Did Miss become a nun today?

Xie Yun Chu's worries vanished as soon as she set off for Qingyun Nunnery.

Qingyun Nunnery is not as large as Yong'an Temple, but it has a long history and beautiful scenery.

At this time of year, the leaves on the mountain grow increasingly lush, and from the pavilion halfway up the mountain, one can even see the smoke rising from the temple.

The bell tolled long and deep, and the Buddhist chants lingered.

This is where she belongs.

Xie Yun Chu knelt in the main hall, clasped his hands together, and kowtowed devoutly.

The Buddha statue in front of me sits on a lotus throne, its eyes slightly lowered, a faint trace of compassion on its lips, as if it has seen all the vicissitudes of the world, yet is as if it has never been moved by any worldly affairs.

Buddha saves all sentient beings and has compassion for the world.

"Amitabha."

The nun who was standing nearby stepped forward and said, "If you have something on your mind, why would it be at this moment?"

Lan Yue then helped her up, saying, "Miss, you've been kneeling for half an hour."

She returned the greeting, saying, "It was my fault for being impolite. I only wished to sincerely communicate with the Buddha and seek peace of mind."

"Where can one find peace of mind?" The nun smiled gently, her gaze falling on the Buddha statue's lowered eyelids. "The longer you kneel, the more you can't let go of the word 'seek.' Clinging to ritual is just another kind of attachment."

Xie Yun Chu's heart stirred slightly, and after a long while he said, "But I only feel troubled by the world, and only when I kneel before the Buddha can I find a moment of peace."

The nun shook her head: "Purity is not on the meditation cushion, nor before the Buddha, but in your heart. 'As the mind is pure, so is the Buddha-land.' If your mind is calm, where is not the Buddha? If your mind is chaotic, even if you kneel until the meditation cushion is worn out, you are just changing the place to indulge in delusions."

She was speechless for a moment, looking at the Buddha in front of her, and remained motionless for a long time.

"Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha saves those who are destined. If you are truly destined to be with the Buddha, you will meet when the connection comes and part when it ends. This is all due to cause and effect."

After saying that, the nun turned away and stopped looking at her.

Xie Yun Chu clasped her hands together in a gesture of respect, "From now on, may I follow the nun in chanting scriptures?"

The nun simply nodded slightly and closed her eyes.

The stream meanders around the rocks, the blue clouds linger halfway up the mountain, the wind chimes on the eaves ring once, and the whole mountain falls silent.

Standing in the courtyard of Qingyun Nunnery, you can look up and see the ancient trees towering in the main hall courtyard.

The Buddhist sanctuary is truly delightful.

She didn't bring many people with her; there were only four, including herself.

We ate vegetarian food at the nunnery that evening. Having grown accustomed to rich and heavy meals in the capital, this vegetarian food had a unique flavor.

Lan Yue held the bowl with great care, saying, "The vegetarian food at Qingyun Nunnery is usually so expensive that it's hard to come by. During every Buddhist ceremony, countless nobles in the capital want to have a table, and they fight tooth and nail to get one."

"I never thought we'd be able to eat this one day."

But after staying in the nunnery for half a month, he could no longer say those words.

Looking at the vegetarian food on the table again, I even felt like vomiting.

Watching the young lady eat with relish, I felt quite impressed.

She sat in the courtyard with her bowl in her hand, and saw the other two people who looked equally listless. She miserably ate a mouthful of rice.

One of the little girls whispered, "Sister Lanyue, is Miss not staying at the nunnery and not wanting to leave?"

"No, Miss is just here to offer incense and pray for her mother. She will have to go back sooner or later."

The little girl's name was Qingluo. When Xie Yunchu was twelve years old, she was assigned to serve in Qiulan Courtyard. She had always served outside the house before, but this time she was able to go out with her mistress, which made her happy for several days.

But with such bland and watery food every day, she didn't even have the energy.

Xie Yun Chu sat down with them, holding her bowl, and glanced at the three of them. "The people in the nunnery eat this every day. If they can eat it, then we can eat it too."

Qingluo whispered, "We servants are not like our young lady; we really need to temper our temperament."

She chuckled, "If you're really craving it, then go down the mountain for a meal tomorrow, just don't bring it back."

Qingluo's eyes lit up, but Lanyue tapped her on the shoulder, "You really dare to think like that! Even Miss is a vegetarian, what kind of talk is it for us to eat meat?"

Qingluo rubbed her forehead, dared not speak again, and ate a few bites of food with her head down.

After the meal, the four of them sat at the door. The flowers on the opposite hillside were in full bloom, and the sight was dazzling.

It rained last night, and now the flowers are in full bloom, their fragrance filling the air.

Taking a deep breath, Xie Yun Chu sighed, "I really want to live here forever."

These words terrified the other three.

"Miss, you're talking nonsense again."

"If you really continue to live here, not to mention others, the madam will have to come and arrest you with a knife tomorrow."

The four men, master and servants, lived in the same courtyard and spent every day together. At this time, they had lost all sense of hierarchy and the rules of the Marquis's mansion, and they spoke more casually.

Xie Yun Chu pursed her lips. She was just saying it casually. The matter of becoming a nun could only be put on hold for now. She would talk about it again when she could persuade her aunt.

Qingyun Temple receives many worshippers every day. There are not many temples in the capital that can last for a hundred years. Most of them were destroyed in war. The fact that Qingyun Temple can still stand is a testament to its great fortune.

People are praying for peace, for children, and for official advancement; it's bustling with activity every day.

She chanted scriptures with the nun for half a month, and her clothes became simpler and simpler each day, to the point that even acquaintances dared not recognize her.

Xie Yun Chu took it as a mistake and didn't say anything, instead helping the nunnery distribute porridge to the refugees who had come up the mountain.

Lan Yue helped serve the porridge, saying softly, "Miss, we can take care of these. You should go and rest."

She shook her head. "It's alright, I'm not tired."

There were still quite a few people in line ahead of them, but as the porridge in the bucket was running out, the people behind them started to get anxious, pushing and shoving and shouting.

Lan Yue put her hands on her hips and said, "Line up! There's plenty of porridge, don't push!"

But her voice alone wasn't enough; the people behind her kept pushing forward, and the porridge stall almost tipped over.

"Miss, what should we do? Why don't you go back first, and I'll go find the person in charge of the nunnery?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the table that had just been overturned was slammed back down with a bang, and a cold, hard voice rang out from behind her, "Qingyun Nunnery is distributing porridge as a good deed. Anyone who doesn't want to eat can leave now. If you dare to cause trouble again, we'll have to send you all to jail."

As he spoke, he waved his hand lightly, and a group of soldiers suddenly appeared from nowhere, surrounding the porridge stall completely.

The people in line dared not cause any more trouble, and some sensible ones slowly moved to the back of the line, hoping to slip away.

The man's eyes darkened, and he gave a wink to his subordinate, who then led his men to quickly give chase.

Still in shock, Xie Yunchu turned around and bowed, "Thank you, General."

"Don't be shy, please continue."

Having said that, he turned and headed towards the temple above.

She took a deep breath and turned around to see that in the chaos, a five or six-year-old girl had been pushed out of the crowd, fell to the ground, and was being kicked around.

She quickly helped the person up and pulled them to sit down.

"You're so young, why did you run off all by yourself instead of staying with your parents?"

The little girl sniffed and said in a soft voice, "My mother is gone, my father is sick, I... I've come to find food for my father."

"Sister, could you... could you give me another bowl of porridge?" The little girl lowered her head, afraid of being scolded, and tightly gripped the hem of her clothes with her small hands.

Xie Yun Chu's heart softened, and she wiped away the child's tears. She was about the same age when she lost her mother.

"It's just two bowls of porridge. You can eat here first, and then go back. I'll have someone take you there, and also get your father treated, okay?"

The little girl finally raised her head; her big, round eyes were very beautiful.

"Really?"

"Really, eat as much as you want, there's plenty."

An hour later, the porridge was distributed, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

Xie Yun Chu asked Lan Yue to take the child to find the people in the nunnery and then take the child down the mountain together.

Just as I was about to go back, I saw a person standing not far away. Who else could it be but the general who had helped me earlier?

She quickly stepped forward and thanked him again, "Thank you for what happened earlier, General."

"Um."

Xie Yun Chu probably didn't want to talk to her anymore, so she didn't bother her any longer. She walked past the people and was about to leave when she was bumped into by someone rushing down from above.

He slipped and was about to fall off the stage when he felt a tight grip around his waist and heard a scolding voice above him, "Wei Lin, are you asking for trouble again?"