Chapter 3, Change

Lu Ying seemed to awaken from a dream; she lifted her head to glance at Lu Yun and slowly closed the book in her hands

In the blink of an eye, she arrived behind her second cousin. However, Lu Ying did not hastily approach her second cousin, but instead looked up towards the center of the crowd

After the headache subsided, she removed the cloth strip wrapped around her head, temporarily set down the books, and took the embroidery she had accumulated recently to the street

Lu Ying did not notice that she has changed now, becoming cautious and meticulous

Although pork is a common food for the masses, Lu Ying and her brother do not have enough extra money to enjoy it. This time she went only to buy some bones that the butcher did not want. There is still some meat left on those bones, and most importantly, she discovered that when the meat bones are placed in a pot to make soup, the flavor of the soup becomes quite delicious, and her brother noticeably feels more energetic after eating it

In this era when books are exceedingly precious, the fathers of the two individuals left them a substantial collection of books. If they so wished, these books could provide the siblings with enough wealth to live comfortably for a decade. However, they have never entertained such an idea, nor would they dare to.

Lu Yun did not notice the unusual behavior of his sister and turned to walk towards the bed.

Carrying a somewhat heavy burden, Lu Ying did not wish to return. After lowering her head and pondering for a while, she turned her steps towards the Xuan Yuan Temple. A few days ago, she had inexplicably fallen, which not only led to various changes but also left her with an unaccountable desire to understand the reason behind her fall at that time. Although she believed everything that was said by Cheng Lang that day, out of caution, she still thought it necessary to visit the scene to gain clarity.

Taking out 10 pieces of five-cash coins, after wrapping a large pile of white bones with hardly any meat shreds, Lu Ying then softly pleaded with the butcher Zhang to chop the bones into smaller pieces

After purchasing the embroidery, Lu Ying also had twenty five-zhu coins in hand. Weighing the heavy iron coins in her hand, Lu Ying thought of her brother's frail appearance and turned towards the butcher's shop

However, at the moment she opened the book, Lu Ying found that every sentence written inside the book became very easy to understand

It gradually became dim outside, and I did not know how much time had passed when Lu Yun's voice came from one side, "Sister, it's very late."

My sister suddenly became obsessed with books. Although Lu Yun was somewhat puzzled, he did not inquire further. It is said that after Liu Xiu established the capital in Luoyang, he vigorously promoted Confucianism and placed great importance on scholars from various regions. It is also said that the concubines in the imperial harem loved to read. In this way, my sister's actions can be seen as aligning with the prevailing trend

Crossing a small hill, Lu Ying immediately saw that at the most open area at the foot of Xuan Yun Temple, about ten people were gathered. The emaciated figure, with both hands covering her face and sobbing repeatedly, was none other than her second cousin.

The book "The Doctrine of the Mean" in her hands is a profound classic of Confucianism, at least for her, a girl who has not read much, it is profound. However, for some reason, when she was flipping through it just now, she found the content of the book very easy to understand, and the knowledge that had once been deep and difficult to comprehend suddenly became much more accessible.

These books, Lu Ying had read some of them before. However, as a woman, she had read the most books to this extent, and thus did not focus her thoughts on them

Hanyang Street is actually a small town, and in this town, Lu Yun's maternal family, the Ping family, is a local tyrant. Since they dominate the area, they naturally do not adhere to Confucian principles. Those distant relatives of the Ping family who come here to take advantage of the situation have always been daydreaming. If it were not for their father, who is said to come from a prominent family, Lu Yun and her brother would not have received the protection of their maternal family.

After Zeng Lang left, the surroundings returned to silence once more. Lu Ying entered the wooden house and, without realizing it, arrived at the room where her younger brother lived. She casually picked up a book from the bookshelf and began to browse through it.

Cousin Er married off early and was originally not familiar with Lu Ying. However, Lu Ying always remembered that two years ago, when her younger brother caught a cold, she knelt outside her grandfather's courtyard, desperately pleading, yet no one paid her any attention. ... But as the night grew deeper and she returned home in a daze, Cousin Er hurried over and quietly slipped her thirty five-zhu coins.

Seeing her second cousin crying sorrowfully, Lu Ying quickened her pace and hurried towards her

As Lu Ying arrived at the foot of the mountain, he heard a commotion coming from a hollow on the right side, amidst the rising and falling voices was a familiar sound of crying, and faintly, there was a woman's pleading voice filled with tears.

Upon thinking of this, Lu Ying quickly turned her steps and hurried away.

Amidst the clamor and discussions all around, the ordinary-looking young woman, who was being embraced by the second brother-in-law and was just a bit younger than the second cousin, was holding back tears as she gazed at her. She choked out, "Sister, I am not... I just admire Wu Lang!" She was even more heartbroken than the second cousin, and after uttering this sentence, she became so choked up that she could hardly catch her breath

After a few days of recuperation, Lu Ying's body had fully healed, and the wound on the back of her head showed no trace whatsoever.

In the following days, Lu Ying was pleasantly surprised to find that the unusual condition had not disappeared. Thus, Lu Ying, who was unable to do heavy work due to her injuries, would pick up books and read them whenever she had free time.

Now, although their maternal family has set aside the siblings, they at least provided them with a place to stay, and during festivals, they would still receive a small monetary gift. Moreover, due to the identity of this cousin from the Ping family, Lu Ying rarely faced bullying when she went to the shop to consign embroidery.

Cousin Er was clearly stunned by the scene before her, her gaze vacant as she looked at her husband, with tears streaming silently down her cheeks in an unending flow

Oh, that crying sound seems a bit familiar, it resembles the voice of my second cousin!

Xuan Yuan Temple is a small Taoist temple built on the mountainside. In this era, Confucianism is on the rise, and the temple's incense offerings have significantly diminished compared to the past. At the mountain gate, the once bustling activity has also faded away.

In the crowd, there stood a man and a woman. The man, in his thirties, had an ordinary appearance that revealed a hint of the simplicity of a farmer. He was quite tall, and he was indeed the second brother-in-law.

However, at this moment, the second brother-in-law's hand was resting on the waist of a young married woman with a slightly protruding belly, while his gaze was filled with guilt and unease as he looked at the second cousin.

This mere ten baht is not worth the butcher's attention, but seeing the plea in the beautiful eyes of the young girl, he smiled broadly, stared intently for a moment, and then began to chop vigorously.

Lu Yun did not notice that her hands were trembling at this moment

After a short while, butcher Zhang handed a package of pig bones to Lu Ying

After a moment of silence, Lu Ying said softly, "You should rest early too." She really wanted to continue reading, but her family was too poor to afford lighting, let alone use precious firewood for illumination