NOVEL NEXT Chapter 35: Meeting
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S T E L L A R C L O U D
[Celeste S.] [Azurixa] [Robert K.]
O R A N G E S T A R
[Talia R.] [K.Rom]
Y E L L O W S T A R
[Camille] [Linds] [Esther D.]
G O L D S T A R
[Nem]
Gu Jiao went to the other side of the mountain with her back basket.
The temple was located at the waist of the mountain, and the path leading there was quite hard to travel. Midway, there was even a section of the road without steps and was full of snow. Fortunately, ever since Gu Jiao transmigrated here, she was diligent in climbing mountains and exercising, so she was not persuaded to retreat by this dangerous and difficult mountain road.
She walked faster than ordinary people, but she still spent an hour to reach the temple. When she arrived at the temple, it was almost noon.
The temple wasn’t very big. The words “Ning’an Buddhist Temple” was written on the simple and unadorned horizontal inscribed board which was full of vicissitudes. Didn’t know whether it was due to the snowy weather, but Gu Jiao didn't run into any Buddhist worshippers the whole way.
It seemed there were not many monks in the temple. It was already quite a while since she arrived here but Gu Jiao had yet to see any of them.
"Could this temple be empty?"
But the ground was clean and tidy, it was obvious that someone was taking care of it every day ah!
While thinking, Gu Jiao arrived at the Guanyin Hall[1]. Standing behind the pillar, she inadvertently glanced into the hall and finally saw the first living person of today.
It was a Madame dressed in silk and brocades. But despite her luxurious attire, she didn’t appear to be ostentatious. The white cloak that was draped over her was as though reflecting the snow all over the ground.
From Gu Jiao’s point of view, she could only see the back of the person, but she could feel the other party’s gentle and elegant aura on her body nonetheless.
She kowtowed her head piously, and then clasped her hands together, saying, "Praying for Bodhisattva to bless and protect my son's safety and well-being…"
Even her voice turned out to be gentle and pleasant to the ears.
It was rare for Gu Jiao to pay attention to a stranger, especially the other party was even a woman. She didn’t like women that way, alright?
Just when she was absent-minded, she heard a sudden delicate shout from the side, "Where did you come from, you little things? Dare to peek at my Madame!"
Gu Jiao returned to her senses and looked along the direction of the delicate shouting voice. She saw a servant girl in a green bijia[2] walking in the hallway opposite. The servant girl’s object of reprimand was not her, but rather a few little monks hiding behind another pillar since who knew when.
When the little monks saw that they had been caught in the act peeping on a beauty, they squeaked one after another and ran away in panic.
So there were monks here, but they were little monks!
One of the little dumplings escaped in the opposite direction of the rest and ran towards Gu Jiao. He bumped into Gu Jiao's leg with a squish, and then fell butt first to the ground.
Gu Jiao was instantly bought by the cuteness of the little dumpling who was dumbfounded on the spot, and simply wanted to squeeze him!
But before she could reach out her hand, the little dumpling got up and ran away.
The Madame who was praying to the Buddha inside the hall came out and said to the servant girl in green bijia, "Liu’er, don't be rude."
"Madame." The servant girl named Liu'er murmured and stepped forward, saying, "Those few little guys, if not lectured properly once, may take advantage of you in a while and even go to your living quarters in the temple to make trouble!"
"They’re all just children." The Madame said.
The servant girl twisted her mouth in disagreement, but didn't continue to contradict the Madame.
Just when Gu Jiao thought they were leaving, the Madame suddenly looked over at Gu Jiao’s direction.
Gu Jiao's figure was completely blocked by the pillar, and even the servant girl walking past right in front of her did not notice her presence. Didn’t know how the Madame sensed her.
"Who’s there?" The servant girl instantly became vigilant.
Gu Jiao had no choice but to come out.
She was wearing a shabby purple floral jacket and khaki cotton trousers. Her pair of black cloth shoes had long been soaked by the snow, and there was an old-looking basket on her back. Because she didn’t know how to arrange her hair into a married woman’s hairstyle, she simply gathered a portion of her hair with a finger and tied it into a simple bun on the top of her head.
Her manner of dressing was that of a poor girl from the countryside, not to mention there was a red birthmark on her face.
A trace of contempt appeared on the face of the servant girl.
On the other hand, there was not the slightest disgust in the eyes of the Madame.
When the snow stopped, the roof tiles of the temple’s eaves were covered with auspicious snow. Everywhere in the mountain was covered in silver, bringing about a beautiful scenery. Between heaven and earth was a vast expanse of whiteness and iciness. However, all this was nothing compared to her beauty.
Even for Gu Jiao, this was the first time she had ever seen such a beautiful woman.
But the most beautiful thing about her was her temperament; gentle and graceful, serene and dignified.
"Girl, are you here to pay respects to the Goddess of Mercy too?" The Madame asked Gu Jiao with a smile.
Such a tender voice, such a gentle smile...
Gu Jiao was momentarily stunned. She said after a moment, "No, I came to see the abbot."
The Madame smilingly said, "The abbot has gone down the mountain..."
Halfway through her sentence, another servant girl came in a hurry with a food case in her hands. On her path was an ice surface, and as soon as her foot stepped on it, she slipped, her whole person pouncing forward.
No need to say she fell down, but the food case in her hands also flew out and was about to land on the Madame. Gu Jiao quickly stepped forward and fended off the food case with her arm.
The food case split apart in mid-air. The soup and vegetables inside were spilled out and poured over Gu Jiao!
"Madame, are you all right?" Liu’er anxiously looked at her Madame.
The Madame shook her head and said, "I'm fine."
After that, she turned to Gu Jiao and couldn't hide the worries in her eyes, "But this girl, how are you?"
She was standing in front of this little girl just now and the flying food case was supposed to hit her. If not for this little girl blocking it for her, perhaps her face would have been smashed by it.
"Nothing serious." Gu Jiao replied.
The weather was so cold that the food was no longer hot. Just, the feeling of the sticky soup on her body was rather uncomfortable.
The Madame looked at her messy appearance and felt guilty. She looked at the servant girl who fell to the ground and sighed, "Can't you walk carefully?"
The servant girl’s fall was also miserable, her knees were swollen. She endured the pain and got up. She then complained, "The path is too slippery…"
The Madame also knew that she didn't do it intentionally, but she had hurt this girl after all. Her heart refused to just leave Gu Jiao like this, and said to Gu Jiao, "It's all because of my poor discipline that the girl’s clothes were soiled. Please follow me to my living quarters so you can change into clean clothes."
Gu Jiao thought for a while and did not decline.
This Madame was apparently a frequent visitor to this temple. A separate living quarters in the temple was actually designated for her. It was located at the end of the hallway and looked no different from the quarters of other buddhist monks, but the furnishings inside were very elegant and pleasant, which complemented her temperament.
The two servant girls also entered the room with them.
The Madame asked the servant girl, who was wearing a green bijia and was called Liu’er, to open the trunk case.
Liu'er was immediately unhappy and said, "Madame, this trunk are filled with young miss’ clothes!"
She was just a wild girl from the countryside. When was it her turn to wear their young miss’ clothes?
The look of gentleness in the Madame’s face subsided a bit, "You go out and bring in a new vegetarian meal. Remember to bring one for this girl, too."
Feeling the coercion of her master, the servant girl bowed her head and said, "...Understood."
The Madame personally picked out a set of clothes from the trunk case and handed it to Gu Jiao, saying, "Don’t know if my daughter's clothes will fit you, but they are better than wearing wet clothes. Girl, put this on quickly."
Gu Jiao went behind the screen and changed her clothes.
She thought the clothes would be a little big for her, but it unexpectedly fit her.
"It really suits you." The Madame said with a smile. It was obviously her daughter's clothes, but this little girl wore them more vividly. She asked, "How old are you this year?"
Gu Jiao replied, "Fourteen."
The Madame’s eyes lit up and she said, "You're the same age as my daughter. My daughter was born in this temple."
Gu Jiao: What a coincidence. Me too.
TEASER for NEXT CHAPTER
From beginning to end, the abbot's gaze never left her birthmark.
After Gu Jiao left, it still took a long time before the abbot completely recovered to normal.
One of his disciples stepped forward and asked, "Abbot, what's the matter with you?"
"I just remembered something." The abbot said.
"What did you remember?" The disciple asked.
The abbot let out a sigh and said, "It was many years ago."
That night, he was ordered to mark a newborn baby with the gecko cinnabar. However, he drank too much that time. As a result, his hand trembled from intoxication and applied it on the little baby girl's face instead...
[T/N: σ(￣、￣=)hmm….]
1. ↑ — 观音殿 | Guanyin Hall: the most important annex halls in Chinese Buddhist temples and mainly for enshrining Guanyin, the attendant of Amitabha and one of the "Western Three Saints" renowned for his mercy and sympathy. 2. ↑ — A long, sleeveless jacket of Mongol origins which has opened side slits.
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Also, please also have a look at our other translations!
Everyone But Me Is Reborn
Her father is a coward and senselessly filial. Her mother is weak and gullible. Her elder brother is a wastrel.
When she married into the Wangfu, she suffered and was coldly treated. And by the time she was in labour, she was fated to die with the unborn child in her belly.
This was supposed to be Ning Nuan's life.
However this time, everyone but her is reborn.
Ning Nuan is at a loss. She felt that her dad has suddenly become the pillar of the family, her mother’s temper became fierce, and even her elder brother, who would only walk the dogs and play with birds all day, has begun picking up books and reading them carefully.
There is also that juvenile that shows up at the wall of her courtyard everyday, calling her “Ah Nuan, Ah Nuan” with an honest face.