Chapter 4: 4

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The more he got along with Zheng Ping, the more he felt she was a very lovely woman, not exactly having much power and influence, yet still an agreeable person.

It’s a pity she’s his mother.

Zheng Ping’s affection for her son and adopted daughter didn’t stop at only perfecting her embroidering and weaving skills to support them, she was also full of vigor and was willing to do anything to please those close to her.

After life became more stable, Zheng Ping took some time to make a tapestry of Yun Yanhui’s calligraphy, embroidered Shuangyi’s Kesi, then hung them on the wall of her bedroom with bamboo frames.

She didn’t make use of her fine skills to sell, but rather preferred to use them as a hobby, at home. This kind of decorating also reminded him of walls covered in photographs made by people in modern times.

As a child, Shuangyi gradually adapted to her current life and forgot about her previous worries.

Shuangyi and Third Sister Hu’s daughter, Liu Ye, who lived next door to Third Sister Hu, had become close. Her father was a street merchant, so besides learning embroidery, Liu Ye would go to her father’s shop in her spare time.

This awakened Shuangyi’s jealousy. She could hardly go out. Even around the yard, Zheng Ping would open the door and make sure she was within her sight.

In fact, Zheng Ping did not forbid her to play outside, but she was overly worried about her wellbeing — Shuangyi was younger than Liu Ye, and she was still somewhat new to the area. If she didn’t have a responsible adult to follow, she’d easily get lost.  There were still old neighbors next to the Kaifeng government office, but what if she ran away?

Zheng Ping wasn’t Shuangyi’s biological mother, but she still took care of her!

Zheng Ping was doing the laundry, and after they had finished practicing their needlework, she crouched down at the door and chatted happily with Liu Ye.

Liu Ye was at the door of the courtyard. She told Shuangyi about how she was about to deliver food to her father; she could take the opportunity, after, to play in the street for a while. Liu Ye uttered that she was going to look around the straw goods stalls she hadn’t seen the other day.

Shuangyi, dying of envy, waved goodbye to Liu Ye.

She glanced back and saw Brother Yan lying on the bed and memorizing a book quietly.

Zheng Ping, in order to teach Yun Yanhui, gave him to read ‘Qianbaisan’[1]. It didn’t take long for him to ‘learn’ and, now, everything he strived for was to study it more and more. But, perhaps, he had walked too much before he transmigrated, because he never sat down or stood up; rather, he very much enjoyed lying down.

Shuangyi stared at him. Yun Yanhui was sprawled on the bed and Xiaobao lay next to him. His hand was still stretched out in front of Xiaobao, who was playing with his fingers. After some time, his fingers were gnawed and completely wet. Occasionally, Xiaobao tried to crawl under the bed, but Yun Yanhui stopped him with his feet without even moving his head.

Shuangyi went over and rescued his hand from Xiaobao’s mouth. She wiped it clean, “you know, Brother Yan, there’s a stall on the way to Liu Ye’s father’s shop, selling little birds, rabbits and bugs made of straw.”

In the Song period, people were able to set up street stalls.

Yun Yanhui replied, “let mother take you there.”

Shuangyi peeked at Zheng Ping, who was drying the clothes in the yard, and mumbled, “no, mother’s very busy right now.”

Shuangyi had already taken Zheng Ping as her own mother, but because of her timid character, she disliked bothering and troubling people.

It had been some time since Yun Yanhui transmigrated into the body of a youngling, and he could understand this child’s nature. He got up from the bed and picked up some scraps of white material from Zheng Ping’s sewing basket. This was what Zheng Ping was going to use to make him a pair of trousers.

Shuangyi stood still. Yun Yanhui walked to Zheng Ping and simply said, “mother, Shuangyi needs a doll.”

In fact, he could fold paper — there was a kindergarten teacher who taught him and his classmates to fold goldfish, paper cranes, flowers, and more, but now his hands lacked the strength necessary. He refused to leave his home, afraid he’d be asked the how’s and why’s.

Instead, he decided to look for the materials available inside the house. Girls should love dolls.

“Brother Yan!” cried Shuangyi, blushing fiercely, and whispered, “I don’t want a doll…”

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Huh, straw toys were better than rag dolls? He didn’t think the ratio of price and performance wasn’t high enough, and he recalled straw dolls breaking faster than the ones made out of cloth… but if Shuangyi wanted that…

Yun Yanhui added, “oh, Shuangyi wants the straw-knitted bird Liu Ye was talking about.”

Shuangyi: “…”

Zheng Ping’s heart ached at the thought of neglecting the children. Even if Yun Yanhui and Shuangyi didn’t mention it, she should have remembered to buy them new toys regularly, but those were purchased back at the charity manor and they were soon forgotten after moving here. Rarely had Yun Yanhui been more considerate and thoughtful than she was. Zheng Ping wiped her hands and took the material. “I’ll buy all of you toys next month. Mother will sew a doll for Shuangyi first.”

“Thank you, mother… thank you, Brother Yan.” Shuangyi couldn’t resist the temptation at all, knowing the cloth was for Yun Yanhui’s trousers; yet, she was now making a doll out of it.

Shuangyi, unable to hide her enthusiasm, sat next to Zheng Ping and watched intently the needle running through the thread. Yun Yanhui stepped back and climbed back on the bed, smoothly bringing Xiaobao close to him. He thought, for the sake of the little girl’s happiness, what if I end up walking around naked?

Zheng Ping sewed a rag doll for Shuangyi, stuffing its insides with licorice and making it chubby. She then painted some features on its face.

Shuangyi loved it so much that she stuck like glue to it when she slept at night. When Liu Ye came to visit them, she took it to her in order to show off.

When Zheng Ping noticed Shuangyi’s behavior, she mused, I’m already taking care of the work in Xiuxiang[2], and there’s only one parent in this family, so I can’t ignore the lives of the children…

A few days later, Zheng Ping announced to Yun Yanhui and Shuangyi that, on the eighth of April, it would be the Bathing of the Buddha Festival. On that day, there would be a meeting at various worshiping temples. After, she’d go to Xiuxiang to deliver the goods, then she would take Yun Yanhui and Shuangyi to the nearby Daxiangguo Temple[3].

As for Xiaobao, Third Sister Hu would take care of him.

When Shuangyi heard of the festival, she immediately thought of something lively and breathtaking. Although Yun Yanhui had little knowledge of the Bathing of the Buddha Festival, it should probably be related to Buddha. He also knew of the Daxiangguo Temple. He spent dozens of yuan on tickets when traveling in Kaifeng. 

In ‘Water Margin’[4], Lu Zhishen was depicted with an uprooted willow tree around this area, and Di Qing also took refuge here. The story didn’t end here, with countless scholars having passed through this place, such as Su Dongpo, Wang Anshi, Fan Zhongyan, Wu Daozi…

Today, Daxiangguo Temple stood proudly for hundreds of years, and it was also the largest temple in Bianliang, revered by the royal family.

It was said that ancient Tibetan temples were usually deep in the mountains, and contrary to people’s belief, Daxiangguo Temple was different, and was located in the heart of Bianliang.

Little Shuangyi thought that the market where Liu Ye’s father had his stall was the busiest. That’s not correct! The busiest place in the capital city of this era was the Daxiangguo Temple!

Apart from small and big festivals, the temple opened five times a month for trading. During the Northern and Southern Dynasties, Buddhism was advocated. Temple fairs were originally organized by believers for various Buddhist activities. As merchants gathered to provide goods to many believers, the general public gradually joined in, thus today’s temple fair had commoners and officials participating.

The temple fair of Daxiangguo Temple is the best in Bianliang, combining shopping, leisure, recreation and meditation, which could be said to be Bianliang’s largest commercial complex.

If one read old novels and legends, they’d know about the many stories that had taken place at the temple fair in Daxiangguo Temple.

Today’s Daxiangguo Temple was, naturally, different from the one from almost a thousand years later; it had been rebuilt and expanded several times throughout history. Back when Yun Yanhui visited the spot in modern times, because the temple was enormous, he hurried back to other attractions and didn’t linger there for long.

Now he had the opportunity to admire it again. Still, Yun Yanhui was looking forward to his return back to the modern era. Nevertheless, it was stupendous to have visited places during ancient times.

Yun Yanhui had been to Daxiangguo Temple before transmigrating, but Shuangyi hadn’t been there before. Therefore, while working on her Kesi, Zheng Ping patiently told of the magnificence of the temple fair.

Yun Yanhui was more interested in the monks at the temple than about the temple fair. In the past, according to numerous sources, monks of the Tang and Song Dynasties were rather secular, and some even opened brothels to become rich. He didn’t know what to expect at the Daxiangguo Temple.

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[1]Means one thousand one hundred three (1103), might be a book about anything, though I initially thought it referred to something from the Northern Song Dynasty (since it came to an end in 1127, idk)

[2]Reminder that this means Embroidery Lane/Alley

[3]A famous Chinese Buddhist Temple in Kaifeng, built in 555 A.D.; literally means the Great National Temple.

[4]‘Water Margin’ is one of the earliest Chinese novels, set in the Northern Song Dynasty. More info on this matter can be found on wikipedia!

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