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After Third Madam Chu and Chu Lingxuan departed, Fengyuan returned to its usual tranquility.
Every day, around the eighth hour, Chu Hanyan and Chu Lingzhi would come to Fengyuan, where Chen Feng would teach all three children. At noon, the old Marquis would also come to Fengyuan for lunch. After the meal, he would return to Tangyuan alone to rest and would come back in the evening for dinner, after which the elder and the two children would return to Tangyuan.
Chu Lingxuan would visit every few days but always in a rush. He would return only when it was completely dark, with a horse in full gallop, finding excuses to say a few words to Chen Feng and bring gifts for the children before hastily departing again early the next morning.
Despite the infrequent visits and Chu Lingxuan’s apparent rush, Chen Feng felt an increased sense of concern and affection for him. She would stay up late to prepare food for him to eat at the yamen or military camp. Even if they only spent a short moment together, illuminated by a large lantern, both cherished the time. Just a few words of care or a shared smile left them feeling deeply content.
On the 29th of April and the 10th of May, days when Chu Lingxuan should have been on leave, he was absent due to work. This not only disappointed Chu Hanyan but also left Chen Feng feeling a bit lost. Only Chen Dabao, covering his mouth, sneaked a little laugh.
On the 12th of May, Mr. Liao, the tutor, a Jinshi Scholar whom the kids had been eagerly anticipating, finally arrived from the capital.
Mr. Liao was in his fifties, lean, and had a deep gaze that gave the impression of great scholar. Chen Dabao, Chu Lingzhi, and Chen Lu formally became his students.
The study room was set up in the outer courtyard of Tangyuan. Starting from the third watch of the morning, Dabao and Lu would depart from home to attend classes at Tangyuan, with a break every ten days. However, at noon and in the evening, they would still come to Fengyuan for meals with the old Marquis. Chen Feng also invited Mr. Liao, although he declined. In that case, Chen Feng occasionally arranged for some meals to be sent to him.
With only Chu Hanyan as a student, and the already experienced Autumn and Summer to assist, Chen Feng felt more at ease. With little to worry about, she could focus on managing the family’s fields and store, as well as doing some needlework when free.
On the 16th, Chen Feng decided to visit Lingyin Temple the next day. She had some matters to discuss with Mater Wuzhi.
After harvesting all the winter wheat from her 400 mu of land in Wangshan Village, Tenli Town, she planned to plant corn. She also wanted to transfer some of the corn into the space, hoping to cultivate sweet or glutinous corn from her previous life. Additionally, Steward Luo had hinted that Tangyuan wanted to grow more fruits and cucumbers, and if watermelons proved to be good, they were considering growing those as well.
She had already used watermelon seeds, cucumber seeds, rice seeds, and the wheat and corn seeds she planned to use in the future, and she wanted to take them into the space for a few days to cultivate good seeds. She hoped they would not only be delicious but also high-yielding and resistant to diseases, not just to benefit herself but also to provide some advantages for the common people. But she couldn’t say she had bought all these seeds from the foreign lands, could she? The more lies, the harder they are to maintain. She needed someone to help her with this.
After much thought, she concluded that the only person who could help her was Master Wuzhi.
The old monk was a high-ranking monk who frequently traveled far and wide, even to foreign lands. If he acknowledged these seeds and claimed they were obtained from the foreign lands or deep in the mountains, others would believe it, and even if they didn’t believe it, they wouldn’t dare to inquire further.
However, thinking about the greedy old monk made her uneasy. She feared he would again shamelessly request things from the space. The Golden Swallow already detested him and would not allow her to give him anything again.
After much consideration, she decided to take some fruits and cucumbers to him. She felt it wouldn’t be appropriate to give things only to the old monk and not to Abbess Liao Chen. So, she decided to give some to both of them.
During dinner, she discussed with the old Marquis, saying she had dreamt of her deceased uncle and wanted to seek Abbot Wuzhi’s advice. This provided an opportunity to take Chu Hanyan to visit Abbess Liao Chen at Yingshuan Monstery.
The old Marquis was delighted that his future granddaughter-in-law was esteemed by Master Wuzhi and agreed to accompany them to visit Abbess Liao Chen the next day.
Early the next day, Chen Feng went to the backyard to pick cucumbers, even the ones as slim as her fingers, but there weren’t many. The larger cucumbers had been given to Chu’s family previously, and the ones that had grown since then were still not fully ripe. She had to return to Luyuan to pick the newly formed small cucumbers.
In the late morning, the old Marquis, Chen Feng, and Chu Hanyan boarded a carriage and set off towards the Honglin Mountain. The Golden Swallow, aware that Chen Feng was going to see the old monk again, cleverly stayed within the space, warning Chen Feng not to give any of the space’s treasures to the greedy old monk.
Upon reaching Lingyin Temple, Chen Feng disembarked, while the old Marquis continued on to Yingshuan Monastery with Chu Hanyan.
As Chen Feng, along with Summer carrying the food containers and two temple guards, entered the gates of Lingyin Temple, they were met by the junior monk Guiyi, who greeted them, “The lady has arrived, and the venerable master is waiting for you, lady.”
Chen Feng smiled and handed him a bag of homemade rose sugar, which Guiyi happily accepted.
After crossing the small stone bridge, Summer and the temple guards were summoned to the pavilion, leaving Chen Feng to follow Guiyi alone to the old monk’s meditation room. As she entered, the old monk’s eyes immediately fixated on her food containers.
Placing the two containers on his low table, he eagerly opened them and began eating a small cucumber. “Mm, crispy, sweet, delicious. The taste is indeed much better than regular cucumbers.” the old monk remarked, then asked, “Young Lady, you rarely visit the Hall of Three Treasures. Surely, you didn’t come here just to bring this rare cucumber to me?”
Chen Feng smiled and responded, “Yes, I do have a favor to ask, Master. I have some exceptional seeds that I hope you’ll acknowledge, allowing me to claim that they were cultivated by you.”
The old monk blinked and clasped his hands together, saying, “Amitabha, a monastic does not tell lies. How could you ask me to deceive others?”
Seeing the gleam in his eyes, along with his serious tone, Chen Feng felt a surge of frustration. However, as she was there to ask for his help, she forced a smile and replied, “Master, if I cultivate exceptional varieties, it won’t just benefit the people of Dachun Dynasty, but you will also have the chance to taste different grains, fruits, and vegetables.”
The old monk responded, “Even if I refuse to help, if you cultivate exceptional varieties, I’ll have the chance to taste them.” Realizing Chen Feng’s impatience, he added, “What I mean is, if I’m going to help, I should have some incentive. I can’t put in effort for nothing, can I?”
Shocked, Chen Feng exclaimed, “Master, you are an enlightened monk. How can you say such things?”
The old monk chuckled, “Young Lady, you don’t understand. A true monk’s enlightenment isn’t just external appearances, it’s an internal state, an unconscious expression. Those who appear to be true monks are mostly just pretending.”
This explanation left Chen Feng speechless. She continued, “The favor I request is to benefit the common people. Compassion should be inherent in all monks, regardless of their level of enlightenment. Especially for an unconsciously enlightened monk like yourself, one should be eager to do good deeds.”