Yu Tang clicked her tongue twice in her mind.

Using such tactics again, always liking to roast people over a fire, as if she weren’t the one who had just been in the bamboo grove.

Yu Tang smiled and raised her eyebrows at Gu Xi, but spoke to Fifth Miss instead. “How did the Yang family arrive in the blink of an eye? Didn’t they tell us to return to our rooms for an afternoon nap first? I thought there was still time, figuring that after I returned I could change clothes again before coming over. I didn’t expect the Yang family to arrive so quickly. When I heard the news, I turned back midway. We don’t have to greet Young Master Yang later, do we?” She asked the Pei young ladies, her tone carrying some nervousness. “This is my first time encountering such an occasion. I’m not quite sure what to do?”

The Pei young ladies were immediately led astray by her.

Third Miss immediately comforted her. “No need, no need. Sister Yu, don’t worry. We ran here to drink tea because we’re accompanying Second Sister. Nanny Chen turns a blind eye to it—she couldn’t possibly let us meet outside guests.”

Fourth Miss asked curiously, “Has Sister Yu never encountered such a thing before?”

“It’s not that I’ve never encountered it.” Yu Tang smiled. “I just haven’t encountered someone like Young Master Yang. When the young ladies around me have matchmaking meetings, they’re arranged either at a temple or at some familiar household. We pretend to be admiring flowers or doing embroidery there, and the man walks past. Everyone exchanges glances. We all accompany them on the side.”

Fifth Miss immediately said, “That kind of matchmaking meeting is more interesting than ours. At our house, we don’t appear. When Young Master Yang comes, Second Sister only needs to bring in tea to serve the elders. That’s why we’re all hiding here!” After speaking, she even covered her mouth and laughed.

Third Miss and Fourth Miss also smiled with pressed lips.

Second Miss blushed red with embarrassment and chided angrily, “Having you sit here drinking tea still can’t shut your mouths.” But she didn’t stop Fifth Miss from explaining the Pei family’s customs to Yu Tang—she was a typical case of “sharp tongue, soft heart.”

Yu Tang smiled gently. Seeing that she had grasped control of the conversation’s rhythm, she turned back with a beaming smile to answer Gu Xi’s earlier questioning tone. “Was Miss Gu just now concerned about why I went to see Third Master? I saw that the lay practitioners at Ku’an Temple each have their own hardships, and since the Pei family has been continuously supporting Ku’an Temple, I thought that teaching people to fish is better than giving them fish. I wanted to discuss whether we could help the temple’s lay practitioners find some work to do. Firstly, this would prevent them from relying entirely on the temple for their daily needs. Over time, I’m afraid some might turn gratitude for a bushel of rice into resentment over a bushel—the Pei family does good deeds but not only gains no good reputation, but even receives complaints. Secondly, if they have work to do and must toil for three meals a day, they won’t have time to dwell on wild thoughts all day, and won’t become suicidal—if the temple attracted trouble, it would ultimately be bad for the Pei family’s reputation.”

This matter she had thought of on her way back.

When she had run to chase after Pei Yan, she hadn’t thought of it yet, but on the way back she remembered something.

Three years from now, a lay practitioner cultivating at Ku’an Temple would drink arsenic and die. The husband who had driven the lay practitioner from home would come to the temple with the lay practitioner’s natal family to cause trouble, saying the temple had driven the lay practitioner to her death. At the time, this incident caused quite a commotion in Lin’an City. Many people in Lin’an only learned through this incident that there was a Ku’an Temple at the foot of Tianmu Mountain, and that Ku’an Temple would shelter homeless women.

Although in the end the lay practitioner’s husband and natal family were sentenced by the authorities, it still wasn’t a good thing to speak of.

She wondered if it was because of this incident that the Pei family had never openly sheltered Ku’an Temple?

Also, after everyone learned of the good deeds Ku’an Temple did, many women from impoverished families pretended to be abused by their husbands or sons and ran to Ku’an Temple to freeload meals, nearly eating the temple dry.

Later, Ku’an Temple closed its doors.

Without an introduction from someone familiar, the temple would no longer casually shelter women.

To avoid doing good deeds yet being taken advantage of by unscrupulous people, Yu Tang felt they should adopt the approach Ku’an Temple used in its later period in her previous life—letting the people of Ku’an Temple achieve self-sufficiency early on.

Upon hearing this, Third Miss’s face filled with admiration. She said loudly, “Sister Yu’s idea is excellent. No one wishes to eat food given in contempt. Doing some work in exchange for one’s own food has more dignity.”

The corners of Yu Tang’s mouth twitched.

Not everyone had such backbone!

Back then, Ku’an Temple had been in chaos for quite a while and was even criticized for seeking fame and reputation, trying to compete with Zhaoming Temple.

But she didn’t want to damage Third Miss’s pure and kind heart.

She smiled. “I just don’t know what livelihood to find for these masters at the temple? I thought and thought, and this matter still needed to be discussed with Third Master. So I had Shuang Tao inform Third Master. Third Master not only agreed to see me but also waited early in the bamboo grove by our door. Who knew that when I arrived at the bamboo grove, it was as if I’d been bewitched—I could hear people talking inside but just couldn’t find who was talking. I wandered around the bamboo grove for quite a while before finally finding Third Master.” After speaking, she turned to look at Gu Xi with a serious expression. “If I’d known, I would have arranged to meet Third Master somewhere else. In that bamboo grove, people on the east side can’t see the west side, and people on the west side can’t see the east side. It’s an excellent place for hide-and-seek, but there’s no barrier for conversation—not suitable for talking.”

Gu Xi’s face immediately turned deathly pale.

Had Yu Tang heard her conversation with Third Master?

If that was the case…

Gu Xi felt her face had been thrown into the sea.

How could she stand in the world in the future?

But years of habitual behavior told her this matter couldn’t just end like this. She should pretend not to know and test Yu Tang’s attitude.

If she really had heard, she needed to know exactly how much she’d heard.

What did she mean by saying this now? Was it simply dissatisfaction with her, or was she trying to warn her of something?

Gu Xi quickly calmed down and smiled. “That place truly isn’t good for conversation. However, Miss Yu also speaks too poorly of herself. Unable to distinguish east, south, west, and north in a place the size of a palm—how will you manage a household in the future? Miss Yu must be being modest!”

She pretended as if nothing had happened.

Yu Tang sneered inwardly.

Right now, she held the power of discourse. If Gu Xi was still so arrogant, she didn’t mind making a few enemies for Gu Xi.

“Is that so?” She smiled. “I didn’t know getting lost had any relation to managing a household? But thinking about it more carefully, Miss Gu’s words also make sense. Not even being able to see the road clearly is indeed a big problem. Fortunately, my family is small and humble, and we rarely see such a large bamboo grove. Surely it doesn’t matter much?”

Third Miss, Fourth Miss, and Fifth Miss couldn’t help but look at each other.

Everyone had been talking so well just now—how had Miss Yu and Miss Gu suddenly locked horns in the blink of an eye? Especially Miss Gu, who had always been gracious and poised, neither servile nor overbearing. Yet now, although her face still showed composure and elegance, her bones revealed guilt and discomfort, as if Miss Yu had caught her doing something wrong and she’d lost her confidence.

And Miss Yu—she had previously appeared so gentle and harmless, even peace-loving and conflict-avoiding. Yet just now she seemed like a different person, her words hiding needles in cotton, soft yet firm.

What matter could make Miss Gu so guilty? And what matter could make Miss Yu so different from usual?

The three young ladies looked at each other, suddenly not knowing what to do.

Second Miss, through Gu Xi’s deliberate befriending these past days, viewed Gu Xi as a sister and naturally couldn’t tolerate Yu Tang targeting Gu Xi like this. Regardless that today was her matchmaking day, she stepped forward several paces, took Gu Xi’s arm, and stood opposite Yu Tang. “Miss Yu, today Third Sister personally brewed tea, saying it’s Guapian sent from Lu’an. We also set out the pastries you gave us. You just rushed over and must be thirsty too. Sit down and have a cup of tea with us!”

Yu Tang had no intention of ruining Second Miss’s important matchmaking matter. She smiled and let Gu Xi off, sitting together with Fourth Miss and Fifth Miss.

Gu Xi also didn’t dare probe deeply, fearing Yu Tang might say more inappropriate things.

She also sat down with Second Miss and very tactfully thanked her, saying quietly, “I’m afraid I offended her by saying she doesn’t know about managing households. I’m sorry you had to bail me out.”

Since now wasn’t the time to talk, Second Miss smiled at her kindly and shook her head.

Over there, the three Third Misses exchanged glances and also pretended nothing had happened. Third Miss spoke up, continuing to discuss finding a livelihood for the lay practitioners at Ku’an Temple. “Sister Yu, did you want to teach those people to make silk flowers? We can all help.”

Fourth Miss nodded repeatedly beside her. “I can help too. My mother has a rouge and powder shop. I can talk to my mother about helping them sell things at the rouge and powder shop.”

Fifth Miss thought and thought, saying with distress, “My mother doesn’t have a rouge and powder shop in her dowry, but she has several very good estates, though they’re all in the north. How about, how about I just help those people make silk flowers? The silk flowers I make now are quite beautiful. My mother even praised me a few days ago. When sending New Year gifts to my maternal family, she also sent along the silk flowers I made for my maternal grandmother, aunts, and cousins.”

All kind-hearted young ladies!

Yu Tang smiled and said cunningly, “Making silk flowers probably isn’t suitable. After all, this is a nunnery.”

The Pei young ladies were all stunned, and even Gu Xi looked at Yu Tang with surprise.

Only then did Yu Tang say leisurely, “At a nunnery, making and selling incense is naturally most appropriate!”

Fifth Miss immediately cried out, “Is Sister Yu talking about the kind of incense Sister Gu makes?”

Everyone looked toward Gu Xi again.

Every time Gu Xi made incense, she would burn incense and bathe first. When discussing the incense she made, she would say it used rootless water from three years ago buried under a century-old plum tree, or used osmanthus from early autumn blooms. Not only was it elegant, but it seemed like a very sacred matter. She had earned considerable praise for this. Including during this stay at the Pei residence, everyone had received incense she made and knew she was very skilled at making incense.

Since Yu Tang wanted to teach her a lesson, naturally she had to start with what she was most proud of.

Gu Xi was indeed somewhat proud at this moment.

This Yu Tang woman was, after all, from a small, humble family with little experience. Wanting to do good deeds, she had set up a stage for her to perform—if she came forward to teach those lay practitioners how to make incense, when people talked about it, what would it have to do with Yu Tang? The Pei family would be the ones supporting it behind the scenes, and she, Gu Xi, would be the one helping.

Yu Tang would just be making wedding clothes for them.