The Blonde Daoist

Chapter 10: Zero Time Difference Resonance

In the year Ω+100 of the cosmic calendar, at 19:00 on the 23rd day of the twelfth lunar month.

The murals of Cave 36 in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes suddenly flowed out golden soup. Jerry Hoffman scooped up a spoonful and tasted the mixed aroma of Bavarian beef stew and Lanzhou beef noodles. This is the "civilization symbiosis alarm" issued by quantum amber.

"Elsa, the Spring Festival couplets at Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center are arguing with the Christmas stockings in Amber Bay." He shook the holographic projection in his hand. The character "Fu" in Jiuquan and the neon "Weihnachten" in Amber Bay are confronting each other in the starry sky.

Elsa's acupuncture bronze figure automatically flew to the luggage rack. There was a brocade bag embroidered with "Kitchen God" on the bronze figure's waist. "Grandpa Bai said that when festival symbols fight, we should cook a pot of 'zero time difference Laba porridge'."

Their Taoist robes instantly switched to red down jackets on the Spring Festival transportation train. Jerry's backpack revealed half of the "Rocket Launch Manual", and Elsa's woven bag was stuffed with "Dunhuang Quzi Ci". Passing through the wormhole of quantum amber, the two landed in the "space-time folding area" between Jiuquan and Amber Bay.

20:30

The bazaar in the folding area is staging an absurd drama:

The sugar painting master in Jiuquan is drawing a Tesla coil on the turntable.

The gingerbread man in Amber Bay is wearing a Peking Opera mask.

On the scaffolding of the satellite launch tower, Taoist priests and astronauts are pasting Spring Festival couplets.

"The problem lies in the time anchor point." Elsa's crystal ball projects the energy confrontation between the two time zones. "The Kitchen God in Jiuquan wants to go to heaven by rocket, while Santa Claus in Amber Bay insists that reindeer are more environmentally friendly."

Jerry took out the fateful sword. The Rhine goddess on the hilt suddenly hummed "Unforgettable Tonight". He split the space-time fold and revealed the hidden "festival altar" - the sacrificial cauldron during the reign of Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty overlapped with the wishing well in medieval Amber Bay.

"Western and Eastern 'altime' is needed." Elsa took out kitchen sugar from the brocade bag and then took out honey cakes from Amber Bay. "Reset the time resonance with the taste of childhood."

22:00

When the kitchen sugar melted in the wishing well and the honey cake was put into the sacrificial cauldron, the time in the folding area suddenly slowed down. Jerry and Elsa saw:

At the age of seven, they were building a snowman in Amber Bay. The snowman's nose was a carrot from Jiuquan.

At the age of twelve, they were copying murals in Dunhuang. The paint was mixed with Christmas color powder from Amber Bay.

Most importantly, Daoist Priest Bai Xuan appeared simultaneously in two time and spaces, pasting Spring Festival couplets with his left hand and hanging Christmas stockings with his right hand.

"Time is not linear. It is a mixture of dumpling fillings and gingerbread crumbs." The voice of Daoist Priest Bai Xuan came from the cauldron. "Taste your 'zero time difference Laba porridge'."

In the porridge pot, Jiuquan millet, Amber Bay oats, and stardust rice from the Andromeda galaxy were rolling. Jerry tasted the cinnamon fragrance of Christmas Eve in 1998. Elsa tasted the bacon flavor of the Spring Festival in 2008. That was the "Chinese-Western combination porridge" they cooked for the first time in the ruins of the monastery.

At 00:00 on the 24th day of the twelfth lunar month.

The conflict in the folding area suddenly escalated: The dragon dance team in Jiuquan collided with the parade float in Amber Bay in the space-time rift. The skin of the Nordic frost giant was exposed where the dragon scales peeled off. The ribbon of Dunhuang Feitian was stuck between the gears of the float.

"Stop!" Elsa threw out the acupuncture bronze figure. Twelve silver needles nailed the out-of-control time particles. "Look at the eyes of the dragon!"

In the eyes of the dragon dance, the stained glass of the church in Amber Bay was reflected. In the mechanical heart of the float, the number of the Jiuquan satellite was engraved. Jerry waved the fateful sword and drew a fusion totem of "Nian beast - reindeer" in the void. The creature with antlers and dragon body roared towards the sky. The sound wave shattered all conflicting symbols.

"The Nian beast needs the tenderness of the reindeer. The reindeer needs the courage of the Nian beast." Jerry gave the rocket model of Jiuquan to the float driver. "This year, Santa Claus will patrol the sky on Chang'e-5."

Elsa tied a Christmas bell from Amber Bay to the dragon dance team. "The dragon scales hide the "Tao Te Ching". When the bell rings, chant 'Blessings are boundless'."

At 03:00.

The residents of the folding area suddenly discovered:

There are gingerbread men floating in the Laba porridge in Jiuquan. There are longans soaked in hot red wine in Amber Bay.

When the satellite launch countdown sounded, "Unforgettable Tonight" and "Silent Night" were played simultaneously.

The Spring Festival couplets and Christmas cards were automatically translated. The character "Fu" grew mistletoe branches.

Jerry and Elsa met old Wolfgang on the heated kang in Jiuquan. Now he is a cross-time and space postman. The postal bag is filled with festival blessings from all universes.

"I brought you 'annihilation dumplings' from the antimatter universe." He took out the black-glowing dumplings. When bitten open, it was a mixture of Jiuquan mutton and Amber Bay sauerkraut filling. "Grandpa Bai said that the essence of contradiction is unblended deliciousness."

Elsa's crystal ball suddenly projected the core of quantum amber: When they were babies, they were folding reindeers with Spring Festival couplet paper. The diapers were printed with "Fu" and "Glück". Jerry finally understood: All civilizational conflicts are unfinished puzzle games from childhood.

At 18:00 on the 28th day of the twelfth lunar month.

The "zero time difference Spring Festival Gala" in the folding area was held at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center. In the center of the stage, Dunhuang Feitian and Amber Bay angels were dancing together. The background screen alternately played the "News Network" and the Christmas special of German TV Channel One.

As a special guest, Jerry demonstrated the new function of the fateful sword - the sword body can project New Year's Eve dinners from all universes:

In the space capsule on Mars, astronauts are holding interstellar pickled meat with chopsticks.

In Atlantis under the sea, the mermaids strung pearls into the shape of dumplings.

The most touching one is the dining table of the Hoffman family in 1998. The dumpling filling made by Anna hid sesame characters of the "Tao Te Ching".

"The real zero time difference is not time synchronization. It is to let the 'present' of every civilization be heard." Elsa's speech was translated into 72 languages, including Cthulhu's bubble language and neutron star's gravitational wave language.

When the bell struck midnight, the fireworks in Jiuquan and the candles in Amber Bay lit up simultaneously. Jerry and Elsa saw that all versions of themselves in all universes were raising their glasses. In the glasses were Jiuquan's baijiu, Amber Bay's beer, and the "fusion dew" from the Dao Library.

At 06:00 on the first day of the first lunar month.

Before leaving the folding area, Jerry and Elsa planted a "symbiosis tree" in the Gobi Desert of Jiuquan. The trunk is the Populus euphratica from Dunhuang. The branches and leaves are the fir trees from Amber Bay. The annual rings are engraved with: "Time difference is the spice of civilization. Symbiosis is the dessert of time."

Elsa's crystal ball suddenly received the last voice message from Daoist Priest Bai Xuan: "Children, I am going to be the night watchman of quantum amber. Remember, when the Spring Festival meets Christmas next time, remember to leave a piece of gingerbread for the Kitchen God and serve a bowl of dumpling soup for Santa Claus."

Jerry looked towards the east. The silhouette of the childhood monastery emerged in the morning sun of Jiuquan. Elsa looked towards the west. The camel bells of Dunhuang floated in the morning mist of Amber Bay. They knew that this was not the end of the mission - but the most ordinary and eternal beginning as "civilization gardeners".

Eternal Amber Bay Nursing Home

In the Amber Bay nursing home in the real universe, the white-haired Jerry and Elsa are teaching the old people to do "Tai Chi square dancing". Their walkers are hung with Chinese knots from Jiuquan and nutcrackers from Amber Bay. The background music is a mixed version of "The Most Dazzling National Style" and "Beer Barrel Polka".

"In those days when we cooked Laba porridge in Jiuquan, the Kitchen God's beard was stained with gingerbread crumbs..." Elsa's story was interrupted by the snoring of old Wolfgang. He was holding a rocket model from Jiuquan and a reindeer doll from Amber Bay in his arms.

Jerry looked out of the window. The stained glass of the monastery was flowing in the morning light. He knew that in a certain quantum foam, five-year-old himself and Elsa were looking for the lost "zero time difference Laba porridge" in the snow. And the footprints of Daoist Priest Bai Xuan were always printed on the snow in front of them.

Final Chapter: The Miracle of Daily Life

On the latest mural of Cave 36 in Dunhuang Mogao Grottoes, Jerry and Elsa are sitting in the bazaar of the folding area. In front of them are mutton rolls from Jiuquan and apple pies from Amber Bay. The inscription in the lower right corner of the mural is no longer a prophecy but an everyday sentence intertwined with German and Chinese:

"Das Glück ist im Mischen von Jiaozi und Lebkuchen (Happiness is in the mixture of dumplings and gingerbread)."

And in every corner of the universe, when the Spring Festival meets Christmas and when dumpling fillings are mixed with gingerbread crumbs, all civilizations hear the same voice - that is the sound of snow falling on Christmas Eve in 1998. It is the first step taken by childhood Jerry and Elsa in the smile of Daoist Priest Bai Xuan.

Chapter 9 Core Philosophy

Time difference is symbiosis: Transforming time conflicts into cultural seasonings, echoing the concretization of Taoism's "harmony without uniformity" and Christianity's "the Word became flesh".

Daily cultivation: Returning from cosmic-level crises to life details. The ultimate meaning of cultivation lies in making every ordinary moment a miracle of civilization fusion.

The redemption of old Wolfgang: The former villain finds belonging in daily life, revealing the civilizational truth that "extremism stems from a lack of belonging".