Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 225 - 224: Returning to Lingyin Temple

Chapter 225: Chapter 224: Returning to Lingyin Temple

At night, after the children had fallen asleep, Chen Afu went to the space and asked Jin Yanzi for some agarwood wood shavings to use as medicine for Yang Chao’s injury. Jin Yanzi, who was fond of Yang Chao, happily pecked at a small toothpick and gave it to Chen Afu.

The green swallow nests in the space were incredibly precious, and Jin Yanzi would never casually give them away, not even to those she deeply liked. The leaves were a step less precious, not only because of their strong unique aroma but also because the swallow-aggregated incense tree grew leaves extremely slowly. However, Jin Yanzi was more generous with the agarwood wood shavings. With the large and abundant branches of the tree, it was willing to spare some for individuals it favored.

The next morning, while Chen Afu was playing with the three children in the West Wing, Chu Xiaoniu, who was watering the watermelon field located between the Fu Garden and the Lu Garden, ran in hurriedly. He reported, "Miss, it’s incredible! There’s a melon vine in our watermelon field that’s already bearing fruit. I noticed that the vine was blossoming a few days ago, and now, there’s actually a melon on it."

Chen Afu was surprised and quickly rushed to the field to see for herself. The watermelon vine in the field was lush and green, growing exceptionally well, and there were actually two fist-sized watermelons on one of the plants.

She speculated that it must have been because Jin Yanzi had defecated somewhere in the area, with the swallow droppings landing directly on the soil surrounding the vine shoot.

Both this piece of watermelon field and the five-acre plot to the north, having been fertilized with diluted swallow droppings, grew noticeably better than the 80-acre plot in Wangshan Village and were expected to yield harvest ten days earlier than that.

The fact that this particular watermelon vine was now bearing fruit was extraordinary and too unusual to easily explain.

Chen Afu said to Chu Xiaoniu, "Strange indeed, I didn’t expect this to happen. Quickly uproot this watermelon vine and don’t speak about it to others. Anything against the norm can be seen as monstrous."

Secretly, she was feeling distressed and thought to herself about how great it would have been if she had released Jin Yanzi back in her previous life. In that world where hormones and fertilizers were so advanced, producing crops in the shortest amount of time was common, and no one would ever find it suspicious.

Originally, Chu Xiaoniu was extremely excited, but hearing the instructions from his master, he reluctantly uprooted the extraordinary watermelon vines.

When they returned to the house, Chen Afu caught hold of Jin Yanzi, who was having fun playing with the children, Qi Qi, and Hui Hui; brought it into the bedroom; and whispered, "From now on, when you need to defecate, please do so in the space or in the distant woods if possible. The crops at our home are already surprisingly good; we cannot let them seem unnatural."

Jin Yanzi agreed, remarking, "I was inattentive, alright."

Three days later, Chen Afu completed two sets of white robes for Liao Chen. However, since Dabao also wanted to visit the temple, Chen Afu decided to wait until his day off to go together.

On the 9th of April, despite her anticipation, Ms. Chu did not get to see Chu Lingxuan. She was inevitably disappointed, but quickly cheered up at the thought of seeing her grandmother at Yingxue Nunnery the next day.

Early in the morning on the 10th, before the crack of dawn, Chen Afu got up. She wanted to make more pastries and marinated vegetarian dishes, not only for Liao Chen but also for Master Wu Zhi. Thinking about how the old monk had expressed his desire for more strong flavors last time, she asked Jin Yanzi for a piece of agarwood as large as half a toothpick.

Conscious that Chen Afu was going to Lingyin Temple to see Master Wu Zhi, Jin Yanzi cleverly stayed behind in the space. It was afraid that in its absence, Chen Afu might be tempted by Master Wu Zhi and take the green swallow nests from the space. It warned Chen Afu, "Last time he didn’t get his way, so I’m certain he will insist on having the green swallow nests again today. I’ll have you know that I don’t have many nests. Unless someone I especially care for or like contracts an incurable disease, I won’t give them away. It’s not that I’m heartless, but there are too many dying people in the world; how can I possibly save all of them?"

Upon hearing that Jin Yanzi would save her family, Chen Afu was somewhat touched. She held the bird in her hand and warmly thanked it.

Jin Yanzi, fluttering its little green eyes, added, "Oh, I forgot to mention one more person. If Daddy Chu gets into trouble, I would give a nest to him, too."

Chen Afu flicked its small head and chided, "Annoying creature! He and I are two separate individuals. Stop lumping us together, will you?"

Jin Yanzi rubbed its little head with its wingtips and muttered, "Daddy Chu has already given so many indications. I wonder how long mommy will keep resisting."

By late morning, Chen Afu brought the four children and set off for Honglin Mountain in horse carriages, accompanied by Mr. Luo, ten guards, and several servants.

Upon arriving at Lingyin Temple, Chen Afu, escorted by one of the guards, alighted from the carriage with two food containers in hand, and led the rest to Yingxue Nunnery.

She had already agreed with Dabao beforehand not to hurry on the journey, and he had promised her that he wouldn’t. But when Chen Afu alighted from the carriage, Dabao jumped off after her and tugged at her sleeve, pleading, "Mother, I want to go too. Master Wu Zhi has already met me once, so he will definitely see me again this time."

Upon seeing this, the other children on the carriage began to protest, "If Dabao is going, then we want to go too."

Chen Afu leaned into Dabao’s ear and whispered, "See? If you go, they all want to go. If Master Wu Zhi only meets you and not them, they definitely start crying at the door."

After considering this, Dabao dropped his head in disappointment and allowed Mr. Luo to lift him back onto the carriage. He didn’t want to make Yan’er or Qian’er cry.

Upon entering Lingyin Temple, Chen Afu was greeted by the same sincere little monk who had previously escorted her. He brought his hands together in a sign of respect and said, "Female benefactor, please follow me."

Leading Chen Afu along the corridor towards the back of the temple, the little monk half expected Chen Afu to also bring some sticky rice dates and was pleasantly surprised when she did.

The little monk gratefully accepted the package saying, "Thank you, female benefactor." He immediately popped a date into his mouth, and the delicious flavor made his eyes light up in delight.

Chen Afu asked him, "What is your Buddhist name, little master?"

The little monk replied, "My Buddhist name is Gui Yi."

Chen Afu couldn’t help but smile. The little monk’s name seemed more fitting for a senior monk than Master Wu Zhi’s own name.

Just as they were nearing the bridge, they unexpectedly ran into Ninth Master and his four attendants. As before, Ninth Master sat in his wheelchair, his face flushed and sweaty.

The little monk stepped aside to let them pass and respectfully clasped his hands together saying, "Amitabha Buddha, take your time, benefactor."

Chen Afu and the others quickly moved to the side of the road and lowered their heads.

Ninth Master subtly nodded in acknowledgment to the little monk, and then his gaze landed on Chen Afu, who was standing next to him. He appeared mildly stunned. Sitting in the wheelchair, he could clearly see Chen Afu, even though she had lowered her head.

Ninth Master and his party continued down the pathway and headed towards a small temple hidden amongst trees in the distance.

Only then did Chen Afu and her party, along with the little monk, continue heading towards the bridge.

Once they reached the other side of the bridge, the little monk advised Qiu Yue and the four guards to rest in a nearby pavilion and then led Chen Afu to Zen Room.

A faint smell of agarwood filled the Zen Room, intermingled with a hint of a unique and elegant fragrance. Chen Afu could tell that it was somewhat similar to the smell of agarwood leaves, only more delicate and lingering.