Chapter 35: See each other 35 times
Editor: Atlas Studios
Gu Jiao went to the other side of the mountain with a basket on her back.
The temple was halfway up the mountain, and the path was extremely difficult. There was a section without steps and entirely covered in accumulated snow. Luckily, Gu Jiao, who had been diligent in climbing and exercising since she arrived here, was not deterred by this hazardous mountain road.
Her pace was faster than average, but it still took her about two hours to reach the temple, almost at noon.
The temple was not large, and the ancient and weather-beaten plaque read “Ning’an Temple” in large characters. Perhaps it was because there were fewer people due to the snow, but Gu Jiao did not encounter a single worshipper along the way.
There weren’t many monks in the temple either. Gu Jiao hadn’t seen a single one since she entered.
“Could it be that this temple is deserted?”
But the ground was clean and tidy, as if it was taken care of every day.
As she was wondering this, Gu Jiao arrived at the Guanyin Hall. She stood behind a pillar and absentmindedly glanced at the Hall. Finally, she saw the first living person of the day.
It was a woman dressed in silk, although exquisitely dressed, she wasn’t ostentatious. A white cloak draped over her body, reflecting the light of the snow on the ground.
From Gu Jiao’s angle, she could only see the woman’s back, but she could feel a gentle and graceful aura emitting from her.
The woman devoutly performed several prostrations and put her hands together: “I pray to the Bodhisattva to bless my child to be safe and smooth…”
Her voice was even soft and pleasant to the ear.
Gu Jiao rarely took an interest in strangers, especially women. She didn’t like women, did she?
But just as she was engrossed in watching, there suddenly came a sharp rebuke from the side: “Who brought this rascal who dares to peep at my mistress!”
Gu Jiao snapped back to reality, and looked in the direction of the rebuke to see a maid in light-green armor walking from the opposite corridor. The maid was scolding not her, but several little monks hiding behind another pillar.
The little monks who were caught peeping at the beauty yelled in a panic and ran away in all directions.
So, there are monks, but these are such little monks!
One of the chubby little monks ran in the wrong direction, coming towards Gu Jiao, and with a smack hit Gu Jiao’s leg and fell on his butt.
Gu Jiao was charmed by this puzzled little chubby monk and wanted to touch him!
But before she could extend her hand, the little boy scrambled up and ran away, chirping with alarm.
The woman inside the hall finished her prayers and walked out, saying to the green-armored maid, “Liuliu, don’t be rude.”
“Mistress,” grumbled Liuliu, coming forward, “if we don’t teach these little pests a lesson now, they will have no respect later and will run into your meditation room without a second thought!”
“They’re just children,” the mistress said.
Maid Liuliu pouted, clearly not agreeing, but didn’t continue to argue with the mistress.
Just when Gu Jiao thought they were going to leave, the woman inside the hall looked in her direction.
Gu Jiao’s figure was completely hidden by the pillar. Even the maid coming straight towards her didn’t notice her. Gu Jiao wondered how this woman had sensed her presence.
“Who is there?” The maid was immediately alert.
Gu Jiao had to step out.
She was wearing a poor pale purple flower short jacket, brown cotton pants, black cloth shoes on her feet that were already soaked by snow, and a worn-out small basket on her back. But she wasn’t skilled in arranging a woman’s hairstyle, so she had made a small bun on top of her head.
She indeed had the appearance of a rural poor girl, especially considering the conspicuous red birthmark on her face.
The maid’s face immediately showed a trace of contempt.
However, the woman showed no signs of disgust in her eyes.
The snow stopped, and the roof of the temple was covered with auspicious snow. The green and elegant mountain was wrapped in silver, and between heaven and earth was a vast expanse of pure white, but none of these compared to her beauty.
This was the first time Gu Jiao had seen such a beautiful woman.
The most beautiful was her temperament — gentle, graceful, serene, and dignified.
“Did you also come to pay your respects to the Bodhisattva Guanyin?” The woman asked Gu Jiao with a smile.
Such a gentle voice, such a gentle smile…
Gu Jiao was taken aback before saying, “No, I came to see the Abbot.”
With a gentle laugh, the woman said, “The Abbot has gone down the mountain…”
Before she could finish her sentence, another maid hurried over with a food box in her hand. There was unthawed ice on the road, her foot slipped, and she fell forward with a cry. Not only did she fall, but the food box in her hand also flew out, about to hit the woman. Gu Jiao took a step forward and blocked the food box with her arm.
The food box broke open in mid-air, the soup and vegetables spilled out, drenching Gu Jiao!
“Mistress, are you alright?” Liuliu anxiously looked at her mistress.
The woman shook her head, “I’m fine.”
Having said that, she turned to look at Gu Jiao, concern in her eyes, “But what about you?”
She was standing in front of her, and the food box was originally going to hit her. If the young girl hadn’t blocked it for her, her face might have been hit.
“I’m fine.” Gu Jiao said.
The weather was too cold, the food had already cooled down, but the soup sticking to her was uncomfortable.
Seeing Gu Jiao’s predicament, the woman felt guilty. She looked at the maid who had fallen on the ground and sighed, “Can’t you walk properly?”
The maid also had a hard fall, her knee was swollen. Bearing the pain, she got up and complained, “The road was too slippery…”
The woman knew it wasn’t intentional, but a girl had been hurt. She felt guilty and said to Gu Jiao, “I’m sorry for my lack of discipline, and for dirtying your clothes. Please come with me to the meditation room to change into a clean outfit.”
Gu Jiao thought for a moment, and did not refuse.
This woman seemed to be a regular visitor to the temple, having a separate meditation room in the temple. It was located at the end of the corridor and looked no different from the other meditation rooms, but the interior was elegantly and quietly furnished, matching her temperament perfectly.
The two maids also entered the room.
The woman asked the maid in green armor named Liuliu to open a crate.
Liu immediately wasn’t happy, “Mistress, these are all young mistress’s clothes!”
A country girl wasn’t worthy of their young mistress’s clothes, was she?
The woman’s gentleness receded slightly, “You go back and get another serving of vegetarian food, and be sure to bring some for this young lady too.”
Feeling the pressure from her mistress, the maid lowered her head and obeyed, “Yes.”
The woman personally chose a suit of clothes for Gu Jiao from the box, “These are my daughter’s clothes, I don’t know if they will fit you, but they must be better than wet clothes. Please change into them quickly, young lady.”
Gu Jiao went behind a screen to change and then came out.
She had thought the clothes would be a bit large, but surprisingly they fit her well.
“There’re really suitable for you.” The woman smiled and said. They were her daughter’s clothes, but the girl wore them with even more flair. “How old are you?”
Gu Jiao answered, “Fourteen.”
The woman’s eyes lit up, “Same as my daughter. My daughter was born in this temple.”
Gu Jiao: How coincidental, so was I.