Chapter 24 Leaving the Temple: I am currently in my residence, awaiting the arrival of the young Taoist master...
She occasionally makes slips of the tongue, which is something she can't avoid.
Fortunately, the term "long-distance relationship" is not difficult to explain.
“This long-distance relationship means that the two people often live in different places,” she explained. “For example, Xuan Ce’s army headquarters is north of Liangzhou, while Huaiyuan is south of Liangzhou. They are going in opposite directions. When he finishes his military duties and goes back, I stay here. That’s called a ‘long-distance relationship’.”
After listening to her explanation, Aunt Liu suddenly realized that this was not a problem: "This is what long-distance relationships are all about. Why don't you just go to the same place as him?"
Just as Yu Nie was about to speak, the sound of chopping wood in the courtyard gradually stopped. Afraid that the people in the courtyard would hear their discussions about him, she immediately fell silent and gave him a bright smile: "Young master, you are really efficient at your work. You have chopped all the wood in less than the time it takes to drink two cups of tea."
Zijing hadn't done rough work like chopping wood for many years, but he was still quite skilled at it. The muscle memory from over ten years ago was still there, and he was fast.
Aunt Liu then praised, "The young captain always helps me chop wood and carry water. Thank you for your hard work, captain. Come in and have some tea and rest."
“Okay.” Zi Jing did not refuse politely. He took off the coarse cloth wrapped around his palm, revealing a scar running from right to left on his broad and powerful hand.
The fact that such a deep scar was left shows that the injury must have been extremely serious.
Upon entering the kitchen, he found that Aunt Liu had already poured the tea. He straddled the bench with his long legs.
The tea was lukewarm, but he picked up the teacup on the table and drank it all in one gulp.
Aunt Liu returned to the chopping board, chopping the vegetables in her hands, and asked him, "What do you think of the tea in our temple, young captain? It may not taste as good as the official tea, but it should be just as good."
Zijing picked up the teapot, poured himself another half bowl, and replied with a smile, "Of course it's good. This tea has a sweet aftertaste, somewhat like Yuquan Longjing tea."
Aunt Liu laughed heartily: "The young captain's words sound so nice! Our own coarse mountain tea is just as good as the priceless Longjing tea."
"Aunt Liu laughed. It's just imperial tea, what's so incomparable about it?" he said calmly.
Aunt Liu smiled even more broadly as she listened to him speak: "Oh my, I love listening to the little captain talk."
Hearing his remarks, Yu Nie, who was washing vegetables nearby, was immediately filled with admiration for the person sitting at the table. With just a few words, he had effortlessly amused the man; he certainly had some skill. Most importantly, there was no trace of deliberate flattery on his face. It was as if comparing ordinary tea to imperial tea, sitting on the same mat, was nothing unusual, but rather an innate thing.
"Impressive, truly impressive!" she exclaimed to herself.
Zijing took a light sniff of the tea in the bowl, then asked, "What is this tea made of?"
“It’s made by steaming and frying tender jujube leaves,” Yu Nie replied.
"Jujube leaves?" He seemed surprised: "I never thought jujube leaves could be used to make tea."
"Young master, you don't know this, do you? This is what we call great wisdom among ordinary people. They can even stir-fry jujube leaves to make them smell like Longjing tea."
Most border areas are harsh and cold, but Huaiyuan is one of the few places that is not desolate. Mulberry and hemp grow in abundance, and the land is fertile for thousands of miles.
However, even delicate trees like tea trees struggle to survive in such environments.
Drinking tea daily is a long-standing custom in the Northwest region. Good tea is far beyond the reach of ordinary people. Not only can they not afford it, but even if they had some spare money, it wouldn't be available to them. They had to find other substitutes, and their tea-drinking habits were no exception.
After trying various leaves that can be used to make tea, tea made from jujube leaves still tastes the best.
Therefore, they usually brew tea cakes made from tender jujube leaves or morning tea made from wild Scutellaria baicalensis root.
The tea cakes in the temple were all made by Cui Miaochang and Aunt Liu. They were first steamed and then stir-fried until dry, and the taste was extremely good.
Even Rong Dajia, who was used to drinking Guzhu Zisun tea, loved it.
Therefore, every spring when the temple makes tea cakes, they send some to Rong's residence. This was the case a while ago.
Yu Nie poured the washed locust flowers into a bamboo sieve. After working at the table for half a day, her back ached. Now she finally had some free time and moved to the long table to sit down.
She stretched, rubbed the back of her neck, and noticed the scar on his palm.
Just as she was about to ask, before she could even open her mouth, Aunt Liu interrupted her: "When does the young captain plan to go to the government office?"
Zijing said, "After we finish this cup of tea, we will set off."
"No rush, no rush. Let's have lunch first. The county government isn't far from here, it's just a short walk." Hearing him say this, Aunt Liu didn't seem anxious at all. She looked at Yu Nie beside her and asked, "Don't you think so, Qiqi?"
"Just a few steps away?" She didn't understand Aunt Liu's intention at all, and forgot the question she was going to ask. She said, "Aunt Liu, you're exaggerating. Although seven miles isn't far, it will still take a while. They're busy interrogating that corrupt official He Renzhi. This is doing a good deed for Huaiyuan, so we have to do it as soon as possible."
For the first time in her life, Aunt Liu felt like she was talking to a brick wall. She quickly said, "There's no rush to do good deeds. The food will be ready soon. There's no reason to let our guests go out hungry. Besides, the young captain got up so early and helped chop wood for so long. He must be hungry by now."
Before Yu Nie could reply, she changed the subject and looked at Zi Jing: "Little Captain, listen to me, eat before you go, and rest for a while."
This left him with no choice at all.
But chopping wood was no different from stretching his muscles for him. He replied, "Thank you for your kindness, Aunt Liu. It's almost noon. Attendant Lu is waiting for me and Guard Xie at the government office to handle some important matters. We can't stay any longer. After drinking this bowl of tea, it's time for us to set off."
"My steamed locust flower rice tastes so sweet and delicious. It's not too late for the young captain to try it before he leaves. Even if you're in a hurry, it won't make a difference if you have a bowl of rice." Aunt Liu tried her best to persuade him to stay.
Seeing this, Yu Nie said, "Aunt Liu, matters concerning the country and the people are of great importance. Just let him go. It's not like it's happening today. He's just going to stay in the city. If you want him to try your cooking, you can do it another day."
Hearing this, Aunt Liu almost fainted, but she still didn't give up and kept giving her meaningful glances: "After you finish eating, you still have to return the things in that box to Rong Dajia's family. It'll be safer for the three of you to go together."
Yu Nie didn't receive the signal at all: "I can't leave immediately. There's still paint being boiled in the yard. I have to wait until this batch is finished."
"Isn't Ah Hui keeping an eye on things for you?"
"But my junior brother still needs to go to the mountains to pick more woad grass for me later, because we don't have enough at home."
She was completely unresponsive, and even after squeezing her eyes until they hurt, Aunt Liu could not get any results. She could only say to Zijing, "This is really... I was unlucky today. Next time, I will definitely let the young captain and Guard Xie try my cooking."
"I'll definitely do it next time."
Although Zijing didn't know what the two women were up to, he could tell that Aunt Liu's attempt to persuade him to stay had a deeper meaning.
He lightly tapped the rim of his teacup with his long fingers, a hint of amusement in his eyes. If he weren't still on duty today, he would have really wanted to stay and see how this drama unfolded; it would be nice to have some fun.
After finishing the last bowl of tea, he did not stay any longer and got up to say goodbye.
Out of courtesy, and considering they had at least met, Yu Nie, Lang Xi, and the others saw the two of them to the door.
This farewell is not a final goodbye; the group exchanged a few words of farewell.
Zi Jing, tall and straight, sat upright on his horse, holding a whip and bowing: "After today's farewell, let's not talk about the long journey or the Threefold Yangguan Pass. If you all have time, you are welcome to come to the government office for a chat. After today, the signboard of that government office will be replaced with the banner of my Xuan Ce Army." His tone was the undisguised arrogance of a young man.
Gazing at the man on horseback, Yu Nie suddenly felt a strange sensation. She always felt that his behavior and words were sometimes gentle and refined, and sometimes unruly and unrestrained, as if two completely different souls were coexisting in one body, which was quite strange.
The thought flashed through her mind like the sun's shadow, vanishing in an instant. She shook her head, dismissing it as mere overthinking and not taking it seriously.
Her smile was radiant: "Don't worry, young master, I'll come to see you with my junior sister and the others when I have time."
He smiled faintly, his gaze as bright as the sun: "Then I will wait in my residence for the arrival of the young Daoist master."
Having said that, he didn't linger any longer. He pulled on the reins, turned the horse around, and lashed out with the whip. The tall, black horse neighed and galloped away.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures had vanished into nothingness, reduced to mere black dots.
Yu Nie sighed, "My God, what breed is this horse? Isn't it running way too fast?"
Langxi replied, "This horse is named Daoli, a famous steed in the world, rare in number, and can travel up to ten thousand miles a day."
"Travel ten thousand miles a day? I thought a horse could travel at most a thousand miles a day. Isn't ten thousand miles a bit of an exaggeration?" Her mouth was agape.
Langxi turned to look at her and smiled gently, "There's no mistake. My younger brother, Xu Cai, passed the military examination two years ago and is now a general in the palace, in charge of patrolling the palace. When he was young, he loved to study things related to the military. We often studied them together back then, and I also learned a bit from what I saw and heard."
Upon hearing the word "admiration," Yu Nie smiled ambiguously: "Speaking of which, Junior Sister's birthday is approaching. Your family heard from a fortune teller that once you pass your nineteenth birthday in the temple, your great tribulation in life will be over, so they sent you to the temple. Now that the time limit is almost here, the marriage can naturally proceed."
"You and your brother Xu have long been engaged and are deeply in love. He is already twenty-three years old and has now passed the imperial examination and gone to the capital to serve as a compiler in the Secretariat, where he is responsible for compiling the national history. He has already earned his professional title. When do you two plan to get married?"
When Xu Jingyang was mentioned, Lang Xi blushed and lowered her eyes, saying softly, "He is in Jian'an, and I am in Huaiyuan, thousands of miles away. It is hard to say when we will meet again."
Yu Nie chuckled and said, "Why can't you say for sure? When you write to him next time, you might as well ask him clearly what day he plans to choose to marry you."
Upon hearing this, Langxi blushed even more and didn't dare to look at anyone: "You girl are becoming more and more outspoken. Don't talk nonsense anymore, or I'll punish you by making you copy scriptures."
"The incense in the main hall is almost gone, I need to go and change it, I have to go now." Before she finished speaking, Langxi lifted her gauze skirt and hurried into the temple, afraid that someone would pull her aside and chatter about Xu Jingyang.
Seeing Yu Nie's flustered back, I couldn't help but chuckle and sighed, "It's rare to see Junior Sister with such a girlish demeanor. I really envy Xu Jingyang for being able to marry such a beauty."
Taking advantage of her momentary lapse in attention, Aunt Liu lightly tapped her on the head and said, "Don't envy others. The early bird catches the worm. If you really envy Langxi and his wife's loving relationship, you'd better hurry up and make your own choice. If you want to choose a virtuous husband, that young man is just your type."
Yu Nie rubbed his head and replied, "Ouch, that hurts, Aunt Liu..."
"So you still feel pain? Did you even listen to what I was saying?"
“I’ve taken it all in… I’ve taken it all in with both ears. But marriage is too tiring, and besides, I have to consider the other person’s wishes when choosing someone. He’s young and handsome, and comes from a wealthy family. Maybe he’s already engaged.”
"How do you know all this without even asking?" Aunt Liu said, looking at her with a disappointed expression.
Yu Nie stopped talking, took her arm and walked towards the kitchen, her mind filled with thoughts of the fragrant locust flower rice.
As for choosing a husband, she didn't listen to a word of it.
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A note from the author: I was working overtime tonight, which took up some time.
Finally finished writing, hehe
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