Chapter 25 Lotus Seed and Wild Berry: Didn't they love him? Why didn't they...
In the pavilion of the Forest of Steles, there is a couch.
A sheet of pristine white Xuan paper was laid out, and Meng Shutai was copying the Ksitigarbha Sutra. Outside the pavilion, four handsome young monks sat by the stream, tapping their wooden fish and chanting sutras about rebirth in the Pure Land.
With elegant and flowing ink, the scriptures for eliminating karmic obstacles flowed smoothly from the tip of his brush, each line wishing the deceased to be free from suffering and attain happiness. He had already memorized them thoroughly.
However, at the beginning of the next sentence, the ink droplets formed a small dot on the paper.
Le Jin arrived quietly, placing two long-stemmed lotus pods and a pink lotus flower obediently beside him.
Meng Shutai looked up at her, sighed softly, and put down his pen.
"Lady Yue..."
"Don't speak yet, listen to me."
Le Jin interrupted him, gathered her skirts, and knelt down in front of him, behaving extremely obediently.
"I'm going home now, I won't bother you anymore."
She nudged the lotus flower closer to Meng Shutai: "I picked this from the hot spring behind the temple early this morning with great effort. I want to apologize to you."
Meng Shutai tapped her jade-colored fingertips lightly on the desk, not glancing at the flower stamen, but instead calmly staring at her.
Le Jinchui blinked, looking disappointed.
"I have only one request. I came with my brother; now that he is in trouble, how can I leave alone?"
She sat down askew, quite spoiled: "Luoyang is a whole thousand miles from Shuzhou! How can I go back without anyone to accompany me?"
"Does Lady Yue want me to find Mr. Yue?"
Le Jin nodded vigorously, "Actually, the reason I came to Luoyang this time was to meet you. Since Young Master Meng doesn't like me, then we can find my brother and go home together."
She poked Meng Shutai's sleeve with her finger; he had become much more subdued than he had been a few days ago.
"Young Master Meng is a divine being, please don't hold a grudge against a mere woman like me, okay?"
The woman in front of him grinned and shook her head like a puppy. Meng Shutai's long eyelashes fluttered, and he smiled faintly and replied, "Okay."
He was dressed in a light blue outfit today, sitting dignifiedly, as beautiful as the drifting clouds in the sky.
Le Jin smiled sweetly at him, swallowing hard as her throat tightened.
Loading.
Would this person accept her advances so easily?
She didn't believe it.
She had fallen for his trick last time, and Le Jin was always intimidated by his aloof and untainted appearance.
Fortunately, the two are no longer at odds, and she can start to make progress by getting close to him.
go back?
Le Jincai would not let go of any opportunity to torment him.
Once she finds Le Zhao, whether or not she marries him is entirely up to her. All she has to do is act cute in front of Le Zhao; surely he'll listen to his sister.
In my memory, Master Meng and his wife were a loving and kind couple under the lanterns. Apart from the misfortune of having such a scoundrel son as Meng Shutai, they had nothing else to lack. They shouldn't be the kind of people who would go back on their word and break off the engagement.
So this tactic of retreating to advance works so well! Now everything is on track, and Le Jin is so happy that her heart is bubbling with joy, and her smile is more genuine.
"My lord, please continue copying the scriptures. I'll peel lotus seeds for you!"
She received no help at Huayan Temple and spent a lot of time and effort just finding a gift to apologize for, fearing that Meng Shutai wouldn't like it. In the end, she wandered aimlessly to the hot spring that the young monk had pointed out to her and found these lotus flowers.
Suddenly, a flash of inspiration struck.
She returned the handful of lotus seeds to him.
The plump, snow-white lotus seeds were placed one by one by Le Jin beside Meng Shutai, like a row of white chess pieces.
She was focused on peeling the shells and this time she didn't bother him.
"Lady Le must have been very pampered at home."
"Hmm." Le Jin didn't look up and continued what she was doing.
Meng Shutai chuckled, said nothing, and turned to copy the scriptures.
Why aren't you eating?
Le Jin lost her patience, afraid that he wouldn't eat, so she picked up a lotus seed with her fingertips and fed it to Meng Shutai.
Quick, accurate, and ruthless.
Her fingertips brushed against his pale pink lips, touching them briefly before pulling away.
She squinted her eyes, like a little fox.
"Is it tasty?"
Meng Shutai's eyes widened slightly in surprise, and he seemed a little stunned.
He hesitated for a long time, his tongue touching the lotus seed as if he wanted to spit it out, but under the gaze of Le Jin's smiling eyes, he finally curled his tongue and put the lotus seed into his mouth, holding it to the side.
His cheeks bulged out slightly, making his speech a little muffled.
"Lotus seeds...you have to remove the lotus heart, otherwise they will be bitter."
"Oh dear!" Le Jin seemed to suddenly realize something, pushing the unfinished lotus seedpod onto the desk. "I didn't know..."
I'll make you suffer, I won't let you go!
Meng Shutai smiled and shook his head, then picked up his pen and began to write, still holding the lotus seed with the core still in his mouth.
Le Jin quickly glanced at his profile.
Hmm, now it's starting to look a bit like the fake thing it used to be.
She was lost in thought when suddenly two young monks appeared behind her.
"Here!"
"Our lotus flowers..."
One of them stepped forward, clasped his hands together, and bowed to Meng Shutai with trepidation: "Young Master Meng, did you obtain these lotus flowers and lotus pods from the hot spring behind the temple?"
He hit the nail on the head, his eagerness barely concealed in his words.
"My lord, you may not know, but a Dharma assembly is about to be held at the temple in June, and many nobles from Luoyang will be attending. These lotus flowers are a special variety called 'Dharma Pearls,' cultivated by the abbot, and are intended to be offered to Guanyin Bodhisattva at the assembly..."
Another person, more emotionally charged, stomped his feet and gritted his teeth, saying, "The abbot specifically instructed us to guard these lotus flowers. They were fine yesterday, and now they're ruined!"
Le Jin's eyes widened.
Damn it, this was originally a treasure from someone else's temple.
She pointed tremblingly to the lotus flowers and seed pods that had been completely ruined, saying, "They grew outside the temple, and I thought they were naturally grown there."
Both monks looked at her, their eyes serious, remaining silent, clearly dissatisfied with her explanation.
"I'm sorry! I saw many people taking water from the hot spring, so I thought the things there could be used... Can they still be saved?"
Le Jin's face burned. She remembered a time when she slipped on grease and slipped while serving soup to a customer, getting scalding hot soup all over herself, and being stared at and laughed at by all the customers in the shop. That was the kind of embarrassment and fear she felt before.
The impatient monk retorted, "Save it? There's only one flower in the world, how can you save it? It's too late! Can you take back the hot soup that's been spilled?"
Le Jin fell silent, feeling dizzy and on the verge of collapse.
A gentle breeze stirred the winding streams of the Stele Forest, creating shimmering ripples in the thin, bright morning light.
Meng Shutai raised his hand to his lips, lowered his chin, and a moist, warm white lotus seed fell from between his pearly teeth into his palm, which he then clenched tightly.
“‘Dharma beads’ are nothing rare. There’s a pond in Mengjia Village with several acres of ‘Infinite Light’ plants. If you want them, little master, just go to Mengjia Village to get them.”
His words were as light as a feather, but to the two monks they carried immense weight.
"'Immeasurable Light'? Is it the kind of lotus that Master Honghui of the previous dynasty obtained from India?" The two exchanged a glance, then immediately clasped their hands together in a deep bow, filled with gratitude: "Amitabha, my lord's merits are immeasurable."
Le Jin loosened her teeth and lower lip.
What's going on?
Is Meng Shutai helping her?
She was secretly observing him when her eyes met Meng Shutai's.
"I can add the lotus flowers, but Lady Le has ultimately made a mistake. Are you willing to take responsibility now?"
"One person does the work, one person takes the blame," Yue Jin nodded.
Besides, she had finally managed to coax Meng Shutai into softening his attitude towards her, and she couldn't afford to turn it back on him.
"He rode recklessly that day, and today he destroys flowers; both crimes will be punished..."
Her heart was in her throat, and Le Jin stared intently at his lips.
Seeing her listening to him so earnestly and obediently, like a believer waiting for a bodhisattva to grant a wish, Meng Shutai let out a cool laugh.
"Why don't you go to the lamp-offering hall to reflect on your actions for seven days? It would also be a way to pray for the people who were offended, wouldn't it?"
Just reflection? No compensation, no punishment, no beatings or scoldings?
With her heart at peace, she was as cheerful as spring breezes bringing life back to life.
"good!"
Le Jin had no habit of delaying payments, and immediately asked, "Where is the Lantern Palace?"
"My lady, come with us."
The two monks gestured for her to proceed, and Le Jin ran over in a few steps, but then suddenly remembered something and slammed on the brakes and ran back.
She pulled a palm-sized object wrapped in a lotus leaf from her bosom.
"It was for Qisheng, but I didn't see him today. Please give it to him, my lord."
This is a thank-you gift. If she hadn't pleaded and begged Qisheng to give in, she wouldn't have been able to so easily catch Meng Shutai alone.
The item was stuffed into Meng Shutai's palm, and Le Jin left without looking back.
The outer lotus leaf was warmed by the warmth of her embrace; Meng Shutai gently squeezed it—it was soft.
When the emerald green lotus leaves are turned over, a handful of bright red wild strawberries are revealed inside.
Qi Sheng loves sweets, and with the summer heat, people are prone to indigestion and feeling greasy. Raspberries, plump with juice and exuding a sweet and sour aroma, are perfect for relieving greasiness and aiding digestion.
Meng Shutai opened his clenched hand, revealing a whole lotus seed. The lotus heart had not been removed, and chewing it would surely result in an extremely bitter taste.
In comparison, it felt as if a piece of sharp-edged ice had been swallowed, cutting hard through the throat, the cold pain sinking into the stomach, and the internal organs were covered with a layer of white frost.
Don't you love him? Why are you so inattentive to him?
Meng Shutai bent down and picked up the remaining lotus seedpod; it was quite heavy. He vaguely remembered peeling it for Jiu'an once.
The ivory dagger was still at his waist.
Meng Shutai felt its heart pounding, pounding, like a heart he carried outside his body.
He traded a handful of lotus seeds for this birthday gift. What did she hope to gain in return for those lotus seeds?
This woman is arrogant and unruly one moment, and gentle and obedient the next; she can't be trusted.
"Bending down to pick lotus seeds, the lotus seeds are as clear as water."
Meng Shutai murmured this love poem, just as a monk chanting the mantra of rebirth while striking a wooden fish.
"My lord!"
Qi Sheng ran towards the pavilion, carrying a carved and locked box, his brow beaded with sweat.
He gently placed the box on the desk. "The documents, business orders, and account books that the household has been asking you to review these past few days are all here."
Although he was worshipping at Huayan Temple, the Meng family could not do without Meng Shutai. Every year when he entered the temple, the affairs of the household would still be handed over to him.
"In addition, the young man said he is preparing for the sacrificial ceremony and will come to Huayan Temple later, so he told the young master not to rush home."
Meng Cizhang insisted on coming every year, but Meng Shutai always turned him away, citing his young age and the potential for trouble. However, that wasn't the real reason.
Jiu'an's death was his own, and he didn't want to share it.
Unexpectedly, Meng Cizhang acted first and reported later this year.
What kind of sacrificial offerings does he plan to prepare?
Qisheng shook his head. "I don't know. But Young Master should be handling it himself."
"He's grown up, let him be."
As Meng Cizhang grew older, he became less and less like a cat and more like a human.
This adds another layer of boredom to the world.
With a subtle, deliberate tilt of his hand, the raspberries fell to the ground, rolling in all directions. Some landed under the desk, others by the pavilion steps, like scattered agate beads.
"Huh? This is... a raspberry!" Qisheng exclaimed in surprise.
Just as he was about to bend down to pick them up, Meng Shutai seemed to be startled and took several steps back, crushing many of them. The bright red juice stained the soles of his shoes, and with a movement of his foot, red lotuses bloomed.
Hua Yanfeng's eyes were full of pity, "This..."
Chess Sound's mouth dropped open. "Oh no, it's ruined."
He came from a poor family and had run all over the mountains and fields as a child, so he knew this place very well. Seeing it for the first time now, he was genuinely delighted.
"This fruit grows in the mountains and fields, how did you obtain it, my lord?"
Meng Shutai composed himself, carefully wrapped the remaining raspberries in lotus leaves, and gently placed them in his bosom.
"Lady Le was worried that I had a poor appetite while I was at the temple, so she specially came to find me."
A note from the author:
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Lejin & Qisheng: ...
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