Time quickly passed to the Lantern Festival. Chinatown was adorned with lanterns and festive decorations, creating a lively holiday atmosphere. Crowds of devotees flocked to the Mazu Temple to offer incense and pray for blessings.
Lin Xiang closed her shop early and joined the devotees at the Mazu Temple to celebrate the festival.
Mazu, rarely appearing before her followers, was busy distributing freshly cooked yuanxiao to the devotees with the old temple keeper. Lin Xiang took over from the elder temple keeper, allowing him to rest inside. The two goddesses worked in tandem, and the queue of devotees waiting for yuanxiao gradually thinned.
A woman with a sallow complexion offered her yuanxiao to her three daughters. The eldest, a teenager, doting on her mother, scooped a yuanxiao and brought it to her mother's lips, feeding her.
Chinese people typically married young. Judging by the eldest daughter's age, the woman couldn't have been much older than thirty, but her sallow complexion and tired demeanor made her appear much older than her actual age.
Seeing this, Lin Xiang served two more bowls of yuanxiao and brought them over. "Sister Zhaodi, hurry and eat. It's a festival; let's all share in the joy."
This woman, aged beyond her years by hardship, was named Wang Zhaodi. Her parents had sold her and her younger sisters to human traffickers to raise money for boat tickets. She had escaped with her youngest son.
Abandoned by her parents, Zhaodi was fortunate compared to her sisters. She was bought by a local family to be a child bride. Although she still didn't have enough to eat, at least her purity was preserved, unlike those with good looks who were quickly sold into brothels, forced to sell themselves and live lives without freedom.
The family that bought her had only one son, two years younger than Zhaodi. Zhaodi worked tirelessly to remain with them, and for a few years, she lived a peaceful life.
However, after marriage, she failed to bear a son for her husband's family, and the expressions of her husband and mother-in-law turned grim. Zhaodi gave birth to three daughters consecutively, which her mother-in-law could no longer tolerate. She resorted to her old tactic, buying a new bride for her son and finding an excuse to drive Zhaodi and her three daughters out of the house.
The neighbors and fellow villagers pitied the unfortunate woman and found her a job cooking and cleaning at the mutual aid society. With her meager income, Zhaodi managed to raise her three daughters. Despite their poverty, she often felt grateful and never forgot to bring gifts to the old neighbors who had helped her during festivals.
"Thank you very much, Miss Lin," Zhaodi said, accepting the two bowls of yuanxiao. She sat with her daughters on the temple's doorstep and began to eat.
Lin Xiang gently patted the youngest girl's yellowing hair and smilingly instructed, "Third Girl, remember to bring the bowls back to your sister."
The little girl nodded earnestly and patted her chest, promising to return the bowls intact.
Lin Xiang returned to the table to sort the pile of bowls and chopsticks. She said to Mazu, who was washing dishes beside her, "I think I understand why you didn't want to start a war."
Mazu, dressed in simple clothing, smiled and took the stacked bowls and chopsticks from Lin Xiang without a word. The little girl soon returned the bowls. Lin Xiang took the empty bowls but did not hand them to Mazu. Instead, she served three more bowls of yuanxiao and placed them on the table.
"Hurry and call your sisters to eat together."
Zhaodi, not far away, waved her hands in refusal. "This is not right. We can't eat for free."
Lin Xiang held down her hand, which was waving like a propeller, and said with a smile, "Don't say that. No one is taking yuanxiao anymore, and if this pot of yuanxiao isn't eaten soon, it will clump. It would be a shame to waste it."
Zhaodi wavered under the hopeful gazes of her daughters. Lin Xiang pulled the girls over and handed them chopsticks. Tempted by the aroma of sesame and white sugar, the three girls quickly surrendered. Zhaodi felt embarrassed and wanted to help wash the dishes, but Mazu stopped her. Lin Xiang, at the opportune moment, handed her another bowl of yuanxiao. This mother, weary from constant toil, was granted a rare moment of rest.
Lin Xiang, with some curiosity, leaned close to Mazu and whispered, "I've wanted to ask for a while, where did the house you gave me and the free yuanxiao today come from? The temple's donation box doesn't seem to have that much money."
Mazu also replied in a low voice, "Most of it is donations from the merchant association, and merchant ships that return safely also come to the temple to fulfill their vows."
Sea transportation had always been a profitable business. As the goddess who protected maritime trade, Mazu was certainly not poor.
As they were talking, the old temple keeper carried out a pile of bamboo strips and paste and sat on the temple's doorstep, beginning to make Kongming lanterns. Lin Xiang's interest was immediately piqued by the sight of the lanterns. She took a half-burnt candle from the shrine and placed it inside a Kongming lantern.
The sun had already set into the sea, and the afterglow of the sunset left the sky with hazy clouds. In this sky, neither fully dark nor light, the faint candlelight was so small yet so conspicuous.
The old people chatting in front of the temple cheered like children, looking up at the dimming sky, unwilling to leave for a long time.
The Kongming lantern released by Lin Xiang kicked off the event. As the sky darkened, more and more people came out of their homes and gathered outside the Mazu Temple. Various food and toy vendors, hearing the news, began hawking their wares. The Mazu Temple instantly transformed into a bustling marketplace, filled with the vibrant energy of human life.
The old temple keeper watched the endless stream of visitors with a look of satisfaction, his hands busy cutting bamboo strips into sections to form square frames. Zhaodi, who felt indebted, brought her three daughters to help paste paper onto the frames.
At one moment, Lin Xiang thought she had been transported to a temple fair in her homeland. The loud bang of a popcorn machine startled her. Joyful children, shrieking, brushed past Lin Xiang, chasing and playing amidst the laughter and scolding of the adults.
The old temple keeper's Kongming lanterns were quickly sold out. He was now counting the crisp green banknotes with a satisfied, secret smile. The old temple keeper gave half of the money he held to Zhaodi. Zhaodi refused to accept it, and after much pushing and polite refusal, the old temple keeper stuffed it into her pocket and pushed her out of the temple gate.
A few old scholars sat together, drinking tea and reciting timely poems, "The east wind blows, flowers bloom a thousand trees at night, and then it rains stars like a shower..."
Children slipped past the old men, giggling and mimicking their words. However, their accents had changed, causing the old men to sigh with emotion.
Several figures wearing masks approached. They cupped their hands in a gesture of respect before Mazu and then turned to join the temple fair, leaving Lin Xiang with an inquisitive glance.
The night's festivities reached their climax. The burnt fireworks marked the end of the celebration. Devotees left the Mazu Temple in small groups, their lingering emotions still stimulating their nerves. Just as the grand event concluded perfectly, a piercing scream tore through the night sky!
Zhaodi rushed out against the flow of people like a madwoman, shouting, "Has anyone seen my child! Who has seen my daughter!"
The joyous atmosphere abruptly ceased. Lin Xiang and Mazu exchanged a glance, their hearts sinking. Mazu stepped forward from the temple gate and called out in a low voice, "Where is Fude Zhengshen!"