Peach Blossom Land On Longyin Island Chapter 15

Dragon King Temple

The Dragon King Temple was a simple earthen shrine located on the peak of Dragon Chant Slope. Dragon Chant Slope was a low, gentle hill on the eastern side of Maomao Mountain, stretching from east to west and connecting with the mountain. The earthen shrine had no door, only a low earthen wall encircling it, leaving an opening for entry and exit. A wooden plaque above the shrine bore the three characters “Dragon King Temple.” The temple was small, about ten paces wide and five paces deep. In the center, on the altar table, stood a painted clay statue of the Dragon King. Its upper body was upright, and its lower body coiled, the entire statue standing no more than half a meter tall. The dragon’s head was held high, and its whiskers flared. Though made of clay, the carving was extremely exquisite and lifelike.

In front of the Dragon King statue sat a small incense burner and three plates of fresh fruits. Three straw prayer mats were placed on the ground before the altar. That was all; there was nothing else. A single glance took in everything.

An Le and An Xiaoyu walked a circuit inside the temple. An Le stopped at the entrance, standing before the Dragon King statue, while An Xiaoyu went behind the statue. Both their gazes fell upon the altar table.

“According to the records, the Dragon King Temple already existed before the people of Longyin Village moved here. At that time, the temple was already dilapidated, the paint on the Dragon King statue was peeling, and the statue was incomplete. The Longyin villagers didn’t pay much attention to this broken shrine until the fifteenth year of Longyin, when heavy rain poured down on the village for seven days without stopping. Since Longyin Village was not situated on high ground, there was a visible danger of the village being flooded. Someone in the village remembered this Dragon King Temple and suggested that perhaps the Longyin villagers had angered the Dragon King by moving here without permission, causing the heavy rain to punish them. So, An Shui, the village chief at the time, repaired the damaged Dragon King statue and led the entire village here to worship the Dragon King and beg for forgiveness. It was truly miraculous; barely the time it takes for an incense stick to burn after the villagers finished their worship, the heavy rain suddenly stopped, the clouds parted, and the sky cleared. Since then, the Longyin villagers have regarded the Dragon King as their protective deity, sincerely worshipping and making offerings to him throughout the four seasons. And since that time, Longyin Village has enjoyed favorable weather and good harvests every year, free from disaster.”

An Le hadn’t paid much attention when he first read this record; temples all over the world had similar legends. As a modern person, he had never believed in ghosts or gods, and even today, he considered it merely a coincidence. But the Longyin villagers believed it deeply. They came to worship with great fanfare on major and minor holidays, and the offerings were replaced daily.

The Dragon King was the protective deity of Longyin Village and held great significance for its people. Therefore, it was highly likely that Village Chief An Shui would hide a map crucial to the survival of the Longyin villagers in the Dragon King Temple.

However… this place was so small, and everything was visible at a glance. They had looked around, and there was nowhere inside the temple to hide anything, unless it was buried underground.

An Le stomped his foot on the earth and asked, “Do you think they would hide the map underground?”

An Xiaoyu shook his head. “I don’t know. Unless we dig it up and see.”

An Le chuckled. “If you dare to move a single stone here, you’ll be thrown into the sea to feed the fish. Don’t let its dilapidated appearance fool you; Longyin villagers come up here every day to clean and make offerings. They haven’t stopped, even during heavy rain.” As he spoke, An Le took an apple from the offerings, took a bite, and found it sweet, crisp, plump, and fresh. He said, “Just picked this morning. The offerings are prepared fresh daily, and they always choose the best.”

An Xiaoyu smiled slightly. “Then you ate the Dragon King’s offering. Aren’t you afraid the Longyin villagers will throw you into the sea?”

An Le spoke shamelessly, “I am a Longyin villager. What’s wrong with eating an apple that our protective deity has eaten? The Dragon King won’t blame me.”

An Xiaoyu walked around to the front, took one too, and bit into it. “I am considered a Longyin villager now, too.”

“Uh-huh, a fake son-in-law can’t fool the true Dragon King,” An Le joked. “Want to dig? As long as you run fast enough, the Longyin villagers won’t be able to throw you in.”

An Xiaoyu shrugged. “Better not. If we guess wrong, we might be sunk in the sea to feed the fish first. Besides, we don’t have a boat yet. It won’t be too late to dig once we have a boat.”

“Hmm? Didn’t the village chief promise to prepare a boat for you before? Didn’t he have someone build it?” An Le asked, confused.

“He promised, but I haven’t seen a large ship capable of sailing. I asked a few times before, and the village chief only said it was being prepared and that he would give me the boat as promised when I left. But he never took me to see it. Now that I’ve said I’m staying, it’s awkward to ask again.”

“Hmm…” An Le pondered for a moment. “Grandpa An wouldn’t go back on his word. If he said he has it, he definitely does. Forget it, I’ll help you ask when I get a chance. Do you want to search here again? Or should we go back?”

An Xiaoyu turned and looked at the slightly dim sky outside the temple. “Let’s go back. It’s time to make dinner. What do you want to eat for dinner?”

“Don’t bother cooking. Let’s go freeload at my parents’ house,” An Le replied.

Having to cook three meals a day was tiring. It was better to go freeload at his parents’ house. An Le was very “considerate” of An Xiaoyu’s hard work, so on the second day of their marriage, An Le took An Xiaoyu back to his parents’ house for a free meal. Dragon Chant Slope was not far from the village. When the two arrived at Father An and Mother An’s house, they found Mother An in the kitchen cooking. An Xiaoyu, with the awareness of a good son-in-law, offered to stay and help.

“Mother, let me help,” An Xiaoyu said.

Mother An was stir-frying vegetables. Hearing him, she smiled. “No need, it’ll be ready soon. You and An Le go play. I’ll call you when it’s done.”

“Then Father, I’ll tend the fire,” An Xiaoyu offered to go to the stove, but Father An waved him off. “No need, no need. Go play with Su Su. She’s been looking for you all day.”

Just as he spoke, An Su Su came bounding in, hugging An Xiaoyu’s thigh and looking up with a cheerful smile. “Auntie~ where did you go? I looked for you for a long time.”

An Le stood at the kitchen door, watching An Su Su fly past him like a blur, heading straight for An Xiaoyu without the slightest pause, as if she hadn’t seen him. He was speechless for a moment, then forced out a gentle smile and reminded her, “Su Su, Brother is here.”

An Su Su was held in An Xiaoyu’s arms. Hearing this, she turned her head and gave An Le a sweet smile. “Brother~” She remained firmly in place.

“…” An Le felt like he was the outsider, and the four people in front of him were the real family.

An Xiaoyu walked over, holding An Su Su. “Let’s go. Aren’t you tired? Go rest.”

On the way down the mountain, An Le had complained that the village had no transportation, not even a horse. Going anywhere relied on two legs, which was not only time-consuming but also too tiring for a round trip.

“Why didn’t they bring a few horses when they moved here?” An Le sighed regretfully again, lying on a deck chair in the yard.

“Longyin Village moved here during a time of war. Horses were likely needed for combat, making it difficult for common families to buy them,” An Xiaoyu explained seriously.

“So that’s how it is.”

“Hey, An Le.” While they were talking, they suddenly heard An Linmian’s voice from the doorway. They looked up and saw An Linmian striding in.

Seeing An Linmian, An Le’s heart skipped a beat. The matter he had finally managed to push out of his mind now uncontrollably resurfaced.

Please don’t cause any more trouble, An Le thought silently.

“An Le, how was last night?” In a flash, An Linmian was in front of the three of them, asking with a teasing smile.

“…” What he feared had come to pass. An Le coughed, ignoring An Linmian’s question, and asked, “Why are you here?”

“Tsk, An Le, you can blush too.” An Linmian wouldn’t let him off, staring at An Le with a mischievous smile. “Did the wine taste good?”

“…” An Le felt even more awkward. He picked up his teacup and drank, hiding his embarrassment.

At this moment, An Xiaoyu replied calmly, “You’ll know when Miss An gets married and tastes it herself. What brings Miss An here?”

An Xiaoyu was styling An Su Su’s hair into two triangular buns, one on each side of her head, resembling the pointed ears of a cat. As soon as An Xiaoyu spoke, An Su Su immediately turned and covered An Xiaoyu’s mouth, shouting, “Sister-in-law, don’t talk to her!”

An Linmian: “…”

An Linmian bent down, wearing an extremely gentle smile, and clarified again, “Su Su, Sister Linmian really didn’t want to steal your brother’s wife—”

“I won’t listen, I won’t listen!” An Su Su covered her ears and yelled, “You bad woman.”

It had been ten days, and An Linmian still hadn’t earned An Su Su’s forgiveness. The girl who used to sweetly call her ‘Sister’ now called her a ‘bad woman.’ An Linmian glared angrily at An Le, the culprit.

An Le said sheepishly, “I explained it, but she won’t listen. That night, you asked An Xiaoyu out in front of so many people. She heard from the surrounding villagers that you liked An Xiaoyu and wanted to keep him as your husband, which is why she firmly believes you’re the bad woman who stole her sister-in-law. So… actually, it has nothing to do with whether we are real or not…” If An Xiaoyu had actually agreed to you that night, Su Su wouldn’t just be calling you a bad woman…”

Whether their marriage was real or fake, in Su Su’s heart, An Xiaoyu was her sister-in-law, and anyone who tried to steal her sister-in-law was a bad person. If An Xiaoyu had married An Linmian, An Su Su would probably… cause a scene at the wedding.

An Linmian rubbed her forehead, feeling a terrible headache. After a long sigh, she regretted her actions that night.

An Le comforted her. “She’s still young. She’ll understand when she grows up in a couple of years. She promised me she wouldn’t call you that in front of outsiders. Although Su Su is willful, she keeps her promises.”

An Linmian sighed again. “Let’s not talk about that for now. We plan to go hunting in the western mountain forest. Are you two coming?”

“Hunting? I thought only the hunting team could go?” An Xiaoyu asked.

An Linmian said, “Who says only the hunting team can go? It’s just that people usually try not to hunt, but winter is approaching, and we need to hunt more animal hides for fur coats.”

An Le said, “But the western forest takes more than a day to return from, right?” The western mountain forest An Linmian referred to was the forest behind Maomao Mountain. It would probably be too late to hunt and return in a single day.

“Naturally,” An Linmian confirmed. “It usually takes four or five days.”

An Le hesitated. “That long? My parents probably won’t let me go.”

“Don’t worry, we’re going with the hunting team this time, so nothing will happen. Besides,” An Linmian curved her lips, “The fur coats in the village are prioritized for the elderly, children, women, and the sick. Everyone else who wants a fur coat has to hunt for it themselves. Your wife just arrived, and he’s a strong man, so he definitely won’t be allocated one. Don’t you want to make a fox fur coat for your wife to keep him warm?”

“…” Could she please stop calling him ‘your wife’? An Le couldn’t help but roll his eyes. But An Linmian was right. It was cold in the mountains, and without heating, air conditioning, or down jackets, it would be difficult to endure the cold winter months without a fur coat. An Xiaoyu was one thing, but according to An Linmian, the village prioritized the elderly, weak, and women, so his parents might not have coats either.

For his parents’ sake, he should go. While he was thinking, An Le heard An Xiaoyu say, “You wait at home. I’ll go by myself; that’s enough.”

An Le glanced at An Xiaoyu. “Let’s go together. We can hunt more and make coats for Father and Mother too.”

“Great! Then tomorrow, remember to go to the village training ground to pick a suitable weapon and familiarize yourselves with it. We leave in three days,” An Linmian clapped her hands, deciding for both of them, and preventing An Xiaoyu from trying to persuade An Le to stay. “I’m leaving now.”

During dinner, An Le told Father An and Mother An about going hunting in the forest with the hunting team. Mother An was naturally reluctant to let An Le go, but after hearing An Xiaoyu’s confident assurance, she finally nodded in agreement.

Dinner in the village was eaten early. The sky was only just beginning to darken when they finished eating. The two played with An Su Su for a while, and only when the sky was completely dark did they return home together.

The two walked straight back to the bedroom. Just as An Le was about to push the door open, he suddenly remembered something. He stopped and turned to An Xiaoyu beside him. “Now that we have an empty room, we don’t have to squeeze onto one bed anymore.” An Le pointed to the side room on the east side of the courtyard. “Why don’t you sleep in that one?”

An Xiaoyu was silent for a moment. “That room hasn’t been cleaned up yet.”

“We can clean it now.”

“It’s dark, it’s inconvenient.”

“We have candles.”

An Xiaoyu didn’t move.

In the dim night, An Le inexplicably felt a hint of reluctance in An Xiaoyu’s calm expression, so he asked, “Or do you prefer this room? Then you sleep here, and I’ll go to that one.” As he spoke, he started to walk away, but An Xiaoyu reached out and stopped him.

“No need. I’ll clean it up. You rest,” An Xiaoyu said.

Despite this, An Le still thoughtfully helped An Xiaoyu clean the room. Their new house had originally been prepared for An Le’s cousin. When the house was built, the side room was intended to be the future children’s bedroom, so it already had a bed. However, when the villagers cleaned the house a few days ago, perhaps thinking the couple wouldn’t need this bedroom, they hadn’t put much furniture in it. Besides a bed and a cabinet, there was almost nothing else.

An Le looked at the empty room and suddenly felt a sense of shame. An Xiaoyu did all the chores around the house, big and small, while he did nothing and occupied the best room. An Le felt exactly like an unscrupulous landlord from ancient times who exploited slaves.

“How about…” An Le scratched his head, stammering awkwardly, “Let’s switch. You sleep in the master bedroom.”

An Xiaoyu saw what An Le was thinking and said calmly, “No need. It’s just for sleeping temporarily. It’s enough.”

“Okay… then make do with it tonight. I’ll ask Grandpa An for some furniture tomorrow.” An Le said, stepping out. “Then get some rest early. I’m going back.”