There is a god in the sky

Chapter 56 The Murder of a Wealthy Family in Jianzhou (Part 19)

Shen Lan found a coffin shop in an alley.

She took out all her money and just enough to buy an ordinary wooden coffin.

Seeing that she was so young and had to handle funeral arrangements, the shopkeeper gave her a paper effigy and a stack of paper money.

Coffins can be delivered to your door. Shen Lan inquired privately whether there were any unclaimed hills outside the city.

These days, most families who can't afford a burial plot just dig a hole and bury their children, or they bury them in their own mountain land.

The shopkeeper was clearly very experienced and pointed her in a direction.

At night, Shen Lan followed the same procedure, carrying Wu's body out of the city to bury it.

She was close enough to smell a faint stench of decay.

After burying Wu, she went to Liujiazhuang again to find out if anyone had reported the two deaths that night.

It turned out she had worried unnecessarily.

The villagers are all saying that last night two servants were killed by wild boars while going up the mountain, and were then dismembered by wild animals, their bodies unrecognizable.

If Liu Zhuangtou hadn't known that it was the two of them who went up the mountain, the family probably wouldn't have even had a chance to collect the bodies.

No one suspected they were murdered; it was just that they were careless when they went up the mountain.

Shen Lan was walking in the night when she encountered a funeral procession.

Seeing the messenger clearing the way for the souls, she thought of her adoptive father, wondering if he was getting used to life at the Taoist temple.

The night market in the city is very lively.

Shen Lan's happy times ended when she was five years old. In the ten years that followed, although she lived a decent life, she rarely had any happy moments.

She saw a young couple buying candied hawthorns with their child, then sharing one with each of them, laughing heartily.

"Young lady, young lady...buy a hairpin, it's very cheap." An old woman selling hairpins by the roadside called out to Shen Lan.

Shen Lan had no money in her pocket, so she shook her head and walked away.

She weaved through the crowd and returned to the small courtyard at the east end of the street, where she saw Guanshu sitting at the door waiting for her.

When she returned, Guanshu patted his bottom and stood up, asking in an annoyed tone, "Where did you run off to again?"

"shop."

"You're still a young, unmarried woman. What if you encounter bad people when you go out alone?"

"Then let's mention Lord Xiao's name. There shouldn't be many people who want to get into legal trouble."

"Your arrogant attitude is really unpleasant." Guanshu pouted and told her, "That maid was sent away today. The master said that if you don't like her, then forget it. I'll go with you to choose someone else tomorrow."

“I don’t need anyone to wait on me,” she emphasized again.

"How can you be so ungrateful? That was the young master's good intention, wasn't it for your own good?"

Shen Lan said seriously, "I may not need his kindness. Please tell Young Master Fu not to force his kindness on me. I will not accept it."

Guan Shu was so angry that he jumped up and down, glared at her, and ran away.

Shen Lan didn't take it seriously. After returning home, she cleaned the place inside and out, and then fell asleep exhausted.

When Shen Lan woke up at dawn, she felt refreshed.

The hardest thing for people with depression is insomnia; she has endured the agony of not being able to sleep all night long many times.

Although she did not receive a formal diagnosis, Shen Lan knew very well that she was a patient with mild depression.

Fortunately, she can regulate her emotions. If she experiences negative emotions due to insomnia, she will drink a bowl of calming soup before bed to help her sleep.

The advantage of living alone is that she can do whatever she wants.

After getting up, she did half an hour of physical training, and then performed a set of boxing moves.

She learned her boxing style on her own based on the boxing manual given to her by Master Wei.

Old Master Wei's lightness skill was not bad, but he was just average in other aspects.

Not only was her lightness skill superior to her master's, but her fist techniques, swordsmanship, and hidden weapon skills also far surpassed those of Master Wei.

"Knock knock knock..." There was a knocking sound at the door.

Shen Lan went to open the door and saw Fu Qingyan standing there with a big smile on his face, holding a fragrant meat bun in his hand.

"Good morning, Miss Shen. Have some breakfast."

Shen Lan thought that her words last night would anger this young master to the point of breaking off their friendship, but she didn't expect that she had overthought it.

Guanshu, carrying two bowls of tofu pudding, muttered, "Hurry up and invite us in, my arms are getting tired."

Shen Lan quickly moved the door aside, went to move an eight-immortal table to the courtyard, and then the three of them shared the food.

As Fu Qingyan ate, he looked around the place. "It's too small. It feels like there's no room if you turn around. Is Miss Shen comfortable here?"

Shen Lan answered honestly, "It's better than where I used to live."

Fu Qingyan remembered the wardrobe with the skeletons assembled inside and asked softly, "Miss Shen, I've always wanted to ask, are the skeletons in your family buried?"

"no, what happened?"

"That thing...aren't you afraid to leave things at home with it?"

Shen Lan chuckled: "I've seen more dead people than living people."

"But what's the point of keeping bones at home?"

"To ward off evil spirits," Shen Lan said matter-of-factly.

Fu Qingyan thought about it and agreed. There was a gap in the room. If a thief were to sneak in, he would be scared away as soon as he saw the skeleton.

After finishing their meal, Fu Qingyan asked Shen Lan what her plans were.

With the Wu family's case solved, Shen Lan had nothing to do. If Fu Qingyan hadn't come, she would probably have stayed at home.

"I heard that the Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva in Xiaoguo Village is very efficacious. Should we go and pray to him?"

Speaking of worshipping Buddha, Shen Lan wanted to visit Fayin Temple.

"No, I'm going to Fayin Temple to offer incense today."

Fu Qingyan also thought of Master Liaochen and said happily, "Then let's go to Fayin Temple. Master Liaochen will definitely be very surprised to see us."

Shen Lan knew that Li Ye was most likely no longer at Fayin Temple, but she wanted to visit the place where he grew up.

When visiting a temple, you have to donate some money for incense and oil.

Shen Lan asked Fu Qingyan for 100 coins, promising to repay him once she received her salary.

Fu Qingyan had never lent out such a small amount of money before, not even when rewarding his servants.

However, remembering what Guan Shu had conveyed the previous night, he resisted the urge to give the money.

He opened his purse and found that he had no copper coins, so he took out the smallest piece of silver. "I asked my cousin, and your monthly salary is one tael and two mace. I'll lend you this two mace of silver first."

“Okay.” Shen Lan took the money, bought some incense and candles, and then the three of them hired a carriage to go to Fayin Temple.

As the largest temple in Jianzhou City, Fayin Temple is very popular with worshippers.

Shen Lan spent one hundred coins to buy a soul-soothing lamp, which she placed before the Buddha to pray for Wu's soul to rest in peace.

To be honest, her beliefs are now quite mixed; she believes in a little bit of everything. I wonder if Buddha and the Three Pure Ones will blame her.

Fayin Temple is very large, with several main halls in front and behind.

As she walked further back, she saw a young novice monk and asked, "Excuse me, is Master Liaochen in the temple?"

The young novice monk said kindly, "Reporting to the benefactor, Brother Liaochen has gone down the mountain and is not in the temple."

Do you know where he went?

"Master said that my senior brother has gone on a journey and may not return for some time. Do you have something to discuss with him?"

Shen Lan was somewhat disappointed, but it was also within her expectations.

She asked, "I would like to see the abbot; could you please show me the way?"

"Excuse me, benefactor, the abbot has guests today..." Before he could finish speaking, someone interrupted him.

"Liao Chi, your master wants you to take the guest to his meditation room."

The young monk asked in surprise, "Is this the female guest?"

"Correct."

The young monk looked at Shen Lan with a puzzled expression, but asked nothing, only saying, "Please follow me, benefactor."

Shen Lan also found it strange that the abbot had specifically asked to see her.

But this suited her perfectly, so she followed him.