那是一个清晨，阳光明媚，但寒风刺骨。我暂别了白雀寺的僧人，带着部分行囊启程前往礼县。路上，会见事先约好的当地朋友，他们热情地请我吃了一顿香喷喷的肉包子，使得我暖和了一些。吃完饭，我便独自一人来到县城的汽车站，买了去香山的车票。
香山是一座著名的道教圣地，因为写书，故要特地去朝拜一番。车程并不长，但沿途的风景却让人目不暇接。山峦起伏，林木葱郁，偶尔还能看到几只野生动物。当车快要到达目的地时，司机突然停了下来，说道：“香山的旅客，对不起，山上昨晚下了一场大雪，路面结冰，不能再往上开了。”
我也只好无奈地下车，背着行李又独自一个人徒步上山。雪花飘落在我的头发和衣服上，山里雪最深的地方也埋过脚的膝盖。终于，在艰难地走了两个多小时后，我到达了香山寺。寺院，只有一两个须眉稠长的中年道士。山的那边危险的峭壁，不让游人随意靠近；我只好粗略地拍照闲逛一番，然后找了个亭子歇息整顿。时间不早，便准备下山。
当我着急忙慌下山，已经是傍晚了。我想找个地方住下来，但发现附近唯一的旅馆，也已关门。一时在街上走来走去，不知该怎么办。就在这时，一个乡村妇女走过来问我：“你是外地来的吗？找不到住处吗？要不要跟我回家去？”看我有些犹豫。她又笑着说：“放心吧，我没有坏心眼。我家就在前面那栋房子里，二楼有个空房间，你可以住在那里。50元钱就行。”我听了她的话，觉得她还挺诚恳的，就跟着她走了。
第二天早晨，返回。
It was a clear morning, the sun was shining brightly, but the cold wind was biting. I temporarily left the monks of Baique Temple and set off for Lixian with some of my luggage. On the way, I met some local friends who had made an appointment in advance. They warmly invited me to eat a fragrant meat bun, which warmed me up a bit. After eating, I came to the bus station in the county town alone and bought a ticket to Xiangshan.
Xiangshan is a famous Taoist holy place. Because of writing a book, I had to make a special trip to worship. The journey was not long, but the scenery along the way was breathtaking. The mountains were undulating and the forests were lush. Occasionally, I could see a few wild animals. When the car was about to reach its destination, the driver suddenly stopped and said: ‘Passengers to Xiangshan, I’m sorry, there was a heavy snowfall on the mountain last night and the road is icy. We can’t drive up any further.’
I had no choice but to get off the bus helplessly and hike up the mountain alone with my luggage on my back. Snowflakes fell on my hair and clothes. In the deepest part of the snow in the mountains, it also buried my knees. Finally, after walking for more than two hours with difficulty, I arrived at Xiangshan Temple. In the temple, there were only one or two middle-aged Taoist priests with thick eyebrows. The dangerous cliffs on the other side of the mountain did not allow tourists to approach at will; I could only take some rough photos and wander around for a while before finding a pavilion to rest and tidy up. It was getting late and I was ready to go down the mountain.
When I hurriedly rushed down the mountain, it was already evening. I wanted to find a place to stay but found that the only nearby hotel had already closed its doors. For a while, I walked back and forth on the street without knowing what to do. At this moment, a rural woman came over and asked me: ‘Are you from out of town? Can’t find a place to stay? Do you want to come home with me?’ Seeing that I hesitated a bit. She smiled again and said: ‘Don’t worry, I don’t have any bad intentions. My house is in that building in front of us. There is an empty room on the second floor where you can stay. 50 yuan will do.’ After hearing her words, I felt that she was quite sincere and followed her.
The next day morning, return.