Sima Xi had just returned for two days. Seeing that his father and mother had reconciled, he proposed to return to the capital. The old lady thought for a while and said, "It's rare for Yang'er to come home. While the whole family is here, let's go to Baoen Temple tomorrow and burn incense for our ancestors."
Bao'en Temple was built after Sima Chang became a marquis. He felt sad that his father, mother, grandparents did not live to see this age and passed away. They had lived a hard life and were displaced in the wars with Sima Chang. They did not enjoy a good life, which was really pitiful. So Sima Chang built a temple on the outskirts of Tianshui to enshrine their tablets in order to repay them for giving birth to them and to seek psychological comfort.
Mingyu was woken up by Lixiang early in the morning. He packed his things and got on the carriage with Lixiang. After leaving Tianshui City, Mingyu lifted a corner of the curtain and the carriage drove on the avenue. The roadside was lined with tall poplar trees. The leaves rustled when the wind blew. On both sides of the road were fertile farmlands. The wheat had been harvested and there were only large areas of wheat stubble on the ground. From afar, the vast fields stretched as far as the eye could see.
The sun had just climbed out from the horizon. When passing through the village, one could still see the smoke rising above the houses. The morning mist had not yet dissipated. At this time, farmers wearing straw hats and carrying hoes were walking to the fields. When they saw the huge convoy of Sima Hou Mansion, they stopped by the roadside with curiosity and envy, and stopped to watch the carriages galloping away.
Bao'en Temple was built on the hillside. It was a private temple of the Anxi Marquis Mansion. It did not receive outsiders on weekdays. In addition to the monks in the temple, the Anxi Marquis Mansion also sent a family to guard it.
In less than an hour, the carriage arrived at the gate of Baoen Temple. Mingyu put on her veil and got off the carriage with the help of Lixiang. A young, round-faced daughter-in-law hurriedly came up to her and laughed loudly, "Greetings to Second Madam Bao!"
Mingyu's face was twisted and hesitant under the veil, and she waved to Lixiang. Lixiang understood and handed over a few copper coins, and the daughter-in-law who came to pick her up became more cautious and attentive.
You are the unlucky Second Aunt Bao, and everyone in your family is Second Aunt Bao! Mingyu complained in her heart.
Mingyu's carriage was behind. The old lady and her friends arrived earlier than Mingyu and had already got off the carriage. The round-faced daughter-in-law took Mingyu over and joined them. Led by the abbot in a cassock, each of them held a stick of incense and bowed their heads respectfully to the main hall to kowtow and burn incense in front of the ancestral tablets.
At this moment, the old lady was talking in a rambling manner to Sima Chang's tablet, basically saying how promising Yang Ge'er was, and that you must bless the whole family over there, and that I'll be there to accompany you soon.
Mingyu also prayed inwardly, "Grandpa Sima, I came here because of the bad agreement between you and my grandfather. I really can't get along with the people in your Sima family. I beg you to have mercy and help me go home. Of course, I mean my real home. You are so powerful that you must understand what I mean..."
Sima Hong stood beside Mingyu. He was used to burning incense for his ancestors. He was already familiar with the movements and was a little impatient. He whispered to Mingyu, "There are a lot of rabbits in the back hills. I'll take you to play with them after we burn incense."
Mingyu bowed her head solemnly, praying devoutly to return home as soon as possible, and ignored the dog boy.
Seeing that Mingyu ignored him, Sima Hong became anxious and wanted to say something else, but he saw his eldest brother Sima Xi in front of him glaring at him coldly. Master Bao was caught off guard and was stabbed on the spot. He was so scared that he immediately stood up straight, held his breath and dared not make any more small movements.
Mingyu's eyes moved back and forth between the two brothers, but she couldn't tell that Master Bao was so afraid of his elder brother. Mingyu saw that Master Bao was a little restrained in front of the old lady, but he was always frivolous and unserious towards his own father.
After the incense was burned, Sima Qing and his wife accompanied the old lady to listen to the host's lecture. The two couples of the eldest and second uncles were left and arranged by the servants of the Sima family to rest in the side rooms. Sima Hong originally wanted Mingyu to accompany him to the back mountain to hunt rabbits. According to him, these monks didn't eat rabbits anyway, so it was a waste.
Mingyu was unwilling to do so even if she was beaten to death. She was very suspicious that if she followed Sima Hong, this disaster star, she would not be able to catch the rabbit, but would be beaten instead. Sima Hong, who had a long criminal record, could only leave in disappointment, dragging his servant Baihao.
Luo Lingxiu had been sitting in the carriage for an hour and was already tired. She lay on the bed in the side room and asked the maid to massage her legs. Sima Qing came in and saw her, then turned around and left silently. Luo Lingxiu was full of resentment, but she couldn't vent it. She raised her hand to ask the maid to stop massaging her legs, got out of bed and followed her out, but saw Sima Xi looking up, staring absentmindedly at something not far away.
Luo Lingxiu was surprised. She followed her husband's gaze and her face became ferocious. She was shocked and angry, not knowing what to say. She clenched her hands into fists and didn't even feel her nails digging into her flesh.
At the door of the second-floor room, Mingyu was sitting there enjoying the breeze. The mountain breeze in the morning was cool, making her white skirt flutter gently in the wind. A strand of hair fluttered playfully back and forth on her cheek. The soft sunlight hit her white jade face, giving her a layer of golden light. From this angle, the girl's quiet profile was peaceful and beautiful, like a beautiful silhouette.
It couldn't be the reason she imagined... Luo Lingxiu's teeth were clacking. Sima Xi was the son of a marquis and had been in the capital for so many years. He had seen all kinds of women. How could he fall in love with a yellow-haired girl he had only met once like his cousin? However, Sima Xi's eyes were focused and serious. He observed Mingyu carefully, as if he was looking for something. This almost obsessive look was enough to make Luo feel sad and angry. She turned around and walked into the wing room with trembling lips.
At lunch time, the round-faced wife who helped Mingyu get off the car in the morning went upstairs to call Mingyu to have lunch. When Mingyu arrived there, she saw Luo Lingxiu and Sima Xi waiting there. Mingyu bowed to them and sat down in a seat far from them. After waiting for a while, Master Bao came back in a panic and asked the old lady why they hadn't come yet. Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief. Luo Lingxiu looked at Master Bao in surprise, with a cat-like face and two scratches on his robe. "Where have you been?"
Master Bao chuckled twice, took the handkerchief handed over by the maid and wiped his face, then sat down beside Mingyu and said, "I went to the back mountain to catch two rabbits for Mingyu to play with."
Sima Xi, who had been resting with his eyes closed, could not help but glare at his younger brother. They were already adults, and although Luo Lingxiu had a smile on her face, she felt sour and blocked in her heart. The look she gave Mingyu became more and more unpleasant.
Mingyu had already received the piercing gaze from her sister-in-law, and turned her head away to pretend she didn't see it. She felt a sense of disgust for no reason. Sima Xi was by her side, and he was still "jealous" of Mingyu for some trivial things. When Mingyu first learned that Sima Xi left home the day after his wedding, she felt sympathy for Luo Lingxiu. Now it seems that she really deserved it, and it was her own fault. Besides, it was obviously this dog boy who wanted to go out and play, but he had to drag her into it. If Comrade Cuihua knew about it, she would "educate" her again.
After a while, the old lady, accompanied by her son and daughter-in-law, came to the side room. After the old lady and her family were seated first, Sima Xi took his generation to sit down, and the servants began to serve the dishes.
It was a rare visit from the Marquis’s mansion, so the vegetarian meals prepared in the temple were made with extra care, and each dish was delicious and tasty.
The old lady was born in a humble family and liked to be lively as she was old. Naturally, she did not follow the rules of the rich families, such as not talking while eating or sleeping. She noticed that Sima Hong's robe was torn in two places and laughed, "You naughty monkey, you are restless everywhere! You have ruined your clothes again!"
Luo Lingxiu quickly put down her chopsticks. She had been waiting for this opportunity. She smiled slowly and said, "The old lady can't say anything about Bao Ge'er this time. He went up the mountain to catch rabbits to please his wife!"
The old lady burst into laughter. Mingyu lowered her head and wanted to bury her face in the bowl. Couldn't she just not say anything about this annoying Luo Lingxiu? The old lady had no intention of pursuing the matter, but she had to say it out loud. Didn't she just want Miao to teach her a lesson
As expected, Miao immediately became unhappy, stretched her face, and scolded him: "Mingyu, you are not a child anymore. I have warned you so many times, but you are still so playful. Do you have any memory? What a person! There are weeds growing on the hill behind. Who knows what is in it? Fortunately, Bao Ge'er is fine this time..."
Sima Hong couldn't help but interrupt his mother, "Mom, I'm going to catch the rabbit. It has nothing to do with Mingyu."
Miao's face became even more stretched. Great, he even knew how to lie to protect his wife. This little girl was really cunning. She had coaxed Bao Ge'er so much that he couldn't tell the directions.
The old lady said slowly, "It's just catching a rabbit. What's the problem? The children of the farmers have been playing in the back hills since they were young. I've never heard of them encountering any danger."
Miao was stunned for a moment, and said angrily: "How can Bao Ge'er compare with those children from farm families?"
The old lady snorted, "My grandfather and I are both from farming families. Now that our lives are better, do we look down on those farmers?"
"Mother." Sima Xi, who had been silent all this time, spoke up. "My second brother is already a married man, so he should be sensible in what he does."
Miao was furious. She had only said a few words to the little girl, and several people were ganging up on her. Sima Qing saw that his wife looked upset and was about to get angry, so he immediately smiled and said, "It's not a big deal. Madam is right. Bao'er should stop being naughty in the future. He just makes Madam worry."
Sima Hong saw Mingyu lowering her head with red eyes, feeling extremely apologetic. He did not expect that just going out to catch a rabbit would cause the little girl to suffer such a great injustice. He gently touched the little girl across the table leg, but Mingyu ignored him. She felt a sore throat and put down her bowl and chopsticks after taking a few mouthfuls of rice, then sat there quietly with her head lowered.
Sima Xi looked at the little girl who was wronged and kept silent with her head down, and his heart tightened for no reason.
After Mingyu got on the carriage, she saw a snow-white furry thing under the seat. Lixiang pulled it out and saw that it was two snow-white rabbits with their feet tied with straw ropes. They looked at her with their ears erect and innocent red eyes, and their noses were twitching.
Thinking of the dirty cat-like image of Sima Hong when he first came in, Mingyu couldn't help but smile, and her resentment towards Sima Hong didn't seem so strong anymore.
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