Mo Lan didn't return to the temple until her stomach started to protest. She heard that the temple's vegetarian food was quite good, so she found the guest monk, paid him some money, and asked him to prepare a vegetarian meal for her.
Seeing that Mo Lan was the only female relative, the monk kindly arranged for her to stay in the guest quarters for female relatives. "This is a meditation room specially prepared by the temple for female relatives. Please wait a moment, young lady, and I will go and arrange a vegetarian meal."
"Thank you for your trouble, Master." Mo Lan put her hands together in gratitude, then turned and went into the meditation room to wait for someone to bring her food.
And you know what? Although the furnishings in the temple's meditation rooms were simple, they exuded a Zen-like atmosphere, quiet and serene, allowing one to dispel all calamities.
When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Mo Lan sat cross-legged on a cushion, with a small table in front of her, on which sat a candlestick, a simple set of rough pottery tea set, and a set of sandalwood fish-shaped teacups.
Mo Lan picked up the jianzhi and tapped it twice. The sandalwood fish emitted a deep, resonant sound, conveying a sense of quiet solitude.
She wasn't a hermit and disliked the dull sound of the wooden fish, so she put it down, sat cross-legged, closed her eyes to rest, and waited for the vegetarian meal to be served.
As soon as I closed my eyes, I heard a suppressed sob.
Mo Lan opened her eyes and couldn't help but frown. The crying was coming from next door. The monk in charge of the guest had just said that this courtyard was inhabited by women, so it wasn't surprising that the ladies were disciplining the maids.
"Please forgive me, Madam! Please forgive me! I wanted to bring more servants with me to accompany Miss, but everyone was busy at the time. It was my oversight. Please forgive me, Madam."
Mo Lan frowned, just as she was about to enter meditation, when another shrill plea for mercy came from next door.
Unable to calm down, Mo Lan was a little annoyed. These aristocratic families were really speechless. They should go home and show off their power. What was the point of making a scene in the temple?
It only makes us a laughing stock.
“Aunt, please forgive Bi’er this time for my sake. I was feeling bored and wanted to go out for a walk. Bi’er is my maid, so naturally I have no choice but to follow. Besides, we didn’t encounter any danger. Aunt, there’s no need to be angry.”
A light and urgent voice rang out. Mo Lan blinked and realized it was Miss Zhao.
Fate~
"Ziyun, your aunt is worried about you. You are the eldest daughter of the Zhao family. How can you go out so casually? I heard from the old woman that a man from another family offended you. Is that true?"
Hearing her aunt's questioning, Zhao Ziyun concealed the sharp glint in her eyes and chuckled, "Aunt, don't listen to those old women's nonsense. What 'other man'? She's a chivalrous woman. It's fortunate that I went out for a stroll today, otherwise I would have really missed her. I didn't go out with you, otherwise you would have liked that girl too."
"Madam, what our young lady said is true. She is indeed a chivalrous woman, dressed in a black outfit, and she looks very impressive. If you don't believe me, you can go out and ask around; I'm sure many people have seen her."
Bi'er wiped her eyes and immediately echoed the sentiment.
"Shut up! As the young lady's personal maid, how can you let your mistress go out so freely? Why didn't you try to persuade her? What if someone offends her? How am I supposed to explain this to the old lady? How can I face my second sister-in-law?"
Madam Zhao gave a stern reprimand, then turned to look at her niece beside her, her eyes flashing.
“Ziyun, don’t blame your aunt for making a fuss over nothing. I’m just afraid something might happen. Our Zhao family is a scholarly family in Jiang County, and we can’t afford to make any mistakes. Tell your aunt, did you really only meet one woman? Not a man?”
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