Chapter 59 Exquisite
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“Jin Ge’er, why are you running away?” Chun Lan shouted.
The young boy, who had only run a few steps, stopped and looked at the girl who had hurriedly entered from the front yard.
“Why are you back?” he asked.
“I finally managed to get Fourth Young Master to ask you to feed the horses, and you didn’t go?” Chun Lan said anxiously.
Jin Ge’er wiped his nose with his sleeve.
“I’m not going. I’m busy,” he said.
Chun Lan was furious. She only had this one younger brother. She couldn’t support him before, but now that she was in a good position with Fourth Young Master, she had hoped to find him a good job. To her surprise, after several days, she found out that her brother hadn’t gone at all.
“You’re grown up now, and still running around like this?” she shouted, grabbing her brother’s arm. “How can Mom and Dad be at ease?”
“I’m earning money,” Jin Ge’er argued. “It’s much better than taking care of those animals.”
“Earning money? Where?” Chun Lan didn’t believe him at all. “You’ve been deceived, haven’t you?”
“I’m working as a laborer at Qing Mei’s place, repairing houses. I can earn a penny a day,” Jin Ge’er said with a smile, a bit smug.
Qingmei? Who was she?
Chun Lan was taken aback for a moment before she remembered.
“That maid by the side of the fool?” she said, “I know about the repairs at the Small Xuan-miao Temple. Isn’t that the responsibility of the head of the Grand Xuan-miao Temple? Can she have any say in it?”
“I don’t know about that,” Jin Ge’er replied. “Qing Mei told me to go anyway. I was the one who found the workers last time when the repairs were done, and this time too. The foreman was so grateful he even gave me a reward.” Jin Ge’er said, pointing towards the house. “If you don’t believe me, you can ask Mom.”
Chun Lan’s mother walked out of the house and was also a bit surprised upon hearing this.
“What’s going on? Didn’t you arrange for Jin Ge’er to go there after talking to Fourth Young Master?” she asked.
“What I did with Fourth Young Master was to give that girl a bit of money, to ensure she took better care of that fool and to repay that favor from Ban Qin,” Chun Lan said, feeling somewhat confused. “Why is Jin Ge’er involved in this?”
“Is it because of that Abbess Sun, who might be considering Fourth Young Master’s favor?” Chun Lan’s mother speculated.
Everyone in the family knew that it was because the abbess of the Grand Xuan-miao Temple took the initiative to keep the fool and acted according to the wishes of the family’s master and madam that Jin Ge’er got this good job. It was said that the master gave the abbess eighty taels of silver in one go.
How much could it cost to repair a house? The profits from it must be substantial.
Many people wanted to get a share, but since Abbess Sun was not well-known and there was no chance to hint at her, she had already found people to start the work.
Those with status hadn’t had a chance to benefit, and Chun Lan’s family didn’t even want it. Yet, unexpectedly, this good fortune fell into their lap.
Chun Lan’s mother had always thought it was due to her daughter’s favor with Fourth Young Master, but she didn’t realize her daughter was unaware of this.
“Not at all. Fourth Young Master is focused on his studies and doesn’t deal with such trivial matters. Besides, Madam is still mad at me. If Fourth Young Master were to get involved, not only would we not get this job, but I’d also be in for some harsh treatment,” Chun Lan shook her head, denying it.
“I told you it’s Qing Mei who told me to go, but you still don’t believe it,” Jin Ge’er said impatiently. “I’m leaving. I’m busy and the work is almost done.”
After saying that, he ran off, and Chun Lan didn’t manage to stop him.
“Qing Mei?” Chun Lan chuckled in disbelief. “What’s she worth? Even looking after a fool gets such high praise?”
When Jin Ge’er arrived at Xuan-miao Mountain, he saw Abbess Sun at the Small Xuan-miao Temple. Besides her, there was also an elderly man and an old servant. They were watching two craftsmen inscribe two characters onto the gate.
Qing Mei was also there, and Abbess Sun was showing her a respectful and kind smile.
See, it was because of Qing Mei’s influence, but they didn’t believe it.
Jin Ge’er slipped through the side entrance.
“Ban Qin, in about three to five days, it should be almost ready. You and the mistress can move back then,” Abbess Sun said. “The household items have also arrived. Let me know if there’s anything else you need.”
The maid nodded with a smile.
“I’ve seen it, and the arrangements are excellent,” she said.
Abbess Sun’s face relaxed. Since the maid said it was good, it meant the mistress also approved. If the mistress was satisfied, then everything was as it should be.
The elderly man beside them looked somewhat surprised.
“May I take a look inside?” he asked.
The old servant was a bit taken aback. What could be interesting about a temple where females lived, especially since this temple had a bad reputation before?
Abbess Sun immediately turned to look at the maid, who nodded with a smile.
“Please, do come in,” Abbess Sun said, making a gesture of invitation.
The elderly man then stepped inside.
There was only one hall at the front, which was nothing special. However, when they reached the back courtyard, they found workers still busy, and the ground was cluttered with miscellaneous items, creating a chaotic scene. Yet, the elderly man looked at it with astonished admiration.
It turned out that the Small Xuan-miao Temple was so exquisitely designed. Despite its small size, it was elegant and refined, with a room on either side, a courtyard with a small pavilion, green bamboo, and a stone path. Besides that, there were no other decorations, which made the place feel open and clear.
As he passed the rocks and looked at the main room, he saw the simple green paper door slightly ajar. Two village women were wiping the floor and windows. Inside, he saw six beautiful screens, a long table, a white felt cushion, and a high-legged stove.
Was this what the maid arranged? Otherwise, Abbess Sun wouldn’t have inquired like that.
After looking around, the elderly man felt it was not appropriate to stay long in a female’s private quarters, so he stepped outside and looked back at the mountain gate.
The three characters for Xuan-miao Temple had been erased, and the new two characters had yet to be engraved and colored.
“Tai Ping,” the elderly man read aloud.
These two characters, while meaning “peace,” and written plainly, somehow gave him an unsettling feeling.
Although the characters themselves were not particularly refined and seemed as if written by a novice, each stroke and detail seemed to hold a subtle complexity.
It didn’t resemble any script he was familiar with.
“Tai Ping, such exquisite work by you,” the elderly man said with a smile, looking at Abbess Sun.
Abbess Sun was momentarily stunned but soon understood that the elderly man was referring to the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Peace).
“No, no, it wasn’t me,” she quickly said with a smile. “I often recite the Taiping Jing, but I wouldn’t dare to claim it.”
As she spoke, she glanced at the maid. The elderly man was somewhat surprised but then understood.
It was clear that the courtyard had been arranged by the maid, so naturally, she would have chosen the name herself.
The maid smiled.
“So there is a scripture called Tai Ping,” she said with a laugh. “Does that mean ‘Tai Ping’ comes from the scripture?”
It seemed she thought it was just a name with a good meaning and didn’t imply anything else.
The elderly man nodded with a smile.
“The Dao of Heaven is impartial. Doing good is in accordance with it, which is what ‘Tai Ping’ refers to,” he said with a smile. “The scripture comes from the Human Dao, just as it is.”
The maid didn’t understand a word of it.
“My mistress’s favorite steamed buns are called Tai Ping buns. It’s quite a coincidence,” she said with a smile.
Everyone present was taken aback, staring blankly at the maid.
What did that mean?
Was the ‘Taiping’ just because her favorite buns are called Tai Ping buns?
That seemed so… tacky?
As the Mid-Autumn Festival approached, the Cheng family was also preparing for the celebration. However, there was a somewhat somber atmosphere on Second Madam Cheng’s side.
Dinner had already been delivered, but the couple sitting across from each other had no appetite.
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What an interesting series. It’s got such a special tone to it. Thank you for the translation!