The next day.
Just as dawn was breaking, Qingying was woken up to wash and change. She looked reluctant, saying, "You're disturbing my peaceful sleep so early in the morning."
Granny Zhang coaxed from the side, "We're going to Chongfu Temple to fulfill a vow today. The sooner we go, the sooner we'll be back. Miss, please hurry up and don't keep the old lady waiting."
She could only look up and sigh.
After finally leaving the manor, the carriage bumped along the way out of the city, especially the winding mountain road, which was full of potholes, making her feel like her internal organs were being stirred up.
After the carriage finally stopped, we had to climb a seemingly endless stone staircase.
Madam Pan wasn't much better off. She didn't like riding in carriages much, and she would get dizzy if she rode in one for too long. At this moment, her face was as white as paper.
On the contrary, Wang was the oldest and the healthiest.
“You all just don’t get enough exercise,” Wang said, before leaning on her cane and climbing the steps.
Qingying and Madam Pan exchanged a glance, both seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.
As June approached, many people came to the temple to offer incense. The Liu family walked and stopped frequently, and by the time they reached the top of the mountain it was nearly noon.
Qingying squeezed through the crowd of worshippers to offer incense in the main hall. The crowd was bustling, and she felt a tightness in her chest. So she informed Madam Pan and went to the back to find a quiet pavilion to rest.
I had only been sitting down for a short while when a few people walked over from the path next to me.
Qingying was gazing blankly at the distant mountains when Yu Yue suddenly reminded her, "Miss, the second son of the Lu family is here."
She frowned, stood up, and prepared to leave.
Suddenly, a man's voice came from behind, urging her to stay: "Miss Liu, please wait a moment."
Qingying pursed her lips, ultimately bound to her place by the etiquette and rules of aristocratic families.
Lu Jingyan approached her with a smile on his face: "I never expected to meet Miss Liu here."
She forced a smile. "Yes, what a coincidence."
"Miss Liu doesn't look too well."
"I didn't sleep well last night, so I got up too early today."
"In that case... I've always heard that Miss Liu is delicate and frail, so you should take extra care of her."
A hint of displeasure flashed in Qingying's eyes. She was unwilling to deal with him, so she said, "I have been out for a long time. My grandmother must be worried if she can't find me soon. Young Master Lu, please excuse me."
Lu Jingyan had originally intended to invite her for a walk to clear her head, but after hearing what she said, he had no choice but to give up. "Take care, Miss Liu."
Qingying turned and left, returning to the main hall.
With nothing to do, she noticed a group of people gathered by the door. Out of curiosity, she went over to take a look and discovered that a master was interpreting fortune sticks.
She asked the person next to her, "What are you asking for?"
The man glanced at her, paused for a moment, then lowered his eyes shyly and replied, "We can help you with anything you ask for: wealth, good fortune, or a good relationship. You only need one copper coin to have your fortune told."
Qingying found it interesting, so she asked Yuyue to put a copper coin into the box next to the master, and then took the fortune sticks handed to her by the master.
She closed her eyes, made a wish, and then shook the fortune stick container vigorously. After a while, she finally got one out. She picked it up and frowned in disgust: "Why is it the worst fortune stick?"
She glanced at the master, and realizing he wasn't looking at her, she prepared to secretly slip the divination stick back in and shake it again.
The master then extended his hand to her and said, "Benefactor, whatever lot you draw is predetermined."
She had no choice but to hand over the half-stuffed skewer in her hand.
The master glanced at the fortune stick, then looked up at her, then looked down at the fortune stick again, then looked up at her again, and finally said, "This fortune stick is beyond my understanding."
Qingying didn't understand, "Why can't it be solved?"
The master sighed, put the divination stick back into the bamboo tube, and took out the copper coin she had just put in the box, saying, "This humble monk's cultivation is too shallow to see through this divination stick. You may take the copper coin back as well."
Qingying felt confused, but since the other party said so, she wasn't one to argue unreasonably, so she had no choice but to take back the copper coins and leave.
Yu Yue didn't quite understand: "Then why did the master say he couldn't interpret it? He's quite quick at interpreting other people's fortunes, isn't he?"
"Perhaps the fortune slip really wasn't a good omen, and they were afraid I'd find it unlucky."
"But he could have easily said something nice to brush it off."
“A monk does not lie; this master is of good character.”
Qingying wasn't angry about it. After all, she was just curious at first and didn't intend to get a result.
At this moment, Kapok suddenly came to her and said, "The old lady heard that Master Nianci will be giving a sermon tomorrow, which is a rare opportunity, so she decided to stay at Chongfu Temple for one night."
"Have the rooms for resting been arranged?"
"Everything has been arranged. Please follow me, young lady."
...
Coincidentally, Qingying moved back into the same room she had stayed in before.
Chongfu Temple is the largest temple closest to the capital, and it has been a popular place of worship for many years. As a result, there are many rooms in the temple for worshippers to rest.
This time, a girl from a nearby town moved in next door, and the two only briefly met once.
Later that evening, Qingying came out after finishing her dinner and saw a familiar person walking out of the next room.
"Sister Liu? You're here too?" Lu Xingli was pleasantly surprised to see her.
Qingying frowned subconsciously, but quickly relaxed and revealed a faint smile: "Sister Lu, what a coincidence."
"Yes, I never expected to meet Sister Liu here. I am truly delighted."
Qingying glanced at the room behind her and said, "When I came here today, I saw that it seemed that another girl was staying in this room."
“That village…” She paused immediately, swallowing back the words “village girl” that were about to slip out, and changed her words to: “That peasant girl has moved to another room. She felt that the light here was too dim, and the big banana trees in the back blocked out the sun.”
Qingying looked at her and thought the girl was a bit silly, not even knowing how to lie.
But she didn't expose Lu Xingli; instead, she went along with her words and said, "It is indeed a bit dark."
Lu Xingli smiled, then suddenly stepped forward and affectionately took her hand, suggesting, "I've heard that the scenery behind Chongfu Temple is quite beautiful. Would you like to go and take a look, Sister Liu?"
Qingying glanced at the darkening sky and said, "Isn't it a bit too late to go now?"
"How could it be? It's not too late, it's not too late. There are beautiful flowers and fireflies on the back hill. This is the most beautiful time."
Qingying tilted her head slightly and looked at her with a half-smile, saying, "Sister Lu, have you been to the back mountain? If you're not familiar with it, it's easy for two young ladies like us to get into trouble so late at night."
"Of course I've been there, otherwise how would I know?" Lu Xingli touched her nose, looking somewhat guilty.
Qingying smiled and said, "Then I'll trouble Sister Lu to lead the way."
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