The old servant, along with two nuns, carefully helped the elderly man to sit on the grass mat under the porch.
“Should we wipe off the blood?” one of the nuns asked nervously, looking at the bloodstains on the elderly man’s ears.
“No need, no need,” the elderly man said slowly.
Upon receiving the news, two more nuns hurried out.
“Abbess,” the three nuns said respectfully.
“What happened?” the abbess asked.
The group quickly explained the situation.
“Sorry for the disturbance. I’m just taking a short rest here,” the elderly man said.
Although his face was weak, his demeanor remained dignified.
The abbess quickly bowed in respect.
These were people who came for mountaineering. They were already accustomed to it. It was just that, first, the Xuan-miao Temple was not very well-known, and second, the Small Xuan-miao temple had a poor reputation, so very few people entered their temple.
This elderly man was one of those people. If it weren’t for a sudden accident, he would never have entered this temple. Although it was unlikely he would become a patron, the abbess still welcomed him warmly along with everyone else.
A simple meal of soup and vegetables was quickly set on the table.
“Our temple only serves simple food. Please forgive us,” the abbess said.
“Thank you, thank you,” the elderly man replied politely.
The abbess saw that he didn’t immediately start eating, but instead poured out a white frosty ball from the sachet in his hand and slowly put it in his mouth.
“Is this the pill that the girl gave you?” the abbess asked curiously.
The elderly man smiled.
“Actually, it’s not a pill,” he said, pouring out another one and handing it over. “Try it.”
Not a pill? And it can be tasted casually?
The nuns were a bit surprised.
“This wouldn’t be appropriate,” the abbess declined hastily.
“Try it, try it,” the elderly man said with a smile.
After this short rest, he gradually regained his energy.
The abbess, being older and mindful of her status, did not try it. A young Taoist child, unable to resist curiosity, reached out and took one, then looked timidly at the abbess.
The abbess shook her head but did not scold him. The child, reassured, put it in his mouth, and honeyed juice burst open inside.
“Abbess, it’s an orange!” the young boy exclaimed with wide eyes, his words muffled as juice dribbled out.
Except for the elderly man who already knew, everyone else was astonished.
“An orange?”
“Yes, it’s the small oranges bought from the market below.”
So it really wasn’t medicine, the abbess thought.
“Abbess, can oranges be eaten like this?”
“Abbess, aren’t oranges usually eaten directly?”
Of course not. In wealthy families, even eating melon seeds involves various elaborate methods, and candied fruits were even more complex and luxurious.
Listening to the nuns’ whispered discussions, the elderly man ate with a smile. He was picky about his food, and these simple meals didn’t suit his taste.
“Master, that girl said you should eat…” the old servant whispered, watching his master about to put down his chopsticks.
The elderly man shook his head and smiled.
“You’ve never been this obedient before,” he teased, reaching up to touch his ear, hissing twice. “I never realized, Wan Ping, that you could be so rough.”
The old servant smiled wryly.
“Master, this is not the time for jokes. Once you finish eating, we need to go see a doctor,” he said.
“Didn’t that girl say it was nothing serious? You don’t listen to that?” the elderly man said with a smile. Nonetheless, he picked up his chopsticks and continued eating.
The nuns all withdrew, and the abbess kept the elderly man company, watching as he finished a bowl of rice, a plate of vegetables, and a bowl of soup.
The young boy brought up plain water.
“We don’t have tea. Please forgive us,” the abbess said.
“I don’t drink tea outside anyway, let alone in an inconspicuous temple,” the elderly man thought with a slight smile.
“No problem,” he said, picking up the slightly rough porcelain cup and taking a sip. After eating, he felt mostly rejuvenated and looked around the small temple.
The green bricks and grey tiles showed signs of careful maintenance, but still couldn’t completely hide their age. There was less of a spiritual aura and more of a mundane atmosphere.
Where there is an immortal, there is spirit. A Taoist temple needs people to thrive and maintain its spiritual energy.
After drinking a cup of water, the elderly man took out two candied oranges. After hesitating for a moment, he ate only one and put the remaining one back. He stood up.
Outside, the donkey cart arrived. The old servant helped the elderly man onto the cart, and the abbess, along with her disciples, saw them off.
“Thank you,” the elderly man said.
The abbess quickly bowed in return.
“Thank you,” the elderly man said again, cupping his hands in respect to the side.
The donkey cart slowly moved away.
“This old man is really polite, saying thank you twice,” the young boy said with a giggle.
“That second thanks wasn’t for us; it was for that lady,” a nun said with a smile, patting the boy’s head.
“Who is that lady? Could she be an immortal from the mountain?” the young boy asked curiously, regretting not going to pick wild vegetables, thinking he might have met the immortal.
The child’s words made everyone look up at the mountain. The sun was high, making the forest shimmer, and through the trees, they could see a small temple with smoke rising from it.
Their mood quickly soured.
With that filthy woman around, not even an immortal could stay!
The maid lifted the lid of the pot, revealing shiny and oily meat noodles in the bowl. She carefully carried it out on a cloth mat, then ladled another bowl of rice. From a nearby jar, she picked out a plate of finely sliced, dark green pickled vegetables. After making sure the stove fire was out, she picked up the tray and headed into the main room.
Cheng Jiao-niang sat in the room reading a book.
“Miss, please have your meal first,” the maid knelt down and said, glancing at the open book, smiling slightly. “No rush to read, it’s still early before the New Year; you can finish one page for sure.”
Cheng Jiao-niang smiled slightly with pursed lips.
Having been together for some time now, this maid was no longer as reserved as she had been initially; she even joked around now.
Isn’t that how people are? From strangers to familiarity, and then back to being strangers.
Cheng Jiao-niang picked up her chopsticks, picked up some meat and placed it on her rice, then added a piece of pickled vegetable. She lightly stirred it and took a bite.
“Is that person, the abbess’s man?” she suddenly asked.
For an unmarried young woman, such a topic was truly embarrassing. The maid hadn’t expected her to say this, and she said it calmly, as if she were commenting on how today’s rice was a bit soft.
“Yeah,” the maid replied.
Cheng Jiao-niang nodded, fell silent, and continued to eat her meal slowly.
Someone was knocking on the door.
“Ban Qin, Ban Qin.”
It was the child adopted by the abbess. The maid got up and went over.
“The abbess requests your presence,” the child said timidly.
The maid hesitated for a moment, then looked back at Cheng Jiao-niang in the room. Cheng Jiao-niang nodded to her, gesturing with her chopsticks.
“Alright, I’ll go take a look,” the maid said, stepping out and closing the door behind her. She followed the child.
As soon as they left, another child peeked her head out from the side of the house, looked around, and finally, gritting her teeth, she tiptoed over, pushed the door open halfway, and ran off, not sure what mischief she was up to.
Cheng Jiao-niang, hearing the sound of the door, looked up, but didn’t see Ban Qin come in. She paused for a moment, then continued eating.
“Even if she wants to invite that maid to eat, there’s no need to chase me away. It would be so much better to eat together,” the man muttered as he slipped in through the back door, grumbling, “Saying that impatience won’t do… I’m still hungry.”
Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, noticing the partially opened door.
This is where that fool lives…
The word “fool” flashed through his mind, recalling the beauty he had never seen before that morning…
Most importantly, she was a fool…
A fool who understood nothing…
The man’s breathing quickened, his throat bobbing as he swallowed a few times. In the autumn heat, he felt uncomfortably hot all over, unable to resist reaching up to tug at his collar, revealing his hairy chest.
He stepped forward, crossing over to the half-open door.
“Young lady…” he called out, his voice trembling, peering into the room.
