Nativity

Chapter 355
Three years later

A red-capped double-wheeled carriage swayed slowly on the endless street.

The green-covered carriage stopped at the foot of a big mountain, the curtain of the carriage was lifted, and a woman stepped out of the carriage.

The woman is wearing a blue emerald smoked sweater with a pleated skirt of water mist and green grass inside, a bun on her head, and a hollow golden hairpin inserted obliquely, with a dignified and gentle manner.

The coachman and the maid called this woman 'Mrs. Zuodu'.

Yes, this woman is Jiang Min, 'Mrs. Zuo Du'.

"Outside, don't call me 'Mrs. Zuodu'."

It has been three years, and Jiang Min is still not pregnant, which makes her very worried, especially when facing her elderly parents-in-law, she feels like a mountain of pressure.

Looking up from the bottom of the mountain, there is a Buddhist temple. I heard that this Buddhist temple is very spiritual.As long as you accumulate virtue and do good deeds, you can exchange for blessings.

Jiang Min did not hesitate to travel far to come here to worship Buddha and pray for blessings.

In the pure land of Buddhism, Jiang Min didn't want to be too ostentatious, so she ordered her maid Ami and the coachman not to call her identity.

Ah Mi and the coachman bowed in response: "It's Madam."

In order to show his piety, Jiang Min had to walk to the Buddhist temple.

To get to the Buddhist temple, you must step up a long and bare stone step.

The sun was shining brightly, and Jiang Min struggled to climb up.

When the maid Ah Mi saw her wife staggering up the stairs, her heart almost jumped out.

"Madam, can it work? Why don't you let Ah Mi help you?" Ah Mi was worried about her wife's safety, so she went up to help her.

"Agu, don't help me. If the Buddha sees me, he will think that I'm not pious enough." Jiang Min refused the maid's help.

A Mi said worriedly: "But ma'am, these stone steps are too stupid!"

"It's okay, I'll pay attention." Jiang Min comforted the maid, and continued to crawl.

With perseverance, Jiang Min finally climbed to the top of the mountain, and a solemn Buddhist temple came into view.

In front of the Buddhist temple, there is a large golden Buddha, shining with golden light, with its head as high as the mountain, its feet on the river, its hands on its knees, its forehead is generous, graceful, kind and dignified, but its expression is solemn.

When he saw the big golden Buddha in front of the Buddhist temple, Jiang Min immediately felt no tiredness, and his eyes seemed to see the light of hope.

Jiang Min put a stick of incense on the censer, and prayed to the Buddha with his hands together!
Since this Buddhist temple is still famous in Kyoto, there are quite a lot of people worshiping Buddha here and praying for blessings.

At this time, an old monk came towards Jiang Min, followed by a young monk.

Amitabha!
"Is this lady coming to this temple for the first time?"

"Yes, master!" Jiang Min clasped his hands in return.

The old monk saw that Jiang Min was the first time he went to the Buddhist temple to pray, so he asked Jiang Min to talk.

After Jiang Min came to hang out with the old monk for a while, he asked Ah Mi to go to the merit cabinet with the young monk to donate some sesame oil money, and then he followed the old monk to the temple to worship Buddha and pray for blessings.

Jiang Min came to the temple, put his hands together, and bowed devoutly.

For the sake of Jiang Min's piety, the old monk agreed to write a prayer for Jiang Min, and asked Jiang Min what to pray to the Buddha?
What Jiang Min wants to pray for most is a son, but recently her father-in-law and mother-in-law are not in good health, and she and her husband are not very happy in the officialdom.

Jiang Min thought for a while and asked the old monk: "Master, can I ask the Buddha for some blessings?"

"No, I can only pray to the Buddha for one wish when I come to the Buddhist temple. People should not be too greedy." The old monk replied decisively.

Being rejected by the old monk, Jiang Min immediately felt extremely ashamed.

Jiang Min hurriedly explained: "Master misunderstood, I am not praying for myself."

"Then who do you want to pray for?" the old monk asked.

"The elderly in the family are getting weaker and weaker, and my husband's official career is not satisfactory. I want to pray for them."

"Even so, it won't work," said the old monk.

"Why? Didn't the master just say that as long as you accumulate virtue and do good deeds, you can get the blessings of the Buddha. Now I will give my blessings to my relatives, why can't it work?" Jiang Min was stunned!

"Amitabha! It is your selfishness to give your blessings to your loved ones. If everyone does good deeds with selfish intentions, then it is not called 'doing good deeds'; if it is not called true 'doing good deeds', then what is it?" Accumulate virtue? If you can’t accumulate virtue, how can you get good fortune?”

I don't understand, how can it be selfish to give one's blessings to relatives and lovers? It should be selfless, right?

What the old monk said made Jiang Min even more confused.

The old monk said again: Amitabha!
"Ma'am, do you still want to pray?" the old monk asked.

Jiang Min froze for a moment, and said, "Of course."

"But you can only pray for one blessing." The old monk said.

Jiang Min thought for a while, and said: "My husband is a single heir for three generations, and the wish of my family is to give birth to a son for my husband."

Ask Zifu?

The old monk showed a troubled expression.

Jiang Min knelt on both knees and begged the old monk to write her a blessing and bless the Buddha.

Although the old monk was in a difficult situation, he still wrote a blessing for Jiang Min.

After leaving, Jiang Min donated incense money to the Buddhist temple in order to express his gratitude.

Jiang Min followed the old monk's instructions, eating fast and chanting Buddha every day, accumulating virtue and doing good deeds.

....................................

On this day, Sima Ao, who was on inspection outside, went back to the mansion, and asked the housekeeper if he couldn't see Jiang Min. "Where's Madam?"

The butler looked at the time and said, "Master, at this time, Ma'am, it's time to serve porridge at the Buddhist temple."

Temple Porridge?

Sima Ao didn't understand, so he asked the housekeeper again, where did Madam go and what did she do recently?

The housekeeper told Sima Ao that his wife had recently become obsessed with worshiping Buddha, and she often gave away porridge and donated clothes to the poor.

"Okay, I see."

Sima Ao knew about Jiang Min's recent situation, so he asked the butler to step down first.

...........................

At night, Sima Ao asked Jiang Min, where have you been today?
Jiang Min told Sima Ao that today he went to pray to Buddha; he went to serve porridge; he went to visit his father and mother again.

"How are those old people?" Sima Ao asked.

Because of his busy schedule, Sima Ao hadn't visited his parents for a long time, and Jiang Min would take care of them instead of him.

Jiang Min has to serve her husband as well as her in-laws.

In order to stay on top of each other, Jiang Min often ran in both directions.

"Father is in good health, but mother's leg injury happened again." Jiang Min replied.

I have been patrolling various places these years, but I have not been able to come back to visit my parents. I am really an unfilial son.

As soon as Sima Ao heard that his mother's leg injury happened again, Sima Ao felt guilty for a while.

"Mother's leg injury is sick again? Didn't you call a doctor?" Sima Ao asked.

"Please ask the doctor. The doctor said that the winter nights are long and cold, and my mother's rheumatism has been accumulated for a long time. In addition, she has a leg injury, so it is difficult to relapse."

"This year's winter is actually colder than in previous years. Tomorrow, I will send them more charcoal and some quilts." While talking, Sima Ao looked sadly out the window, which was covered with thick snow and ice.

Jiang Min replied, "I will." He comforted Sima Ao not to worry too much.

"Ma'am, it's really hard work for you!"

Sima Ao stared affectionately at the gentle and virtuous Jiang Min, and embraced her in his arms.

It is a kind of happiness to be able to give to the one you love, so Jiang Min never feels hard work and never complains.

"Husband, there is no need to say polite words between you and me."

Jiang Min lay tenderly in Sima Ao's arms, with a happy smile on his face.

(End of this chapter)