The courtyard was immaculately clean, ornately adorned with orchids dug out from the mountains and planted in clay pots, creating a unique style.
Yun Jinnian had her own room, featuring a large kang bed adorned with a quilt and pillows covered in blue cotton fabric.
The washbasin stand was placed by the window next to the kang.
In the center of the room was a square table, surrounded by four round stools.
To the left, there was a small room, presumably for storing clothes and the like.
Mrs. Yuan, Ming Yang, and Ru Yue's rooms were in the small courtyard to the left upon entering, also furnished with a large kang and three wardrobes lined up side by side. The kitchen was to the left and right, complete with a large water jar filled to the brim and a stove with dry firewood stacked behind it.
The room was warm and cozy, thanks to the heat still radiating from the kang.
Upon entering the room, the chill was significantly dispelled.
"Fourth Miss, from now on, you will live here. If you need anything at all, please don't hesitate to tell me!"
"Thank you, Abbess, it's quite nice!"
"You should rest for now. The vegetarian meals will be delivered soon. There is hot water in the kitchen's pot if you would like to wash up first," said Abbess Hui Ling before leaving.
Yun Jinnian exhaled deeply a few times and sat on the kang.
Mrs. Yuan, Ming Yang, and Ru Yue had brought their things into the room.
Seeing Yun Jinnian sitting on the kang lost in thought, Ming Yang softly called out, "Miss, let me fetch some water for you to freshen up!"
Yun Jinnian came back to her senses, "Alright!"
After freshening up, the vegetarian dishes were served: pickled vegetables, green vegetables, egg soup, and a large bowl of rice.
Though the variety was limited, the portions were sufficient.
"You all sit down and eat as well. Here in the convent, there are not as many rules as in the Yun Family," Yun Jinnian said, and she began to eat from her bowl in small bites.
She didn't have much of an appetite originally, but whether she was hungry or her taste had changed, Yun Jinnian ended up eating more than she would at the Yun Family.
After dinner, Yun Jinnian walked around the courtyard. Ming Yang taught Yun Jinnian how to read, Mrs. Yuan was sewing clothes for Yun Jinnian, and Ru Yue was sitting nearby, grinding something while attentively watching and seriously learning the characters.
"It's getting late; you should all go to sleep early. There will be more to do tomorrow!"
The next day
Yun Jinnian donated an additional one thousand taels of silver as offering money. Except for the consistently calm and compassionate Abbess Hui Ling, the other nuns' looks toward Yun Jinnian changed.
One thousand taels of silver was enough to keep the convent well-fed and carefree for several years.
The vegetables were grown by themselves, and they raised their own chickens and ducks. Firewood could be collected from the mountain, and medicinal herbs could be dug up there as well, but grains and fabrics needed to be purchased.
Yingci'an was austere, and only Abbess Hui Ling went out to beg for alms. The others who came to the convent had never left it.
On the third day, Yun Jinnian began participating in the morning rituals.
Kneeling in front of the bodhisattva, Yun Jinnian listened intently and devoted three days to memorize the Heart Sutra.
Yun Jinnian had been waiting for Chu Yu to come and find her, and this waiting continued until the third day of the second month.
The Yun Family
With Yun Jinnian's departure, the Yun Family suddenly became a bustling place. The new tutor for the private school was very gentle and endeared herself well to Xu Xinmo and the others.
However, there were problems at several of the Yun Family's shops.
It began with the discovery of counterfeit medicine at one of their drugstores. The locals caused an uproar questioning its authenticity. The shopkeeper denied it vehemently, but after someone reported it to the authorities, the Jingzhao Prefecture officials investigated and found that thirty percent of the inventory was fake. The shopkeeper was thrown into jail, implicating Yun Chen as well.
Even though it was later proven that the counterfeit medicine came from the supplier and Yun Chen was unaware, it brought into question how much fake medicine had been sold over the years.
The reputation and business of the drugstore plummeted.
And that wasn't the end of it.
A jewelry shop and an antiques shop owned by the Yun Family were both robbed. In just one night, their merchandise was stolen clean, not a single item left behind.
The losses were catastrophic.
Many customers who had paid deposits or full payments flocked to the doors.
Among them was the Prince Rui Residence, which had purchased a White Jade Guanyin Statue for fifteen thousand taels of silver. According to the agreement, delivery was due by the fifth day of the second month at the latest; otherwise, the compensation would be fivefold. Fivefold—that would amount to seven hundred and fifty thousand taels of silver...