Uncle Wu paused his work, cautiously glanced around, and then said in a low voice, “Second Master is a good man, a true gentleman—he told no one. Let’s bury that matter forever in our hearts. Don’t reveal it to anyone; that would be best for the young lady.”
Granny Qin’s eyes reddened again. “Alright, I understand. My heart has been uneasy all this time, always afraid that if the matter got out, Second Miss would suffer. Now I know—Second Master truly is the finest, most broad-minded man in the world. The young lady didn’t marry the wrong man back then.” She hesitated before adding, “But why do I feel that the older Second Miss gets, the more she resembles that person?”
Uncle Wu replied, “The young lady looks more like her mother and less like that person. Even if she resembled him more, there’s no need to worry—many people in the world look alike. As long as we don’t speak of it, no one will know the young lady’s exact birth details, and no one would ever think in that direction. Besides, that person isn’t in the capital at the moment, and even if he returns, he won’t have a chance to meet the young lady.”
Granny Qin thought it over and felt relieved.
“Mother!” Qin Lin came running from the inner courtyard.
Granny Qin raised her voice, “If I’m not here, I’ll have to entrust Qin Lin to you, Big Brother Wu. That boy is sturdy; if he doesn’t obey, just give him a beating.”
Uncle Wu laughed heartily, “Qin Lin takes after Brother Qin—refined and gentle, much better than my two rough boys.”
Qin Lin ran over and said cheerfully, “Big Brother Wu and Second Brother Wu know martial arts—I want to learn from them.”
After Jiang Xun had played for most of the day, Jiang Yixi spent a long time discussing with Granny Qin what shortcomings Jiang Xun had and urged her to keep a close watch on him.
In the afternoon, around the hour of the Goat, Jiang Xun and Granny Qin left by carriage.
There was a village school, so Jiang Yixi had Wu Youfu bring a piece of meat and take Qin Lin to meet the teacher. Since Qin Lin would be accompanying Jiang Xun in the future, Jiang Yixi still hoped he would study for a couple of years to be of use later.
From that day on, Jiang Yixi stopped going to Zhaoming Nunnery. She remembered that Precious Jewel County Princess had arrived at Hu Estate around mid-April, though she couldn’t recall the exact day.
Every morning, Jiang Yixi would unfailingly tend to the flowers and plants in the garden or read a book, all the while keeping her ears pricked for any commotion outside.
Precious Jewel County Princess was a mysterious figure, the capital’s greatest source of amusement. After her recovery, her peculiar interactions with Prince Yong were often gossiped about and mocked.
After Jiang Yixi had taken monastic vows, she had encountered Precious Jewel County Princess twice. She felt that, aside from saying some baffling things and behaving oddly, the County Princess was quite decent, righteous, and not at all abnormal—in fact, she even had some genuine skills. Moreover, she could be considered Jiang Yixi’s savior.
Jiang Yixi was eagerly looking forward to her first meeting with Precious Jewel County Princess in this lifetime.
On the fourteenth day, around noon, the Wu father and son returned to the estate after inspecting the fields. Jiang Yixi, who was reading under a tree, greeted them, and Mama Wu brought water for them to wash their hands.
Suddenly, faint moans and sobs of a woman came from outside the courtyard. Shortly after, there was a knock at the gate.
“Who is it?” Wu Bo called out loudly.
“It’s me, open up,” replied a girl’s voice. It was clear and crisp, sounding quite young.
Wu Bo opened the door and saw a young nun standing at the entrance. She had hair but was dressed in plain nun’s robes, her face streaked with tears. One hand gripped the doorpost, and she was lifting one foot, clearly in great pain.
“Little Master, what’s the matter?”
The little nun took a silver ingot from her bosom and handed it over. “Uncle, let me come in and sit for a while. I’ve sprained my ankle—it hurts terribly.”
Wu Bo looked her up and down, instinctively feeling this little nun didn’t seem like a real nun. Not only did she have hair, but she also called him “Uncle” instead of “Benefactor.”
He didn’t dare take the silver and was about to refuse when Jiang Yixi, standing behind him, spoke up.
“Little Master, have you sprained your foot? Come in and sit.”
Jiang Yixi stepped out to help the little nun inside, but the threshold was too high to manage easily. So she had Shuiling come out and directly carry the little nun horizontally into the house.
The little nun was so startled she let out a sharp cry, then quickly covered her mouth with her hand.
Jiang Yixi closed the door securely and signaled Shuiling to carry the little nun to the Arhat bed in the main hall, where she lay diagonally.
The little nun pointed to her left ankle and said, “It hurts—I twisted it.”
Jiang Yixi rolled up the little nun’s left trouser leg, removed her shoe and sock, and saw that the ankle was red and swollen.
She gently pressed it and reassured, “The bone is fine—it’s just a sprain.”
The little nun’s face contorted in pain as she cried out, “It hurts, it really hurts!”
The little nun was about eleven or twelve years old, with a round face, a large mouth, small eyes, and skin that wasn’t particularly fair. Her large monastic cap gathered her hair, making her head appear even bigger and her dark pupils even smaller.
With such distinctive features, she was undoubtedly the Precious Jewel County Princess.
Jiang Yixi softly comforted her, “It’s all right. Don’t move your foot around. First, we’ll apply a cold compress with a cloth. Once it feels a bit better, we’ll massage it with medicinal wine. It should heal in a few days.”
Shuiling reminded her, “Miss, that’s not right. When I sprained my ankle, my grandfather would immediately rub it hard with medicinal wine, again and again.”
Jiang Yixi replied, “That would be too painful. Do you think the Little Master can endure rubbing like you can?”
The little nun quickly pointed at Jiang Yixi and said, “I’m afraid of pain—I’ll listen to you.”
Jiang Yixi had Shui Xiang soak a cloth in well water, wring it partially dry, and place it over the little nun’s ankle.
Just as Shuiqing poured tea, Uncle Wu rushed in to report, “Miss, I heard many people passing by outside. It seems they’re searching for someone…”
He glanced at the little nun, implying that the young lady had brought a big trouble into the house—and those people were not to be trifled with.
The little nun hurriedly said, “They must be looking for me. Don’t tell them I’m here, and don’t hand me over. If you dare betray me, I’ll say you kidnapped me.”
In her anger, her two small black pupils seemed to draw even closer to her nose.
She was even resorting to blackmail.
Shuiling glared furiously at the little nun.
Seeing the tall, sturdy maid staring straight into her eyes, the little nun grew even more displeased and said with authority, “Don’t look at me! If you keep looking, I’ll sell you off.”
Shuiling retorted angrily, “You’re a nun who’s left home—and you’d sell me…”
Jiang Yixi tugged at her and said softly, “Don’t be disrespectful to the Little Master.”
Shuiling had no choice but to fume silently and look away.
Jiang Yixi then said to the little nun, “Little Master, where are you going, and whom are you looking for? We can help you get a message through. But if those people force their way into our home, we won’t be able to stop them.”
The little nun pouted and choked up, “I don’t want to go back, I don’t want to be a bald head… I’ve had enough of temple life…”
Just as she spoke, the courtyard gate was slapped loudly. As soon as Wu Youfu opened it, a crowd surged in.
“We heard a little nun came into your house?”
Wu Youfu didn’t dare say yes or no. While he hesitated, the man added, “What, you dare hide her without reporting, without even asking who this Little Master is? You’re asking for a beating.”
The man shoved Wu Youfu, and a crowd surged into the inner courtyard again.
The young nun, afraid they might force their way into the house, cried out sharply, “Let my brother in. I won’t see anyone else. This family has been kind to me—don’t you dare harm them.”