In a peaceful and serene small town at the foot of a mountain, there lived a young girl named Su Yao. She had bright eyes and white teeth, and her smile was as charming as the blooming flowers in spring. She was also extremely kind-hearted and pure in nature. The elders in the town all praised her as a lovely and sweet girl. However, despite her outstanding appearance and excellent character, she had been deeply confused about her marriage.

In the traditional concept of this small town, when a woman reached the age of marriage, marriage became a crucial event in life. Watching her peers around her getting married one after another, Su Yao couldn't help feeling anxious and confused in her heart. She often wondered to herself where her Mr. Right was and why fate hadn't let them meet yet. This confused emotion was like a lingering cloud, hanging over her heart. When facing the concerned gazes of her family and friends, she could only respond with a helpless wry smile.

One day, Su Yao heard that there was a highly respected Taoist priest in the Taoist temple on the mountain outside the town. He was proficient in all kinds of mysterious Taoist arts and might be able to give her some guidance. So, with full of expectation and a bit of nervousness, she set foot on the winding mountain road leading to the Taoist temple. The trees on both sides of the mountain road provided shade, and the birds were singing merrily on the branches, as if cheering her on. But Su Yao was in no mood to enjoy the beautiful scenery along the way. Her heart was only focused on the upcoming meeting with the Taoist priest, hoping to get an answer about her marriage from him.

When she finally arrived at the Taoist temple, she saw that the temple was solemn and magnificent. The red walls and black tiles emitted an ancient charm under the sunlight. Inside the temple, incense smoke curled up slowly and Taoist music was floating in the air, giving people a sense of otherworldly tranquility. Su Yao walked carefully into the temple. After asking around, she found the legendary Taoist priest.

The Taoist priest was dressed in a blue-gray Taoist robe and wore a Taoist crown on his head. He had a thin face, and his eyes were deep and wise, as if he could see through the mysteries of all things in the world. When he saw Su Yao coming, he nodded slightly and motioned for her to sit down. Su Yao respectfully saluted the Taoist priest and then summoned up her courage to tell him all about her confusion and bewilderment regarding marriage.

After listening quietly to Su Yao's story, the Taoist priest closed his eyes and meditated for a moment. Then he slowly got up and walked into the inner room. Soon, he came out holding a piece of talisman paper in his hand. On the talisman paper, there were mysterious runes and patterns written with cinnabar-red cinnabar brushes. The runes were crooked, like lively dragons or mysterious heavenly books, exuding an ancient and mysterious atmosphere. The Taoist priest handed the talisman paper to Su Yao and said, "This talisman symbolizes the contract of fate. If you are sincere, fate will come to you. Take this talisman with you and pray sincerely every day without any slackness."

Su Yao took the talisman paper with both hands, filled with awe and gratitude in her heart. She carefully examined this marriage talisman. Although she couldn't understand what the runes on it meant, she could feel a mysterious power emanating from the talisman paper. She carefully folded the talisman paper and put it in her bosom. Then she saluted the Taoist priest again to express her gratitude and left the Taoist temple.

Since then, every morning, Su Yao would get up early. After washing up, she would come to the window of her boudoir. She would put the marriage talisman on the small table in front of the window, then light an incense stick. The curling smoke rose slowly, filling the whole room. Su Yao knelt on the futon, put her hands together, closed her eyes slightly, and began to pray sincerely with a fervent expectation for a good marriage in her heart. Her voice was soft but firm, as if she were having a conversation with the gods in heaven and earth, telling them her wishes.

During the day, wherever Su Yao went, she would carefully carry the marriage talisman with her. When she was washing clothes by the brook, she would worry that the brook water might wet the talisman paper, so she wrapped the talisman paper with a clean handkerchief. When she was working in the fields, she would also pay attention to the talisman paper all the time, for fear that it would be blown away by the wind. Every night, before she went to sleep, she would put the marriage talisman beside her pillow. Under the moonlight, the talisman paper seemed to emit a faint glow, accompanying her into sweet dreams.

In this way, several months passed. On a sunny spring afternoon, Su Yao went to the market in the town to buy some daily necessities as usual. The market was crowded with people, bustling with activity. There were all kinds of stalls with a dazzling array of goods, and the shouts of vendors could be heard one after another. Su Yao was walking through the crowd, concentrating on choosing items.

Suddenly, accidentally, she bumped into a young man. The things in their hands scattered all over the ground. Su Yao quickly apologized, "I'm sorry. I bumped into you carelessly." The young man quickly waved his hand and said, "No, no. It was my fault that I bumped into you, miss. Please don't blame me." Su Yao looked up at the young man and saw that he had a handsome face, gentle eyes, and a faint smile on his lips, giving people a pleasant feeling like being bathed in a spring breeze.

The young man crouched down to help Su Yao pick up the dropped items, and Su Yao also hurriedly joined in. During this process, they started talking. Su Yao learned that the young man's name was Lin Yu and that he was a scholar from the neighboring town. He had come here this time to visit an old friend living in the town. Lin Yu had been well-versed in books since childhood, was knowledgeable, and had a strong interest in and unique insights into all things in the world. He spoke elegantly and clearly, which made Su Yao couldn't help falling in love with him.

And Lin Yu was also attracted by Su Yao's beauty, generosity, kindness, and purity during their conversation. They found that they had amazing tacit understanding in many aspects. They both loved nature and liked to take walks in the mountains and forests in their spare time, listening to the songs of birds and feeling the gentle touch of the breeze. They both had a deep affection for traditional culture, especially a common love for poetry, lyrics, and odes. Su Yao could recite many beautiful ancient poems casually, and Lin Yu could give in-depth interpretations and appreciations of these poems. The two of them often had a great time chatting because of a poem, as if they had found bosom friends.

As time went by, the feelings between Su Yao and Lin Yu grew deeper day by day. They began to date frequently. Sometimes they would take a walk along the river in the small town, watching the river flowing slowly and sharing their dreams and thoughts with each other. Sometimes they would play chess in the courtyard under the moonlight. The black and white chess pieces were placed alternately on the chessboard, and each move contained their wisdom and emotions. Their love was like a young seedling growing vigorously in spring, gradually becoming lush and flourishing under the nourishment of sunlight and rain.

However, when facing the major life choice of marriage, they were not carried away by love. They knew very well that marriage was not only the union of two people but also the integration of two families, and they needed to take on corresponding responsibilities and obligations. So, they began to understand each other's family backgrounds, living habits, and values in depth.

Su Yao learned that although Lin Yu's family was not wealthy, he was diligent and hardworking and had great ambitions and ideals. He hoped to achieve something in his official career through his knowledge and efforts and bring benefits to his family and the common people. And Lin Yu also knew that Su Yao had a good reputation in the small town. She was hardworking and kind-hearted and was good at managing household affairs. She was a good woman who could accompany him for a lifetime and support each other.

After careful consideration, they decided to walk into the marriage hall hand in hand. The wedding was held in the small town. Although there was no luxurious pomp, it was full of deep love and a warm atmosphere. Relatives and friends came to offer their congratulations one after another. Their faces were filled with happy smiles, sending their best wishes to the new couple.

At the wedding, Su Yao was filled with mixed feelings in her heart. She looked at Lin Yu beside her and then thought of the marriage talisman that she had carried with her and prayed sincerely every day. She couldn't help sighing that this marriage seemed really to be under the protection of the Taoist talisman. When she was confused and helpless, it was the marriage talisman that gave her hope and belief. During the process of her sincere prayers, it seemed that some mysterious power in the dark brought Lin Yu to her side.

After marriage, their life was peaceful and happy. Lin Yu continued to study hard, preparing for the imperial examination, and Su Yao supported him silently beside him. She carefully took care of Lin Yu's daily life, prepared nutritious meals for him, and when he was tired from reading, she would bring him a cup of hot tea to comfort and encourage him. And Lin Yu also cared deeply for Su Yao. He would teach Su Yao to read and write in his free time and share with her the knowledge and insights he had learned from books, making Su Yao's vision broader.

As time passed, their family gradually grew. Su Yao gave birth to several lovely children for Lin Yu one after another. The laughter of the children added more vitality and energy to the family. Lin Yu also achieved excellent results in the imperial examination and got his wish to embark on an official career. He was an honest and upright official and was deeply loved and respected by the common people.

In family life, they always adhered to the teachings and concepts of Taoism. They taught their children to respect life, care for others, and conform to nature. They paid attention to the harmony and unity of the family. When encountering problems, they would face them with a calm mind and solve them through communication and negotiation. They believed that the family was like a small universe. Only when all members respected, understood, and supported each other could it maintain balance and stability and let the happiness of the family last forever.

And that marriage talisman, which witnessed the origin of their love, was carefully collected by Su Yao. She put the talisman paper in a specially made wooden box. On the wooden box, there were exquisitely carved Taoist patterns, symbolizing respect and gratitude to the gods. On every important festival or when there were major events in the family, Su Yao would take out the wooden box and pray silently in front of the marriage talisman, thanking the Taoist protection and praying for the peace, smoothness, happiness, and prosperity of the family.

In this small town, the love story of Su Yao and Lin Yu became a much-told tale among the people. It showed people the influence of Taoist culture among the folk and also made people believe that perhaps there really was a mysterious and powerful force in this world. It could give people hope and guidance when they were confused and helpless and help them find their own happiness. That small marriage talisman was not just a piece of paper full of runes but also a symbol of the beautiful expectation of marriage in Taoist culture. It carried people's longing for love and pursuit of happiness and would always shine with a mysterious and charming light in the long river of time.