Two Names Written Together, Two Hearts Connected

Chapter 100 Two Names Written Together, Two Hearts Connected

The snow has stopped, but the sky has not yet cleared up; the heavens remain hazy.

Liang Shanbo, Zhu Yingtai, and Yin Xin left Qiantang County.

Zhu Yingtai changed back into men's clothing, disguising herself as the handsome young man "Zhu Jiuling".

As soon as they stepped out of the city gate, Zhu Yingtai suddenly stopped, a blush creeping onto her face. She said to Liang Shanbo, "Brother Liang, let's go to the Temple of the Goddess of Fertility."

There were no temples dedicated to the Old Man Under the Moon during this era. The idea that the Old Man Under the Moon was in charge of marriage only began to circulate in the Tang Dynasty.

There were no Guanyin temples at that time. Although Buddhist scriptures containing the name "Guanyin" had been introduced to China as early as the late Eastern Han Dynasty, and by the Eastern Jin Dynasty, thanks to the translation of relevant classics, the Guanyin belief had been accepted by some believers. However, at that time, Guanyin was mostly worshipped as an attendant bodhisattva of Amitabha Buddha. Independent Guanyin temples or temples dedicated to Guanyin only emerged in later generations.

At this time, the deity in charge of marriage and childbirth was "Gao Mou," a deity that had been passed down from the pre-Qin and Han dynasties.

There is a Gaojin Temple in the southern suburbs of Qiantang County.

Liang Shanbo deliberately asked, "Yingtai, are you going to pray to Lady Gaojin for blessings?"

Zhu Yingtai's face flushed slightly, but she did not flinch. She nodded frankly and said, "To be honest, Brother Liang, every time we come to the county town from the school or return to the school from the county town, we pass by the Gao Jin Temple. I have also thought many times that I would like to go in with Brother Liang to pay my respects to the Goddess Gao Jin, but it was inconvenient to say so at that time."

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Liang Shanbo smiled knowingly: "If that's the case, let's go now. Today is convenient, there's nothing inconvenient about it."

The three of them walked together toward the Gao family ancestral hall.

After walking for a while, we arrived at Gaojin Temple.

This is a simple and unadorned shrine, standing quietly among an old cypress grove.

The three entered the ancestral hall.

The ancestral hall was simply furnished, without a gilded throne or painted murals, only a half-person-high ancient stone standing on the altar. The stone was covered with cloths of varying ages, each with a name written on it.

Behind an old wooden table on one side of the altar sat an elderly temple keeper with graying hair and beard, his face thin and his expression serene. On the table were a brush, an inkstone, ink pellets, and a neatly stacked piece of cloth.

Hearing footsteps, the old temple keeper looked up and saw two handsome young men entering the shrine, followed by a page. He smiled kindly and asked, "Gentlemen, have you come to pray for blessings?"

Zhu Yingtai stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Father-in-law, we wish to ask for the protection of the High Lady."

The old temple keeper nodded, raised his hand to indicate the high-collar stone, and slowly said, "If you two gentlemen wish to seek marriage or offspring, you must write your names and those of your beloved or female relatives side by side on a piece of cloth and tie it to the stone. Sincerity will be the key; the High-Collar Goddess will surely see through it."

Zhu Yingtai's voice lowered slightly: "What we prayed for was a predestined marriage."

The old temple keeper remained calm and showed no sign of distress. He had been guarding this temple for many years and had seen all sorts of people come to pray for blessings; it was not unusual for a young man to come here to seek a marriage partner for himself.

He nodded, took out two strips of cloth from the stack, and laid them on the table: "The writing brush and ink are here. Please make yourselves at home. These two strips of cloth are for your use. You may give me whatever you wish to use the writing brush and ink."

Just as Zhu Yingtai was about to call Yin Xin to pay, Liang Shanbo took out a dozen copper coins from his person and gently placed them on the table: "Thank you for your trouble, sir."

The old temple keeper smiled and nodded, carefully putting away the copper coins.

Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai sat down side by side in front of the old wooden table.

Zhu Yingtai picked up her brush, dipped it in ink, and her hand trembled slightly. It wasn't nervousness, but joy, the exhilaration of finally putting her long-cherished wish to paper. She steadied her wrist, held her breath, and carefully wrote two names on a piece of cloth: Liang Shanbo, Zhu Yingtai.

Every stroke is like an imprint carved on a heart.

After she finished writing, she handed the pen to Liang Shanbo with a smile on her lips: "Brother Liang, it's your turn."

Liang Shanbo took the brush, dipped it in ink, and wrote stroke by stroke on another piece of cloth: Zhu Yingtai, Liang Shanbo.

As Zhu Yingtai watched her real name being written down by him, an indescribable warmth welled up in her heart.

She had written his name many times before, but this was the first time she had ever seen him write her real name. Before, when he wrote her name, it was always "Zhu Jiuling," a pseudonym she had created. Today, he finally wrote "Zhu Yingtai."

Two strips of cloth bore the same two names, written side by side. On one strip was her handwriting, with his name first and hers second; on the other strip was his handwriting, with her name first and hiss second.

Each of them held a piece of cloth with their own writing on it, and got up to walk to the high-collared stone.

Two prayer cushions were placed on the ground in front of the stone, their surfaces bearing the marks of kneeling. Countless people had knelt, prayed, and begged here.

Zhu Yingtai knelt down on the prayer mat, held the cloth to her forehead with both hands, and bowed down in a devout posture.

Liang Shanbo knelt down beside her, imitating her posture, holding the cloth to his forehead, bowing in respect, his expression solemn.

Zhu Yingtai closed her eyes and silently prayed, "Your Majesty, I, Zhu Yingtai, am from Shangyu, Kuaiji. Beside me is my beloved Liang Shanbo. I wish that in this life I could marry Liang Shanbo, grow old together, and never leave him. I humbly beseech Your Majesty to grant my wish."

She bowed three times, each time solemnly, as if she were presenting this wish, along with the cloth in her hand, to the gods.

Liang Shanbo also bowed three times.

The two stood up.

Zhu Yingtai walked to the High-Headed Stone and looked at the densely packed cloths on the stone, some brand new and some old. She wondered how many wishes had been fulfilled and how many had been dashed.

She found a gap in the stone ridge, tied her cloth there, made a knot, and then another, pulling the knots tight as if afraid they wouldn't hold.

Liang Shanbo also tied his own cloth to the side of hers, and made two knots.

Two pieces of cloth were gently placed side by side and tied to the same ancient stone, like two butterflies that had finally come together, their wings intertwined.

Zhu Yingtai stared at the two strips of cloth, at the two names written side by side on them, and her eyes welled up with tears. She quickly reached up and pressed her hands to her eyes, refusing to let the tears fall.

The two turned around and walked out of the ancestral hall in a low voice.

As soon as they stepped out of the Gaojin Temple, Zhu Yingtai couldn't help but ask Liang Shanbo, "Brother Liang, do you think Lady Gaojin will see this?"

Liang Shanbo said, "You will see."

Zhu Yingtai looked down at her men's attire, then looked up again, a hint of worry in her eyes: "But I'm a woman disguised as a man, won't Consort Gao be displeased?"

Liang Shanbo smiled slightly, his gaze gentle, his tone resolute: "The High Lady judges by the heart, not by clothes. If you worship her with sincerity, she will surely treat you with sincerity in return."

Zhu Yingtai nodded, a slight smile curving her lips.

With a smile, she turned around with Brother Liang and embarked on the snowy road back to Wansong Academy.

Inside the ancestral hall, the old temple keeper watched the two young men walk out of the hall side by side, a sense of curiosity rising in his heart.

He stood up, walked to the high-collared stone, found the two newly tied pieces of cloth, and examined them for a moment.

On the first piece of cloth, the handwriting was neat and even, reading: Liang Shanbo, Zhu Yingtai.

On the second piece of cloth, the handwriting was clear and strong, reading: Zhu Yingtai, Liang Shanbo.

The old temple keeper paused, thinking to himself, "How strange, how come these two young men wrote down two identical names?"

However, he had been guarding this Gaojin Temple for many years and had seen countless lovesick men and women come here to seek marriage. He had long been accustomed to all sorts of strange and unusual things.

He stroked his graying beard, pondered for a moment, then smiled and stopped thinking about it.