Chapter 54: New Year's Eve
After going to the village with the girl to attend the funeral on that day of childhood, the White Ape who returned to the mountain was silent and no longer played happily as usual.
He began to cultivate actively, and even the number of times when he was lazy and distracted in cultivation was much less.
Xiao Ai was quite satisfied and felt that the White Ape had finally worked hard.
However, in just a few days, the number of times when the White Ape was lazy and distracted during his cultivation became more and more often.
In the end, the old state started sprouting once again, which was no different from the previous appearance of laziness and idleness. Xiao Ai didn't urge him to cultivate, so he played by himself and idled openly.
The lazy and happy appearance made Xiao Ai speechless for a while, and she completely gave up her expectation of the White Ape in her heart.
However, with this White Ape, the originally deserted mountains are much more lively.
This White Ape plays every day, and occasionally amuses Xiao Ai.
And although this White Ape is not willing to sit and meditate, if it is allowed to work, it will do well.
So Xiao Ai gave all the chores in the mountain to the White Ape.
She let it sweep the fallen leaves in front and around the Wolf God Temple with a broom every day.
Once every three days, let the White Ape wipe and wash the floor and altar inside and outside the Wolf God Temple.
Carry water at the foot of the mountain every day, and chop firewood at the back of the mountain every day… After all the chores were handed over to the monkey, Xiao Ai saved a lot of time, so that she could focus entirely on cultivation.
Time soon arrived for New Year's Eve.
On this day, Xiao Ai got up very early and called the White Ape who was still sleeping next door.
On New Year's Eve, there are many things that need busy preparation, so Xiao Ai doesn't plan to cultivate today.
She got up early and cooked some porridge. After having breakfast with White Ape, she began a busy day.
The main hall of Wolf God Temple was completely cleaned inside and outside. The empty rooms in front of and behind the main hall were carefully cleaned.
The cleaning didn't end until noon. Then Xiao Ai and White Ape set off firecrackers in front of Wolf God Temple.
Although Xiao Ai was no longer interested in firecrackers, White Ape likes them very much. He is satisfied after pestering Xiao Ai to set off a few more.
After a short rest, she began to prepare for the New Year's Eve dinner.
In the past, when she was in the village, her parents prepared the new year's Eve dinner. The girl just helped her mother pick beans and wash vegetables.
Later, her father died and her mother was seriously ill. On New Year's Eve, her mother and Xiao Ai worked together to cook some dishes with meat and fish. However, even though there were two women, one was sick and the other was young, naturally, they couldn't make a rich New Year's Eve dinner.
Later, her mother died of illness and the girl was adopted by her uncle. The dinner was a lot richer, but it never tasted the same as before.
This year, it is the first time for the girl to spend New Year's Eve alone.
Of course, she was accompanied by a White Ape.
It's just that this White Ape obviously doesn't understand the meaning of New Year's Eve. It can do something like washing vegetables and picking beans, but the girl has to kill chickens, kill ducks, and cook vegetables and rice by herself.
Doing these things alone, although Xiao Ai was energetic, it still took a long time.
It was not until it was completely dark that the smell of vegetables and rice wafted in the mountains.
The White Ape sat by the stove and looked at the fire in the stove with dull eyes. He was already very hungry.
It doesn't quite understand why there are so many dishes on the table, but it can't eat by itself.
And why does Xiao Ai have to cook so many dishes… Can the two of them eat them all this night?
In the firewood room, the girl's expression was indifferent, but her forehead was slightly sweaty. It's not that she’s tired, but she's a little flustered and anxious when she holds the spoon alone for the first time.
It was not easy to finish all the meals, but the soup dishes made earlier have been cold.
Just when White Ape thought it could finally have dinner, the little girl shoved it off the table.
The little girl stared at the monkey and said, "First, sacrifice to Lord Wolf God!".
The monkey with a growling stomach immediately frowned, but he could only hide aside and watch the little girl worship the Wolf God.
At the end of the worship, there were more cold dishes on the table, only one or two dishes that had just come out of the pot were still hot.
In the dim light of the candle, White Ape Wei sat in a corner of the table, sipping most of the cold soup and vegetables. Although it wants to complain, it dares not speak.
The little girl opposite was also a bit depressed, but after seeing the monkey's angry face, she couldn't help but laugh.
"Hahahaha…"
The little girl's laughter spread far away to the mountains. In front of the quiet and dim Wolf God Temple, there is a window with a light far away.
Outside the mountain, the New Year's Eve party of the wind Raiders department is very lively.
The Li tribe doesn't believe in gods, and in turn doesn't worship gods on New Year's Eve. What they worship is the ancestral holy throne and their holy mountain.
When the worship of ancestors was over and each family had a big meal in their own homes, these Li tribe people who were not afraid of the cold lit a huge bonfire in the center of the camp. The blazing fire lit up the night sky and illuminated the singing and dancing crowd beside the campfire with joy.
In the mountains, Xiao Ai and the White Ape who had finished dinner began to clean up the table.
After leaving the kitchen, the little girl dragged the White Ape to the Wolf God Temple and lit the candle in front of the altar.
In front of the altar, one candle after another is lit, and the dim candle light illuminates the spacious and huge Wolf God Temple. The little girl took the White Ape and put a stick of incense on the statue of Wolf God on the altar, and then sat on the futon.
"I'll keep vigil tonight," the girl said, "So I won't sleep. If you're bored, you can try to enter meditation."
The White Ape suddenly froze.
"Ji?" Its eyes widened and its face was in disbelief.
The girl looked at it indifferently and said, "This is the custom of New Year's Eve. You should stay up until dawn. You have learned the method of meditation. If you are really sleepy, you can try to meditate for a while."
The White Ape was stunned, but the little girl had closed her eyes and settled down. Obviously, she is really not going to sleep tonight.
The White Ape hesitated for a while, secretly looked at the statue of the white wolf on the altar, and finally didn't dare to say anything. He also imitated Xiao Ai's appearance, sat on his knees on a futon, and entered meditation.
In the mountain temple, it was temporarily quiet.
At 1 o'clock, suddenly, a harsh crackling explosion suddenly sounded outside the mountain. Dazzling colored light rose in the Li tribe's camp and burst into the night sky.
The strange sound startled the tranquility of New Year's Eve. The girl opened her eyes and saw that the White Ape had been lying at the gate. It was just looking at the burst of color light in the night sky outside.
"Those are the fireworks set off by the Li tribe," Xiao Ai said. "If you wish to see it, go outside and watch it."
After getting the approval, the White Ape was immediately overcome with happiness, and hurriedly pushed open the doors. He ran outside, rushing to the open place to witness the colored fireworks rising in the sky that night.
However, as soon as the White Ape ran out, there was a scream of panic from the White Ape outside.
Hearing the scream, the girl's heart trembled and subconsciously rushed out.
"What happened?" She shouted hurriedly.
Under the cold moonlight, the girl saw the scene in front of Wolf God Temple.
The White Ape with white hair was lying on the ground in horror and awe, shivering.
And in the direction of White Ape worship, in the open space paved with bluestones, there is a figure standing quietly. After hearing the girl's voice, the man slowly turned his head and looked at her and the White Ape.
In the moonlight, the girl saw the man clearly.
His white dress is spotless, as if all the filth in the world could not infect his body, with an indescribable ethereal appearance.
His calm eyes seem to imply a smile.
Obviously, he looked young, but facing this man in white, Xiao Ai inexplicably felt awe, as if she was facing a God with long history who had long seen through the world of mortals.
Xiao Ai's heart suddenly jumped and thought of some possibility.
"Wolf… Lord Wolf God?" The girl murmured in a weak voice.
But the man in white in front of Wolf God Temple heard it clearly.
He smiled and nodded. His warm smile seemed to dispel the cold in winter, making the whole Wolf God Temple feel like a spring breeze inside and outside.
"Yes, it's me."
The man in the moonlight smiled and said, "I’ve come to see you tonight on New Year's Eve."
The little girl's breathing suddenly shortened and she was a little excited.
"Lord Wolf God…" she subconsciously walked forward a few steps and wanted to salute, but after raising her hand, she remembered that Lord Wolf God would not allow her to do so, and her hand immediately froze in mid air, neither saluting nor taking back.
But fortunately, the man in white didn't seem to notice her embarrassment. Instead, he turned his head to look outside the mountain, gazing at the bright fireworks rising in the sky that night, and nodded.
"The fireworks set off by the Wind Raiders department are beautiful, and they have some flavor of the Chinese New Year."
The gentle voice of Lord Wolf God made the girl's inner panic gradually calm down.
She walked to the Wolf God, couldn't help but secretly looking at the Wolf God beside her, and asked eagerly, "Wolf God, you… You look like this…"
"It's just the incarnation of my soul," Lu Heng in front of Wolf God Temple glanced at her and said with a smile, "I've learned something from this mediation. Although this is just the incarnation of my soul and it can't touch anything, it also has infinite mysteries."
"In the future, if there is a visitor, there is no need to greet the visitor as a wolf… Haha…"
Lu Heng smiled softly, feeling quite happy.
The little girl standing beside him bowed her head, clenched her fists excitedly, and her heart beat like a drum.
Lord Wolf God came to see her…
The girl who had been ready to spend the New Year's Eve and Spring Festival alone suddenly felt dizzy, and her whole person felt so happy as if she had fallen into a cloud.
Silent tears fell on her grim face.
In the night sky, the fireworks set off by the Wind Raiders Department rose to the sky, reflecting the whole Hanyu mountain in all colors, and also engraved the two people and a monkey in front of the Wolf God Temple in the picture scroll of this moment forever.
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