Chapter 47

Chapter 47

The Eighth Day of the Month.

Clear weather.

Auspicious for burial, memorial ceremonies, delivering the coffin to the grave, and inappropriate for--

A brothel in the county caught fire.

The fire was raging fiercely.

The flames were as bright as the scorching sun.

The blazing fire consumed the dark corners.

Warming the buried bones of many unknown young girls under the ground.

The bones that never received sunlight would be cold.

A fire was just what they needed.

...

The grand Buddha statue at Qingyuan Temple was shining brilliantly under the sun.

My merciful Buddha saves all beings.

They ate vegetarian meals.

Bowed to the Buddha.

Chanted sutras.

And made generous donations.

After spending a night there,

Jiang Wan and her grandmother headed back to their mansion.

Jiang Wan did not seem very happy, feeling that she had missed something profound.

Moreover, she did not sleep well the previous night, dreaming of the Buddha's tears falling like stones, hitting her head and causing it to bleed.

She saw an infant's face several times in her dreams, waking up in fright repeatedly.

In the morning, she did not look well.

When her grandmother asked about it,

She only said she was not used to sleeping in the temple's guest room, which was not as comfortable as home, but did not mention her nightmares.

She knew her grandmother disliked hearing unpleasant things.

So she chose to share something pleasant instead.

"There was a small tree in the temple that smelled wonderful. The master said it was a myrtle, with a calming fragrance. Grandmother, I asked someone to transplant it into a pot and bring it back to place in the Buddha hall."

The Old Lady nodded in agreement.

She seemed to have slept poorly as well, with half-closed eyes.

After returning to the mansion, there were quite a few matters to attend to.

The Lady of the House, Wu, did not manage any household affairs as long as her husband treated her well and she had no authority over the household.

There was one rather important matter.

The bodyguard of Rong Young Master, Wu Liu, had gone missing for three days.

Wu Liu had been diligently guarding the young master, but recently had a conflict with Jiang Feng.Nêww chapters will be fully updated at novelhall.com

This matter involving Jiang Feng caused the Old Lady's brow to furrow deeply.

With the least number of patches possible.

Even so, they all looked quite unkempt and disheveled.

Some had injured faces, some had missing limbs, and others were lame.

Their demeanor was also lacking, standing without proper posture and sitting without grace. Moreover, due to nervousness, they displayed unsightly behavior.

After all, they were just wayward youths, street urchins without any education or exposure to the world.

Their origins and knowledge were far inferior to the bodyguards of those young masters.

On ordinary days, they would not even dare to beg for leftovers at Qingfeng Restaurant.

Yet today, they had ascended to the upper floor.

Feeling constrained.

In fact, the two young masters mainly wanted to invite Jiang Feng.

But Jiang Feng did not accept the invitation alone, instead bringing his friends along.

This action of his did not make Meng Shaoxia and He Chen feel that he was overstepping, but rather appreciate his loyalty, considering him a decent person.

Jiang Feng did not have particularly extensive knowledge, only sharing some local customs, scenery of the nearby mountains, speaking in a composed manner without being arrogant or humble. His pleasant voice, clear gaze, and good impression won him favor.

"I was worried that you would not be able to come today, seeing how injured you were yesterday. By the way, how are your sisters doing?" Meng Shaoxia asked.

"My elder sister was quite frightened last night and had a low fever, but she recovered in the morning. My younger sister is alright. Thank you, young masters, for your brave assistance. We brothers have a bad reputation in the county, so if we had turned those traffickers in to the authorities, we might have been caned first before they were accused of false charges," Jiang Feng responded with a wry smile.

Meng Shaoxia and He Chen were not surprised, for although they were young masters, their wealthy upbringing and extensive knowledge allowed them to understand the predicament faced by Jiang Feng and his companions.

Hearing Jiang Feng speak so candidly only made them appreciate his honesty even more.

As Jiang Feng spoke, he took out two packages wrapped in leaves, about the size of bricks, tied with ropes and each adorned with a small red cloth square.

They looked plain yet beautiful.

"These are gifts of gratitude from my sisters to you two, young masters. We are poor and have nothing of value, so it is just some smoked and dried game meat from our hunting in the mountains. If you are traveling and cannot find lodging, it can serve as provisions."

Meng Shaoxia and He Chen had never received such humble gifts before.

Dried game meat?

But seeing the respectful young man before them, without a hint of shame and full of sincerity, cherishing the game meat as a treasure,

Recalling how his friends wolfed down the food, though Jiang Feng ate quickly, they did not seem to have their fill.

They were quite astonished.

After their journey, the two young masters no longer uttered such phrases as "How can one not consume finer delicacies?"

So this impoverished gift must be truly precious for Jiang Feng.

The gift was valuable, and the sentiment even more so.

They gladly accepted the gifts.

Initially, He Chen only took an interest in Jiang Feng because of his brother Meng's favorable impression. But now, he genuinely liked this young man as well.

Doing good deeds is a pleasant thing, satisfying one's expectations of oneself.

Doing good deeds and receiving gratitude from the beneficiaries is a more pleasant experience, fulfilling one's expectations of this world.

Meng Shaoxia looked at the dried meat, thinking to herself, "The little girl's words are indeed unreliable. At first, she said she would offer herself, then she pushed her brother forward, but now even her brother is not offered, and it's just a package of dried meat."

The little square of red cloth on the dried meat looked quite adorable.

The little round face smiled.

...