Which lady was important enough for the head steward, Mr. Cao, to personally come over?
The men and women were a bit puzzled.
“Lady Jiao-niang,” Steward Cao said with a frown.
Who is Lady Jiao-niang?
The men and women were still a bit dazed.
“Lady Jiao-niang, the daughter of the mistress,” Steward Cao said angrily.
There was no point in blaming anyone; who would even remember this lady, let alone her name? If he hadn’t taken the time to carefully memorize her appearance, character, and name before coming, he wouldn’t have known either.
It’s actually for this lady?!
“She lives on Xuan-miao Mountain, outside the city,” one of the men said.
Although he wasn’t a local, he had been busy competing for business and attracting clients, so he’d been all over Jiang-zhou City in recent days and knew the way.
He was keen to lead the way.
Steward Cao immediately directed everyone to turn around, avoiding the need to enter the city.
“Steward Cao, what are you doing?” Fourth Master Chen asked urgently.
Time was pressing, so why were they running off in another direction?
“Lady Jiao-niang lives on Xuan-miao Mountain outside the city. We must go quickly to invite her,” Steward Cao replied.
Outside the city?
“How can we not meet her parents first?” Fourth Master Chen asked in confusion.
This was against proper etiquette.
“Fourth Master,” Steward Cao looked at him, recalling the repeated instructions from the young master of the Qin family, and shook his head meaningfully. “If we meet her parents first, we won’t be able to get this lady to leave with us.”
What?
Fourth Master Chen frowned again.
At the Cheng family, a young servant rushed through the second gate, hastily handing money to a maid.
“What happened? Why didn’t you get it?” The maid frowned and asked unhappily, “Were you being lazy or trying to slack off?”
“No,” the servant quickly waved his hand. “I went, but they said they were out.”
“Out? How could they be out? If they’re out, they can just make more,” the maid replied, clearly not believing him.
“You don’t understand. The snacks from Xuan-miao Temple are very popular, and there are very few of them. They only make a small amount each day, and people reserve them days in advance,” the servant explained. “You can’t just buy them at the last minute.”
“They’re that popular?” The maid was surprised and a bit frustrated, so she had no choice but to take the money and turn back.
“What? You didn’t get it?” Cheng Liu-niang said, pushing the game board, causing the pieces to scatter.
“Liu-niang, you’re cheating! I was about to win,” Cheng Qi-niang immediately shouted.
“We’ll play later. We’re discussing something important,” Cheng Liu-niang said. “Don’t you want the flower arrangement gathering next month to go well?”
Hearing about an event where she could stand out and show off, Cheng Qi-niang quickly quieted down.
“A few days ago, I heard Lady Dong mention that the snacks made at Xuan-miao Temple are excellent, so I planned to buy some to try. If they’re truly good, we can have them purchased for use at the flower arrangement gathering,” Cheng Liu-niang said.
All the ladies in the room nodded.
“You are always so thoughtful,” Cheng Si-niang praised.
Cheng Liu-niang showed a bit of pride.
“How could they not get any?” She then turned to continue questioning the maid.
The maid repeated what the young servant had said.
“Fool,” Cheng Liu-niang scolded with a frown. “That applies to others, not us. Go again and tell them we’re from the Cheng family.”
The maid hurriedly responded and went out in a fluster.
“Exactly, isn’t Xuan-miao Temple taking our family’s offerings?” Cheng Qi-niang added.
In reality, it wasn’t exactly offering, but rather that their family oversaw the small temple. However, the sentiment was the same, and Cheng Liu-niang nodded in agreement.
The young servant had no choice but to run out again, rushing so fast that he almost collided with someone.
“In a hurry to be reborn, huh?” he cursed angrily.
“You’re the one rushing to cross over,” the other person retorted without hesitation.
The servant looked closely and saw that it was a boy about his own age.
“Jin Ge’er?” he called out, immediately showing disdain. “What are you running around for? You don’t even count as part of the family anymore.”
A few days ago, a nun from Xuan-miao Temple came to the house and asked for a servant to run errands for the lady at the temple, and she chose this boy.
Originally, the boy’s sister had hoped that, with Fourth Young Master’s high regard elevating her status, the boy would also be given a good position. Unexpectedly, he was specifically requested by the nun.
When his sister heard the news, she cried to Fourth Young Master for a long time but to no avail. This incident had become a topic of ridicule in the household.
Serving a fool meant his prospects were ruined.
“What are you acting so arrogantly for?” the young servant said smugly.
Jin Ge’er snorted and ignored him, running off towards the outside. The young servant, feeling put out, found that they both ended up at Xuan-miao Mountain outside the city.
The young servant was here to make a purchase, while Jin Ge’er was here to be at the lady’s service. They were both working, but their roles were different. Along the way, the young servant didn’t miss a chance to gloat and make sarcastic remarks, but Jin Ge’er ignored him completely.
At the front of Xuan-miao Temple, two nuns were sweeping the ground and greeted Jin Ge’er when they saw him.
The young servant sneered, thinking that in the future, Jin Ge’er would only be dealing with these nuns.
“Hey, my lady sent me to buy some snacks,” the young servant said, placing his hands on his hips.
The two nuns simply apologized to him.
The young servant naturally expected this response, but he was prepared this time.
“I’m from the Cheng family, North Cheng. It’s the sixth lady from our household who wants your snacks,” the young servant said loudly, holding his head high.
The Cheng family? The two nuns hesitated, seeming unsure of how to proceed, and exchanged glances.
“What’s the matter?” Abbess Sun came out from inside and asked.
The two nuns sighed in relief and quickly turned to inquire.
“Be quick. My lady needs them, and if they’re good, we’ll need to buy more,” the young servant said, recognizing one of the nuns who had been to their house.
Saying “buy” was a formality. They should be offering the snacks voluntarily.
Abbess Sun thoughtfully examined the young servant.
“I see,” she said after a moment of consideration, “I’m really sorry, but we’re indeed out of them.”
The young servant was taken aback. What?
As he was still in shock, Abbess Sun noticed Jin Ge’er heading up the mountain.
“Jin Ge’er, wait a moment and take the lady’s snacks up with you,” she called out.
Jin Ge’er stopped and responded affirmatively.
The young servant was stunned until he saw a nun handing a large package of snacks to Jin Ge’er, which snapped him back to reality.
“Hey, didn’t you say you were out? How come he has some?” he shouted, jumping up and down.
“These are specially made for the lady, different from the regular offerings,” Abbess Sun said with a smile.
“Then, then, I want these,” the young servant shouted, reaching out to grab them from Jin Ge’er’s hands. “They’re for Sixth Lady.”
Jin Ge’er, who had been silently smug, spat with a sneer and shouldered the young servant, causing him to stagger, then quickly ran off.
The young servant was infuriated, jumping up and down.
“Wait and see!” he yelled, turning around and running off.
A group of people on the mountain path watched as the young servant ran past and then turned their gaze towards this side.
Abbess Sun didn’t pay much attention to the group. In the past, she would have eagerly looked at them, but she was no longer the Sun Miao-xian who rarely saw a visitor for ten days or half a month.
Abbess Sun simply gave a casual glance before following Jin Ge’er up the mountain.
If anyone came seeking offerings or snacks, her disciples would handle them. As the enlightened head of the temple, she would not concern herself with such mundane matters.
“Is this temple really that famous? They don’t even give consideration to the Cheng family?” Steward Cao asked.
“Not exactly famous, it’s only recently gained some renown,” the man guiding them said, looking puzzled.
They were outsiders, not very familiar with or concerned about this.
“Then does the Cheng family’s lady live here?” Fourth Master Chen asked urgently, as this was his main concern.
“Yes, she lives on the mountain,” the guiding man said, pointing.
On the mountain path, the nun from earlier was walking with the young servant, revealing a small temple nestled among the winding, forested paths.
