Chapter 4.2: Temple

Jiang second young miss reminded her of herself. Just like her past self, someone snatched her things. Just like her past self, the turtledove wanted to occupy the magpie’s nest1. Just like her past self, she was unable to defend herself.

Tong’er helplessly looked at Jiang L?’s dark look. She couldn’t help but shiver.

For some reason, Tong’er felt that the second miss had become strange ever since she woke up. The second miss was always frank and straightforward, one was one and two was two. She had even fought with the nuns in the nunnery, easily agitated and easily angered. Of course, it was not the second miss’s fault, it was all those bad people’s fault.

However, since waking up, the second miss was not like before. She was mild and gentle, her speech soft and slow, which made her unable to tell what she was thinking. Also, Tong’er felt somewhat afraid when the second miss stopped speaking to ponder.

Jiang L?’s finger caressed the already sewn shoe sole in front of her. The stitches were meticulous. Although Tong’er was noisy, her needlework was pretty good.

She had to think of a way to get out of here.

The Xue Fang Fei from Yanjing should already be dead. But she didn’t know how Princess Yong Ning and Shen Yurong, these two animals, would justify their lies. In addition, she wanted to go and see Xue Zhao again and think of a way to return him to Tongxiang. Xue Huaiyuan had passed away, his son and daughter had also passed away. Who had received his corpse and held a funeral for him? She was unable to see Xue Huaiyuan one last time before his final moments.

She had to depart from this place, but nowadays in the city of Yanjing, nobody in the entire government house remembered her, Jiang L?. A person that no one remembered was unlikely to be brought out from here.

Since this was the case, then she could only take the initiative to leave this place.

Nobody remembered, so she had to let everybody remember, it shouldn’t be a difficult thing to do.

Jiang L? suddenly laughed.

Tong’er looked at her in surprise, this was the first time Jiang L? had smiled these past few days. It wasn’t a sneer or a bitter laugh, but a comfortable and happy laugh. In a split second, this single laugh made her withered yellow complexion become lively, blooming brightly like a flower in the morning.

“Tong’er,” Jiang L? asked, “You said a peddler will come up the mountain?”

“That’s correct,” Tong’er said, “Every year on the tenth of May, Mr. Zhang would come up here at noon. We had made an agreement with him, if there are any delicious pastries and candies, he would come to us first and let us pick them.”

Contrary to what one might expect, as the servant of a prestigious family, even though she was in dire straits and could only take out a string of copper coins, she still spoke in quite an imposing manner.

“Is there a lot of pastries?” Jiang L? asked.

“A lot,” Tong’er asked, “does young miss want to eat pastries?”

Jiang L? laughed, “I do.”

It was too bitter. And because it was too bitter, her mind constantly thought of the sweet taste of honey. These pastries could let her finally taste the sweetness, and at the same time could also make some other people feel bitter.

Tong’er excitedly said, “It’s good that young miss wants to eat some sugar. A few days ago we saved up a few copper coins and can exchange them for quite a few baskets. Young miss can eat as many as you want!”

Jiang L? said, “You mentioned that this place is next to He Lin Temple, right?”

Tong’er stared blankly at her and asked, “Does young miss also want to burn incense?”

“No,” Jiang L? replied, “I don’t believe in Buddha.”

Tong’er was puzzled.

Jiang L?’s smiling expression softened a little as she said, “What trust can you put in Buddha?”

Footnotes:

historical

1:鸠占鹊巢, meaning for one person to forcibly take another person’s place. A version of the idiom 鹊巢鸠占, lit. the magpie made a nest but the turtledove dwells in it, meaning to reap what one has not sown.:leftwards_arrow_with_hook: