ushernet Chapter 5: At one year old, during a traditional Chinese first birthday celebration, the child grasp
Chapter 5: At one year old, during a traditional Chinese first birthday celebration, the child grasp
Time flies by as quickly as a fleeting moment.
Yao Ji had dressed little Yang Jiao in a festive crimson dress early on, and the adorable little girl, with two little buns on her head, stood obediently hugging her legs. Yao Ji's heart melted instantly, and she softly asked:
"Jiao'er is one year old today, does she have any wishes?"
Xiao Yangjiao spoke almost without thinking:
"I want a younger brother."
Hurry up, she's counting down the years she has left every day, the pressure is too much for her.
Since I'm usually so well-behaved, you two should give birth to Yang Jian to support me!
"You've been led astray by your father!" Yao Ji blushed.
As if changing the subject, she quickly picked up a peeled egg that she had prepared beforehand and rolled it around on her daughter's delicate skin, chanting as she did so:
"May disasters roll away, may calamities be banished, may Jiao'er be wise and healthy forever."
"Is this a custom on Father's side?" Little Yang Jiao tiptoed to avoid the slightly hot egg, finding it hard to believe that a deity would do such a thing.
So the mother and daughter shared the same mentality: whenever they encountered something unreasonable, they would blame it on Yang Tianyou.
"If Mother won't give it to my little brother, then please don't seal away Jiao'er's magic power, okay? Jiao'er promises that she will never use her Heavenly Eye to peek at the sky again."
Taking advantage of her birthday, her most important day, Xiao Yangjiao's bright eyes darted around, and she nestled into Yaoji's arms like a weary bird returning to its nest.
With a face full of anticipation, she said coquettishly, "Mother, Mother, my dear Mother! You love me so much, you will definitely agree, right?" As she spoke, she stretched out her chubby little hand and gently shook Yao Ji's sleeve.
Looking at the mischievous little fellow before her, Yao Ji couldn't help but feel troubled. However, remembering how she had almost caused a major disaster last time, she made up her mind and said:
"You are too young to control magic. Wait until you are older."
That's it, looks like I'll never have the chance to open my third eye again after my birthday.
That's how it was in the TV series. Yao Ji's three children had their magical powers sealed from birth until the Golden Crow descended to the mortal realm.
Xiao Yangjiao felt a little regretful, and taking advantage of Yao Ji's inattention, she quietly said, "Heavenly Eye."
A faint silver mark flashed across her forehead; her third eye had been opened. She looked at Yao Ji and saw that her entire body was surrounded by a layer of celestial energy.
I couldn't help but take deep breaths; inhaling more of this celestial energy is good for your health.
Seeing her daughter's dejected appearance, Yao Ji couldn't bear it, especially since it was her birthday today, so she tried to cheer her up.
"Jiao'er, look what this is."
A red seal suddenly appeared on his fair palm.
"It's a red envelope!"
Overjoyed, Xiao Yang thought to herself, "What a huge reward this is from the immortals!" She immediately forgot about the sealing.
I eagerly took the red envelope and carefully opened it to take a look.
In an instant, a golden light leaped out from the red seal, as dazzling as the stars.
It contained a full hundred years' worth of merit!
Is it pretty?
Yao Ji had never told her daughter what merit was, and thought the shock on her face was from seeing a magic trick. Little did she know that Yang Jiao was already overjoyed beyond words.
Merit! Equivalent to good fortune.
Some people are born with auspicious fortune, surrounded by purple aura, as if they are favored by the heavens, and have good luck and everything goes smoothly.
However, one's innate destiny is predetermined; whatever Heaven gives you is what you get, and there is absolutely no possibility of receiving even a fraction more out of thin air.
Therefore, even gods and demons need to accumulate merit through tireless efforts and cultivation to make up for the lack of innate fortune.
The reason why deities are so keen to set up shrines to receive incense offerings is precisely this: when mortals come to offer incense and pray for blessings with a devout heart, the power of their faith will be transformed into merit, which will continuously flow to the deities.
As one accumulates merit, one can not only avoid various disasters and calamities, but also use this power to improve one's cultivation, break through existing realm limitations, and advance towards a higher level of immortality.
"Thank you, Mother. You love Jiao'er the most."
"You're so smooth-talking. Go out and see, your mother's good friend is here to give you a gift today."
A friend of a deity is surely a deity! The gifts they bring must be of exceptional quality; if we don't accept them today, we won't have a better chance!
Thinking of this, Xiao Yangjiao hurriedly grabbed Yao Ji's hand and walked outside.
"Hurry, we can't keep Mother's friend waiting."
Today, firecrackers crackled throughout the Yang residence, and lanterns and decorations added to the festive atmosphere.
People streamed in and out of the courtyard, and servants were so busy that their feet barely touched the ground as they led the distinguished guests to their seats.
Yao Ji led her daughter to the gate of the mansion to greet the guests. From afar, they saw the fairy Chang'e walking slowly with several other ethereal fairies.
"Sister Yaoji is so stingy. She didn't even inform us of such an important day. Did she make other friends after descending to the mortal realm and forget about us?"
The Flower Fairy pretended to be angry, but her eyes still revealed a hint of heartache.
Then, seeing the doubt on Yao Ji's face, she comforted her, "Sister, don't blame Chang'e. We stopped her from coming."
"Yes, Auntie, you should let Qi'er know about something this big."
"I……"
Yao Ji didn't know how to answer and stood there stunned, somewhat at a loss.
Fortunately, Xiao Yangjiao was quick-witted; she stepped forward and obediently called out to each person.
"Hello, lovely aunties."
These people all exuded an ethereal aura, and she took the opportunity to approach them and take a deep breath.
Auspicious energy abounds; only by drawing cards can you have good luck!
The Eighth Princess was so fond of Yang Jiao's adorable appearance that she almost couldn't resist giving her the gift now, fearing that she wouldn't have received a first birthday present later.
So he squatted down, took off a bracelet from his own wrist, and put it in the little girl's hand, reminding her, "You've got the wrong name, I'm your cousin."
After a moment's thought, Xiao Yangjiao figured out the identities of the four fairies in front of her and sweetly changed her address.
"Aunties, cousins, please come inside for tea."
This quick wit immediately won over the fairy's heart, and the Seventh Princess couldn't help but say to Yao Ji:
"My aunt should have told me sooner that she had such a well-behaved daughter."
She was so anxious to descend to the mortal realm that she didn't even bring her best things with her.
This little Yang Jiao is a princess in the Heavenly Court, she deserves better.
"Alright, alright, stop standing at the door." Fairy Baihua stepped in to smooth things over, and secretly slipped a vine into Yang Jiao's hand. The vine seemed to come alive, wrapping around Yang Jiao's fingers as soon as it touched them.
This is actually a magical artifact!
"Let me make this clear from the start: since everyone has brought New Year's gifts, whoever's gift Xiao Jiao Jiao catches will get the job of putting a red dot on their forehead." The Fairy of a Hundred Flowers' cunning eyes gleamed as she secretly winked at her.
The fairies naturally agreed with smiles.
This red dot on the forehead is the most important part of the New Year's ceremony. Usually, a respected person from the town would be invited to bestow blessings and apply the red dye to the forehead. Although Yao Ji married a mortal, it was not up to the town's gentry to do it.
These few fairies alone are already being fought over fiercely.
Even Yao Ji couldn't help but laugh at this little incident.
The auspicious time had arrived. Yang Tianyou arranged the pens, books, gold ingots, seals, swords, ruyi scepters, and other objects with auspicious meanings or representing status around him, and then neatly placed them in appropriate positions.
Once everything was ready, Xiao Yangjiao strode over and sat down in the very center.
Seeing this, the fairies present also took out their own gifts to add to the festive atmosphere.
The Moon Goddess Chang'e stepped forward first and gently placed a jade branch from the Moon Palace. The branch was crystal clear and emitted a cool and charming glow. Not to be outdone, the Flower Fairy elegantly placed a chrysanthemum that would never wither.
Then, the seventh princess carefully placed down a magical hairpin that could part the waves and clear a path; the eighth princess smiled and placed a dazzling pearl to the side.
The room was filled with laughter and chatter as everyone began to playfully tease little Yang Jiao.
"Jiao'er, hurry and grab that book; you'll surely be learned in the future!"
"Go and seize that seal; you'll surely hold great power in the future!"
……
"So many good things!"
Yang Jiao listened to the voices of her parents and relatives around her, biting her finger, and stared at the precious magic treasure in front of her, her mouth practically watering.
"They're all mine, mine..."
She moved her legs forward, intending to hug all those things tightly to her chest.
Oh, I want them all!
But just as she reached out her little hand to grab something in front of her...
At this time,
The rest of the family were also watching Yang Jiao's actions with anticipation.
suddenly,
Yao Ji vaguely sensed something; the third eye on her neck began to burn, and she felt a great pressure suddenly arise in her soul, directed towards the spot where Xiao Yang Jiao was grasping her baby's first toys.
"What? Such a powerful pressure?"
"What have you all prepared for Xiao Jiao'er? You didn't steal the Heavenly Court's treasure, did you?" The Hundred Flower Fairy also felt the pressure coming from in front of her, and her face turned pale.
"Eighth Princess, that gold hairpin of yours, could it be the Queen Mother of the West's gold hairpin?!"
"What treasure is it, and where is it?"
"Little Yang Jiao..."
Even though people around her were calling out Xiao Yangjiao's name, she stood there motionless, as if she had been frozen in place.
"Jiao'er's third eye seems to have seen something? Could it be that my daughter's first birthday celebration has attracted the attention of some important person?" Seeing this, Yao Ji couldn't help but feel a little anxious. She also raised her head to look in that direction, but saw nothing but empty space.
Little did she know that what Yang Jiao saw at that moment was a completely different and wonderful sight.
Just as she was about to undergo her first birthday celebration, a clear, holy, and profound voice suddenly resonated within her heart:
"So this is where the innate immortal body is. Hehe, I've found it."
I just heard that sound.
next moment.
The rosy clouds swept across the sky, dazzling and boundless, enveloping the entire Yang mansion and making it shine brilliantly.
Xiao Yangjiao, whose eyes were almost blinded by the golden light, kept covering her eyes but still couldn't look directly at it.
Seventy-two-colored auspicious clouds hung high in the sky and flowed down.
The merits and virtues of the Yang family are boundless and awe-inspiring.
"So bright! These lights are so bright, how come our house is so bright!"
The sudden burst of intense light from the merit was completely unstoppable!
Just as she was waving her little hands haphazardly, she suddenly felt as if she had touched something. Little Yang Jiao instinctively grabbed it tightly and pulled hard.
She opened her palm, and what she saw shocked her!
Good heavens! There was a thousand years of merit in his palm!
It should be noted that even though Yao Ji loved her so much, she only gave her a hundred years.
But now, with a casual grab, she has actually grasped a thousand years of merit!
Just then, a soft exclamation suddenly came from that void.
"Ok?"
Although the sound was not loud, it clearly reached Xiao Yangjiao's ears. For a moment, both of them were stunned, and time seemed to freeze.
"You little brat, you actually managed to see the merits of this humble Taoist?"
As the golden light gradually faded, a figure slowly emerged in the previously empty void.
When Xiao Yangjiao saw the figure's face clearly, she was stunned, as if struck by lightning. She murmured to herself in disbelief:
"This, this old man?! Why does he look so much like that...that...largest statue of a deity in the Taoist temple?"