One stone fell in love with another stone. What do you think he should do? (Part 1) I am a dull stone under the southern mountain. For several nights and days, I begged the mountain god to help me approach her. One day, my fate changed. I was moved to the roadside by a traveler, and at that moment, I saw her - another stone far away. My heart became restless. I wanted her, I loved her. So, I prayed before the mountain god to turn me into a grain of sand so that the wind could carry me to her side. The mountain god said, "Yes, but you will endure great hardship." With my head buried in the soil, I said, "My determination is unwavering!" I endured for 77 forty-nine days: exposed to the scorching sun, drenched in drizzle, dried in the cold wind, and crushed in the freezing frost. I turned into a grain of sand. The wind god fulfilled his promise and carried me to her side. However, when I tried to embrace her, I couldn't stay under her feet.
(Part 2) I sought the mountain god again, asking if I could stand beside her. He agreed. But then, I had to sacrifice my freedom. As long as I could be with her, I willingly said, "I agree!" Then, I was swallowed by a bird and grew into a big tree near her through its droppings. Now we were together, and we were happy, talking joyfully. But when I tried to embrace her, I found my branches too high and too far. She also tried to make me laugh by telling many jokes. Unfortunately, I couldn’t hold her. Feeling sad, my body shook, and leaves fell all over her. I said, "This counts as me hugging you, right?" She laughed and then remained silent for a long time. At night, I fell into a deep sleep. In a haze, I heard rustling sounds. When dawn broke, I found that the stone had cracked into a pile of sand. With no news of her, I was heartbroken. Suddenly, I felt an itch. It turned out to be an ant crawling on my branch. Wanting to shake it off, I heard a rough voice saying, "Does this count as hugging me?" I really wanted to cry for her, but my stiff skin wouldn't obey me. I could only shake my branches and watch her fall. My heart had already shattered with her.
The next day, I died and met the god of fate. Just as I was about to leave, the mountain god came and said, "This stone isn't difficult, let him follow his destiny." "Ah, the relationship has ended," said the god of fate without speaking further. He patted my shoulder lightly, and I faintly heard a sound from underground: "Take good care of yourself."
(Part 3) When I woke up, I realized I was a black ant. I was ordered to protect a red butterfly. On the other side, the white ants were our enemies, always stealing our food, so we had to resist them. Unexpectedly, their army arrived before our reinforcements did. Hearing a command, a line of white ants charged toward us five black ants. None of us fled, but the battle was brutal. A soldier ant stepped on my head, and I couldn't move. The red butterfly was taken away, and I could only stare blankly as they passed by. "Rescue me!" The red butterfly seemed to call out to me: "Hug me!" Suddenly, I realized she was the one I had been searching for so long. Feeling excruciating pain, strength returned to my body. I shouted, "Let her go!" I pushed the ant soldier who was stepping on me, leapt forward, and ran toward her. Suddenly, two white ant soldiers appeared from the right, spears pointing at my throat. I kicked one down but was pierced by the spear of the other. Fortunately, I reached her and knocked down an ant soldier. She tilted slightly and saw me. I gave her a gentle smile and then closed my eyes.
(Part 4) Seeing the god of fate, I hurriedly said, "Please give me a pair of wings so I can quickly fly to her!" The god of fate was playing chess with the mountain god and didn't even glance at me. With a wave of his sleeve, I fell down. Scared, I flailed my arms, closed my eyes, and realized I was flying. I had turned into a bird. I flew with all my might to the foot of this mountain and landed on a hollow tree. After careful observation, I found two stones under the tree. To the west of the stones was an ant hole. There was a piece of red butterfly wing at the entrance. I flew down to hug her, but as soon as I spread my wings, she drifted away. Heartbreak is an indescribable pain. I flapped my wings and flew high into the dark clouds. Looking at the stone which was her previous life, I wanted to see her gentle smile. I closed my eyes and spread my wings, plunging heavily towards the stone.
(Part 5) I saw the god of fate again, knelt down but didn't want to get up. The god of fate said, "Your chance has come! Don't lose hope, go!" With a flick of his finger, I saw a beam of black light. Dazed, I wandered in the countryside of Nanjing where rain came unexpectedly. Walking along the wall, I hadn't gone far when I encountered a pink umbrella. I suddenly darted out, and she turned around laughing, "The rain is really heavy!" Another autumn day, I invited her to gather thoughts on the mountain. Unfortunately, both of us were now parents with our own families. Again standing under that hollow tree, we stood on those two stones. We looked into the distance and talked about everything or maybe nothing. Climbing the mountain, I hugged her tightly. She gently pushed me away, and I cried, "I just want to hug you!" She also smiled and said, "Come home, be careful on the way!" Therefore, in every temple, I worship the statues for a long time. This is my prayer for a perfect reunion with you in the next life!