good season

Chapter 157 Is this lady surnamed Zhao? (Two chapters combined)

Of course, this is no longer the Dong Family Study; it has been given a higher, bigger, and more prestigious name.

Dongxian Temple.

Before even reaching Dongxian Temple, Zhao Shiqing could smell the incense from the passersby. Without asking, she knew that these people had all been to Dongxian Temple.

"After I visited Dongxian Temple last time, guess what happened? My old hen, which had stopped laying eggs and was about to be slaughtered for soup, suddenly started laying eggs again, and they were all double-yolk eggs! Don't you think this is Dongxian's miracle?"

"Yes, it was Dong Xian who appeared. My neighbor's second aunt's cousin's sister-in-law had been married for seven or eight years without getting pregnant. After praying to Dong Xian, she got pregnant, and it was twins."

Zhao Shiqing and the others listened with great interest, wishing they could immediately kneel at Dong Xian's feet and bow a few times.

Loach: "I want to become white, as white as a steamed bun."

Lingbo: "I want to grow a little bit taller, just a little bit."

Shen Wangxing: "I want to become smarter!"

Zhao Shiqing: "I want to ask Lord Dong Xian to bless my maternal grandfather with good health and a long life, my eldest brother with a speedy recovery, my second brother with becoming more clever, my sister with peace and happiness and marrying a good husband, and my master with the blessing of being able to cook more delicious dishes."

Zhao Shiqing looked at Wan Ruyi: "Aunt Ruyi, what do you want to ask for?"

Wan Ruyi was stunned. She realized that she had no desires. She didn't need to become whiter or taller, and she had no relatives or friends to worry about.

She thought for a moment and said, "Then I pray to Lord Dong Xian to bless all the people of Qingjing Nunnery so that they may be free from all disasters and calamities."

Zhao Shiqing's lips twitched. She thought to herself that Master Dong Xian would definitely not be able to fulfill her wish. According to Madam Wei's style of doing things, those people in Qingjing Nunnery who did not know the inside story could be left alone, at most they would just be sent away. But the nun Qingjing would definitely not survive.

Just then, two women walked towards them, cursing as they went: "That damned old swindler! He dares to cheat people in a place like Dongxian Temple. Lord Dongxian should punish him with lightning and make him pay for his sins. His wife cheated on him and he's now raising someone else's son. He'll be a cuckold for life!"

For a man, there is nothing more vicious than cursing him to be cuckolded and to raise someone else's son.

Zhao Shiqing was curious: what kind of swindler could be worthy of such affection from the aunties?
The thought had barely formed when Lingbo said, "Huh, could it be that old swindler from last time?"

"Oh right," Zhao Shiqing recalled, "I also know an old swindler."

After so much time, she had almost forgotten about that old swindler.

That old swindler still owes her money, tens of thousands of taels of silver, and she's counting on that money for the rest of her life.

However, with so many scammers in the world, who can be sure that this scammer is the one she knows?

But Miss Zhao never fights a battle she's not sure she can win. She looked at Lingbo and asked, "Lingbo, did we bring all our savings?"

Lingbo is the second young lady's hands, the second young lady's feet, the second young lady's money bag, and the second young lady's treasure chest.

She patted her small floral crossbody bag: "Of course I have to carry an IOU for tens of thousands of taels of silver with me at all times."

At this moment, Lingbo and her second young lady shared the same thought. Her second young lady was incredibly generous and lavish, so whether she would eat meat or drink porridge for the rest of her life depended on these tens of thousands of taels of silver.

At this moment, Zhen Wuduo, who was swinging his legs and sunbathing in the courtyard, had no idea that his beloved granddaughter actually wanted to rely on the debt that would never be recovered in the future to support her in her old age. If he knew, he would definitely cry himself to death in the toilet.

Thinking of the tens of thousands of taels of silver, Zhao Shiqing was instantly full of energy and moved with lightning speed. The group quickly arrived at Dongxian Temple.

The Dongxian Temple is no longer recognizable as the study it once was. Now, incense smoke fills the air, and devout men and women can be seen everywhere. Neighbors are also taking advantage of this opportunity to bring their goods to their doorsteps and have started small businesses.

There were vendors selling incense, offerings, fresh flowers, and snacks, but the most eye-catching was a fortune-telling stall with a huge sign that read "Iron Plate Divine Calculation".

Zhao Shiqing also saw the Iron Plate Diviner himself, a blind man with his eyes closed, whose true or feigned blindness was unknown.

The old swindler those two aunties were talking about must be him.

Zhao Shiqing sighed, her hopes dashed. This blind man was definitely not the one who owed her money.

She asked the older woman next to her, "Auntie, is this fortune teller accurate?"

The aunt had a loud voice that made Zhao Shiqing's ears ring: "You mean Blind Wang? Who in our Tong'an City doesn't know him? He used to have a stall at the Second Gate, but now that the Dongxian Temple is more popular, he moved here. And let me tell you, he's pretty accurate. Don't worry, young lady, when you get engaged, your mother will bring your birth date and time to Blind Wang."

Zhao Shiqing's eyes lit up even more. This Blind Wang was obviously well-regarded in Tong'an. The old swindler those two aunties were talking about probably wasn't him.

Zhao Shiqing looked around but didn't see the swindler who owed her the money.

"Let's go in and pay our respects!" Zhao Shiqing waved her hand, and the group lit incense and eagerly stepped into the Dongxian Temple.

Everyone, whether you can become fairer, taller, more beautiful, and smarter in the future, and whether your relatives are doing well, all depends on this one bow today!

Those who knew them would think they came to offer incense, but those who didn't would think they came to fight a war.

Among the group, Wan Ruyi seemed the most normal. She had been a Buddhist nun for decades. Although there was a difference between monks and nuns, the piety that emanated from her bones showed that she was there to offer incense with genuine sincerity.

As for the others, well, they're only fifteen or sixteen years old. What can we expect from them? The fact that they haven't been running around is already a testament to their maturity.

Although the Dong family was well-off, they were not extremely wealthy. Their courtyard was small, and their study was just a two-story building. At this moment, a long queue had formed in the courtyard, with people waiting to enter the study.

The Dong family members guided them to make donations in the donation box. Zhao Shiqing and her group had many people, so they made more donations. Thinking that they would soon become fairer, taller, and smarter, everyone rushed to put silver into the donation box.

Everyone else stuffed copper coins into their pockets, but they stuffed silver coins!
The Dong family members beamed with joy, their eyes filled with affection as they looked at them.

The Dong family members in other locations soon received the signal that several wealthy children had arrived. The one leading them, although an adult, looked dull and not very bright.

Zhao Shiqing then discovered that they were being treated like VIPs, with someone leading the way and allowing them to go straight to the second floor without having to queue.

The second floor is where Dong Xian became an immortal, and it's also the place where wishes are most effective.

The second floor is even smaller. In the center is a statue of the Three Pure Ones, and below it is a scholar with an otherworldly air, who is none other than the legendary Immortal Dong.

Knowing they were coming to offer incense, Zhen Wuduo gave each of them twenty taels of silver before they left. Wherever there was incense burning, the area in front of the door was always bustling with activity, and all the food and toys that children liked were available.

So now, these twenty taels of silver came in handy. Everyone made a wish and put silver into the donation box next to Dong Xian. The Dong family members next to them beamed with joy and kept saying good luck and that all their wishes would come true.

After making their wishes, the group descended the second floor amidst the envious gazes of the queuing believers. The Dong family explained that traces of the immortal Dong Xian were found throughout the courtyard, and they were free to wander around.

The group then strolled around the courtyard. Sure enough, a sign in front of the well read "Dong Xian's Water-Fetching Place," and there was an incense table and a donation box next to it.

They prayed and then put silver into the donation box.

Further on, there was a stone bench with a sign that read "Dong Xian's Resting Place" and a donation box next to it. Continuing on, there were a few steps leading to "Dong Xian's Gaze Back Place," with another donation box next to it. They kept putting silver into the donation box as they walked, and then they saw another sign ahead that read "Dong Xian's Toilet Place," with another donation box next to it.

The loach exclaimed in shock, "My God, even Dong Xian needs to use the outhouse!"

Shen Wangxing: "Vulgar! Immortals don't call it going to the toilet, they call it cleansing their marrow and rejuvenating their essence!"

Everyone expressed their admiration: "Shen Wangxing, you know so much!"

Just then, a discordant voice came from the side: "You've all been fooled! This Dong Xian is a complete fraud!"

The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw a person, a familiar face!
"Ah, so it's my young friend, no, it's my daughter!"

Zhao Shiqing slapped her forehead. "Dark history! People shouldn't have a dark history, otherwise it will be dug up one day."

Back then, in order to get Zhao Xingzhou to sign the IOU, she called him "father." Although she refused to acknowledge it afterward, Zhao Xingzhou still brought up the old grievances today.

"Grandpa, how have you been?" Zhao Shiqing's motto was: as long as I'm not embarrassed, then it's others who are embarrassed.

This is the old madman and swindler I spent a few days with back in Wu, Old Master Zhao Xingzhou!
Zhao Xingzhou clearly hadn't expected to run into Zhao Shiqing here.

Among the people following Zhao Shiqing, he knew Niqiu and Lingbo. Shen Wangxing was a new face, but judging from his age, he was about the same age as the other three, so he must be a friend they played together.

Zhao Xingzhou's gaze finally landed on Wan Ruyi's face, his brows furrowing deeply.

This is a middle-aged woman; no matter how you look at her, she doesn't seem like the playmate of these teenagers.

Could it be an elder?
Although the girl surnamed Zhao claimed to be an orphan who had been kicked out of her home by her adoptive mother, her appearance and demeanor clearly indicated that she had been pampered by a wealthy family.

The middle-aged woman in front of us, though dressed simply and wearing a strange headscarf, exuded an air of nobility. Hmm, she must be an elder in Miss Zhao's family. I just don't know if she's a relative of her adoptive parents or her biological parents.

Wait, why does this woman seem somewhat familiar to him?

Zhao Shiqing didn't get to see Zhao Xingzhou's genuine emotions after their long separation, but instead discovered that Zhao Xingzhou was staring at Wan Ruyi.

Zhao Shiqing felt a surge of tension. This old madman could stare at anyone, but not Wan Ruyi.

She rushed forward and shielded Wan Ruyi behind her: "Hey old man, it's been a few months, and you've become even more frivolous. This is what you call being a frivolous old man, do you understand?"

Lingbo chimed in, "Still calling me an old rogue!"

Loach: "Also called shameless old man!"

Shen Wangxing. He said studying was useless, and look, now those three who don't like studying can all handle it, but he's speechless.

Zhao Xingzhou was so angry that his goatee trembled as he pointed at Zhao Shiqing: "You, you, you."

Zhao Shiqing: "You...you pay me back!"

Zhao Xingzhou: "We haven't seen each other for so long, and now you want money as soon as we meet? You're obsessed with money."

Zhao Shiqing: "How dare you say that? Last time you left without saying goodbye, didn't pay back the money, and never came back. You ate my food, lived in my house, and owed me money. How can you be so shameless?"

Zhao Xingzhou, instead of being angry, narrowed his old eyes. This little girl was just too much to his liking.

“If you acknowledge me as your father, I will repay the money I owe you.”

Zhao Shiqing rolled her eyes: "Your fingerprint is on my IOU, the fingerprints of all ten fingers. If you don't pay me back, I'll report you to the authorities and let the officials compare your fingerprints to mine, and see how you deny it."

Zhao Xingzhou chuckled: "Alright, I'd like to see which official dares to compare my finger to his own."

However, having finally run into Zhao Shiqing again, Zhao Xingzhou didn't want to continue arguing; besides, he couldn't win the argument anyway.

He asked with a smile, "How did you get here?"

Zhao Shiqing: "You're the old swindler those aunties were talking about, right? Do you swindle money, sex, or steamed buns?"

"No, no, it's not me who's lying, it's this so-called Dongxian Temple. It's full of swindlers and traps everywhere. You must have been swindled out of your money too."

I kindly offered my advice, but those ignorant women not only refused to believe me, but also accused me of fraud. They are truly stubborn and incorrigible.

Zhao Shiqing looked at Lingbo, Lingbo looked at Niqiu, Niqiu looked at Shen Wangxing, Shen Wangxing looked at Wan Ruyi, and then everyone looked at Zhao Xingzhou.

“Grandpa, you’re wrong. We weren’t scammed, and no one scammed us.”

Right? They're all incredibly smart; who could possibly fool them?

"Nonsense! I clearly saw you putting silver into the donation box just now, and you still say you weren't cheated!"

"Of course not, we volunteered, no one lied to us!"

Zhao Xingzhou. That's how it is when you're young; you get fooled a few times and then you learn to be shrewd.

He then looked at Wan Ruyi. Children are ignorant, and adults are also making foolish mistakes along with them.

Originally, Zhao Shiqing had been shielding Wan Ruyi behind her, but she had forgotten about it in the heat of the moment while arguing with Zhao Xingzhou and moved aside a bit, allowing Zhao Xingzhou to clearly see Wan Ruyi's face.

At first glance, it looked a little familiar, but the more you looked, the more familiar it became.

In fact, Wan Ruyi's appearance after makeup is quite different from her original appearance, but she was taught by Zhao Shiqing, who only learned some basics. So if you look closely at Wan Ruyi's current face, you can still see the original features.

If Xiuxiu were to personally apply makeup, even ordinary rouge and face powder could completely transform Wan Ruyi's appearance.

It's a pity Xiuxiu isn't here!

"Is this lady surnamed Zhao?"

Zhao Xingzhou asked this question because he knew that Zhao Shiqing's surname was Zhao. Since this woman came with Zhao Shiqing and might be her elder, it was normal for her to have the surname Zhao.

The surname Zhao he mentioned is the Zhao from Zhao Shiqing.

But Zhao Shiqing heard it in a completely different way.

She was startled!
Wan Ruyi's surname is indeed Zhao, the Zhao of the royal family!