Chapter 161: Flowing Clouds and Hundred Blessings
After Xiao Jun and Meng Xi finished worshipping the Bodhisattva in Yuantong Hall, they both walked out. Thinking of the pious look of the Second Master when he worshipped Buddha, Meng Xi asked casually:
"What does the Second Master chant when he worships Buddha?"
"Namo Amitabha Buddha, didn't Xi'er just chant like this?"
After hearing this, Mengxi remembered the Guanyin Sutra she had recited. Her face turned slightly hot and she quickened her pace.
Seeing Mengxi speechless, Xiao Jun looked at her in confusion. He found that Mengxi was very smart and understood everything at a glance, but her knowledge of these common sense was not as good as that of a child. Da Qi worshipped Buddhism, and the teachers in the private school had taught these things early on. Even if they had not been to the private school, their parents would have taught them about it.
In a word, everyone in Da Qi knew it, but she knew nothing about it.
But no matter what, he was very happy that Mengxi could talk to him so easily. He was secretly glad that he had spent so much effort to come up with a way to fulfill his wish. He took her out to relax with a legitimate , and it really worked.
Looking at Mengxi at this moment, she was no longer as depressed as she was a few days ago. The calm and composed Mengxi from before was back. He was really curious about what Master Jingyun had said to her. She seemed to be reborn after coming out of the inner hall, and she was no longer as distant to him as before. But he couldn't ask at this moment. As long as she was okay, it was fine.
After leaving the palace, Xiao Jun naturally helped Meng Xi walk down the stairs step by step.
Zhiqiu and Zhichun, who were waiting at the steps, saw the Second Master and the Second Mistress both walk out of the palace gate, with the Second Master supporting the Second Mistress intimately. They opened their eyes wide in surprise and almost fell out of their eyes.
Zhiqiu was the first to react. No, the Second Master must not be allowed to get within three feet of the Second Wife, lest she be harmed by him.
Thinking of this, she walked forward, but was grabbed by Zhichun. Zhichun felt that the Second Master and the Second Mistress looked very harmonious at the moment, and they, as servants, should stay away from them. Seeing that Zhiqiu did not understand, she hurriedly grabbed her and shook her head at her.
Zhiqiu didn't care about that. He slapped Zhichun's hand away and walked a few steps to meet the Second Mistress. He glanced at the Second Mistress and called softly:
"Second Master, Second Madam, Hello"
When Mengxi saw Zhiqiu coming towards her, she naturally pulled her hand back, held Zhiqiu's hand, and continued to walk down.
The gentle hand that was gently grasped suddenly withdrew, leaving the affectionate Second Master feeling empty. He clenched his empty hands, feeling lost for a moment.
He glanced at Zhiqiu coldly and followed the two of them with a gloomy face. Accustomed to this cold face, Second Madam and Zhiqiu pretended not to see it.
Looking at Zhiqiu, who was like an old hen in front of him, Xiao Jun frowned. When did this girl become so hostile towards him?
As they walked out of the mountain gate hall, Xiao Xia and others were already waiting outside the door. When they saw them come out, they stepped forward to greet them and hurriedly ordered people to lead the horses and prepare the carriage.
Zhiqiu and Zhichun looked at the shops on both sides of the road, gently tugged at Second Madam's sleeves and winked at her. Shopping is a woman's nature. The two girls seldom come out, and when they came, they saw the dazzling array of pendants on both sides of the road and had been itching to go shopping. They also knew that people were here to burn incense, so they did not dare to break the rules.
After burning the incense, it seemed that the second master was in a good mood. Seeing that it was still early before noon, he became interested again.
Mengxi saw the two girls making faces and looking anxious, and she knew what they meant. She really spoiled them to the sky. Besides, she was in a good mood and even thought of taking a walk. Looking at the Second Master who was about to get on the horse, she hesitated for a moment, stepped forward and said:
"Second Master, this is my first time here, and I want to go shopping at the shops along the road."
After hearing Mengxi's words, the Second Master pondered for a moment, with a cold face, and handed the reins to Xiao Xia on the side. He followed them to the shop and acted as a flower protector.
Seeing the Second Master like this, Xiao Xia was surprised. When did the Second Master become so easy to talk to? He hated shopping the most! He stood there stupidly. When he came to his senses, the Second Master had already walked far away. He hurriedly handed the reins to the servant next to him and quickly chased after him.
Zhiqiu and Zhichun were holding the silver hairpins they had just bought, comparing them while chatting and laughing. Looking at the two girls, Mengxi shook her head helplessly. It was just a silver hairpin, but they took so long to compare them. They were really childish. She had forgotten that her body was not even as big as Zhiqiu's!
The Second Master followed behind with his hands behind his back, like a big-tailed wolf. Occasionally, he and Xiao Xia would look at the pendants on the stall, but most of his attention was on his wives in front of him. In this busy city, he was really afraid of losing them, but he couldn't bring himself to follow them.
This was in complete compliance with the three-foot rule set by Zhiqiu, and the master and servant formed a unique landscape in this bustling city.
Looking up, he saw a jade shop in front of him. Mengxi walked in, and Zhiqiu and Zhichun followed him in chattering. The jade products in the shop were much more exquisitely made than those on the stalls. They were packed in delicate boxes and placed on the counter. The three of them looked at them carefully. Unlike gold, Mengxi had no special preference for jade products. She just looked at them one by one with a purely appreciative eye.
The Second Master followed him in and sat down directly on a rattan chair at the side. There were very few merchants in Pingyang City who did not know the Second Master Xiao. When the shopkeeper saw him come in, he hurried over to greet him warmly. The Second Master waved his hand, motioning him to go about his business. He just ordered a pot of tea, sat aside and drank it, while Xiao Xia stood aside with his hands behind his back.
"Second Madam, look at this jade bracelet. It is crystal clear and suits you very well. Shopkeeper, please take it out for us to see."
Zhiqiu was dazzled by the jade pieces in the store and was extremely excited. She remembered that most of her Second Madam's headwear had been pawned. Normally, Yichuntang should have started making money a long time ago, but they were pawned and could not be redeemed, and her Second Madam had never bought any new items. It was a rare opportunity for her to choose personally, so she wanted to buy some for her. She completely forgot that they were out to burn incense and did not bring much money with them.
"Sir, you have a good eye. This pair of jade bracelets is made of the rare yellow jade from Hetian jade. Look at the workmanship and the color. Our shop is the only one of its kind in the whole street. To be honest, most of the jade products in our shop are unique. Just buy one. No one will have the same one as you. It is definitely worth collecting."
Seeing that Zhiqiu took a fancy to the best topaz bracelet in the store, the shopkeeper began to introduce it to them attentively. He saw that Mr. Xiao had come in with them, and thought that it must be Mr. Xiao who paid the money, so he kept selling it to him, as it was said that this man was always generous.
Taking the bracelet handed over by the shopkeeper, Zhiqiu tried to put it on Second Madam's wrist, saying as she tried:
"This color really suits Second Grandma's skin, let's take it."
"You forgot, the old lady gave me a pair of mutton-fat jade, which seems to be better than this one."
"Sir, you are really wrong. Among the Hetian jades, topaz is the rarest and is the top grade genuine jade. The next is mutton-fat jade. For this pair of bracelets, not to mention the workmanship, it is hard to find another one in Daqi. Just the material is hard to find in the world. Look at it in the sunlight. This is top grade topaz. There is no comparison with mutton-fat jade. If you really like it, I will be merciful and give you a discount."
Seeing that Mengxi had no intention of buying, the shopkeeper started to sell it vigorously again.
"Boss, how much is this bracelet for?" Zhiqiu's heart revived when he saw it.
"I see that you are a discerning person. If you really want to buy it, I will give it to you at the cost. Just consider it as making friends. It's not expensive. If you give me three thousand taels, it will be yours."
Three thousand taels! Zhiqiu touched her bosom and then remembered that she only had 50 taels of silver. She stuck out her tongue and looked away.
Mengxi had no intention of selling it in the first place. After hearing the price of the bracelet, which could kill someone, she took off the bracelet and handed it to the shopkeeper, saying:
"We don't want to buy this. Please keep it and we'll look for something else."
"Sir, please don't be too busy looking at other things. Take another look. How much silver can you buy it for?"
Seeing Mengxi looking away without hesitation, the shopkeeper took the bracelet back disappointedly. He glanced at the Second Master and saw that he was drinking tea with his head down and didn't look at him at all. So he had to put away the bracelet reluctantly.
"Look, grandma! This bat is so ugly!"
Mengxi looked in the direction of Zhichun's finger and saw a dark green Liuyun Baifu jade pendant. His eyes were fixed instantly, and he walked over slowly and looked at it carefully:
"Shopkeeper, I want to see this jade pendant."
The shopkeeper was disappointed to see that the girls didn't buy the topaz bracelet. He also lost interest in the jade pendant they wanted to see, as it was worth only a few taels of silver. He took it out and handed it to them, briefly introducing it:
"This jade pendant is carved from the finest Dushan jade, and is dark green all over. Look at the white base, which is carefully carved into cloud patterns, and the green color complements it, making it the icing on the cake."
Mengxi reached out to take the jade pendant handed over by the shopkeeper, and gently stroked it in her hand. It felt so familiar. She had been wearing such a jade pendant in her previous life. It was left by her grandmother. Her grandmother once told her that as long as she wore it, she would be happy all her life.
Unfortunately, it was her soul that traveled through time. She remembered that the jade pendant was still hanging around her neck when she was in the hospital. The one in front of her, except that the carving marks were not as round as the one in her previous life, the pattern, size, color and texture were exactly the same. The fingertips that stroked the jade pendant trembled slightly, and the memories of her previous life came flooding back like a tide.
Her doting grandparents, parents, must have died in her previous life? Her parents must be heartbroken to see her die young. And her die-hard fans, will they visit her grave during the New Year, if she has a grave?
Looking at the jade pendant, Mengxi's eyes gradually became blurred.
"Second Grandma, this bat is so ugly, shall we look at something else?"
Seeing that the Second Madam was staring at Wang Pei sadly, Zhichun remained silent and spoke to her. As he spoke, he reached out his hand, wanting to return the jade pendant in the Second Madam's hand to the shopkeeper.
"This jade pendant is called Flowing Clouds and Hundred Blessings. It is composed of cloud patterns and bats. The cloud pattern is shaped like a wishful thinking, which is continuous and endless, meaning that the wish will last forever. The bat symbolizes blessings everywhere, symbolizing endless happiness and wishfulness. How can it be ugly? Grandma once said that the person who wears this jade pendant will be happy all his life."
"Grandma? Is she the Second Madam's family? I've never heard of her."
After hearing Zhiqiu's question, Mengxi's hands trembled slightly. She really didn't have a grandmother in her natal family in this life. She was just in a trance and mentioned the things in her previous life. She was thinking about how to make it up when she heard the shopkeeper say:
"This guest is really knowledgeable. You are right. Wearing this jade pendant is really for good luck and happiness."
"Shopkeeper, how much is this jade pendant? I want to buy it. Zhiqiu, pay the money."
