On an April day when spring was waning, a double-brimmed carriage arrived in front of Pudu Nunnery.
The car stopped steadily, and then a group of maids and servants caught up.
Said: "Madam, please get out of the car."
The car curtain was raised, and two people were sitting inside.
Xu Chunjun got out of the car first, and then Mrs. Lu was helped out.
Xu Chunjun's body and appearance did not change much, but his demeanor became more calm and noble.
Today, the prime minister's wife came to burn incense, and the abbot Jingfan of the nunnery had already been waiting at the door to greet her.
Xu Chunjun and Mrs. Lu went up the steps together. Jingfan clasped his hands and asked, "Madams, please come in. I have been waiting for you for a long time."
Xu Chunjun returned the gift with a smile and said, "Please wait for a long time."
"What did you say, madam? You don't mind that our nunnery is small and you deigned to come here. It's our blessing." Jingfan's thin face was clear and kind. Almost twenty years later, she only had a few wrinkles in the corners of her eyes.
"Sure enough, people who practice spirituality are in better spirits than ordinary people. My master has not aged in all these years." Mrs. Lu said with a smile.
"If you become a monk and wear a canopy, you will not be able to enjoy wealth. I am no better than you, madam, who has a long and honorable life, a virtuous husband and a filial son." Jingfan returned a salute to Mrs. Lu and said.
Mrs. Lu's figure became more graceful, and her temples were also stained with white frost.
Marquis Lu has been serving as an official at home since last year. One of his two sons joined the Ministry of Household Affairs, and the other was appointed magistrate of Yingzhou.
Mrs. Lu loves her grandchildren very much, and she raises them all in front of her. They are all sensible.
The group of people entered the nunnery. The bluestone road was soaked by the night rain and was moist, carrying the lingering fragrance of fallen flowers.
At this time of year, it often rains at night, but the sun always shines brightly during the day.
Even though it is in the city, the tranquility and solitude of the nunnery is not affected at all.
The Buddhist hall is kept spotless, and the golden Bodhisattva above him has his eyes slightly lowered, looking solemn, solemn, kind and compassionate.
Xu Chunjun first asked Mrs. Lu to offer incense.
Mrs. Lu took the incense, knelt down on the futon and prayed silently. Then she was helped up and put the incense into the incense burner with her own hands.
Then Xu Chunjun also burned three sticks of incense.
The nuns on both sides chanted mantras in a low voice, and the sound of the wooden fish seemed to be able to convey people's wishes to the Bodhisattvas.
"You two ladies haven't had a meal since you got up early, right? The poor nun ordered someone to prepare a table of clean vegetarian food," Jingfan said.
"Auntie, let's go to the back hall and use it briefly." Xu Chunjun said with a smile.
"Okay, the vegetarian food in their nunnery is always good." Mrs. Lu said, "I just want to eat something simple these days. As I get older, I have to stay away from meat and wine."
Then he said to Jingfan: "I brought a cook here today. The tofu gluten you make here is very good. Let her learn from it and make it for me and Mr. Hou when she goes back."
"It's fine, Madam, if you don't dislike it. Compared with the cooking skills in your palace, the cooking skills here are far behind." Jingfan accompanied Xu Chunjun and Mrs. Lu as they walked to the back hall and said, "You two
Come on, I'll go take a look first."
After Jingfan left, Mrs. Lu asked Xu Chunjun: "It's been almost a month since Wuji accompanied you to Dongdu, right?"
"It's been almost a month, and I guess I should be back in a few days," Xu Chunjun said.
"As the Prime Minister now, he is very busy. Fortunately, with you as a good wife, he doesn't have to worry about anything at home." Mrs. Lu said, "He is really lucky!"
"The daughter-in-law I met is even better than me. This is all due to my aunt's good vision." Xu Chunjun smiled slightly.
"She still needs to learn more from you, but she has always been stronger on the outside than on the outside," Mrs. Lu said. "This is an eternal truth."
"I have to learn this from my aunt. The children in my family are getting older. We really need to be cautious when getting married in the future," Xu Chunjun said.
"Speaking of this, I remembered that you came to offer incense today, maybe you didn't ask for something for yourself?" Mrs. Lu asked.
"It has been three years since Anuan took her three sons to the border. I have been thinking about her all the time. I don't know when she will be able to wait for Mr. Huo. I hope she can come back soon." Xu Chunjun glanced at the wisteria on the wall and thought of many, many years.
Before, I was chatting and laughing with Cen Yunchu and Jiang Nuan under the wisteria trellis.
"Back then, Mr. Huo went on an expedition and fought for three years before repelling the traitors. But he disappeared in the last battle. It was really disappointing!" Mrs. Lu couldn't help but sigh.
"A Nuan is an infatuated person. If she can't see Mr. Huo, she won't be able to feel at ease for the rest of her life." Xu Chunjun also sighed, "I really hope God can show mercy."
"Fang Fei is seventeen this year. The eldest son of the Huo family has been in love with her since he was a child. It's time for him to come back and propose marriage." Mrs. Lu said, "It will be useless if we wait any longer."
"Wuji and I have discussed waiting for another year." Xu Chunjun said, "If An Nuan doesn't come back by then, I will write a letter and ask."
"Aluan is already the quasi-princess," Mrs. Lu said, "you don't have to worry about the marriage of your two daughters anymore. It's just that Lantai's daughter-in-law must be chosen carefully."
"He's only fourteen, so it's too early." Xu Chunjun couldn't help laughing, "It's more serious to read the book first."
After eating the vegetarian meal, Xu Chunjun and Mrs. Lu were ready to go back.
The coachman came in and reported: "Madam, the carriage wheel is out of tenon and needs to be repaired. Could you please wait a moment."
Xu Chunjun and Mrs. Lu looked at each other and smiled, recalling the first time they met here.
"Mr. Chun, do you know why I always like to come here to burn incense?" Mrs. Lu asked, sitting on the futon in the side hall.
"Why?" Xu Chunjun asked.
"Because I met the two most important people in my life here." Mrs. Lu looked at the ancient trees in the courtyard and said, "When I was sixteen years old, I came here to offer incense. We met our Marquis.
It was just an accidental glance and it was fixed for a lifetime.
Later, I met you here again. At that time, you stopped in front of me and asked me to save your second brother.
In fact, I haven't told you in all these years. The first time I saw you, I already decided to help you.
Fate between people is a very wonderful thing. I came to burn incense that day, and my wish was to ask God to arrange a good marriage for Wuji.
I even thought that if the girl I met when I went out was the one designated by the Bodhisattva.
Then I walked out the door and saw you."
"Thanks to my aunt's kindness, I saved my brother and my whole family," Xu Chunjun said.
"I didn't save it, it was you." Mrs. Lu said, "You not only saved the Xu family, but also the Zheng family.
Look at these two portals now, majestic and magnificent.
Those little roots were planted by the fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl in Pudu Nunnery."
Mrs. Lu's voice was slow and old, as if twenty years of time could penetrate her.
The wind picked up outside the side hall, and the vines on the ancient trees swayed.
Fine flowers fell one after another, just like what happened back then.
