Chapter 6 The Monkey
Zhang Huolang stared at Jiang Li in a daze.
He had known these two young girls for several years now, having heard they were young ladies from a wealthy family who had been sent to this nunnery as punishment for some offense. However, judging by their clothing and appearance, it was hard to believe they came from an affluent household. The maid was somewhat livelier, but the young mistress was prone to frequent outbursts of temper. Zhang Huolang usually hurried away after selling his goods and this was the first time he had seen Jiang Li speak to him so kindly.
With her gentle demeanor as she spoke, she truly resembled a well-bred young lady from a noble family—though the claim of being the Grand Secretary's daughter seemed rather far-fetched.
Though puzzled, Zhang Huolang needed to hurry to his next stop. He had initially thought Jiang Li was joking and wouldn't actually spend all her money on pastries. After all, anyone could see that life here for the master and servant was far from comfortable. While an ordinary wealthy family might casually spend forty strings of copper coins on pastries, it seemed unreasonable for two girls who didn't even have adequate clothing.
"You've bought so many pastries—they'll spoil if you can't finish them all," Zhang Huolang couldn't help reminding her.
"It's fine," Jiang Li replied. "We'll finish them."
Having said that, Zhang Huolang didn't press further. The copper coins belonged to others, and Jiang Li had purchased nearly half the pastries from his carrying pole. This meant he could return home early down the mountain—something to be happy about rather than worried over.
As for Tong'er, though confused by Jiang Li's actions, she had never disobeyed her mistress's orders. Suppressing her anxiety, she carried the large basket of pastries back, drawing occasional glances from passing gray-robed nuns along the way. Fearful they might try to take the pastries, Tong'er clutched the basket tighter.
When they returned to their damp room, Tong'er placed the pastry basket on the table, closed the door, and finally couldn't resist asking: "Miss, why did you buy so many... of these?"
Jiang Li didn't look at her. She pushed open the window, which faced the rolling hills of Qingcheng Mountain. The rugged peaks, now free of winter snow, were blanketed with peach blossoms that painted the usually stern mountains in soft pink, like a stunningly beautiful woman.
"Look," she said, pointing into the distance for Tong'er to see.
Tong'er approached and saw a palm-sized monkey with a curled tail perched on a distant peach tree, happily munching on a fruit.
"It's just a monkey," Tong'er said, puzzled. "What's so special about that?"
Monkeys were plentiful around Qingcheng Mountain and quite mischievous. They generally coexisted peacefully with humans, particularly near Helin Temple. With the constant stream of pilgrims, monkeys often received peanuts or candies from visitors. During food-scarce winters, the monkeys would frequently beg from pilgrims, but in spring and summer when food was abundant, they mostly kept to themselves and played independently.
However, the nunnery area—being relatively deserted—rarely saw monkeys visit. Places with no food to beg offered little attraction for them.
"Bring some pastries," Jiang Li instructed.
Tong'er obediently fetched several walnut cakes.Jiang Li broke the walnut cake into small pieces and waved them toward the monkey in the distant tree. Perhaps the pastries from Zhang Huolang's family were truly fragrant and sweet, as the scent of walnuts quickly attracted the little curly-tailed monkey. It scurried to the window in a few leaps, eyeing the walnut cake in Jiang Li's hand warily, hesitating to approach despite its eagerness.
Jiang Li extended her hand further, and the monkey, unable to resist the temptation, snatched a piece with its paw and fled. It retreated behind a nearby rock, turning its back to Jiang Li as it devoured the cake, then glanced back at her. Seeing Jiang Li still standing by the window with a smile, holding more crumbled cake, the monkey grew bolder and returned to take more food.
After several rounds, when the monkey had taken all the treats from Jiang Li's hand, she clapped her hands to signal she had nothing left. The monkey lingered, staring at her empty palm for a moment before swishing its tail and departing.
Tong'er, who had witnessed the entire scene, asked, "Did you mean to feed the monkey, Miss? Why use cake? Wouldn't wild fruits from the mountains be better? This cake is expensive—it's not cost-effective."
Even as the personal maid of a Grand Secretary's daughter, or back when Jiang Li was still Xue Fangfei in Tongxiang, her attendant would never have fretted over a few pieces of cake. If others saw this, they would surely sigh in pity. Jiang Li patted Tong'er's head and chuckled, "But compared to wild fruits, monkeys prefer delicious treats."
As Tong'er was about to say more, Jiang Li turned and sat at the table. The room had only one stool, which Tong'er had crafted from scavenged wood, its legs unsteady. Jiang Li said, "Tong'er, starting tomorrow, use these cakes to feed the monkeys."
Tong'er widened her eyes. "Why, Miss? I don't understand."
How could they feed monkeys when they themselves didn't have enough to eat? What sense did that make?
"I need these monkeys to help me with something," Jiang Li explained with a smile. "Consider these cakes as tribute."
"But—"
"It's just a few cakes," Jiang Li interrupted. "When we return, I'll have the kitchen make them for you daily. There's no need to fuss over these."
Tong'er fell silent. Mentioning their return to the capital likely pained Jiang Li more than her, and she dared not say anything to upset her further.
"Divide these cakes into fifteen portions," Jiang Li tapped the basket, the aroma of the pastries filling the room. The scent was tantalizing, as the mistress and maid subsisted on thin porridge and pickles daily, their stomachs often growling with hunger. Suppressing her own hunger, Jiang Li continued, "Feed the monkeys one portion each day until the nineteenth. On the nineteenth day, stop feeding them."
Though puzzled, Tong'er complied, "I understand, Miss."
"It's half an hour's walk from here to Helin Temple," Jiang Li added. "I'm not allowed to leave the nunnery gates, so you must go. Depart each day at Hai hour and feed the monkeys in the woods behind Helin Temple at Zi hour. Continue until the nineteenth, and on that evening, you need not go."
Perhaps Jing An Shitai had received orders from someone, but Jiang Li was forbidden from stepping beyond the nunnery entrance, confined to its grounds with every move watched. In contrast, Tong'er could move freely, as she still had to gather firewood in the mountains during the day. Having spent six years on Qingcheng Mountain, Tong'er knew the paths like the back of her hand and would not get lost.Mount Qingcheng often saw noblewomen from wealthy families coming to offer incense. To ensure safety, there were virtually no bandits in the mountains, making it very secure. Otherwise, Jiang Li would have worried about Tong'er going out at night.
After listening to Jiang Li's instructions, Tong'er suddenly asked, "Is Miss preparing all this for the return to the capital?"
Jiang Li smiled at her, "Are you afraid?"
Instead of showing fear, Tong'er's expression shifted to one of eagerness. The young maid was quite bold and, for some reason, seemed willing to go along with it. Rubbing her hands together excitedly, she declared, "Not at all! This servant has long wanted to do something like this!"
"Good." Jiang Li nodded. "We'll start tonight."
Don't you think Ali is a gentle girl ╭(╯^╰)╮
(End of Chapter)
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