Chapter 143: First Snow Shrine
The three of them left the school gate and came to the torii gate at the foot of the Hatsuyuki Shrine.
It looks a bit like a red tic-tac-toe. After the torii gate, there are stairs paved with stones leading to the top of the mountain.
On both sides of this steep path surrounded by cherry trees, there are handrails made of wooden stakes connected with ropes. They also have the function of isolating roads.
There are scattered cherry blossoms on the road.
Obviously Sakurayuki Chiai had just cleaned it not long ago, otherwise there would definitely be more petals accumulated here.
"I'm really looking forward to visiting my sister-in-law's house." Erina looked at the path and rubbed her hands excitedly: "I wonder if Yingxue can let me rua..."
"It's better not to do it, miss. Don't scare people." Yoshiyuki reminded with a wry smile: "And don't just preset Yingxue classmate as your sister-in-law. We are not sure about this at all. The dragon is embarrassed."
"Humph, I know it without you having to tell me." Erina chuckled, rubbed Ji-chan, and took the lead in stepping into the torii gate: "You really think I'm stupid."
"Ah, are you very smart?"
"Servant, why are you talking to your master? You're going to commit seppuku!"
"Okay, okay, I'll cut your tripe tonight to apologize."
"Oh! Tripe!"
Erina's attention seemed to immediately shift to the hot pot tripe.
Xiao Ji also swallowed her saliva.
This time, Yi Xing was so ravenous that the lunch he had just eaten seemed to disappear into a black hole, and his stomach became empty.
This reaction is actually the same as yawning.
Maybe you don't want to yawn at first, but when people around you start yawning, you can't help but want to yawn.
This phenomenon can be called XX syndrome.
Applying it to the moment when he really wants to eat hot pot, it is called hot pot craving syndrome.
Of course, there is a simpler way.
Just plain greedy.
"Miss, have you noticed? There are quite a few cats around here."
As Yoshiyuki said this, he looked around.
Lots of cats and cats around. They may lie lazily on the ground or in the treetops, or run around due to their visit.
They are probably all wild cats without owners.
"Indeed." Erina agreed: "So Arisa probably gets along well with them, right? Maybe he was one of them in the past."
"Hmm..." Yoshiyuki pondered for a moment and said with emotion: "This discovery is very important. If the black and white cat really changed from these wild cats, then if you take the female cat here home, it is possible that she will become a cat lady, right? Even if there is no reaction at first, if you tell her every day that she will change, sooner or later she will succeed!"
"Oh? It's really suspicious to specifically hug female cats! So, servant, what do you want to do with the cat girl?" Erina clicked her tongue and said disgustedly: "Are you thinking about something unpleasant?"
"How is that possible! I hug the female cat just because the cat girl is cuter than the cat boy! It's also convenient for you to hug and so on!" Yoshiyuki immediately clarified: "I don't have any idea, okay? It's Missy that something is wrong with you!"
"There's nothing wrong with me! Is it normal for you to doubt your servant's motives? After all, you are so crooked!"
"Miss, you really can't find a more decent man than me! On the contrary, it's weird that you think wrong! Think about it!"
"I have no place to reflect!"
The two of them walked up the steps noisily and came to the second torii gate. It seemed that Erina was full of energy due to the quarrel, but Erina didn't complain at all about being unable to walk or needing to stop to rest.
Xiao Ji had been silently watching the two people's stumbling lips, showing a rather pleased smile.
Since they were already quite close to the second torii gate, the two stopped arguing and fell silent in unison.
This is not a dispute between them that determines the outcome.
It's because both of them know the rules of visiting the shrine - even if they don't come to worship, they still have to show respect to the gods.
There are currently no guests at the shrine.
The courtyard was so quiet that you could even hear the cherry blossoms falling.
When you stand outside the courtyard and look at it, you can feel the overwhelming shock.
From time to time, fallen cherry blossoms fall from the huge canopy covered with cherry blossoms. Some fell gently and slowly in the courtyard, while others flew into the distance with the wind.
How high is it?
Yi Xing felt that it must be at least more than 40 meters.
The trunk of the tree is so thick that about ten people can hug it.
He had seen the photo of this cherry tree before. You can see it from a distance from Sakurajima Academy or even from the bottom of the mountain, but that doesn't reflect its magnificence at all.
Only by seeing it with your own eyes can you feel awe from the bottom of your heart.
Before entering the shrine, the three of them bowed in the direction of the torii according to the rules.
Also, when passing under the torii gate, avoid the center and walk on both sides - this is because the center is a passage reserved for gods.
Later, after leaving the shrine from under the torii gate, you have to bow again.
They had just passed the first torii gate without bowing, but they had also made a detour as they passed through it. This is the way to go on a pilgrimage route with multiple torii gates on one road.
The three of them crossed the torii gate, walked up the last steps, and entered the gate.
Here, the structure of the courtyard can be clearly seen.
Not far after entering the door, you can see the Teshuisha.
It was a place for washing hands, rinsing mouth, and purifying body and mind. The shape is a roofed but wallless building supported by four pillars.
In the center of the building, there is a wooden pool engraved with the word "purify the heart". On the wall of the pool, there is a large wooden ladle.
Erina stepped forward first and began to cleanse her heart skillfully.
There are a few things you need to pay attention to when it comes to purifying the mind in the Hand Water House.
First: You can only scoop water once.
Second: Wash your hands separately before rinsing your mouth. And pour water into the palm of your hand and bring it to your mouth to rinse. Do not touch the ladle directly with your mouth.
Third: Finally, stand the ladle up and let the remaining water flow out to clean the spoon.
Yoshiyuki often visits the Yoshida family's Huangquan Shrine and has long been used to it.
When it was his turn to purify his mind, Yi Xing felt that the water was very cool and sweet, almost like mountain spring water.
Yoshiyuki felt extremely impressed when he thought of how Chia Sakurayuki, who managed the shrine alone, carried water to fill the pond every day.
After purifying your mind at Tesumuisha, you can continue walking along the gravel path surrounded by stone lanterns every few steps according to the normal worship procedures.
Hatsuki Shrine is different from Yomi Shrine in that it is a small shrine with only one priest.
Therefore, there is no Kagura Hall specifically for playing Kagura and a Dance Hall for performing dances.
There is no treasure hall where treasures are stored, and there is no mikoshi hall where mikoshi are stored.
There is also no granting office for awarding sacred items such as lotuses, ema, and amulets. The office is also used by the clergy to handle shrine affairs, and the area is very small. When there are a lot of guests, Yingxue will probably sit at the window to receive them.