The Red Chamber begins with a bastard

Chapter 599: Encounter in Tongzhou
It was already afternoon when Jia Huan came out of the Jinglüe Mansion. He immediately rushed to the capital, changing horses at the post stations along the way and traveling day and night. There was no other way. The seven-day vacation was really too short. Excluding the time spent on the journey, he could only stay at home for two or three days at most.

On the morning of the second day, Jia Huan arrived at Tongzhou. A few months ago, during the civil strife, Tongzhou City was burned down. After 20,000 laborers worked day and night to rebuild it, it has now been almost repaired. The docks are bustling with people, and grain ships are constantly entering the docks. The prices in the market have also dropped significantly.

Jia Huan and his companions traveled over 500 miles and were exhausted, so they went into Tongzhou City to have a meal. They were having a meal at a noodle shop on the street. Mu Ye, who had sharp eyes, suddenly nudged Jin Bao next to him with his elbow and whispered, "Does that sister-in-law look like the fourth lady?"

Jin Bao was busy eating. When he heard this, he turned around and looked at the street. Sure enough, he saw a nun walking by with her head lowered. However, half of her face was covered, so he couldn't see her face at all. He said, "The back of this figure does look a bit like her!"

Jia Huan also noticed the nun passing by on the street, and he got up and followed her. Mu Ye and Jin Bao looked at each other, put down their bowls and ran out of the store.

"Hey, sir, you haven't paid yet!" The waiter called out hurriedly. Tie Niu grabbed him and said in a buzzing voice, "How can you be so blind? I'm here, am I going to default on your bill?"

The waiter quickly smiled and said, "So you two are together, then it's okay!"

Tie Niu snorted coldly and continued to eat. This was Tongzhou territory, and with Mu Ye and Jin Bao following him, there was no need to worry about the Third Master getting into trouble, so he didn't need to follow him around as a bodyguard all the time.

It is worth mentioning here that Tie Niu is now a centurion and serves as the captain of Jia Huan's personal guards.

Jia Huan followed the nun from a distance. The more he looked at her back, the more he thought she looked like Jia Xichun. However, he was not in a hurry to confirm and just followed her quietly.

The nun walked while holding a bowl to beg for alms from passers-by. She seemed to realize that someone was following her, so her pace became much faster. She weaved in and out of the crowd, trying to get rid of Jia Huan and the others. However, her tricks were not enough.

Seeing that she couldn't shake off the tail behind her, the nun obviously panicked and plunged into a dead end, hiding in the dark in fear.

Jia Huan walked to the entrance of the alley, looked at the masked nun squatting in the corner like a quail, and asked softly, "Is it Sister Xichun?"

The nun uttered a cry, slowly stood up, and said with a stammer, "Brother Huan!"

"It's really my fourth sister. How come you are here?" Jia Huan said happily.

The nun breathed a sigh of relief and patted her chest, saying, "I was so scared. I thought I was being targeted by government officials." As she spoke, she walked out of the dead end.

Although the nun's face was covered, she could still be recognized from her eyes and eyebrows. It must be Jia Xichun. Jia Huan frowned and said, "Why did Fourth Sister leave without saying goodbye? If you are worried about being implicated by Jia Zhen, there is no need to worry. You have already become a nun and practiced Buddhism, and the government has decided not to pursue the matter any further."

Jia Xichun was pleasantly surprised and asked, "Really?"

Jia Huan nodded and said, "The old lady, second sister, and third sister are still talking about you. Come back with me!"

Jia Xichun bowed her head in silence. Jia Huan said in a deep voice, "Could it be that Fourth Sister is really determined to become a nun?"

Jia Xichun sighed and said, "Brother Huan, please come with me." Then she turned and walked towards the city gate.

Jia Huan was secretly curious, so he told Jin Bao to go back and tell Tie Niu. He then took Mu Ye and followed Jia Xichun out of the city. After walking for several miles, they arrived at a dilapidated temple in a deserted village.

"Fourth sister has always lived in such a shabby place?" Jia Huan asked in surprise.

Jia Xichun nodded awkwardly. Jia Huan looked at the shabby, cobweb-covered, and drafty temple in front of him. It was hard to imagine how Jia Xichun had survived these past few months, especially since the weather was so cold. However, this scene was exactly in line with Jia Xichun's verdict: "Seeing that the spring scenery is short-lived, she changed her makeup from black clothes to old ones. Poor girl from a noble family, lying alone beside the green lamp and ancient Buddha."

At this time, a person walked out of the dilapidated temple. She was Ruhua, the maid who served Xichun personally.

"Miss... Hey, Mr. Huan San, did the old lady send you to find our girl?" When Ruhua saw Jia Huan, she was stunned at first, then her eyes turned red and she burst into tears, showing that she was full of grievances and sadness.

Jia Xichun frowned and scolded: "Why are you crying? Why don't you pour some water for the Third Master? If you can't bear this hardship, why did you follow me in the first place? I should have let you find your own way long ago."

"I'm worried about you, young lady!" Ruhua wiped her tears and turned around to pour some water.

Jia Xichun sighed, "I just happened to meet a stubborn and weird silly girl like you."

Jia Huan glanced at Jia Xichun in surprise. He had always had the impression that she was aloof, cold-hearted, and heartless. But now the tone of her voice was different from before. Could it be that the experiences she had during this period had changed her personality?

Jia Xichun said a little embarrassedly: "I originally wanted to completely cut off my worldly ties and have no connection with the Jia family in this life. Unexpectedly, I met Huan'er today. You know that everything is destined. Huan'er, please come in with me. Now there is a matter that you need to settle." Jia Huan was secretly curious and followed Jia Xichun to the ruined temple. He saw a reclining Buddha sitting in the middle, but one of the Buddha's hands had been broken off and the Buddha's head was also tattered, so his appearance could no longer be seen. There were three incense sticks on the broken incense burner in front of the seat, and green smoke was curling up.

Jia Xichun sat cross-legged on the cushion in front of the Buddha, clasped his hands together and said, "This place is simple, Brother Huan, please make do with it."

Jia Huan sat down on another cushion. Ruhua handed him a bowl of cold water in a rough bowl and said awkwardly, "It's well water, clean. Master Huan, just drink some."

Jia Huan frowned and said, "In this cold winter, you are drinking this well water?"

Ruhua nodded and said aggrievedly: "I have burned all the firewood these two days, and I have no money to buy coal cakes."

Jia Huan shook his head and sighed, "How can I do this? I'm going to get sick. Fourth sister, come back with me. You need to practice. At most, I can build you a Buddhist nunnery in the garden, or I can build you a Buddhist temple directly in Nuanxiangwu."

Ruhua was delighted to hear this and looked at Jia Xichun eagerly. The latter seemed a little hesitant and his attitude was obviously not as firm as before. It seemed that the social beatings she had endured during this period were not in vain.

"It's settled, Ruhua, pack up and come back with me later." Jia Huan did not allow Jia Xichun to hesitate any longer and said firmly, "Fourth sister, don't refuse. I will tie you up this time, otherwise I won't be able to explain to the old lady!"

Jia Xichun's nose felt slightly sour and she lowered her head in silence. The experiences during this period of time had indeed changed her a lot. In the past, the reason why she was determined to become a nun and seek Buddha was not only because of the influence of her family, but also because she was too naive. To put it simply, she ate too much and lived a life of luxury at home all day long. She thought that life would be peaceful and quiet outside, but it turned out that she was faced with harsh winds and frosts everywhere and could hardly take a single step.

It is true that it is good to be at home for a thousand days, but once you leave home, you will realize how difficult everything is. If it were not for Ruhua, the devoted and loyal maid, who always followed me, and the few taels of silver I had to protect myself, how could I have survived until now? Even if I didn't starve to death or freeze to death, I would probably have become a man's pet.

At this moment, there was a sudden noise behind the reclining Buddha. Jia Huan stood up alertly and asked in confusion, "Is there anyone else in this temple?"

Jia Xichun sighed and said, "Master Pan, come out!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a ragged, dishevelled man came out from behind the Buddha statue. Jia Huan looked carefully and realized that the beggar-like man in front of him was actually Xue Dashazi.

Xue Pan was a timid fellow, and had lost a lot of weight. He no longer had the same spirit as before. Moreover, he was as dirty as a beggar, so Jia Huan could not recognize him even if he did not look carefully.

"Pan...cousin!" Jia Huan was a little bit unbelievable.

Xue Pan looked embarrassed, and said hesitantly, "Brother Huan...Brother Huan."

Jia Huan thought that Xue Pan had died on the day the city was broken, but he did not expect that he was still alive and living with Jia Xichun. He hurriedly asked what was going on.

It turned out that night on the city wall of Chaoyang Gate, Xue Pan was forced to fall off the city wall by a mad soldier. He happened to fall on several corpses and fainted on the spot. When he woke up, the fighting was still going on in the city, so he got up and ran away under the cover of night.

For fear of being caught and beheaded, he did not dare to return to the city and could only hide near the capital. When he was so hungry that he could not bear it any longer, he sneaked into the Shuiyue Temple to steal the offerings. As a result, he was caught by Jia Xichun who was practicing in the temple.

Jia Xichun was afraid of being implicated by her brother Jia Zhen, and she was even more afraid when she suddenly met Xue Pan. She simply fled from Shuiyue Temple with Xue Pan. The two had planned to escape to Jinling by boat, but Tongzhou City was burned down and the wharf was suspended, so the two could only stay in Tongzhou and have been living in this deserted village and dilapidated temple in front of them.

As Xue Pan was wanted everywhere, he dared not show up in public. For several months he relied on Jia Xichun and his servants to beg for alms outside, and he barely survived. However, he was also very thin.

"Brother Huan, please save me!" Xue Pan briefly recounted the bitter experiences during this period, then he knelt down in front of Jia Huan, begging with tears and snot: "Brother Huan, please save me. I was ignorant before, but I will change from now on."

Jia Huan frowned and said, "Rebellion is a capital crime. How can I help you?"

Xue Pan cried, "I originally wanted to resign, but it was that old man Jia She who forced me to go to the city wall. Brother Huan has great magical powers. For my sister's sake, please help me."

Jia Huan thought for a moment and said, "You continue to live in this dilapidated temple for the time being. I will ask someone to send some food, firewood, bedding and clothes. We will figure out how to arrange it then."

Xue Pan was grateful upon hearing this.

Next, Jia Huan asked Ruhua and Jia Xichun to pack up and leave with him. He rented a carriage in Tongzhou City and went back to Beijing first.

(End of this chapter)