Gazing at the clothes placed by the head of her bed, Tang Li spoke in a low voice, "I actually thought... he would deliver them to me himself."
This sentence seemed like a response to Aunt Zhang, yet it also felt like she was talking to herself.
Aunt Zhang replied after hearing this, "Although he is your elder relative, he is still a man. Him entering your room to bring you clothes, if seen by others, might not matter to a man, but it would inevitably reflect poorly on you. Mr. Song must have considered this point too; otherwise, he wouldn’t have made a special trip to the kitchen to find me."
Upon hearing this, Tang Li turned her gaze towards Aunt Zhang.
While picking up the damp clothes on the table, Aunt Zhang continued, "Especially up in the mountains, if you were to walk around the temple in men’s clothes, it would look bad. You might think I’m being old-fashioned, but the thinking of our older generation is definitely not as open as you young people’s nowadays."
He had Aunt Zhang come over not only to avoid suspicion but also out of consideration for her.
Seeing that Aunt Zhang was about to wash her clothes for her, Tang Li declined, "You still have to prepare dinner, I can wash my clothes myself, it’s no trouble."
Indeed, Aunt Zhang was busy. Hearing her say this, Aunt Zhang amiably took the hint and smilingly said, "Alright then, I’ll go back to the kitchen and start preparing the vegetables. If you need anything, just call for me."
After the room door closed, Tang Li took the clean clothes and changed.
When she came out of the room, the courtyard was deserted.
Hesitating for a few seconds, she turned and walked to the next room, which was completely quiet without any sound.
He must have gone out...
Thinking this, she still raised her right fist, which was clenched.
The old wooden door was ajar and opened with her knock.
Standing outside the doorway, Tang Li saw without entering that the layout inside was much the same as her own room, only with an added chair.
On the chair was a copy of the Diamond Sutra.
Tang Li then looked towards the bed; the quilt was folded into a neat square, and even the sheets looked meticulous.
Even neater than her own bed.
Closing the door again, Tang Li went back to her room to fetch her clothes for washing.
At 5 o’clock in the evening, she left the yard to go to the dining hall, which was actually nearly 10 minutes later than the past few days. The sky was gradually darkening, and it was also dinner time at the temple.
Tang Li’s appearance in the dining hall attracted a lot of gazes.
After all, she was the only young lady of a suitable age on the entire mountain.
Ji Ming was sitting at a table drinking water and looking up to see Tang Li, dressed in a purple auspicious cloud rhinestone sweater and black herringbone tweed wide-leg pants, enter.
With her hands tucked in the pockets of her windbreaker, she looked as usual, seemingly unaware that her attire resembled that of a little old lady. In the blink of an eye, she picked up a tray, followed a few monks casually, and with her other hand scooped up a serving spoon to pick out dishes.
Distractedly, Ji Ming inhaled water into his windpipe and couldn’t help coughing.
Holding a tray filled with food, Tang Li had intended to sit with Aunt Zhang and the others, but hearing Ji Ming cough, she changed direction and walked over.
There were three bodyguards sitting at the same table with Ji Ming.
Standing next to the table, Tang Li asked, "May I sit here?"
Another bodyguard moved aside a water cup to make room for her. Tang Li thanked him and sat down next to Ji Ming.
Turning her head and looking at Ji Ming, who had just stopped coughing, she asked again, "Why isn’t Mr. Song coming to eat?"
"The Finance Minister is with the abbot."
Ji Ming informed her truthfully, "He should be here soon."
Tang Li poked at her rice with her chopsticks, and after a while, she casually began, "I was taking a shower just now, and the Finance Minister suddenly pushed the door open, which gave me quite a scare."
Someone’s chopsticks fell to the floor from their unsteady grip.
Tang Li pursed her lips and smiled, "But it’s fine, I had already gotten dressed."