This is the very pond where she slipped and fell while admiring the flowers, and Bai Yanzhang pulled her out of the water.

The hibiscus by the pond is still there, and it is currently in full bloom, its flowers vibrant and beautiful.

For a moment, Qin Wenjun felt as if she had returned to the past, to the moment when that person pulled her back and warned her, "The pond is deep, do not approach."

Her heart was pounding, she was at a loss, and she even forgot to say thank you.

He didn't come to his senses until he and the abbot had gone far away.

A seed of ignorance was planted in my heart.

Later, when the seed sprouted, grew vigorously, and blossomed, she would often think back to that first meeting.

I feel that their fate was ordained by heaven.

But at this moment, looking at the unchanged scenery and the faces of her old friends who had matured and become much more aloof, she thought to herself, a preordained fate is not necessarily a good one.

It could also be a karmic entanglement.

The little guy saw her and immediately rushed over. She squatted down and hugged him.

Why are you all soaking wet?

"Waaah, I fell into the water and was dragged down by that turtle."

The little one cried even louder than before.

Qin Wenjun comforted him for a while before he gradually stopped crying. He turned around, pointed at Bai Yanzhang, and said, "Mother, it was this uncle who saved me."

Qin Wenjun was about to express her gratitude when she heard the other party coldly say, "As a mother, you don't take good care of your child and let him run around everywhere. You have no sense of responsibility at all. If anything happens to your child, you will be imprisoned."

"..."

She had no way to refute these accusations.

Over the years, since it's just her and Tianci at home, when she's busy, she can only let Tianci play by himself.

He was always well-behaved and would only play in the yard, never running far, so she rarely failed to keep a close eye on him.

He had just finished preaching and said he wanted to go outside to play, so she assumed he was playing in front of the temple.

She never expected that she would lose the ability to hear his voice so soon after he left.

Only then did he hurriedly chase after them.

But it was still one step short.

If Bai Yanzhang hadn't passed by in time, Tianci might have...

Therefore, even though Bai Yanzhang's words were harsh, she still sincerely thanked him: "Thank you for your help and reminder, Lord Bai. I am extremely grateful."

It's unclear what's wrong with what she said, but Bai Yanzhang's expression seemed to darken upon hearing it.

He turned and left without saying a word.

Qin Wenjun stood there, stunned.

The little girl exclaimed, "Oh dear, Uncle forgot to take his cape!" before she came to her senses.

Looking at the cloak, it was already stained with mud from the little guy's body.

It's not good to chase after him and return it.

"After Mother has washed it, have someone return it to him."

She said to the little one.

I'll also send a small thank-you gift over.

The little guy nodded.

She then took the little one back to the Guanyin Temple.

The sermon had ended, and Xiao Qingyin, Han Shi, and others were coming out of the hall.

Yi Shuihan came running from the end of the corridor, holding a green-hearted, pink-petaled orchid shaped like a swallow.

When he got to Xiao Qingyin, he said excitedly, "Wife, these are the flowers I just picked. Aren't they pretty?"

Xiao Qingyin nodded: "It looks good."

"Shall I plug it in for you?"

"good."

Yi Shuihan then put the orchid hairpin on it.

After he finished putting the hairpin on, he looked her over and exclaimed, "My wife is so beautiful, like a fairy."

Xiao Qingyin liked hearing this.

It's not like there's anything good about this guy turning into a fool.

She's much more talkative than before.

He said all the things she wanted to hear.

It would be great if he could retain this trait after regaining his senses.

The two of them fell a few steps behind due to the delay, and just then they walked out together with Qin Wenjun and her son.

In front of the temple gate stood a tall Bodhi tree, its trunk covered with red wishing plaques. Xiao Qingyin looked up and saw a man and a woman standing under the tree.

The man was Bai Yanzhang, and she had never seen the woman before; she was a woman around twenty-five or twenty-six years old.

The woman was dressed in bright colors, with heavy makeup on her face. She was holding a wishing plaque in her hand and talking to Bai Yanzhang.

Because it was a bit far away, I couldn't hear it very clearly.

But one can guess that it seems to be asking Bai Yanzhang to help hang the wishing plaque.

There's a saying about wishing plaques: the higher they're hung, the more effective your wish will be.

Bai Yanzhang did not agree and walked away.

The woman's face darkened instantly. She was about to chase after them when she saw Xiao Qingyin and the others.

The moment her gaze fell on Qin Wenjun, she cried out in surprise.

"Second sister! What are you doing here?"

She strode forward, scanned Qin Wenjun up and down, and fixed her gaze on Qin Wenjun's hand holding Tianci's.

"Second sister, where have you been all these years? Do you know how frantically the family has been looking for you? Grandmother has lost her appetite and fallen ill several times."

Qin Wenjun, however, did not believe her.

Her arrogant grandmother always looked down on her and her mother, and never gave her a kind look.

How could he possibly lose his appetite and sleep after she disappeared?

The elder sister was merely implying to others that she was an unfilial descendant.

She wouldn't respond to that.

Xiao Qingyin sensed the veiled meaning in the woman's words and asked Qin Wenjun with a smile, "Wenjun, who is this?"

Qin Wenjun shook her head and said, "I don't know him either. He's probably a madman."

Meng Qi was furious that she pretended not to know her.

Pointing at Bai Yanzhang, who hadn't gone far, she said, "Second sister, it's one thing for you to disown your older sister, but you even called her crazy. All these years I've spent eating vegetarian food and chanting Buddhist prayers for you. Is that man really that good, worth you abandoning your family and fiancé to elope with him?"

Bai Yanzhang stopped in his tracks.

Meng Qi continued, "Your children are all so grown up, why don't you come back to the manor to acknowledge your family? Are you planning to anger your parents to death?"

Xiao Qingyin scoffed.

"Don't go around claiming relatives here. Be careful, or we'll report you to the authorities and arrest you, you little beggar."

Meng Qi's eyebrows shot up: "Who's the one who's 'flower-picking'? I'm her own sister!"

Xiao Qingyin crossed her hands.

"Tell me, what is your sister's name?"

"How can my sister's given name be publicized everywhere?"

"It's fine if you don't want to tell me. My good sister Qin Wenjun is from Yunshui County, Hezhou. Are you also from there?"

Meng Qi was stunned by what she said.

"What do you mean, 'from Yunshui County'? She's clearly my second younger sister, Meng Ke!"

This person looks exactly like Meng Ke, and even has the same voice. There's no way she could mistake him for someone else.

Xiao Qingyin chuckled: "The world is vast and full of wonders. Who knows if there isn't someone in the world who resembles your second sister? I advise you to stop bothering us, or we won't let you off the hook."

Meng Qi had seen her at the palace banquet and knew that she was a famous physician. He also knew that her fiancé was General Yi, her stepfather was General Fu, her cousin was Marquis Zhongyong, and she had a close relationship with Marquis Jing'an.

It is precisely because we know this that it is even harder to accept.

Meng Ke, a mere concubine's daughter, what virtue or ability does she possess to curry favor with such a powerful figure?

"Miss Xiao, you haven't been deceived by my second sister, have you?"

She reminded him.

“My second younger sister eloped with a man five years ago and disappeared without a trace. I don’t know how she has been living all these years. Qin Wenjun’s identity is fake. She is using this identity to approach you. She must have some ulterior motive. You must be very careful.”