Ming'an turned back and glanced at Qin Tiexin. Qin Tiexin thanked Lin Boyuan, turned around and followed him.
Back in the courtyard, hot water had been poured. Madam Lin rolled up her sleeves and wiped Ming'an's face and hands herself. She carefully wiped Ming'an's forehead, cheeks, and behind the ears with a wet handkerchief, Ming'an was still stiff at first, but Madam Lin's fingers were so gentle that he couldn't help but shrink his neck when he rubbed it behind his ears. Madam Lin smiled softly and wiped away the dust behind his ears.
After wiping, Madam Lin took a set of neatly folded clothes from the servant. They were worn by Lin Chuan when she was a child. They were made of moon-white fine cotton fabric, with very light cloud patterns embroidered on the cuffs. Although it was not expensive silk, the stitching was fine and the material was soft. She squatted down and compared the clothes with Ming'an, and found that they were slightly bigger.
"Wear this first. Tomorrow I will have someone pull out some pieces of new cloth and make you something that will fit you."
Ming'an clasped his hands together, and his voice was steadier than before. "Thank you, donor. This is fine for a poor monk." After saying that, he held the clothes in his arms, lowered his head and touched the embroidery thread of the moire pattern. His fingers repeatedly rubbed the embroidery thread several times. Then he raised his head and looked at Madam Lin. He hesitated before speaking, "This... is very beautiful."
Madam Lin's eyes were sore, and she stretched out her hand to rub the top of his head. There was a layer of irritating stubble. She was stunned for a moment, then turned to ask Qin Tiexin: "Master, do you want to shave him? I'll ask the shaver in the house to come over. It won't be a hassle."
Qin Tiexin took a look at the fine stubble on Ming'an's head. This child was not a formally ordained monk. He had no ordination scars and his hair grew out as normal black hair. When his hair grew longer and he changed into the clothes of an ordinary child, who knew he was a monk.
"No need. Just keep it, it's okay if your hair grows longer."
The clean Ming'an seems like a new person.
The dirt on his face was gone, although the sunburned areas were still a bit dark, but a small patch of fair skin on the ears and chin showed through, showing that he had a good foundation. The moon-white dress was worn on the body, the sleeves were rolled up twice, and the hem was still a bit long, but it was much better than the old shabby monk's robe. Especially the eyes, which became more and more radiant after being washed, and were so black that if it weren't for the short hair, he would look like a rich man.
Madam Lin liked it more and more as he watched it, and bent down to ask him if he was hungry. Ming'an was just about to speak when his stomach growled, his face turned red, he covered his stomach with both hands, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at anyone.
Madam Lin smiled and asked people to go to the kitchen to bring food.
When Ming'an was full, Madam Lin reluctantly left the small courtyard. Before leaving, he told Qin Tiexin that if there is anything he needs, just tell him, you're welcome.
Qin Tiexin settled Ming'an in the wing room. Lin Residence's housekeeper did everything quickly. The room had been tidied up, the beds and bedding were all new, and there were still things on the table. A small fluorite lamp was placed. Ming'an stood at the door of the room and looked inside, then exited and looked at Qin Tiexin's main room, with an expression between hesitation and uneasiness on his face.
"Brother..."
Qin Tiexin looked at him.
"I... can I sleep with you?" Ming'an tugged on the hem of the new clothes, lowered his head, and rubbed the fabric with his fingers until it was wrinkled, "I don't want to sleep alone in the private room. I... I promise not to wet the bed, I will never wet the bed, and I won't disturb your practice. I will sleep in the corner. Senior brother, I don't want to be alone."
He spoke faster and faster, and at the end his voice began to tremble, and his head hung lower, revealing only the dark stubble on the top of his head.
Qin Tiexin was silent for two breaths.
"Let's go."
Ming'an raised his head and his eyes lit up.
The bed in the wing room is not big, but it is more than enough to sleep two people, one large and one small. Moreover, Qin Tiexin does not sleep most of the time and is meditating. The Dantian tempered by Body Refining allows him to continuously inhale Spiritual Qi even when Peak of Qi Refining is without Foundation Establishment.
Ming'an climbed onto the bed, consciously crawled to the side against the wall, folded the new clothes and put them under his head, huddled up into a small ball, and pulled the quilt to his chin, revealing a pair of eyes staring at Qin Tiexin. His eyelids were already heavy, but he did not close them, probably because he was afraid that if he closed his eyes, this senior brother would disappear like the previous senior brothers.
"Brother." A thin voice came from the darkness.
"Hmm."
"Can I still eat today's cake tomorrow?"
Qin Tiexin leaned on the other side of the bed with his eyes closed.
"Yes."
"Brother."
"Hmm."
"Master... he also bought me cakes before. He bought them at the market at the foot of the mountain. They were sweet-scented osmanthus cakes. Master himself was reluctant to eat them, so he bought them for me."
Qin Tiexin didn't know how to answer this sentence. He opened his eyes and turned his head to glance at Ming'an, who was curled up in the corner. The light of the fluorite lamp filtered in from the window and shone on Ming'an's face. His eyes were still open, staring at the ceiling, and his lips moved slightly, as if talking to himself.
After a while, the shaking stopped. Ming'an fell asleep, with dried tears still hanging at the corners of his eyes, but his brows were relaxed, his mouth was slightly open, and his breathing was heavy. It was obvious that he was extremely tired before.
Qin Tiexin listened to his breathing and felt a lot more relaxed. He sat cross-legged on the futon, with his back to the bed, and began to turn over the written test Jade Slip given by Chen Xi.
That night, after the darkness completely fell, three monks wearing dark golden robes entered the city from the north gate of Ten Thousand Stars City.
They didn't line up when they entered, and they didn't show their identity badges. The leader just flashed a gold medal in front of the guard, and the guard stepped aside respectfully without even going through the verification procedures.
The three of them walked through the main street of Cloud Ford Ward without stopping in front of any shop or stall. They walked all the way to the door of Star Spirit Inn. One of the monks walked up to the counter and without any extra polite words, he just said, "Two rooms, next to each other."
The shopkeeper glanced at him, swallowed what he said, lowered his head and flipped through the register, and quickly arranged for two Tianzi rooms, Tianzi No. 2 and Tianzi No. 4. Two groups of monks thought it was too expensive, so they canceled it today.
Room No. 3, Tianzi, is right in the middle.
When the night got deeper, a very faint golden light leaked from the window of Tianzi No. 2 room, which was blocked tightly by the curtains, and nothing could be seen from the outside. But if someone put his ear against the wall of Tianzi No. 3 room next door, he could hear a very low humming sound, like someone ringing a bell in a very far place. The bell passed through the long distance and the wall, and when it reached here, only a very weak tremor remained. The sound lasted for about a stick of incense, and then stopped abruptly.
Soon, the soundproof array was activated, completely isolating the two rooms.
Early the next morning, Madam Lin's pastries appeared on the stone platform at the entrance of the courtyard on time, and they were a bit larger than usual. Madam Lin personally brought them in. In addition to the spiritual cakes, there was also a plate of honey-soaked spiritual fruits. Ming'an had just gotten up, rubbing his eyes and sticking his head out of the quilt.
Madam Lin held him on his lap and fed him piece by piece with the fruit. Ming'an was a little cautious at first, but when Madam Lin handed the fruit to his mouth, he obediently opened his mouth and took it. After chewing it twice, his eyes lit up.
"Is it delicious?"
Ming'an nodded.
"Then eat more." Madam Lin stuffed another piece into his mouth and pushed down his raised hair.
Qin Tiexin was sitting on the stone bench in the yard, watching this scene. The two spiritual trees in the courtyard swayed slightly in the morning light, and their shadows fell mottled on Madam Lin and Ming'an.