Just like what Zhuo Jinren said, the temple that Lily saw was really dilapidated. The once majestic curved roofs had collapsed, the walls were cracked and mosses were everywhere. With the columns of the temple still standing tall, they reminded visitors of its once glorious form.
"Why did they abandon this temple?" she asked, taking a seat on a stone bench next to Zhuo Jingren.
"The monks left," he answered. "I don't know the exact reason. But when I arrived here years ago, this temple was already abandoned."
"So when you left the orphanage, you came here?"
"Tokyo, then here…" he answered. "When I was in Tokyo, I helped an old woman who was lost on the streets. Through my interactions with her, I realized that she had some mental health issues. When she suddenly fainted on the streets, I immediately brought her to the hospital and stayed with her until her family came for her. Long story short, that woman became my adoptive mother and her husband became my adoptive father."
