Chapter 54 Arrangement
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Tai Ping steamed buns?
The maid was taken aback for a moment, then immediately burst into laughter, laughing so hard that she couldn’t stand and fell to the ground.
“Alright, Miss, let’s have Tai Ping steamed buns for dinner tonight. I’ll ask the nuns to buy some lamb liver and other things for me,” she said.
Cheng Jiao-niang agreed.
Abbess Sun approached the courtyard gate and took in the scene under the ancient locust tree. There was a lady with black hair cascading over her shoulders, sitting serenely in a green silk robe, and a young girl in a plain floral dress kneeling with a bright smile. It looked like a scene from a painting of a refined lady in autumn.
In this scene, the lush green leaves and the girl in her bright clothes with a dazzling smile weren’t the highlights. Instead, it was the lady, so plain and emotionless, who drew the eye.
Abbess Sun stared in a daze for a moment. How could the Cheng family neglect such a lady?
Abbess Sun greeted them.
Cheng Jiao-niang and the maid looked over and nodded in return.
“Miss, in a few days, the work over there will be finished. Please take a look and see if there’s anything else that needs to be fixed,” Abbess Sun said.
“Alright,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
With the maid supporting her, Cheng Jiao-niang went over with Master Sun. After renovations, the Small Xuan-miao Temple looked completely new. The front hall in the courtyard appeared solemn, while the living quarters in the back were elegant.
Standing at the courtyard gate, the maid felt a bit dazed. Not long ago, on a stormy night, she had trembled in the wind and rain, climbing up the roof from an outer courtyard ladder, crawling on her knees as if she might die any moment. But the rain stopped, the sky cleared, and she was still alive and well. Those people and things that haunted her nightmares were gone.
Newly cultivated soil surrounded the octagonal pavilion, where a patch of bamboo had been transplanted. The autumn wind blew, making a rustling sound.
Abbess Sun’s and Cheng Jiao-niang’s conversation reached her ears.
“Do you think this is alright? Should we add some more flowers and plants?” Abbess Sun asked respectfully.
“It’s fine as it is,” Cheng Jiao-niang replied.
The maid refocused and helped Cheng Jiao-niang move forward. At this moment, two young novices came out, one of whom respectfully spread a mat inside the pavilion.
“Please have a seat,” the child said with lowered eyes and a courteous demeanor.
After the incident at the Small Xuan-miao Temple, Cheng Jiao-niang and the maid relocated to the base of the mountain, and the two young novices followed them. When the temple required repairs and Abbess Sun couldn’t handle it alone, the two novices volunteered to assist.
“Recently, it’s been Miao Chun and Miao Ling who have been doing all the cleaning and maintenance,” Abbess Sun said with a smile.
The two young novices stood shyly, heads lowered.
They had been pitifully taken in by that woman, treated like pets—ignored when she was in a good mood and scolded or struck when she was not.
“Thank goodness that troublemaker is finally gone,” Abbess Sun thought to herself. “With this lady in charge, life should improve from now on.”
“Miss, they are originally from here, so the arrangements should be up to you,” she said.
It was clear that the Small Xuan-miao Temple would now be Cheng Jiao-niang’s. If the temple were to be used for spiritual practice, the young novices would go to the base of the mountain. However, Cheng Jiao-niang might need more people to attend to her.
Cheng Jiao-niang looked at the two young novices.
“Yes, I will make the arrangements,” she said.
The two novices glanced at each other with slight, surprised smiles.
“Miss, thank you for saving us,” they said, kneeling and bowing their heads.
Being able to follow this lady meant that they would finally have a better life!
Abbess Sun also smiled and nodded in agreement.
“Abbess Sun,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, looking at her, “Do you know of any other temples?”
Abbess Sun was momentarily taken aback.
“Yes,” she nodded in response.
“Then send them to one of those temples,” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
What?
The two young novices looked up in astonishment, and both Abbess Sun and the maid were also quite surprised.
Why?
“Miss, if we have done something wrong, just punish us—please don’t drive us away,” the two novices begged, bowing their heads and crying.
“Actually, you haven’t done anything wrong,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, her expression remaining emotionless as she sat in the pavilion. “Everyone has to find a way to survive; everyone has to take risks and fight for themselves. Even ants struggle to stay alive, so what you did can’t be considered wrong.”
What does that mean?
Abbess Sun was even more puzzled and looked at the maid.
The maid, too, looked completely bewildered.
“Miss, what have we done wrong?” one of the young novices cried, lifting their head with a face full of grievance. “When we were taken in by that woman, we were forced to follow her. We lived in constant fear and never dared to adopt her harsh ways. Miss, please see the truth.”
As they spoke, they stopped looking at Cheng Jiao-niang and instead turned their gaze to the maid and Abbess Sun.
They thought, “That person is a fool, unpredictable and ignorant. But surely, the maid and Abbess Sun understand things better. Although that fool is the mistress, the real decisions must be made by these two.”
Seeing the novices cry so pitifully, the maid and Abbess Sun felt a pang of sympathy.
Yes, although these two children were apprentices of that woman, they were still young and hadn’t committed any truly despicable acts. If they were to be rejected and driven away just because of this, it would indeed be very unfortunate.
Abbess Sun hesitated, wondering whether to say something.
“That day, it was you who opened my gate and let that man in, wasn’t it?” Cheng Jiao-niang said.
As soon as these words were spoken, the two young novices collapsed to the ground, their faces filled with terror.
How did she know? Was she really not a fool?
The maid’s expression changed instantly.
She remembered that she had closed the door that day and had thought that the man must have been bold enough to open it himself. It turned out that someone had been manipulating things behind the scenes!
If the door had been closed, the man likely wouldn’t have had the thought of going in! Seeing the door open sparked his curiosity, and his greater intentions could no longer be contained, like a small breach in a dam that eventually led to a flood.
It turned out that someone had deliberately set up this trap!
It turned out that it wasn’t that woman, but these two pitiable young children!
How could this be! How dare they!
“You!” she shouted, trembling all over, pointing at the two novices, unable to speak.
Abbess Sun, realizing she had heard something she shouldn’t, lowered her head and refrained from speaking, unsure of how to react.
The two young novices began to cry uncontrollably again, pounding their heads towards Cheng Jiao-niang.
“Miss, it wasn’t like that, it wasn’t! My sister was always watching, and she immediately went to get help. We wouldn’t let—” one of them cried out.
“Yes, you did well. Letting that man to anger me will make the Cheng family to take action, but you also wisely called for help in time to prevent things from getting out of hand,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, nodding. “It seems you acted out of desperation and had no other choice.”
The two novices, still crying, continued to bow their heads, feeling somewhat reassured.
“Miss, please see the truth,” they cried.
This plea for understanding was sincere and heartfelt.
“I certainly can see the truth, but,” Cheng Jiao-niang said, looking at them, “I am quite a petty person.”
The two young novices looked up in astonishment again, gazing at the emotionless lady sitting calmly in the pavilion.
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