Qinglian’S Heart Is Covered, Fate Meets Chapter 40

Chapter 40

Chaos Lotus Shang·Pan Lang’s Guard·Only Thinking of the Old Days and Nights (Chapter 2·30,000 words·Desperation of obsession·Rebirth of Lotus Courtyard)

1. The morning cooking in the mortal world is warmed by the fragrance of lotus

The morning mist in the old alleys of Liancheng always carries the freshness of purple lotus. At dawn, smoke rises from the breakfast stalls at the entrance of the alley. Mixed with the sweet aroma of soy milk and the burnt aroma of fried dough sticks, it spreads over the bluestone road and penetrates into the wooden fence of the small courtyard.

I was awakened by the warmth in my belly.The lotus in her arms slept peacefully, her long hair scattered on the pillow, and the broken hair on her temples was wet with morning dew. She unconsciously held the plain sarong in her palms, and on her exposed wrist, the lavender lotus print glowed very faintly in the morning light.Her lower abdomen has swelled slightly, and through the thin fabric, I can clearly feel the throbbing of the new soul breath, light but firm, like the tremor of lotus seeds breaking through the ground at the bottom of the pond when chaos first opens.

I carefully moved my arm away, for fear of disturbing her clear dream, but my fingertips still inadvertently brushed her cheek.Her eyelashes trembled, but she didn’t open her eyes. She just shrank into the warm pillow and muttered vaguely “Pan Lang”, which made me feel soft. I leaned over and kissed her forehead gently, as lightly as if I was afraid of breaking the lotus shadow on the surface of the pond.

The purple lotus pond outside the courtyard was already shimmering, and the morning dew fell on the petals, reflecting the rising sun and breaking into stars all over the ground.I stepped on wooden clogs and walked to the kitchen. I first added clean well water to the pot, then peeled fresh lotus hearts from the lotus pods picked yesterday, and carefully picked out the bitter core of the lotus hearts. Since she became pregnant, she has become particularly fond of sweets. Even her favorite bitter lotus heart porridge had to be removed repeatedly before I would eat it.

The firewood crackled in the stove, the firelight reflected the edge of the pot, and the lotus heart gradually stretched in the boiling water, creating lavender ripples.I scooped two spoonfuls of glutinous rice into the pot and stirred it gently with a spoon. When the white mist rose, the sweetness mixed with lotus fragrance filled the room.While he was busy, there was suddenly the sound of soft footsteps behind him. He turned around and saw Lian standing at the door of the kitchen, holding on to the door frame. Her plain skirt was tied loosely, her brows and eyes still showed the laziness of just waking up, and the curvature of her lower abdomen became more obvious in the morning light.

“Why don’t you sleep more?” I quickly turned off the fire on the stove, and quickly stepped forward to hold her arm. My fingertips touched the cold back of her hand, and I couldn’t help but frown, “Why don’t you put on a coat? You are too exposed in the morning, so be careful to catch a cold.”

She leaned into my arms, nuzzled the hem of my clothes, and her voice was hoarse with sleep: “I smelled the lotus fragrance when I woke up, and I wanted to come and see you.” As she said that, her eyes fell on the porridge rolling in the pot, with a smile in her eyes, “Today’s porridge must be sweet.”

“Of course it’s sweet.” I helped her sit on the pony in the kitchen. I turned around and took out the sweet-scented osmanthus cake I bought at the alley yesterday from the food box and handed it to her. “First, I’ll comfort my stomach. The porridge still needs half an hour to cook.”

She picked up a piece of osmanthus cake and took a small bite. The sweet smell mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus spread between her teeth. Her eyebrows curved into crescents, but she suddenly stopped and coughed twice, covering her heart.My heart tightened, and I quickly put down the spoon and patted her back. I put my palm on her belly. I felt that the soul breath was still stable, and then I breathed a sigh of relief.

“But are you tired of it?” I frowned and took the warm water on the side and handed it to her lips. “If you don’t like it, I won’t buy it tomorrow. I’ll go find some fresh candied dates and make jujube soup for you.”

She took a sip of water, shook her head, leaned on my shoulder, and gently covered the back of my hand with her fingertips. Her voice was as soft as cotton wool: “It’s not greasy, it’s just that I’m greedy. It’s just that my body keeps tormenting you like this.”

“What nonsense are you talking about?” I held her hand and warmed my palm. “Protecting you and the child is the most important thing for me to do in my life. In the past in heaven, I was always afraid that you would be distracted by the common people, but now I understand that being able to watch you drink porridge in the morning and look at lotus flowers at dusk is the greatest perfection.”

She looked up at me, her eyes filled with tiny lights, and she suddenly reached out to hook my neck and gave me a gentle kiss on the corner of my lips, with the sweetness of the sweet-scented osmanthus cake and the moistness of the lotus heart: “Pan Lang, your behavior reminds me of the way you protected my lotus seeds when I first met Chaos.”

The white mist in the kitchen was still rising, mixed with the fragrance of osmanthus and lotus, wrapping their figures gently.Looking at her smiling brows, I suddenly felt that the pain and fear of hundreds of millions of years had turned into the softness around my fingers in the morning smoke and fire of this mortal world.

2. The old son is found and reunited at the alley

Autumn has entered Liancheng, and the sycamore leaves at the entrance of the alley have begun to rustle down. A layer of broken gold has accumulated on the bluestone road, making a rustling sound when you step on it.Lian’s body became heavier and heavier. During the day, she always liked to lean on the stone bench in the courtyard, touching the curve of her palms and looking at the Purple Lotus Pond in a daze. Occasionally, she would hum a tune from the time of chaos. The tune was very light, mixed with the sound of the wind blowing in the lotus pond, and it was very similar to the night chat of the stars in the Zixiao Palace.

That day, I had just returned from the drug store to grab some anti-fetal herbs, and I saw a girl in purple standing under the sycamore tree at the entrance of the alley. Her silver crown was half crooked, and her brows and eyes were a bit dusty, but she still couldn’t hide her pure and moist lotus charm.She looked in the direction of the small courtyard, holding a purple lotus jade pendant on her fingertips, which was the protective token I gave Si Yi back then.

My footsteps paused, and the purple lotus mark on my heart felt slightly hot – it was Si Yi. She had survived the tribulation and found the mortal world.

“Father.” Siyi spoke first, with a bit of timidity and a bit of grievance in her voice. She quickly walked up to me, bowed and saluted, “My child…I have been looking for you for a long time.”

I hid the herbal basket behind my back, frowned and said, “How did you find it here? Are the clones not taking good care of the affairs of the heaven?”

“The clones have taken good care of it, but the child is worried about my mother.” Si looked up at me with red eyes, “Mother is pregnant. The lotus heart in the heaven can protect the fetal energy, but the spiritual energy in the mortal world is thin, and the child is afraid that the mother will not be able to bear it.” As she said, she took out a brocade box from her sleeve and handed it to me, “This is the lotus heart dew that the child picked from the depths of the Purple Lotus Pond. It can protect the mother and the siblings in her belly.”

I looked at the clear lotus heart dew in the brocade box, and my heart warmed, but I still said with a straight face: “The mortal world has its own rules. Since your mother has lost her divinity, she should not use the spiritual energy from the heaven to avoid disturbing the fetal energy.”

“But…” Si Yi wanted to say more, but Lian’s voice suddenly came from the door of the courtyard: “Is it Si Yi? Come in.”

I turned around and looked, and I saw Lian Zheng standing holding the door frame, wearing a thin shirt over her plain skirt, with a smile on her face, and the curvature of her lower abdomen was particularly obvious under the thin shirt.As soon as Si saw her, her eyes turned red. She rushed over quickly, but stopped three steps away. For fear of touching her body, she choked with sobs and said, “Mother!”

“Silly child, why are you crying?” Lian waved her hand and motioned for her to come closer. He stretched out his hand to straighten the crooked silver crown for her. When his fingertips touched the dust in her hair, he couldn’t help but frown. “You must be exhausted after coming all the way. Come to the hospital and rest quickly. Your father has just cooked lotus heart porridge.”

Siyi agreed, but she still put the brocade box into my hand first and whispered: “Father, you must use the Lotus Heart Dew for my mother. The child sensed during the calamity that my mother’s fetal energy will occasionally be unstable.”

I didn’t refuse anymore, and my fingertips holding the brocade box tightened slightly.After entering the courtyard, Lian pulled Si Yi to sit on a stone bench and asked her about her experience of overcoming the tribulation. Si Yi clapped her fingers and told anecdotes about the mortal world, saying that she had been a general in this life and guarded a city. She also said that she met Nanning and Nan Yu and that they were about to finish the tribulation.

Lian smiled as she heard this. Occasionally she would raise her hand to rub her belly, and said softly: “You have all grown up, and you can now be on your own.”

“But in the eyes of mother, a child will always be a child.” Siyi moved closer to Lian, but was afraid of squeezing her belly, so he moved his body carefully, making Lian laugh.

I brought the lotus heart porridge, put it on the stone table, filled a bowl for Siyi, and said in a deep voice: “Now that I’m here, I’ll stay for a few days, but I’m just not allowed to use magic or disturb the mortal neighbors.”

“My child knows.” Si Yi held the bowl of porridge and smiled with crooked eyebrows. “The porridge cooked by my father is as sweet as the one made by my mother.”

In those days, the small courtyard became more lively.Siyi would get up before dawn every day, help sweep the yard, chop firewood, and secretly go to the Purple Lotus Pond to collect lotus hearts, and cook porridge like me, but she couldn’t control the heat well, and it would either become mushy or too watery, which made Lian laugh at her every day.

In the evening, Lian Ai sat on the stone bench, Si Yi squatted at her feet and squeezed her legs. I sat aside and peeled the tangerines I had just bought for her. The three of them talked about the old things in the chaos, the stars in the Zixiao Palace, and the interesting things about the old children. The lotus fragrance in the courtyard was mixed with the orange fragrance, which was even more stable than the heaven.

That day, Siyi suddenly raised her head and asked Lian: “Mother, what are the names of the younger siblings in your belly?”

Lian touched her belly and turned to look at me, with a smile in her eyes.I handed a peeled orange to her lips and whispered: “My name is Nianlian, in memory of your mother, and in memory of our chaotic fate.”

When Si heard the words, her eyes lit up: “Nianlian, what a good name! When the younger brother and sister are born, the child will definitely protect him.”

Lian smiled and nodded, stuffed an orange into Si’s mouth, and said softly: “From now on, you are all brothers and sisters, and you must support each other.”

The setting sun fell on the purple lotus pond, stretching the silhouettes of the three of them. The autumn wind rolled the sycamore leaves and fell on the stone table. Si Yi suddenly whispered: “Father, I didn’t understand your obsession in the past. Now that I see you guarding my mother, I understand that what you want is never exclusivity, but my mother’s stability.”

I paused while peeling the orange, then turned to look at Lian nestling on the stone bench, and then at Si Yi who lowered his head to nibble the orange. The paranoia in my heart suddenly disappeared.Yes, what I want is never that she only sees me, but that she is safe, that she is happy, that our bond can continue in this mortal world, that is enough.

3. Pregnancy on a rainy night, keep each other in the palm of your hand

Autumn rains in Liancheng always come unexpectedly. The sky was clear in the afternoon, but dark clouds gathered in the evening. The big raindrops hit the bluestones, splashing a layer of mist, mixed with the scent of sycamore leaves, and filling the streets with moisture.

Lian’s fetal energy suddenly became unstable.

At that time, I was making jujube puree soup for her, and suddenly I heard her whispering in the courtyard. I rushed out and saw her holding on to the stone bench, her face pale, cold sweat dripping from her forehead, and the soul breath in her lower abdomen was a bit disordered.My heart tightened, and I quickly picked her up and rushed into the room. When my fingertips touched the cold back of her hand, I remembered the Lotus Heart Dew left by Si Yi.

“Lian, don’t be afraid, I’m here.” I put her on the bed, pulled the quilt over her body, turned around to get the Lotus Heart Dew from the brocade box, but my fingertips were shaking badly.During the chaos, she blocked the demon flames for me and shattered the lotus heart. During the Zixiao Palace, she used up her essence to protect the three realms. Now that she is pregnant, she still suffers like this. I hate myself for losing my godhead and being unable to protect her.

Lian held my wrist, her voice was trembling, but she still forced a smile: “Pan Lang, don’t panic, I’m fine…it’s just the child. Is the child uncomfortable?”

“No.” I opened the brocade box, poured the Lotus Heart Dew into a porcelain bowl, mixed it with warm water, and carefully put it to her lips. “Drink the Lotus Heart Dew, and you and your child will be safe.”

The moment the lotus heart was exposed into her throat, the lotus seal on her wrist suddenly lit up, a lavender halo spread across her lower abdomen, and the chaotic soul breath gradually stabilized.She breathed a sigh of relief and leaned back on the pillow, her eyes red: “I made you worry.”

“What are you talking about?” I sat on the edge of the bed, held her hand in my palm, and warmed it with my own body temperature. The other hand gently covered her belly. I felt that the soul breath became firm again, and then I felt a little relieved. “From now on, I will guard you every step of the way.”

The rain fell heavier and heavier, hitting the window lattice with a crackling sound. The candlelight in the room was blown swaying by the wind, casting the shadows of the two people on the wall, overlapping into a gentle look.Lian leaned on my shoulder, gently tracing the lines on my palm with her fingertips, and whispered: “Pan Lang, do you remember? When I was pregnant with Siyi, it was also a rainy night like this. You guarded me for three days and three nights, and even missed the court meeting.”

“How could I not remember?” I lowered my head and kissed the top of her hair, with a hoarse voice, “At that time, you stayed up for three days and gave birth to your baby, and your lotus heart became a little darker. I felt so distressed that I vowed never to let you suffer like this again. But now…”

“It’s different now.” Lian looked up at me, her eyes filled with the light of candlelight, “Now with you guarding me, the children remembering me, and the purple lotuses all over the courtyard protecting me, I feel safe.”

Her fingertips suddenly stopped, and the hand covering her lower abdomen tightened slightly. A trace of surprise flashed in her eyes: “Pan Lang, he moved.”

I hurriedly leaned over and put my ear against her belly, and sure enough I felt a very light kick. The force was very soft, but it hit my heart like a drumbeat, making my eyes water.I raised my hand and gently covered it with hers, feeling the new throbbing together with her. My throat tightened, and I just murmured repeatedly: “Lian, I love you, I love you all.”

Lotus tears fell down and dripped on the top of my hair, carrying the sweetness of lotus heart dew.She squeezed my hand tightly and buried her face in my neck, her voice choked with sobs: “I love you too, Pan Lang. I will love you for all my life.”

The rain was still falling outside the window, and the lotus fragrance from the Purple Lotus Pond mixed with the rain and spread into the house. The candle flames swayed in the wind, but never went out.I held her in my arms, feeling the warmth in my palms and the throbbing in my belly, and suddenly felt that this rainy night in this mortal world was more brilliant than the stars in the heavens, and more complete than the chaotic lotus pond.

4. Gifts from neighbors bring warmth to the world

The neighbors in Liancheng are all very kind. Aunt Wang at the alley always likes to send some freshly steamed buns. Shopkeeper Li from the breakfast shop always leaves an extra portion of sweet soy milk every day. The old doctor from the medicine shop even comes to the courtyard every now and then to check Lian’s pulse and give advice on miscarriage.They just think that we are ordinary commoner couples, but there is always the warmth of the world in the subtleties.

That day, the old doctor had just checked Lian’s pulse. He stroked his beard and said with a smile: “Madam’s fetal energy is very stable, and she will be ready to give birth in more than a month. It’s just that it’s been cold these days, so she needs to drink more warming soup to avoid catching a cold.”

I hurriedly handed over the gift of thanks, but the old doctor waved his hand: “Being polite between neighbors.” As he said that, he took out a cloth bag from the medicine box and handed it to me, “This is the dried longan dried by my old lady. I put a few in it when making soup. It can replenish qi and blood. I keep it for my wife.”

I took the cloth bag, the tip of my nose felt hot, and I thanked him repeatedly.The old man smiled and gave a few more instructions before turning and leaving.

Lian leaned on the bedside, looking at the longan in the cloth bag, with warmth in her eyes: “People in this world know how to warm people’s hearts better than gods in heaven.”

“Yes.” I put the longan into the food box and turned around to tuck her in. “In the past, in the heaven, all the gods respected you and feared you, but there was no such pure warmth. Now in the mortal world, although there is no magic, there are more fireworks.”

Just as he was talking, Aunt Wang from the alley came with another basket of eggs. She smiled and said through the fence: “Brother Pan, is your wife about to give birth? These are eggs just laid by my chickens. They will be used to replenish your wife’s health.”

“Ms. Wang, you can’t do this. I’ll always take your things.” I rushed to welcome her out, but I couldn’t resist her enthusiasm. I could only accept the egg. Then I went back to the house and took the purple lotus handkerchief embroidered by lotus and handed it to her hand. “This is the handkerchief embroidered by my wife. Don’t dislike it.”

“What do you dislike? This embroidered veil is very handsome!” Aunt Wang touched the lotus pattern on the veil and smiled from ear to ear. “Your wife has such skillful hands, she will be blessed in the future.”

After Aunt Wang left, Lian looked at the eggs and longans on the table and suddenly said: “Pan Lang, when the baby is born, we will invite the neighbors to a wedding bar so that they can also be happy.”

“Okay.” I agreed with a smile, “I will go to the wine shop at the entrance of the alley to buy some rice wine, and then ask shopkeeper Li to make some snacks. I will make sure the neighbors will enjoy it.”

Lian’s eyebrows curved into crescent moons, she leaned against the head of the bed, touched her belly, and said softly: “This child must be blessed to be born in the mortal world, with so many kind-hearted people caring about him.”

I walked to the bedside, leaned over and kissed her forehead, and placed my palm on her belly. I felt the increasingly powerful soul breath, and the warmth in my heart spread over my limbs: “We are all lucky to be able to guard this small courtyard, guard the warmth of the world, and guard each other.”

The days are slipping into deep winter day by day in such a delicate warmth.Lian’s belly is getting heavier and heavier, and she needs my help even to stand up, but she still sits in the courtyard every day, embroidering small clothes for her children. Those clothes are all embroidered with lavender lotus patterns, and her tenderness is revealed in every stitch.

I was busy preparing for the birth. I bought clean cotton cloth from the drug store and soft swaddling clothes from the market. I also went to the Purple Lotus Pond to pick some lotus hearts, dried them in the sun and kept them. I thought about making lotus heart soup for Lian to replenish her health after the baby was born.

I was sewing the swaddling clothes that day, and Lian suddenly walked up to me, hugged my waist from behind, rested her chin on my shoulder, and whispered: “Pan Lang, tell me, when the child is born, will he look like you or me?”

I put down the needle and thread, turned around and held her hand, pulled her into my arms and sat down, brushed her eyebrows with my fingertips, and said with a smile: “Like you, with your gentleness and your lotus charm; also like me, with my integrity and my obsession, this is the best.”

She shrank into my arms, poked my heart with her fingertips, and said with a smile: “You, you are not obsessed now.”

“With you here, with the children here, with the warmth of this mortal world, obsessions have become clouds and smoke.” I hugged her and looked out the window at the purple lotus pond with falling snow, my voice was gentle, “I only want you to be safe, and as long as the lotus fragrance in this small courtyard does not dissipate, that’s enough.”

5. New life in Lotus Court, love determines this life

The first snowfall in Liancheng fell very lightly, floating like catkins on the bluestone, falling on the petals of the purple lotus pond, making the purple lotuses in the courtyard even more refreshing.When the day mentioned by the old doctor arrived, Lian’s body began to feel pain, and the cold sweat on her forehead mixed with snow foam, making her temples wet, but she still held my hand and gritted her teeth and refused to make a sound.

I stayed by the bed, my fingertips were so painfully clenched by her, but I didn’t dare to move at all. I could only whisper in her ear over and over again: “Lian, don’t be afraid, I’m here, I’ll always be here.”

Aunt Wang from the alley and Shopkeeper Li’s daughter-in-law came to help, heating water to others and handing cotton cloths to others. The candlelight in the room was so bright that it mixed with the sweetness of lotus heart dew and the coolness of snow, and the air was filled with anxiety.

The labor pains became stronger and stronger, and Lian’s face became paler, but she still held on. When another wave of severe pain hit her, she suddenly squeezed my hand tightly, with tears in her eyes and a trembling voice: “Pan Lang, I hurt…”

“I know, I know.” I leaned over and kissed away the tears from the corners of her eyes, and put her hand on my face. “If you bear with it any longer, the baby will be born soon. Just bear with it and it will be fine.”

I don’t know how long it took, but the snow outside the window gradually stopped, and a fish-belly white color appeared in the east. A clear cry suddenly cut through the anxiety in the house.Aunt Wang held the baby in her arms and smiled with crooked eyebrows: “She’s born! She’s a girl! She has very handsome features and looks very much like Madam!”

I stumbled to the bedside, looked at Lian’s pale but smiling face, and then looked at the crumpled baby in the swaddling clothes, and tears fell instantly.I held Lian’s hand and my voice was choked with sobs: “Lian, thank you for your hard work, thank you for your hard work.”

Lian shook her head, reached out and touched my cheek, then looked at the infant child with a gentle light in her eyes: “Pan Lang, look, she looks like the little lotus in the chaos.”

I leaned over and placed a soft kiss on her forehead, then carefully moved closer to the baby’s side. Looking at the little baby’s brows and eyes, they indeed had the freshness of lotus and my bones. The purple lotus mark on her heart suddenly lit up, which made my heart feel warm.

“Let’s call her Nian Lian, we agreed.” I whispered, turning around and looking into Lian’s eyes, “I miss you, our fate, and the warmth of this mortal world.”

Lian nodded with a smile, but tears fell down, mixed with a smile, becoming the gentlest look in her life.

Neighbors came to congratulate each other, Aunt Wang gave her hand-made tiger-head shoes, Shopkeeper Li brought sweet rice wine, and the old doctor also gave him a safety lock. The courtyard was crowded with people, and laughter mixed with the cries of babies spread over the purple lotus pond where the snow had fallen, over the bluestone road, and over the deep winter in Liancheng.

Si Yi also rushed back, holding little Nianlian in his arms, smiling from ear to ear, saying that he would make the best jade pendant for his sister to protect her as she grew up.Nanning and Nanyu also came here, carrying lotus seeds from heaven, and said they would plant purple lotus in the small courtyard so that their sister could grow up with the fragrance of lotus every day.

The sun was particularly warm that day, and the purple lotus pond in the snow was glowing with golden light. Little Nianlian slept peacefully in her swaddling clothes. The lotus was leaning on my shoulder, and her fingertips were intertwined with mine, covering Nianlian’s little face together.I looked at the relatives and neighbors in the courtyard, at my wife and daughter in my arms, at the purple lotus in the pond, and suddenly I felt that this is the perfection of this life.

“Pan Lang.” Lian suddenly spoke, her voice as soft as cotton wool.

“Huh?” I looked down at her.

“I love you.” She looked at my eyebrows and said every word clearly and firmly, “From the first time we met in chaos, to side by side in the purple sky, to the time when we are together in the mortal world, I have loved you all our lives.”

My heart felt warm, and I held her and the child tightly in my arms, resting my chin on the top of her hair, feeling the warmth and new-born softness in my arms. My voice was hoarse but solemn: “I love you too, Lian. I love you as before, I will love you to the end, I will love you year after year, and I will love you for all eternity.”

The sun fell on the purple lotus pond, making the lotus fragrance in the courtyard even sweeter. Xiao Nianlian smacked her lips in her swaddling clothes and let out a small hum, which made everyone in the courtyard laugh.I know that in the years to come, there will be countless people and countless children, but the only true love in my life will always be the wife in my arms; the most stable destination in this life will always be this small courtyard with lotus fragrance, and the years in this mortal world.

The lotus fragrance of chaos is still there, the stars in the purple sky are still there, the warmth of the mortal world is still there, and our love has already transcended the bonds of hundreds of millions of years, and has become an unchanging eternity in the new life of this small courtyard.