Green Mountain
Chapter 261 - 205, Sincere Heart Will Be Blessed

Chapter 261: 205, Sincere Heart Will Be Blessed

Within Mingquan Garden, Wu Yun lay quietly on the windowsill, his eyes tracking Xiao Man’s movements back and forth.

As Xiao Man wiped the table, she hummed a folk song from the streets of the Ning Dynasty, "Resentment towards others’ wealth and joy, calamity befalls the carefree folk. Some things are beyond our control, a pity to mar one’s good nature. Not all words spoken are true, heed only a fraction of what you hear. Don’t make enemies with the petty, for those kinds of people have their own adversaries..."

The lengthy song never reached its end; Xiao Man, like a little bee, fluttered about the room, even cleaning each and every corner meticulously.

Seeing nothing more of interest, Wu Yun slowly closed his eyes to sleep. In a twenty-four-hour day, a cat must sleep for sixteen hours; sleeping effortlessly saw the day pass.

Xiao Man turned her head to see Wu Yun with closed eyes and sneaked up on him, intending to lift him from the windowsill. But before she could get close, Wu Yun opened his eyes to regard her coolly, and Xiao Man walked away as if nothing happened, hands behind her back and humming the song.

"That young master’s cat, always so strange..." she murmured.

Then, from outside came a voice: "Xiao Man, Xiao Man, open the door!"

Xiao Man’s eyes brightened: "Sister Li Qiu."

She scurried over to open the door, and there stood Li Qiu, who mysteriously pulled her inside the house.

Once inside, Xiao Man hesitated: "Sister Li Qiu, why are you acting so secretive?"

Li Qiu whispered, "There’s a pie falling from the sky for you, it’s up to you if you want to catch it."

Xiao Man pouted: "A pie falling from the sky could hit me? I’m not that lucky."

After speaking, she turned to wipe the table again, but Li Qiu pulled at her arm, dragging her back: "Why don’t you listen to the opportunity before you dismiss it?"

Xiao Man replied lazily: "What’s the opportunity?"

Li Qiu lowered her voice: "Someone is offering money, two taels of silver a month. All you have to do is inform me when your young master leaves and returns home. If you can find out what your young master likes and who he socializes with, there’d be an extra three taels."

Xiao Man’s eyes widened: "Five taels of silver per month!?"

A gleeful look compressed in Li Qiu’s eyes: "How about it, such easy work for money. Save enough for two years and you won’t have worries for the rest of your life."

Xiao Man’s fingers clenched the rag tightly: "No, no, Sister Li Qiu, you know, although my young master is useless, he treats me well. I can’t do that to him."

Li Qiu became anxious: "Treats you well? Have you forgotten how hard the past two years have been, emptying night pots and scrubbing toilet bowls? Do any of those masters truly consider us as humans? And now, you’re playing the loyal servant?"

Xiao Man looked hesitant.

Seeing an opportunity, Li Qiu hurriedly rolled up Xiao Man’s sleeve: "Look at the chilblains on your hands, and the cracks on your lips. You’ve been longing to buy some rouge cream from the East Market but were too stingy. With this money, you can not only get the rouge but also the best stone powder for your eyebrows, the finest soap to wash your face, smelling fresh after."

Xiao Man whispered, "Still, it’s not right; I can’t harm my young master."

Li Qiu, frustrated, said, "Silly girl, stop putting on this pretense with me. I know exactly what kind of person you are. Tell me, how much do you want?"

Xiao Man’s response was resolute: "Ten taels."

Li Qiu grabbed her wrist and they shook hands, sealing the agreement: "It’s settled then!"

As she spoke, Li Qiu pulled out ten silver peanuts from her wallet.

Xiao Man cradled them in her palms, her eyes illuminated by the silver peanuts: "So much... Sister Li Qiu, the employer must be offering more than ten taels, right? How much were you initially planning to skim from this deal?"

Li Qiu appeared a bit embarrassed: "I can’t just run errands for nothing, can I? I’ve looked after you for two years; it’s only fair that I make some dowry money through you. Besides, now that I’m involved in this, I can return to the Imperial Capital with the Chen family. Luocheng City is so dull compared to the excitement of the Imperial Capital."

Xiao Man’s eyes darted: "Who’s the employer?"

Li Qiu, cautious, replied: "Do you have no manners? Can I actually tell you that? Just do your job and that’s enough."

Xiao Man hummed in agreement: "All right Sister Li Qiu. From now on, whenever the young master leaves or returns home, his preferences, and his associations, I’ll secretly inform you."

Li Qiu left with a beaming smile and a trail of fragrance.

Xiao Man peeked out to make sure she was far away, then quickly bowed her head, counting the silver peanuts in her hand over and over, fearing a mistake.

She glanced at Wu Yun on the windowsill and with a grin revealing her little canines, carefully tucked all the silver peanuts into her bosom.

...

...

"As per the duties of filial children, they should keep their parents warm in winter and cool in summer, be settled by dusk and attentive in the morning."

This so-called morning and evening attentiveness was a requirement of filial piety: children were to greet their parents in the morning and attend to them at bedtime, serving them water for washing feet and making their bed.

Outside the Buddhist hall, Chen Ji and Chen Wenzong stood respectfully, bowing: "Chen Ji pays respect to the Lady."

"Wenzong pays respect to Mother."

Mrs. Liang sat cross-legged inside the Buddhist hall, responding warmly without turning her head: "Chen Ji, these past two years in the Medical Hall, you’ve truly grown up. You used to drag your feet when coming to pay respects, but now that you’ve returned home, you’ve taken the initiative."

Chen Ji smiled faintly: "It’s been two years; I should be more sensible than before."

Mrs. Liang stood up from her cushion, an apologetic expression on her face: "I was too lax in supervising the servants before, which led to that embarrassing situation with Wang Gui. It was unjust to you, my child."

Chen Ji bowed without betraying any emotion: "Lady, there is no need to blame yourself. There will always be scoundrels and gentlemen everywhere. You manage so many affairs every day, it’s understandable for some to take advantage of gaps."

Mrs. Liang, moved, said: "It’s good that you understand. I felt so guilty last night, I couldn’t sleep. I read ’Ksitigarbha’s Vows’ several times before my heart settled a bit. Buddhist teachings are indeed great wisdom, allowing us to return to a peaceful and clear state of mind."

Chen Ji was somewhat confused. "If you felt guilty, an apology would have sufficed. Why suddenly bring up Buddhist studies?"

Mrs. Liang then said, "Come, Wenzong, Chen Ji, you need not focus on your regular studies today. Join me in reading the Buddhist Scripture instead; it will do you good."

Chen Wenzong respectfully agreed, "Yes, I will follow Mother’s arrangements."

Chen Ji’s heart stirred. Mrs. Liang herself was punished to repent in the Buddhist hall, feeling resentful. You should know, for a family’s leading lady to be punished and repent in the Buddhist hall was to lose all face. If she could not regain this respect, her authority would be swept away in front of the servants.

Now she’d found a faultless reason to keep him in the Buddhist hall as well.

Unfortunately, Chen Wenzong had already agreed, and Chen Ji had no way to refuse.

Chen Ji agreed and sat together with Chen Wenzong on the meditation mats.

Chen Wenzong asked, "Mother, which scripture shall we read today?"

Mrs. Liang softly responded, "Let’s read the Ksitigarbha’s Vows that I was reading last night. Chant it softly; a sincere heart will be blessed."

Chen Wenzong nodded, "Alright."

Chen Ji inwardly cursed his luck.

Reading through the Ksitigarbha’s Vows, those familiar with it would take half an hour; those unfamiliar could take an hour.

It seems he’d definitely taken a bad deal here.

Early in the morning, the three of them sat side by side on the meditation mats and began to read. Chen Wenzong was the first to finish, then sat still and patiently, waiting for Chen Ji.

Chen Ji was reading this scripture for the first time, stumbling through it for a full hour, leaving his mouth dry and tongue parched.

Just as he was about to stand up and bid farewell to Mrs. Liang, he saw her rise and pour a cup of tea for each of them, "Have some tea to quench your thirst, we’ll read ’The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra’ in a moment."

Chen Ji’s gaze wavered slightly; although he hadn’t read ’The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra’, he knew it was one of the longest scriptures in the world. Ksitigarbha’s Vows had only seventeen thousand characters, but ’The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra’ had six hundred volumes, amounting to four million eight hundred thousand characters.

Mrs. Liang was determined to air out her grievances by keeping him in the Buddhist hall.

Chen Wenzong picked up a teacup, took a few sips, and thanked her, "Thank you for the tea, Mother."

After that, he returned to his mat and picked up a volume of ’The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra’ to read.

Seeing this, Chen Ji drank his tea in one gulp and sat down, randomly picking a volume as well.

This time, they read from morning until the sun was three poles high, with Chen Ji parched and dizzy.

Mrs. Liang lightly pressed the corners of her mouth with her sleeve, "Alright, your filial piety has been witnessed today. You may go back now and return tomorrow."

Chen Wenzong prepared to stand, but Chen Ji held him back, "Elder brother, wait."

Chen Wenzong asked curiously, "What is it?"

Chen Ji, still sitting on the mat, earnestly said, "Brother, perhaps in the past I found it dull because I didn’t grasp the profound wisdom in the scriptures. Today, having read through two volumes of the Buddhist Scripture, I feel as though I’ve comprehended something, experiencing a sense of exhilaration. Why don’t we stay and read a few more volumes with Lady Mother today?"

Chen Wenzong’s eyes sparkled, "Are you serious?"

Chen Ji said sincerely, "I am."

Mrs. Liang, smiling, interjected, "That will not do. You two have already read plenty today. In the affairs of life, haste does not bring success, and one must not be greedy and rash."

Chen Wenzong shook his head, "Mother, this is not greed or recklessness. My younger brother used to find no meaning in reading, like he was looking at books in heaven; it worried Father terribly. Now that he’s found joy in reading, how can we not encourage him? We must strike while the iron is hot!"

With that, Chen Wenzong sat back down, picked another volume of ’The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra’, and started reading. Chen Ji too selected a volume and focused intently, with meaningful articulation.

Moments later, when Chen Ji noticed Mrs. Liang had not moved, he paused and asked curiously, "My Lady, aren’t you reading?"

Chen Wenzong also stopped and offered, "Mother, let me pick a volume for you."

Mrs. Liang accepted the scripture Chen Wenzong handed her with a smile, "Alright, then I will join you for a while longer."

Suddenly, Chen Ji said, "A sincere heart will be blessed."

Mrs. Liang’s mouth opened slightly; after a long silence, she began to read the ’Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra’, foregoing her usual afternoon rest.

The three of them read from noon until evening, Chen Ji finishing one volume after another. Chen Wenzong’s pace was stable; in the time it took Chen Ji to read three volumes, he had finished six.

Whenever Chen Ji encountered something he didn’t understand, Chen Wenzong could explain each one.

Chen Ji pondered that his brother’s knowledge truly justified his title as the top scorer and champion of Henan Province.

As evening approached, Mrs. Liang’s voice was no longer gentle. She calmly suggested, "Shall we stop here for today?"

Chen Ji shook his head, "My Lady, now is the time to strike while the iron is hot. I am thirsty for knowledge and would like to read a few more volumes."

Mrs. Liang was silent for a moment before agreeing, "Alright."

In the Buddhist hall, maids and nannies lit over ten candles, which cast the gilt Buddha statue in a resplendent glow.

Beneath the solemn Buddha statue, Chen Ji and Mrs. Liang, while reading the Buddhist Scripture, had expressions growing fiercer, but Chen Wenzong alone was like a fish in water, untiring.

When late at night, at around 9 to 11 PM, Chen Ji slowly closed ’The Great Perfection of Wisdom Sutra’ he was reading, Mrs. Liang immediately asked, "Chen Ji, are you tired?"

Taking a deep breath, Chen Ji picked up another volume and said, "My Lady, a sincere heart will be blessed."