"Oh, you wouldn't be thinking of doing what they do, would you?"
Fu Rong was stumped by her question. After a moment of awkwardness, he said weakly, "You should have seen the current situation when you came over, Madam. I can't do anything else. I happened to see this Buddha statue in the grotto that day and remembered the matter of praying to Buddha for rain. So I thought I would try to restore it. What if it works? Then I would solve the problem of drought in Fuxian County?"
That's quite a unique idea.
"Then why do you look like you don't want anyone to know?"
Although she felt this was unreliable, from Fu Rong's perspective, it was a well-intentioned act, so why would he do it so secretly?
Fu Rong told her directly, "Madam, you know the General dislikes these superstitious things the most. He thinks praying to gods and Buddhas is a foolish act, and it's better to rely on yourself. I'm just worried that the General will blame me if he finds out. You won't betray me, will you?"
To be honest, she really didn't have the time to betray him.
She even said, "Don't worry, you've done a good thing. Not only will I not betray you, but I will also help you."
"You believe in this?" Fu Rong stared at her strangely.
But Zheng Quchi bluntly said, "I don't believe it."
"..."
She doesn't even believe him, so why should she want to help him?
Runtu stood there, like another clay statue, silent, calmly staring at them, listening to the "conspiracy conversation" between the two.
"Although I don't believe it, I know that many people do. Although praying to Buddha for rain may not always succeed, the fact that this practice has been passed down means that it represents a kind of hope. It can temporarily comfort people's hearts and encourage everyone to persevere and not lose faith so quickly. In the end, even if it doesn't rain, their wishes may still be fulfilled."
After listening, Fu Rong stared at her in a daze.
Her words reflected his thoughts when he decided to restore the Buddha statue.
Surprisingly, despite her background and age, she was able to understand what he was thinking.
"What did you mean by Madam's last words? If even praying to Heaven can't bring rain, what can we do to make it rain?" Fu Rong asked.
"Actually, it rains every day, but the rainwater just doesn't reach our Fuxian County, so we can use the water to solve the problem."
Fu Rong quickly pressed, "Borrow water? How?"
"This matter needs further consideration, and I don't think I can handle it alone. I'll discuss it with your general when he returns."
Hearing her say this, Fu Rong seemed to have a plan in mind. He asked suspiciously, "Could it be that Madam also knows about water conservancy?"
Zheng Quchi didn't answer, but urged, "Hurry up and restore my face. There's another important thing right now: without money for the project, everything else is meaningless."
Fu Rong went to fetch the toolbox and tentatively asked, "You seem to be quite busy lately, Madam."
Fu Rong kept working on her face while chatting with her.
"I'm busy making money, aren't I?"
"Make money? You and Mu Gaoyi gathered that bunch of craftsmen together, hiding behind the curtain, just to make money?"
Were they not working on entries for the Jichun Craftsmen Association?
It seems that everyone knows exactly what she's doing.
Knowing what he was thinking, she replied, "It's all the same. As long as you are noticed by the Jichun Craftsmen Association, you will get money; if you fail, you won't get any money."
That makes sense, but...
"Madam, are you confident?"
Zheng Quchi thought about it seriously for a moment: "If I say it's not a big problem, will you think I'm being too modest?"
Fu Rong was taken aback for a moment, then laughed.
"Madam can even repair city walls, so I don't think you need to be so modest."
Who was being modest?
This is like wanting to boast about being invincible while worrying about being criticized and questioned by others.
Zheng Quchi felt the conversation should end there: "Fu Rong, hurry up, stop chatting, they're all waiting for me."
"Okay, I'll be quick, it'll be fixed in less than fifteen minutes."
Runtu had been like an invisible person, with little presence, but he had seen through their conversation from beginning to end.
He couldn't help but look at the general's wife with a completely new perspective.
Whether or not she ultimately succeeds, she certainly has the potential to be a general's wife.
Her thoughts and speech differed from those narrow-minded women who only focused on petty, selfish thoughts; she possessed a broad perspective.
Furthermore, her previous opinion of the general was truly surprising.
He could tell that the lady was distant and indifferent to the general, lacking the admiration and fawning that others had previously seen.
But she was also able to see things about the general from a different perspective than others. Perhaps that's what marriage is all about. Regardless of whether they were mutually in love, she and the general had a private connection and dependence that none of them had.
——
"Is it done? Does it look the same as before?"
Zheng Quchi stood up, tilting his face left and right, and told Fu Rong to look carefully.
"Don't worry, I remember what my face looks like after all the surgeries I've had, so I definitely won't do it wrong for you," Fu Rong assured him.
"Alright, I'll be going now. I'll paint the face of your Buddha statue for you."
Fu Rong asked in surprise, "You're going to draw it for me?"
"Yes, I've done this before. I know how to sculpt several kinds of Buddha statues. I'll draw them all for you. You can choose the one that suits you and sculpt it."
Fu Rong didn't know what to say: "Madam, do you really understand this? This isn't a face like an ordinary person's, it's a Buddha statue. Although I don't know much about it either, it seems there are certain rules to follow..."
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