After Old Madam Yi had given Yu Tang and Gu Xi their meeting gifts yesterday, she hadn’t had time to speak with them properly before Mrs. Shen’s incident occurred. In her impression, she felt Yu Tang was gentle and Gu Xi was elegant and refined. Seeing Yu Tang again today—when she smiled, her brows and eyes relaxed, her gaze radiant, revealing not only gentleness but also a few traces of captivating charm. She couldn’t help but look a few more times in surprise, saying to Old Madam Pei, “Yesterday I thought she was pretty, but with my old, dim eyes, I didn’t look carefully. Now that I see her today, Miss Yu is truly exquisite. No wonder you want to keep her by your side for company. Just looking at her a few times makes one’s heart feel comfortable!”
No one had ever praised her like this before, especially in front of Old Madam Pei.
Yu Tang’s face flushed bright red as she quickly stood up and mumbled a few modest words.
Old Madam Pei chuckled. Where was there any trace of yesterday’s fury in the corners of her eyes and brows? She looked at Yu Tang with an affectionate expression and said, “Isn’t that why we say these young girls are all like flower buds—seeing them makes one’s heart feel at ease! I think you shouldn’t always guard your little patch of territory. When you have time, come out and move around more.” She added, “Is Fifth Uncle still cultivating that path to immortality?”
Old Madam Yi looked helpless and said, “He went to the Tianyi Sect of Longhu Mountain. Otherwise, how would I have time to come out and move around!”
Old Madam Pei exclaimed, “Oh!” and asked, “Will he be home for New Year?”
“He says he’ll celebrate New Year on the mountain,” Old Madam Yi shook her head. “There’s nothing I can do. I can only instruct the steward accompanying him to take good care of him.”
“As long as his health is good, that’s better than anything,” Old Madam Pei comforted Old Madam Yi. “Isn’t that why we say he’s a blessed person? Fifth Uncle passed away even earlier than our family’s one, and Fourth Uncle has been ill for these past few years. If you ask me, when Fifth Uncle returns next time, why not bring Fourth Uncle along to cultivate in this Tianyi Sect too?”
As the two discussed family matters, the younger generation all breathed long sighs of relief. Looking at each other, they all showed expressions of joy. After sitting in attendance for a while, they were “dismissed” by Old Madam Pei: “You young ladies don’t have the patience to listen to us old folks talk about the past. Go play by yourselves! But it’s started snowing again today, so you’re not allowed to have snowball fights or play with snowballs. Stay properly indoors, otherwise I won’t take you out.”
Everyone laughed and curtsied in agreement. Only Fourth Miss was particularly clever, saying, “Great-aunt, where are you going? If we’re all obedient today, you must take us out together!”
“Oh my!” Old Madam Yi laughed and turned to Old Madam Pei, saying, “Look at that—among the sisters, no one can match her cleverness. You only hinted at it, and she immediately knew.”
Old Madam Pei also laughed.
Everyone suddenly realized. Even Third Miss with her composed temperament couldn’t help but happily come forward with Fifth Miss, one on each side, hugging Old Madam Pei’s arms and acting coquettishly: “You can’t forget about me!”
“Everyone goes, everyone goes!” Old Madam Pei said with a laugh. “We’re going to Ku’an Temple to eat a vegetarian feast!”
Ku’an Temple?!
The nunnery where she was murdered in her previous life!
Yu Tang’s mind conjured the dimly lit main hall of Ku’an Temple and the sorrowful face of the abbess, Master Kefa.
Her head buzzed as if thunder had exploded beside her ears, her mind going completely blank.
“Sister Yu, Sister Yu!” She didn’t know how much time had passed before someone shook her. Fifth Miss’s anxious voice reached her ears: “What’s wrong with you? Are you unwell somewhere? Don’t scare me!” As she spoke, her voice began to choke with tears.
“Quickly, send for a doctor!” Before she could recover, Old Madam Pei’s anxious voice followed Fifth Miss’s, ringing in her ears: “This child is usually so quiet. Sometimes I worry she might be uncomfortable staying with me, so I specifically told Steward Ji to watch over her more carefully. How did she suddenly turn deathly pale with blank eyes? Could she have some hidden ailment? Quickly, send someone to her family to ask, but don’t say she’s ill. Just say that in a few days we’re going to stay at Ku’an Temple, and we’re worried the weather is too cold and the children might catch something. We want to know in advance if there are any precautions to take, so we can prepare some medicinal pills or bring a medical woman along…”
If someone were sent to her family to ask questions, no matter how discreetly phrased, what if her mother sensed something? Wouldn’t that worry her to death?!
Hearing this, Yu Tang quickly took several deep breaths and pinched her own thigh. Only then did she fully regain consciousness. She quickly smiled and said, “It’s nothing, nothing. I just suddenly had abdominal pain—it hurt terribly. I, I need to go to the privy…” Then thinking this wouldn’t work either, since Old Madam Pei suspected she had a hidden ailment, she needed to remove that suspicion. Otherwise, staying so rashly at someone else’s home, if something serious happened, they couldn’t bear that responsibility. She quickly changed her words: “If Old Madam could send for a doctor for me, that would be even better. I’m afraid I, I ate something that disagreed with me!” By the time she finished speaking, her voice was barely audible.
Both Old Madam Pei and Old Madam Yi laughed, clearly breathing sighs of relief.
Yu Tang couldn’t help feeling guilty.
Both old madams were people who had weathered great storms. Now they were anxious for her, their emotions showing on their faces—clearly she had truly frightened the two elderly ladies.
With these thoughts in her heart, her eyes inevitably revealed a few traces of them.
The two old madams had crossed more bridges than she had eaten salt. Naturally they could see this, and they exchanged glances. Their gazes toward Yu Tang grew even more gentle.
Steward Ji and Zhenzhu carefully helped her to the privy.
Yu Tang thanked them embarrassedly. When she came out from the privy, the doctor had already arrived. After taking her pulse, he only said her pulse was strong, neither deep nor floating, with no problems at all. He even joked with the two old madams: “Looking at this young lady, she could walk around the Mingshan Lake of this villa two or three times without getting out of breath. The old madams are just worried to distraction. Perhaps she just had a momentary gas pain. Looking at this pulse, there isn’t even any bloating. You can rest assured—you could even take the young lady to climb Zhaoming Temple.”
The two old madams couldn’t help but laugh and generously rewarded the old doctor.
Yu Tang embarrassedly apologized to the two old madams.
She understood Old Madam Pei somewhat, but she hadn’t expected Old Madam Yi to also be so forthright. She waved her hand and said, “Child, your body being uncomfortable isn’t something you chose—why should you take the blame for it? Although the doctor says there’s nothing wrong, you still need to rest. These young ladies are young—you’re their elder sister, so don’t always indulge them. If they walk too fast, just follow slowly behind. The house is full of servants and maids—they won’t get lost!”
This meant she believed the doctor’s explanation about the gas pain.
Yu Tang felt even more uneasy and repeatedly said “Yes.”
Fifth Miss came forward with a face full of concern to support her, saying in a childish voice, “Sister Yu, I’ll help you walk slowly.” Her words melted Yu Tang’s heart completely.
Fourth Miss also came forward with a pained expression to support her.
Third Miss carefully stood by her side, as if Yu Tang might fall with the slightest movement. Even the usually proud Second Miss showed concern on her face.
Yu Tang didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Even saying she was fine, they didn’t believe her.
Fortunately, Old Madam Pei spoke up: “Since you know your Sister Yu can’t run around, don’t go wandering everywhere. Today just stay indoors and have your Sister Yu teach you to make silk flowers, or else ask Steward Ji to teach you needlework.”
Third Miss respectfully agreed. Fourth Miss and Fifth Miss both said, “We’ll follow Sister Yu and make silk flowers!”
Old Madam Pei shook her head and said with a playful rebuke, “Hurry up and leave. Standing in front of me gives me a headache just looking at you.”
The young ladies pulled Yu Tang toward the exit. After running two steps, they immediately stopped and walked as if afraid of stepping on ants. As they walked, they kept warning Yu Tang: “Sister Yu, be careful! Are you alright? If not, I’ll have Chen Pozi call for a sedan chair to carry you back to your room.”
“I’m really fine!” Yu Tang’s heart overflowed with warmth. The pain and hatred from her previous life suddenly seemed less important, and even the cold before death seemed veiled by a layer of gauze. She could clearly see those scenes, but those scenes could no longer make her feel bone-deep pain.
She thought of Pei Yan.
Speaking of it, in this life, he was the person she should be most grateful to.
If not for him, her mother’s illness wouldn’t have been cured. If not for him, her family wouldn’t have easily avoided the tragic fate of family ruin and death, nor would they have that windfall. If not for him, she couldn’t have come to accompany Old Madam Pei or met these kindhearted and beautiful young ladies…
He was her benefactor.
Yu Tang couldn’t help but well up with tears.
“What’s wrong with you now?” Second Miss awkwardly comforted her. “If you can’t walk, don’t force yourself. Last time when I accompanied Grandmother to Zhaoming Temple, I took a sedan chair up the mountain. It’s not such a big deal.”
Yu Tang had tears in her eyes but a smile on her face.
She said gently, “I’m really fine. I just feel that you all care about me so much…”
“I know!” Fourth Miss interrupted her and declared loudly, “Sister Yu is moved to gratitude!”
This little girl!
Yu Tang suddenly had no thoughts left at all.
Fifth Miss and Third Miss also laughed heartily.
Third Miss, Fourth Miss, and Fifth Miss wanted to go to Yu Tang’s quarters to learn silk flower making. Second Miss said, “I’m not going! I want to go see Sister Gu!” With that, she glared at Yu Tang and the others, saying, “Don’t you know Sister Gu is also ill? Aren’t you going to keep her company?”
Both Third Miss and Fifth Miss smiled embarrassedly at Second Miss. Fourth Miss immediately argued, “Sister Yu and Sister Gu live so close together, and Sister Yu just felt unwell too. Let’s first send Sister Yu back, then go keep Sister Gu company in the afternoon. Won’t that work?”
Second Miss became somewhat angry.
Yu Tang smiled and said, “Then let’s go see Miss Gu first. Miss Gu is the patient and needs rest. We’ll keep Miss Gu company and chat for a while, then you all come to my place for lunch. If the weather is good this afternoon, we can also walk by the lake. What do you think?”
Second Miss’s expression cleared greatly.
Fourth Miss also clapped and called it “Good.”
The group headed toward Gu Xi’s quarters.
But Yu Tang was distracted, wondering how the Pei family knew about Ku’an Temple.
After all, Ku’an Temple was very small, hidden in a small hollow of Tianmu Mountain. It was a nunnery where only homeless women took orders—some even entered the nunnery first and only began their spiritual practice because they had nowhere else to go and no other options.
Moreover, it had very little incense offerings.
If not for a fortuitous encounter, even she, who had grown up in Lin’an City, wouldn’t have known there was such a nunnery.