Chapter 205: Sincerity Works Wonders

In Mingquan Garden, Wu Yun lay quietly at the window root, his eyes following the figures that came and went.

Xiao Man hummed a song rumor from the streets and alleys of the Ning Dynasty while wiping the table: "Troubling his rich and noble family, happy people face disaster, some things are not up to you, but rather a bad heart. People's words are not necessarily all true, listen to only three parts. Rest with those who are small as enemies, small people have their own opponents."

The long song rumor didn't end, and Xiao Man, like a little bee, flew back and forth in the house, wiping even the edges and corners clean.

Wu Yun didn't see anything new, so he slowly closed his eyes for a nap. A cat needs to sleep eight hours a day, and if you sleep and sleep, a day will pass.

Xiao Man turned her head and saw Wu Yun's eyes closed. She sneakily approached, wanting to hug him down from the window root. But before she could get close, Wu Yun already opened his eyes and looked at her coldly. Xiao Man put her hands behind her back and hummed a song again, walking away as if nothing had happened.

"This fox servant of the young master is strange and strange..."

Just as she was muttering, a sound came from outside the door: "Xiao Man, Xiao Man, open the door!"

Xiao Man's eyes lit up: "Sister Li Qiu."

She ran over to open the door. Li Qiu outside the door mysteriously pulled her inside.

After they entered the house, Xiao Man hesitated: "Sister Li Qiu, why so mysterious?" Li Qiu said in a low voice: "There's a good thing, a pie falling from the sky, just see if you want to take it or not."

Xiao Man pursed her lips: "Even if a pie falls from the sky, I may not have the good fortune to be hit by it."

Transmigrating to become an heir, after saying this, she wanted to turn around and wipe the table. Li Qiu grabbed her arm and dragged her back forcefully: "Why not listen to what the good thing is first before saying anything?"

Xiao Man said lazily: "What's the matter?"

Li Qiu lowered her voice: "Someone is paying money. They'll give you two taels of silver every month. You just need to tell me the news of when your young master goes out and when he returns home. If you can know what your young master likes, and who he hangs out with, they can add three more taels."

Xiao Man widened her eyes: "Five taels of silver every month!"

Li Qiu's eyes shone with joy: "How about it? You get paid for doing such a small thing. When you have enough money for two years, you can get married, and you won't have to worry for the rest of your life."

Xiao Man's fingers gripped the cloth tightly: "No, no, Sister Li Qiu, you also know that although my young master is useless, he treats me very well. I can't do this to him."

Li Qiu was anxious: "What's so good? Have you forgotten how hard it was for you to pour night pots and brush toilet buckets for the past two years? Those masters who truly treat us as people, are you still loyal and cheap or not cheap?"

Xiao Man's face was hesitant.

Seeing that there was a chance, Li Qiu quickly rolled up Xiao Man's sleeve: "Look at the frostbite on your hands, and look at your chapped lips. You still wanted to buy some rouge and cream from the East Market before, but you couldn't bear to. Now if you take the money, you can not only buy rouge and cream, but also the best stone dai to draw your eyebrows, and the best bath beans to wash your face, and it will smell fragrant after washing."

Xiao Man said in a low voice: "That's still not right, I can't harm my young master."

Li Qiu hated that she wasn't stronger: "Little hoof, what are you pretending about with me? I still know what kind of person you are. Say, how much do you want?"

Xiao Man spoke with a definite tone: "Ten taels."

Li Qiu grabbed her wrist and they struck a deal: "It's settled!"

After saying this, she took down her purse and took out ten pieces of silver peanuts from inside.

Xiao Man held them with both hands, her eyes shining from the silver peanuts: "So many! Sister Li Qiu, the employer didn't give only ten taels, did they? How much were you originally planning to take from this matter?"

Li Qiu was a little awkward: "I can't run this trip for free, can I? Sister has taken care of you for two years, you should at least let sister earn some dowry for her old age. Moreover, with this matter, I can also return to the capital with the Chen family. Luo City is boring, where is it as interesting as the capital?"

Xiao Man's eyes rolled: "Who is the employer?"

Li Qiu was vigilant: "Do you understand the rules or not? Can I tell you? You just need to do your job well."

Xiao Man hummed: "Okay, Sister Li Qiu. After this, when the young master goes out, when he returns home, what he likes, and who he goes with, I will quietly tell you everything."

"I didn't love you for nothing, let's go!" Li Qiu smiled happily and left with a wave of fragrant wind.

Xiao Man poked her head out to confirm that she had walked far, then quickly lowered her head and counted the silver peanuts in her hand repeatedly, afraid of miscounting.

She looked at Wu Yun on the window lattice, smiled with narrowed eyes, revealing two small tiger teeth, and carefully stuffed all the silver peanuts into her embrace.

"All for the ritual of being a child, warm in winter and cool in summer, dusk settled and morning inspected. The so-called morning and dusk settled and inspected means that the filial way requires children to greet their parents in the morning and attend to their sleep in the evening, helping their parents wash their feet and make their beds."

Outside the Buddha hall, Chen Ji and Chen Wen Zong stood respectfully and bowed: "Chen Ji greets Madam."

"Wen Zong greets Mother."

Madam Liang sat cross-legged in the Buddha hall, not turning her head, and said warmly: "Chen Ji has really grown up these past two years in the medical hall. Before you came to greet me dragging your feet, but now you've just arrived home and have taken the initiative."

Chen Ji smiled slightly: "After two years, I've come to understand things a bit more than before."

Madam Liang rose from the cushion, her face full of apology: "Before, it was my negligence in teaching the servants that caused this joke with Wang Gui. Child, I've wronged you."

Chen Ji bowed without changing his expression: "Madam doesn't need to blame herself. There are small people everywhere, and you have so many things to worry about every day. It's understandable that some people might find a loophole."

Madam Liang sighed: "It's good that you can understand. Last night, I felt guilty and couldn't sleep all night. I read the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra several times before my heart calmed down a little. Buddhist studies are truly great wisdom, they can make us return to our original, pure heart."

Chen Ji was a little confused. If you feel guilty, just apologize to me. Why suddenly bring up Buddhist studies?

Madam Liang changed the subject and said: "Come, Wen Zong, Chen Ji, you don't need to study lessons today. Accompany me in reading the Buddhist scriptures, it will be good for you too."

Chen Wen Zong respectfully replied: "Yes, I will follow Mother's arrangements."

Chen Ji's heart skipped a beat. This Madam Liang was being punished and repenting in the Buddha hall herself, and she was unwilling. One must know that for the main mother of the household to be punished and repent in the Buddha hall is already a great loss of face. If she couldn't regain this face later, her dignity would be swept away in front of the servants.

Now, she had found a flawless reason to keep him in the Buddha hall as well.

But Chen Wen Zong had already agreed, so he fundamentally had no way to refuse.

Chen Ji agreed and sat cross-legged on the cushion with Chen Wen Zong.

Chen Wen Zong asked: "Mother, which one should we read today?"

Madam Liang said softly: "Then let's read the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra that I read last night. Recite it softly, and if your heart is sincere, it will be effective."

Chen Wen Zong nodded: "Okay."

Chen Ji thought to himself, this is not good.

Reading the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra straight through, a familiar person would take half an hour, but an unfamiliar person could take an hour.

It seemed he was going to suffer this silent loss.

Early in the morning, the three sat side by side on cushions and began to read. After Chen Wen Zong finished reading, he sat calmly nurturing his spirit, waiting for Chen Ji.

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

Just as he was about to get up and say goodbye to Madam Liang, he saw Madam Liang get up and pour a cup of tea for the two of them: "Come, drink some tea to quench your thirst. After a while, we'll read the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra."

Chen Ji's eyes twitched slightly. Although he hadn't read the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra, he knew it was one of the longest sutras in the world. The Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra was only seventeen thousand words, but the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra had six hundred volumes, totaling four million eight hundred thousand words.

Madam Liang was determined to keep him in the Buddha hall to vent her anger.

Chen Wen Zong took the tea cup and took a few shallow sips: "Thank you Mother for the tea."

After saying this, he returned to the cushion again and took out a volume of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra.

Seeing this, Chen Ji drank the tea in one gulp, also sat down, and casually picked up a volume.

This time, the three people read from morning until the sun was high in the sky. Chen Ji read until his mouth and tongue were dry, his head was dizzy and his eyes were dim.

Madam Liang gently wiped the corner of her mouth with her sleeve: "Okay, your filial hearts are evident today. Go back. Come again tomorrow."

Chen Wen Zong was about to get up, but Chen Ji pulled him back: "Elder Brother, wait."

Chen Wen Zong asked curiously: "What is it?"

Chen Ji sat cross-legged on the cushion and said sincerely: "Elder Brother, perhaps it was because I didn't understand the great wisdom within the sutras in the past that I felt bored. Today, by reading two volumes of the sutra, I feel as if I've understood something. I have a kind of joyful feeling. Why don't we stay here today and accompany Madam to read a few more volumes?"

Chen Wen Zong's eyes brightened: "Is that true?"

Chen Ji said seriously: "It's true."

Madam Liang smiled and stopped them: "No, no, you two have already read a lot today. You need to know that in pursuing the path of being a person, if you desire speed, you won't reach it. You absolutely cannot be greedy for more and rush forward."

Chen Wen Zong shook his head: "Mother, this is not being greedy for more and rushing forward. Third Brother couldn't get into the sutras in the past. He said it was like looking at a heavenly book, which worried Father. Now that he can find joy in reading, how can we not fulfill his wish? We should strike while the iron is hot!"

After saying this, Chen Wen Zong sat down cross-legged again, took a volume of the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra and started reading. Chen Ji also picked up a volume and recited it word by word, seriously.

A moment later, Chen Ji saw that Madam Liang hadn't moved for a long time, so he stopped and asked curiously: "Madam, are you not reading?"

Chen Wen Zong also stopped and said: "Mother, let me pick a volume for you."

Madam Liang smiled and took the sutra handed over by Chen Wen Zong: "Okay, then Mother will accompany you in reading for a while."

Chen Ji suddenly said: "If your heart is sincere, it will be effective."

Madam Liang's mouth opened slightly, and after a long time, she still didn't speak. She lowered her head and began reading the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra. She originally had a habit of resting at noon, but today she didn't get any sleep.

The three people read from noon until evening. Chen Ji would change to a new volume after finishing one. Chen Wen Zong was still steady. By the time Chen Ji had read three volumes, he had already read six volumes.

Whenever Chen Ji had something he didn't understand, he would explain it one by one.

Chen Ji thought to himself, this Elder Brother's learning is indeed worthy of being the best in classics in Yu State, the Jie Yuanlang.

By evening, Madam Liang's voice was no longer warm. She said calmly: "Let's stop reading here for today."

Chen Ji shook his head: "Madam, this is exactly the time to strike while the iron is hot. I am now thirsty for knowledge and want to read a few more volumes."

Madam Liang was silent for a moment: "Okay."

Inside the Buddha hall, maids and nannies lit more than ten lamps, illuminating the golden Buddha statue with golden and jade splendor.

Under the solemn Buddha statue, Chen Ji and Madam Liang were clearly reading sutras, but their faces became fiercer the more they read. Only Chen Wen Zong enjoyed it and was not tired.

At midnight, at the Zi hour, Chen Ji slowly closed the Mahāprajñāpāramitā Sūtra in his hand. Madam Liang immediately asked: "Chen Ji, are you tired of reading?"

Chen Ji took a deep breath, changed to another volume and held it in his hand: "Madam, if your heart is sincere, it will be effective."