You Look Like My Baby’s Mom - Chapter 2

Lingshou Mountain, the Old Temple.

Fine smoke curled and swirled, filling the hall with a pure, sweet fragrance.

The incense lighter kept her hands tucked into her sleeves, her long lashes half-lowered, a hint of weariness hidden in her originally clear, transparent eyes. She let out a yawn, her voice lazy.

“Don’t mind me, I woke up late.”

The fine smoke took a turn, and a corner of the cloud sea in the sky parted. Bright sunlight shone solely on the incense lighter. The skin not covered by her clothes became even fairer in the sun, as if it was snow about to melt into the clouds.

Comfortably sun drenched, Du Youran raised her eyelids and looked at the sun hanging directly in the center of the sky. She tisked, and reluctantly stretched out a hand, taking three sticks of incense from the sparsely filled sandalwood box and planting them haphazardly in the censer.

“Please.”

That slender, strong hand returned to her sleeve. Du Youran stood with her sleeves clasped, sighing dramatically, “You can still eat two meals a day, but I haven’t even had one.”

If it weren’t for the rare person coming up the mountain for a divination, she would have been hanging on the wall receiving the incense’s fragrance herself today.

The fine smoke, which had appeared imposing, suddenly scattered and vanished in the hall. The clouds in the sky closed up, and the temple became dim and gray again. Seeing it play dead, Du Youran sneered. The copper coins in her palm jingled inside her sleeve, and she tossed them onto the floor.

Du Youran straightened up a little and whispered, “There’s no food in the temple. When can I go down the mountain?”

“Clink, clink, clink.”

The copper coins landed.

The time is not yet right.

Du Youran immediately flung her sleeve, striding outside and heading towards the mountains. Before long, a round, small creature drilled out from under the censer. Its nose twitched, and its small claws picked up the smooth copper coins, stuffing them into its own snowy white fur before twitching its nose to look for the next one…

“Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!”

In the woods, a group of golden monkeys were either squatting on branches or leaning against trees. Each monkey held a crisp, sweet, red skinned peach. The monkeys were happily eating the peaches when the lookout monkey suddenly pricked up its ears, stood up abruptly, and yelled “Ooh ooh ah ah” at the other monkeys.

Human-like urgency and panic appeared on the faces of the monkeys. They scrambled up the trees, but before they could climb two meters, a gray figure faintly appeared in the grass. The newcomer was thin and long, and a bony hand gently touched the green trunk of an old tree. The monkeys on the tree immediately fell like raindrops. Du Youran opened her palm and caught a crisp, red peach. She rubbed it on her clothes without looking and brought it to her lips.

“Crunch.”

“Tell me, where did you steal it?” Du Youran lifted her hem and squatted down, asking the monkeys sitting on the ground with their hands over their heads. At her feet, the peaches were piled into a small hill.

In front of the monkey troop, the largest monkey opened its mouth with a “squeak squeak squeak,” putting its hands together in a begging gesture in front of its chest. A tuft of hair on its head shone like gold.

“Offered to the Mountain God? Do you even believe that yourself?” Du Youran sneered, poking its head.

“Confiscated!”

The monkeys dared not be angry or speak up. They thought that being robbed of their peaches by the Mountain Bully meant they were safe, but the bully not only refused to let them leave but also took out a piece of paper from her pocket and slowly unfolded it.

“I received a complaint letter from the villagers down the mountain, stating that recently, monkeys have been running rampant in the village, stealing peaches and plums, and even taking people’s big watermelons!” Du Youran sneered, “I haven’t even had a big watermelon to eat, you lot are truly rebellious!”

The Monkey King’s head was about to be poked into the dirt by Du Youran. It heard her say, “Your punishment is to guard the fruit orchards for the villagers for the next two years. If any wild birds or monkeys steal the fruit, you’ll get an extra year.”

The monkeys quickly begged for mercy and headed down the mountain.

After they left, Du Youran pulled a red plastic bag from her pocket and packed her loot. Satisfied, she returned to the temple, placing one peach on the offering table and the rest on the ground, then heading to the back kitchen.

The temple was quite large, and Du Youran, having lived on the mountain since childhood, could walk with her eyes closed. She entered the back kitchen, first let out a sigh, opened the rice jar, sighed again, poured all the remaining rice into the pot, and sighed one more time.

While the rice was steaming, the sky outside suddenly changed color. Dark clouds rolled in from the direction of the mountain. By the time she was sitting on the door frame eating her meal with a radio, the rain began to pour. The mist in the mountains grew heavier.

The radio host’s voice was serious, talking about a city that had recently experienced multiple theft cases and that the public would be rewarded if they provided clues… and so on. Du Youran remained expressionless, picking up three small stones from her feet. As she bent down, a blood-red thread peeked out from her collar, the end of which was a patch of snowy white. Before it could be clearly seen, she had already straightened up and thrown the stones out.

Outside the hall, a gust of wind suddenly carried rain toward her face. Du Youran shielded her bowl and stood up, shouting angrily, “I have not divined the murderer! Besides, even if I did, I can’t go down the mountain!”

She held the bowl and faced the air in front of her. Suddenly, her expression cleared, and the divination on the ground became visible.

The time is not yet right.

“Ha.”

Du Youran stood and ate. With a flash of inspiration, her mud-stained cloth shoes gently tapped the ground.

When can I eat my fill?

The scattered stones flipped over.

Du Youran was stunned, then overjoyed.

Tomorrow?!

Du Youran, having divined that she would have food tomorrow, couldn’t help but smile. She went out in the rain to wash the pots and bowls. October had arrived, and the person in the mist was thoroughly soaked in the autumn rain.

The heavy rain fell all night. When Du Youran woke up early, the depression at the foot of her bed had spread with rainwater. The entire room was wet, the bedding was soaked, and layers of mushrooms stubbornly sprouted from every nook and cranny, undeterred by the Mountain Bully’s threats.

So the Mountain Bully ruthlessly picked a pocketful of them and waded out the door.

The countryside was full of green, only the distant mountains were intertwined with green and red like a colorful brocade. Du Youran finished lighting the incense and stood by the door with her hands tucked in her sleeves. Birds and beasts passed by the door, and upon meeting the Mountain Bully’s eyes, their fur bristled, they tucked their heads in, and scurried away.

Du Youran waited patiently, not causing trouble in the woods. In a good mood, she stretched out her hand. On the rafters, several small, round creatures extended their pink paws, grabbed the hind leg of the white creature hiding inside, and held it upside down in the air to shake it. Three coins immediately fell with a “clink, clink, clink.”

Du Youran caught them and tossed them onto the stone slab next to her.

When can I go down the mountain?

The time is not yet right.

At that moment, the feathered, winged, armored, and scaled creatures at Du Youran’s feet, behind the wall, next to the tree, in the grass, and under the stones all sighed with her. Even the old locust tree of unknown age by the outer wall of the temple rustled along.

Du Youran sneered and looked back. The creatures’ hair stood on end, and they scattered like birds.

And not far away on the mountain path, a slightly hunched figure was climbing toward the temple.

Du Youran bent down, pinched the white creature that was trying to hide her copper coins, dug out two coins from its soft fur, and then tossed the white creature onto the wall before opening the door to greet the guest.

“Temple Master, I have no choice. I know it’s my son’s fault, but he’s my only child! They say a child is a mother’s heart, I can’t leave him alone! Please have mercy and save him. Ever since he came back that day, he’s been acting crazy, and his shoulders are being scratched raw by him!”

“He’s too scared to eat or sleep, he won’t last like this!” Qian Ming’s mother knelt on the cushion, crying to the person inside the hall with her head bowed, “As long as you can cure him, I’ll do anything. I’ll kowtow to the girl and pray for a lamp, please save my son.”

Her voice was hoarse from crying, and her face was haggard. She looked incredibly pitiful.

Du Youran stood under the porch, looking at the things on the ground a stack of red bills and a look of gloom passed across her eyes.

What good is money? Can I eat it?

The divination misled me.

“Where is your son?” Du Youran asked slowly.

Qian Ming’s mother stopped crying and whispered, “He’s possessed by an evil spirit, I dare not bring him out.”

He dares not come, surely.

Du Youran’s expression was cold: “A mother’s love knows no bounds. Did you bring any food?”

Qian Ming’s mother swallowed her saliva, a hint of light in her eyes.

“I brought some!”

She anxiously rummaged through her cloth bag, which contained steamed buns.

“I will take two of your buns. Take the money back.” Du Youran put her hands behind her back. The copper coin spun flexibly between her fingers.

“First, return the stolen items to the owner. Second,” Du Youran curved her lips, “your son must receive three slaps in front of at least three people every three days. After three years of this, the evil spirit will be completely gone.”

Qian Ming’s mother looked like she had been granted a new lease on life, offering endless thanks.

“When you go down the mountain, please take this bag of peaches back to the orchard owner.” Du Youran pointed to the bag on the ground.

Qian Ming’s mother quickly agreed. Not long after she left, Du Youran turned to look inside the hall. Layers of curtains covered the inner sanctuary, and her voice held a hint of self-satisfaction.

“There are only these two buns left in the entire temple. If I don’t go down the mountain soon, I’ll starve to death here. Besides, I still have to resolve that person’s curse.”

The incense smoke drifted slowly.

“The spare ribs were fed to the dog,” Du Youran said. Seeing no reaction from the incense smoke, she weighed the copper coin and gently tossed it.

Can I go down the mountain?

Clink, clink, clink, the copper coins landed.

Yes.

Du Youran’s eyes immediately brightened. She can go down the mountain now?

She had lived on the mountain for twenty years, and now she can go down? The will of the Heavens is truly fathomless.

Before the mountain wind could change the outcome, she quickly packed her luggage, rushing to descend the mountain while the sky was still bright.

“Lian City is surrounded by mountains. It is the city in H Province with the best forest conservation and the largest forest area. Especially Lingshou Mountain, with its overlapping peaks and thousands of towering, beautiful rocks, not only is home to various rare animals and plants, but also has many branches of our country’s largest river, the Dragon River, running through it. And the villagers living on Lingshou Mountain largely maintain traditional customs…”

Dozens of cameras were focused on the person standing in front of the bus. The host recounted the history of Lingshou Mountain.

Dear You is a parent-child interactive travel program jointly launched by the Kyoto Television Station and the local government. There are a total of six groups of guests, three groups of celebrity parents and their children, and three groups of celebrities paired with children selected from the public. They will perform tasks in scenic mountains and waters across the region, appreciate the local scenery, experience history and culture, and reflect on parent-child relationships.

Among the many cameras, at least three were focused on one person. She was the focal point of all eyes. The autumn wind gently caught her hair, placing a leaf lightly on her slender shoulder.

“Has Teacher Wen gotten thinner again?” A staff member who knew her well quietly asked from a distance.

“She’s been filming all year, and she just wrapped up recently. You know Director Liu’s work it’s very meticulous. Our Wen Ci deliberately gained ten catties before filming, but ended up losing twenty catties from exhaustion after filming. I wanted her to rest, and this variety show isn’t tiring, plus she gets to sightsee,” said Wen Ci’s agent.

The staff member laughed, “Who in the industry doesn’t know how dedicated Teacher Wen is, and her temper is so good. When the movie is released, the Golden Cup will surely go to Teacher Wen.”

“Not at all, she still has a lot to learn,” the agent quickly replied modestly, but the pride in her eyes was undeniable.

Wen Ci has been with her since she was sixteen. Over the past decade, she has won countless major and minor awards. She is low-key, has no time for dating, is hardworking and driven. She is a household name in Huaguo (China). Furthermore, her attitude towards her team has remained the same before and after she became famous generous and friendly which is why there are many long time members on her team.

Thinking of this, the agent suddenly frowned and called an assistant over.

“Where’s Lili?”

The assistant quickly replied, “Sister Lili went to the police station.”

“Sigh… didn’t Xiao Ci tell her not to go alone?” The agent instinctively took out her phone, wanting to contact Du Lili.

“Hey, Sis, think about it. Lili is definitely trying to avoid us seeing her confronting her scumbag ex. Although Sister Wen is worried, she is a celebrity and it’s not appropriate for her to show up.”

The agent shook her head, “If she cared about that kind of thing, she wouldn’t be Wen Ci. And such an important item…” She definitely wants to get it back as soon as possible.

Sure enough, when Wen Ci finished filming and heard about it, she immediately got into the agent’s car to find Du Lili. However, when they arrived, they saw that the place where they were supposed to find that family was surrounded by three layers of onlookers. They had deliberately made a path, and Du Lili stood in the middle with her hands on her hips.

“Let go of me!” A sharp voice rang out from inside, sounding extremely miserable.

Through a gap next to Du Lili, Wen Ci saw Du Lili’s ex-boyfriend being held by two men, kneeling towards Du Lili. His clothes were messy, and he looked extremely disheveled, as if he had been pickled in a brine jar for half a month, completely unlike the spirited look in the photos Du Lili used to show her. An older woman raised her palm high, tears in her eyes, and brought it down hard.

“Slap!”

The loud sound made people involuntarily flinch. Five clear finger marks immediately appeared on Du Lili’s ex-boyfriend’s face, perfectly symmetrical with his swollen other side.

The agent was dumbfounded: “What’s going on?”

Nobody stopped the assault? And there were police officers there!

The agent quickly called Du Lili.

Wen Ci shook her head, and her peripheral vision inadvertently caught a woman who instantly captured her full attention. She turned in surprise.

The person stood in the shadow of a tree at the alley entrance, wearing a gray robe that was out of step with the times. Her black hair cascaded like a waterfall, and her skin was like congealed cream, like a cloud drifting down from the mountaintop, detached from the crowd. Where the gray robe fell, it was stained with the mist of the mountains.

Suddenly, the woman, who had been looking down, lifted her eyes with keen alertness, her gaze like an arrow.

Wen Ci froze, instinctively holding her breath. Despite the impenetrable glass separating them, she felt as if the person had seen her. Just as she finally made out the woman’s clear, detached features, they seemed especially cool and indifferent against the backdrop of the desolate, yellowish mountains in the distance.

The woman gazed at the car window, carelessly pinching off something in her hand. The dust fell, she closed her fingers, concealing them in her sleeve, and as she turned, she curled her lips, leaving Wen Ci with an aloof back as she slowly walked away and disappeared into the deep blue of the mist.

Rosy clouds spread across the sky, covering the mountain peak, stacking the world’s colors from top to bottom.

Wen Ci slowly exhaled, her eyes filled with wonder.

What beautiful eyes like a quiet lake in late autumn, surrounded by frosty white, cold trees, yet touched by the mundane world.

Unforgettable at first sight.