Chapter 6.1 - Scheming for Meat (1/2)

Translator: Superbulat

The Buddha Hall was dark and quiet, and the cold night breeze blew in through the windows.

Mingxin knelt on the futon. She was so anxious that her forehead was sweating and her heart was in her mouth as she begged Buddha to bless Minghui.

With a creak , someone pushed open the wooden door.

Mingxin was so scared that she almost yelled. As she shivered and turned her head back, she recognized that the bent down figure was Minghui and quickly whispered, “How is it? No one saw you, right?”

Tang Huan shook her head, shut the door, and walked to Ming Xin’s side while holding her stomach. There were twelve futons arranged in two rows, of which she had pulled out when she first arrived. In the middle of the night, after feeling tired and hungry all day, did they expect her to kneel for the entire night?

Dream on!

Mingxin was willing to kneel because she was stupid. Tang Huan would not torture herself for nothing.

She lay down weakly and curled up like a shrimp. She had no other choice. She was so hungry that she didn’t even have the strength to speak. Clutching her stomach could make her feel a little better.

Seeing her like this, Mingxin knew without having to ask that Minghui had returned without stealing anything to eat. That was plausible. The nunnery never cooked more food than required. Usually, the nuns could only eat until they were 70% full. She and Minghui had returned so late that any leftover steamed buns and porridge were most likely devoured by the senior sisters in charge of the kitchen. Without their master’s orders, why would they keep the food for them?

However, she didn’t expect Minghui to be so bold. Although she had always appeared clever, she had always been very obedient to their master’s words.

Looking at the lying figure beside her, it was impossible to say that she was not envious. But she didn’t dare to lie down. She didn’t have Minghui’s guts.

Too hungry. Mingxin didn’t have the energy to think anymore. She continued to recite the sutra in silence while kneeling.

Tang Huan had her eyes shut, but she didn’t feel sleepy at all.

If she hadn’t met Song Mo today, after receiving such a punishment from Master Jingci and not even having anything to eat, she would have run away.

But she had met him.

Jade Spring Nunnery was built on the west side of the Peach Forest. Song Mo was the forest ranger of the Peach Forest. Even if he didn’t deliberately inquire, anything major that happened in the nunnery would most likely reach him. If, instead of receiving the punishment obediently, Tang Huan hid in the woods and waited for an opportunity to seduce Song Mo as she had previously planned, the nuns would send people to search for her, or even report to the feudal officials. By then, if the honest Song Mo found out about her, he would definitely think of her as an unruly bad nun. With such a bad reputation, it would be even more difficult for Tang Huan to approach him.

Therefore, if she wanted to get close to Song Mo, she needed to stay in the nunnery.

Tang Huan really wanted to cry!

Master Jingci was so cruel! These were four big water tanks! Usually, the nunnery would assign two nuns to carry water every day, and they would have to carry for four hours, from four to eight in the morning. Now, for her to do it alone, even if she got up before dawn, and even if she had the strength to do it, she would have to carry water until midday!

Were they trying to kill her? Why was the life of a nun so hard!

Tang Huan cursed Master Jingci in her heart, cursing her to be a nun all her life and never get the chance to taste a man !

As she continued to curse, her rage shifted towards Song Mo.

It was the cut of his sword that caused her to suffer in his dreams, and he was the one who ran away halfway in a hurry.

As for the real cause of this dream, as a ‘flower picker’, Tang Huan would never admit fault.

She gradually fell asleep.

It felt like she had just fallen asleep when Mingxin shook her, “Minghui, Minghui, get up. If you don’t get up now, you won’t be able to finish carrying water before noon!”

Tang Huan rolled over onto her stomach on the futon. “What time is it now?” she lazily asked.

“It should be about one in the morning. Minghui, quickly get up. If it’s too late, I can only help you for an hour. If we start now, we can be done by five. If Master sees how hardworking we are, she might let us eat breakfast.”

One in the morning? Even if the days were longer in the summer, it was still dark outside right now, right?

If she had to carry water in the dark, Tang Huan was afraid that she would lose her footing and roll down the mountain!

“No thanks, I don’t need your help. You can continue to recite the scriptures. Remember to wake me up at five o’clock. I’ll just carry by myself until noon.”

Mingxin was stunned. “How can you do that? We still have to clean the courtyard and chant the sutras in the morning!”

“I don’t care,” Tang Huan said impatiently, “Just don’t wake me up now. Master asked me to carry water, so I just have to make sure that everyone has water to use during the day. Seriously, don’t wake me again. If you do, I’ll tell Master that you almost let thugs bully you!” Chant the sutras? Nahhh. She still had a chance to meet Song Mo while carrying water. If she chanted the sutras she could only be trapped in the nunnery.

Mingxin couldn’t do anything but worry for her friend.

~

The next morning, Tang Huan, who had gotten enough sleep, went down the mountain with two buckets. ‘Minghui’ used to carry water before, so she knew that it was faster going downhill and slower going uphill, and that it would take about half an hour to make one round trip.

Jade Spring Nunnery was not very well-known. It housed about twenty nuns, and they usually got up late. As Tang Huan had taken numerous breaks in between, she only managed to fill up one water tank by breakfast time. The sky was already bright at the time.

Master Jingci found out about Tang Huan’s disobedience and was so angry that she punished Tang Huan to do nothing but all the labor work in the nunnery: carry water in the morning, chop wood and collect firewood in the mountains in the afternoon, and kneel in the Buddha Hall for four hours before bed.

Tang Huan didn’t mind. What she needed the most right now was the opportunity to go out. After she ‘picked’ Song Mo, she wouldn’t need to be afraid of this Master Jingci anymore. Old woman, you think you can punish me for life? This is just a dream.

If only the dreams didn’t feel so real!

Tang Huan sat by the river, staring at her reddened palms, wanting to cry.

It was easy to say but tiring to do! Especially with this body now, her legs were shaking when she was walking with two buckets of water in her hands.

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