Translator: Dj22031
Editor: Dj22031
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Ye Lingling looked up at You Xu, who was happily eating across from her. She wasn’t being polite at all, and Wen Shu didn’t seem to want to send her away.
“There are still empty seats in the tavern, Miss You, why don’t you go outside? Consider it my treat,” Ye Lingling said. “Don’t disturb the master’s meal.”
You Xu didn’t even look up, her cheeks puffing out, and mumbled, “Whether I disturb him or not is up to the master.”
The implication was clear: the master hadn’t even said anything, so why are you being so stubborn?
Ye Lingling bit her lower lip, turned her head, and called out softly, drawing out the last syllable, “Master—”
Wen Shu’s eyelashes drooped slightly, his expression indifferent, showing no intention of speaking.
Ye Lingling froze for a moment, unsure of what to do. Just then, a guest called her, so she left with the words “Master, please enjoy your meal,” and got up to leave, glancing at You Xu out of the corner of her eye.
You Xu didn’t notice, she only saw that the vegetarian food here was better than that at Shanyuan Temple. There were more kinds of vegetables, such as lotus root, loofah, and eggplant; more variety, stir-fried, steamed, boiled, and with condiments. As for the vegetarian food at Shanyuan Temple, she had eaten it twice with Wen Shu, and it was just white porridge, steamed buns, two servings of green vegetables, two servings of pickled vegetables, and that was it— extremely bland. No wonder Wen Shu had come down the mountain to eat here.
However, as a carnivore, You Xu tried all the ingredients in front of her and then stopped eating.
The dish she ate the most was the stir-fried radish. It wasn’t that it was particularly delicious, but it was strange that of all the dishes on the table, Wen Shu only ate radish. He had mentioned radish when ordering, and every time Ye Lingling brought food up the mountain, he only ate radish.
What, why not just admit he was born in the Year of the Rabbit?
You Xu: “Why does Master only eat radish?” Was there some kind of bittersweet memory?
Wen Shu didn’t answer. Seeing that she had almost finished eating, he got up and walked out.
“Master, you ate so quickly this time, is the food not to your liking? How about some snacks?” Ye Lingling hurriedly came forward.
Wen Shu took out his money pouch, paid the bill, and said, “You should close for half a day after noon in three days.”
If she didn’t take his money, he probably wouldn’t come next time. Ye Lingling put away the money and quickly said, “I’ll listen to Master, thank you Master.” Wen Shu’s divination was accurate, helping her avoid two bad things, how could she dare not listen?
“No need.”
You Xu followed him away, and after they were a distance apart, she asked him, “What did you divine?”
To be honest, she was quite curious about this kind of metaphysics.
Wen Shu glanced at her, seeing her eager expression, and said, “Some time ago, Prince Yi rebelled, his entire household was raided, and his servants were exiled. They are traveling from north to south, passing through Jian’an City, and would stop here to rest in three days. Among the servants are lecherous men.”
He twirled the Buddhist beads in his hand: “And Miss Ye’s divination showed something ominous.”
After hearing this, You Xu became even more curious.
Three days later, she specifically inquired and indeed found a group of servants leading exiles through that street. Their attitude was extremely violent; they whipped the exiles while asking the townspeople, “Which tavern nearby is doing well?”
Seeing their loud voices and constant cursing, the townspeople could only reply, “There’s a tavern down the street; the owner’s surname is Ye, good wine and beautiful woman.”
The servants then herded the exiles there, hoping to rest, but the tavern was closed, so they went to a tavern across the street.
After hearing this, You Xu sighed, particularly wanting Wen Shu to divine her fate, to see if he could miraculously predict her transmigrator identity.
78: “Don’t think about these things all day. With the system interfering, even if he wanted to, he couldn’t be accurate.”
You Xu had no choice but to give up; after all, if he really did predict it, it wouldn’t just frighten Wen Shu, but also her.
A few days later, a famous painter named Yun Junzhi arrived. His bird painting, created when he was ten, was hailed as a prodigy’s work, and his fame grew ever stronger. Legend had it that his paintings were so lifelike they were priceless, and he roamed freely among the mountains and rivers, rarely seen by ordinary people.
His sudden appearance at Shanyuan Temple astonished everyone.
“I have long admired Master Wen Shu,” Yun Junzhi said, “and have come specifically to paint a picture for you, to fulfil my wish. I hope you will do me the honor.”
You Xu could tell that Wen Shu wasn’t very keen on the task, but noticing the gazes of everyone in the temple who practically wanted to hold him down so Yun Junzhi could paint him, he nodded.
The gate to Guili Garden closed, cutting off the sounds and sights of others.
You Xu sat at a distance on a bamboo chair, watching Yun Junzhi paint Wen Shu.
The weather was beautiful; the sky was azure, fluffy with white clouds, and the sunlight was warm. A few wisps of sandalwood incense burned in the courtyard, creating a tranquil atmosphere that made one want to doze off.
Wen Shu stood with his back to her, his back straight as bamboo. You Xu always felt there was an untamed spirit about him, like bamboo breaking through the soil. His deep study of Buddhism had tempered that fierceness and untamed nature, leaving only a cold indifference.
You Xu glanced down and saw a string of Buddhist prayer beads on his left hand, while on his right… a gentle breeze, warmed slightly by the sun, rustled the leaves, causing the empty hem of his robe to flutter.
His eyelashes were slightly lowered, lost in thought.
After a while, the wind stopped.
Yun Junzhi’s gaze swept over Wen Shu, he smiled silently, and put his brush down again.
….
As the sun set, the small garden was bathed in a soft orange-red glow, and the faint chirping of birds could be heard from the woods.
Yun Junzhi handed over the ink-dried painting, casually smiling, “I hope the master will accept it. I will continue my wanderings through mountains and rivers. Until we meet again.”
Wen Shu didn’t even look at the painting, casually rolling it up. “Thank you.”
Yun Junzhi left, leaving only the two of them in the courtyard. Wen Shu turned his head and saw You Xu curled up asleep in the bamboo chair. Her hair was slightly disheveled, with a few strands falling down, one clinging to her rosy lips.
She seemed to be dreaming of something delicious, unconsciously licking her lips, which were moist and beautiful.
The evening breeze was a bit cool, and she subconsciously curled up, hugging her knees, her long, slender neck arched.
Wen Shu looked away and casually unfolded the painting in his hand.
In the painting, he had a cold expression, dressed in a blue robe, holding Buddhist prayer beads in his left hand, while a delicate, white hand was visible beneath the hem of his robe on the right side.
Wen Shu paused, then noticed the pale yellow hem of his robe behind the blue robe.
The person hid behind him, trying to mend the incompleteness of his painting in this way.
After a long while, Wen Shu closed the painting, looked up at the little girl in the pale yellow dress sleeping soundly on the bamboo chair.
Dusk approached, the light of the setting sun grew fainter, and the shadows of the two people, one sitting and one standing, in the courtyard grew longer and longer.
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