The Peace Temple wasn't a famous one, with only altogether a dozen nuns. Sister Zhang visited it every year to pray for good health and protection from bodhisattva, so she was quite familiar with the nun head.
When Mo Qianxue received the letter and brought Zhang Tiezhu back to the house, they found the house cleaned up but vacant.
Zhang Tiezhu was too young, and no one told him the filthy staff, so he didn't understand what happened to his family. He only knew that mother had acted differently yesterday in that she hadn't cooked until very late and she hadn't talked but only shed tears and stroked his head.
In the midnight, half-awake he had heard some noise, and mother comforted that father was repairing the broken carriage, and then he fell asleep again.
Mo Qianxue breathed a long sigh. Although she didn't like sister Zhang, Mo Qianxue was clear that the woman was a person who must excel others in every aspect. With what had happened, it would be impossible that she continued to live in the Wang village. She wouldn't even go back to her original family.
Not to mention gossips, only the way the women in the village looked at her would be enough to crash her self-esteem.
For her, there were only two choices. One was to die. The other was to hide in a temple and ignore the world forever.
She didn't want to die because of her son, so she could only choose the latter.
A nice household broke into piece overnight.
Was it sister Zhang's fault? No. She also didn't wish to suffer that kind of disease, which should be a serious sexual frigidity. It wouldn't be easily cured even in modern times.
Was it Zhang Genbao's fault? No. He was a healthy young man who had the need. After years of life without sex, any person couldn't resist it.
Should sister Zhang blame herself? Shouldn't her make the affair known to the villagers? However, even if the village head and elders didn't show up, she would come to Fang Taoer's house. The consequence would likely to be worse.
When things came to this, there was no use in figuring out who should be held accountable.
A tree has skin and human has face! Mo Qianxue understood sister Zhang's choice. Yet, she didn't agree on the values. Everything would be alright. At the worst, she could live alone with her son. Why head for a dead end?
Mo Qianxue took Tiezhu to the Peace Temple.
She could be kind and take care of Zhang Tiezhu, but she wasn't qualified or obliged.
There wasn't a right and proper reason!
She wasn't Virgin Mary!
She wasn't in good terms with sister Zhang. Even if Zhang Tiezhu had no parents, he had uncles and aunts. Even if he had no uncles or aunts, there were the village head and elders to decide who should adopt this boy. It wasn't up to her to put her finger in the situation.
Mo Qianxue believed that sister Zhang only do this to save her face and would be taken back by soft words.
However, when they arrived at the temple, she found she was wrong.
Sister Zhang had already cut off all her hair and was wearing a nun robe. There wasn't a trace of the person she used to be. There wasn't a trace of light in her calm but dismal eyes.
Even when she looked at Zhang Tiezhu, the eyes were the same calm.
"Please take care of Tiezhu for me. I'll pray for you here day and night."
"It's not up to me. His parents are still alive and he has uncles and aunts. I shouldn't be the one." It didn't matter whether she prayed for her or not. Without a right and justified reason, she couldn't take over the hot potato this way.
"If you aren't willing to, then take him to his uncles or aunts. Now I'm a person out of the secular world. I don't want to care the world anymore. It has nothing to do with me."
The words were heartless, and no matter how Tiezhu begged her to go back, her expression didn't change a bit, nor did she shed one drop of tear, as if her tears had run out since last night.
Tiezhu kneeled down and begged harder. With a slight change of her face, she went to hide in the room, shut the door and never came out again.
Tiezhu kept kneeling there for many hours until the sky was dark. The nun head showed up to advise them to go back and told them that sister Zhang had wanted to do this many years ago but hadn't made the decision only because of the family and her son.
It seemed that she only appeared to be tough outwardly but weak inwardly. The incident played out like this, and Zhang Genbao's cruelty had wiped out her last reason to linger in the secular world.
After returning to the Wang village, Mo Qianxue explained everything and tried to hand Zhang Tiezhu to his uncles.
To her surprise, his elder uncle said that the family would take in one new-wife soon and they had no time to take care of him. Then, Mo Qianxue turned to his younger uncle, who said that he couldn't afford to raise up too many children and pushed her back to the elder uncle.
The uncles shoved the boy around like a ball. There wasn't a hint of brotherhood at all. No wonder that sister Zhang had decided to give Zhang Tiezhu to her.
Alright. There was no need to ask for the village head's advice.
Mo Qianxue made up her mind and took Zhang Tiezhu home.
In this regard, Ning Shaoqing just shook his head and didn't say much. For him, one more child was merely one more pair of chopsticks. Let her do whatever she wanted.
The next morning, Zhang Tiezhu should have followed Ning Shaoqing to school.
Unexpectedly, Zhang Tiezhu kneeled and kowtowed, saying that he didn't want to go to school anymore or live in Ning's house. He wanted to live in his own home.
He said that he must wait his father to come back. He believed that as long as his father went back, his mother would be back too.
He also said that he didn't have the mood to go to school anymore in view of the big incident that had happened to his family. He'd like to earn money to support himself. He wanted to learn sculpting with Mo Qianxue.
Judging from his expression and request, he seemed to have become seven years older overnight.
At first, Mo Qianxue didn't know how to deal with it. Ning Shaoqing told her to respect his decision.
Therefore, Mo Qianxue entrusted the boy to Wang Tiansong. She took out some money for him and then let aunt Wangsan, Wang Tiansong's mother to attend to him and arrange other details.
This made the boy's uncles and aunts more than regretful. They thumped their chest and stamped feet at home as if they had lost a million dollars.
A few days later, there were words from Tianxiang city that Zhang Genbao would serve a sentence of a five-year exile. Zhang Tiezhu was overjoyed.
*
It was rare to have two days of leisure, so Mo Qianxue threw every hard thing behind her and sat in the study room, making a plan while checking the map of the valley.
It needed to be decided where to build the drying spot, where to build the factory, where the warehouse, where the offices and so on.
In short, there were many things to attend to.
Tong Zijing, holding a wooden rabbit, knocked the door and came in with a bright smile.
After days of imperceptible training and guidance by Tong Zhan, now Tong Zijing behaved more and more like a normal person.
She had to admit that Tong Zhan had his ability. Whenever and wherever, he always wore a smile with great patience. Whatever questions Tong Zijing asked, he could answer one by one. When he couldn't, he wouldn't give a perfunctory answer either.
No matter how excessive Tong Zijing's request was, he would agree at once and then found a way to talk him out of it.
Indeed, Tong Zhan was a good kid taught by the Tong family.
"Sister, this is for you." Tong Zijing took out his rabbit which had been worked on for many days and shyly handed it to Mo Qianxue.
Mo Qianxue took it over and smiled, "Wow. Was it made by you?"
Tong Zijing blinked and nodded, replying seriously, "Yes. This is my first carving piece. Sister, look at here, I made a carrot for the rabbit. Isn't it cute?" He pointed at the rabbit's paws.
Tong Zijing had been staying in a grandeur mansion. Mo Qianxue had touched his hands which were softer and more tender than hers.
She had exclaimed when she first held them.
Now, in those hands, there were blisters, scars and fine scabs after scratching.
Looking at the hands and remembering his past, Mo Qianxue was a little tearful but forced a smile, "Good boy! You're so brilliant. I like this rabbit very much. Thank you so much!"
Then, Mo Qianxue took a closer look at the rabbit and was amazed.
Although the rabbit wasn't exquisite, it had a style. It was austere in a adorable way.
The more she looked at it, the more she loved it.
It was a simple carving piece, yet for a beginner, this wasn't easy at all. Tong Zijing was even smarter than the good student Gao Qiwa.
The piece excelled not in the carving technique but the feeling it gave out.
In joy, Mo Qianxue pointed to the little sculpture and explained many carving techniques based on its shortcomings.
She wasn't satisfied after explaining and, on her child whim, she picked up a painting brush and began to color the rabbit.
The rabbit wasn't big, in the size of a palm, so the painting finished quickly.
Then, Mo Qianxue planned to send Tong Zijing back to the carving workshop. Yet, Tong Zijing complained it was cold outside and didn't want to go. He wanted to watch sister drawing pictures.
Seeing that he sat there nice and quiet without making a noise, Mo Qianxue agreed and drew a few big-headed pictures for him.
Getting the pictures, Tong Zijing didn't leave. He sat quiet and watched them carefully, laughing.
His laugh was no longer the titter kind but laugh of heart-felt pleasure and happiness.
In the laugh, there were brightness and purity like an illuminator which brought light to a person's heart. Since he enjoyed himself in watching the pictures, Mo Qianxue didn't send him away. Therefore, she got down to serious business too, trying to draw a sketch of the topographic map.
She frowned and pondered and drew from time to time.
Tong Zijing finished the pictures and didn't get noisy when Mo Qianxue was absorbed in work. He only ordered Tong Zhan to bring a piece of wood and began to carve slowly.
Occasionally, he looked up at Mo Qianxue.
Sensing his gaze, Mo Qianxue felt a sense of fulfilment because he was able to sit alone quiet and do his own staff.
Ning Shaoqing came back and found the picture so familiar. He remembered that once he was sitting there reading a book while Mo Qianxue drew pictures. Then, the two looked at each other, hugged and went into the room…
Now, his place was occupied by this silly boy.
But this boy was silly and untouchable.
A bulk of anger stuck in Ning Shaoqing's throat.
He was about to vent it when Tong Zhan saw him and greeted him with due courtesy and a smile, bowing, "Mr. Ning, you're back."
Hearing the voice, Tong Zijing stood up too, greeting, "Brother."
This greeting of 'brother' made Ning Shaoqing swallowed the anger down.
Mo Qianxue waved at him with her little hand, and his anger disappeared totally.
"Shaoqing, come over and help me!" Mo Qianxue sounded cute and adorable.
Ning Shaoqing sighed secretly and walked into the study room. He just couldn't turn her down.
*
At school, the students were reading loudly. Ning Shaoqing paced back and forth outside the classrrom and looked up at the swirling snow in the sky.
He was a little upset by what he had seen earlier today.
Since he was the one who had proposed to let Tong Zijing live in his house, he would appear narrow-minded if he pissed off because of it, but he felt a little jealous if Tong Zijing kept sticking around with Mo Qianxue.
A figure flashed in and greeted on the ground.
"Lord."
"Get up."
"Yes, lord." Asan stood up.
"Asan, does uncle Yu find a tutor yet?"
Ning Shaoqing's tone was indifferent yet Asan sounded excited.
"Yes, lord, I'm just going to report this. Uncle Yu has found a qualified tutor and contacted old man Tong. The hidden guards reported that the old man is very satisfied the tutor. Tomorrow, Tong family will send the tutor over."
"Good." Hearing the report, Ning Shaoqing finally had a subtle smile, adding, "Later, go and tell Wang Tiansong that lady felt unwell and let him take care of lord Tong. Don't make him run around."
In fact, it didn't matter if he ran around, as long as he didn't run to Mo Qianxue.
"Yes." Asan fought back his laughter and replied respectfully.
Neither he or Awu ever expected that lord should employ hidden guards because of such a trifle—to investigate the background of a tutor, not for himself, but for Tong Zijing.
As long as the tutor arrived, there would be one more person to take care of Tong Zijing, then less likely the body stayed with lady.
It seemed that lord valued lady very much. In the past, lord had been so cold-hearted that he only cared those evil mother and son. His guards worried.
Now, lord had found his true love. They worried more.
Holding back a smile, Asan said, "Lord, I have one more thing to report."
"What is it?"
"The hidden guards said that they have found the trace of the weird doctor."
"Oh? That's a good news." Ning Shaoqing slightly moved, "Tell me more."
"Congratulations lord," Asan replied, "the weird doctor is really weird. He didn't put forward any conditions or asked about your illness. He only said that he was trying to find a guiding herb and let you wait for him to clear the poison. I guess he did this because of lord Lu."
"Brother Lu? Probably. When my poison is cleared, I'll take Qianxue to visit and thank him." Mentioning lord Lu, Ning Shaoqing looked cheered up and longing.
"Lady will be relieved if your become better."
"Did the weird doctor mention what guiding herb he was trying to get?"
"No, he didn't."
"Let the guard continue their work."
"Yes."