Did Miss become a nun today?

Xie Yun Chu withdrew his hand, sat down again at the table, and spread out the paper to prepare to copy the sutra.

Looking at her unhurried demeanor, Lu Zhaoran couldn't help but ask, "Are you really not worried? That's where you grew up, aren't you at all concerned?"

"What's the use of worrying?" Xie Yunchu picked up his brush and dipped it in ink.

Do you think the Marquis's mansion will be safe and sound just because you're worried?

Now that she is a nun, she shouldn't be worrying about those things anymore.

Besides, her mother didn't look worried when she went up the mountain last time, so the situation in the mansion shouldn't be so dire.

Now that she has left home, she should let go of her past and let go of everything outside.

Lu Zhaoran was silent for a moment.

She wasn't very familiar with Xie Yun Chu. This cousin from the Zhaoping Marquis's mansion rarely went out, and almost no one in the capital knew her. All the rumors about her were nothing more than her old affair with Pei Chang Feng.

She was on good terms with Pei Changning, and during those days, she often heard about Xie Yunchu's deeds from Changning.

She was either clinging to Pei Changfeng or crying and acting pitiful.

In short, Xie Yun Chu is a shameless, wicked, and scheming person.

After hearing it so many times, she came to believe that this young lady was probably just like that.

If one is truly profound, why would one choose to become a nun?

He even saved her last time... He's clearly a good person.

Xie Yun Chu ignored her and bent down to copy the scriptures stroke by stroke.

Lu Zhaoran stood in front of the table, her feet grinding against the brick seams, twisting the hem of her clothes with both hands, fidgeting for a while.

The person at the table finally looked up. "Is there anything else?"

"I..." She opened her mouth, then closed it again, "That..."

As if she had made up her mind, she stiffened her neck and said, "I said a lot of hurtful things to you before. It was my fault, and I apologize to you."

Xie Yun Chu's fingers, which were holding the pen, paused slightly. "What?"

"Ugh!" Lu Zhaoran stamped her foot, her face burning. "I can be mean to anyone, but it wasn't just me talking to you! Just... just don't take it to heart!"

After he finished speaking, the room fell silent.

Lu Zhaoran felt uneasy and guilty under his gaze. "Why are you looking at me like that? I just had a few words with you, I didn't do anything to harm you, don't try to pin anything on me!"

"You haven't harmed me, so what about your mother?" Xie Yun Chu asked.

She was certain that the people who hunted her and her mother down were sent by Madam Lu, and that the fire was also her doing.

She and her mother were lucky to survive, but that doesn't mean the incident can be ignored.

Lu Zhaoran lowered her head; she already knew all about these things.

Her father did not hide anything from her. After explaining the whole story, he sent her to Qingyun Nunnery.

"My mother did something wrong, and I can't deny it." She clenched her sleeves, her voice lowering slightly, "But she is still my mother. She may be a bad person to you, but she is my closest relative. I can't abandon her."

She raised her head, her face showing a seriousness she had never displayed before, and bowed respectfully to Xie Yun Chu. "The sins of the mother are to be repaid by the son. I apologize to you on her behalf."

Xie Yun Chu looked at her without saying a word.

She didn't care about the apology; the person had already been sent away, so what else could she do? But she could still find some compensation.

"Just an apology?"

Lu Zhaoran was taken aback, and it took him a while to speak: "What... do you still want? I have nothing now, and I have nothing to compensate you with."

Seeing her solemn expression, Xie Yun Chu smiled instead: "If you really feel bad about it, when you return to the Lu family, just donate more money to the nunnery."

Lu Zhaoran nodded seriously upon hearing this, "Don't worry, if I can return home, I will definitely come back to fulfill my vow."

Xie Yun Chu stopped looking at her and continued copying the sutra with her eyes lowered.

Lu Zhaoran stood there for a moment, and seeing her indifferent expression, he wisely refrained from saying anything more and turned to leave.

The next morning, after finishing his morning classes, Xie Yun Chu went to the charity hall to supervise the construction as usual, but unexpectedly ran into Lu Zhao Ran on the back mountain again.

She was dressed in a neat short-sleeved outfit today, her hair was tied up tightly, and she was carrying a hoe. She looked much better than yesterday, and when she saw them from afar, she even waved.

Xie Yun Chu walked over and glanced at the hoe in her hand. "Weeding again today?"

She hoisted the hoe onto her shoulder with a rather carefree air, unlike her reluctance a few days ago.

"The nun said there's a plot of land behind the mountain that needs to be tilled, so I'm going to till it today."

"Are the blisters from yesterday any better?"

"Thank you so much. I feel much better now. I've wrapped the cloth around my neck, and it doesn't hurt as much when I hold the hoe."

She stretched out her hand, which was wrapped in strips of cloth, and shook it. The cloth strips were not wrapped neatly, and the ends were loosely stuffed in.

Hui Niang couldn't bear to watch any longer, so she stepped forward and took her hand. "You unlucky child, you're obviously used to a good life, you can't even tie a strip of cloth properly."

Hui Niang unwrapped the white cloth from her wrist, rewound it neatly, tied a knot, and then clapped her hands. "Alright, hurry up and get to work. Remember to dig up the weeds on the wasteland by the roots, otherwise they'll grow back in a couple of days."

Lu Zhaoran looked down at the neatly arranged strip of cloth in her hand, then smiled at Hui Niang and said, "Thank you, Sister Hui Niang, I'll remember that."

She thanked him, shouldered her hoe, and headed towards the back of the mountain, her steps much lighter than in the previous days.

As Hui Niang walked, she kept looking back at Lu Zhaoran's retreating figure as she went up the mountain, muttering to herself, "This little girl, just a few days ago she was crying and complaining, unable to do this or that, but today she's like a completely different person."

Xie Yun Chu smiled. "I guess he's figured it out himself."

"That's good too." Hui Niang sighed. "For a young lady from a wealthy family, it's quite impressive that she's done this much. Last time I saw her sweeping the floor, she was like she was afraid of hurting the floor."

Xie Yun Chu chuckled at her words, recalling that when she first came to Qingyun Nunnery, she wasn't much better off than Lu Zhao Ran; she knew nothing and had to learn everything on the spot.

While at the Marquis's residence, I had never carried water, swept the floor, or pounded rice. I even learned how to tie my hair after I arrived.

It was only a few months ago, but now it feels like a lifetime ago.

*

The charity hall is progressing faster than expected. The front room has already taken shape, with window frames installed and doors erected. Although there is nothing inside, just standing there makes one feel refreshed.

She squatted down, picked up a few broken bricks from the corner of the wall, gathered them together, swept the floor, wiped the wall, and dusted off her hands. Just then, she heard someone calling her from outside.

"Yun Chu, someone is looking for you."

Zhao Mingyue walked in carrying an oil paper package and, without saying a word, pulled Xie Yunchu to sit on a rock outside.

"I bought some pastries today, let me give you some to try."

Xie Yun Chu couldn't refuse, so she picked up two pieces, not daring to be greedy for more.

Zhao Mingyue, on the other hand, was completely uninhibited. She pulled out a large pork knuckle from under the paper package and started eating it right in front of her.

Xie Yun Chu sighed helplessly, clasped her hands together, and said, "Amitabha, have you forgotten where this is?"

Zhao Mingyue glanced up at her while biting into her meat, "I'm not eating in front of Buddha."

She gestured towards the nunnery behind her, "It's far away, it's fine."

Xie Yun Chu wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't say anything. Oh well, let's just eat.

The smell of the braised pork knuckle was so strong that even the craftsmen working behind it could smell it when the wind blew, and they all craned their necks to look in this direction.

Zhao Mingyue was generous and distributed the rest.

After finishing most of the braised pork knuckle, she wiped her mouth with her sleeve and moved closer to Xie Yun Chu. "There's some news going on outside lately, would you like to hear it?"