A good omen for a good person

  The body of Madam Han gradually recovered after more than a month of recuperation, although she did not fully recover, at least she did not continue to deteriorate. During this period, Chen's wife did not openly offer assistance, but still managed to discipline the servants in the mansion, even the charcoal allowance for this year was temporarily free from embezzlement. Madam Han also spent warm days during this deep autumn season. Apart from Madam Han, the young daughter of the mistress, Zhen, also contracted a cold due to unknown reasons, and had to drink several bowls of Chinese medicine every day, making her weak and bedridden, unable to even scold people.

  The lady of the house felt that the recent flooding of the river had brought disaster, so she decided to take her maid to the Tianfeng Temple in East Mountain to pray for good fortune and seek the protection of heaven. As a result, this year, the lady of the house would go to the Tianfeng Temple a month earlier than usual, accompanied by Chen's wife, second-class maid Xianyi, third-class maids Yunshuang and Lüshuang, as well as Xuedan. The rest, including Dahan, stayed in the mansion, which made it clear to those who paid attention that the lady of the house wanted to cultivate Xianyi into a first-class maid, while Yunshuang and Lüshuang could naturally take over the second-class position, and Xuedan was still young and could have fun on the way.

  The personnel have been decided, and since the Taoist temple is remote, Mrs. will need time to pray for blessings, so they must stay overnight at the temple. Only two personal maids did not go, so Xianyi took on the responsibility of managing the maids' affairs, including food, clothing, and lodging, as well as restraining the third-class maids from losing face by going out. Xianyi herself didn't bring any spare clothes, but followed Autumn Scene to prepare Mrs.'s belongings, packed her mother's luggage, and finally checked the belongings of the third-class maids before having them loaded onto the carriage.

  It was still early in the morning, and Xian Yi was already accustomed to the routine of going to the Taoist temple with Madame Chen to pray for blessings. However, the three maids had never experienced this before, and since they had been staying in the main courtyard recently, they didn't have to attend to anyone early in the morning, so they were a bit lazy. Especially Snow Double, who was still a child, felt dizzy from walking and Xian Yi had to put her in the carriage at the back. This time, there were only three carriages, one for Madame Chen and Chen Mama, one for the maids, and one for the luggage. The rest of the servants and guards were also following, although not in a grand procession, it was still an impressive sight that ordinary people couldn't afford.

  The carriage had just started when Xianyi received the order to stay in the carriage with Yaotou. Perhaps the mistress wanted to take a short rest or discuss something secretly with her mother. Xianyi didn't need to attend to the master, so she was happy to stay behind and doze off against the wall of the carriage. The other three people saw that Xianyi had fallen asleep and naturally wouldn't disturb her, so they also fell into a daze, leaning east and west. Xianyi thought that since the journey was long, according to their usual custom, the mistress would rest for about an hour before calling someone in to attend to her. But unexpectedly, the carriage team was stuck halfway after less than half an hour and couldn't move at all.

  Xian Yi was the first to wake up, and she heard someone shouting outside while still in her sleep. The chaotic noise then woke up Yun Shuang and Lu Shuang as well. Only Xue Shuang, with a childlike heart, remained fast asleep, completely unaffected.

  "Immortal sister, is there something wrong outside?" In fact, Yun Shuang was a few months older than Xian Yi, but rules are rules. If she didn't call her "sister", she would have to call her "young lady", which wasn't as intimate as "sister".

  Although Xian Yi was a maid, the maids of wealthy families were more precious than the daughters of ordinary families. It was taboo to lift the curtain and be seen by outsiders on the road, not to mention getting into trouble for herself, but also losing face for her master if people spread rumors. So Xian Yi did not directly lift the window, but instead carefully exposed a corner to secretly observe. As a result, the sounds from outside were also transmitted in, and there were many foreign accents. Xian Yi suddenly remembered the reduced grain production and river flooding several months ago, and wondered if she had really jinxed it with her careless words - had refugees really arrived in the capital?

  Suddenly, just as Xianyi was puzzled, a woman outside shouted sharply, scaring Yun Shuang and Lu Shuang so much that they trembled with fear, their faces also looking quite unsightly.

  "What kind of people are these?" Yun Shuang forced himself to calm down and say.

  "What's that I hear? Someone starving to death? Won't be someone from elsewhere coming to beg for food, will it?" Lu Shuang was lively and clever, connecting the dots to guess correctly.

  "Let's just keep quiet about this, it's not our business to mind." Putting down the curtains, Xian Yi gently stroked the knee of Xue Shuang who was sleeping on her lap.

  "It's really pitiful to hear." Yun Shuang clenched the handkerchief in her hand, her face pale as she said: "Although my stepmother sold me out back then, at least I wasn't left starving, and our family really couldn't afford to raise another person anyway."

  Yun Shuang was always a kind and gentle soul, although Qiu Jing's personality was also soft and warm. However, as the eldest daughter, she had an air of dignity about her. She wouldn't easily bestow favors on others, except for those close to her in the main courtyard. Yun Shuang was different; perhaps it was due to her past experiences or her natural disposition. In any case, she firmly believed that everyone had their struggles and would lend a helping hand whenever possible. There were even times when Xian Yi thought it wasn't necessary to assist someone, but Yun Shuang would still tearfully offer money. According to Xian Yi's previous life, this was a bit of a "savior complex," which she found annoying. However, despite their deep friendship, Xian Yi wouldn't choose Yun Shuang as her closest friend, at least not when it came to sharing the same values and perspectives.

  Xian Yi didn't respond, just waiting for the convoy to slowly move forward. At this time, they arrived at a place, and coincidentally, outside the window, there was a child crying non-stop, but with weak breath. Before long, another guard came over to chase them away, and the sound of the child's cries was indeed heart-wrenching. Just then, Yun Shuang quickly picked up several pastries from the table, intending to throw them out the window, but Xian Yi swiftly snatched them away. The soft pastries were crushed in Xian Yi's hand, quickly turning into fine crumbs that couldn't be eaten.

  "Xian Xian Jie..." Yun Shuang was startled by the cold gaze of Xian Yi, but then looked at the pastry in Xian Yi's hand with a pang of heartache, thinking that if it had just been thrown out, maybe someone could pick it up and save a life.

  "If you don't want to live anymore, then go ahead and die, but don't drag us down with you!" If it were any other day, Xian Yi would have probably just pretended to be angry and teased him about it, but today she was deadpan, not a hint of a smile on her face.

  "I just...just pity them..." Yun Shuang lowered her head, her eyes reddening. She was usually kind to everyone and gave them some face, even Autumn Scene, the big servant girl, liked her. The madam had never made things difficult for her since she was diligent. This was probably only the second time she had encountered a cold face since learning the rules, and her heart felt somewhat wronged.

  Xian Yi lowered her head and looked at the remnants in her hand, sighing: "If it was still properly placed on the table, we could have eaten it by now."

  Lu Shuang looked at Xian Yi's clothes again and then looked at Yun Shuang, carefully asking: "Isn't it better to throw them away?"

  Xian Yi patted the crumbs off his clothes, picked them up and put them aside, then said: "At this time, there are refugees all around, if you throw away food, those who are desperate for food won't care which family's master or relative you are."

  Lü Shuang seemed lost in thought, but Lü Yun raised his head and said with difficulty: "Then give them food, we have enough to eat too."

  "I used to hear people say that in the south, there was a disaster and famine. Someone passed through a village and exposed a steamed bun, as a result, both the cart and the person were detained, and in the end, the person was cooked and eaten by refugees, it was very cruel." Lu Duo patted her chest, imagining the scene, her face slightly pale.

  "This is actually the capital!" Yun Shuang was clearly somewhat disbelieving, her eyes dazed.

  Xian Yi knew that some people wouldn't shed tears until they saw the coffin, so she naturally wouldn't bother to explain things in detail to others. Perhaps Yun Shuang would still think that Xian Yi was a high-born lady with a cold heart, completely unable to resonate with these common folk.

  Just as Xiānyī was worried about the refugees rioting, Yún Shuāng couldn't bear to leave like this, when the horse carriage finally sped up, Xiānyī let out a slight sigh of relief, but found that Xuě Shuāng had opened her eyes wide and was staring at herself, looking a bit dazed, yet adorable and charming. Xiānyī unknowingly also revealed a warm smile, Xuě Shuāng saw it and her eyes curved slightly, revealing a shallow dimple on the corner of her mouth, then she yawned and said: "Sister, have we arrived?"

  The children's voices were scattered in the somewhat gloomy carriage, and Yun Shuang also came to her senses, tidied up a bit, and then took out another pastry from the box and put it in Xue Shuang's hand. The little girl saw the fragrant pastries and also came out of Xian Yi's arms, sat down beside her, and ate with a smile, and the awkwardness just dissipated like that.

  The horse carriage broke through the siege and finally returned to the road leading to the Taoist temple. Xianyi and several others no longer mentioned the previous refugee incident, but only chatted and laughed together, discussing embroidery patterns and new foods created by the main house recently. As the horse carriage ran non-stop, the Taoist temple was getting closer and closer.

  The people of Pei State believe in Taoism, which is different from their neighboring state Chen State, where most people believe in Buddhism. Although Taoism declined with the division of the Great Zhou State, the people of Pei State still respect tradition, so Taoist temples can be seen everywhere in Pei State. However, only one temple in the capital city, Tianfeng Temple, is truly famous and attracts thousands of visitors for worship. According to legend, the old ancestor of the temple was once an immortal who had attained enlightenment and later accepted disciples and taught them his knowledge. He could also solve many doubts and difficulties for the local people, so the people in the surrounding areas called this temple "Xian Guan" (Immortal Temple). For over a thousand years, even after two dynasties changed, this temple still stands tall, and even members of the royal family often come here to discuss scriptures and pray for blessings.

  Because there were too many people going to the Taoist temple, the masters of the temple had designated a few days when it was usually closed, but they would accept some quiet and dignified officials. As the wife of a fifth-rank official, Madame Jin naturally had this privilege. But today, whether it was heaven's will or an inauspicious day to go out, after a series of twists and turns on the road, just as they were about to arrive at the temple, their carriage was suddenly blocked halfway.