Chapter 1 [1] The name of the path is Yun Ran
The Little Taoist Princess/Xiao Zhou Yao Yao
First release
【1】
It was Grain in Ear season, and the summer heat was getting stronger. However, the Shuiyue Temple on the outskirts of Yangzhou was remote, quiet, and cool because it was located at the foot of a mountain.
The young Taoist nun Yun Ran was holding a hoe and was about to sow a new crop of cabbage seeds during the Grain in Ear season when she saw her fourth senior sister Hui Ming rushing towards her from the front, holding her stomach and looking anxious and pale.
Yun Ran paused swinging the hoe, his dark eyes filled with confusion: "Fourth Senior Sister, what's wrong with you?"
"It's probably that stir-fried cucumber from this morning. I told you it tasted a little off, and now... Ouch!"
Before he could finish his words, his stomach started to growl again, and Huiming hurriedly rushed to the toilet with his legs clamped together.
The door to the toilet slammed shut, and the subsequent crashing sound made Yun Ran blush: "Fourth Senior Sister, are you okay?"
After a long while, Huiming's weak response came from inside: "It's okay, I just have to stay a little longer. There's no one up there, so Junior Sister, go to the front and watch over the stall for me—"
"Okay, I'll go right away."
Yun Ran put the hoe and vegetable seeds aside neatly, took some well water to wash his hands, and then walked towards the front yard.
Shuiyue Temple was originally a private Taoist temple built decades ago by a wealthy businessman in Yangzhou for his widowed daughter. Small in scale, it boasted tranquility. Later, when the businessman fell into poverty and his widowed daughter died, the temple was passed on to its current abbot, Jingyue—Yun Ran's master.
Ever since Yun Ran could remember, their temple had been very poor. Not only was it completely unknown, but it was also located in a remote area. Over the years, apart from the locals who came to burn incense and worship the gods during festivals, the temple's main source of income came from the master and his sisters who came down the mountain to perform rituals and conduct the Daoist ceremonies.
As for Yun Ran, as the youngest sister in the temple, she stayed in the temple to grow vegetables, sweep the floor, and do some odd jobs.
The master had originally promised her that he would take her down the mountain to perform rituals this year. Unexpectedly, a winter cold snap struck, and the master fell seriously ill, further devastating the already impoverished temple.
Seeing that they were about to run out of money, the eldest and second sisters took their belongings and went down the mountain to find work. The third sister went to the nun's temple in the city to seek help. The fourth sister and Yun Ran stayed in the temple, one in the front interpreting divination sticks and fortune-telling, and the other in the back cultivating land and growing vegetables.
"Grandmaster, please bless my master to recover quickly from his illness."
Yun Ran sat in front of a table covered with amulets and longevity threads, lowered his eyes and sighed, "Or we should ask the senior sisters to take on more work, otherwise Master won't be able to afford his medicine next month."
Just as she was praying silently, the sound of horse hooves suddenly came from outside the red-painted temple gate.
Yun Ran was slightly startled, suspecting that he had heard wrongly.
I pricked up my ears and listened again, and it was indeed the sound of horse hooves, and there was more than one horse!
The people who usually come to Shuiyue Temple are all common people, who at most lead a donkey, and few can afford to ride a horse. What's happening today?
Yun Ran walked towards the temple gate with a lot of doubts in his mind. Before he even stepped out of the threshold, he was shocked by the scene in front of him.
Dozens of magnificent carriages were parked in a neat row in front of the usually deserted temple. Each carriage was adorned with embroidered necklaces and decorated with red wheels and canopies. The horses pulling them were all plump and strong, with shiny black fur. Dozens of sword-wielding guards in black boots and black robes stood on either side of the carriages, along with a number of elegant maids dressed in rich attire.
Wow, what a grand ceremony!
Could it be that the Three Pure Ones had appeared, knowing their temple was struggling financially, and a patron had descended upon them?!
Yun Ran's eyes suddenly lit up.
When a woman with a high bun, wearing a crimson-purple brocade dress and flanked by a group of pretty maids, approached, Yun Ran quickly put on a smile and trotted forward, "Blessings and Infinite Heavenly Venerable, may this lady be blessed with good fortune. I was wondering why the magpies were calling non-stop this morning. It must be the arrival of a purple aura from the east, signaling the arrival of a distinguished guest."
Listening to the crisp voice that sounded like a yellow oriole chirping out of the valley, and looking at the thin and smiling Taoist nun in front of her, Mrs. Gaoji paused.
Although the little girl in front of him was only wearing a washed-out blue gown and her hair was casually tied up with a simple wooden hairpin, her small face beneath her black hair was rosy and fair.
Not only is her skin so tender that you can pinch water out of it, but the eyes beneath her willow eyebrows are big and round, like two pools of sparkling autumn water, bright and lively, making people unforgettable at first sight.
Just by looking at these eyes, Madam Gaoji could be sure that she was not wrong!
"Madam? Madam?"
Yun Ran felt a little uncomfortable when she saw this beautiful woman in gorgeous clothes staring at her. She knew she was pretty, but she didn't think she needed to stare at her for so long.
Not wanting to offend a big customer, she suppressed the strange feeling in her heart and smiled sweetly again: "Madam, you came to our Shuiyue Temple today. Are you here to pray for blessings or to have your fortune told?"
Mrs. Gaoji said nothing, but continued to stare at her.
Yun Ran: “…”
She raised her hand and touched her face to make sure there was no dirt. She blinked and continued with her business. "If you're not praying for blessings or fortune-telling, would you like to ask for two talismans? The talismans in our temple are all blessed and are especially effective in ensuring peace and security in the home! To celebrate the birthday of the City God, ask for three talismans and you'll receive a longevity thread!"
This time, Madam Gaoji finally responded, but she bent down and asked in a trembling voice, "What...what's your name?"
Yun Ran was puzzled, but still answered truthfully: "Madam, my name is Yun Ran."
"Yun Ran... Yun Ran..."
Madam Gaoji's eyes suddenly turned red. She raised her arms and hugged the child tightly in her arms: "My poor child, it's my fault that you have suffered so much!"
Yun Ran, who was caught off guard and hugged tightly, said: "???"
Ah...Mother?
-
Half an hour later, in the back hall of Shuiyue Temple.
The host Jingyue dragged his sick body and took out a faded amulet from a locked box and placed it in front of Yun Ran and the noble lady who claimed to be the wife of Marquis Changxin.
"Twelve years ago, when I found Yun Ran at the gate of the Taoist temple, she had a high fever and was barely breathing. She was wearing nothing but a piece of cloth and this amulet tied around her neck."
"I saw she still had a breath, so I thought we'd give her a try, so I brought her into the temple. Fortunately, thanks to the ancestor's blessing, the child also worked hard on her own. After three days of careful care, she gradually recovered. When she was eight years old, a couple came to the temple, saying that Yun Ran was their child and wanted to take her away."
At this point, a trace of disdain crossed Taoist Jingyue's pale face. "Thanks to my careful observation and some inquiries, I learned that this couple were the buyers from back then. They originally spent twenty taels of silver to buy Yun Ran from a human trafficker, intending her as a wife for their foolish son. After buying her home, they saw Yun Ran vomiting and having diarrhea, and thought she had the plague. Fearing she would die at home, they took advantage of the night to bring her to Shuiyue Temple."
"How could I possibly give Yun Ran to such a black-hearted and rotten-hearted family? We in the Dao sect don't stir up trouble, but we're not afraid of it either. At worst, we can confront them in court and let the imperial court make a fair judgment."
Upon hearing this, Lady Zheng, the wife of the Marquis of Changxin, tucked her eyes with her handkerchief. "It was quite a coincidence. If the Taoist priest hadn't taken them to court and filed a record with the government, we wouldn't have been able to follow this clue and travel thousands of miles to find this place."
As she spoke, Zheng stood up, raised her sleeves and bowed to the Taoist priest Jingyue in front of her, "Master, thank you for your kindness. Please accept my bow..."
"No, no."
Taoist Master Jingyue hurried over to help her, "Madam, you are embarrassing me."
"If it weren't for the Taoist priest's mercy, my poor child would have been left dead in the wilderness or abused by evildoers. How could we be reunited with mother and daughter today?"
Zheng still wanted to bow, and Taoist Jingyue had no choice but to accept the gift.
When Zheng's emotions calmed down a little, she turned to look at Yun Ran beside her. The little girl was still as if she had been cast under a spell, with her eyes fixed and motionless.
"Ranran." Zheng called softly.
Yun Ran did not react.
Taoist Jingyue coughed lightly and said, "Yun Ran."
Yun Ran suddenly came back to his senses: "Master."
Taoist Priest Jingyue: "Did you hear what we just said?"
Yun Ran pursed her lips. The girl, who was usually lively and talkative, was unusually quiet at this moment.
Taoist Jingyue asked again, and she nodded, "I heard it."
"Now that I've heard it, then..."
Taoist Jingyue's eyes flashed with reluctance, and his voice softened: "Then you should pack up and go home with your biological mother."
When Yun Ran heard this, he raised his clear black eyes in panic and asked, "Master, don't you want me anymore?"
"...Silly child, what nonsense are you talking about?"
Taoist Priest Jingyue said, "The Marquis's wife is your biological mother, and the Changxin Marquisate is your home. You were abducted by the beggar and separated from your family for many years. Now that your family has found you, it's natural for you to return home and reunite with them and enjoy the joy of family."
"But, but I..."
Yun Ran stared at his master's haggard face, his nose tingling. "What will happen to my master if I leave? And what about my sisters... They'll be worried if they don't see me when they come back. I've only plowed half of the land in my backyard, and I haven't planted the cabbage seeds yet. And those plum trees on the back hill, I haven't had time to make this year's green plum jam yet..."
She kept on rambling on about these little daily matters, and Taoist Jingyue felt sad, while Zheng felt distressed.
Her precious daughter, who should have been well-dressed and well-fed, never had to work at home, now has to farm and make sauce. How much hardship has she endured over the years!
However, Zheng also realized that her daughter had deep feelings for the Taoist temple. If she forcibly took her away, it would hurt the relationship between mother and daughter.
So she forced a gentle smile and whispered, "Ranran, don't be sad. Let's not leave right away. Let's wait until you've settled everything before we discuss other things, okay?"
Looking at the elegant lady in front of him who was a bit old but still looked radiant and graceful, Yun Ran hesitated for a moment and nodded.
-
Zheng stayed in Shuiyue Temple for a full seven days.
The pampered lady of a wealthy family was not used to the small rooms and hardwood beds in the dilapidated Taoist temple, not to mention the snakes, insects, rats and ants that appeared from time to time, any one of which would scare her to death.
The personal nanny advised her: "Madam, why do you have to endure this kind of suffering? Why don't you go back to the city and live there? Come back to pick up the young lady in a few days."
Zheng refused: "Ran Ran has endured such hardship for twelve years. If I can't even endure these few days, how can I be worthy of being her mother?"
The personal nanny sighed, thinking that the young lady was too ignorant. Why didn't she hurry back to Beijing to live a rich life instead of clinging to such a hellish place?
Just as the thought came to my mind, there were three knocks on the door.
Zheng and the nanny looked up and saw a slender blue figure appear behind the door.
"Is that Ranran? Come in quickly."
After a while, Yun Ran, still wearing a Taoist robe, walked in.
She moved shyly in front of Zheng, glanced at the mosquito bites on the beautiful woman's fair neck, bit her lip, and raised her hand: "Here."
Zheng looked down and saw a bottle of ointment on the little girl's white and tender palm.
"Is this for me?" Zheng's eyes showed joy.
Yun Ran hummed softly, "I made this mint ointment myself, to get rid of insects and reduce swelling."
When Zheng heard this, her eyes turned red again.
Yun Ran was also shocked. Why was she crying again?
Are all the noble ladies from Chang'an so crybaby?
"Don't you like it?" Yun Ran asked.
"No, no, Auntie likes it."
Zheng quickly took the bottle of mint ointment, tears in her eyes: "Mother is just happy."
And heartache.
How can my daughter be so well-behaved? She can even make ointment by herself. She is so capable that it makes my heart ache.
Yun Ran breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that she was indeed happy. She had thought that she would dislike these worthless little things...
To be honest, even after seven days, she still felt as if she was dreaming.
Over the years, she had gotten used to living without a father or mother, and relying on her master and senior sisters in the Taoist temple. The sudden arrival of a wealthy mother and the prestigious identity of a daughter of a marquis was like a blow to the head, throwing her originally ordinary life into chaos.
But these days, Zheng has invited famous doctors for the master and sent craftsmen to renovate the Taoist temple inside and out. The rice jars in the temple are filled with the best new rice, the kitchen is filled with the freshest fruits and vegetables, and the immortals on the shrines are also coated with a layer of glittering gold paint.
Even the senior sisters received a lot of expensive gifts. They were flattered like mice falling into an oil tank. Their eyes looked at Yun Ran with envy and respect. Yun Ran knew that even if she continued to stay in Shuiyue Temple, she could no longer be the little Taoist nun she used to be.
In that case—
"Ah, mother..."
Facing Zheng's beautiful eyes that were both surprised and delighted, Yun Ran quietly tightened his sleeves and raised his face: "I am willing to go back to Chang'an with you."
The author has something to say:
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Ranran, the optimistic little sun, and a certain prince who is crawling online in the dark, are here to accompany you through the summer. I hope you enjoy it! [Calico Cat Head]
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