Chapter Eighteen: A Beautiful Encounter

  For the next two days, Qingjin did not go out and spent her whole time in the Chan room of Bōrě Temple quietly copying the Heart Sutra of Prajna. At first, she felt a bit uncomfortable and dry, but as the lines took shape under her brush, her heart also slowly calmed down in the influence of this scripture.

  Later on, she even indulged in this quiet and peaceful atmosphere, starting to enjoy the process of copying Buddhist scriptures. It turned out that she could also live a life so quietly, it turned out that such a quiet and peaceful day was so beautiful and comfortable, her restless mood became calm in the strokes of the Buddhist scripture, occasionally putting down the pen, she couldn't help but think, what was her past self doing at this time?

  It was at those endless poetry gatherings, where I would rack my brains to make a name for myself, thinking about how pitiful my past life was. I didn't want this peaceful and serene life, but instead got myself entangled in the struggles of vying for favor and love among princes and nobles. Looking back now, it's truly foolish beyond measure!

  Two days later, Qingjin finished copying two volumes of the Prajna Heart Sutra and handed over the copied scriptures to Yuanyang, asking her to give them to the master at the temple. One volume was offered in front of the Buddha at the Prajna Temple, and one volume was left in the Buddhist hall of the Prajna Temple to absorb some of the temple's Buddhist atmosphere. When she returned home, she would bring it back to her grandmother, who should be very happy!

  Qing Jin stood in front of the window, thinking about these things, and rubbed her wrists which had been sore from copying Buddhist scriptures for two days. Although she was a bit tired, Qing Jin's heart felt happy and at peace, and without realizing it, a faint smile appeared on her lips, causing Yuanyang, who happened to see her, to stare blankly, involuntarily praising in his heart that their young mistress was becoming more and more beautiful!

  Half a moment later, Yuanyang came back to her senses and suggested to Qingjin who was still standing in front of the window, "Miss, why don't we go for a walk on the mountain behind the temple? I heard that the peach blossoms on the mountain behind Banruo Temple have bloomed. Would you like to take a stroll in the peach blossom forest?"

  "Have the peach blossoms bloomed?" Qing Jin turned around in surprise at Yuanyang's words, she remembered that peach blossoms shouldn't have finished blooming by March, right? Suddenly, she recalled her grandmother Shen Shi's words from that day, it seemed that Shen Shi had also said something like this before.

  As the fragrance of April fades, do the peach blossoms in the mountain temple just begin to bloom? Unconsciously, a few sparks of interest arose in her heart. The peach blossom forest at Banzhao Temple was something she had never seen before. Since there's nothing else to do, why not go take a look? Qingjin thought this way and then spoke to Yuanyang, "Let's go take a look at the back mountain!"

  Two people walked out of the Zen room, seeing monks sweeping early along the way. Qing Jin smiled and nodded to the monks who got up early, and the monks respectfully returned a courtesy. With the fragrance of sandalwood lingering, Qing Jin led the swan geese slowly towards the back mountain of Banruo Temple.

  Because it was early in the morning, Gu Qingjin took Yuanyang to the back mountain of Banruo Temple when the back mountain was still quietly sleeping in the quiet morning light. Looking far away, the peach blossom trees all over the mountain were like a large piece of cloud and mist floating down from the sky, also like a piece of peach blossom painting slowly unfolding in front of Qingjin.

  Qing Jin wasn't someone who had never seen peach blossoms before. In her previous life, she would specifically go to famous tourist spots when the peach blossoms were in full bloom. It was precisely because she had seen them that she was deeply shocked at this moment. She had no idea that peach blossoms could be so beautiful and vibrant: "The peach blossoms are delicate and their beauty is dazzling..." After personally visiting a famous scenic spot to see the peach blossoms, Qing Jin would have scoffed at the poem in the Book of Songs that described the peach blossoms in such a way. However, after seeing the peach blossoms at Banruo Temple today, Qing Jin thoroughly felt that her past self had been shallow.

  Walking slowly into the peach blossom forest with a pair of mandarin ducks, each tree's peach blossoms are refreshing and charming, with varied postures. Here, Qingjin suddenly felt the dense breath of spring that had disappeared, laughing in the peach forest, making trouble in the peach forest.

  Some were still in bud, some had just opened two or three petals, and some had fully bloomed, like pink butterflies about to take flight. In the sunlight, the gentle breeze caressed the newly opened petals. Those beautiful, astonishing petals scattered with the wind, swaying, twirling in mid-air; Qing Jin stood among the peach blossom trees in the orchard, the falling petals fluttering around her, dancing as if to show off their most beautiful side to Qing Jin. Unconsciously, she thought of a line of poetry: How can I make you meet me at my most beautiful time? For this, I prayed before Buddha for five hundred years...

  The beautiful peach blossoms are so dazzling.

  Qing Jin couldn't help but stretch out her hand to touch the peach blossoms on the book, but before she could reach them, the buds that had just begun to open suddenly burst forth in all their beauty, radiant and blooming.

  Qing Jin sighed, the peach blossom is indeed worthy of being called the flower among flowers. No wonder so many poets in Chinese history have written poems about peach blossoms, and the number of poems praising peach blossoms is countless.

  She used to think that the beauty of peach blossoms described in poems was a bit exaggerated after visiting the tourist attraction where peach blossoms were in full bloom, but now she has to admit that the beauty of peach blossoms is indeed breathtaking.

  "...Suddenly came upon a peach blossom forest, several hundred feet along the riverbank, with no other trees in between, fragrant grass and beautiful flowers, petals falling all around." Even Tao Yuanming, who lived in seclusion and was disappointed with the world, couldn't help but be captivated by the beauty of the peach blossoms, and thus wrote "The Peach Blossom Spring", a work that has inspired people's imagination and longing for generations to come.

  Qing Jin couldn't help but admit that the predecessors had a common vision for discovering beauty. Such peach blossoms were truly beautiful, making people's eyes widen in wonder, their spirits entranced, and they couldn't help but indulge themselves in this breathtaking scenery.

  Those beautiful pink peach blossoms are truly dazzling, one standing proudly on the branch, another seemingly chatting with a small butterfly beside her, the peach blossoms leaning against each other.

  "Look, the peach blossoms are opening in clusters on the branches, one after another, one close to another. They open upwards, downwards, leftwards and rightwards, they form a pillar, they form a tree..."

  Qingjin thought about the beautiful legends and poems about peach blossoms, walking in this world of peach blossoms, smelling the fragrance emitted by the peach blossoms, feeling that the fragrance of the peach blossoms was so refreshing, as if the fragrance entered your nostrils at the same time, it also rushed into your heart.

  In this elegant and refined realm, the fragrance that cannot be resisted wafts in, and the fatigue of copying Buddhist scriptures for two days slowly dissipates in this intoxicating floral scent, leaving only a heart full of intoxication.

  Qing Jin was immersed in the peach blossoms behind the Banruo Temple, intoxicated and shocked by the charm of the peach blossoms at this moment. Unbeknownst to her, a white figure, who had a habit of rising early, unintentionally passed by the peach blossom forest, caught a glimpse of the fluttering red dress among the peach blossoms, and stopped his footsteps without realizing it. He stood quietly under the peach tree, watching the woman in red dance with the peach blossoms. In the depths of his eyes, which had been still for thousands of years, undisturbed and untroubled, a flash of surprise and admiration flickered by.

  It's you standing on the bridge watching the scenery, while the people admiring the view are on the building looking at you. The bright moon decorates your window, and you decorate other people's dreams.