Chapter 83 - 79: In a Predicament
As a temple in the Capital with a prestigious reputation, Wuchan Temple’s incense offering was particularly prosperous, and its status in the hearts of the locals was also extremely high; the people visiting the temple to offer incense were continuous every day.
Every once in a while, Wuchan Temple would hold a Buddha Bathing Festival.
The so-called Buddha Bathing Festival involved taking a golden Buddha statue from inside the temple and placing it on a boat, mooring it on Huailan Lake, and carrying out a water bathing ritual.
It was said that the water that had bathed the golden Buddha was imbued with Buddhist spirit, and if not for the protection from the officials and the temple’s warnings that the water of the Buddhist spirit must not be stolen, else disaster would befall, the serene lake would probably have been drained long ago.
Zhang Yunwu arrived at Huailan Lake, where quite a number of people had already gathered around the lakeside.
Some held lotus lamps or incense candles and looked on eagerly, some sat by the shore silently praying with hands clamped together in devotion. There were also ladies from prominent families throwing handmade sachets and colored silks into the lake, waiting for the boat carrying the golden Buddha of Wuchan Temple to arrive and imbibe it with sacred spirit.
There were also many children running and playing around.
Zhang Yue’er, riding on Zhang Yunwu’s neck, ate the snacks Jiang Qing had bought her while excitedly watching.
Upon learning that there were blessing lamps specially made by Wuchan Temple nearby, and that placing them in the lake bathed by the golden Buddha was said to be very effective, Zhang Yunwu took his daughter and bought eight lamps.
He bought one for his mother, We Zhaodi and her daughter, and for Jiang Shouzhong as well.