nashuaworldcup Chapter 349 Life and Death in the Candlelight
Chapter 349 Life and Death in the Candlelight
In the courtyard on a summer night, a birthday cake with candles sits on a stone table, and an old-fashioned oil lamp—a life-extending lamp—burns on an incense table in the corner…
Sizi: (in a clear, curious voice) "Zi'an, Zi'an! Look at the little candles on the cake! They're so shiny and twinkling, like little stars falling down! Why do we blow out candles on our birthdays?"
Zi'an: (In a gentle, smiling voice) "This custom is quite interesting; it dates back to ancient Greece more than two thousand years ago. Legend has it that back then, when people celebrated the birthday of the moon goddess Artemis, they would stick candles all over sweet honey cakes, and the candlelight was like the gentle moonlight—"
Sizi: (Excitedly interrupting) "Ah! Just like how we stick candles on a fragrant cake now, right?"
Zi'an: "That's right, Sizi is so clever! The ancients believed that burning candles had magical power, connecting them to the gods in heaven. So, in that tiny moment when you blow out the candle, quickly make a wish in your heart, and that wish will float away with the candle smoke to the gods!" (Her voice carries a hint of mystery) "So when Sizi blows out the candle later, be sure to hide your wish and silently recite it in your heart~"
Sizi: (Immediately puts her hands together and mutters softly) "Hmm! Then I... I want candles to bless Mother so she can get better soon..." (Suddenly notices a corner, her voice filled with doubt) "Huh? Zian, there's a small lamp over there. Why is it on all night? Doesn't it sleep?"
Zi'an: (His voice softens and becomes gentle) "That lamp is called the 'Life-Extending Lamp,' or some people call it the 'Eternal Lamp.' You see, its wick is always immersed in oil, and the flame just keeps burning quietly. People hope it will never go out, just like they hope that life can be long and peaceful..."
Sizi: (Tilting her head, looking a little confused) "But...but Granny always says 'when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out'..."
Zi'an: (Her fingertips gently trace the edge of the lamp, her voice calm) "Yes, this sentence comes from the Buddhist scripture 'Mahasamnipata Sutra.' It compares our life to an oil lamp. When the oil runs out, the flame naturally goes out, and life comes to an end. It means that life has an end, just like flowers blooming and withering, which is a natural law that cannot be forced."
(Gently push the lamp towards the rhinoceros) "But this life-extending lamp illuminates the longing in people's hearts. The Taoist ancestors looked up at the Big Dipper in the sky and created the method of the 'Seven Star Lamp'. People light it and pray to heaven with a devout heart and a specific ritual, hoping to extend their precious lifespan. This lamp is a lamp that knows that life will eventually come to an end, but still cherishes the deepest desire and tries to grasp a little bit of hope."
Sizi: (Holding her little face in her hands, looking at the candlelight on the cake, then at the dim light of the eternal lamp, she suddenly clapped her hands as if in a flash of realization) "Oh! I understand! We blow out the candles on the cake with a 'poof' to make a wish; but with the eternal lamp, everyone carefully protects it so it doesn't go out... (Her voice is full of childlike metaphors) One is like a brave little butterfly, 'whoosh' flying towards the big sun to deliver a message; another is like a little seedling in the ground, clinging tightly to the soil so it won't be blown away by the wind—actually, they're all whispering secrets to God, right?"
Zi'an: (Suppressing a smile, her laughter gentle, she lightly ruffles Sizi's hair) "Oh dear, our Sizi is such a little philosopher! You speak so well. Blowing out birthday candles is like folding your wishes into little paper boats and sending them to the gods with the wisp of smoke; lighting this eternal lamp is like offering a burning, pleading heart to heaven. The matter of life and death is too weighty and profound, but we humans love to use this little, small, flickering flame to quietly and warmly blend the awe, expectation, and that unwillingness to give up in our hearts into the warmth of human life."
Sizi: (Suddenly tugs at Zian's sleeve, candlelight flickering in her eyes) "Zian, I just remembered something! Granny always says that foreign festivals are 'floods and beasts,' but look at these birthday candles, they traveled across the ocean and turned into little stars that landed on our cake—(counting on her fingers) and the bells hanging on the Christmas tree, they're just like fairy golden beans!"
Zi'an: (Pouring tea from a teapot, the water gurgling) "Does Sizi think they are bad things?"
Sizi: (shakes her head vigorously, the tassels of her hairpin swaying like small golden waves) "No way! It's like...like the little swallows bringing new flower seeds from the south, making our yard bloom with flowers we've never seen before! (resting her chin on her hand, looking at the life-extending lamp) Our ancestors lit eternal lamps to pray for peace, and foreigners lit candles to celebrate birthdays. Aren't they all holding bright hearts?"
Zi'an: (Tap the stone table lightly with her fingertips, her smile like ripples) "Well said. A hundred years ago, the Chinese people opened their eyes to the world, learned Western medicine, built railways, translated foreign languages, and even birthday candles were introduced at that time. (Pushes the teacup toward the life-saving lamp) If we had kept our doors closed back then, this cake would probably be served with incense sticks tonight."
Sizi: (chuckles, then suddenly becomes serious) "Then why bring back the old rules? Like how Granny forced me to memorize the *Standards for Being a Good Student and Child* every day..."
Zi'an: (Placing the cake candles and the life-saving lamp side by side) "Look, making a wish by candlelight is like adding fuel to the fire, while protecting your own lamp is like tending the hearth. (Fingerts brush over the two clusters of warm light) If you only focus on adding fuel and forget to protect the fire—(Suddenly blows out the cake candles) Oh dear, the boat of making wishes will sink!"
Sizi: (Screaming and rushing to cover the lamp, then suddenly realizing) "I get it! It's fine to learn from the swallow carrying flower seeds, but you have to make your own peony even plumper! Just like..." (Eyes suddenly light up) "Just like how I love cream cake, but I love my mother's longevity noodles even more!"
Zi'an: (Laughing, pinching her puffed-up cheek) "You little glutton, you're quite the metaphor! Remember this—(pointing to the cake) This candlelight is the sweetness of humbly seeking knowledge, (stroking the lamp) This flame is the saltiness of an unbroken literary tradition. When you grow up and can create a thousand flavors, that'll be true skill!"