lie to Sheng Min, so he lifted the brim of his hat and restrained himself. “I didn’t really pay attention… If the roots were damaged, it wouldn’t survive for long. Maybe it’s withered or been dug up.”
“I saw a lot that seemed like they might’ve been, but then I’m not sure,” Sheng Min said, his expression and tone relaxed. He looked around, and the closest tree was a tall white locust. This hardy, easy-to-grow tree was common in N City. This one was tall and lush, its flowers almost gone, now starting to bear fruit, with no signs of any collision.
“It’s fine, let’s stop here.”
He carefully wiped the dust off the Bodhisattva statue, picked out two of the most intact flowers, bent down and placed them beside the statue, lightly bowed, then turned around. With a gentle motion of his arm, the remaining fallen flowers fluttered down toward the roots of the locust tree.
Sheng Min’s expression was focused as he watched the petals fall into the mountain stream, swirling in a brief, belated funeral.
“I was going to buy paper money.”
Li Xuan didn’t know when he had come to stand beside him, but gently took his hand. Sheng Min turned to look at him, and like sharing a sweet candy, he told him, “But I don’t like that. So many people live their lives chasing after money. When someone’s gone, why should they suffer that way? She probably wouldn’t like it either… This is fine. Flowers are the best. If she really exists, then I’ve been here, and she knows… The Bodhisattva knows too, and will forgive me.”
The Earth Store Bodhisattva statue remained silent, its eyes downcast. Sunlight streamed through the gaps in the trees, casting dappled light like holy rays.
“Do you remember?” He lifted his face, smiling at Li Xuan. “When we first met, I made you angry. You didn’t want to go back with me, and you sat under someone else’s eaves in the rain… You must have been really annoyed with me back then, right? But I found you, and you didn’t say anything harsh, just looked at me with a straight face and called me a mud Bodhisattva.”
“Were you scared?” Li Xuan remembered the nightmare Sheng Min had that night.
“I was terrified. I was afraid you wouldn’t go back with me and I worried you’d catch a cold.”
Sheng Min spoke of it now like a fun memory. Li Xuan looked at the Bodhisattva statue behind him, no longer in a grand hall, but amidst the mountains and wilderness. It wasn’t imposing, only full of compassion.
It is said that the Earth Store Bodhisattva, in his past life, went to hell three times to save his mother. After making a great vow to save all beings, he finally attained enlightenment.
Did he save her? Has he saved everyone?
Who will save the Bodhisattva?
“Shall I make a golden statue of you?”
Li Xuan’s thoughts stirred, and he gently took Sheng Min’s hand. As Sheng Min froze for a moment, Li Xuan bent down and nudged his nose, softly whispering, “Mud Bodhisattva or not, I’ll make a golden statue for you.”
The wind rustled the leaves, and when Li Xuan caressed his lips, Sheng Min finally came back to himself.
“Don’t say that. The Bodhisattva’s here…” He gently struggled, but Li Xuan immediately furrowed his brows, hissing softly, licking the small cut on his lips.
“Does it hurt?” Sheng Min became concerned, but Li Xuan held his waist, pulling him in for a kiss just before Sheng Min could furrow his brows, softly saying, “What does it matter if the Bodhisattva’s watching? It doesn’t matter if all the gods and Buddhas are witnesses. Who can say I’m not sincere?”
It was clearly flirtatious, but Li Xuan spoke seriously. Sheng Min didn’t know how to respond, but Li Xuan just smiled carelessly, brushing through his bangs. “Besides, you know, I don’t believe in all this. I only believe in you.”
As they slowly descended the mountain, it was lunchtime. They went to the same noodle shop as before. Before leaving, Li Xuan even made sure to fix the water heater.
“It was just a faulty ignition switch. Just rerun the wires, and it’ll work.”
“You still say you don’t know how?”
“I didn’t know at first. Didn’t you want me to know?” Li Xuan said while reversing the car, then motioned for him to use his phone to check the history, speaking confidently, “I just looked it up. It’s pretty much the same as connecting a computer.”
Sheng Min rolled his eyes. “Oh.” Then he saw a calendar reminder pop up. “Do you have a meeting tonight?”
“Is it the seven o’clock one?” Li Xuan casually said, “It’s a collaboration with a milk tea brand. The other party was acting all high and mighty, and we couldn’t agree on the price, so we just left it. Now that it’s cooled down, they’re coming to lower the price, so we can renegotiate… I can skip it if you want. Qi Boyuan is going too anyway.”
“Why not go…”
Li Xuan glanced at him. Sheng Min shook his head, “It’s fine. You go ahead.”
“Alright.” Li Xuan didn’t want to seem too anxious and instead focused on amplifying Sheng Min’s emotional state. “I’ll drop you home, then I’ll go. It’s not far.”
Sheng Min nodded, then watched as Li Xuan turned on the right signal and veered onto the side road, reminding him, “It’s the left turn when you head back to the city.”
“I know,” Li Xuan smiled. “The shop where you buy osmanthus candy is just over ten kilometers away. I saw it when we came here. I’ll take you to get some snacks first.”
“Your meeting…”
“I’ll make it in time.”
