Chapter 24: Qingyuan Temple and the Banyan Tree of Destiny

Wang Rong glanced again at the person in the driver’s seat and began to hesitate.

In his view, his cousin wasn’t a thoughtless person and should have a very serious attitude towards marriage. So, hadn’t Wang Zhao noticed anything amiss about Li Zhenguan?

He wasn’t sure. So he became very hesitant about whether to tell Wang Zhao or not.

Moreover, Li Zhenguan appeared quite friendly and amiable in front of them. Even his father couldn’t help but praise him in private, saying that Li Zhenguan had a good personality, wasn’t spoiled in managing the household, and didn’t seem like a child from a wealthy family at all.

In fact, Wang Rong’s consideration was quite normal. If it were the previous Wang Zhao, she might have really noticed something off about Li Zhenguan. But this Wang Zhao was an amnesiac, an imposter with no memories in her brain, relying entirely on external reactions to gather information.

This resulted in some information gaps, and Li Zhenguan was good at ingratiating himself. In front of Wang Zhao, he was gentle, kind, obedient, and amiable. So she hadn’t really noticed anything unusual about Li Zhenguan yet, except for being a bit clingy at times.

But after reading some books about pregnant men, Wang Zhao thought this might be a typical reaction of men after becoming pregnant? This behavior wasn’t representative, so she subconsciously ignored it.

Moreover, everyone’s reactions during pregnancy could be different. Some people like spicy food, some like sour food, and some like tofu. It’s all unpredictable. So Li Zhenguan’s occasional displays of quirks seemed unremarkable.

One could only say that all of this was caused by pregnancy. Everything abnormal seemed to have a reasonable explanation during pregnancy.

The group drove to Qingyuan Temple. It was Sunday, and as expected, there were many people. The tall bluestone stairs were crowded with a steady stream of visitors.

The parking lot was two hundred meters in front of the mountain entrance, with signs posted. Cars filled up a whole street, and they estimated it would take quite some time to park. Wang Zhao told the people in the car to get out first and go queue up to buy tickets.

The fact that one had to pay for tickets to visit temples nowadays showed how commercialized these temples had become. But people still believed, or perhaps temples had become a novelty in modern times.

In ancient times, most temples were built on quiet mountains. Modern people were left with a fixed impression that temples were places with Buddhist nature, very secluded, suitable for stressed modern people to relax.

Wang Rong, who had been conflicted the whole way in the car, still hadn’t made up his mind. He was afraid he might inadvertently affect the relationship between these two people, and his aunt and uncle would be heartbroken.

Under this hidden emotion, he and his parents were ushered out of the car by Wang Zhao. Li Zhenguan, however, said that the traffic situation nearby was complex, so he wouldn’t get out yet. He could stay in the car and help her watch the nearby vehicles to avoid accidental scratches.

Wang Zhao’s driving skills were quite good, but considering that Li Zhenguan was pregnant now and it wasn’t good for him to move through the crowd, she didn’t refuse. After her aunt’s family of three got out of the car, Wang Zhao saw them meet up with Li’s parents and Wang Xuechun before she merged into the traffic flow and continued driving forward.

After they parked the car in the parking lot, the others had already bought tickets. Wang Zhao took Li Zhenguan directly to the foot of the mountain. The mountain wasn’t high; it took about ten minutes of non-stop walking to reach the top. The group passed through the ticket check and started climbing.

The mountain was still a sea of green at this time. It was rare to have such a place within the Third Ring Road, after all, land here was extremely valuable. Such a mountain occupied quite a lot of space. With convenient transportation around, no wonder this temple was so popular.

Nowadays, middle-aged people seemed to be in better shape than young people. The elders walked together at the front, and in a moment, only their silhouettes could be seen. Wang Rong and Li Zhenguan quickly fell behind.

Especially Wang Rong, who was panting after every few steps, his face reddening slightly. Wang Zhao walked beside the two, and halfway up the mountain, she went to a small shop to buy two bottles of water for them.

“Don’t you have PE classes in high school? No morning runs?” Wang Zhao said, not even slightly out of breath. “How come you’re so tired?”

Wang Rong was embarrassed. He hemmed and hawed for a while, unable to say anything. He always avoided morning runs and PE classes at school whenever possible, and the school teachers didn’t care, so he just sat in the classroom doing other coursework.

However, Li Zhenguan was also a bit tired, walking very slowly. His fair face was also slightly red, but he wasn’t sweating yet. Wang Zhao suggested, “Why don’t we sit down for a while? There’s no rush, we can climb up slowly.”

Zhenguan shook his head, “No need, I’m not tired yet.” He touched his belly and said to Wang Zhao, “I feel fine, and he’s very quiet. If I get tired, I’ll tell you.”

“Alright then.” Wang Zhao took the empty water bottles from their hands. “Let’s walk slowly. There’s a very large banyan tree on the mountain. Many people come to pray for good relationships or safety. Over time, that tree has been covered with red ribbons, it’s quite spectacular. You can take a look later.”

Li Zhenguan heard this and glanced at Wang Zhao without saying anything.

Instead, Wang Rong was curious: “Sis, have you been here before?”

Wang Zhao paused for a moment, pinching her temple. Fragments of memories flashed through her mind: a tall banyan tree covered with red ribbons, a golden-lettered red ribbon with “eternal love” written on it catching her eye.

And in the memory fragments, it seemed to be raining. She could feel the drizzle around her, the air filled with moisture.

Unfamiliar memories.

Wang Rong didn’t get an answer from Wang Zhao. He couldn’t help but glance at his cousin again, only to find that Wang Zhao had stopped at some point, standing two bluestone steps below them, looking dazed, as if thinking about something.

Li Zhenguan had also stopped, just looking at Wang Zhao, his lips pressed into a straight line, sharp as a knife’s edge, his expression cold.

These two are weirder than each other. Wang Rong couldn’t help but think.

In this unusual atmosphere, he called out loudly, “Sis,” and then “Brother-in-law,” bringing both of them back to their senses.

Wang Zhao looked up and met Wang Rong’s curious eyes. She couldn’t help but smile wryly, “Yes, I’ve been here before.” But she didn’t mention the banyan tree again.

The atmosphere among the three suddenly seemed to become silent.

However, Wang Zhao had a feeling that the memory fragments from earlier were inextricably linked to her ex-boyfriend named Chen Fangli. In that brief memory, she seemed to hear a young voice calling out “A-Zhao.”

It truly was a tangled mess that couldn’t be unraveled.

The original owner had lived in this city for too long, leaving too many traces. She would involuntarily trigger memory points and recall some unfamiliar memories.

That red ribbon with Wang Zhao and Chen Fangli’s names might still be hanging on that banyan tree now.

As she stepped onto another bluestone slab, this thought suddenly flashed through her mind in an unexpected manner.