After leaving the Zen temple of Chenlifu, there is a path. Standing on the path, you can see the scenery of the back mountain in the distance. Following this path, you can reach the back mountain.
Xu Zhi and Shen Mingwan followed the path all the way to the back of the Great Buddha Temple before they realized they had reached the top of the mountain. There was a pavilion on the top of the mountain. Sitting in the pavilion, they could see that the shady side of the mountain was full of trees and shrubs. Since it was early winter, the trees and shrubs had lost all their leaves and looked somewhat desolate.
This mountain is not very high, but the nearby mountains are quite steep. Xu Zhi could see some buildings on the nearby mountains in the distance. These were the villas of some people from the capital. Some of the mountains had hot springs, and people would buy these places and build houses on them.
After standing in the pavilion for a while, Granny Lin noticed that it was getting late and said to the two girls, "Miss, it's getting late. We should go back. I've already given orders to have the people on the estate prepare rooms and lunch."
The two then followed Granny Lin down the mountain.
The mountain path was quite steep in some places. She didn't feel it when going uphill, but her legs were a little sore when going downhill. Xu Zhi felt that her back was sweaty. When Hong Gu saw that Xu Zhi's forehead was sweaty, she wanted to carry her for a while, but Xu Zhi refused and insisted on walking by herself.
Before they even reached the back gate of the Great Buddha Temple, they saw two young masters leading several servants carrying food boxes, walking along the mountain path towards the back of the mountain. There was no time to avoid them.
Because the weather was rather cold and there weren't many people offering incense at the temple, Xu Zhi and Shen Mingwan hadn't brought any curtains with them. Now that they had bumped into a strange man, they should at least try to avoid him.
In a moment of quick thinking, Granny Lin instructed Xu Zhi and Shen Mingwan to cover their mouths and noses with handkerchiefs, then stand with their backs to the path by the roadside, with their attendants standing to one side.
The two young men approached the two women, and one of them said with a smile, "Ladies, we were truly unaware of what was happening here. We apologize for any inconvenience caused."
Granny Lin bowed to the two young masters and said, "Please, gentlemen."
Not wanting to cause any more trouble, Xu Zhi stole a glance. One looked to be about seventeen or eighteen years old, tall and elegant, wearing a jade crown on his head. The other was in his twenties, looking gentle and refined. She didn't recognize which family's young masters these two belonged to.
The one who spoke was a young woman in her twenties. Seeing that Granny Lin was standing next to the two young ladies, she smiled, nodded, and walked forward.
Xu Zhi, however, after walking a long way, looked back at the two people who had reached the pavilion at the top of the mountain, whispered a few words to Hong Gu, who nodded and went to make arrangements.
Shen Mingwan didn't do anything. She took Xu Zhi to her family's estate. Lunch was already prepared. After eating, the two of them were lying on the kang (a heated brick bed) leaning against each other when they heard Hong Gu come over and say to Xu Zhi, "Ninth Miss, your uncle's village is nearby. When your uncle's men saw us, your cousin came over to greet you."
Upon hearing this, Xu Zhi exclaimed with delight, "Is this my cousin Yu Yuan? Sister Ming Wan, I need to borrow your space for a moment, as I need to meet and talk to my cousin."
Upon hearing this, Shen Mingwan said reproachfully, "What kind of talk is this? Isn't your cousin my cousin too? Since your maternal uncle lives nearby, I should accompany you to pay my respects to him."
Bai Ying had already helped Xu Zhi get dressed, and over there, Granny Lin and others had also helped Shen Mingwan get dressed. Shen Mingwan looked at the somewhat gloomy sky outside and said to Xu Zhi, "The other rooms haven't been occupied for quite some time. Why don't you ask my cousin to come over here?"
Seeing Xu Zhi nod, Hong Gu quickly went to the front to invite Chen Yuyuan over.
Chen Yuyuan has grown much taller. Xu Zhi held his hand and said with a smile, "This is Sister Mingwan from the Shen family in Yuezhou. Cousin, you can just call her Sister Mingwan with me."
Chen Yuyuan blushed and respectfully called out "Sister Mingwan," which made Shen Mingwan a little embarrassed. She said, "Since it's the first time I'm meeting my cousin, I should give him a gift. Granny Lin, prepare some of the writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones we brought from Yuezhou for my young master, and also pack the gold and silver ingots for those who passed the imperial examinations in purses."
Xu Zhi smiled and stopped her, saying, "Sister Mingwan, we're not strangers, there's no need to be so polite."
Shen Mingwan was thinking of her younger brother. It had been almost a year since the accident, and they couldn't see each other easily. Shen Mingwan felt sad when she thought about it. When she saw Chen Yuyuan, she naturally wanted to give him the best of everything.
After Shen Mingwan gave the instructions, Granny Lin brought over some things from the next room. Seeing Shen Mingwan's firm attitude, Xu Zhi decided to let Chen Yuyuan accept them. After Chen Yuyuan thanked Shen Mingwan, Xu Zhi then took Chen Yuyuan's hand and sat down.
Xu Zhi noticed that Chen Yuyuan's face was red from the cold and his hands were icy. She asked him, "Did you come on horseback? How many people did you bring with you?"
Chen Yuyuan said, "Cousin, I brought two people with me. All three of us are on horseback. Uncle's estate is nearby, only a few miles away. The servants from our family went to the capital to buy supplies and saw our carriage at Dafosi Temple. That's when they found out that you were here, cousin. I haven't seen you in a long time, so I came to talk to you."
Xu Zhi said, "Your uncle has been living on the estate with you. I've been back to the capital a few times, but I haven't seen him. How has he been lately?"
Chen Yuyuan said with a smile, "Uncle is very kind. We built a greenhouse on the estate and planted a lot of vegetables. Some of them have already grown very tall. Uncle always says that the joy of rural life is something that ordinary people can't experience."
When Xu Zhi heard Chen Yuyuan say this, she sighed inwardly, but said aloud, "Yes, your uncle has been taking you here to farm since the beginning of spring. Brother Bai has come a few times and said that you farm well."
Chen Yuyuan nodded and said, "Abo has come a few times. He said he has been farming in Hexi for several years since he was a child, and there is no need for him to waste time with his uncle here. If he has free time, he might as well think about making some useful tools for his cousin."
After talking for a while, seeing that the weather was getting worse, Chen Yuyuan had to take his leave and go back. Xu Zhi quickly sent someone to see him off, making sure that Chen Yuyuan was taken to his uncle's estate.
Not long after the people who went to escort Chen Yuyuan returned, a light rain began to fall. It was probably at the foot of the mountain. Xu Zhi woke up in the middle of the night from the cold and saw that Granny Lin had already led people to light up the kang (heated brick bed) in each room. Before long, Xu Zhi felt warm under her body. She lay quietly on the kang, listening to the howling mountain wind mixed with the pattering rain outside, but she couldn't fall asleep no matter what.
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