Chapter 5 Compensation: A clear mirror is not necessarily a perfect mirror; empty clouds are not necessarily empty...

Qingduo looked toward the source of the sound and saw a thin woman carrying a small basket containing a few oranges. She was dressed in coarse brown cloth, and her hair was tied up but still disheveled, resembling a rough and simple nest built by a dove.

When the woman spoke, her cheeks sunken in, as if a layer of skin covered her bones. She said stiffly, "They are my oranges."

Qingduo, annoyed by her condescending gaze, struggled to her feet, groaning repeatedly as she did so. She shifted her weight onto one leg, clutching her bottom, and said, "It's all because of you that I fell! It hurts so much to stand up, let alone walk! You saw I was having trouble getting up and didn't even help me! And shouldn't you apologize to me?"

"I'm sorry," the woman said curtly.

Qingduo retorted, "That's it? Who are you trying to fool!"

“I’ve already apologized,” the woman said, unmoved. “Now it’s my turn to settle accounts with you.”

"What?" Qingduo thought she had misheard. "What score are you trying to settle with me for? Hey! Get this straight! I'm the one who's injured!"

“But you smashed my oranges,” she said expressionlessly, counting them. “By stepping on them and sitting on them, there were probably five. Give me a hundred coins.” She then held out her hand.

Qingduo sneered, "You think you can charge an exorbitant price just because I'm dressed like this? Do you think I've never been poor before? Twenty coins for an orange, that's almost as expensive as a 'Dongting Tangerine'!"

She sniffed the "candied orange" in her hand and said, "Thin skin, red color, sour with a hint of bitterness, just an ordinary orange, and you're asking for twenty coins? How shameless!"

The woman replied seriously, "Lychees from Lingnan cost only a few coins locally, and how much would they cost to reach Chang'an by fast horse? There are no oranges for sale in the markets around Jiyue Temple, so you can go and ask around. I bought them from the city and walked here; these oranges are worth this price."

“If everything is measured in money, then my injury because of you and the dirt on my skirt, along with the cleaning and ointment, will cost at least a hundred coins,” Qingduo said, holding out her hand. “You’ll have to compensate me for the extra amount.”

The woman frowned deeply: "How much more is needed?"

"Sixty coins," Qingduo casually replied.

The woman took three oranges from the basket, placed them in Qingduo's hand, and said expressionlessly, "It's all paid off."

After saying that, he bent down, picked up the intact oranges from the ground, put them in his basket, and walked away leisurely.

Qingduo stood there, holding three oranges. Her stunned expression was reflected on the orange peels, which were worth twenty coins.

She limped along with difficulty, and on the way she encountered a flustered nun. The nun's eyes lit up when she saw her, and she came up to her and said, "Amitabha! I've finally found you! Madam, the meal is ready, waiting for you to go and offer alms!"

"You've come at the right time, quickly help me up!" Qingduo winced in pain.

Fortunately, she didn't have to do much for the almsgiving; it was just a matter of scooping mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and dried tofu toppings into the vegetarian noodles. Although it was the Zeng brothers who were supposed to be carrying out this charitable act, neither of them showed up; only the partially disabled Mrs. Zeng was busy with everything.

As the last person making noodles left, Qingduo rubbed her sore shoulders, shook her head from side to side, stretched her neck, pounded her aching back, and alternated supporting her body with her left and right feet, each shift causing a sharp pain.

She was feeling unwell when suddenly a chipped, broken bowl appeared in front of her. She looked up in confusion and froze instantly.

Isn't this exactly "pigeon's nest"?

Qingduo looked her up and down, and said incredulously, "It's you?"

The woman held the bowl out to Qingduo again and said matter-of-factly, "Pour the sauce over my head."

"No." Qingduo immediately refused.

"If it's an act of kindness, why not give it?"

"These things belong to my family. I can give them away if I want, or I can refuse to give them away if I don't want to. I simply don't want to give them to you."

The woman could only stare helplessly at Qingduo's arrogant and haughty demeanor. Seeing her silent, bowl-holding posture, Qingduo felt incredibly smug; the pain in its bottom seemed to lessen, all because its owner had avenged it.

Before she could even enjoy herself for long, the woman suddenly snatched the spoon, scooped up a large spoonful, quickly poured it into the noodle bowl, and turned to run away.

Qingduo wasn't about to be taken advantage of. She reacted instantly, grabbing the bowl of noodles and refusing to let go even with her fingers submerged in the hot soup. She yelled, "Hey! You little pigeon! Why are you stealing vegetables!"

“How can this be called stealing! It should have been mine. Buddha said all beings are equal, so why shouldn’t I get toppings?” The woman pulled the bowl of noodles toward herself.

"I am the owner. Taking things without permission is stealing!" Qingduo pulled back the bowl of noodles.

"A single thought of good is good, a single thought of evil is evil. You should not be obsessed with your mistakes and refuse to repent. Abandon your 'discrimination' and treat me equally!" The bowl of noodles was snatched back.

"Pah! You made me fall, and my butt still hurts! And you didn't even apologize sincerely. I don't want to treat you as an equal!" Qingduo tried to pull the bowl of noodles over.

"So you haven't let this go yet. Didn't I give you three oranges as compensation?" The woman gripped the rim of the bowl tightly, refusing to let go.

The two women were locked in a fierce competition, their bowls of noodles wobbling precariously between them. Each exerted their own strength, one clenching her teeth, the other puffing out her cheeks, as they engaged in a "noodle-pulling" contest witnessed by the assembled nuns.

People came up to persuade them, the nuns in the nunnery said that a woman with heavy dew should not be rude. The servants of the Zeng family advised Qingduo: "Madam, just give her to her!" No matter what, the two just wouldn't listen and kept staring at each other, as if they wanted to imprint each other firmly in their memories and never forget each other for the rest of their lives.

"Sister-in-law! Mother is back!" Zeng Zhengji's voice suddenly came from outside.

Qingduo's heart skipped a beat: Oh no, I can't let my brother-in-law see me like this. In the eyes of the Zeng family, I am a gentle and quiet lady. As soon as the thought came to mind, she immediately let go of his hand.

The woman named "Lu Nong" was pulling back with all her might when she saw Qing Duo suddenly let go. She was shocked, but it was too late. She staggered backward, lost control of her body, and finally sat down on the ground with a dull thud.

"Splash—" The soup surged and gushed, carrying floating mushrooms that escaped from the bowl and spilled all over her clothes.

"Ah! It's so hot!" Lu Nong tried to sit up by pushing herself up with her hands, but her buttocks hurt as soon as she moved. "Ouch—" She let go of her hands weakly and sat back down. Her buttocks were shaken again. The old injury had not healed and new pain surged up.

Qingduo burst out laughing and clapped her hands, saying, "You're still squatting on your bottom, now that's what you call paying off your debts!"

*

Zeng Zhengqing saw Qingduo walking towards him with unsteady steps from afar, and couldn't help but frown. He quickly went to meet her, took over from his younger brother to support her, and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Don't even mention it, it was awful, I fell down."

Zeng Zhengqing looked him up and down: "Where are you injured?"

Qingduo stammered, "Buttocks, buttocks."

He didn't ask any more questions, and helped Qingduo to the door, saying, "Mother is inside, you can go in!"

Qingduo was taken aback, pointing to herself: "By myself? Aren't you going in?"

Zeng Zhengqing nodded: "Yes, Mother only wants to see you."

Qingduo's heart pounded. A flood of stories from novels and plays, along with all sorts of everyday family dramas, rushed through her mind—how mothers-in-law disliked their daughters-in-law and tormented them. Would Zeng Zhengqing's mother also dislike her? Would she make things difficult for her?

Whether to endure it or not, that is the question.

Given her personality, she would never tolerate it, but considering the various pieces of jewelry and dresses she received this morning, as well as the gifts from her relatives... it seemed that she could tolerate it after all.

“Alright, I’m going.” Qingduo said resolutely, as if she were going to fight on the border rather than to see her mother-in-law. She pushed open the door and then gently closed it again. At this moment, a woman of about forty years old came forward to greet her. She was broad-shouldered, with a round face and a smile on her face. Qingduo curtsied respectfully and said, “Daughter-in-law greets Mother.”

The man stepped aside and said, "Amitabha, madam, I am not the mother of Benefactor Zeng, but her nun Mingyuan who serves her. Please come with me, madam."

Qingduo hurriedly stood up, feeling embarrassed, and followed Mingyuan inside. After walking a few steps, Mingyuan suddenly stopped, put her hands together, and said, "Mingjing, Madam has arrived."

Her view was completely blocked by her. Qingduo peeked out half of her head and saw a woman sitting in front of her who was about the same age as Mingyuan. She was dressed in plain monk's robes and hat. Although they were of similar age, time seemed to have been kind to her, leaving only faint traces on her face.

Qingduo examined them carefully. Hmm, the Zeng brothers' eyes were just like their mother's, all equally deep. However, the younger brother's eyes were like a shallow shoal, while the mother's eyes were like a still pool. As for the husband's eyes, they were the most melancholy and deep, like an abyss, making it impossible to see what he was thinking.

Lost in thought, Qingduo didn't notice that Mingyuan had already stepped aside. Her mother-in-law stood up and took her hand, bringing her back to her senses. Why were her mother-in-law's hands so cold? Qingduo instinctively cupped her hand in her own, exclaiming in surprise, "Your hands are so cold!"

Only after speaking did she realize that she hadn't bowed, so she hurriedly bowed again and said, "Daughter-in-law Qingduo greets Mother!"

"Just call me Mingjing." Mother Zeng helped her up and said calmly, "I have entered the Buddhist order and no longer concern myself with worldly affairs."

"Yes, Mother...Master." Qingduo replied, pondering to herself, since she had "no longer concerned herself with worldly affairs," did that mean she wouldn't use her status as her mother-in-law to make things difficult for her? Once she understood this, she couldn't help but secretly applaud and cheer.

"How is your mother? If it's convenient, I'd like to meet her," Mingjing said.

“My mother passed away when I was six years old,” Qingduo replied.

Mingjing gripped Qingduo's hand tightly and asked in a trembling voice, "Why is that, sister...?"

“She fell ill, and her father took her to visit famous doctors everywhere, but it only delayed her recovery. In the end, she still passed away.” Qingduo sighed. “To treat her mother’s illness, my father sold everything in the house that could be exchanged for money. Although he couldn’t save her, he had done his best.”

Mingjing lowered her eyes, clasped her hands in prayer, and began to chant scriptures. After she finished, she looked up at Qingduo and said, "Azhao, the last time I saw you, you were only three years old. In the blink of an eye, you've grown up. It's a pity your mother passed away early and didn't get to see you get married. Alas, I'm away from home, and there are no elders at home to take care of you."

She thought for a moment and said to Mingyuan, "Go and call Zhengqing in."

Mingyuan's face lit up with joy, and he immediately replied, "Yes!" and hurried out the door.

Qingduo couldn't help but wonder, didn't her mother-in-law say that she was indifferent to worldly affairs? But it seems that she has quite a few things on her mind!

Is she managing household affairs in the nunnery?

She is truly a unique nun.

I wonder if Master Mingjing is truly aware of her own lingering attachment to the secular world.

A note from the author:

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childish devils