Mu Ru plainly answered, "I'm sorry, Second Madam. I can't walk anymore either. The Dharma Temple is so high up on the mountainside. Why don't I accompany you to rest here for a while? Let Aunt Gu and Second Young Master go up and burn incense to pray for blessings. We can wait for them here. What do you think?"
Xi Muxue was stunned when she heard Mu Ru's words. She glared fiercely at Mu Ru and yelled, "You have to rest here alone. We came to Dharma Temple mainly to pray for the child in my belly. If I don't go up, how am I supposed to pray for blessings?"
Xi Muxue continued to walk up as she cursed. She was able to walk up faster, perhaps because she was in a hurry to catch up to Dongfang Yu.
Mu Ru could not help but laugh. She realized that being married to Dongfang Mo also had its perks. She was finally able to refuse Mu Xue's requests. If she was unmarried and still lived with Mu Xue and the Xi family, she would have no choice but to always obey Mu Xue's commands.
In the past, when she and Mu Xue were younger, it was hard to say no to Mu Xue. Mu Xue would go back and complain to Xi Yuancheng, saying that Mu Ru had bullied her. Xi Yuancheng would always believe Xi Muxue and would never even listen to what Mu Ru had to say.
Xi Muxue walked up, and she was soon able to catch up a bit to the others. Even though the temple was a little high, it was not difficult to walk up because the steps were well paved and sturdy.
When Mu Ru walked into the temple, Aunt Gu, Dongfang Yu, and Xi Muxue were already waiting for her in the Temple Hall. Dongfang Yu handed her the three incense sticks, gesturing for her to kneel on the futon in front of her.
Mu Ru realized how influential the Dongfang family was when they arrived at the temple. Ordinary temple-goers were allowed to stay outside the temple hall. However, the Dongfang family were allowed access to the temple hall. When they arrived, a brand new futon was laid out for them. Mu Ru guessed that perhaps the Dongfang family had donated a lot of money for the restoration and upkeep of the temple.
Mu Ru had never been to such a sacred place before, and she found herself bothered by the smell of incense. The smell of smoke from candles and the dominant scent of the incense sticks lingered in the air. Mu Ru did not want to stay a second longer.
She picked up three incense sticks and quickly knelt down on the futon. She did not know how to offer incense and pray for blessings. She had only seen such ceremonies on television shows. She kowtowed three times and handed the incense to the monk beside her before quickly walking out of the temple hall.
When she had gone out of the temple, she realized that Aunt Gu, Dongfang Yu, and Xi Muxue were still inside. She realized that offering incense and praying for blessings was not as simple as she had imagined.
She pondered on whether she was supposed to go back inside. She was already outside, so she thought it was best to not go back inside. Besides, she could not stand the smell of smoke inside. When she was still inside, tears rolled down her cheeks because she could not stand the smell of the incense and the smoke.
She stood outside the door for a while. She felt like the others were not heading out of the temple anytime soon. She did not know what they were up to. However, she wasn't very bothered. She did not feel comfortable with them anyway. She simply walked down the mountain. She thought that maybe she could wait for them near the parking lot.
The three cars of the Dongfang family were particularly eye-catching. She approached the car and leaned against the door to wait for the others. She did not expect to attract the attention of many people. Everyone looked at her with disdain and ridicule.
She was surprised that the people were looking at her that way. After a while, she realized that she was leaning against the Rolls-Royce. Those who saw her probably thought she was bragging and being proud of the car. People probably thought she was a money-worshiping woman.