Did Miss become a nun today?

Xie Yun Chu stayed at the nunnery for a few more days before descending the mountain and leaving.

Granny Li found out some information and came to report to her, "This old servant heard that Grand Tutor Lu brought his wife and daughters back to their hometown to pay respects to their ancestors. They just returned a few days ago and will be staying in Changning for a month."

"Recently, officials in Changning have been sending gifts to the Lu residence, hoping to establish a relationship with this Grand Tutor."

"However, Grand Tutor Lu has not seen anyone. This old servant sent two people to keep an eye on him. Grand Tutor Lu rarely goes out. He has only gone out twice, both times to a house in the south of the city."

"There were quite a few people watching outside that house. Our men didn't dare to get close, they just kept an eye on it from a distance. Every time Grand Tutor Lu came out of the house, he was smiling, and he seemed to be in a good mood."

If this were in the capital, people would surely suspect that the mansion was being used to keep a mistress.

But Lu Heng can only go back to his hometown a few times a year, so what good is it to keep a mistress here?

"What else did you find out?" Xie Yun Chu asked.

"The Lu family has a very good reputation in Changning. When there are years of disaster and poor harvests, they will open their granaries to distribute grain. Changning used to be a poor place, but now it is so prosperous, and the Lu family has contributed a lot to this."

After saying a few more things, Granny Li asked, "Miss, you're not thinking of taking revenge, are you?"

"Absolutely not! The Lu family is powerful now, we can't fight them. What if we're discovered..."

"What are you thinking, Granny? I value my life very much and wouldn't do such a foolish thing."

She has no status whatsoever now, and her difference in status with the Grand Tutor of the court is like an egg hitting a rock.

Xie Yun Chu seemed to be thinking. Since it was difficult to inquire elsewhere, she decided to start with the house outside.

"Have someone keep an eye on that house in the south of the city, and see if anyone else, especially women and children, comes and goes besides Grand Tutor Lu."

"Does the young lady suspect there's something fishy about that house?"

"Grand Tutor Lu rarely goes out, yet he visited that house twice; there must be something inside."

But that wasn't enough. Thinking of something, she quickly wrote a letter and handed it to Granny Li, "Send this letter back to the capital and to the Chen family behind the incense shop in Qing Shi Lane."

Chen Yan has connections with Lu Zhaoran, so he might be able to find out some things she doesn't know.

The day after she returned to the city, it began to snow outside.

It rarely snows in Changning, so everyone is happy. Some literati and scholars even go boating on the lake, drinking tea and enjoying the snow, which has become a refined pastime recently.

But this elegance vanished as the snow fell heavier and heavier, lasting for nearly half a month.

Even when it snows, it's not too cold in Changning. But the heavy snow didn't stop, the temperature plummeted, and it got colder and colder. People started burning braziers, and the prices of firewood and charcoal kept rising.

No one was playing in the snow anymore; everyone was hiding indoors around the fire pit to warm themselves.

The food at the inn has been reduced recently, but Xie Yun Chu has gotten used to the food at the nunnery and doesn't feel any change.

Zhao Mingyue returned from the military camp at this time, her uniform covered with snowflakes. She went straight to the brazier as soon as she came in.

Xie Yun Chu quickly poured her a cup of hot water, and only after she had calmed down did she ask, "Why are you back at this time? How is it outside?"

Zhao Mingyue sighed, "The heavy snow in Changning has caused many houses to collapse in the north. The weather in the south is warm, and most households don't need much heating in winter, and they don't have any stockpiles. With this continuous heavy snow, some people have even frozen to death."

Xie Yun Chu stayed in the inn all day without going out, unaware that the situation outside was so serious.

I glanced down at the steaming water in my cup, then looked up at the gray sky outside the window.

The snow was still falling, densely covering the jujube tree in the yard, bending its branches under its weight.

"So what do we do now? Will the government take care of those affected by the disaster?"

Zhao Mingyue warmed her hands by the fire, turning them over and over to warm them. "We've taken care of them, especially the Lu family. You should know that by now, right?"

"The Lu family has brought out grain and has been distributing porridge for the past few days, but it's just a drop in the bucket. People can't get out from inside, and people can't get in from outside. At this rate, they'll run out of food eventually."

"But you don't need to worry. Before the university closed the roads, the prefect of Changning had already sent a memorial to the capital, and it should have arrived by now."

After warming herself up, Zhao Mingyue got up to leave. Worried about her, she gave her a long explanation, "I still need to help settle the people. You stay at the inn and don't go anywhere; it's not safe outside."

"Don't worry, I won't cause any trouble."

She knew her place; she couldn't help, so she shouldn't go out and cause trouble.

A few days passed like this, and it was so quiet outside that you couldn't hear a sound.

It was chilly at night, so Granny Li gave her a hot water bottle and tucked her in before leaving.

But at this time, the quilt was like a silk quilt in summer, letting in drafts. She was cold for a long time before she finally felt sleepy.

She didn't know how long she had slept, but she felt as if her whole body was being bound by something, which made her feel uncomfortable. She struggled in her dream and broke free of the restraints. Her body felt relaxed, but the body that had finally warmed up started to shiver again.

She grumbled in dissatisfaction, then, despite feeling sleepy, moved closer to where she had been. Feeling the warmth, she snuggled closer and drifted off to sleep contentedly.

A soft laugh came from above, and a pair of large hands pulled her into their arms, then helped her pull the blanket up a little.

The face was icy cold; a large hand touched it, and a soft sigh escaped.

The next morning, Xie Yun Chu was awakened by the noise outside. People were shoveling snow on the street. The snow had lessened, and people were speaking with a happy tone.

Granny Li came in to help her wash up. Seeing that she looked well, she smiled and asked, "Did you sleep well last night, Miss?"

She nodded. "Yes, I didn't wake up from the cold last night."

Lately, I've been waking up several times in the middle of the night because of the cold, but last night I slept very well, without even having a dream, and slept straight through until dawn.

"Miss, you look much better today. The snow outside has lessened a bit, and some people have gone out. Would you like to go for a walk?"

"No, it's not safe outside."

She carried her scriptures with her when she went out. She wasn't bored at all, even though she couldn't go out for so long at the inn; on the contrary, she found it peaceful.

At noon, Granny Li brought the meal. In addition to the vegetarian dishes she had specifically requested, there were two more dishes than in the past few days, as well as a meat dish and a soup.

"Why is today's meal so lavish?"

"The innkeeper said that the inn delivered enough food and vegetables, and the young lady gave us a lot of money, so she added two more dishes today."

She didn't pay any attention, pushed the plate of meat towards Granny Li, and started eating by herself.

Granny Li didn't touch her chopsticks for a long time. Looking at the meat in front of her, and then at her young mistress who wasn't even glancing at it, she sighed.

Where is the lady? Please come and persuade the young lady; what will happen if she really becomes a nun?

After lunch, Xie Yun Chu took a nap. There was a brazier in the room, but it was still too cold to sleep, so she simply sat up, closed her eyes, and chanted scriptures.

On days when I couldn't go out, it was always like this. When it got dark outside, it was time for dinner. After eating, I recited scriptures for an hour before I could finally fall asleep.

Once she was fast asleep, the door slowly opened, and a figure familiarly climbed onto the bed and pulled her into his arms.