"Miss, please wait a moment."
The young woman, who was as graceful as a lily, stopped. One foot had already stepped over the threshold, but she pulled it back quickly and ran up to the monk. Her eyes sparkled with hope, and she was brimming with joy: "Master, have you finally come to your senses and decided to be with me? Are you going to return to the secular life? When will you marry me?"
The woman’s face lit up, sweeping away the gloom from before.
"No."
The two words sent her back to square one.
Ming Yan’s cheerful expression immediately changed. The smile vanished, replaced by a calm demeanor: "Oh."
As if remembering something, she looked at the man with unfamiliarity: "I see, I will repay the hundred taels to you. I have a salary now, and I’ve saved it without spending. Today, I’ll give you four taels first, as interest, and I’ll repay the remaining hundred taels."
She pulled out a light yellow peony-embroidered purse from her waist and poured out the silver into her hand.
Four silver pieces worth one tael each, totaling four taels.
Plus twenty wen coins, this was all she had.
She gently placed the four taels of silver on the large desk: "Master, this is four taels of silver, please count it. Thank you, Master, I will repay the remaining hundred taels."
She made the respectful Anituofo gesture towards the cold monk.
She was about to leave again~
As she reached the door, a soft voice came: "Miss, forget about this poor monk."
Ming Yan stopped once more, her eyes slightly reddening as she fought back the tears and quietly replied with a nod: "Mm."
"Hey, who pushed me?" a young boy was shoved out from behind a rockery, complaining unhappily.
The tender voice broke the heavy atmosphere between the two.
Ming Yan widened her eyes, staring at the suddenly appeared boy in light yellow dark clothes. He was handsome, except for a pigeon-egg-sized red birthmark on his right temple.
Did he see the scene where I confessed my feelings?
She anxiously asked, "When did you get here? Did you see anything you shouldn’t have?"
Li Qian knew this sister liked the monk, but the monk didn’t like her. He witnessed the whole process but couldn’t say it out loud, knowing she’d be embarrassed. He shook his head vigorously: "I just got here, didn’t see anything."
The woman was just about to relax.
Then she heard him say, "I also don’t know about the sister liking the monk, and the monk not liking the sister."
Ming Yan: "..."
This brat.
Noticing the woman’s displeased expression, Li Qian realized he had misspoken. He tightly covered his small mouth with his hands, looking at her innocently.
Ming Yan forced a smile and explained; "It’s nothing, it’s nothing. Sister was just joking with Master Zhi Chen, not really in love with him, hehe, Master Zhi Chen, don’t you agree?"
At the same time, she gave the monk a meaningful look with her peach blossom eyes: Quickly explain to the kid.
The monk cooperated and nodded at the boy in light yellow dark clothes: "Mm."
"But it didn’t look fake to me. Your eyes were all red. My friends saw it too. I can call them out as witnesses."
To prove he hadn’t seen wrongly, the boy started heading towards the back of the rockery.
Ye Zhi waved at him frantically, signaling: Don’t come over, don’t come over...
However.
"Ah Zhi, what do you mean by waving at me? All of you come out, sister said she was joking, though it really didn’t look like it."
The little boy, unaware of the awkwardness his words caused, defended in his innocent face.
Ming Yan’s right eyelid twitched madly. Perhaps she misheard it, and it wasn’t Ah Zhi but Ah Zi, Ah Zi, Ah Zhi, Ah Zhi...
After some pulling and shoving behind, Ye Zhi and the others came out.