aircannonsinc Chapter 376 Women Over 18 are considered women
Chapter 376 Women Over 18 are considered women
The RV continued south along G228, passing through Zhangzhou and entering Xiamen.
Shen Yuege was flipping through a travel guide in the passenger seat when she suddenly pointed out the window and exclaimed, "Look, there's a Mazu Temple over there!"
"There are Mazu temples everywhere in Fujian Province, so it's not unusual."
"But this Mazu temple is built by the sea, and it looks really special."
Lu Ran slowed down and glanced out the window. It was indeed a Mazu temple of moderate size, with gray-white stone walls, a red roof, and a tall flagpole in front of it, with yellow banners hanging from it, fluttering in the sea breeze.
"Should we go down and take a look?" Shen Yuege asked.
"Go see it if you want."
Lu Ran parked the RV by the roadside, and the two of them got out and walked along a stone-paved path toward the Mazu Temple.
The temple is small, with only one main hall and two side halls on either side.
Inside the main hall is a statue of Mazu, with a kind face, wearing a phoenix crown and a ceremonial robe, holding a ruyi scepter in her hand.
Fresh flowers and fruits were placed on the offering table, and the incense in the incense burner was not yet finished burning, with wisps of smoke rising upwards.
Shen Yuege put twenty yuan into the donation box, took an incense stick from the shelf next to her, lit it, put it in the incense burner, and bowed three times with her hands clasped together.
Lu Ran stood to the side watching and said, "Didn't you not believe in this?"
"Whether you believe it or not is one thing, respect is another. People bless fishermen with safe voyages, so I offer my prayers to show my respect."
"So what did you ask for?"
"I didn't ask for anything. I just wanted to offer my prayers."
Lu Ran also took an incense stick, lit it, and put it into the incense burner. He then put his hands together and bowed three times.
Shen Yuege glanced at him: "Didn't you also not believe it?"
"You can worship, why can't I? Whether you believe or not is one thing, respect is another. Isn't this what you just taught me?"
Shen Yuege was shut down by his own words and couldn't help but laugh: "You..."
"Of course. I remember everything you said. You said you like strawberries but not mangoes, you said you like summer but not winter, you said you like to stick your feet out of the blanket when you sleep, you said—"
"Alright, alright, stop talking." Shen Yuege's face turned red. "Why are you saying these things in front of Mazu?"
"Mazu doesn't understand."
How do you know Mazu doesn't understand?
"Mazu is the goddess of the sea, not the god of marriage. She is in charge of safe voyages, not romantic love between men and women."
Speechless at his twisted logic, Shen Yuege turned and left the temple.
Lu Ran followed behind, a wide smile playing on his lips.
After leaving the Mazu Temple, the two continued driving south along G228.
Not long after they started driving, Shen Yuege pointed out the window and shouted, "Look! The sea!"
Lu Ran looked in the direction she was pointing and indeed saw the sea.
This section of G228 runs right next to the coastline, with the vast sea to the right of the highway. The seawater is blue-green, a completely different species from the yellowish sea near Shanghai.
"Let's find a place to park," Shen Yuege said. "I want to go down to see the sea."
"You've seen so much of the sea along the way, haven't you had enough?"
"They're different. The sea is different in every place. The sea around Dongshan Island is a clear blue-green, while the sea here is deeper, like dark blue. Look, look, there are a few small islands over there."
Lu Ran found a viewing platform and parked the car. The platform wasn't big; it was built on a hill beside the road, paved with stone slabs, and equipped with stone benches and railings.
Beyond the railing is a cliff, and below the cliff is the sea, with waves crashing against the rocks with a thunderous roar.
Shen Yuege leaned on the railing, the sea breeze blowing her hair wildly, but she didn't care. She just squinted at the distant horizon.
Lu Ran stood next to her, looking at the small islands in the distance, and suddenly felt that the shapes of those islands looked somewhat familiar.
He took out his phone, opened the map, located the islands, and discovered that those islands were not ordinary islands.
It's Kinmen.
The straight-line distance from where they are standing now is less than ten kilometers.
Lu Ran stared at the words on the map for several seconds, then looked up at the outlines of the small islands in the distance, and a feeling he couldn't quite put his finger on suddenly welled up inside him.
Kinmen.
That place on the map, so close to the mainland that it's almost touching the coastline, is actually a city on Taiwan Island.
Looking from here, it seems so close you could practically swim across, but in reality, the procedures for going there are incredibly complicated. You have to get stamps, stamps, and more stamps, and by the time it's approved, it's already too late.
Shen Yuege noticed he was lost in thought and followed his gaze: "What happened to those islands?"
That's Kinmen.
Shen Yuege paused for a moment, then looked at the small islands more closely, her expression becoming somewhat complicated.
"Kinmen? The Kinmen from Taiwan?"
"Yes. It's Kinmen."
"So close?"
"The narrowest point is less than two kilometers wide. It's even narrower than the Huangpu River in Shanghai."
Shen Yuege fell silent.
She leaned on the railing, looking at the few small islands that were faintly visible in the distance. Her lips moved, as if she wanted to say something but didn't.
Lu Ran didn't say anything either.
He was thinking about something.
In his past life, he had read the four words "national reunification" many times in his textbooks. After reading them, he would do the test, and then forget about them. He never felt that these four words had anything to do with him.
Although I also hope for the reunification of the motherland, I always feel that those things are far away from me.
But now, looking at Kinmen across the river up close and at Taiwan Province in the distance, which is out of sight, Lu Ran's patriotism suddenly became even stronger.
Lu Ran knew that although he couldn't do much about the progress of cross-strait relations, he could contribute to the cultural aspect.
I can also promote my own tuk-tuk in the Bay Area, and then I can fulfill my responsibilities.
Now, standing here, looking at Kinmen so close at hand, he suddenly felt that those four words had become particularly concrete.
Specifically, he can see the houses across the street and the trees on the opposite mountain.
Such a short distance, yet it separates so many people.
"Lu Ran," Shen Yuege suddenly spoke.
"Um?"
Do you think we'll live to see the reunification of the two sides of the Taiwan Strait?
Lu Ran did not answer immediately.
However, Lu Ran already had the answer in his heart.
"Yes, definitely, it will happen tomorrow, not far off."
Shen Yuege nodded and didn't ask any more questions.
The two stood on the observation deck for a long time without saying a word.
The sea breeze carries a salty smell.
A fishing boat was sailing from Kinmen in the distance, leaving a trail of white foam on its stern, drawing a long arc on the sea.
Looking at the ship, Lu Ran suddenly felt that the wave looked like a line. A line connecting the two sides.
Boats can come, and so can people.
After coming down from the observation deck, the two did not rush to set off, but instead stayed in the vicinity of Xiamen for two more days.
On the first day, we went to Gulangyu Island.
Shen Yuege had heard of this piano island before, and the first thing she did after arriving on the island was to find the famous piano museum.
The museum is small, a two-story building, with dozens of old pianos inside. The oldest is over a hundred years old, with yellowed keys and intricate patterns carved on the body.
Shen Yuege stood in front of an old Steinway piano, looked at it for a while, and suddenly said, "It would be nice to play this piano."
Hearing this, a staff member nearby came over and said with a smile, "This one can't be played, but there's another one over there. Visitors can play a piece on it for free."
Shen Yuege's eyes lit up as she glanced at Lu Ran.
"Play it if you want," Lu Ran said.
Shen Yuege walked to the piano that could be played, sat down, tested the sound, took a deep breath, and then began to play.
The piece being played is a nocturne by Chopin, with a slow and gentle melody, like moonlight shining on the sea.
Her fingers danced across the piano keys, her movements light and gentle, and her entire demeanor changed.
After leaving the piano museum, the two wandered aimlessly through the alleys of Gulangyu Island.
The roads on the island are narrow and winding, with old-fashioned Western-style villas on both sides. The walls are covered with ivy, and the yards are planted with various flowers, with bougainvillea blooming red and bright.
Shen Yuege saw a shop selling nougat and pulled Lu Ran inside to buy a bag.
The shop owner was a young woman, who looked to be in her early twenties. She had a sweet smile and asked them where they were from while filling the candy containers.
"Shanghai," Shen Yuege said.
"Shanghai is so far away. Are you here for tourism?"
"Yes, for our honeymoon."
The shopkeeper glanced at Lu Ran, then at Shen Yuege, and said with a smile, "You two are such a perfect match. The man is handsome and the woman is beautiful; you look like you're in a magazine standing together."
Lu Ran was a little flattered by the praise and took out his phone to scan the code to pay, but he was a beat too slow.
Shen Yuege acted even faster, pressing his hand down, scanning the code to pay herself, and then whispering, "Don't be stingy in front of strangers."
"I'm not stingy. I even took out my phone."
"You were a beat slow in taking out your phone. I saw you hesitate."
"I hesitated because I was wondering whether I should buy another bag."
"Don't give me that. Your eyebrows always hunch over when you hesitate, and you did just that."
Lu Ran subconsciously touched his eyebrows, thinking to himself that this woman's observation skills were too strong.
The next day I went to Xiamen University.
The security guard at the school gate wouldn't let me in, saying I needed to make an appointment.
Lu Ran took out his phone to make a reservation, only to find that all the spots for the next three days were full. He was so angry that he almost smashed his phone.
"Fine, fine, if they won't let us in, we can just look around from outside." Shen Yuege pulled him back.
The two walked around the Xiamen University wall for a while until they reached a spot where they could see into the campus.
There are many phoenix trees planted on campus. Although they are not in bloom this season, I can imagine what they will look like in summer when the trees are full of red flowers.
Shen Yuege leaned over the railing, continuing to watch the students on campus.
Two girls rode their bicycles past on the school path, the wind blowing their hair, and they had bright smiles.
As Shen Yuege watched, she suddenly said, "It's so good to be young."
"No one stays eighteen forever, but there will always be someone who is eighteen."
"You're really good at comforting people."
"Of course, what can I say? I'm a friend of women!"
"Who are you calling a woman? Who are you calling a woman? Who are you calling a woman?"
"The book says that anyone over 18 is considered a woman."
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