Long ago, Yu Tang had come to understand a principle—when difficulties arise, the more you avoid them, the easier it is to be dragged into a quagmire with no escape.

She closed her eyes, immediately took a deep breath, then opened them again. Lifting the corners of her mouth into a smile, she turned around cheerfully and curtsied toward Pei Yan: “Third Master, what a coincidence! I didn’t expect to run into you here. So early in the morning, you’re here to…”

Pei Yan gazed at her with smiling eyes, clear and bright, with something flickering within them that made it hard to look away at first glance.

He said: “Didn’t you mention that this area needed road repairs? I figured since I haven’t had much to do these days, if the road needs repairing, better to start sooner rather than later.”

Pei Yan’s voice was gentle, like a spring breeze brushing against one’s face, leaving Yu Tang both surprised and stirred with strange feelings.

She couldn’t help but scrutinize Pei Yan carefully.

Still dressed in seemingly simple yet luxurious clothing, still with that stern and serious countenance, still with that elegant and dignified bearing—why did she feel that Pei Yan was so different from usual?

Yu Tang smiled somewhat embarrassedly, forcefully suppressing the awkwardness from their last meeting to the bottom of her heart, and exchanged pleasantries with Pei Yan as if nothing had happened: “Is that so? I didn’t expect Third Master to arrive so quickly. It’s getting late, I still need to go pay my respects to Old Madame Yi and Second Madam, so I won’t keep you company. If you have any instructions, just have A’Ming relay them to me.”

Having said this, she turned and walked toward the courtyard where Second Madam and Old Madame Yi resided.

Who would have known that Pei Yan would follow behind her.

What was he trying to do?

Yu Tang felt somewhat uneasy, but Pei Yan suddenly quickened his pace, walking shoulder to shoulder with her, and asked: “I just saw several nieces pass by, and it seemed your maid was among them. Why didn’t you go with them?”

The little person in Yu Tang’s heart couldn’t help but roll her eyes, though her face maintained a smile as she said: “Just now… just now I saw a praying mantis perched on a large tree and became fascinated, staring at it for a while. By the time I came to my senses, they had already walked far ahead…”

“Oh!” Pei Yan nodded seriously and said, “No wonder you nearly chased after them in the wrong direction earlier. Good thing I reminded you. However, you need to fix this habit of yours—how is it that whenever you’re flustered, you misspeak and go the wrong way? Lucky this is Ku’an Temple, just a tiny place. If this were Zhaoming Temple, you’d get completely lost! Speaking of Zhaoming Temple, there’s something I want to tell you. On the eighth day of the fourth month, the Buddha Bathing Festival, Zhaoming Temple is planning to invite eminent monks from Shaolin Temple in Fujian to give sermons. Given your memory, perhaps you’d better not go!”

Eminent monks from Southern Shaolin Temple were coming to give sermons?

Yu Tang was astonished.

Pei Yan said nonchalantly: “This matter was arranged by my mother. By then, perhaps people from the Song family, Shen family, and Gu family will all attend.”

This man never shot arrows without a target.

What did he mean by telling her this?

Yu Tang pondered in her heart.

Her gaze inevitably revealed a trace of confusion.

Watching her, Pei Yan sighed inwardly.

This young lady was sometimes quite clever and interesting, but sometimes quite foolish, requiring him to spell things out clearly before she could understand. However, she was beautiful, so even when being foolish, she was still pleasant to look at.

He had no choice but to say: “By then, I’m planning to have Ku’an Temple make some rather special incense—for instance, incense coils as large as a footbath, or stick incense as thick as a child’s arm. Perhaps it could make Ku’an Temple’s incense famous in one stroke.”

Yu Tang’s eyes lit up at these words.

She thought she should also tell Yu Yuan to have the Yu family shop create something like a lacquerware merit box with a design of five hundred arhats to present to Zhaoming Temple—it would surely make the Yu family’s lacquerware shine brilliantly. She just didn’t know if the shop still had such designs? If not, who should they find to paint it?

Moreover, time waits for no one. The Buddha Bathing Festival was approaching quickly, so this matter needed early planning.

Lost in thought, Yu Tang’s speech inevitably slowed by half a beat.

She said somewhat absentmindedly: “What Third Master says makes sense. Just yesterday I was telling Second Madam that it would be best to divide the incense-making steps so each person learns a bit—we should be able to produce Buddhist incense before the eighth day of the fourth month. With you rushing to repair the roads for Ku’an Temple, the temple will surely have thriving incense offerings in the future.”

However, once the incense offerings thrived, worldly matters would increase. She wondered whether Ku’an Temple would continue to shelter homeless women and children afterward.

Because of her involvement, Ku’an Temple had become vastly different from her previous life.

She didn’t know whether such changes were good or bad for Ku’an Temple.

Yu Tang felt somewhat at a loss.

Pei Yan watched, somewhat unable to grasp her thoughts.

He saw that these young ladies handled matters too frivolously, as if playing games. Thinking of his mother’s temperament, this affair would likely end up falling to him anyway. Not wanting to clean up their mess, he thought that prevention was better than cure—better to take charge early, handle things properly and set them on the right track, then he could wash his hands of it later. That’s why he was giving Yu Tang a few pointers. Yet Yu Tang not only failed to understand, but also wore an expression full of deep emotion.

What on earth was she thinking?

Pei Yan pondered briefly and said: “What’s wrong? Can Ku’an Temple not produce the incense I mentioned?”

Incense coils as large as footbaths and stick incense as thick as a child’s arm both required considerable skill—some incense shops that had operated for decades still couldn’t make them well.

Yu Tang had only been thinking about her own family’s shop and had forgotten about this aspect.

She hurriedly said: “Second Young Miss and Third Young Miss are in charge of this matter. I need to go ask them.”

Pei Yan nodded.

Yu Tang thought for a moment and told Pei Yan what she had said to Second Madam last night.

She figured that if Pei Yan also felt this wasn’t such a significant matter, she would simply wash her hands of it. In her previous life, without her hodgepodge of ideas, though the people of Ku’an Temple lived simply, they never lacked food or warmth. Perhaps such a Ku’an Temple could maintain its original heart and purpose, continuing to shelter those pitiful women—that might not be a bad thing.

However, upon hearing this, Pei Yan’s steps paused slightly. After thinking, he said: “I understand what you’ve told me. Don’t worry about it for now—I have my own plans.”

Yu Tang’s entire being relaxed.

Entrusting this to Pei Yan was indeed the right choice.

It seemed he also felt this approach was inappropriate.

Now it just depended on whether he could reconcile everyone’s ideas.

As they talked, they soon arrived at where Old Madame Yi and Second Madam resided.

A young maid spotted Pei Yan from afar and hurried to announce him. Upon receiving the news, Old Madame Yi actually led Second Madam and several young misses from the Pei family out to greet him personally.

“Xiaguang, when did you arrive? Why didn’t you send someone to tell me?” Old Madame Yi looked at Pei Yan with eyes full of kindness. “Come inside quickly! Though spring has arrived, the weather is still quite cold.”

As she spoke, she enthusiastically led Pei Yan through the door.

Everyone performed their courtesies. Pei Yan politely greeted Old Madame Yi and Second Madam, then explained his purpose for coming.

Old Madame Yi and Second Madam were clearly surprised by his arrival as well. They thanked him repeatedly, then brought up the matter of incense-making.

Everyone wore expressions of apprehension.

Clearly they had no confidence in producing incense meeting Pei Yan’s requirements in such a short time to present to Zhaoming Temple.

Pei Yan then said: “In that case, just give the incense formula to the head manager of the family’s incense powder shop. Have the temple send people to learn from the masters at the incense powder shop first. If someone comes to Ku’an Temple to order incense, as long as they can produce it, that will suffice.”

Wasn’t this cheating?

The several young misses from the Pei family exchanged glances but dared not question him.

Old Madame Yi hesitated to speak several times.

Yu Tang, however, felt envious.

If only her family had someone to help them like this.

Pei Yan sat for a while before leaving, but when he left, he asked Yu Tang to see him out. When Yu Tang escorted him to the entrance, he said casually: “I hear Miss Gu excels at incense-making. Presumably she’ll also attend Zhaoming Temple on Buddha Bathing Festival day. I just wonder if she’ll have the same idea as me—to present incense to Zhaoming Temple.”

So that was where the trap was waiting for her!

Yu Tang glanced sideways at Pei Yan.

Pei Yan raised his eyebrows and strode away.

The little person in Yu Tang’s heart stamped her feet in anger.

What did he mean by this?

Was he telling her to compete with Gu Xi?

What was there to compete over?

How childish of Pei Yan.

Actually, as long as Gu Xi didn’t harm her interests, she wouldn’t target Gu Xi at all.

Yu Tang curled her lip at Pei Yan’s retreating figure, then suddenly froze as if remembering something.

That’s right—Pei Yan wasn’t someone who spoke idle words. So, so what did Pei Yan mean by telling her this?!

For the rest of the time, Yu Tang simply couldn’t eat. If it weren’t for Shuang Tao running over to tell her that she hadn’t found the person she mentioned in the temple, she would have forgotten that she’d been persistent enough to still want to find First Aunt’s so-called cousin in the temple.

As for the incense formula matter, Old Madame Yi indeed thought more deeply than Second Madam, but she neither opposed nor agreed. Instead, she smiled at Yu Tang and said: “Then I’ll go back and discuss with Elder Sister-in-law. I don’t really manage household affairs, so I don’t know whether this is appropriate or not. But since this incense formula was given by Miss Yu, and Miss Yu considered it this way, there must be reasons.”

At least this matter made Yu Tang feel somewhat better.

Upon returning home, she immediately went to see Yu Yuan and told him about the Buddha Bathing Festival on the eighth day of the fourth month.

Yu Yuan’s brow furrowed tightly as he said: “Making something now definitely won’t be in time. There’s been a lot of rain this spring, and the lacquer at home is drying too slowly. But such a good opportunity—I don’t want to miss it either. How about this: you go home first and wait. I’ll go discuss with Father to see if we can figure something out. As for Zhaoming Temple, since there will be eminent monks giving sermons this year, there will surely be people donating large sums of incense money. They’ll definitely prepare a donation ceremony. If we can get in on this ceremony and present them with a merit box, that would be ideal. If not, we’ll just donate some silver. After all, it’s doing good deeds.”

Yu Tang thought the same way. The siblings discussed some more details before parting.

Yet Yu Tang always felt as if something would happen, though she couldn’t figure out what she had overlooked.

Fortunately, the merit box for Zhaoming Temple was resolved—during the last fire, everything in the shop had burned. Yu Bo had found a chest with an eight-hundred-arhats design from the family warehouse. They decided to modify this chest and transform it into a merit box. Moreover, Zhaoming Temple had agreed to let their family present the merit box during the donation ceremony.

This way, the Yu family’s lacquerware could also take the opportunity to become known to more people.

But Yu Tang still tossed and turned, unable to sleep.

What did Pei Yan mean?

Would Gu Xi come to participate in Zhaoming Temple’s Buddha Bathing Festival? She was someone who never did useless things. If she came to the Buddha Bathing Festival, could it really be as simple as just presenting some incense?

Yu Tang was getting a bit annoyed with Pei Yan’s mysteriousness.