Chapter 2, Secret Meeting in the Back Mountain

The current price of silver is 1 tael for 1,000 cash. A moderately affluent family uses no more than 20 to 30 taels of silver in a year. The dyeing workshop works hard all year round, earning only 300 to 400 taels of silver. Yet he spends 50 taels, or even 55 taels!

Yang Jingyuan only saw her lips moving up and down, and she spat out a long string of words without taking a breath. He casually tossed aside the blade of grass and, with his hands in his pockets, asked: "Are you done speaking?"

The bamboo forest temple's oracle is particularly accurate, attracting many devotees who come to offer incense and fulfill their vows. The small row of three halls is adorned with red cloths from the worshippers expressing their gratitude for the fulfilled wishes

Ji Yingying jumped out of the car, smiling as she handed Ji Fusan some coins: "Uncle Ji is having a big bowl of tea at this tea stall to quench his thirst. I will take Xiang'er to offer incense. We will have vegetarian food and then return."

Ji Yingying smiled slyly and led Xiang'er up the hillside

Yang Jingyuan raised his arm to avoid touching her. He looked down and chuckled silently at the young lady who was rubbing her face against his chest.

"Fifty taels of official silver, is that acceptable?"

Yang Jingyuan straightened up a bit shyly and found Ji Yingying still staring with wide eyes, not blinking at all, pretending to be blind. She had a look of stubbornness, refusing to admit defeat. He didn't believe it. He raised the leaf high and murmured, "I wonder what it feels like to have a caterpillar fall on your hair"

Yang Jingyuan's previously troubled mood suddenly brightened: "Go on, keep talking. If you're thirsty, I'll buy you a big bowl of tea."

A few incense worshippers in the temple chuckled softly. What kind of young lady would loudly announce her need to go to the restroom? Fortunately, the customs in Sichuan are relatively open, and many women have bold and straightforward personalities, so the worshippers laughed it off. Otherwise, Ji Yingying's reputation would have been tarnished in no time. Xiang'er, feeling too embarrassed to lift her head, hurriedly grabbed her basket and went to find the temple master to hang the red cloth for her vow.

Alright, alright, I understand. We still need to wait for Uncle Ji to have the vegetarian meal together. I will come back earlier. " Ji Yingying pushed aside Xiang'er’s fingers, lifted her skirt, and ran towards the back door, " When Uncle Ji arrives, just say I went to the restroom! "

For some reason, he suddenly wanted to tease this young lady, bending down to pick up a blade of grass with a crawling caterpillar to block Ji Yingying's path: "Oh dear, what a misunderstanding. It turns out to be a blind young lady looking for her brother."

After traveling for more than an hour, the mule cart arrived at Zhulin Temple

Arriving at the entrance of the Bamboo Forest Temple, Ji Yingying turned back for a glance. In the distance, she could still see her family's mule cart, knowing that Ji Fu must be sitting in front of the tea stall. She and Xiang'er entered the temple gate, chuckling softly, and instructed Xiang'er: "You go hang the red ribbon and offer fifty wen for the incense oil."

Seventeen-year-old Ji Yaoting became engaged to Zhang Yuanwai's fourth daughter last month. By the end of the year, Zhang's fourth daughter will come to live with them. Mrs. Ji had made a vow at Zhulin Temple earlier, and this year, her wish was indeed fulfilled as she was able to marry a daughter-in-law who looks capable of bearing children, which made her extremely happy. The dye shop has recently received several orders and cannot spare anyone, so the Ji family called Ji Yingying to hang the red cloth and fulfill the vow.

Ji Yingying entered the woods in the back mountain, deliberately treading lightly, peering around in search of someone

Ji Yingying felt so ashamed and indignant that she wished to find a crack in the ground to hide in

It is always like this, and Ji Fu does not feel any different. He took the money and sat outside the temple on a tea stall, enjoying tea and taking a break.

After saying that, she ran off, muttering as she went: "People make others die of envy! In the future, I want to earn a lot of money, so I can buy whatever dyes I want."

A pouch was thrown at her feet with a snap!

Zhulinsi is built on a low slope in front of the mountain. In front of the temple, there is a large expanse of verdant bamboo forest, which is how it got its name. The temple is not large, consisting of a square courtyard. Upon entering the temple gate, one is greeted by a row of three Buddhist halls directly ahead. On either side are two rows of meditation rooms, a kitchen for incense offerings, and a firewood room.

In an instant, her wrist was seized by someone, and Ji Yingying was pulled into a broad chest. Without raising her head, she buried her face into it and, wrapping her arms around his waist, playfully complained: "Really, you startled me. Why aren't you afraid anymore?"

"Do you want to hear more?" Ji Yingying also stood her ground, crossing her arms and glaring at him.

However, there is a small path that leads directly to the back mountain when exiting through the back door. The mountain is home to various plants such as madder, persimmon trees, and wintergreen, all of which can be used for dyeing. In the eyes of Jiaying Ying, even the seedlings of rapeseed make her ponder whether they can be used for dyeing, not to mention the various flowers and grasses on the mountain. Every time she visits the Bamboo Forest Temple, she sneaks out through the back door to search for flowers, grasses, and minerals in the back mountain.

Xiang'er has a gentle temperament and does not dare to refute; she clings to Ji Yingying's sleeve with two fingers, unwilling to let go

Ah! Ji Yingying spat and turned to leave, "You think you can get me to tell a story just for a bowl of tea? No way!"

I said, my lady, is it acceptable to embrace and offer affection in this manner

In Yizhou Prefecture, almost every household is engaged in brocade weaving. Since the Han Dynasty, it has earned the elegant name of Jin Guan City. The Zhao family, who lives in San Dao Yan alongside the Ji family, is also a prominent brocade weaving household, participating in the annual brocade competition in Yizhou Prefecture to vie for the honor of being the Brocade King. The Zhao family is also a long-time customer of the Huanhua Dye House. Ji Yingying and Zhao Xiuyuan, the second son of the Zhao family, grew up together as childhood sweethearts, harboring mutual affection.

What a performance, indeed. Yang Jingyuan looked at Ji Yingying, her face suddenly flushed with two patches of crimson, and she shook her head. Could she possibly think that he was blind as well?

You must be blind as a bat! How dare you pull a young lady into your embrace without even knowing her, shameless! Ji Yingying cursed inwardly as she watched the caterpillar inch closer to her nose, close enough to see the wriggling brownish-yellow hairs clearly

Jì Yīngyīng has grown up, yet she has not saved up to fifty taels of private silver. The Jì family is wary of her buying dyes to learn dyeing techniques, and they require a clear account of where every penny goes. Today, seeing a large sum of silver, she cannot pocket it for herself, which makes Jì Yīngyīng very angry. She forcefully kicked the purse back and said: "The price has gone up! Five hundred taels for half an hour of storytelling!"

Ji Yingying is not afraid of caterpillars, but she does not like them touching her face. Her eyes widen in surprise, and she clenches her fists. If he dares to let the bug touch her face, she will punch him until his face is covered in peach blossoms

He felt a stir in his heart; if she were merely a girl from a poor family, marrying someone he liked could also satisfy his mother’s requirements. What was he still troubled about? He did not believe that he could not find someone to his liking in the entire city of Yizhou. Whether he received assistance from her family was of no concern to him. It was certainly better than having a domineering mother seeking a troublesome match for him.

Who likes to have a caterpillar crawling in their hair? Ji Yingying instantly broke down and stopped pretending. She turned her head aside, quickly took a couple of steps away, and pointed at Yang Jingyuan's nose, scolding: "Who told you to hide behind the tree so sneakily? Do I want to mistake someone for another? Putting a caterpillar in a young lady's hair, is that the act of a real man? You say I am throwing myself at you, but I merely mistook someone for another. I offered you a ladder, yet you refuse to come down and insist on exposing me. Don't think that just because you have money, can wear fine brocade, and look good, you can openly tease respectable women in broad daylight? Now I finally understand what it means to have a shiny surface with a rotten core!"

Ji Yingying revealed a corner of her light pink brocade garment upon seeing the yellow cassia tree and smiled knowingly. She glanced around, plucked a blade of foxtail grass, and noticed a brownish-yellow caterpillar about an inch long resting on the grass blade. She tiptoed to the back of the tree, suddenly extended the grass forward, and waited with delight to hear Zhao Xiuyuan scream in fright.

Still pretending? Yang Jingyuan did not believe it. He bent down closer, staring into Ji Yingying's eyes, his own reflection visible in her distinctly black-and-white pupils. As he got closer, he noticed her delicate nostrils quivering slightly due to nervousness, and a faint scent of peach blossoms wafted from her, causing his heart to flutter.

Isn't it Brother Xiu Yuan? Ji Yingying was so frightened that her heart almost stopped. She forcefully pushed the man in front of her away, pretended to be blind, and reached out with both hands to feel around: "You are not my elder brother! Brother, where are you? Brother!"

I pounce on my dear brother ... ? ... In this way, there shouldn't be any misunderstanding about me, right

Yang Jingyuan has practiced martial arts since childhood and has good hearing. He couldn't help but laugh upon hearing Ji Yingying's words carried by the wind. What a lovely young lady

As the years go by, it becomes increasingly inconvenient for the two to meet. Is there truly no way for lovers to connect? The two families are not far apart. By ascending the Zhao family's attic, one can catch a distant glimpse of Ji Yingying's boudoir. Ji Yingying goes out merely to pay her respects at the Zhulin Temple, and she places a pot of poinsettia on the windowsill a day in advance. The next day, Zhao Xiuyuan will seize the opportunity to rush to the Zhulin Temple. This is not the first time the two have arranged such a meeting.