Fortunate Life of the Rural Beauty
Chapter 255 - 254: Asking for Help

Chapter 255: Chapter 254: Asking for Help

After Mrs. Chu and Chu Lingxuan left, Fu Garden returned to its usual tranquillity.

Every day at late morning, Chu Hanyan and Chu Lingzhi would come to Fu Garden, where Chen Afu taught the three children. At midday, Marquis Chu would also come here for a meal. After the meal, Marquis Chu would return to Tang Garden to rest, then come back in the evening for another meal, and then the elder and the two children would return to Tang Garden.

Chu Lingxuan came back every few days, always in a hurry. He was probably busy until late at night before he hurriedly returned, making up excuses to talk to Chen Afu at Fu Garden, bringing gifts for the children, and leaving hurriedly before dawn the next day.

The time of separation was long, but the meetings were brief. Coupled with Chu Lingxuan’s worn-out appearance, Chen Afu’s concerns and affections for him deepened. She would prepare food for him late into the night for him to take back to the Yamen or army camp. Even though their time together was brief, they cherished their moments under the lantern-light. Their greetings, mutual concern, or shared smiles brought them immense joy.

On the 29th of April and the 10th of May, Chu Lingxuan was supposed to be resting, but he had work and couldn’t come back. Not only was Chu Hanyan disappointed, even Chen Afu felt a bit let down. Only Dabao was secretly pleased.

On the 12th of May, the long-awaited Mr. Liao finally arrived from the Capital City.

Mr. Liao, in his fifties, was somewhat thin. His deep gaze gave the impression of a learned man. Chen Dabao, Chu Lingzhi, and Chen Alu officially became his students.

The study was located in the Outer Court of Tang Garden. From then on, every morning around 9 a.m., Dabao and Alu would set off from home to Tang Garden for lessons, taking every tenth day off. However, at midday and in the evening, they would still come to Fu Garden for meals with Marquis Chu. Chen Afu also invited Mr. Liao over, but when he didn’t come, she occasionally sent him some food.

Now that Chen Afu only had one student, along with the teachers Xia Yue and Qiu Yue, how had been trained by her, she found her duties lighter. When she was free, she could focus on managing her farmland and shops or sewing.

On the 16th, Chen Afu decided to visit Lingyin Temple the following day. She had a matter to discuss with Master Wu Zhi.

The winter wheat in her four hundred mu of land in Shili Town Wangshan Village had been harvested, and she wanted to plant corn next. She also wanted to keep the corn seeds in her space to see if she could cultivate the sweet or glutinous corn from her previous life. Moreover, Manager Luo had subtly hinted that Tang Garden also wanted to grow more fruits and cucumbers, and maybe even melons if they did well.

She wanted to take all the seeds she had already used, like watermelon, cucumber, and rice, as well as those she planned to use in the future, like wheat and corn, into the space for a few days to cultivate better seeds. She was hoping not only for tasty produce but also for high yield and disease resistance. Not only could she make a fortune, but she could also benefit the people of Dashun. But she couldn’t possibly say all these seeds came from the barbarians. The more lies she told, the harder it would be to keep them consistent. She desperately needed a powerful figure to back her claims.

After much thought, she concluded that this person had to be Master Wu Zhi.

Master Wu Zhi was a senior monk who often journeyed through four seas and even ventured beyond the realms. If he accepted these seeds, claiming that he had found them either among barbarians or deep in the mountains, people would believe him. Even if they did not, they would not dare to inquire further.

However, thinking about that greedy monk, she felt uneasy, fearing that he would ask for items from her space again. Jin Yanzi despised him and would not give him anything more.

After contemplating for a while, she decided to bring him more fruits and cucumbers. It did not seem right to offer something to Master Wu Zhi but not to Abbot Liao Chen, so she decided to give her something too.

She brought up her plan to Marquis Chu during dinner, telling him that she had dreamt of her unborn nephew and wanted Master Wu Zhi to interpret it. This provided an opportunity to take Ms. Chu to visit Abbot Liao Chen at the Snow Hut.

Marquis Chu was delighted that his future granddaughter-in-law was favored by Master Wu Zhi, so he decided to go with them and visit Abbot Liao Chen as well.

The next morning, Chen Afu went to the backyard to pick cucumbers. There weren’t many, and even the ones as thick as a finger were picked. Most of the larger cucumbers had been sent to Chen Shiying’s house last time, and although some had grown back over these few days, they were not fully grown yet. So she had to go to Lu Garden and pick the small cucumbers there.

At 9 a.m., Marquis Chu, Chen Afu, and Chu Hanyan rode in the horse-drawn carriage towards Honglin Mountain. Knowing that Chen Afu was going to meet the old monk again, Jin Yanzi wisely stayed inside the space and insisted that Chen Afu not give the old baldy anything from the space.

Upon reaching Lingyin Temple, Chen Afu alighted from the carriage, while Marquis Chu took the young lady onwards towards the Snow Hut.

As soon as Chen Afu and the two guardians, who were carrying the food boxes, entered the main gate of Lingyin Temple, they saw the little monk, Gui Yi, waiting for them. Seeing them arrive, he came forward and greeted, "Female donors, my master has been waiting for you."

Chen Afu laughed and gave him a bag of homemade rose candies, which Gui Yi happily accepted.

After crossing the small stone bridge, Qiu Yue and the two guardians were invited to the gazebo, while Chen Afu followed Gui Yi to the monk’s Zen Room alone. As soon as she entered, the old monk’s eyes immediately fixed on her food box.

Chen Afu placed the two food boxes on his bed, and he impatiently opened them up, taking out a small cucumber to eat.

"Hmm, it’s crisp and sweet. It’s delicious, and the flavor is indeed much better than normal cucumbers," said the old monk. He then asked, "Female donor, you wouldn’t pay a visit to the Three Treasures Hall without a cause. Surely you’re not just here to give me these unusual cucumbers?"

Chen Afu laughed, "Well, I do have a favor to ask of Master. I have some top-quality seeds that I’ve cultivated. I hope Master can own them so that I can say to others that these were grown by Master."

The old monk blinked, put his hands together, and said, "Amitabha Buddha. Monks do not utter false words. How can you ask me to lie?"

Chen Afu noticed the glint in his eyes while maintaining a serious facade, which annoyed her. But remembering that she needed his help, she had no choice but to smile and say, "Master, if I managed to cultivate good breeds, not only the common people of Dashun will benefit, but Master would also be able to taste different grains, fruits, and vegetables, wouldn’t you?"

The old monk said, "Even if I don’t help, I’d still be able to taste the good breeds once you’ve cultivated them." Seeing Chen Afu become anxious, he quickly added, "What I mean is, if you want my help, I have to get something from it too. Surely I can’t work for free?"

Chen Afu was taken aback, "Master, you’re a revered monk. How could you say such undignified words?"

The old monk chuckled, "You don’t understand. A revered monk isn’t just about appearances but also about the cultivation that manifests unconsciously. Most of the people who seem like revered monks are just pretending."

His explanation left Chen Afu speechless. She continued, "Master, what I’m asking you to do is a good deed for the masses. Monks should be compassionate; regardless of whether they are revered monks, they should be willing to do these good deeds. Especially revered monks like you, whose cultivation unconsciously manifests, should perform more good deeds."