4 Yuzhen Temple
◎This guy is really a playboy!◎
Young Master Li San walked out of the Taoist temple and down the stone steps, followed closely by a beautiful female Taoist priest in a goose yellow Taoist robe.
The female Taoist priest has an oval face, small eyes, and slightly upturned eyes. Paired with a wide-sleeved Taoist robe, she looks ethereal and charming.
The two stopped in front of Li's carriage, standing side by side facing each other, smiling sweetly.
There was a wide stone road between the Taoist temple and the medicine shop. Chu Yufu couldn't hear what they were saying. She could only see that Mr. Li San was talking when he suddenly raised his hand to pick up a strand of hair on the side of the female Taoist's face, leaned in and sniffed it, and then helped her tuck it behind her ear with a smile.
After a moment of tenderness, he turned around and got on the carriage and left. The female Taoist priest leaned on the blue-gray stone lion beside the stone steps, watched him go away, and then turned back to the Taoist temple.
Lan Zhu, who had witnessed the entire incident, raised her eyebrows, clenched the medicine bottle in her hand, and angrily said, "Miss, you guessed right, this guy is really a playboy! How dare he do this in public!"
When she was at the Li family before, she still held out a glimmer of hope, thinking that perhaps the girl was thinking too much. But now that she saw with her own eyes that Mr. Li San and the female Taoist priest were having an affair, she completely believed what the girl said.
Chu Yufu patted Lan Zhu's arm, signaling her to calm down, then adjusted her veil and walked across the street.
Jinma Street is one of the most lively places in Shangjing City. There are many stalls on both sides of the road. She walked to a stall selling fragrant drinks next to Yuzhen Temple, sat down, and ordered a bowl of Jinli Drink.
When the stall owner brought the drink, he coughed lightly and said with a smile, "Uncle, have you been doing business here? I didn't know there were female nuns in our Yuzhen Temple."
Chu Yufu knows best how to get closer to others, so "our Yuzhen Temple" naturally sounds more intimate than "Yuzhen Temple".
It was getting dark now and there were not many people at the stall. When the stall owner heard that it was a sweet-voiced and polite girl who was talking to him, he simply leaned against the stove with his hands in his pockets and started chatting happily.
"Miss, you don't come here often, do you? My drink stall has been open for over four years next to the Yuzhen Temple, day and night."
"As for the nuns, they are nothing new. Besides our Yuzhen Temple, the Xuanmiao Palace in the southern suburbs also has them."
When Lanzhu was six years old, her family was poor and she was sold to a human trafficker by her parents. Because of her good looks, she was brought to Beijing and sold to the Chu Mansion to live with Aunt Wan. Apart from daily shopping, she rarely left the house. She knew nothing about these things and was very curious, so she asked about them.
"What kind of women would enter Taoism?"
The stall owner smacked his lips and pondered for a moment. "There are those who have suffered misfortune, those who are bedridden and praying for a longer life, and concubines who have been sent away from wealthy families. There are all of them!"
Chu Yufu took two sips of her pear soup and continued, "Uncle, I just saw a woman in a yellow robe standing at the door. She looked quite impressive and spiritual. Do you recognize her?"
"Why don't you recognize her? She's Princess Wang Xuanjing. I heard she was originally the wife of an official, but later divorced her husband and came to Yuzhen Temple."
Speaking of the princess's crown, the stall owner changed his posture and smiled mischievously.
"This nun is not only spiritual but also talented. Young masters often come to discuss poetry and philosophy with her. Look, did you see her just now? She came out to see someone off."
"Oh? Princess Wang has a lot of guests?" Chu Yufu raised her eyebrows slightly.
This question stunned the stall owner. After a long pause, he replied, "That should be the case. But recently, I only saw the princess escort the young man out of the Taoist temple."
Chu Yufu put down the soup bowl, stood up and spoke softly.
"Well, I'd like to discuss poetry with Princess Wang. Uncle, could you please keep an eye on the day that young master comes so I can avoid him."
Lan Zhu duly took out a small piece of silver from her purse and stuffed it into the stall owner's hand: "Uncle, thank you for your help."
-
Leaving the drink stall, the two slowly walked towards the Chu family's house. Lan Zhu was a little excited and kept saying, "Miss, this is good, you don't have to get married! We have evidence now, we can go back to the mansion and report it to the master!"
Chu Yufu laughed: "What kind of evidence is this just us seeing it? Besides, it's not uncommon for rich young men to be promiscuous before marriage. If they were favored and had someone to back them up, there would be something to talk about, but I, your lady, have no one to back me."
Seeing Lan Zhu visibly wilting, Chu Yufu nudged her lightly with her elbow, a smile appearing on her porcelain-white face.
"There's no need to be overly depressed. It's better to know the news than not to know it. It will always come in handy."
The two of them walked for half an hour and just arrived at the gate of Chu Mansion when a few drops of rain fell from the sky. They hurriedly picked up their skirts and ran to their own yard in small steps.
The Zhuyu Courtyard where Chu Yufu lived was located in the northwest corner of the Chu family's house. It only had one main house, an ear room connected to the main house, and two small side rooms.
After the sun went down, the room became dark and cold everywhere. It was not until Lanzhu lit a candle and dug out some leftover red charcoal from last year from the warehouse and set up a charcoal basin in the bedroom that the chill was dispelled.
The candlelight flickered as the young girl sat before a brass mirror, removing her hair ornaments one by one and placing them on her dressing table. It was truly difficult for her thin neck to carry all that hair on her head after a day of hard work.
Lan Zhu put the medicine away and hung up her cloak. She blew on her fingertips and went over to help her loosen her hair. "Miss, it's really cold this year. It's only September and you're already burning charcoal. I wonder what winter will be like."
Chu Yufu replied, "Yes, today I noticed that many of the chrysanthemums in Li's garden have wilted. If I had waited a few days, I probably wouldn't have been able to see them."
When the room got warmer, she opened her clothes to expose her shoulders, and saw a small purple-red bruise on the right side of her white shoulder. Lan Zhu felt distressed and took out the medicated oil to rub it on her carefully.
Chu Yufu studied Traditional Chinese Medicine in her previous life and had pretty good grades. Unfortunately, she didn't have the conditions to continue her studies after graduating from university, so she got a job in a community hospital.
The smell of the medicinal oil was a bit pungent. After a careful sniff, she could tell that it contained Chuanxiong, Curcuma, and Safflower, all of which were herbs that could promote blood circulation and remove blood stasis.
Thinking of this, she tugged at her clothes and asked, "Lanzhu, where are the two unfinished sachets in my room?"
"It's with me." Lan Zhu replied while applying the medicine.
The second girl's grandfather was once a famous doctor in another place. Later, he fell into poverty and had no choice but to marry his only daughter to the Chu family as a concubine. Aunt Wan knew some medical skills, and the second girl learned a little from her and was particularly interested in making incense.
A while ago, she learned that her stepmother was choosing a husband for her. She was so happy that she stayed up all night embroidering sachets to show her filial piety to her stepmother, and that's when she caught a cold.
After applying the medicine and letting it dry for a while, Chu Yufu dressed neatly and said, "Then bring the sachet over later and we'll finish it."
In addition to Lanzhu, a second-class maid, there is also a third-class maid named Yinsuo serving in Zhuyuyuan.
Not long after Aunt Wan passed away, the maid who served her also died of a sudden illness. Yinsuo, who was only twelve years old, was taken away. She was as thin and small as a sprout.
After dinner, Chu Yufu called them both into the house and sat around the charcoal brazier, warming themselves by the fire while doing their work.
Lan Zhu used a grinding trough to crush the dry herbs separately, then she ground them into fine powder with a mortar. Finally, she mixed it according to the incense recipe, put it into a fine cotton bag sewn with a silver rope, and put it into the sachet.
Outside the courtyard, two consecutive clapper sounds were heard, indicating that the hour of Hai had arrived.
All the sachets were finished and they put everything away. Lanzhu took out the clothes the girl would wear tomorrow and spread them on the screen. Yinsuo went to the side room to boil water for the hot water bottle.
As night fell, the rain stopped. The wind whistled, and the branches outside the window rustled non-stop. Chu Yufu, relying on the original owner's memory, dug out another hot water bottle from the wooden box in the corner and placed it on the table with the previous two. She said to Yinsuo, "Fill these three with hot water."
"Yes." Yinsuo nodded, held up the copper pot with both hands, and carefully poured hot water into it through the unscrewed spout.
After helping the girl wash and brush her teeth and making the bed, the two maids were about to close the door and leave when they were stopped.
"etc."
Chu Yufu held a hot water bottle in each hand, walked over and stuffed it into the two people's arms, pursed her lips and smiled: "The weather is very cold, and the quilt is icy cold. My hands and feet can't even warm up when I sleep in it. Take it home and warm it up. Be careful not to burn yourself."
The warm candlelight shone on her profile, and her eyes looked particularly gentle.
Lanzhu was a year younger than her, having just turned fifteen. In modern times, she'd be just a middle school student, yet she was busy running around like a little adult. Yinsuo, meanwhile, was twelve, barely graduating from elementary school, and had done everything from hand to hand, leaving his hands rough and red.
Apart from the small monthly allowance, the maids' bulk of income still depended on rewards from their masters. However, Miss Chu II was not favored and was not well off, which affected the two little maids as well. They had to wear clothes that were worn out by washing.
Chu Yufu herself had a hard life when she was a child. She still remembers that one winter was particularly cold and her aunt did not pay the heating bill. She covered herself with a thin quilt and shivered with cold, unable to sleep all night.
"This, this is the master's thing, how can we use it!" Lanzhu was lucky enough to take it after a moment of hesitation. Yinsuo waved his hands in panic and refused in a low voice.
Chu Yufu took Yinsuo's hand and asked her to hold it firmly, and said softly: "They are all old things. There is no use in leaving them idle. Just don't lose them." After that, she pushed the two of them out of the house.
The autumn wind howled outside, and the hot water bottle in the little girl's arms radiated warmth. The two of them walked a few steps in silence. Yinsuo's eyes reddened as he whispered, "It's really warm."
Then he added: "The girl is really nice today."
Lan Zhu smiled and wiped her eyes with her sleeve: "What you said, did the girl have bad behavior before?"
"That's not what I meant. I just feel that the girls these past two days are particularly good!" Yinsuo said hesitantly.
Lanzhu was a personal maid, usually staying in the side room of the Bamboo Jade Courtyard so she could serve her master. Yinsuo was merely a servant, obligated to sleep on the large bunk bed in the back room. On the way back, Yinsuo clutched the hot water bottle tightly in her arms like a treasure, unable to resist a smile.
When everyone left, the dormitory was silent, with only the faint crackling of the candlelight remaining.
Chu Yufu turned her stiff neck, sat back at the table, poured herself a cup of hot tea, supported her face with one hand, and slowly enjoyed the bitter fragrance of the crushed green tea leaves.
On the table, there was a sachet filled with medicinal powder, with a rope wrapped around it to form a ring. It was round and plump and very cute. She picked one up with one hand and held it in front of her eyes, shaking it gently. The tassels swayed and a faint fragrance floated in the air.
The color of the sachet is light green, similar to the clothes of Mr. Li San.
Back to Mr. Li San...
Chu Yufu raised her little finger and tapped the teacup lightly.
Having an affair with a divorced nun during the marriage negotiation is indeed a shameful thing. If you make a big fuss by insisting that the other party's character is not trustworthy, you may be able to cancel the engagement.
However, she must first find support in the Chu family, someone who is willing to stand on her side and whose words carry weight.
【Author’s words】
See you tomorrow at nine o'clock!
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