Chapter 573 - 292: Pursuit_2
He shook his head again and clucked his tongue, saying, "What’s wrong with both Sister and Senior Liang? You fell ill, lying in bed unable to get up. Senior Liang also gave the Poor Monk quite a scare today, with blisters around his mouth, looking like he hadn’t slept all night, eyes bloodshot. When he heard from the Poor Monk that Sister was sick, he hurried to see you, but Master Qian wouldn’t let him see you..."
Qian Yixiu didn’t want to hear any more about Uncle Liang and interrupted him, asking, "Did you see Master Zhu this time?"
She had heard from Hongji that he would always encounter a Master Zhu at the Liang Family. The man was kind and friendly, always good to him, and virtually every year he went to the Liang Family, he’d be there, even saying Master Zhu would teach him his studies for the imperial examination.
Upon hearing this, the Little Monk showed a few traces of discomfort on his face and said, "I did see him, and he tested me on my studies again. He seemed not very pleased, saying the Poor Monk was learning all sorts of trifling skills." He pouted, "The Poor Monk is a Monk; what use is there in mastering the Four Books and Five Classics to perfection? It is the Poor Monk’s duty to study the scriptures. Learning foreign languages and mathematics is because the Poor Monk likes them. But Master Zhu was not too happy when he heard this, saying that the Poor Monk should draw on the strengths of all schools of thought, and that those books should be studied more extensively..."
It seemed that this Master Zhu was some elder of the Little Monk. It was indeed odd, having allowed him to become a monk, yet they were unwilling to let him cut off worldly ties.
The Little Monk then took out a purple crystal figurine from his robes, about the size of two adult thumbs, translucent and charming, shimmering brightly in the candlelight. Grinning, he said, "This is from Master Zhu to the Poor Monk, said to be a plaything from the Foreign Barbarian country, given to Sister for her amusement."
Qian Yixiu took a look; the object was indeed valuable. She smiled back at him, saying, "If he gave it to you, you should keep it. Do not disappoint his kindness."
The Little Monk said, "The Poor Monk is grown up now; this is a child’s bauble. If Sister really doesn’t want it, the Poor Monk will give it to Sister Jing to play with." After saying this, he put it back into his robe.
Before he left, he placed a letter on her bed, saying, "This is from Senior Liang for you." Then he hurried off.
It was another letter from Uncle Liang. After reading his letter, Qian Yixiu was a bit amused and embarrassed by the misunderstanding. Uncle Liang thought her illness was because of him. He wrote that he was both heartbroken and glad, claiming he too suffered from "sleepless longing." He also wrote that his feelings for her would never change and asked her to await good news, saying he would try to make his mother truly accept her from the heart...
Qian Yixiu got up, brought the letter close to the candle flame, then thought better of it and put it back into a small box inside her vanity.