Chapter 77 - Dark Moon, Wind, and Night

In the mountains of Wolong Temple, when the sky was getting dark in the evening, it started to rain. The rain brought a chill. Gu Yu closed the window and looked at Shen Miao. “Miss, be careful not to catch a cold.”

Jingzhe put on a cloak for Shen Miao and said worriedly, “It’s not easy to walk on the mountain path. If it rains tonight, I wonder if we can set off tomorrow morning after offering incense. We might have to rest here for another day.”

“It’s not all that bad to stay here one more day.” Gu Yu smiled and said, “The scenery here is very good, and it is very quiet. It’s better than…” She swallowed the rest of her words.

Shen Miao sat at the table and played chess. Now, she liked to play chess more and more. Unfortunately, the servant girls around her didn’t know how to play, so she always played alone. Occasionally, Gu Yu and Jingzhe would find it strange. When their Miss played alone, she would sometimes show some strange expressions, making people feel a chill down their spines.

The door was pushed open, and Nanny Gui walked in with a smile. She held some food in her hand and said with a smile, “Miss, this is the vegetarian food of the temple. Although it’s all vegetarian, it is not bad. I even went to get a bowl of crystal osmanthus soup. The first and second miss have already tasted it and said it tasted good.”

“Oh, leave it there,” Shen Miao said indifferently.

“Miss, you’d better eat it while it’s hot. It won’t taste good if it’s cold.” Nanny Gui picked up the bowl and was about to hand it to Shen Miao.

“Nanny, what’s the hurry?” Jingzhe took the porcelain bowl from Nanny Gui’s hand and said with a smile, “Didn’t Miss tell you to leave it on the table? She is feeling a little uncomfortable and will eat it later.”

Nanny Gui was a little angry, but when she saw that Shen Miao did not seem to be angry with Jingzhe for interrupting, she gritted her teeth. In the past, Shen Miao had always listened to Nanny Gui more than she did to the other maids. If Nanny Gui got into an argument with the girls, Shen Miao would definitely punish the girls first.

Just as she was deep in thought, she suddenly heard Shen Miao say, “Nanny has been with me for 14 years, right?”

Nanny Gui’s heart skipped a beat as she looked at Shen Miao. Coincidentally, Shen Miao also looked over. Her clear eyes were as innocent as ever. Nanny Gui was in a daze.

In the blink of an eye, the baby had grown into a fair girl. Nanny Gui sighed in her heart. Back then, Shen Xin and his wife were on the battlefield all year round and asked her to take good care of Shen Miao. Since then, fourteen years had passed.

“Nanny has been close to me since I was young.” Shen Miao said softly, “I remember one night, I had a fever and it was raining outside. Nanny was worried and ran out to look for a doctor. In the end, you slipped on the way and broke your head, but you endured the pain and insisted on looking for a doctor for me.”

Nanny Gui was stunned and her expression softened. “Miss, you still remember that.”

“Of course I remember. I’ve been with you for more than ten years. I didn’t even spend so much time with my parents. I already treat you as my family.”

“Miss, you flatter me.” Nanny Gui sighed in her heart. She did not expect Shen Miao, who had been cold to her recently, to suddenly be so close to her today. As she sighed, she felt sorry for Shen Miao. Nanny Gui wasn’t always a bad person. When Shen Xin and his wife made her Shen Miao’s nanny, Nanny Gui’s son was not married yet and she did not have a grandson. At that time, she naturally treated Shen Miao as her granddaughter. There were times when she treated Shen Miao sincerely, but… people were selfish. After all, Shen Miao was not her biological granddaughter, and the second branch also promised that if she succeeded, her son and his family wouldn’t have to worry about money for the rest of their life.

On the other hand, Shen Miao couldn’t help her at all. Nanny Gui shook her head and still said with a smile, “Miss, it’s cold at night. It’s better to eat and rest early. When you’re tired, light an incense stick and sleep. Tomorrow morning, you can pray for your parents.”

“Thank you for your concern, Nanny.” Shen Miao smiled, but her smile seemed to have something in it. She said, “Nanny, you can leave. I’ll eat later.”

Nanny Gui wanted to stay for a while longer, but seeing that Shen Miao was chasing her away, she could only leave awkwardly. After she left the room, she walked to the window to eavesdrop.

A moment later, Gu Yu said, “Miss, the food is getting cold.”

“Set the table.”

Immediately after, there was the sound of utensils being put on the table and someone sitting down to eat. Jingzhe asked, “Miss, do you think this soup is good?”

“Not bad.” Shen Miao said, “It suits my taste very well.”

“Then eat more,” Gu Yu said with a smile.

After listening for a while, Shen Miao seemed to have finished eating. The sound of dishes being cleared was heard in the room, and Gu Yu walked out with a food basket. Jingzhe said, “Miss, do you still want to read for a while?”

“I’m a little tired. Go and light the incense,” Shen Miao said in a sleepy voice.

Nanny Gui stood up and heaved a deep sigh of relief. She turned to look at the window again and walked out of the courtyard. When she was out of the courtyard, she couldn’t help but turn around and mutter, “Miss, don’t blame me. If Second Madam wants to deal with you, no one can stop her.”

When Nanny Gui left, she didn’t notice that a man was staring at her back. He looked angrily at Nanny Gui’s back as she left in a hurry.

In the house, Jingzhe looked at Shen Miao worriedly. “Miss, Gu Yu has already gone out. I still don’t understand what you want to do.”

For some reason, Jingzhe felt a little uneasy, as if something was about to happen in this quiet mountain. She asked, “Miss, is Nanny Gui going to do something harmful to you so that you have to put on a show just now?” Jingzhe asked nervously.

Shen Miao looked at the burning incense stick in a daze. The soft crackling sound it made formed a contrast with the dripping rain outside.

Pretending to eat and lighting incense were just a temporary solution. As for why she said that to Nanny Gui, it was not because she was soft-hearted.

Once she took the path of revenge, there was no coming back. Evil people were never worthy of mercy just like the bunch of consorts she dealt with in the herem.

She closed her eyes gently.

“Miss, what do you want to do now?” Seeing that Shen Miao did not answer her, Jingzhe had no choice but to change the topic.

“Waiting.”

“Waiting for what?”

The girl’s eyelashes fluttered and her lips curled up.

“When the moon is dark and the wind is strong.”