Chapter 56
That summer, Lu Huaying, who had nothing to do, curiously observed Wei Mingsu.
When Wei Mingsu was at Luyuan Temple, he would write scriptures during the day and read by lamplight at night. After finishing his scriptures, he would read books. He was too poor to have a collection of books, so every few days he would carry his books to the home of Master Xiao to borrow books from his teacher, copy them, and then quickly return them.
When no one hired him to copy scriptures, he would do some menial work for the monks of Deer Park Temple to pay for his lodging and meals at the temple.
Lu Huaying couldn't help but wonder how a poor boy like Wei Mingsu could become a disciple of Chief Instructor Xiao.
Wang Yu's maid knew Wei Mingsu's background.
Two years ago, Xiao Jijiu's mother passed away. Jijiu returned to his hometown for the funeral and brought his wife and children to Chang'an.
While the Xiao family was traveling by boat in Yangzhou, Xiao Jijiu's youngest son fell seriously ill due to the change in environment. The Xiao family stayed in Yangzhou for a few days. Madam Xiao was a Buddhist, and the family often went to the temple to burn incense. During the Ullambana Festival, Madam Xiao asked the monks at the temple to perform a Buddhist ceremony for her mother-in-law. The Buddhist scriptures used in the ceremony were written by Wei Mingsu.
When Xiao Jijiu saw the Buddhist scriptures, he praised them highly and asked the monks which famous master the scribe was a disciple of.
The monk said that the scribe was a student from out of town who grew up in a small temple and only attended school in the temple's school. He had never studied under any famous teacher.
Xiao Jijiu was extremely surprised.
After the youngest son recovered from his illness, the Xiao family left Yangzhou. Wei Mingsu was also going to Chang'an, and the monk asked Xiao Jijiu to take him with him, saying that he had suffered since childhood, was very strong, could do any kind of work, and was reliable. He could help with the work on the boat and even write scriptures for Madam Xiao.
Mrs. Xiao greatly admired Wei Mingsu's calligraphy and kept him on the team.
After the Xiao family arrived in Chang'an, Wei Mingsu became Xiao Jijiu's student.
Most of Xiao Jijiu's students were sons of officials, while Wei Mingsu was so poor that he made a living by copying scriptures, and his classmates looked down on him.
The several young men in brocade robes who Lu Huaying saw mocking Wei Mingsu that day were also his classmates.
She was sleeping in the tree when she heard them standing under it discussing Wei Mingsu.
Wei Mingsu, from the lower class, had the audacious idea of studying like these young masters. The young masters rejected him and ridiculed him without restraint.
As they spoke, their words became increasingly sarcastic. Lu Huaying, perched on a tree branch, chuckled and said, "You all usually spout about loyalty to the country, filial piety, benevolence, and morality, yet you hide here mocking your classmates!"
The young men who were speaking were startled and their expressions changed.
Lu Huaying jumped down from the other end of the tree branch.
...
Like Madam Xiao, Wang Yu also admired Wei Mingsu's Buddhist scriptures. His handwriting was neat and beautiful, the paper was clean, and there were no mistakes. He was also very fast, so she hired him to write scriptures almost every time she went to worship Buddha.
Lu Huaying secretly slipped into the courtyard and stood behind Wei Mingsu to watch him write.
His handwriting is indeed meticulous and beautiful.
She stood there for a while, deliberately making some noise.
Wei Mingsu acted as if he hadn't seen anything and continued copying the scriptures.
A month has passed in the blink of an eye.
...
The weather gradually cooled down, and after a few rain showers, the mountain breeze carried a chill.
Autumn has arrived.
While Wangchuan was peaceful and serene, war broke out on the border thousands of miles away, and the Turks rebelled. Before leaving Chang'an, the Duke of Yan entrusted Lu Huaying to the care of his eldest son, Lu Yujin.
When Lu Yujin came to Wangchuan to visit his wife and sister, he heard Lu Huaying and Wang Yu talking about a sutra scribe. He frowned and said, "You are a young lady of the Lu family. How could you know such a strange man from a humble background?"
He turned to Wang Yu and instructed her, "Be careful in the future, and don't let that guy surnamed Wei see Fei Fei."
Wang Yu knew that her husband judged people by their social status and disdained associating with commoners, so she dared not defend Lu Huaying.
Lu Huaying glanced at the Buddha statue on the table and said, "Brother, although Wei Mingsu comes from a humble background, he is of upright character. The Buddhist community says that all beings are equal. Brother should not judge people based on their social status."
Lu Yujin sneered, "There is a distinction between superiors and inferiors, and a hierarchy of nobility and lowliness. Don't mention this kind of person again!"
&nbs
Lu Huaying snorted inwardly and gave up arguing with her brother.
She understood her brother, Lu Yujin. He was proud of being from one of the five prominent families and was somewhat arrogant. In the army, he looked down on subordinates of lower birth and preferred to promote those of higher birth.
When the Wang family heard that Lu Yujin had come to Wangchuan, they immediately sent several of their sons to deliver an invitation.
Lu Yujin met with the Wang family several times at Luyuan Temple and decided to get engaged to the Wang family, with Lu Huaying to be married off next year.
Lu Huaying wasn't too shocked when she heard the news.
She stopped Lu Yujin, who was returning to Chang'an, in front of the temple gate: "Brother, you're going to marry me off without even asking what I think?"
Lu Yujin frowned and said, "It's an arranged marriage. Before Father left, he entrusted you to me. Moreover, I am your elder brother, and an elder brother is like a father. I have arranged a good marriage for you. You can rest assured and wait for your wedding."
Lu Huaying watched her elder brother's figure disappear into the yellow dust raised on the road and gave a self-deprecating laugh.
The elder brother was unwilling to give her the opportunity to become Lu Silang, nor would he allow her to become a female Taoist priest; he only wanted to marry her off.
Raising a daughter is all for the purpose of getting her married.
She no longer had the strength to be angry; her heart was numb.
Wang Yu came out with her maid and persuaded Lu Huaying to go back to her room. Seeing Lu Huaying's ashen face, she sighed deeply.
She sat by the window for a while, then smiled and said, "Sister-in-law, I'm fine."
Wang Yu had dinner with Lu Huaying and persuaded her for a long time before leaving.
As night deepened, the lights in each courtyard were turned off, and the dormitories gradually quieted down.
A damp autumn breeze blew into the room through the open window, causing the curtains to flutter and the eaves to drizzle. The mountain wind blew, and the bells under the eaves jingled.
It's raining.
The small courtyard was shrouded in the gentle breeze and rain of early autumn.
Lu Huaying lay in bed, listening to the rustling wind and rain outside the window, her rationality slowly dissipated by the cold autumn wind.
She was grateful to her grandfather and father for raising her and wanted to repay the Lu family for their comfortable life. She worked hard for her ambitions regardless of the weather, but her father and elder brother ignored her.
They broke her wings, ruined her, and still wanted to control her, decide her fate, dominate her joys and sorrows, and force her to willingly become a puppet. From then on, her joys and sorrows, her long life, would depend on her husband, and then on her son.
Cold, lonely, oppressive, dark.
A thought flashed through my mind.
Just then, a bolt of lightning struck the window, illuminating the room.
The thought gradually turned into a determination.
Lu Huaying got out of bed and calmly instructed the maids to make tea. She had a nightmare and wanted to take a walk in the courtyard.
The maid knew that she had quarreled with Lu Yujin today and was in a bad mood, so she didn't dare to ask any more questions and went out to brew tea.
After everyone in the courtyard had left, Lu Huaying walked out of the house, her hair loose and barefoot, and quietly went down the corridor.
After leaving the courtyard, she walked faster and faster, lifting her bright red pomegranate skirt and jogging.
The night rain fell in countless strands, like a layer of mist, wetting her hair and her clothes.
She ran through the temple's passageway, wading barefoot through puddles, her body freezing and shivering, but she didn't stop.
Her father and brother both loved her, yet they were so arrogant and unreasonable. They refused to respect her or understand her, as if she were just a puppet, unworthy of having ambition or desire.
Her life is her own.
Even if there is no hope, it is still hers.
Since they wouldn't give her any other choice, she had no choice but to fight to the death to reclaim her own option.
A cluster of light suddenly appeared in the gloomy, rainy night. It swayed and flickered, appearing and disappearing through the rain. Although faint, it seemed warm and gentle in the damp rainy night.
Lu Huaying made up her mind, rushed up the corridor, and knocked on the door with her pale hand.
A calm silence came from inside the door.
The sound of footsteps.
Wei Mingsu opened the door, holding a half-rolled Buddhist scripture with the ink still wet in his hand. He had been writing the scripture all day and looked tired.
Lu Huaying's green shirt and pomegranate skirt were soaked through, and her undershirt was also damp with rainwater, revealing her fair skin beneath the wet patches.
Flawless skin.
Wei Mingsu paused, then silently looked at Lu Huaying, his pupils dark.
Lu Huaying went straight into the house and slammed the door shut behind her.
The lamplight flickered gently, and the damp air carried a faint fragrance.
Wei Mingsu took a step back.
The door closed, shutting out the sounds of rain and wind from outside, while a dim light shone down on the two of them.
There were only the two of them.
Lu Huaying looked up at Wei Mingsu, walked over, and ran all the way, panting softly. The room was quiet, water droplets fell from her hair, cheeks, and skirt, dripping, and there was the sound of her heartbeat.
She suddenly raised her hand and untied her sash.
"Wei Mingsu, if you're a man, then take me tonight."
Her shoulders were rounded and her breasts were full and undulating. Her skin, which was freshly snowed, was tinged with a peach color, making her look delicate and charming.
The warmth, fragrance, and softness of the jade all caught the eye of the young man.
With a snap, the ink-stained Buddhist scripture slipped from Wei Mingsu's fingers and fell to the ground.
Without saying a word, he turned around and walked towards the only bed in the room.
Lu Huaying's face burned as if on fire, but her heart was ice-cold. She followed behind him and walked toward the bed that looked neat and clean.
Wei Mingsu stopped by the bed and bent down to open the bedding.
Lu Huaying gritted her teeth, stepped forward, sat down, and prepared to lie down.
Suddenly everything went black, and then I felt a warmth all over my body.
Wei Mingsu picked up the quilt from the bed and covered Lu Huaying's naked body with it.
She looked up in disbelief.
Wei Mingsu lowered his eyes, turned and walked away, picked up the Buddhist scripture that had just fallen from his hand, put it on the table, opened the book, found a clean cloth, walked back to the bedside, and placed the cloth next to Lu Huaying.
"Wipe it off."
He spoke softly, walked to the desk, turned his back to Lu Huaying, and picked up a bamboo stick to adjust the lamp wick.
The lights were brighter, and a faint, warm light filled the room.
Lu Huaying stopped trembling.
Wei Mingsu's blankets were placed over her naked body, and her icy body slowly warmed up.
She picked up the cloth to dry her hair, almost forgetting why she had come to find Wei Mingsu in the rain.
Wei Mingsu walked towards the door.
Lu Huaying snapped out of her daze and glanced out the window.
Is he going to sit outside all night again?
It's autumn, and it's raining.
"Don't go out," Lu Huaying said casually. "I'm leaving."
She stood up, her bare feet touching the ground, and she shivered slightly from the cold.
Wei Mingsu had his back to her.
Lightning flashed, thunder rumbled, and the rain poured down harder, the night rain seeping in through the cracks in the door.
The young woman behind him put down the quilt, pulled up her shirt, and walked past him barefoot, her wet hair still damp and her face pale.
Her feet had cuts from stones.
Wei Mingsu asked, "Where are you going, young lady?"
Lu Huaying opened the door, turned around to look at him, her eyes were lifeless, and her expression was blank.
Once she goes out, who knows where she'll go.
Wei Mingsu raised his hand and closed the door that Lu Huaying had opened.
Go back to bed.
Without thinking, Lu Huaying turned around, walked back to the bedside, and sat down again.
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