Tan Linyuan said it was a rainy day.
Normally, with such a gloomy sky, no one would come to disturb Jing'an Temple. So when Tan Linyuan saw a visitor braving the rain, he was quite surprised.
But after seeing the visitor's face clearly, he immediately opened the door, held up an umbrella, and went to greet him.
It was Mr. Nan Jiwen, a frequent visitor to his master.
Different from before, he brought a little girl with him, saying that his wife had gone on a long - distance trip and he was worried about leaving his daughter alone at home.
Tan Linyuan heard Mr. Nan call her "Yuyu" and tell her to stay well with Brother Tan in the temple and not to run around. Then Mr. Nan followed Master Wenjing into the meditation room.
Tan Linyuan knew that Mr. Nan had recently been studying stone carving and seal - making with Master Wenjing.
Nan Yu was wearing a flowery baby - doll dress. She smiled at Tan Linyuan, with two round dimples on her face. "Hello, Brother Tan."
She had a rosy complexion, and her eyes blinked, as lively as the bluebells blooming on the hillside. When she smiled, her white teeth showed, and her dimples seemed to be filled with sweet wine that was about to overflow.
Tan Linyuan was wearing a plain robe. Standing in front of Nan Yu, who was obviously much shorter than him, he looked at her calmly.
At that time, there were only six months left before Tan Linyuan would leave Jing'an Temple and be taken back to the Tan family.
He didn't respond. He just withdrew his gaze, turned around, walked into the Buddhist hall, and sat on the cushion to chant scriptures.
Nan Yu didn't mind being ignored. She naively carried a cushion over and plopped down beside him, accompanying him to chant scriptures.
Tan Linyuan guessed that she would last at most five minutes.
But in fact, she sat for almost half an hour without making a single noise.
Tan Linyuan was surprised and turned to look - the little girl had closed her eyes.
Her chin was nodding, and she was about to fall asleep at any moment.
Before she lost her balance and fell, Tan Linyuan stood up from the cushion.
Sensing the movement beside her, little Yuyu instantly opened her eyes. All she saw was a fluttering white sleeve and a lingering scent of sandalwood in her nose.
She quickly took small steps to follow him and grabbed his sleeve with her little hand. "Brother Tan, I'm hungry."
What should he do?
He had been in the temple for more than ten years and had never had a pilgrim ask him for food, especially such a young child.
"Brother Tan, hungry." Afraid that he didn't understand, little Yuyu pointed to her mouth. "Here, I want to eat something."
Tan Linyuan was a bit at a loss.
How long would Mr. Nan be out? He really didn't know how to take care of a child.
Helplessly, he had to take her to the kitchen and took out a chestnut cake from the offering plate that was going to be presented on the altar for her.
"Thank you, Brother Tan." She grinned at him, took it, and quickly finished it.
She wiped her mouth and stared longingly at the things in the offering plate.
"There's no more." He coldly conveyed this fact.
Little Yuyu hesitated to speak. "There's still..."
"This is the offering for the Buddha statue. If you eat any more, the Buddha will blame you." Tan Linyuan thought of a reason that could intimidate the little girl.
It did intimidate her, and because the "power" was too great, it directly scared her into crying. Her eyes instantly welled up with tears.
...Damn it.
Tan Linyuan was about to take it back, but it was too late. The little girl turned around and ran, plunging into the rain.
The temple gate was not closed, and the figure in the little flowery dress disappeared into the rain curtain.
The rain outside showed no sign of weakening. Tan Linyuan's eyebrows frowned bit by bit.
The mountain road was slippery on a rainy day, and she was just a young child. It was hard to guarantee that nothing would happen to her.
If something happened to the daughter of the Nan family in Wenjing Temple, he would be to blame.
So, he immediately held up an umbrella and chased after her.
The raindrops were too big, drowning out all sounds. Tan Linyuan searched all the way with an umbrella but couldn't find her.
Just when he was about to give up and go back to plead guilty to Master Wenjing and Mr. Nan Jiwen on his own, he turned around and saw her.
She was so small, hiding under a banana leaf. Her whole body was wet, and she was hiding from the rain in a sorry state.
The rain seemed to have gotten a bit smaller than before.
Tan Linyuan walked over and reached out to pull her hand. "Come back with me."
"I don't want to." Little Yuyu stubbornly shook off his dry palm. "The Buddha will blame me. I don't like the Buddha."
Tan Linyuan frowned.
It was an irreverent statement, but children say innocent things.
After saying that, she started crying and making a fuss again. She squatted down on the ground, and the hem of her dress was stained with mud.
Tan Linyuan was at a loss. He held up the umbrella and got closer to her, bent down to look into her eyes. "Tell me, how can you stop crying?"
Her pupils were light brown. It was hard to tell whether it was rain or tears, but she looked at him aggrievedly.
The big one and the small one just stared at each other.
Little Yuyu stared at him for a long time until the tears stopped flowing. She just stared at him intently.
What a handsome little brother. He was so different from the boys in her class who hadn't even reached the voice - changing stage.
Most importantly, he had a very nice smell on him. She wanted to bury her face in him and take a sniff.
"Can Brother Tan marry me?"
Her words shocked Tan Linyuan. He was stunned for a moment, and a slight pain flashed in his eyes.
Not to mention the age gap between him and this little girl, at that time, he already knew his own fate.
He impatiently refused. "Impossible."
Little Yuyu didn't give up. "Why?"
Tan Linyuan had a good reason. "Monks can't get married."
So monks couldn't get married.
Such a handsome little brother, but he couldn't marry her...?
The more little Yuyu thought about it, the sadder she became. Seeing his face gradually become serious, the tears that had just stopped flowing began to pour out again.
Seeing that she was about to cry non - stop again, Tan Linyuan completely gave up struggling and immediately changed his tune. "Let's talk about it when you grow up."
Little Yuyu immediately stopped crying. "Really?"
Tan Linyuan: "..."
Was her tear gland like a faucet that could be turned on and off at will?
Tan Linyuan had to continue lying. "Yes, really."
But the ten - year - old little girl wasn't that easy to fool. She said seriously, "Then let's swear in front of the mountain god that Yuyu must be Brother Tan's bride in the future."
...
After making the oath in a daze, the little girl finally agreed to go back with him.
All the way back, her little hand held his big hand, and she became extremely excited.
They walked all the way back to the temple.
The rain had stopped at some point, and Mr. Nan Jiwen and Master Wenjing had already come out.
Mr. Nan Jiwen couldn't find his daughter and was sweating profusely with anxiety. When he saw little Yuyu come back, he immediately rushed over and hugged her. "Yuyu, where did you go? Didn't I tell you to stay well with Brother Tan in the temple?"
Master Wenjing looked solemn. "Linyuan, the daughter of the Nan family is still young and doesn't know any better, but you should know your limits. Go and kneel in the Buddhist hall for a whole night."
It was an expected result, and Tan Linyuan didn't show any emotion.
The fact that she wasn't injured was already the best outcome.
But little Yuyu rushed over in a hurry, hugged Tan Linyuan with both hands, and anxiously explained to Master Wenjing with a small face. "Master Wenjing, don't blame Brother Tan. It was I who was naughty and wanted to go out and play."
Her small body was like a wall protecting him in front.
Tan Linyuan lowered his eyes and watched as she pleaded for him very bravely. "Brother Tan is not wrong. Master Wenjing is not allowed to blame him."
She looked so righteous and protected him more fiercely than anyone else.