Zeng Li didn't know how she ended up in this place. She was originally the daughter of an ordinary family at the foot of the mountain. Because she was beautiful and capable, people from all directions came to propose marriage to her family. However, she never expected that just because she went to sell vegetables in the street, she would be noticed by a rich young man. The rich young man was arrogant and domineering, and he actually wanted to forcibly take her as his concubine in the street. If it weren't for her father's reckless attitude in protecting her, she really didn't know what would have happened to her that day. But since that day, her father's leg was also broken, and the family lost their livelihood. Fearing the rich young man's revenge, her father sent her to a Taoist temple overnight, thus saving her from disaster.
Thinking about this incident, Zeng Li felt even more hatred for the rich young master, and even more hatred for herself for not being able to protect her father. She was also even more grateful to the abbot for taking her family in and letting them live in the Taoist temple.
Qingyin didn't know what she was thinking, but seeing that the girl had been lost in thought since she said just one sentence, she didn't want to disturb her and patiently waited for the woman to come back to her senses.
Xiaoyue didn't know what the newcomers were doing, but seeing how calm the young lady was, she calmed down as well and waited with them.
When Zeng Li came to her senses, she saw two pairs of big eyes staring at her. Her expression froze, and thinking about how she had done something shameful to these rich people, she wished she could bury herself.
Qingyin noticed her unease and smiled, "Does this lady know about that peach tree?"
When someone spoke to her, the woman felt more at ease, and her cold tone softened: "Yes, that peach tree won't bear fruit. I've been in the Taoist temple for so many years, and this peach tree only blossoms but doesn't produce any fruit."
"It's truly amazing," Qingyin exclaimed.
Seeing the flustered woman, she knew she was uncomfortable, so she had Xiaoyue pack a bag of peach blossom cakes and give it to the woman before she was satisfied.
As Zeng Li walked home, she looked at the large bag of peach blossom cakes in her hand, lost in thought. How had she ended up in that young lady's courtyard, and how had she gotten such a large bag of peach blossom cakes for free...? Her mind was a mess. Before long, she arrived at her own house. Her father, who depended on her for survival, was shelling peanuts from the field. Zeng Li, disregarding her thoughts, stepped forward to stop him: "Father, you should rest at home. I'll do these chores."
"It's alright, my leg is broken, not my hand. I'm just sitting here doing nothing anyway, so I'll do some work to make myself feel more at ease." The old man was a bit thin, but he was in good spirits and had a kind face. He looked at his daughter with great satisfaction, but soon he noticed the peach blossom cake in her hand.
"What is this? You bought something again?" The old man looked at his daughter with concern. Ever since that incident, he had been very nervous about his daughter's outings, especially to the county.
Zeng Li was a little confused, but when she saw the direction the old man was pointing, she realized it was the peach blossom cake in her hand. A blush appeared on her earlobes, and she said somewhat shyly, "This was given to me by the young lady who came to stay at the Taoist temple."
The old man felt relieved and smiled. Unlike his daughter, who condemned the wealthy and noble with a single blow, he had seen more and knew that even among the wealthy and noble, there were good people. "It seems that young lady is a good person. She's so polite. We poor people don't lack ambition. Remember to fry some peanuts and send them over, okay, Ali?"
"Mm," the woman replied, then took the peanuts from her father and began to peel them without saying anything more.
In the afternoon, Qingyin received peanuts from Zeng Li. Before she could react, the woman's back looked disheveled as she ran away after putting down the peanuts. Qingyin was speechless. Was she that scary?
Qingyin looked at Xiaoyue standing to the side. It was obvious that Xiaoyue was just as confused and didn't understand as she was.
However, Qingyin also enjoyed this bowl of fried peanuts that evening. They were fried to a perfect crispness, which fully brought out the aroma of the peanuts. The more you chewed, the more fragrant they became. Even Qingyin, who doesn't like peanuts, ate a lot of them. Granny Wu exclaimed, "This cooking is really good. This is the first time I've ever eaten such delicious peanuts."
Xiaoyue buried her head in her food, still managing to say "yes" even with her mouth full. This comical sight made Qingyin and the old woman burst into laughter, and the courtyard was soon filled with cheerful laughter.
With each exchange, Zeng Li became the first person Qing Yin became most familiar with at the Taoist temple, and she also became Qing Yin's number one fan. If anyone dared to say a bad word about Qing Yin, Zeng Li could scold them until they were ashamed and fainted. Zeng Li's strong fighting power also aroused the ridicule of several older sisters who were initially on good terms with her, but she didn't care now that she had more lice.
Thanks to Zeng Li's mediation, Qingyin and the others quickly and naturally integrated into the large family of this Taoist temple.
Meanwhile, Granny Wu noticed that her young mistress was becoming increasingly fair-skinned and her appearance was becoming more and more delicate. The two of them didn't take it seriously, thinking it was just because the Taoist temple's scenery was nourishing. They even offered a few sticks of incense to the Taoist deity enshrined in the temple.
In the first year, Qingyin received quite a few letters from her aunt, about one every five or six days. Later, it gradually decreased to one letter a month, and in the following years, the letters stopped altogether.
Qingyin didn't say anything. Granny Wu and Xiaoyue didn't know why the aunt had stopped sending letters, nor did they know how to comfort their young lady. So they could only try their best to make all kinds of delicious food to comfort her every day.
Qingyin felt helpless, but she knew the truth: Aunt He had become pregnant with a son a year after she left. With her eldest daughter not by her side, time would naturally diminish many of their feelings.
That's how people are. No matter how intense the feelings were at the beginning, with the passage of time, everything will be submerged and slowly fade away.
Five years passed in the blink of an eye, and the two young ladies of the Lin family had grown into adults.
"Let me tell you, the young lady of the Lin family is extraordinary. The eldest daughter of the Lin family, Lin Mengya, is exceptionally talented. This poem she wrote has been praised by nobles throughout the capital."
"Tch, the eldest young lady is indeed talented, but when it comes to looks, the third young lady, Lin Heyu, is the best. She's so beautiful and gentle. Whoever marries her is truly blessed."
"I think Miss Lin Heyu is worthy of being called the most beautiful woman in Anqing County."
"Nonsense, Miss Yuhua of the Lian family is the real beauty. She looks like a fairy and has an otherworldly temperament."
"No, Miss An Rong from the An family is the number one beauty. My aunt's son's cousin works at the An family and has seen that beauty. She is absolutely enchanting and charming. She is the number one beauty."
"Sigh, but all these beauties are going to the talent show, I wonder which one will stay in the capital," a young man dressed as a scholar sighed.
The people arguing also fell into troubled thoughts and stopped arguing about the title of the most beautiful woman in Anqing County.
All of this ended up in the private rooms of the restaurant.
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