Chapter 66 The Immortal in the Hermitage (09) His Kiss.
The four talked inside for a while. After a while, someone knocked on the door. Jiuli opened the door and saw Youjun and Niangzhuang standing in front of the door. They had come to say goodbye. Youjun heard that Yuqi had recruited a secretary for the newly arrived Lord Yan, and also heard that he and Jiuli would be staying at the temple for a while. So she asked if they should tell their families to send them two changes of clothes.
Jiuli was overjoyed and winked playfully at her, "Won't it be too much trouble for Auntie?"
Youjun laughed and said, "What trouble is there? It's just on the way."
Yu Qi came out of the house and bowed, "Then thank you very much, young lady. Please come to my house and explain to my family that they need not worry about us."
Youjun smiled and agreed, then glanced into the room and said, "Lord Qi, it's been a long time."
Xu Bai also stood up, walked over, and cupped his hands in greeting, "Miss Guan, it's been many days."
She nodded, her eyes scanning him up and down. "Lord Qi seems to have changed a bit."
Even Jiuli found it strange that Xu Bai had changed. She looked him over but couldn't see anything amiss.
Xu Bai looked equally puzzled, but You Jun smiled and said, "Perhaps I misread it. But as they say, things change every day and every month. Some things were the same yesterday, but are different today. Lord Qi, you must not let your guard down."
Yu Qi knew there was a hidden meaning in her words. After thinking about it for a moment, he smiled and said, "If things are going to change, how can you prevent it just by being careful?"
“What you say makes sense, sir. Please take good care of young master Gu’s health. I will come to visit again in a couple of days.”
"Don't worry, Aunt. Since my uncle and I are staying here, it's convenient for us. We'll naturally take care of Young Master Gu's pulse and give him acupuncture every day." As Jiu Li spoke, fearing that Yu Qi would want to see her off, she stepped out of the door herself. "I'll see Aunt out of the temple."
So the young lady was escorted out. The two women boarded the carriage one after the other. After they had sat down for a while, the young lady lowered the curtain and said, "Why did you say those things to Lord Qi in front of Mr. Yu just now? You reminded him that the Yu family is discussing marriage with the Wei family. Wouldn't Mr. Yu be unhappy?"
“I don’t need to remind Lord Qi himself; he knows I’m just doing him a favor. Besides, Mr. Yu isn’t so petty; he won’t be upset over a few words.” Youjun said with a self-deprecating laugh, “Our family didn’t have much contact with Lord Qi before, but in a few years we’ll probably have to deal with him. It will be too late to build a relationship then. We might as well start befriending him while he’s still just a minor county magistrate.”
"Does the girl think he'll become successful?"
Youjun glanced at him with her shrewd eyes. "I've heard that when Prince Zhao was still in Nanjing, he summoned Mr. Yu. Do you really think that a prince would personally meet with Mr. Yu just to reward him for helping the government with a case? No matter how capable Mr. Yu is, he's not someone of high status; he's just a doctor."
"Then why else would it be for this?"
She drew back the curtains and smiled as she looked out the window at Jiu Li's retreating figure. "Lord Qi is in his twenties. I've never heard of him ever having his eye on any young lady before. Why is he suddenly interested in Xiao Yu'er? And his wife, Mrs. Qi, is a lady from a prestigious family. She's always been aloof. How could she possibly be interested in a girl from a merchant family? Even if the Qi family has fallen from grace, it shouldn't be like this. I just feel there's something strange about this."
Niangzhuang nodded as if she understood slightly, "Is that why you're so enthusiastic about the Yu family? I thought you really had your eye on Mr. Yu."
Youjun withdrew her hand, neither nodding nor shaking her head, and fell silent with a slight smile. A sliver of the red light of the sunset danced gently in her eyes.
The sun had set, and only the last rays of the setting sun lingered on the horizon, casting long shadows across the ground. Jiuli turned and headed towards the temple gate. Pilgrims were leaving the temple one after another to go home, their conversations revolving around the murder that had occurred that day. Jingyue was seeing two pilgrims out when Jiuli noticed her slightly red and swollen eyes, indicating she must have been crying all afternoon. Thinking that Jingyue had probably reconciled with Yi, Jiuli decided to ask her something. However, before she could speak, Jingyue glared at her fiercely, tilted her head back, and turned to go back into the temple.
Jiuli frowned and hurriedly grabbed her skirt to follow her in. "What did I do to offend you? Why do you hate me so much? If it's because of what I said in the dining hall that day about 'equality for all beings,' I'll apologize. I shouldn't have spoken ill of your temple behind your back. If there's anything else, just say it. What's the point of always arguing with me like this?"
"Who's arguing with you? Who do you think you are? Why would I bother arguing with you?" Jingyue said with a crooked eyebrow and a sidelong glance. She walked to the large cauldron and blew out the unburnt candles inside, probably to prevent a fire.
To get more information, Jiu Li didn't argue with her and followed her into the Guanyin Hall. "My name is Yu Jiu Li, but everyone calls me by my nickname, Xiao Yu'er."
As she spoke, she helped blow out the unburnt candles in the hall. Seeing her humble attitude, Jingyue's anger subsided slightly. She pouted and muttered, "I don't care to know your name." Even so, she couldn't help but glance at her and, seeing the light green silk dress she was wearing, couldn't help but feel a pang of jealousy. "So what does your Yu family do?"
“My family grows medicinal herbs and runs a pharmacy. My uncle, the one who came with me today, is a famous doctor.”
"Does a doctor concern himself with government affairs?"
Jiuli said proudly, "He's no ordinary doctor. With his talent, he could be an official, but he just doesn't want to. We're helping the government on the orders of the Prince. We're not helping for free; we get a reward."
Jingyue scoffed lightly, "It seems that famous doctors don't make money either; they have to find ways to earn tips from the government."
It wouldn't be right to tell her that making money was secondary, and it was also difficult to explain. Jiuli waved her hand, smiled, and walked to the Guanyin statue. She imitated Guanyin by putting her hands together and bowing three times, but her eyes didn't look at Guanyin, only at her. "And you, where do you live, and how old are you this year?"
"--sixteen."
“I’m a year older than you, you idiot.” Jiuli looked at her and clicked his tongue in amazement. “Look at how beautiful you are, wouldn’t it be better to get married and live a simple life? Why did you have to become a nun?”
Jingyue pouted, seemingly dissatisfied.
Seeing her head towards the side hall, Jiuli hurriedly grabbed her skirt and followed, "Is there something you can't tell me? Even if I can't help you, telling me will ease your worries, won't it?"
"What do you know? You're just a pampered young lady who doesn't know the hardships of life. You take out several taels of silver every now and then just to eat a vegetarian meal. I bet you've never experienced the days of freezing and starving. Wait until you've been starving for a few days, and you'll find all the fresh and light flavors ridiculous. At that time, you'll still only think fish and meat are delicious!"
Jiuli chuckled, "You're a nun, do you also want to eat fish?"
She blew out the candle with a puff, "I wasn't born a nun!"
"Then why did you become a nun?"
She remained silent for a moment, then muttered, "There was a young lady from a poor family. A monk said that she had to become a nun and cultivate for several years to overcome her illness. Her parents couldn't bear to part with her. Seeing that my birth date and time were the same as hers, they wanted to buy me as a substitute. My family was poor, so my parents sold me to them for ten taels of silver."
"So that's how it is. No wonder she seemed so unwilling to become a nun." Jiu Li couldn't help but feel sorry for her, "You've really been wronged."
"Fortunately, I've been able to eat my fill every day since I came to the temple two months ago. The senior sisters treat me very well, and although the master is a bit strict, he treats me well too. He made me a guest master, which means I get a monthly salary of half a tael of silver. As a nun, I don't have many expenses, so I can send money home to help support my parents. After a while, I can become a steward, and my monthly salary will increase a bit."
"Liaoyi is the canteen manager, so how much does she earn per month?"
"It's one and a half taels of silver."
One and a half taels of silver, and she was supposed to be eating and lodging at the temple with no other expenses. Besides, a nun is different from a layperson. How could she be so greedy for money? Could it be that she has some relatives who need financial support?
When asked, Jingyue replied, "Senior Sister Liaoyi has no relatives. She was originally a maid in a wealthy family. When she was fourteen, Master went to that family to preach and found her seriously ill. The family refused to spend money to treat her and left her to fend for herself. Master saw that she was so pitiful at such a young age, so he asked that family to take her to the temple to become a nun. For half a year, he kept asking doctors and getting medicine for her, and that's how he cured her illness."
Thinking about the injury on Yi's face, Jiu Li asked, "Is the injury on her face related to her illness that time?"
"Her face has burns, how could that be related to illness? I heard them say that once she was dozing off in front of the stove, and a night owl spilled boiling water on her face. If it weren't for that scar, Liaoyi would definitely be prettier than most women."
Jiuli found it hard to imagine what Liaoyi was like before she was injured. Although she didn't entirely agree, she nodded and asked, "What's Liaoyi's temper like? Has she ever offended anyone?"
Jingyue thought it over carefully and slowly shook her head. "Although she has a bad temper, she is a reasonable person. She only scolds her junior sisters when they make mistakes, but she scolds them quickly and fiercely. She is even more enthusiastic towards the worshippers. If it's not for anything else, she won't treat people lightly just to ask for a reward."
"Then why did she offend that Granny Chen?"
"Grandma Chen San?" Jingyue frowned, thinking, then sneered, "Oh, you mean that woman who lives in the north room of the courtyard? So she's a wealthy woman? No wonder she acted like that. You rich people are all the same! Who offended her? She's been causing trouble ever since she broke into our temple!"
As they spoke, they came out of the back door of the main hall and saw a group of nuns walking towards the dining hall in small groups, presumably around dinner time. Yu Qi and the others also came out of the guest courtyard cave. Jingyue saw him from afar and turned to Jiuli, saying, "You've asked me so many questions, you can't just leave empty-handed. You have to do something for me too."
"What is it? Tell me, and I'll definitely do it if I can."
"Didn't you say your uncle is a famous doctor? One of our senior sisters is sick and can't eat. Today someone accompanied her to the city to see a doctor. When she comes back, ask your master to treat her again, but don't charge her."
Jiuli raised his head and said, "It's a small matter."
As they spoke, they moved to the dining hall. Only Jingzhen and the two middle-aged nuns who usually accompanied her were not there. At that moment, they were performing a ritual for the deceased in the room where the body was lying in state. A dozen or so square tables were occupied. In the dark gray-brown area, a bright spot suddenly appeared. It was the third mistress of the Huai'an Prefecture. She sat there with a face as delicate as a lotus, creating a striking contrast with the sorrowful faces of the nuns.
Two young nuns, around eight or nine years old, couldn't stand her and finally started to speak veiledly, saying, "Someone died, but she dressed up like it was a happy occasion. No matter how much incense and offerings you make to the Buddha, it's not guaranteed that such a wicked person will be protected!"
Grandma Chen slowly put down her chopsticks and smiled, as if saying to the maid beside her, "It wasn't someone from our family who died, so we don't need to cry with them. I'm happy today, so come, you two sit down and eat with me. It's a pity there's no wine, otherwise we would have had a couple of drinks to enjoy ourselves."
This further angered many people, and several people at the tables exchanged glances, ready to get up and have a big argument with her. But then Huixin came in, glanced at everyone, and gently admonished, "Eat your food properly. If you don't want to eat, go to the lecture hall and chant sutras for your senior sister Yi."
Two nuns stood up to greet her, "Senior Sister, have Master and the two senior uncles finished the ritual?"
Huixin shook her head and sat down. "Master and uncles will be performing rituals all night. You should all behave yourselves and not make any noise. After dinner, go back to your rooms to rest."
Everyone fell silent, but Granny Chen was still unreserved, picking and choosing from the dishes, saying, "I don't know who cooked today. You don't know until you compare. After comparing, I realize that Master Liaoyi's cooking skills are indeed good. If she were still alive, it would be better. Nothing else matters, but we could eat more comfortably. It's such a pity that she's completely dead."
Upon hearing this, Jiuli turned her head and muttered a few curses under her breath about Granny Chen. Yu Qi immediately tapped her rice bowl with his chopsticks and said, "Eat your rice."
After the meal, the group slowly returned to their room. Jiuli told Yu Qixu, Bai Zhangda, and the other two what she had learned from Jingyue. Zhangda, who was walking behind, said, "So, this nun Liaoyi doesn't have any enemies. If that's the case, it might really be as you think, that someone raped and then murdered her. We really need to invite a careful midwife to examine her tomorrow."
Although Jiuli didn't quite agree, it was better to have it checked than not, so she nodded and turned to Yu Qi, saying, "Uncle, Jingyue said she wanted you to treat one of her sick senior sisters. I agreed, so you can't say you won't go."
Yu Qi glanced at him indifferently, "You're always agreeing to things so casually."
“If I don’t respond to her, why would she pay attention to me? You don’t know she’s even more arrogant than me!” Jiuli glanced at him. “But after listening to her talk in detail, I realized she’s also a girl with a hard life.”
Yu Qi could only nod, "I'll take a look for her tomorrow."
Jiuli was overjoyed and grabbed his arms with both hands, looking up at him with her face up, "Which room are we staying in?" As soon as she asked, she realized that she shouldn't have given him a nice look, so she let go of his arms and turned her face away.
Yu Qi found it amusing and pointed to the two adjacent guest rooms in the east wing.
It was getting dark, and Jiuli, with a lamp in hand, sat on the couch, lost in thought. The faint sound of chanting gradually disturbed her peace of mind; she guessed the nuns were performing a ritual for Yi in the morgue in the front yard. Finding herself bored, she opened the door and went to the front yard. The moon hung high in the sky, illuminating the ground. In a fleeting moment, she seemed to see a young Yu Qi standing under the ginkgo tree, smiling happily at her.
She approached with a touch of excitement, only to realize that it was Xu Bai.
Xu Bai had a slightly cold smile on his face. "What have you been busy with at home this past month?"
Since he arrived at the temple in the afternoon, he hadn't spoken much to her, and even when he did, it was mostly about discussing the case. She thought he had become distant, but she didn't expect him to greet her again now. He probably still couldn't let go of her background.
However, his smile made him look even more like Yu Qi, so Jiu Li returned the smile, "I didn't do anything, just had some free time."
He tilted his head, his gaze carrying a hint of mockery and coercion. "Is that so? Aren't you being looked after by the second young master of the Wei family? How can you say you're just sitting around doing nothing?"
Her eyes suddenly darted away, but she didn't answer him. The end of her relationship with the Qi family—didn't he know that meant rejection? Since she rejected his family, she should naturally look for someone else; that was perfectly normal. Why did he act as if he were interrogating her?
Seeing that she neither argued nor even bothered to offer a perfunctory response, but simply turned her face away and remained silent, Xu Bai couldn't help but think back to their time at Liyuan Garden. There, she would tease and joke with him, their laughter and chatter filled with warmth and affection. But now, it all seemed fake. She was even more fake than him, showing no regard for him whatsoever!
A surge of anger welled up within him, and he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look away. He wanted to grumble at her, but seeing the shimmering reflection of the moon in her eyes, he suddenly lowered his head and bit her lip. Jiu Li's eyes widened instantly, too startled to pull away for a moment, until the sound of the nuns chanting gradually returned to her ears, at which point she pushed his shoulder away.
She resisted slightly, but Xu Bai held her tightly around the waist, preventing her from escaping from his embrace. His gaze was fixed on her eyes. "How are things going with Wei Hongxiang? Have you made a decision yet? Don't lie to me!"
She was too close; all she could see was the small mole on his eyelid. For some reason, her body involuntarily went limp in his arms, and she shook her head.
Xu Bai loosened his arms around her waist slightly. "Whose idea was it to arrange a marriage with the Wei family? Was it your grandmother or your uncle? Or was it your own idea?"
She recalled being caught by Yu Qi when she was naughty as a child, and he would coldly interrogate her, "Whose idea was this? Zhong'er, the maid, or did you come up with it yourself?"
However, he wouldn't get that close to her; he would sit in a chair, maintaining an arrogant distance.
As if possessed, she smiled mischievously, "So what if it's me?"
Provoked by her, Xu Bai pressed his lips to hers again, but strangely, the ruthlessness in his chest softened into tenderness on her lips. He knew things were going badly; she had thrown him off balance, and he couldn't help but feel disheartened.
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Author's Note: Thank you for reading. My tenosynovitis hasn't healed yet, it's from writing so much, so I need to rest for a couple of days. Once the pain subsides, I'll resume normal word count updates.
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