Did Miss become a nun today?

If they were truly cold-blooded and callous, that whole family would have been reincarnated long ago.

How many of them can still live well in Changning?

Cen Jingyan reached out and pinched her cheek. "It's all the fault of the Shen family and Zhao Zhang, not yours. You mustn't overthink things."

Shen Heng's cheek hurt from being pinched so hard. She rubbed her cheek and said, "Don't you know how strong you are? It hurts so much!"

"Isn't it just you overthinking things again?"

"I already told you it wasn't your fault. This coy behavior isn't like you."

As he spoke, he took the jade pendant off his body and handed it to her, saying, "Now that you're back, I'm returning this to you."

"What is this?"

"You've forgotten so quickly? Wasn't this the child you gave Yun Chu back then? That child said it was for me."

Shen Heng remembered that when her daughter returned to the capital, she gave her this item to take with her and told her not to lose it.

Once in the capital, he was handed over to his aunt, and no one else was allowed to tell him.

"Wasn't this for you? Why are you giving it back to me?"

"I went to see it. You really do great things without saying a word. How could I possibly accept those things?"

Shen Heng didn't seem to care much, waving her hand, "Anyway, the Shen family has fallen, and I can't take it with me. Rather than letting someone else benefit from it, I might as well give it to you."

Cen Jingyan whispered, "No wonder we didn't find anything when we raided the Shen family's house back then; it all ended up in your pocket."

"You think I really do nothing?" Shen Heng chuckled. "After all, I was partly responsible for the raid on the Shen family's property."

She had long since had enough of a place like the Shen family's.

It's better to just destroy it and get it over with.

Cen Jingyan had never heard her say anything like this before, and was stunned for a moment. "What did you say?"

Shen Heng stretched and said, "It's nothing."

He pushed the jade pendant towards her. "This is for you. Keep it. After all these years, you haven't left any of those things untouched, have you?"

"You're so stubborn. Now that there's no war, you don't need it anymore?"

Cen Jingyan shook her head, "The Marquis's mansion is not short of money, I don't need these. I originally wanted to save them as a dowry for Yun Chu in the future."

That was the plan, but unfortunately she became a nun.

"You'll need it eventually. The Marquis's mansion is about to be raided, so keep it as your retirement money."

Shen Heng refused to accept it no matter what, so Cen Jingyan had no choice but to take it back. "Fine, we'll be traveling around the world anyway, so I'll use your money to support you from now on."

She pondered for a moment, then said, "We should donate some of it to Qingyun Nunnery so that Yun Chu can have a better life on the mountain."

Speaking of this, Cen Jingyan sighed. The person who came to gather information said that the child gets up before dawn every day, doesn't even get to eat meat, and has endless chores to do. He must be suffering.

Shen Heng wasn't worried. Her daughter liked chanting Buddhist scriptures and was content in the nunnery. There wasn't much she could do for her now except ensure that her daughter's wishes would come true.

"That child was just like me back then, wanting nothing more than to escape. She was better than me. I left with a belly full of hatred, but she left clean and tidy, without taking anything with her."

"She's like you, stubborn and inflexible. Look at her, she said she'd become a nun and then did it. Others don't understand, but she walks the path steadily."

Shen Heng turned her head to look at her, "You know her better than I do."

Cen Jingyan rolled her eyes at her. "I've raised this child for over ten years, and you're trying to take it from me?"

Shen Heng pouted, "Don't worry, I won't argue with you. You don't need to donate money to Qingyun Nunnery either; I'll handle it."

The two were exchanging casual pleasantries when a servant came in to report, "Madam, the third young master of the Wei family and the second young master of the Pei family have arrived."

"not see."

"No one from outside will be seen."

Wei Lin and Pei Changfeng were turned away and dared not force their way in, so they had no choice but to leave.

The two tacitly agreed not to return to their residence, but instead booked two rooms at an inn at the foot of Qingyun Temple Mountain.

The nunnery does not accept male worshippers who stay long-term. They burn incense during the day and stay in guesthouses at night, without finding it troublesome.

The next morning, Wei Lin and Pei Changfeng changed into inconspicuous gray clothes and mingled among the pilgrims heading into the mountains.

The morning mist in the mountains had not yet completely dissipated, and the scent of incense lingered in the courtyard. From afar, one could hear the chanting of sutras coming from the main hall.

"Let's go," Pei Changfeng said in a low voice, "Let's find a quiet place to wait."

After finishing her morning classes, Xie Yun Chu returned to her residence, rested for a while, and then began to fetch water to wash her clothes.

Today she wore a plain gray-blue dress, her hair was still tied up with a wooden hairpin, and she wore no jewelry. She was cleaner than the leaves in the mountains after the rain.

She walked to the well and washed her clothes with nimble and skillful movements, humming a tune as she folded them.

Wei Lin tried to rush out, but Pei Changfeng grabbed him, saying, "We came secretly, what are you going to do?"

"What are you doing? Look at her, is that something she should be doing? She's a rich girl, how could she endure this kind of suffering?"

Pei Changfeng shook his head. "Look at her. Does she look like she's suffering?"

Xie Yun Chu was hanging clothes up, sunlight filtering through the leaves onto her plain face. Her lips were curved and her eyes were bright. She didn't look like she was suffering at all.

Looking at that face, Wei Lin suddenly lost his strength.

She seems to be...doing really well.

After Xie Yun Chu finished hanging up the clothes, she turned around to pick up the basin, and out of the corner of her eye, she saw two gray shadows behind the ginkgo tree.

Squinting, he paused for a moment after recognizing who it was, then quickly put down the basin and went over.

"Amitabha Buddha, male guests are not allowed to enter here. Please leave quickly, both of you."

His cold and aloof demeanor startled the two of them.

"What did you call me?" Wei Lin asked incredulously.

Xie Yun Chu clasped her hands together, nodded slightly, and smiled politely and distantly. "If you two benefactors are coming to offer incense, the main hall is over there. This is where nuns live and practice, and it is not convenient for outsiders to enter."

After she finished speaking, Wei Lin's face turned pale. He took half a step forward, his voice urgent, "Xie Yun Chu, you..."

He wanted to reach out and pull her, but he raised his fingers halfway and then lowered them again; her eyes had changed.

I looked at him indifferently, as if he were a stranger passing by.

Pei Changfeng remained silent the entire time.

That's not how it is... It wasn't like this before...

Xie Yun Chu clearly has a lively and unrestrained personality; she wouldn't see him that way.

Those eyes were as still as a deep well, utterly calm, as if even if he died right there on the spot, he wouldn't feel the slightest bit of panic.

"Cousin..." She started to say, but when she met Xie Yun Chu's gaze, she changed her words, "Don't be angry, we just came to see if you're doing well."

Xie Yun Chu nodded, "I'm fine, thank you for your concern."

She had food and lodging in the nunnery, and the nuns and senior nuns treated her well. She carried water, swept the floor, and did morning and evening prayers every day. Her life was simple and fulfilling.

She paused, her gaze sweeping lightly over the two faces. "You should go back now. You don't need to come back again. The road up the mountain is long, and it's tiring to travel back and forth."

"What do you mean you don't need to come again?" Wei Lin pulled his hand away from Pei Changfeng's. "We are..."

"Benefactor Wei," Xie Yun Chu interrupted him, "there's no need to dwell on the past. I've already let it go, so why should you cling to it?"

"Go back, live your own life, and we don't need to see each other again."