Chapter 403: Meeting an Old Acquaintance

Chapter 403: Meeting an Old Acquaintance

Bai Xiaofeng was grinning from ear to ear.

But she still said modestly, "Oh, it was nothing, just a stroke of luck."

Madam Liu gave Bai Xiaofeng a playful nudge with her elbow and said with a smile, "When your Liu Ge'er returns from the Imperial College, let him take a look at the new essay my naughty boy has written and give him some pointers."

"I wouldn’t dare call it giving pointers," Bai Xiaofeng waved her hands repeatedly.

The ladies continued chatting and laughing as they made their way into the main hall.

With monks and worshippers everywhere, safety wasn’t a concern.

They’d already told their daughters to stay close and not wander too far.

As the oldest, Tong Yunpeng took the lead in guiding the girls through the White Horse Temple.

Chu Siying clung to Tong Yunpeng like a shadow, refusing to let go of her hand. Tong Yunpeng was at her wit’s end.

Finally, when Tong Yunpeng had to use the bathroom, she asked which of the girls would accompany her. Xingxing said she would go, and Chu Siying immediately added, "I'll go too."

Tong Yunpeng was completely exasperated, raising the hand that Chu Siying was tightly holding, "Are you seriously going to hold my hand while I use the restroom?"

Chu Siying finally let go, though reluctantly.

But when the girls came out of the restroom, Chu Siying was nowhere to be found.

Her maid had vanished too.

Tong Yunpeng scoured the courtyard, growing angrier by the second. "Not this again!"

The other girls shook their heads and sighed in unison.

Xingxing, having only met Chu Siying twice, was confused. She looked at Tong Yunpeng, who explained, "Before you joined us, Xingxing, Siying was the baby of the group, and we all doted on her. Once, I gave a bit more attention to another younger girl, and she threw a fit and ran off, hiding in a rockery. We searched for her all afternoon."

Another girl added, "Sister Yunpeng was so frantic she nearly burst into tears. But when we found Siying, her face was covered in insect bites from hiding in the rockery, so Sister Yunpeng couldn’t scold her. Instead, she soothed Siying with kind words. Ever since, Siying’s go-to move when upset is to run off."

The girls all sighed deeply after hearing this.

Chu Siying was clearly a repeat offender.

But even though she was a repeat offender, Tong Yunpeng and the others couldn't just ignore her.

Especially since they were outside.

Tong Yunpeng sighed and looked at the sun.

Although the weather was cold today, the sun was shining brightly. It was rare for these sheltered girls to have a chance to go out and play, but now this precious time was being spent on a little girl's tantrum.

Even the ever-patient Tong Yunpeng couldn’t help feeling a twinge of annoyance.

However, it was also Tong Yunpeng who quickly pulled herself together. She skillfully instructed the girls, "Let's split up and search. Whether we find her or not, we'll meet back at the entrance of this courtyard in the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

The girls nodded, and Xingxing nodded as well.

They all went their separate ways to search.

Xingxing was responsible for one direction, where there were a few side halls, which were relatively easy to search.

Xingxing entered each side hall with her maid.

One of the side halls was dedicated to the deity of matchmaking. As soon as Xingxing and her maid entered, the people inside couldn’t help but glance their way.

She’s so young—already here to pray for marriage?

At first, Xingxing didn’t understand the meaning behind their looks, but her maid, upon seeing the deity's statue, blushed and quickly coughed, slightly raising her voice so others could hear: "Miss, only behind the statue could someone hide. I think Miss Chu, even if she’s being mischievous, wouldn’t hide behind the statue, right? Should we leave?"

This was her way of subtly telling others not to jump to conclusions—her young lady wasn’t here to pray for marriage but to look for someone!

Xingxing scanned the area and saw that it was indeed as her maid said—only behind the statue could someone hide.

Although it was a side hall, because it was dedicated to matchmaking, it was always filled with worshippers, and there were even monks standing nearby.

If Chu Siying had really run here and hidden behind the statue, not only the monks but even the worshippers would’ve likely persuaded her to come out.

Xingxing turned to leave.

However, before she could step out of the hall, she saw a young, elegantly dressed woman walk in.

Xingxing gave a slight shudder, looking at the young woman in disbelief.

The young woman, however, paid no attention to Xingxing’s gaze. She swayed her hips as she walked to the deity’s statue, knelt on the cushion, clasped her hands, and began murmuring prayers.

Xingxing quickly recovered from her momentary lapse, though her eyes still lingered with disbelief as she stared at the young woman’s back.

Her maid was puzzled: "Miss, what’s wrong?"

Xingxing gently shook her head, as if remembering something, her expression somewhat complicated.

The maid was even more surprised.

Their usually carefree mistress actually had such a complex expression on her face?!

The maid grew even more curious.

After leaving the matchmaking hall, Xingxing was still a bit distracted.

Nevertheless, she continued to search the remaining side halls, confirming that Chu Siying wasn’t there, before heading to the courtyard they’d agreed to meet at.

Fortunately, by the time Xingxing arrived, Tong Yunpeng had already found Chu Siying.

Chu Siying clung to Tong Yunpeng’s arm, cooing: "Sister Peng, you’re always the one to find me. I knew you’re the best to me."

After saying this, she shot Xingxing a meaningful glance.

Tong Yunpeng, unable to resist Chu Siying’s charm, wanted to scold her but didn’t know where to begin.

Finally, Tong Yunpeng sighed and tapped Chu Siying’s forehead: "You, when we’re out having fun, can’t you stop being so unpredictable?"

Chu Siying, in a good mood, readily agreed and continued to sway Tong Yunpeng’s arm: "I know, Sister Peng."

Searching for Chu Siying had taken up a lot of time. After everyone gathered, they quickly toured the area before going to find their respective mothers.

At noon, the ladies had a vegetarian meal pre-ordered at the White Horse Temple. After the meal, they went to listen to a master’s lecture.

Xingxing wanted to tell Bai Xiaofeng about the familiar face she’d just seen, but seeing that her aunt had other plans, she hesitated, deciding to wait until they were on their way home.

After all, the past was behind her, and she hadn’t expected to bump into that person in the capital.

The ladies all went to listen to the scripture lecture, so the girls, with nothing else to do, suggested playing cards together.

Chu Siying glanced provocatively at Xingxing, "...I heard you're from the countryside. Do you even know how to play cards here in the capital?"

Xingxing immediately demonstrated what it meant to "know how to play," winning every single one of the copper coins Chu Siying had brought out to play with.

To make matters worse, Tong Yunpeng was pleasantly surprised and praised Xingxing for her skill.

And just like that, Chu Siying stormed off again in anger.