After an hour and a half, Zhen Wanwan landed safely at the foot of Lingyin Temple Mountain.

As soon as she stepped onto the ground, a small Buddha statue approached her and asked, "Excuse me, is this Lady Zhen?"

Zhen Wanwan bowed, then nodded slowly and said, "That's right!"

“Amitabha! Madam Chen has already paid homage to the Buddha. You may follow me, female benefactor.”

Following the monk's steps, Zhen Wanwan carried the child and climbed the high steps one by one.

The February wind was a bit biting, so she pulled the blanket wrapped around Tianbao tighter.

Granny Zhang followed closely behind, carrying the baby, while Rou'er carried the items needed for offering incense.

The steps of Lingyin Temple are very high. If you are not a person who likes to walk around, you might get tired and have to hold onto the railing to climb them.

Zhen Wanwan replaced all the water in her house with well water, which greatly improved the health of Zhang Mama and Rou'er.

They had fled famine all the way from Xinyang Prefecture to this place, so their physical exertion was considerable. In addition, they had taken health pills, so these steps were a piece of cake for Zhen Wanwan.

Even the monks who were helping to guide her looked at her in disbelief, their eyes filled with admiration.

After all, the monk's cheeks were visibly flushed, clearly indicating that he was exhausted.

Without any stops along the way, it only took the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to reach the top of the mountain.

There is a pavilion next to the mountaintop, with tables, chairs and benches for tourists to rest.

Among them was a group of young ladies with their children. They were resting wearily in chairs, their foreheads slightly sweaty, while their maids massaged their legs.

Zhen Wanwan paused for a moment, then stepped towards the pavilion.

"Madam Chen!"

She bowed to the wealthy woman seated at the head of the table and addressed her politely.

Madam Chen looked up and was stunned when she saw Zhen Wanwan.

She knew Zhen Wanwan's identity at a glance.

Despite the pain in her legs, she returned the greeting to Zhen Wanwan and said with a smile, "Madam Zhen has arrived! If I had known you would arrive early, I would have waited for you at the foot of the mountain."

Judging from the other party's tone, they were annoyed that she was too late, but Zhen Wanwan had arrived exactly at the time she was invited.

Zhen Wanwan remained expressionless, but the smile on her face faded considerably.

“I live far away and was worried that the children would get upset and throw a tantrum on the bus, so I set off half an hour early, thinking I would wait for you downstairs first. I didn’t expect to be behind Mrs. Chen.”

Madam Chen stiffened and awkwardly twisted her handkerchief.

She was the one who invited Zhen Wanwan out, but she did the stupid thing of leaving her behind.

Even if she had her own ulterior motives, now that they've been exposed, she seems incredibly petty.

"Madam Zhen, you've arrived!"

Behind Madam Chen, Madam Fang appeared. After exchanging greetings, the two finally had time to chat for a bit.

Zhen Wanwan was also surprised to see an old acquaintance here. In her memory, the two had a lot of conflicts.

In the original book, this person is her daughter's adoptive mother, and also one of the people who bullied her daughter later on.

In her heart, the two were just enemies.

However, the smile on Madam Fang's face was so bright it almost blinded her.

What's going on here?

"Madam Fang."

One shouldn't hit a smiling face. Since things hadn't gotten to the point of falling out yet, Zhen Wanwan still greeted her politely.

Han Erniang seemed oblivious to Zhen Wanwan's growing distance and continued to chat with her warmly, while Madam Xu, standing to the side, also joined in the conversation with a smile.

The atmosphere became harmonious again, and to outsiders, they would look like close friends who had known each other for many years.

Zhen Wanwan looked at Madam Xu with admiration. As expected of the daughter-in-law of the prestigious Xu family, she had truly mastered the art of interpersonal relationships.

"Let's stop chatting here and hurry up to the temple for breakfast, then go to the front hall to offer incense and pay homage to Buddha."

The vegetarian food at Lingyin Temple is famously delicious in Anqing Prefecture. Zhen Wanwan has been in Guangling County for three or four months and heard about it.

So she was very curious and didn't even eat the breakfast prepared by Granny Zhang, rushing to the top of the mountain with great anticipation.

The group followed the guiding monk to a palace specifically for tourists to rest.

After a short while, a young monk brought breakfast over, and Zhang Mama and the maids of the other three ladies voluntarily donated some money for incense oil.

Zhen Wanwan watched as Madam Xu's maid generously donated a bag of silver, far exceeding the amount they had donated for incense oil.

Madam Chen, who came from the Xu family, followed suit and also donated a considerable amount; fortunately, her contribution was similar to that of Madam Fang.

When Han Erniang saw that Madam Xu and Madam Chen were very generous, she froze for a few seconds, but breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the silver donated by Zhang Mama.

She traveled alone with her child to Anqing Prefecture to seek refuge with her uncle's family, having already spent almost all her money along the way.

Although she received a monthly allowance from the Xu family, it wasn't enough for three people, so she often had to use her own savings.

No one knows how long this war will last, and if she doesn't use it sparingly, the days ahead will only get harder and harder.

Zhen Wanwan withdrew her scrutinizing gaze and turned her attention back to the table.

The table was filled with vegetarian dishes, but the combination was quite elaborate, somewhat like a medicinal diet taught online.

You can smell the aroma of the food from a meter away.

She couldn't help but exclaim, "This dish smells even better than the restaurants in the county!"

Madam Xu covered her mouth and chuckled, explaining with a smile, "We're in for a treat today! Lingyin Temple prepares medicinal cuisine randomly one day a month, and it just so happens that it's happening today..."

Han Erniang frowned, puzzled, and asked, "Medicinal cuisine? Such good things, why is Lingyin Temple willing to open them to the public?"

"My cousin doesn't know, but this medicinal cuisine is said to have been created by Master Guiyi. In order to save all living beings, he specially opened it one day a month to cook for all living beings and pray for their well-being."

Madam Chen nodded and added, "I heard that Master Guiyi only prepares medicinal meals for those with affinity when they arrive, or he might randomly prepare ten servings of medicinal meals a day and give them to believers."

"I don't know if we're destined to meet, or if we just got lucky and drew this one."

Listening to their explanations, Zhen Wanwan's heart pounded. Wasn't this plot just like when the female lead recognized her ancestors and came with Han Erniang to offer incense and fulfill her vows?

Why is this part here so early?

Could it be...?

Zhen Wanwan looked at Fang Ruzhu, who was lying in the maid's arms, drooling in her sleep.

He glanced again at Tianbao, who was clinging tightly to his collar.

"Alright, let's eat quickly! We're going to admire the peach blossoms in the peach orchard behind the mountain later! If we wait any longer, there won't be any good spots left."

Everyone thoroughly enjoyed the medicinal meal.

After we had eaten for a while, a monk came to lead the way.

Zhen Wanwan followed behind the group, preparing to go to the back mountain to enjoy the scenery.

"Please wait, benefactor!"