Seeing the goddess walking out, Mrs. Xu who was waiting outside immediately came to greet her.
"Xiangu, how is my third sister doing?"
The goddess waved her hands repeatedly, "Madam, I'm sorry that I can't help you with Miss Xu San's situation. I won't take any money from you, old lady. I'm leaving."
Mrs. Xu was anxious and quickly grabbed the corner of her clothes, "What will happen to my third sister when you leave? How about I draw a few magic charms and make my third sister take it?"
The goddess shook her head, "Spells are not trivial. If you use them repeatedly, their effectiveness will be greatly reduced.
There is a big cause and effect on Miss Xu San that I cannot resolve, and it is not something I, the old lady, can contaminate."
Seeing the goddess leave, Mrs. Xu looked sad, "What should I do?"
Several maids looked at each other, and one of them boldly stepped forward and spoke.
"The third young lady is still in the boudoir. Once word spreads about being possessed by a ghost, it will harm the Xu family's reputation and will have to delay the second and fourth young ladies' marriage.
Why not...send the third lady to Zhuangzi, tell the outside world that the third lady is having an affair, and go to the Zhuangzi to recuperate. After the third lady gets better, we can take her back."
Mrs. Xu's expression changed several times, and finally she sighed and said with a tired look.
"There is no room for failure in the second sister's marriage, so I have no choice but to make this decision, which will wrong the third sister."
After Mrs. Xu left, two rough ladies came into the room and bowed with fear in their hearts.
"Third Miss, I'm sorry. Madam said that you are not feeling well. Please go to the village to recuperate for a while."
Xu Chunniang felt relieved. Although it was somewhat different from what she had imagined, she finally got her wish and was about to be sent to Zhuangzi.
It's just mother... I'm afraid she was frightened, right?
She sighed secretly and stood up, "Let's go."
Seeing how cooperative the third lady was, the two women breathed a sigh of relief and led Xu Chunniang towards the back door, where a carriage had already been prepared.
As the carriage drove all the way to the outskirts, the population on the road gradually became deserted, and large tracts of farmland appeared.
When they arrived at Zhuangzi, the two women explained to Xu Chunniang.
"Third Miss, I have already made an agreement with the housekeeper. You can live peacefully in the village. When you get well in a few years, my wife will come to take you to the palace."
Xu Chunniang jumped off the carriage and glanced at Zhuangzi in front of her.
Compared to the magnificent Xu Mansion, this place looks many times shabby.
However, there are not as many rules here as in the Xu family, and no one will force her to get married.
She vowed to give up on this life, and she could calm down and think about the nine reincarnations she had experienced.
After the two women finished talking, they immediately took the carriage and headed home.
But the housekeeper in Zhuangzi didn't know the inside story and thought that the third lady was really here to recuperate.
"Third Miss, I have already tidied up the yard for you. The village is simple and not as good as the mansion. I hope you will take care of me."
Xu Chunniang nodded and walked into the courtyard without saying anything else.
After some time, the housekeeper discovered that the third lady who came to Zhuangzi to recuperate was a very easy to get along with.
She doesn't talk much, has a quiet temperament, and never embarrasses servants like them.
I don’t know what kind of disease she contracted, but she was sent to Zhuangzi.
Time flies, and in the blink of an eye it is three years later.
On this day, Mrs. Xu, who was in the Xu Mansion, sent someone to ask about the current situation of the third sister.
When she learned that she was still secluded in the yard as usual, rarely having contact with outsiders, Mrs. Xu sighed quietly.
"It's been three years, and the third sister's illness doesn't seem to be getting better. Is this life?"
The married fourth sister returned to her parents' home and heard the news about the third sister. Her eyes were red and she clamored to see the third sister.
"Mom, Third Sister used to love me the most and she will never harm me. I'll just take a look at her from a distance."
The fourth sister had a vague feeling that her third sister had definitely gotten into trouble with something dirty.
Mrs. Xu nodded, "It's okay to go and have a look, but you must be careful when talking to her to avoid irritating her."
The fourth sister nodded solemnly, and after leaving the Xu Mansion, she took a carriage and drove towards the countryside.
When we arrived at the village, we saw the dilapidated blue bricks and the moss-covered eaves, which made Fourth Sister's nose sore.
Has Third Sister lived in a place like this all these years?
She pushed the door open and followed the housekeeper's guidance into a courtyard. In the courtyard, she saw Xu Chunniang sitting in front of a stone table, smiling at her.
"Fourth sister, you are here."
The fourth sister was very shocked. She glanced at the two tea bowls on the stone table and walked forward in a daze.
"Third Sister, could it be that you...had already guessed that I would come?"
Xu Chunniang smiled slightly, picked up the teapot on the table, and filled the two tea bowls with tea.
After three years of meditation, she understood many truths.
In the past few days, she originally planned to leave Zhuangzi and travel around.
But before leaving, I felt something in my heart, so I waited a few more days, and sure enough, I got my fourth sister.
"Sit down, it looks like you are already married. How have you been these past few years?"
The fourth sister had a complicated mood. The moment she saw the third sister, she was almost convinced that the third sister was not sick at all.
She sat down at the stone table, picked up the tea on the table and took a sip.
Oddly enough, she had always looked down upon this coarse tea, as she thought it was too astringent.
But when I drank it today, I felt it had a different taste.
She looked at the tea leaves floating in the bowl and said after a while, "I can't say it's good, nor can I say it's bad. It's different from what I thought before."
Xu Chunniang added tea for her and said leisurely.
"All living beings are like chess pieces. When the stars and rivers in the sky are turning, their fate has been quietly determined. Only by jumping out of the chessboard can you control your own destiny."
Fourth sister could not understand these words at first, but now she vaguely understands them.
As the daughter of the Xu family, the third sister should have been like her, marrying a good family and raising children.
Now, she is alone, living far away in Zhuangzi.
The houses in Zhuangzi are simple and simple, but the third sister seems to be more comfortable than when she was at home.
On the other hand, although she married into a noble family, wore fine clothes and enjoyed delicious food, she could not control her every move in the palace.
Everyone in the world sighs that she has a good life and enjoys all the honors, but in the dead of night, when everyone is quiet, she knows whether she is warm or cold.
The fourth sister put down her tea bowl and sighed softly.
"Third sister, I have no choice. I really miss those carefree days when I was a child.
It’s a pity that I can’t go back.”
Xu Chunniang shook her head slightly, "The moment the chess piece jumps out of the chessboard, its fate has already changed and shifted. Nothing is eternal."
The fourth sister was thoughtful. What the third sister said made sense, but... could she really do it?
She thanked her seriously and said, "Third sister, thank you for telling me this. I will consider it carefully."
"What I can do is extremely limited. Your destiny ultimately depends on yourself. When the glitz fades away, you will eventually return to your true nature."
After keeping these words in mind, the fourth sister left.
After the fourth sister left, Xu Chunniang also prepared to travel far away.
She has figured out a lot of things, and now it's time to see everything in this world with her own eyes.