Chapter 116: Trampling

"My Lady, is that Saintess an old acquaintance of yours?" Qingliu suddenly remembered to ask.

"Just a chance encounter at the manor, hardly an old acquaintance," Wen Jing replied.

Qingliu looked slightly surprised. She hadn't forgotten that the Saintess had done her mistress a small favor while at the manor. If they had no prior connection, why would she have helped them?

A sharp rapping sounded at the door.

"It's time to eat. You newcomers, go to the front and collect your meals yourselves," a coarse voice boomed from outside.

Qingliu opened the door. Two Taoist nuns saw the two bowls in Qingliu's hands and said coldly, "Collect your own. This isn't your manor, with mistresses and servants."

Wen Jing took one of the bowls from Qingliu. "As it should be."

The ugly, short nun, Mingxiu, glanced at Wen Jing. "From now on, this is the time for meals every day. No one will come to call you. If you miss the time, you’ll just have to go hungry."

"Understood," Wen Jing said.

Wen Jing watched the long line ahead. Each person held a bowl, and all were fair-skinned and beautiful, not looking like girls from ordinary families. She guessed they must have backgrounds similar to her own—widows from wealthy families, concubines' daughters who were out of favor with the matriarch, or cast-off wives. It was no wonder rumors said the Huaqing Temple was full of beautiful nuns; seeing them now, the reputation was well-deserved. If they were all like Mingqing—rougher and uglier than men—that would be...

The bearded nun, Mingqing, led out two other nuns carrying a large wooden bucket. A stir rippled through the crowd. Wen Jing couldn't help but click her tongue silently. These women, accustomed to luxury, were unable to remain calm when faced with this thin porridge in the temple. It seemed they hadn't been getting much sustenance in their daily lives after all.

"What's the noise? Keep it up and none of you will eat!" Mingqing glared, her face appearing even more hideous.

The crowd fell silent. Qingliu, observing the terrified nuns, whispered into Wen Jing’s ear, "This ugly nun must be jealous that these beautiful ones look better than she does."

Wen Jing pursed her lips, thinking to herself that since this temple was inhabited only by women, what good was it to possess a pretty face?

Mingqing noticed the slight upturn of Wen Jing's lips; her gaze turned cold, and she snorted.

By the time it was Wen Jing's turn, the bucket was empty, save for some dregs at the bottom.

"Huh, why did the porridge run out so fast today?" Mingxiu scraped the bottom of the bucket with a ladle, only managing to scoop up some residue.

Qingliu looked at the empty bucket and then at the few coarse flour buns beside it. She reached out, intending to grab two for her mistress to stave off hunger; she herself was starving, let alone her mistress.

Just as she reached out, someone behind her bumped into her. Qingliu tumbled onto the wooden bucket, knocking the buns onto the floor.

Wen Jing quickly stepped forward to help Qingliu up. As Qingliu wiped the porridge from her face and reached to pick up the buns, a foot suddenly stomped down on them.

Qingliu looked up and glared at the owner of the foot.

"Oh my, such good buns, how did they end up on the floor?" Mingxiu jumped away, her stout body appearing surprisingly light.

The bearded nun, Mingqing, frowned and kicked the dirty buns. "Food shouldn't be wasted like this. Pick them up and eat them, or you'll go hungry."

Qingliu was incensed. "They've been stepped on and are filthy. How can we eat them?"

Mingqing smirked. "Be glad you have anything to eat at all. This isn't your manor. If you can't stand the hardship here, you can go back."

Qingliu took a deep breath, ready to argue, but Wen Jing stepped forward and picked up the dirty buns.

"My Lady..."

Wen Jing looked at the grimy buns in her hand. "Qingliu, all things are born of the earth and return to it. These buns only have a bit of dust on them. The Taoist is right; we shouldn't waste food."

Qingliu fell silent, a flash of resentment in her eyes. Blindly giving in would only make these nuns more overbearing.

"A young lady is still a young lady, you have some wisdom after all. Quickly..."

Before the word "eat" could leave her lips, Mingqing felt something shoved into her mouth.

Wen Jing smiled as she stuffed the dirtiest bun into Mingqing's mouth. "You've worked hard, Taoist. Surely you haven't had dinner yet; you should save this bun for yourself."

"Pah, pah, pah!" Mingqing spat out the dirty bun, her eyes nearly spitting fire as she watched Wen Jing and her maid walk away.

Mingxiu, Mingyuan, and the other nuns stood there, stunned. No one had ever dared to treat the senior sister, Mingqing, like that before.

"That was satisfying," Qingliu laughed. She had thought Wen Jing was actually going to eat those dirty buns. She never expected her to stuff one into the mouth of that hateful bearded nun. Seeing the look of disbelief on Mingqing’s face, Qingliu struggled to hold back her laughter until they reached their room, where she finally burst out.

Wen Jing didn't seem particularly happy. Her actions had been a bit impulsive, but she was not the type to let others bully her and act as if nothing happened. She had always believed in an eye for an eye.

*Gurgle.*

Qingliu’s face flushed; her stomach had betrayed her. She was indeed hungry.

"Let's go find something to eat," Wen Jing said, feeling just as famished.

The two gathered some wild fruits and mushrooms in the mountains, barely enough to satisfy their hunger.

As she ate, Qingliu began to cry. "My Lady, are we going to have to eat things like this from now on?"

Wen Jing patted her head. "Having something to eat is better than going hungry. Don't think about it too much."

Qingliu nodded, her resentment toward Madam Wen deepening. She finally understood why Madam Wen had been so insistent on sending Wen Jing to this dilapidated temple. It was far more dangerous than she had imagined. She had originally planned to spend a few quiet months here until the controversy blew over, but now it seemed those months would be unbearable. It hadn't even been half a day, and she already felt like she was in hell. Especially with her mistress’s frail health—she wondered if they could survive. Madam Liu wanted them dead in this temple; what a venomous heart.

The temperature in the mountains fluctuated greatly. Although it wasn't late, Wen Jing already felt bone-chillingly cold. The gloomy room had nothing to provide warmth.

"My Lady, I'll go boil some water," Qingliu said, rising.

"Don't bother. There isn't even firewood. Just use cold water; we'll chop wood and start a fire ourselves tomorrow," Wen Jing replied.

Qingliu nodded helplessly and poured water into a wooden bucket.

Taking a sharp intake of breath, Wen Jing finished washing quickly and climbed onto the bed. After a day of exhaustion, she felt utterly drained.

Qingliu spread both quilts over Wen Jing. Even together, they weren't as thick as a single quilt from home. That cursed bearded nun.

"Qingliu, come and sleep here too," Wen Jing said.

"I'm not sleepy yet. You sleep, My Lady. I’ll just lean here for a while," Qingliu replied.

Watching Qingliu shivering, Wen Jing sighed. "Come and sleep. Two people huddled together will be warmer. Otherwise, with my constitution, I’ll still be frozen by morning."

Qingliu hesitated, then lay down next to Wen Jing.

Seeing how reserved Qingliu was, Wen Jing smiled. "In this temple, just treat me as your sister."

"That won't do. It would violate propriety. You are the mistress and I am the servant; how could I treat you as a sister?" Qingliu shook her head quickly.

Wen Jing looked out the dark window. "We don't even know if we'll make it out alive. Why do you need to be so bound by these rules?"

Qingliu was startled. "No, My Lady, we will definitely go back."

Wen Jing didn't commit to an answer. If they went back now, who knew what rumors would be circulating?

...

The next morning.

Qingliu watched Wen Jing, who had only just fallen into a deep sleep. She herself hadn't slept all night, sensing Wen Jing tossing and turning. In the middle of the night, they had piled on all available clothing for warmth, huddling together to stave off the cold. The mountain wind whistled through the cracked windows—it was freezing.

"Newcomer, the Abbess wants to see you," a voice suddenly shouted from outside.

"Coming," Qingliu replied. She thought to herself, the Abbess wouldn't see them yesterday, yet she wants to see them first thing in the morning. Is this not just to torture people?

Wen Jing woke up, dazed and pale. She pressed her hand to her temple.

"My Lady, are you alright? Perhaps we should go later," Qingliu suggested.

"It's fine. Not going will only invite trouble," Wen Jing said, rising from the bed.

The two followed the nun to a hall. The nun announced to the interior, "Abbess, the young lady from the Wen family is here."

Wen Jing looked up at the renowned Abbess Feng. Her appearance was unremarkable, quite ordinary, but her face carried an air of natural authority. She said coldly, "You are Wen Jing?"

Wen Jing replied, "The devotee Wen Jing pays her respects to the Taoist."