Miss Truth
Chapter 129 - 82: Several Good People

Chapter 129: Chapter 82: Several Good People

Meals delivered from Yingmei Temple were bland and plain; a dish of stir-fried tofu, a small serving of green vegetables, and a short wooden barrel containing enough rice for four people.

Upon seeing these two dishes, Wan Lu’s face turned pale. "Wife, we’re not going to eat this all month, are we?"

"What’s wrong with vegetables and tofu?" Ran Yan, sitting cross-legged by the table, picked up her chopsticks and said, "You all eat as well. Once we’re done, there are other things to do."

As Ran Yan spoke, there was an undeniable force of authority, prompting the three others to silently sit down beside her.

During the Zhenguan era, they still practiced separate dining, where everyone had a small table and ate their portions alone, whether it was a casual family meal or a banquet. Sharing plates like this signified real hardship.

Wan Lu pouted, staring down at the rice in her bowl, filled with indignation. It wasn’t for herself, but for Ran Yan; she was about to return to the main estate, having ended her engagement with Qin Silang and nearly sealed the marriage with the Yan Family, a bright future ahead, yet it had evaporated like a mirage, leaving her with vegetables and tofu in a new location.

After dinner, Ran Yan walked around the courtyard for a while. When she thought the time was appropriate, she led Wan Lu to the Temple Master.

At night, one could barely make out that the buildings of Yingmei Temple were constructed from bamboo and wooden planks, hidden deep within a bamboo grove—even resembling paradise. Only in sufficient daylight could one see clearly that these houses were very dilapidated, some wooden huts almost crumbling due to years of moisture. Except for a stone brick temple at the front, the courtyard where Ran Yan stayed seemed the newest, probably repaired exclusively for accommodating visitors.

The Temple Master resided in the east. Walking through the plum grove behind the stone brick temple, they occasionally encountered groups of Buddhist nuns in grey robes, all of whom stepped aside for Ran Yan. Yingmei Temple wasn’t large, and after asking a few nuns, it was easy to find the place.

After passing through the plum grove, they could see a bamboo hut hidden among the trees. Ran Yan glanced at Wan Lu from the corner of her eye. "With that pout, you could tie up a bull."

Wan Lu tilted her head and stretched the corners of her mouth into a smile that looked more like a grimace. "Does this look better, Wife?"

Wan Lu, unable to hide her feelings, either liked things openly or could not accept them cheerfully if she disliked them. Knowing this about her, Ran Yan casually said, "You might as well keep pouting, lest the Temple Master thinks you’re a demon and takes you in."

Wan Lu’s eyes widened in astonishment as she watched Ran Yan walk forward, then hurried after her. "Wife can really joke now!"

"Is it so strange? When you see something funny, it naturally turns into a joke," Ran Yan replied without turning her head.

Unconcerned with the implications of her words, Wan Lu happily snuggled closer. "It’s better when you’re like this. Those Medical Books you read, ’Changmen Complaint,’ sound so sad that even though I don’t understand poetry, it chills me to the bone. It’s better not to read such things."

"You hardly understand?" Ran Yan, raising her eyebrows slightly, looked at her leisurely. "Weren’t you a Study Companion before? How is it possible that you’ve learned so poorly? Starting tomorrow, you will join me in copying Buddhist scriptures and Medical Books."

Wan Lu’s face darkened as she mumbled, "Why does the Wife want to bother me today? I really hate all this reading and writing!"

Ran Yan ignored her and knocked on the door. "Ran Yan Seventeen visits, is the Temple Master present?"

After a pause, as Wan Lu was about to knock again, the door creaked open. A Buddhist nun in her forties greeted them with her hands together, chanting a brief sutra. "The Temple Master has just finished her morning prayers; Mistress Ran, your timing is impeccable. Please come in."

"Thank you," Ran Yan returned the gesture and proceeded towards the main house.

They took off their shoes in the corridor, and as they were just stepping onto it, an elderly voice came from inside the room, "Jing Yuan, has Ran Seventeen arrived?"

The middle-aged nun bowed slightly and replied, "It is Mistress Ran Seventeen."

The room fell silent. Jing Yuan then turned and said, "Please come in."

The door opened to reveal a strong smell of sandalwood. The room was dimly lit, and only the morning light filtering through the door allowed them to see clearly the altar opposite, which held a two-foot-high porcelain gold-painted statue of the Bodhisattva. In front of the statue was a bronze censer with intricate carvings, and in front of it, three meditation mats were placed. In the central one sat an elderly nun in grey robes, her hands resembling dry wood, gently turning prayer beads.