At the temple gate, the guards who had delivered the message were feeling sleepy. To shake off their drowsiness from the long journey, they huddled together. "I've heard that Qingbei Temple is quite efficacious, but is the young master really here?"
The one who asked the question was a young, round-faced guard. He asked Wang Nan, the oldest guard and the leader of the group, with curiosity. Wang Nan coughed lightly and said, "That's for sure. This is the place the master instructed. The eldest young master must be here."
"Brother, what's this young master doing here? I've never heard of anyone living in a temple. Could he be becoming a monk?" The bold young guard received a gentle tap on the head from his elder brother. "You brat, we're here to pick him up. How dare you speak ill of our master!"
The young guard, clutching his head, stared at his elder brother Wang Nan with a pitiful expression, then cast a pleading look at the other guards, but they ignored him.
Xiao Mingzi is young and dares to say anything. He should be disciplined. Otherwise, he might offend his master. At best, he'll get a beating, but at worst, he'll start saying whatever comes to mind.
Seeing the reactions of those around him, Xiao Mingzi, who had always been led around by several older brothers because of his young age, also became obedient, and the spirit on his handsome baby face drooped.
Seeing Xiaomingzi's dejected expression, Wang Nan forced himself to suppress his urge to comfort him, not wanting Xiaomingzi to suffer this lesson, otherwise he would definitely repeat the mistake next time.
Because of Xiao Mingzi, the group couldn't talk about anything else. They stared blankly at the temple gate, wondering about the young master's face.
The master and mistress are both good-looking, the second son is also handsome, and the eldest son is probably good-looking too.
As if hearing their innermost thoughts, the temple gate creaked open and slowly came open.
A man dressed in white walked out, and the moonlight slanting down from behind the door created an illusion that the sky had become a bit brighter.
Under the hazy moonlight, a young man dressed in white, with a face as beautiful as jade and a slender figure, possessed an all-encompassing elegance. But what truly took everyone's breath away was his stunningly beautiful face with a single mole between his eyebrows. It was a beauty that transcended worldly imagination, a sacred beauty. Even seeing it felt like a dream, a miracle that was so beautiful it was hard to look away.
Everyone stared in disbelief, their eyes wide and frozen in place. Only Wang Nan, the oldest and barely lucid, cautiously stepped forward and tentatively asked, "Young Master?"
"Um."
The monks following Qingyin were not surprised by the guards' stunned expressions. In the past, they themselves would sometimes be stunned as they watched their senior brother become more and more handsome, let alone these guards who had never seen them before.
Seeing the dazed guards, the monks, feeling both proud and reluctant, pulled each guard aside and handed them the bags of food they were carrying, hurriedly instructing them, "These are the sesame cakes I prepared for our senior brother. Keep them safe and give them to him if he gets hungry on the road."
"These are dried jujubes. Don't put them with this sauce, or they'll get soggy. Have some for your trip."
"This is red bean cake...this is an orange..."
...
From the moment they picked up the eldest son until their return to the manor, the guards on horseback were still in a daze, staring cautiously at Wang Nan, the head of the carriage, as he drove it. They peered intently at the carriage, which was covered with a thick cloth.
The large and small bags of food were packed into the spacious carriage. Qingyin sat in the carriage, flipping through a book of stories from the capital. He didn't know who had stuffed it into his bag and given it to him. Perhaps they were worried that he didn't know much about the capital, so they bought it for him. Qingyin knew that the monks in the temple had no leisure time, and they certainly couldn't buy these kinds of miscellaneous books. They could probably only find them at the nearby market, which was about ten miles away.
Recalling the meaning behind this story, Qingyin's lips unconsciously curled up slightly.
The story is about a scholar in the capital who studies hard, passes the imperial examination, and gradually becomes a high-ranking official. Although the story is obviously exaggerated and the language is relatively simple, it can still be used to relieve boredom on the road.
Halfway through the journey, a cautious voice came from outside the carriage window, "Young Master, shall we stop for our meal?"
Wang Nan spoke cautiously, using all the vocabulary he had learned in his life to treat the eldest young master. He wouldn't have been so careful with other masters, but this eldest young master... Thinking of that speechless face and temperament, Wang Nan couldn't help but be even more gentle.
"Okay." The eldest son's gentle and pleasant voice reached his ears, and Wang Nan couldn't help but blush.
In reality, Qingyin wasn't as aloof and distant as they imagined. She casually distributed the steamed buns that the monks in the temple had prepared for her to the guards. She even handed a jar of soybean paste directly to the guard leader, Wang Nan, before Qingyin prepared to enjoy her own portion.
The steamed buns were made by my fellow disciples overnight and were still steaming hot when stuffed inside the package. They had cooled down a bit by now, but were just right for eating. The soybean paste was also made in the temple and wasn't particularly good, but it was excellent for this desolate place.
Qingyin wasn't picky. She carefully finished the steamed bun in her hand with soybean paste before getting off the carriage. She had the guards find a spot by a stream, where she gently rinsed her hands with the cold water, and they were clean.
A clean handkerchief was handed to her from the side. Qingyin was slightly surprised. She looked up and saw a baby face grinning with big white teeth.
"Young Master, please use my handkerchief to dry yourself," Xiao Mingzi said shyly and nervously, his face flushed.
Qingyin smiled slightly and said gently, "Thank you. What's your name? I'll give it to you after I wash it when I get back." She took the clean handkerchief from the young guard, wiped it briefly, and then put it in her pocket.
"Ah, no, no need. Young Master, my name is Chen Ming. How can I be a servant..." The little guard explained in a flustered manner, his voice stammering.
Xiao Mingzi was so angry and discouraged that he hung his head dejectedly. He thought to himself, "Really, I messed up at the crucial moment. I'm so stuttering. The young master will definitely hate me for it."
Qingyin listened patiently, and seeing the guard speaking softer and softer, he smiled and said, "It's alright, I'll give it to you when we meet again. I hope you'll give me a chance to return it to its rightful owner."
Chen Ming looked up in astonishment, and was greeted by the eldest young master's gentle smile. Facing the sunlight, it was a light that was probably more dazzling than the sun itself, and it was the clearest scene in his memory.
The guards watching the eldest young master and Chen Ming's interaction clearly saw it all. They couldn't quite put their finger on it, but they felt that the eldest young master was different from the master, the second young master, and so on. They couldn't quite put their finger on what was different, but the eldest young master was simply someone they couldn't help but like.
In the largest restaurant in the capital, a pretty young girl with bright, cheerful eyes approached Luo Jiancang and asked curiously, "Jiancang, you really have an older brother? It can't be something else..."
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