"Have you arrived?" asked the urgent voice coming through the phone's speaker.
The sun dipped low on the horizon, casting a warm golden hue over the ancient temple nestled in the woods. Qin Kai stepped out of his sleek black car and looked at the dipping sun's golden hue, making it seem like the whole temple was shrouded in a holy and spiritual light.
"I'm here," he answered in his low and magnetic voice.
"Don't forget to collect my prayer beads and light a prayer lamp for me too. Also, if Master is available you can meet him too," the female voice from the other side of the phone continued to give instructions without caring about whether Qin Kai was willing to do any of that or not.
"Mom," called out Qin Kai to stop her from saying any more. "I remember it all. You don't have to repeat it."
"Fine. Now, you find me annoying and long-winded," his mother's voice sounded tired and full of grievance too which made Qin Kai feel even more helpless. "I won't take more of your time but I want to remind you to go straight back home after this. You haven't been home for over a month now. Don't you forget that your wife is human too, not a decorative vase that you can leave at home and disappear for months."
As his mother hung up the call, Qin Kai was left in a daze staring at the horizon as he thought about his wife... Su An.
His eyes stared at the call log but sadly, there wasn't a single call record between him and Su An. In the past month or so, she did not call him even once. It was hard for him to remember that he had a wife when his wife acted like this. If he didn't take the initiative to look for her, she wouldn't look for him either. Although she always said it was because she did not want to bother him at work, he knew that wasn't the truth.
The truth might be that his wife might not even remember this husband.
With a faint sigh, the crunch of gravel under his shoes broke the serene silence. Dressed in a tailored suit that seemed out of place against the rustic charm of the temple, he carried himself with a quiet confidence that exuded out of his bones subconsciously.
"Let's get done with this first," he muttered, adjusting the cuffs of his crisp white shirt.
He was greeted by the monks of the temple then he was led to the prayer hall. After Qin Kai was done lighting the prayer lamp, he collected the prayer beads that his mother asked for. "I was wondering if Master is around?" he inquired.
"Master has gone out of the temple," answered the old monk who had a look of compassion in his eyes and always smiled at others.
Qin Kai nodded his head in understanding as he didn't hold much hope of meeting the Master of the Maple Temple who was always wandering around the world. Since his mission was accomplished, he was ready to leave now.
As he was about to leave, something bumped into his legs and was pushed back.
"Ah!"
Qin Kai looked down to see a small child who seemed to have run into him and was pushed back. He helped the little kid up, asking, "Are you okay? I am sorry, I didn't notice you there."
The little girl seemed to be in pain as her eyes had become teary but she refused to shed tears and did not want to rub her aching bum in front of such a handsome uncle too. So, she was left in an uncomfortable position. Gritting her teeth, she spoke in a cute but sensible voice, "It's okay, uncle. Wanwan is alright. It's Wanwan's mistake for running around. I'm sorry. I dirtied your clothes."
Only then did Qin Kai noticed that there were two clearly printed hand marks on his black pants. He looked at the adorable bun who knew her mistake and looked rather apologetic and guilty, his heart softened. He didn't usually like kids but who would be able to escape the charm of such an adorable and sensible cutie.
Qin Kai felt like pinching her fleshy cheeks but he had to control himself as it'd be rude to do so. "It's okay. Uncle's clothes aren't expensive."
If Qin Kai's assistant had been around, his jaw would have dropped hearing those words. Not only was that handmade suit expensive but Mr. Qin, were you forgetting that you were a clean freak?
"Are you here with your parents?" inquired Qin Kai.
Little Wanwan shook her head, "No. Wanwan is Master's last disciple."
"Oh?" Qin Kai raised his brow in a slight surprise. Although he was surprised, he felt more pity. Because if this little girl was being raised in the temple, it meant either she was an orphan or she was abandoned by her family. Either way, she was a pitiful one. He looked into his pockets and took out a chocolate which he offered to her, "How about uncle treat you to a chocolate?"
Little Wanwan's eyes light up and she even swallowed her saliva, looking like a greedy kitten. But she held back her urge to take it, "No, Wanwan can't take it."
"It's a good thing to not take something from strangers but uncle isn't a bad guy. You can ask your senior brother or sisters in the temple. They all know me."
"I know. Wanwan has seen uncle before," answered Little Wanwan. "It's just that. Wanwan can't take anything for free or it'll affect Wanwan's fate." Thinking of something, she took out a small pouch from her cloth bag and offered it to him, "How about I exchange it with you, uncle? Wanwan will give you this blessing talisman. It'll turn a misfortune into a blessing for you."
Surprisingly, the guy who always told his mother to stop believing in superstition, didn't refuse the talisman. He could see that the little girl wanted the chocolate but did not want to take advantage of him either. Seeing how sensible she was, he really couldn't refuse.
"Okay, let's do the exchange."
Little Wanwan was happy to see this and readily took the chocolate this time. She did not hesitate to tear open the packaging to take a bite. She was after all only a little over five years old, how could she resist the charm of the chocolates? As for the blessing talismans, she had plenty of those.
"Uncle, thank you. Come again!"
Qin Kai chuckled at her cute appearance, "Okay. I'll bring more candies next time."
She nodded her head, "Then Wanwan will learn seriously so that I can exchange more powerful talisman with you."
"Learn well then," said Qin Kai as he turned to leave in a good mood.