Chapter 17 Jing'an Hall (The previous chapter has been significantly revised, including...)

Chapter 17 Jing'an Hall (The previous chapter has been significantly revised, including...)

(The previous chapter has been significantly revised; readers with time are advised to reread it.)

As Qingfu spoke, she kept stroking the goosebumps on her arm. After hearing the rumors from Lü'e and then seeing what seemed to be a shadowy figure moving around, she was genuinely frightened.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Yanhui and Lü'e looked at the desolate village again, but they saw nothing.

"Perhaps some wild beast from the mountains ran by." Xiao Yan casually offered a word of comfort, thinking that Qingfu was simply influenced by the rumor.

There aren't that many ghosts and monsters in this world. Even if there are, they are ghosts and monsters born from people's minds.

"Has the Third Miss rested enough? Shall we set off?"

Seeing that the group had started chatting, Aunt Chen anxiously looked at the increasingly bright sky and urged them on again. However, this time her tone and posture were very respectful, and she no longer dared to suggest that she would go up the mountain herself instead of in a sedan chair to show her sincerity.

To be honest, she was genuinely regretting it. She shouldn't have listened to Granny Gui and deliberately made things difficult, changing the time to go up the mountain from yesterday afternoon to this morning. She also shouldn't have been so arrogant and offended people unnecessarily, making things difficult to handle now.

If she could reach the old lady smoothly, she wouldn't care about such a small matter. But if she was late, she would definitely be in trouble with the old lady.

......

At the entrance of Jing'an Hall, Granny Gui looked towards the mountain path, and the person standing next to her was Xiao Quexian.

Granny Gui came to wait for someone, while Xiao Quexian came to watch someone make a fool of themselves.

"Granny Gui, don't look. I've roughly calculated the time; it'll be a while before she comes up," Xiao Quexian said with a cheerful smile.

Thinking about how she had a good night's sleep, woke up early and got ready, while Xiao Yan was dragged out of bed before dawn, then taken by carriage to the foot of the mountain and then climbed up again.

At this moment, she could almost imagine how disheveled Xiao Yan Hui would be later, and what pitiful, unwilling, and resentful look she would show when she saw her.

Just imagining it was enough to make her feel happy.

"I'm afraid we'll really be late," said Granny Gui, wiping a bead of sweat from her forehead.

"The Dharma assembly is something the old lady values ​​very much; she wouldn't dare to do it, so please rest assured, Granny," Xiao Quexian said confidently.

However, Granny Gui was somewhat unsure, since she had noticed during their last meeting that the Third Miss had not only hardened her personality but also seemed to have changed her attitude towards the Old Madam.

Xiao Quexian keenly noticed the hesitation in Granny Gui's expression. It seemed that simply giving her some benefits was not enough; this pawn, whom her mother had placed by the old lady's side for many years, could not be lost.

Well then, I'll give her that reassurance pill that I originally planned to give her later, just in case something goes wrong at this crucial moment and ruins my plans.

"I heard that Granny Gui is looking for a private school for Yao-ge'er?" Jin Yaozu is Granny Gui's grandson. Granny Gui's youngest son was granted a free status by the old lady, and Yao-ge'er is his son.

He is said to be very intelligent. He had been studying under an old scholar, but in recent years he plans to switch to a better private school to study properly for a few more years.

The Jin family was born into slavery, so Yaozu's intelligence was only visible to his own family. The teachers failed to recognize this gem, and several private schools rejected him. Granny Gui had been worried about this for quite some time, but when she heard Xiao Quexian's words, her eyes suddenly lit up.

"Alas! It was our ignorance that led us to send him to a good private school earlier, instead of letting him be taught casually. Now he's almost nine years old, and the capable teachers are complaining that he's too old."

Granny Gui sighed, feeling a deep empathy for the unfulfilled potential of her son: "Actually, Yao-ge'er is very intelligent. If he had a good teacher, he would surely have succeeded through education."

Xiao Quexian inwardly scoffed at Gui Mama's embellishment, but outwardly she simply smiled and nodded: "Chen Xiucai's family in Guijia Lane in the east of the city, Mama, after this Dharma assembly is over, you can take Yao-ge'er to their house to inquire?"

This means that someone has already been sent there directly through connections.

Upon hearing this, Granny Gui's deep nasolabial folds, usually etched on her face, softened slightly, and her eyes even welled up with tears: "Young lady, you have shown me such great kindness, young lady, you have shown me such great kindness..."

"No need for that. Just do your job well... Granny has served the old lady for many years and has made great contributions. We will certainly not treat you unfairly."

Seeing Granny Gui's extremely grateful expression, Xiao Quexian was satisfied and felt more at ease about today's plan.

As the two were talking, the person who they thought would arrive a little later appeared on the mountain path.

......

The group of figures that slowly approached was led by Aunt Chen, but Xiao Quexian found that the scene she had imagined did not appear. Xiao Yanhui was actually being carried aboard in a sedan chair.

"Good morning, Second Sister!" The palanquin had already been carried to the front of Jing'an Hall, but Xiao Yan Hui had not yet dismounted. She looked down at Xiao Que Xian and greeted her with a smile.

She did it on purpose, she absolutely did it on purpose!

Although Xiao Quexian was furious inside, she still smiled and went up to speak: "Good morning, Third Sister. Why were you carried up in a sedan chair? Coming to worship Buddha like this will make Buddha blame you for not being sincere enough."

“Buddha is magnanimous and not as petty as my sister, so he probably won’t blame me.” After giving Xiao Quexian a light retort, Xiao Yan Hui seemed to finally realize that she was still “high and mighty”.

He then waved for the two men carrying the sedan chair to put her down, and instructed Qingfu, "They have worked hard on the way up the mountain; reward them handsomely."

Without them, she would probably be half-dead by the time she got to Jing'an Hall, given her current physical strength. Since they put in the effort, she should naturally be paid enough.

After Xiao Yan returned to her seat, Granny Gui also stepped forward to greet her.

During this time, she glanced around and immediately noticed that Aunt Chen, who had come to pick up the person, was not only cautious and timid but also looked dejected. Even her nearly new indigo dress had a round mud mark on each knee, which was obviously a mark left after kneeling.

It seems that this good-for-nothing not only failed to cause trouble for anyone, but also got taught a lesson.

"Greetings, Third Miss. Did you have a safe journey? The old lady specially sent me to greet you. The Dharma assembly is about to begin, and we are waiting for you and the scriptures you copied by hand."

After bowing, Granny Gui immediately mentioned the scriptures and once again emphasized that she had personally read them.

"Of course it's all prepared. I will personally offer it before the Buddha and burn it myself." As if she couldn't see Granny Gui's outstretched hand, Xiao Yan walked straight ahead.

Seeing that she had no intention of taking out the copied scriptures, Granny Gui and Xiao Quexian exchanged a glance, both already certain in their hearts that there was something wrong with the scriptures that Xiao Yan had copied.

"It's good that there are problems. Only when there are problems can things be handled properly." Watching Xiao Yan Hui step into Jing An Hall, Xiao Que Xian suppressed her anger and gracefully turned to enter as well.

As soon as Xiao Yan Hui stepped into the gate of Jing An Tang, she felt a strong sandalwood fragrance waft towards her. It was also a perfect moment, as she looked up as soon as she entered and saw the rising sun.

The first ray of sunlight fell on the glazed tiles of Jing'an Hall's roof, reflecting a dazzling brilliance, truly like the radiance of Buddha.

"Namo Amitabha Buddha..."

As Xiao Yan looked up, she heard a soft chanting of Buddhist scriptures coming from not far away. Turning her head, she saw a nun dressed in brown robes a few steps away, who was smiling at her while holding prayer beads.

Their eyes met, and the nun greeted them with her hands clasped together: "You must be the daughter of Layman Mingshou's family. Please come with me."

This nun looked to be only in her early twenties. Although she was young, she possessed a unique gentle and calm temperament.

"Master..." Upon seeing that gentle smile, Xiao Yan subconsciously followed.

"I am not worthy of being called a nun. Please just call me Qingwu." Qingwu introduced herself as she led the way.

......

"They've finally arrived! I've been waiting for this old woman for so long." Before Xiao Yan Hui could even follow the nun Qing Wu into the side hall reserved for resting, a slightly aged voice reached her ears.

Looking up, the person sitting inside was none other than an old lady.

In the original owner's memories, the impression of the old lady was always tinged with stern rebukes, darkness, and obscurity.

But actually, the old lady didn't give off the same rigid and stern first impression as Granny Gui. She was slightly plump with a rosy complexion and always had a smile on her face. She looked like a wealthy old lady who was living a very comfortable life, and her overall temperament was quite similar to Xiao Fuyan's.

However, when facing Xiao Yan Hui, she did not have her usual smile on her face.

“Your sister came yesterday, but you’re the most precious one. She specially asked you to come and offer incense to Buddha in order to pray for blessings and protection. Why are you making such a fuss about it?”

The old lady's tone wasn't harsh, but the blame in her words was unmistakable.

If it were the original owner, she would have accepted the blame most of the time, but Xiao Yan Hui still replied with a smile: "Yan Hui greets the old lady and wishes her well. The old lady meant that I should come yesterday? Then why did Aunt Chen only come to urge me this morning at the hour of Yin?"

Upon hearing Xiao Yan's words, the old lady frowned slightly for a moment. She was unaware of this matter, but just by looking at Chen Qiuyue's shrunken head and gloomy expression outside the door, she knew that what the third girl said was not a lie.

"If you were willing, you would know to come and keep this old woman company even if no one asked or urged you. Fine, I'm old, and young girls like you don't want to be with me. I won't force you."

The old lady sighed and waved her hand, looking like a helpless old woman with no way to deal with the younger generation in her family, but in fact she was extremely displeased.

Even if Chen Qiuyue's actions were somewhat inappropriate, she was still one of the people in her own courtyard. What did Sanya mean by this? Was she implying that the old lady was not strict in managing her subordinates, or was she subtly suggesting that she was unkind? A junior said something to her, and she was rebuked in her own face like this. Indeed...

"Things weren't done well." The old lady pointed her index finger at Aunt Chen outside the door.

Aunt Chen's face turned pale and she immediately knelt down to beg for forgiveness: "It's all my fault. I was unwell yesterday and delayed the old lady's business. Please punish me, old lady."

"What do you say, Third Sister?" the old lady asked Xiao Yan.

"Grandma, Third Sister, the prayer ceremony is about to begin. Why punish someone so early on such a good day? I think we should just let this little thing go." Xiao Quexian walked past Aunt Chen and Granny Gui and went straight up behind the old lady to massage her shoulders, looking very friendly.

The old lady immediately showed a kind smile when she saw Xiao Quexian, a completely different look from when she faced Xiao Yanhui: "Xian'er has always been kind-hearted. Did you rest well in the mountains last night?"

Xiao Quexian took a deep breath and said, "This place is blessed with outstanding people and is a quiet Buddhist sanctuary. Even the air is exceptionally fresh. Moreover, I did evening prayers with the old lady last night. I feel that my whole body is immersed in Buddhist energy, so I naturally had a very good rest."

The old lady's smile widened even more upon hearing this: "After all, it is a place of cultivation. It is a bit austere for a flower-like girl like us, Xian'er. I was worried that you would not be able to adapt."

Xiao Quexian said coquettishly, "The old lady also said that the place is a good place, but it is a bit austere. So why did you go up the mountain and cultivate for months without returning? Look how thin you have become. It breaks my heart to see you like this."

These past few days at home, I've been constantly thinking about the old lady. My father and mother have also mentioned it repeatedly, but you insisted on not coming down the mountain. Xian'er came this time with a mission from her mother: to persuade the old lady to go back.

“Yes, yes, yes, I was planning to go back after this ceremony anyway.”

Since Xiao Quexian entered the room, she had been massaging his shoulders and teasing him, chatting intimately with the old lady. The two of them seemed to have completely forgotten about Xiao Yanhui's existence.

Normally, Xiao Yan would have been heartbroken at such a sight. But today, she wore a perfectly appropriate smile. Seeing that no one paid attention to her, she was neither angry nor sad. She simply found a place to sit down and even instructed Granny Gui, who was standing beside her looking pleased, to serve her a cup of tea.

She was woken up in the middle of the night and was so sleepy that she desperately needed a strong cup of tea to perk herself up.

"Grandma, it's almost time. Should we have the Third Miss take the copied Buddhist scriptures to the Buddha statue for worship?" Gui Mama quickly reminded her after receiving a hint from Xiao Quexian.

“Yes, it should be taken over and enshrined in advance.” The old lady looked at Xiao Yan Hui: “Yan Hui, are you sincerely copying? These days I have been cultivating in seclusion on the mountain and no one has been paying attention to your studies. Has your handwriting improved? Let me see it.”

A note from the author:

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