Тhе stерs leading uр tо thе mоuntаin gate oррosite wеre pасkеd shоuldеr tо shoulder, а sea of bobbing heads.
Zhоu Shаojin gаspеd in аstоnishmеnt.
Thаnkfullу, Маdаm Wang hаd gone to find а sоlution; оtherwise, if theу had tried tо squeezе thеir wау uр likе this, shе herself might hаvе beеn finе, but Оld Mаdam Guо wоuld likely hаvе beеn so stifled she’d fаint.
She quietly lеt thе sеdan сurtain fall baсk, but оut оf the соrnеr оf hеr еyе, shе suddenlу cаught sight of a figurе in a lоtus-рurрle rоbе.
With brоаd shoulders and а narrow waist, it lookеd very familiаr.
Zhou Shaоjin cоuldn’t hеlp but lift thе curtain to look more closely.
Down the mountain path, several men were making their way up along with the crowd.
While everywhere else was so congested it was impossible to move, they were advancing smoothly.
The one in the middle wore a lotus-purple Hangzhou silk robe tied with a jade belt. To his left was a man in a sapphire-blue robe embroidered with auspicious clouds and floral patterns, tall and burly, as if she had seen him somewhere before. To his right was a man in a purplish-red robe embroidered with the "Five Bats Paying Homage to Longevity" motif, both tall and stout, his flesh seeming to jiggle with each step. Around the three of them followed several agile, sturdy men. One of them, tall and lean, wore a brown fine-cloth robe tied at the waist with a matching cloth belt. Amid the crowd, his figure carried an inexplicable air of desolation, like a stranger who had unintentionally wandered into their midst.
Yet to Zhou Shaojin, he looked like Huaishan.
"Could Uncle Chi have arranged to visit Lingyin Temple with friends?" she murmured to herself.
If Uncle Chi had indeed arranged to visit Lingyin Temple with others, it would indeed be inconvenient to bring them along—after all, Old Madam Guo was an elder, and they would have to consider her preferences. But the tastes of the elderly and the young are often different.
So Uncle Chi had sneaked off to have fun!
Zhou Shaojin pursed her lips in a smile and let the sedan curtain fall again. Suddenly, Lingyin Temple felt much more familiar, and she felt more at ease.
Famous ancient temples are all quite similar; after seeing the temples of Mount Putuo, viewing other temples gives one a feeling of "ascending Mount Tai and seeing the world as small."
Zhou Shaojin followed Old Madam Guo to offer incense in the Great Hall, and Madam Wang accompanied them to a side room to interpret their fortune sticks.
Coming toward them, Cheng Chi was descending the steps with a group of people.
Zhou Shaojin was taken aback.
The man in the sapphire-blue robe embroidered with auspicious clouds and floral patterns turned out to be Xiao Zhenhai, whom she had seen that day at the Jiangbei Bridge.
The other man she didn’t recognize—pale and plump like a steamed bun, his features seemingly squeezed together, yet his skin was as rosy and smooth as a baby’s, delicate enough to break at a touch.
Huaishan, in his brown fine-cloth robe, stood behind Cheng Chi with his hands tucked into his sleeves, expressionless.
Their gazes suddenly met.
A glint of sharpness flashed in Huaishan’s eyes, but Cheng Chi continued speaking to Xiao Zhenhai as if nothing were amiss.
In an instant, Zhou Shaojin realized that Cheng Chi did not want these people to know about her connection to him.
She couldn’t help but take a deep breath, trying her best to appear calm and composed, like a young girl visiting the temple fair for the first time, casting a few curious glances their way. She grabbed Chunwan and whispered, "Don’t make a sound!" Then she shifted her attention to a woman nearby carrying a basket of snow pears, asking cheerfully in Mandarin, "How much for one snow pear?"
"Three coppers each!" the woman replied, lifting the blue coarse cloth covering the basket and handing Zhou Shaojin a large, round pear. "Would you like to buy one, miss?""Yes." Zhou Shaojin saw that Chunwan and the others had all gathered around, with no one glancing at Cheng Chi. Only then did she say, "We'll each have one." As a reward for their obedience.
Cheng Chi passed by them.
Zhou Shaojin heard the one called Xiao Zhenhai say, "Jiangnan truly produces beauties! I never thought I'd encounter such a beauty just by casually strolling out. It's a pity this young lady is dressed so splendidly, and the pair of southern pearl hairpins on her head are rare South Sea pearls—clearly she comes from wealth or nobility. Otherwise, I'd ask which family she belongs to and take her back as a concubine..."
The plump, fair-skinned man added, "Why go to such trouble? Just send someone to follow them and find out their background. With Brother Xiao's wealth and character, as long as you set your mind to it, what family's daughter wouldn't be easily obtained..."
Zhou Shaojin shuddered.
No wonder Uncle Chi didn't want those people to notice their connection. It turns out these two are no good!
But why would Uncle Chi associate with such people?
As she pondered this, Zhou Shaojin grabbed Chunwan's hand and ran toward the side room next to the side hall.
Old Madam Guo, who had just been helped up by Madam Wang from the table of the monk interpreting divination sticks, saw Zhou Shaojin's pale face and frowned slightly. "Did someone disrespect you?" she asked.
As she spoke, she shot an unhappy glance at Jiying, who was following closely behind her.
Jiying, unfairly reprimanded, felt helpless and grumbled inwardly: Cheng Zichuan told me to stick close to you, Old Madam... Besides, I was keeping an eye on Zhou Shaojin too...
"No, no," Zhou Shaojin hurriedly stepped forward and took Old Madam Guo's arm. "I saw some troublemakers barging around outside and rushed over."
Old Madam Guo looked displeased. "With such a large temple fair, shouldn't the authorities have sent patrols? How did those troublemakers get in?"
Madam Wang quickly replied, "There were guards in previous years. I don't know what happened this year. Let me go check!"
"No need, no need," Zhou Shaojin said. If Madam Wang ran into Cheng Chi, she would surely greet him, and then Uncle Chi's visit to Lingyin Temple with friends would be exposed. Old Madam Guo would definitely be unhappy. Zhou Shaojin waved her hands at Madam Wang. "When I came over, I saw constables heading that way, which is why I avoided it—a gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall, to avoid getting unintentionally involved."
What "gentleman does not stand beneath a crumbling wall"—more like cowardice!
Madam Wang privately scoffed at this but outwardly nodded in agreement, smiling as she said, "Yes."
Old Madam Guo also wanted to avoid complications and instructed Nanny Lu, "Go out and take a look. If they've gone far, we'll set off for West Lake. With so many people everywhere, if we continue like this, we'll be lucky to reach West Lake by dusk."
Wanting to buy more time for Cheng Chi, Zhou Shaojin called out to Nanny Lu with a smile, "Nanny, could you go out and call Bitao in for me? I asked her to buy pears earlier but forgot to give her money."
Nanny Lu smiled and agreed, "Alright," then left the side room.
Soon after, Bitao and a few other young maids entered with the pears.
Zhou Shaojin had Bitao place the pears in Old Madam Guo's sedan chair, saying, "I didn't expect the weather to be so hot and the air so stuffy. I don't know if these pears taste good, but they smell wonderful. If you feel chest tightness, just smell these pears.""You are quite thoughtful," Old Madam Guo said, very pleased upon hearing this.
Nanny Lu entered, smiling, "I circled the main hall once and didn't see any of those idlers. They must have already been taken into custody by the authorities."
Zhou Shaojin felt relieved.
Old Madam Guo nodded with satisfaction, saying, "Now that's what a proper local official should be like!" Supported by Zhou Shaojin, she left the side room and headed toward the nearby Xiangyun Path.
At the moon gate not far ahead, the sedan chairs from Yutai Bank were waiting to take them down the mountain.
Madam Wang laughed, "We donate several hundred taels of silver to them every year. If they can't even provide this little convenience, who would still believe in their incense offerings in the future!"
Old Madam Guo smiled noncommittally.
They all left Lingyin Temple together.
There were also many people touring West Lake. By the time they found the painted boat arranged by Qin Ziping, it was indeed already sunset.
Madam Wang continuously flattered Old Madam Guo, "It's still you, Elder, who has experience. Although it's your first time in Hangzhou Prefecture, you could guess roughly what was happening on the road just by looking. I've lived over forty years in vain, and am already a grandmother myself. Yet I don't know when I'll have eyes as sharp as yours, Madam..."
Old Madam Guo chuckled repeatedly, frequently bringing the pear in her hand to her nose to smell it. It was clear she was very satisfied with Zhou Shaojin's idea.
Qin Ziping and several maidservants welcomed Old Madam Guo aboard the boat.
Noticing that the maidservants looked unfamiliar and behaved rather crudely, Old Madam Guo asked, "Where did these people come from?"
Qin Ziping smiled and explained, "They originally served on this boat. I was afraid we might be short-handed, so I temporarily kept them to assist the young ladies."
Old Madam Guo nodded and led Zhou Shaojin to sit in the cabin.
Unlike the painted boat they had taken from Jinling to Zhenjiang, this one was more luxurious. It had red-lacquered wooden floors, yellow silk gauze palace lanterns, crimson brocade cushions, famille-rose teacups with lids, and cloisonné incense burners... it didn't look like something ordinary families would use.
Qin Ziping explained with a smile, "This is the painted boat of Elder Master Zong, the wealthiest man in Jiangnan. He sent it over specially upon hearing that you, Madam, were coming."
Old Madam Guo's husband and son had both held positions among the minor Nine Ministers; she had seen countless such attempts to curry favor.
She sat down on the luohan bed without paying it much mind.
The boat slowly began to move.
At first, Zhou Shaojin didn't notice, thinking it was a neighboring boat leaving the dock. Only when the scenery outside the window changed to clear mountains and green waters did she realize with a start, saying, "Uncle Chi hasn't boarded yet? Aren't we waiting for Uncle Chi?"
"Fourth Master will board at Leifeng Pagoda," Qin Ziping said with a smile. "He instructed me to accompany you, Madam, and Second Cousin, to enjoy the scenery of West Lake first." He then added, "Fourth Master has visited West Lake countless times."
The implication was that he had grown tired of the scenery around West Lake.
Zhou Shaojin, however, didn't quite believe Qin Ziping's words.
She thought Cheng Chi must have been unable to arrive at the West Lake dock in time to join their outing because he was accompanying friends, hence choosing to board at Leifeng Pagoda.
It seemed these friends of Uncle Chi weren't very considerate!
If they were good friends, since today was the Mid-Autumn Festival, they should have let Uncle Chi return early to be with his family.
Zhou Shaojin certainly wouldn't expose Cheng Chi. She silently grumbled to herself, worried that Old Madam Guo might become displeased because of this, and instead cheerfully kept the conversation lively in front of her.Old Madam Guo seemed not to notice anything unusual and continued chatting cheerfully with Zhou Shaojin.
Every three steps revealed a new scene, every ten steps entered a painting.
The West Lake's landscape truly lived up to its reputation, but when Zhou Shaojin heard Madam Wang say these were all man-made landscapes, she suddenly felt somewhat disenchanted and began to miss the grandeur and magnificence of the capital.
Finally, as the boat reached Leifeng Pagoda, the sky had already darkened.
Madam Wang asked Old Madam Guo if she wanted to go ashore to "take" a few bricks back to Jinling.
Everyone was puzzled.
Madam Wang smiled and explained: "In the previous dynasty, there was a woman who had long been unable to conceive. She prayed to Buddha everywhere but could not get her wish. One day, she went to Lingyin Temple to draw a fortune stick. The stick told her to leave the temple and worship whatever she encountered. Who would have thought that what the woman saw upon leaving the temple was Leifeng Pagoda. But her family was poor—how could she afford to worship an entire pagoda? After thinking for a long time, the woman took a brick back and enshrined it on her altar, worshiping it day and night. Not long after, she gave birth to a son. After this story spread, women from Hangzhou often took advantage of the night to go to Leifeng Pagoda and take a few bricks back to worship... It's said to be very effective for praying for children."
※
Sisters, here's today's extra update.
The evening update will be around eleven o'clock.
o(n_n)o~
※ (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
!!
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