Transmigrated into the Scumbag Ex-Wife of the Prime Minister - Chapter 14

The distant mountains were a deep, misty blue, the river wide and vast. Morning light pierced the sky, and a faint glow scattered from the thin fog onto the river surface, dispersing the boundless mist and ripples raised by the gentle breeze.

Aside from a few ferry boats, there were also many private pleasure boats belonging to wealthy families on the river.

White Cloud Temple was a century-old ancient monastery, quite famous within Qingzhou.

Master Huineng in the temple had entered monastic life at the age of three, practiced for over eighty years, and possessed extremely profound knowledge of Buddhism, thoroughly understanding Mahayana Buddhism.

Grand Master Huineng gave lectures on the fifteenth of every month at White Cloud Temple. On this day, not only people from Binhe County but also countless devotees from other regions would specifically rush to White Cloud Temple to listen.

The small boat drifted gently. After about two quarters of an hour, they arrived at the ferry crossing of Guangji Island.

Guangji Island covered over two thousand acres, with a small mountain range on the island, and White Cloud Temple was built at the highest peak.

Stepping off the ferry, a wide mountain path greeted their eyes.

White Cloud Temple had many followers, and some benevolent and charitable people had funded the repair of the road, changing the winding mountain path into a flat, gentle slope. This not only made walking easier but also allowed for carriages and horses to pass.

Although it was still early, there were already many pilgrims on the mountain path, and scattered vendors along both sides of the path were hawking their goods: food, fruits, incense, and spirit money—everything was available.

This was Tangtang’s first time going out with her two mothers. From the moment they boarded the boat, she had been fluttering her large eyes, clutching the cloth tiger bought by Lu Sheng, and curiously peering left and right from Qi Zhenshu’s shoulder.

She especially loved that cloth tiger; except when Qi Zhenshu strictly prohibited her from holding it while practicing calligraphy or eating, the little one would take it wherever she went.

Lu Sheng noticed she kept looking at the bright red berries at the small stalls, so she casually bought a handful—eight berries for five copper coins, packaged in a funnel made of fruit tree leaves.

These berries were wild fruits from the mountain, about the size of plums. Their skins were very clean, still carrying sparkling water droplets, suggesting the vendor had washed them in a mountain stream.

Lu Sheng took out a handkerchief, wiped one, and handed it to Tangtang.

The little one’s eyes curved into smiles, and she sweetly said, “Thank you, A-Niang.” (A-Niang is a term for mother, often used for the birth mother or primary caregiver, or, as here, the mother not referred to as A-Mu).

Lu Sheng stroked her little head, then handed one to Qi Zhenshu, “You have a berry too.”

Qi Zhenshu glanced at the berry and shook her head, “Let’s eat it when we get up there.”

The mountain on Guangji Island was not very high; they estimated it would take another quarter of an hour to reach White Cloud Temple.

“You’ve been holding her the whole way; let me hold her for a while.”

She directly placed the berry in Qi Zhenshu’s hand, spread her arms, and smiled at Tangtang, saying, “My little treasure has let Niangqin (formal term for mother/mother figure) hold her for a long time. Now, shall A-Niang hold you?”

After the parent-child activity of drying herbs ‘to earn money to support Niangqin’ yesterday, Tangtang had become much closer to Lu Sheng.

This time, she didn’t look back at Qi Zhenshu for permission but actively reached out to Lu Sheng, “A-Niang hold.”

Lu Sheng took the little person, used her handkerchief to wipe away the red juice staining the corner of her mouth, and jokingly teased, “Oh, whose little kitten is this?”

The little person smiled shyly and held the berry up to Lu Sheng’s mouth, “A-Niang eat too.”

“Thank you, my treasure.”

Lu Sheng took a bite of the berry from her chubby little hand. The flesh was crisp and sweet, with a texture somewhat like a crisp peach, but richer and juicier than a peach.

The woman’s face was delicate and pretty, her smile bright like spring peach blossoms. The little person in her arms was obedient and adorable, attracting many curious and envious glances from passersby.

Except for a pair of deep brown pupils that resembled Qi Zhenshu’s, Tangtang’s facial features and appearance were exactly like Lu Sheng’s. Even strangers could tell at a glance that the two were a mother and daughter.

Looking at the two faces that were getting along so well and looked so alike, Qi Zhenshu was momentarily lost in thought.

In the earliest days, she had thought that maternal instinct would awaken Lu Sheng’s affection for the child, and she had also fantasized that one day Lu Sheng would be like today, holding the child and smiling with full maternal love.

But she never got her wish.

Until today, when this scene truly unfolded before her, she felt a sense of unreality.

She suddenly wondered if everything that had happened in the past few days was just a dream—a yet incredibly real dream. (a false, absurd, yet incredibly real dream)

When she woke up, the Lu Sheng beside her would still be the one who despised her completely.

“Qi Zhenshu?!”

A clear, wind-chime-like voice pulled Qi Zhenshu back from her wandering thoughts.

“What’s wrong with you? What are you thinking about so intently?”

“Nothing.”

Lifting her eyes and seeing the magnificent roof of the temple’s main hall, Qi Zhenshu realized they had reached the end of the flat mountain path. From here, they would continue up the flight of blue stone steps.

Lu Sheng noticed that Qi Zhenshu was often lost in thought and seemed preoccupied, but every time she asked, Qi Zhenshu would only reply with “Nothing.”

Da, da, da.

An exquisite carriage stopped beside them. As soon as the carriage stopped, the beaded curtain was lifted.

“Finally, we’ve arrived. This journey, first swaying on the boat and then the bumpy mountain road, my bones feel like they’re going to shake apart.”

Accompanying this complaint, a figure in red impatiently jumped down from the carriage.

It was a girl about ten years old.

The girl wore a light red long skirt, embroidered with large red peonies on the hem. Her head was adorned with scattered jade hairpins, and jade pendants and yingluo (ornamental necklace/chain) were tied around her waist, exuding an air of nobility.

The beaded curtain slightly moved, and a woman dressed as a maid stepped down from the carriage.

After the maid got off, she hooked the beaded curtain to one side, and another woman, dressed in a lake-blue cloud brocade long skirt, descended from the carriage.

The woman’s hair was coiled up high, with a white jade hairpin inserted in her tresses. Her features were as beautiful as a painting, her face like smooth jade, and her demeanor and temperament were proper and graceful.

Leaning on the maid’s hand, the woman stepped off the carriage, slightly raised her delicate eyebrows, and gently reprimanded the girl, “Why are you so impetuous? Have you forgotten what you promised me at home?”

The girl stood perfectly straight, stuck out her tongue, and said playfully, “I know, Aunt.”

The woman gave her a helpless, scolding look, then turned around, her gaze meeting Lu Sheng’s squarely.

She paused slightly, then gently nodded towards Lu Sheng.

At this moment, it was Lu Sheng who was stunned. The woman’s reaction suggested they were acquainted, but Lu Sheng couldn’t recall this face appearing in the original owner’s memory.

“A-Niang, hands are dirty.”

Tangtang wrinkled her little eyebrows and held up her small, chubby hands, which were stained with red berry juice.

Lu Sheng withdrew her gaze, took out a handkerchief from her bosom, and said with a gentle smile, “A-Niang will wipe them for her little treasure.”

The woman watched as Lu Sheng meticulously wiped each of her daughter’s fingers, her movements gentle and very thorough.

She watched like this for quite a while, her gaze sweeping past Qi Zhenshu behind Lu Sheng, before the woman turned to the girl and said, “Let’s go. Weren’t you afraid we would arrive late and not get a good spot?”

After speaking, she gracefully walked up the steps. The girl rolled her eyes, looked at her aunt’s back, then looked at Lu Sheng again, and finally followed.

“Aunt, do you know that person just now?”

“Considered an old acquaintance.”

The woman’s tone was soft and gentle, sounding easy-going yet concealing a faint melancholy of regret.

Lu Sheng was still playfully chatting with Tangtang and did not hear the woman’s words. However, Qi Zhenshu, who had noticed her early on, clearly heard the phrase “considered an old acquaintance.”

Her brow furrowed slightly as she speculated on the woman’s identity.

From the woman’s words, she knew Lu Sheng, but Lu Sheng’s reaction clearly indicated she did not recognize her.

Who was this person? And how did she know Lu Sheng?

Qi Zhenshu had an excellent memory and would not forget anyone she had met. She was certain that after she came to the Lu family at the age of twelve, she had never seen this person around Lu Sheng.

The silk worn by the aunt and niece was expensive cloud brocade, costing ten taels of silver per chi (Chinese unit of length, roughly a foot).

Looking across Binhe County, those who could afford to wear cloud brocade were few and far between.

There were many children from wealthy families in the academy Qi Zhenshu attended, and she had heard a bit about the prominent families in the county, but none matched the identity of this aunt and niece.

Could they be tourists from outside the county?

If they were outsiders, how could they be an old acquaintance of Lu Sheng? Lu Sheng had never left Binhe County in her life.

Seeing Qi Zhenshu start to frown and ponder again, Lu Sheng sighed helplessly and softly called her, “Qi Zhenshu.”

“Sorry, I was just thinking about something.”

Qi Zhenshu pulled her thoughts back and said apologetically to her, “Let’s go up.”

Before they even reached the temple gate, a long and profound chanting resonated in their ears; it must be the monks of White Cloud Temple performing their morning prayers.

“A-Niang, I can walk by myself.”

After climbing the last flight of steps, little Tangtang consciously wriggled her small bottom, wanting to get down and walk by herself.

“Good girl, my treasure is so obedient.”

Lu Sheng smiled and put her down. As soon as she looked up, she met Qi Zhenshu’s deep eyes.

Throughout the journey, Lu Sheng’s face showed no difference, nor did she exhibit any signs of discomfort.

Since she dared to come to the temple, she was certainly not possessed by a fox spirit or some other dirty thing.

Qi Zhenshu quietly sighed with relief, the worries of the past few days gradually dissipating.

The place for offering Ever-Burning Lamps at White Cloud Temple was a natural cave formed in the mountain wall. Inside the cave was a stone statue of a reclining Buddha, and in front of the statue were countless flickering Ever-Burning Lamps.

The Ever-Burning Lamps only cost ten copper coins each. After being lit and placed in front of the Buddha statue, the monks in the temple would later help replenish the oil to keep them burning perpetually.

Inside the cave, Lu Sheng encountered the aunt and niece they had met earlier.

The young girl had requested two new lamps to offer in front of the Buddha statue. At this moment, her expression was sorrowful, completely losing the playful appearance she had before.

The woman, too, looked somber. She personally took an oil pot from the cave and added oil to an already lit Ever-Burning Lamp in front of the Buddha statue.

After Lu Sheng and the others finished offering their Ever-Burning Lamps, Qi Zhenshu went to ask for an amulet.

In truth, ever since that day, Tangtang would often wake up startled at night, so Qi Zhenshu wanted to get an amulet for her to calm her fears.

Lu Sheng was unaware of this, merely thinking Qi Zhenshu had asked for a Peace Talisman for the child, and she actively and voluntarily donated one hundred wen (copper coins) as offering money.

Qi Zhenshu squatted down to put it on Tangtang. The little one held the amulet in both hands, curiously asking, “What is this?”

“With this, our little treasure Tangtang will grow up healthy and strong,” Lu Sheng interjected with a smile.

Qi Zhenshu looked up and gave her a look of unknown meaning, her eyes carrying a familiar coolness that Lu Sheng knew well.

Lu Sheng was bewildered by the look, not knowing why this person had suddenly given her the cold shoulder.

Qi Zhenshu ignored her, leaning close to Tangtang’s ear and quietly whispering something.

Tangtang looked up at Lu Sheng, a happy smile spreading across her face, and nodded heavily, replying, “Mhm!”

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