Chapter 72 A Beauty Emerging from the Bath (Part 2, Happy Valentine's Day!)
"I hope I haven't disturbed the master's reception of distinguished guests."
"Your Excellency is too kind. You are an honored guest."
After walking through a quiet path paved with white flagstones in the woods, and then along the corridor for twenty or thirty steps, you will see the abbot's room, which is used to receive distinguished guests of the temple. The environment is elegant and Zen-like.
A young novice monk with a shiny bald head led the way, bringing Ouyang Rong to this place.
The former had beautiful hair that hadn't been seen for many days, and his appearance was still the same as before, simple and honest.
Ouyang Rong had just entered the temple when he first went to Liu Ashan's house to visit Aqing and Liu's mother before coming to see Master Shandao.
The two chatted and laughed all the way down the corridor.
Xiufa was quite outgoing. She was at an age where she loved to play, but she hadn't been down the mountain for a long time. So she took the opportunity to ask Ouyang Rong all sorts of questions, mainly about interesting things related to the Dragon Boat Festival.
Ouyang Rong casually answered the question, but he had actually forgotten which dragon boat team would win in the end, as the little monk had asked. On the last day, he had only gone up to the platform to present an award, went through the formalities, and then went back to work.
Upon arriving at the door of the hosting room, I could vaguely hear conversations coming from inside.
Besides Master Shandao's familiar voice, there was also a strange woman's voice, clear and melodious, somewhat like a mature woman's voice.
Ouyang Rong and Xiu Fa stopped together, looked at each other, left the corridor, and walked to a stone table and stool in the flower garden to wait.
In response, Xiufa apologized on behalf of her teacher, and Ouyang Rong shook his head without being harsh.
His gaze fell on the white wall outside the host's room, where a folded vermilion oil-paper umbrella leaned against the wall.
A short while later, the conversation inside the room stopped, the door opened, and Master Shandao respectfully escorted out a young woman in a peach-colored dress and veil.
The young woman was followed by a cute little maid with a round face.
After the maid left, she didn't forget to pick up the red umbrella leaning against the wall and chased after the lady with the umbrella in her arms.
Master Shandao seemed to catch a glimpse of Ouyang Rong and his companion waiting in the flowerbed in the distance. Without lingering to see them off, he paused gracefully, clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect.
"Don't worry, Your Excellency. If there is any further news, I will send a monk to your residence to inform you immediately."
"Then I'll have to trouble you, Master. This matter... is very important to me."
The woman in the peach-colored dress nodded slightly, returning the greeting with a single, slender palm raised. Her tone seemed somewhat disappointed, but she didn't waste any more words and nimbly left with her chubby-faced maid.
A spring breeze from the treetops swept through the long corridor, lifting the white veils of the veiled ladies. Ouyang Rong could only see a pointed chin and a touch of vermilion lips, the former resembling a newly peeled bamboo shoot.
Master Shandao watched the distinguished guest depart, then turned back, his face apologetic.
"Your Excellency, I apologize for keeping you waiting."
"It's alright, Master seems quite busy."
"Alas, I am destined to be a busy man. I don't know who spread my name, but too many tourists and devout men and women come to visit every day. As a monk, I cannot put on airs, so I have to do everything myself."
The old monk in black robes, with his flowing white beard and otherworldly appearance, sighed:
"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by the county magistrate. In fact, most of the benefactors who come to visit... are things that even I, the old monk, cannot understand. But the Buddha's teachings are boundless and compassionate. My ignorance does not mean that the Buddha is ignorant. I will guide these people with affinity to seek the Way in the boundless Buddha's teachings."
So you're lying, right?
Ouyang Rong inwardly complained, but outwardly appeared to completely agree:
"It's all the same, the county government is full of trivial cases every day. For example, the wife of the wealthy Wang family next door is not pregnant for a long time and she comes to me in private to complain, saying that I must investigate this matter carefully..."
He looked indignant: "Tell me, how am I supposed to make decisions for her in this kind of situation?"
Master Shandao pondered for a moment and offered the following friendly suggestion:
"If you report the case again another day, the magistrate can recommend this Madam Wang to come to our Donglin Temple to pray for a child. Our temple's Guanyin Bodhisattva who grants children is highly regarded in Jiangzhou."
Ouyang Rong waved his hand:
"No need. Later I heard from my subordinates that Master Wang died of illness while traveling for business last year. Tell me, what kind of pregnancy could a widow like her have? Isn't this just making a false report to amuse me? I had Liu Lang drag her away, give her a symbolic ten lashes, and send her off."
He sighed, "There are troublemakers among the masses too."
"..." Master Shandao and Xiufa were both stunned. They looked at the handsome young magistrate's melancholy and sarcastic face and hesitated to speak.
Your Honor, are you sure this isn't... a miscarriage of justice?
The master and disciple were speechless for a moment.
The young magistrate shook his head, saying no more, and turned to ask with some curiosity:
"By the way, did that young lady come to see the master just for some trivial matter?"
Seemingly feeling that it wasn't anything particularly private or difficult to discuss, Master Shandao pondered:
"This old monk is not quite sure either, and is also completely baffled. This female bodhisattva came to ask for a piece of ancient poetry, and she doesn't know where she heard about it from."
"It is said that when Tao Yuanming served as the county magistrate for eighty-one days, he left behind a reclusive poem when he resigned, and even gave it to the abbot of Donglin Temple at the time... This female bodhisattva was looking for this ancient poem and asked if our Donglin Temple had a unique copy."
Ouyang Rong casually said, "Searching for ancient texts, huh? This girl is quite interesting. Does your Donglin Temple have any poems or essays that haven't been preserved?"
Master Shandao smiled wryly:
"Your Excellency, this happened hundreds of years ago. Besides, it's just a piece of poetry. Although Donglin Temple is an ancient temple, it's not the imperial treasury. Moreover, with so many dynastic changes in between, how could there be any detailed records..."
The old monk paused, as if he had thought of something, and said:
"However, Tao Yuanming is a local celebrity. In any case, if he really gave us some poems, the abbots of successive generations should have kept them carefully. I once heard my master say that the temple used to have a library that was specifically for storing the rare manuscripts of famous people who had connections with our temple."
Ouyang Rong laughed and said, "Then why don't we just go and look for her? We might just earn another sum of money as a token of gratitude from the female benefactor."
Master Shandao sighed and shook his head: "Naturally, it cannot be found, so I had no choice but to see you off." He then asked: "Does the magistrate remember the lotus pagoda that I mentioned before?"
Ouyang Rong was slightly taken aback: "I vaguely remember... wait, isn't this the predecessor of your temple's old merit pagoda?"
"That's right. It was originally built with the support of the Southern Dynasty's Buddhist royal family. The library that housed the rare manuscripts of famous people and scholars was located in this pagoda. Unfortunately, it was all burned to ashes in a fire, as was the Merit Pagoda that was rebuilt later."
Master Shandao looked regretful: "Alas, this female bodhisattva is very generous. It's a pity. The reclusive poem she was looking for should be among them."
The abbot of Donglin Temple was quite tactful; he kept the conversation casual without mentioning the female bodhisattva's specific name.
Ouyang Rong didn't ask any more questions. In fact, he lost interest after hearing only half of it. It was just small talk before getting down to business.
In addition, the demeanor of the peach-skirted woman whose true face he had just met had indeed left a deep impression on him, so he was naturally a little curious as to why this calm and composed figure had left in disappointment.
"Oh, that's a real shame."
"I will have Xiufa and the others go look again."
Ouyang Rong nodded, not interested in asking any more questions. He was welcomed into the abbot's room by Master Shandao, and after entering, he sat down by the window.
The young monk, who had been following the two curiously and eavesdropping, was now preparing to leave after serving tea and water. Just before leaving, he seemed to remember something and turned back to ask:
"By the way, Master, do you know the name of the ancient poem that the female benefactor... the female bodhisattva is looking for? I'll go ask the brothers in the scripture pavilion to look it up."
The young novice quickly changed his address, mimicking his master's. He had previously asked his master privately why some female worshippers were called "female benefactor" while others were called "female bodhisattva."
At that moment, the master said with a profound expression that when he understood the mystery, he could receive worshippers in his place. Xiu Shi straightened up, suddenly realizing that this contained unfathomable Buddhist principles; only by comprehending them could one become an enlightened monk like the master…
Inside the room, Master Shandao smiled and glanced at his eager-to-learn and self-correcting disciple, then casually replied:
"This poem seems to be called... 'Returning Home'."
"Hmm, that name is a bit strange... Okay, Master." Xiufa muttered, nodded, and withdrew.
Master Shandao watched the beautiful-haired man leave, preparing to continue his lighthearted conversation with someone, but as soon as he turned around, the old monk's face froze:
"Hey, Magistrate, what happened? How did you get tea spilled on yourself?"
"No...it's nothing. This tea is so delicious. My hands were shaking a little."
Ouyang Rong put down his teacup, covered his mouth and coughed, his eyes involuntarily glancing towards the direction where a woman in a peach-colored dress had already left.
His hands were definitely shaking.
It wasn't that the tea was good, but rather after hearing about the five-character name given to it...
The dead Chinese textbook began to attack him.
No, why would I still be able to recite it?
...
Luming Street, Su Mansion.
Early morning, in a secluded courtyard.
The tranquility was broken as a group of maids bustled in and out.
Behind a floral and bird-patterned screen in the west wing, wisps of mist slowly rose and filled the room.
Soap, hot water buckets, clean towels, thin silk clothes, and other items were also brought in and out by the nimble maids.
A young woman was taking a bath in the early morning.
Outside the courtyard gate, a chubby-faced maid wearing a pale yellow dress walked in carrying a full wooden tray.
The plate was filled with bottles and jars, including mugwort, plasters, hot soup, and pills.
Cai Shou carried the plate, walked through the alley between the two boudoirs, entered the courtyard, passed by a series of busy maids, and pushed open the door to enter the steamy west wing.
"Thank you, young lady. Madam asked me to apply the medicine for you."
The chubby-faced maid said crisply, but after a while, the woman behind the screen did not reply.
Cai Shou put down the medicine tray, tiptoed closer, and peeked out from behind the flower and bird screen.
I don't know if it was the spring light behind the screen or the steam from the bathtub that made me feel warm.
The little maid's chubby face immediately flushed red.
Behind the screen, a snow-white figure had not yet fully entered the water.
Several blushing maids, whose eyes occasionally wandered, were carefully wiping themselves with hot, damp towels.
Because the wounds on the young lady's back have not fully healed, she cannot take a bath. However, she has been recuperating for many days, so her body must feel sticky and uncomfortable. In addition, the low-grade fever she had a few nights ago has subsided, and she was able to get out of bed this morning.
So the maids who were taking care of her in the courtyard boiled hot water, gave her a simple cleaning, and applied medicine.
Seeing that the elegant and beautiful Xie family lady behind the screen didn't respond, Caishou wasn't annoyed. As if it were a habit, she turned around and went to fetch the medicine tray.
Xie Lingjiang looked slightly weak, her head lowered and her eyes downcast. Her long, black hair fell straight down like black silk, and her two round, fair shoulders emerged from her damp black hair like bright white jade plates peeking out from the dark night sky, making her look even more endearing.
Especially considering her slightly dazed gaze as she stared at the floor, and the shocking red marks on her back.
She appeared even more delicate and timid.
They are so precious that one longs to hold them close, cherish them, and shower them with love.
The chubby-faced maid who brought in the medicine thought that if she were a man, she definitely wouldn't be able to resist seeing this scene.
Cai Shou blinked.
However, she knew that Xie Xiaoniangzi's current charming and delicate appearance was just an illusion.
This delicate body hides a fierce and resolute nature.
In any case, Cai Shou has had quite an eye-opener these past few days. Even after being whipped to such a state that day, Miss Xie refused to help her up and walked back to the Su residence and into this courtyard by herself.
During the subsequent applications of the medicine, she remained completely silent throughout.
However, there have been some changes since this injury.
Cai Shou noticed that Xie Xiao Niangzi had been spacing out a lot these past few days.
Sometimes he would be holding a blanket and staring at the white clouds outside the window; sometimes he would be lightly biting his chopsticks and staring at the half-eaten bowl of rice; sometimes he would be letting his hair down and tilting his head to stare at her, which made Cai Shou a little scared.
In short, after this injury, Xie Xiaoniangzi became much more silent and sparing with her words, giving people an indescribable change.
Cai Shou secretly asked her young mistress, but the young mistress just kept reading without turning her head, saying that it was a good thing.
Cai Shou approached with small steps, smiling gently as she said:
"Miss Xie, it's time to apply the medicine."
The noble lady Xie, sitting sideways on the stool with her legs bent, did not look up. Beneath her dripping black hair, she let out a soft "hmm" as faint as a mosquito's buzz.
The two maids who were washing and cleaning stepped aside to fetch a clean towel and dry her hair.
Cai Shou knelt down, placed the medicine tray on the stool, opened her eyes wide, carefully prepared the medicine, and muttered to herself:
"We'll use the new prescription your senior brother sent over. The previous wound medicine wasn't effective; it made the young lady have a low-grade fever all night. The new prescription is truly amazing..."
"Hmm, first use the smoke from Atractylodes lancea and Artemisia argyi to fumigate the wound, then apply some of this strange ointment. After you get dressed, drink some nourishing soup. It tastes a bit bitter, but hehe, look, I brought a piece of rock candy. I'll suck on it later, I guarantee..."
The young woman, who had been staring blankly with her eyes down, suddenly looked up and asked, "Where is my senior brother?"
"ah?"
The white sugar that Cai Shou was lightly rubbing between her fingers almost fell into the brown medicinal soup, and she stared blankly.
The two stared at each other for a while.
Xie Lingjiang's pale pink lips, which looked somewhat bloodless, parted slightly again: "Didn't we just mention it?"
Cai Shou snapped out of her daze and nodded:
"Yes, this is the prescription for recuperating his injuries that he sent over... Where is he? I... I don't know. He's probably busy with county government affairs. He's the county magistrate. Didn't they say the county is going to dredge a new river channel recently? These officials must have a lot of official business to attend to..."
"oh."
As if belatedly realizing that she had misunderstood something, Xie Lingjiang's eyes seemed to be filled with a hazy mist, and her luster dimmed slightly.
She nodded gently, shifted her pink buttocks slightly, and turned her snowy back to the round-faced maid, tacitly agreeing that the medicine could be applied.
The little girl didn't think much of it and carefully applied the medicine.
Just like the two maids who had just cleaned her, her eyes couldn't help but wander when she applied the ointment to some of the long, extended whip marks.
Hmm, if only I had pulled it a little off course back then, maybe I could have used the opportunity to climb up and test the feel of it while applying the ointment... Cai Shou's little head was filled with random thoughts, mainly because the scenery was indeed quite spectacular.
Xie Lingjiang was unaware that the chubby-faced maid was up to no good and was always thinking about nonsense. At this moment, because of the maid's distraction, she accidentally applied too much pressure when applying ointment to the wound on her back, causing a tingling pain.
Xie Lingjiang bit her lower lip lightly, staring at the few strands of hair that slipped down her forehead, remaining motionless and silent.
The west wing also fell silent for a moment.
Just then, a maid's shout suddenly came from the courtyard:
"Young lady, someone is looking for you. He says he's your senior brother..."
As Cai Shou applied the medicine, she suddenly saw a flash of white light, and the wound she was focusing on disappeared as if it had teleported away.
There was nothing in front of him.
She widened her eyes and turned to look.
A woman with wet, flowing hair snatched a towel, tilted her head to dry her hair, and reached for her clothes.
"..." Cai Shou and several maids.
The chubby-faced little maidservant caught up with him, stretching out her tiny hand and fanning herself up and down.
"Wait, wait, those are dirty clothes you can't wear..."
I hope I didn't disturb your dates (I'm sure)... Oh, what? You didn't have dates? No worries, your junior sister will keep you company!
(End of this chapter)
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