19 Ch. 19: Cleaning

"What a shameless temple. How can they preserve such an impeccable reputation when they're forcing us to work as maids just because we don't have money to give them?" Lin Xiao angrily kicked the ground after Nun Ling had smugly left.

"Calm down. This is actually a good thing," Meifeng remarked, watching the last of Nun Ling disappear in the distance.

"Good thing?" Lin Xiao scratched her head in confusion.

"I am pretending to be a young miss whose family died, shouldn't I learn how to act like one?" Meifeng remarked.

"Yes, yes." Meifeng's subordinate replied hesitantly. "But why are you still using that act? We have already made it into Yonghe Temple."

Meifeng looked at Lin Xiao, her dark, expressionless eyes taking such a likeness to an abyss that the young daughter had to look away nervously.

"You should know better than me. In this world, without status we are nothing. Dirt. Able to be kicked around and manipulated at will." As if to accentuate her point, Meifeng pointedly kicked the previously ruined dirt pile with a half-smile.

Lin Xiao's eyes became a little bit red at Meifeng's words. As a pauper who had grown up in a large, wealthy metropolitan city, she had long understood how her commoner status had encumbered her throughout her short life. In her youth, Lin Xiao was fond of sneaking around the wealthier neighborhoods of Jiangnan, where she'd seen tiny shoes embossed with pearls step from luxurious carriages, young girls just like her served by dozens of stern maids. Her stomach had never felt more empty, her clothing never more rough on her skin, as she saw how others had prospered simply because they had crawled out of the right belly.

She had hated her mother briefly, for not being a wealthy madam. She'd hated her brother too, for being able to fly the coup and go to a decent county school with all their available money while Lin Xiao had to starve at home. She recalled how the slaver had so viciously hit her in the face before he had taken her, because to the world, Lin Xiao, no Wan Xiaomei, was worth nothing.

An enthralling voice suddenly spoke right beside her ear amidst her hectic thoughts. She did not know when Meifeng had stepped so close to her that she could faintly smell the icy river they had been forced to bathe in.

"Lin Xiao, you are not your older brother. You are an intelligent girl, but you will never be able to go to school and earn a decent living. I cannot promise you a future filled with wealth, but if you follow me and work diligently, you will get to see and experience a better life. You will get a taste of the power you wish to have but have been prohibited from."

Meifeng pulled back and looked at Lin Xiao, her young subordinate's eyes shining like gems from her unshed tears.

"Benefactor," Lin Xiao responds, her voice thick with tears, "I have already promised to stay with you and repay my debt."

"I know," Meifeng said softly, patting Lin Xiao gently on her back. "But I don't want you to do it because you have to. I want you to do it because you truly wish to. In all honestly, when you broke your hand I considered your debt repaid in my heart."

When had Lin Xiao ever felt such dedication from another person before? Her brother loved her, but she hadn't seen him for many years due to his schooling. She would've said her mother until she realized from Meifeng that her mother had intentionally sold her. Friends her age were few and far between in the small, nameless village her family had moved to.

"I stay with you because I want to. I will follow you forever," Lin Xiao vowed, knowing within her heart that she meant every word.

She did not quite understand her benefactor, and for someone who was a young girl like herself, Meifeng acted quite strange. But it was a strangeness that she was willing to accompany, no matter where it took her.

"That's good, that's good," Meifeng murmured almost to herself, an unreadable glint in her eye. "We will have much fun together, you and I."

System had to double-take at her words. "Fun? Hehe, Master, you are not mistaking the kind of system you are in, are you?"

Meifeng ignored System, as usual, her previous amnesty having worn off.

System did not understand its Master, but as her supervisor of sorts, it was forced to watch her actions. Meifeng and her new friend had entered the nicer courtyards on the western side of Yonghe Temple. The upkeep was a far cry from where the two girls were forced to stay as the construction was well done and protected inhabitants from drafts of cold air.

"These nobles are so lucky," Lin Xiao remarked as she dusted off the sandalwood base of an expensive burner that looked like it alone cost more than twice her family home's worth.

"Nice clothes, nice food, servants. All because they crawled out of the right womb," she muttered angrily to herself. The more time she spent at the temple, the more jealous she was of those who were more fortunate.

"Being jealous won't change your circumstances. Now tell me about Pushan Nun," Meifeng was quick to change the topic, distracting Lin Xiao from the high-quality items in the room.

"Her?" Lin Xiao started, perking up as she divulged information. "Her life story is very interesting. Rumor has it that she was once a noble young miss who married into an important family. But something happened and the family fell overnight, leaving her widowed. Rather than return to her maiden home, she chose to bear the child she was pregnant with and become a nun to pray for the good fortune of the family she had married into. She was highly praised for her actions and later, it was revealed that those who were blessed by her would be able to overcome their woes."

Meifeng thought back to the dignified air that had surrounded the refined woman and nodded to herself. This kind of backstory was quite fitting for her. But to make a name for herself through religion when she was supposed to be in pious reflection for her husband's family, Meifeng tsked lightly to herself. How much of it was a ruse? How much of it was true? She longed to peel back the serene mask and take a peek at what was behind it. But that would come to pass a little while later.

"Lin Xiao," Meifeng asked after a period of nothing but fervent scrubbing, "How much do you know about men? About their hearts?"

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A man's heart was fickle and easy to move, but difficult to hold firmly. Like trying to catch a butterfly, only for it to fly further from your grasp.

Many noblewomen who married found this to be true, as they overcame their delusions of finding a perfect union and settled for ensuring they bore their husband's heir. This was doubly true for Madam Fang, who had watched her husband's eye fall from one flower to the next ceaselessly for the past 20 years. She'd had to diligently watch from behind and carefully prune the flowers behind Magistrate Wen's back, so they could never fully blossom. As such, Wen Chuyi was the only boy to grow to adulthood within the illustrious family's rear court.

And yet, Wen Chuyi had too taken after his father.

"Madam, the young master is still a boy. In a few years, you will soon see the fruits of your labor," a trusted servant murmured to her as she could hear the giggling and fooling around from her son's carriage not far behind her.

Madam Fang let out a long sigh, composing herself with a whiff of the fragrance coating her silk handkerchief. "I hope so. I hope this Pushan Nun is as good as everyone says she is."

Although the road up the small hill to Yonghe Temple was bumpy, the expensive carriages of the Wen family were well-equipped and minimized the shaking. When Madam Fang exited, she appeared just as rosy as she always did, although the powder and rouge could not cover up the slight haggardness around her eyes. Her eyes had always been her most beautiful feature and the first to lose their luster as she had aged. Thus, whenever a concubine with lovely eyes lost favor with Magistrate Wen, the first thing Madam Fang took were her eyes.

Behind her, Wen Chuyi was helped down from his carriage, his clothing straightened out although a few red marks were visible above his collar. Madam Fang noticed the slovenly appearance of her son, glaring pointedly at the maid that climbed out after him with a glowing face. In her eyes, all these lowly women were the same. The number of maids and servants who attempted to climb in her husband's and son's beds were many. And many succeeded. But she did not mind pruning flowers for her son as well.

Her trusted servant understood the look in her madam's eyes and preemptively bowed. "I will give her the soup when we return to the manor."

Madam Fang nodded once and turned to face the welcoming nuns of Yonghe Temple with a cheerful expression as if nothing had happened. If nothing else, she had to maintain her virtuous reputation and find her son a good wife to manage his growing garden.

The latest addition to Wen Chuyi's collection, a lowly maid who was always a little too dedicated at washing his feet, was not the same as the young woman who had accompanied him back from the hot springs to Jiangnan. Wen Chuyi went through women like a scholar through sheets of paper. In addition to being lusty, the young man was stupid as well. All a clever maid with a decent appearance needed to do was whine about the sorrows of her difficult life and undo a few ties of her clothes to get bedded out of pity.

He had just finished another round with this particular maid within the courtyards they had just settled in even though it wasn't dark yet. The girl was young, but her eyes had a coquettish spark as she wrapped her body in the sheets and stared at Wen Chuyi. Looking at the way the soft sheets melted against the beautiful maid's curves, the young master felt a hungry sensation.

"Alright, you little temptress. One more time," Wen Chuyi was already midway through jumping on the bed when he saw it. A shadow. It was midafternoon in the winter, meaning there was little sun, but he could see the faint shape of a person's figure behind the paper window.

"Heavens!" he yelled abruptly, jumping back and tripping over the inner trousers he had pulled around his ankles.

The maid on the bed similarly jumped from the outburst.

"Young master, what is it?" she whined.

"The-There was a person behind the window. I saw their shadow. What if-" a look of horror crossed his face, "What if my mother sent someone to check on me. Oh, this is no good at all. Help me get dressed immediately!"

Wen Chuyi was a fool, but he wasn't foolish enough to miss his mother's stealthy butchery of the women in the rear court. The young ambitious maid had also heard some rumors, and her face went white as she immediately dressed Wen Chuyi and wiped stubborn vermillion stains from his inner clothes. Crouched behind the window, Lin Xiao stifled a giggle at the mayhem occurring inside.

Her actions proved to serve Wen Chuyi's luck for scarcely had a few minutes gone by after their frantic dressing did a young manservant posted by the door rush in and announce his mother. Seeing how Madam Fang practically glowed at the sight of her son actually using the expensive brushes he owned and practicing calligraphy set the young master on edge.

He was noticeably sullen as he donned his fur-lined outer robe and accompanied Madam Fang to prayer, forced to leave his new plaything behind. However, Wen Chuyi's attitude was akin to that of a poorly behaved child. The incense was thick within the temple, the sound of the constant striking of the wooden fish gave him a headache, so he constantly fidgeted on the slim pillow he was forced to kneel on. The young master did not care to pray to his ancestors or whoever his mother wanted him to focus on, a foul air lingered around Wen Chuyi so that even the nuns conducting the prayer would look at him from time to time.

"Aiya!" Wen Chuyi cried in frustration as soon as he felt he couldn't bear it anymore, standing up suddenly.

All talk within the room ceased and Madam Fang cast him a dark glance.

"Uh... sorry. I feel ill so I will return to lay down," Wen Chuyi hastily explained. He stumbled back, nearly tripping on the pillow he'd been kneeling on. His knees ached as he stepped outside to a darkening sky, the daylight much shorter due to winter. He heaved out a huge breath then turned towards the direction of his courtyard in anticipation.

"Beauty, wait for me," he said cheekily to himself, forgetting his previous woes as he jauntily hiked down the freshly swept path towards his saucy maid. He did not see another soul but simply attributed it to being a late hour in the day. The tall bamboo painted a shock of green onto an otherwise white scenery, but the serenity of the temple was wasted on a fellow like Wen Chuyi. He could not have cared less if it weren't for the figure he suddenly saw in between a few stalks.

The moment was all too reminiscent of the shadow he'd seen through the window of his courtyard, sending instant fear through Wen Chuyi. The young man jumped backward immediately because at heart, Wen Chuyi was not a brave man. In actuality, he was, despite his frequent disdain towards Madam Fang, a mama's boy who frequently hid in her skirts whenever there was trouble.

"Heavens!" he yelped, clutching his chest as he leaped in the air from fright. "W-Who is it?"

He could see a slender back, the entire person seated upon a stone that cropped up from the snowy ground. She was not facing him, but he could tell she was a woman for she was garbed in a nun's habit. But most interestingly, he could see her hair, the long tresses pulled into a bun halfway down her back, indicating that she had not fully given herself to Buddha.

Despite his speaking to her, the woman did not turn around at all, instead her figure becoming smaller as if she were curling in on herself. This sight gave Wen Chuyi the confidence to step forward slowly, entirely forgetting his previous destination as he saw the flash of jade white skin from her exposed neck. He reached out a hand and slowly, as if approaching a frightened animal, settled it on her shoulder. It quivered delicately under Wen Chuyi's touch and felt even more slender than it appeared.

He swallowed down his previous fear, his ultimate weakness for women hindering his rationality. Wen Chuyi considered himself a skillful hand at dealing with women, and with all the tenderness and compassion he could muster, the young master asked softly, "Are you alright?"