Chapter 70 Plum Soup "Master Xuyin, I've come to learn painting from you..."
Summer heat, the evening breeze carries the fragrance of lotus blossoms.
Cheng Huaizhu clung to Xue Chan in the room, cupping her face and looking at her from left to right. Suddenly, her brows furrowed and her eyes reddened.
"You've gotten so thin..."
She was on the verge of tears, but Xue Chan laughed and said, "I'm fine now, you crybaby, don't cry."
Cheng Huaizhu sniffed: "I'm not a crybaby."
Xue Chan smiled, her eyes crinkling, as she drew on the small table, while Cheng Huaizhu watched her draw, her chin resting on her hand.
Yun Sheng quietly entered with a bowl of plum soup and placed it to one side.
Cheng Huaizhu stared at the bamboo leaves on the porcelain cup, lost in thought.
"What's wrong?"
"I think I remember saying something to you?" She pinched her earlobe, thinking hard for a long time, and then slammed her hand on the table.
“I remember now, a couple of days ago someone delivered a message to you saying that the monk from Kuzhu Temple has returned from his travels.”
Cheng Huaizhu stirred the plum soup: "I just forgot what it's called."
Xue Chan stopped writing and replied: "Hidden."
“Yes, this is it! My mother seems to have put the letter in, didn’t you see it?” Cheng Huaizhu asked her.
Xue Chan smiled softly: "I saw it."
After finishing her painting late at night, Cheng Huaizhu yawned and went back home.
Yun Sheng lit incense, and Xue Chan sat to one side, asking her a question.
"Yun Sheng, where is the letter?"
"What letter?"
Yun Sheng seemed oblivious, and Xue Chan didn't reprimand her harshly, but simply reached out her hand: "Give it to me."
Yun Sheng knew what she wanted to do, but shook his head: "But you're not well yet."
“I can eat, sleep, move, and walk now, so what could be worse for me? My master has only just returned from his travels. If I don’t go now, when will I ever get another chance?”
Xue Chan placed the hairpin in front of the mirror, her expression unusually serious.
Yun Sheng was still unwilling to give up: "But when he left, the old man said that he should take good care of you and not let you be willful."
Xue Chan simply said, "If Father were here, he would not stop me for this."
Yun Sheng took two more steps back and shook his head again.
"Sui Yun Sheng!"
Xue Chan couldn't help but call her by her full name.
Yun Sheng knew she couldn't persuade her otherwise, but she still wanted to say something. She closed her eyes, exhaled, and found the letter, handing it to her.
"It's not that I didn't want to hinder you, it's just that before he left, the old master instructed me to take good care of you... After this incident, and your serious illness..."
As she spoke, her nose suddenly turned red, her eyes welled up with tears, and she reached out to wipe them away.
Xue Chan placed the letter on the edge of the bed, sighed, and wiped away her tears.
"I know you mean well."
Yun Sheng recalled several incidents from his trip to the capital, felt deeply guilty, and cried harder and harder until he began to sob uncontrollably.
But when Xue Chan spoke up to comfort her, she felt even worse, and tears streamed down her face.
"well......"
Xue Chan patted her back to help her catch her breath, and Yun Sheng simply buried her face in her knees and cried.
"Yun Sheng, we've been together for so long, how could you not know what my heart desires? If I can gain something from this journey, I will die without regret..."
Before Yun Sheng could say anything more, Xue Chan stood up, her eyes unwavering, and said firmly.
"Tomorrow I will tell my uncle to hire some skilled martial artists to accompany me to Kuzhu Temple."
The group left Beijing in mid-June.
It was the height of summer, and the bamboo groves covering the mountains around Kuzhu Temple provided welcome shade.
The young monk strode into the depths of the flowers and trees, stopped in front of a small pavilion, and addressed the person inside who was bowing his head and chanting scriptures.
"Uncle-Master..."
Xu Yin stopped and asked him softly, "What's wrong?"
Huineng scratched his bald head and after a long while said, "That benefactor has come again. Are you still avoiding him?"
This is the third time.
Huineng's small, round face scrunched up, looking quite distressed.
Xu Yin did not turn around, but simply said, "Go, just like before."
"All right......"
He then jumped down the stone steps, wondering how to speak to the benefactor, his small figure disappearing once again into the swaying greenery.
Huineng walked along the corridor, biting his hand as he pondered.
"ha!"
"ah!"
Someone suddenly jumped out, startling him, and he quickly hid behind the bamboo.
Yun Sheng laughed so hard he bent over: "Little master, it's broad daylight, how can you still be so timid?"
Huineng slowly peeked out and realized that it was the benefactor who had temporarily stayed at Kuzhu Temple last year, and who had shown them the paintings at that time.
"Yun Sheng, stop playing around." Xue Chan walked up from behind, looking helpless.
Upon seeing her, Huineng emerged from behind the bamboo grove, clasping his hands together in a somewhat reproachful manner.
"So you are the benefactor."
Xue Chan nodded and smiled, "I heard that your Uncle Xuyin has returned from his travels and came to Bao Temple specifically to seek your guidance. I wonder if it would be convenient for you to introduce me now?"
Huineng frowned. Why are they all coming to see their uncle?
“My uncle is busy right now, please come another day,” Huineng said after thinking for a moment.
Xue Chan pursed her lips, pondered for a moment, and then smiled and said, "In that case, I will come to inquire again tomorrow."
She bowed to him and then followed the monk to the Zen temple.
Huineng saw that she was followed by a lot of people with luggage, so she probably settled down.
We can discuss the matter of asking for advice tomorrow; he needs to go and reply first.
Huineng turned his hands and left.
He stepped through a gate, and to the left was the Tranquil Courtyard where Xue Chan lived. The courtyard was being tidied up, and seeing the quiet afternoon, Xue Chan went through a small gate to the back to cool off and take a stroll.
She walked slowly, fanning herself with a round fan, past a narrow path and a clump of bamboo, and saw someone sitting in a pavilion, lost in thought.
Xue Chan approached and took a look, then said, "Miss Fang."
Fang Youxi looked up and saw her walking up. He stood up and smiled, "What a coincidence."
In a flash, she approached Xue Chan and looked her over, frowning with concern. "I heard you were seriously ill. Why did you leave the capital and come to this remote mountain temple?"
"I was fine to begin with, and after resting for almost a month, I'm fully recovered now." Xue Chan sat down next to her and asked with a smile, "I came here to learn painting, what about you?"
Fang Youxi didn't reply to her for a moment, but after a while he smiled and said, "I've heard that the Buddha Cave in Kuzhu Temple is very efficacious, so I've come to sincerely worship Buddha."
Xue Chan knew she had another reason, so she didn't say anything.
"How long have you been here, Miss Fang?"
"I arrived yesterday and I'm leaving tomorrow."
Xue Chan paused in her fanning: "Why not stay a couple more days?"
Fang Youxi looked somewhat wistful, her eyes slightly reddening: "Actually, I shouldn't have come. I was too greedy..."
Xue Chan sat with her, looking at a pomegranate tree on the stone wall. She gently fanned her and said with a smile, "You're leaving tomorrow, so why don't you stay with me tonight? We can cool off and chat together."
It was rare for her to take the initiative to invite him, so Fang Youxi couldn't help but smile.
"OK"
The two returned to Jingxin Courtyard together, and by the time they finished eating, it was already evening.
Xue Chan quietly entered the room, where Fang Youxi was writing a manuscript under the open window.
Seeing that she was writing so intently, Xue Chan didn't make a sound to disturb her, but simply slowed her pace and sat down beside her.
Fang Youxi buried himself in writing and drawing, while also doing calculations.
A summer breeze blew in, knocking down some pages of paper.
Xue Chan helped pick them up, and upon examining them, she discovered that both stacks of manuscripts were actually calculations, with one of them hastily written with the words "Refutation of Doubts".
Fang Youxi put down his pen and laughed, "Ah, I'm so sorry to have made you laugh."
Xue Chan returned the manuscript to her, sat down, and smiled, "I didn't know you were so knowledgeable about these things."
“My father was passionate about astronomy and mathematics, and I learned it from him.” Fang Youxi carefully organized the manuscripts and stacked them aside.
"Aren't you going to write anymore?" Xue Chan asked her.
"I've almost finished writing for today."
Xue Chan pointed at the book "Bianyi" with her round fan: "Although I am not an expert, I do know a little about it. Your book is called 'Bianyi,' but what does it 'discuss'?"
Fang Youxi leaned on a small table, looking at the stars through the window.
"Of course, it refers to the inaccuracies, fallacies, and errors in the books of our predecessors."
Xue Chan became interested and asked her again, "How did it go after the debate?"
Fang Youxi smiled gently, her eyes sparkling: "It is about debating old theories and establishing new ones. Actually, I am just trying it out. When I was still at home, I asked my father, and he told me to do what I want to do. Not for the result, but only to distinguish truth from falsehood."
This was the first time Xue Chan had seen this side of her, so she continued to ask.
"What if future generations also raise questions and doubts about you?"
She laughed nonchalantly, "Then let's debate. I'm eager to know. If you can debate my argument and establish a new one, that's exactly what I'm seeking today."
Perhaps it was because Zhushan was so deserted, Xue Chan's question prompted her to launch into a long discussion.
"In ancient times, there were a hundred schools of thought contending; today, I debate doubts. People always have to step out to know how deep or shallow the water is. To debate doubts, one must first have doubts before one can debate. I have no doubts about what I'm debating, but as long as there are people, there will be doubts, and as long as there are doubts, there will be debates. But to have doubts and not debate them is like walking in a fog, unable to see the road ahead."
Xue Chan rested her chin on her fan and listened to her with a smile.
As they talked, Fang Youxi became a little embarrassed. She sat down sideways, her face slightly flushed.
"I'm sorry you had to see this."
Xue Chan teased her, "Have you ever said these things to my senior brother?"
She paused slightly, then said, "Actually, I often talked to him about these things when I was still at home. Because his family had many books, I would often ask him to lend them to me..."
So that's how it is. No wonder.
Xue Chan smiled but said nothing, and simply sat with her by the window to look at the stars.
Fang Youxi asked, "Miss Xue, are your parents good to you?"
Xue Chan: "As far back as I can remember, my family wasn't exactly wealthy, but we were happy. Later, my aunt went to the palace, and after my mother passed away, it was just me and my father. He took good care of me, attending to my daily needs, teaching me, and reading. But sometimes he was a bit long-winded and liked to nag, which could be unbearable. Now that my mother is gone, he's getting old and his legs aren't strong, so he's taking care of me all by himself. Whenever I show any displeasure, he gets very disappointed, and I can't bear to say anything more."
"That's wonderful." Fang Youxi propped her chin on her hand, slowly stirring her plum soup. "From what I've heard, I know your parents treat you very well, while I have nothing..."
Xue Chan tilted her head: "You say you have nothing, but I heard that Lord Fang is a very good person. He personally taught you, and you have so many sisters, friends, childhood sweethearts, and things you like to do. How could you have nothing?"
The next morning, she saw Fang Youxi off from Kuzhu Temple. After leaving Jingxin Courtyard and passing through the long corridor, a monk in a gray-blue robe stood at the end.
Fang Youxi slowed her pace, and the monk bowed and said, "Please."
The two didn't go far, standing by the lotus pond talking. She spoke first: "I won't come again."
Xu Yin asked, "Have you let go?"
Fang Youxi: "I guess so. I used to be very persistent, persistent about why you brought me into this world, only to abandon me to someone else without a care. I feel that my birth was a burden of resentment."
Xu Yin watched and listened quietly without saying anything, but she smiled.
"But now I've come to terms with it. Instead of clinging to those things, I should look forward."
Fang Youxi said to him, "Thank you, and I hope we meet again someday."
She bowed respectfully to him and walked down the corridor.
“I named you,” Xu Yin suddenly spoke, standing by the lotus pond with a slight smile. “I once resented her immensely, but at the moment you were born, a glimmer of hope arose within me. Now, seeing you, I feel that entrusting you to Fang He was the only right thing she and I ever did.”
Fang Youxi let out a soft breath, nodded, and left.
With one matter settled, Xu Yin looked at the red lotus trembling slightly under the bright light and smiled.
"It's time to attend to another matter."
He went up the corridor and met Xue Chan sitting under it.
She stood up abruptly and bowed respectfully: "Master Xuyin, I have come to learn painting from you."
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