Noble Son-in-Law - Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.2

The abbot had never seen such a beautiful girl. He could see that Mrs. Shen was very beautiful, but she was a mother of three children after all. She looked dignified and gentle, unlike her daughter, who was in the prime of her life at the age of thirteen or fourteen. Her almond-shaped eyes were as lively as two clear springs, and her lips were pink, as tender as a newly bloomed cherry blossom. With her delicate skin, the whole person looked like she was made out of flowers. It made people want to pick her up and put her in a vase to appreciate her beauty every day.

Fortunately, the abbot was nearly sixty years old and was well past the age where he could be easily tempted by lust.

Withdrawing his gaze, the abbot clasped his hands together, smiled, and saluted the approaching Shen Tingwen couple.

While the elders were exchanging greetings, Shen Qingqing curiously looked at the five monks opposite.

‘Probably the food in the temple is not very good.’ She thought so because four of the five people were skinny. Only the black-faced monk standing at the back with his eyes lowered was tall and strong. He was very eye-catching in such a temple. Shen Qingqing couldn’t help but take another look. At that time, the black-faced monk looked up at her, revealing a long, centipede-like, ugly scar at the corner of his left eye.

Shen Qingqing was startled and hurriedly moved closer to her brother, not daring to look any further.

Twenty-five minutes later, the monks retired to sleep while the Shen family convened in the humble living room for a discussion.

“Dad, can I go outside and play?” Shen Wang, who was six years old, sat anxiously next to his mom and asked hopefully.

Shen Tingwen smiled and said, “It’s still raining; let’s go when the weather gets better.”

“I want to go now.”

Shen Tingwen stopped laughing and made a serious face, looking very dignified.

Shen Wang got scared and stayed quiet without saying anything after seeing his father’s face.

Mrs. Shen smiled and touched her youngest son’s little head.

“Dad, have you seen that black-faced monk?” Shen Qingqing asked her father with lingering fear, “I always feel that he doesn’t look like a good person.”

Hearing his daughter’s words, Shen Tingwen became interested, looked at her, and asked, “Why do you think so?

Shen Qingqing had her own reasons for feeling a certain way. She said that if the monk just stayed by himself and prayed every day, he wouldn’t get hurt. Also, she was scared because his eyes looked really intense.

Shen Tingwen laughed and said to Shen Qingqing, “Some people naturally have a kind and friendly face, while others have a serious face. How can you tell what a person is like just by looking at them? Also, maybe the person got hurt trying to help someone who was being treated unfairly, right?”

Shen Tingwen was the number one scholar bestowed by the late emperor in the imperial examination. So Shen Qingqing could not ignore her father’s words, so she just pouted and looked away unhappily.

Shen Tingwen reassured his daughter, saying, “What I just said is only a guess. He may be a good person or a bad person. We must be careful when we go out.” Once said, Shen Tingwen told the manager Wu to protect the courtyard and make sure that no one could come in or go out freely.

Manager Wu took the order and walked away.

Shen Qingqing smiled after some time.

A little while later, the temple provided a vegetarian meal. The meal consisted of steamed buns, porridge, and other vegetarian dishes.

Shen Wang, who really enjoyed eating meat dishes, was the first person to start feeling unhappy. He examined each dish carefully and noticed that there was no meat. He wondered why.

Shen Tingwen treated his sons differently than his daughter. So he explained it to his youngest son with a serious face. “Buddhists do not kill, eat honestly, and don’t talk too much.”

Shen Wang was too scared to not listen to his father, so he quickly picked up a steamed bun and ate it while looking down.

Shen Qingqing didn’t feel like eating anymore when she saw a little crack on a plate. She put her hands over her face and pretended to yawn. She got up and coquettishly told her parents, “I’m very tired.” Dad, please calm down. I’m going to the room.”

Neither husband nor wife exposed their daughter’s trick.

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