The eldest wife was a little disappointed with this trip to Bailong Temple and planned to take a short rest after lunch before going back.
Because they hadn't dined together, Ren Yaoqi told the first wife that Ren Yaohua had gone to the distant Jialing Relic Pagoda and wouldn't be back for some time. Seeing that Ren Yaohua was accompanied by servants and old women, the first wife didn't pay much attention. She was discussing with the other two women about the next matchmaking for Ren Yijun. Ren Yijun's marriage was a major concern for her.
Unexpectedly, it started to rain heavily outside while they were having dinner. The eldest wife sent someone over to eat and let them rest in the room after dinner, and then set off to return home after the rain stopped.
The person sent out to look for Ren Yaohua had not returned yet. Ren Yaoqi had no choice but to go to the eldest lady's place once more. When Ren Yaohua sent her maid back, she met her uncle's servant on the way and wanted to go over to pay her respects to her uncle, so she had not returned yet.
Although Li You was known to be unreliable, he was, after all, the brother of Ren Yaoqi's sister's mother's family, a legitimate elder, so the eldest wife didn't mind. She just said that if Ren Yaohua came back, she would go and tell her.
As soon as Ren Yaoqi returned to the room, she asked Xiangqin to find her a bamboo hat and a straw raincoat, and arranged for Pingguo to guard the room. She took Xiangqin and Sangzhen, two maids, and two old women out of the yard, and told them that if anyone came to ask, she would go to find Ren Yaohua.
She was only an eleven-year-old, so it was perfectly normal for her to be playful. Furthermore, the rules in Yanbei weren't as strict as those in the southern capital.
Ren Yaoqi led his men to look for Xiangqin, but they did not see Ren Yaohua.
However, when the rain started, the people in Bailong Temple disappeared. Walking along the road, I felt that the huge ancient temple was empty, and even my footsteps left an echo. The cold rain fell on the flat stone road, splashing on Ren Yaoqi's embroidered shoes, and the shoes were soaked soon.
You can find straw raincoats and bamboo hats in the temple, but you can't find suitable wooden clogs.
Ren Yaoqi felt uneasy.
In her previous life, she and Ren Yaohua had not come to Bailong Temple at this time, so Ren Yaohua had not met Dongsheng in her previous life. But Dongsheng disappeared in her previous life.
Ren Yaoqi didn’t know when Dongsheng disappeared in her previous life, but Ren Yaohua hadn’t come back for such a long time, which made her feel something was wrong.
The main buildings of Bailong Temple occupy approximately 100 mu (approximately 166 acres), with numerous outbuildings surrounding it. Some are rented out to pilgrims seeking incense or medical treatment, while others are rented to scholars seeking a quiet place to study. For example, the nearby Baiyun Temple actually occupies land owned by Bailong Temple, with Baiyu Nunnery paying annual tribute to the temple.
Although we are all under the Buddha's throne, we still have to settle accounts.
In the Zhou Dynasty, everyone from the royal family to the common people believed in and revered Buddhism. In addition to enjoying annual rewards from the imperial court, large temples also had 30 acres of arable land for each monk with a certificate. Combined with the large donations from pilgrims and the reclaimed wasteland, the annual output of the temple's land was a considerable income.
Most monks do not own land themselves. Instead, they rent it to landless farmers. Therefore, every large temple is a major landowner. Thus, there is a saying that if a person's wealth is ten parts, Buddha owns seven parts.
If Li You came to Bailong Temple, he would most likely be in a courtyard under the name of Bailong Temple nearby.
Many scholars rented the courtyards of Bailong Temple, and many of them enjoyed theatrical performances. While they gambled on cockfighting and cricket hunting, most didn't bet on money. Instead, they gambled on ancient paintings and antiques. As long as it wasn't worth real money, they would gamble, even considering themselves elegant.
Li You didn't care about elegance or not. He didn't care whether he was betting money or a house, he just wanted to bet on happiness.
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