Chapter 43: Chapter 43 - Chapter 43: 043 Bodhi

chapter 43: 043 bodhi

translator: 549690339

when a young girl receive praise, most people would respond with a show of shyness, especially in front of respected elders.

not so with ming jing. she didn’t flinch, didn’t even bat an eyelid, as calm as if this were just casual conversation.

more terrifying was that madam jiang didn’t display any annoyance, but instead laughed more heartily.

granny zhu and zhu xiangxiang were both quite surprised.

the difference was that granny zhu was proud, while zhu xiangxiang… was resentful.

“aunt lan.” ming jing called out.

jiang chunlan responded handing over a gift bag to her: “a small gift, congratulations on finding your family.”

“thank you.”

“jin chen is also here, you both are young; spend some more time together. he is usually a little introverted, but i noticed he lightens up when he talks to you.”

granny zhu had a strange feeling about this. she gazed at this mysterious woman of high status from the rumors. did the rumors get it wrong, or was she blind?

she was so approachable.

and the information within her words carried heavy implications… she didn’t dare to think any further…

jiang chunlan left after a few words. she exited through the back door so as not to draw any attention.

on the way, zhu xiangxiang appeared to want to speak several times but ultimately chose to stay silent.

granny zhu looked at ming jing, who always spoke candidly to madam jiang without acting submissive or arrogant. this might be why madam jiang liked her.

“madam jiang came today to back you up, you are truly a fortunate girl.”

ming jing placed the gift bag on the table. the wig was getting a bit uncomfortable, and she hoped that the banquet would end soon.

“granny, when will it begin?”

granny zhu looked at the clock on the wall – it was ten minutes to seven.

just then, zhu xiangxiang came back. “we’re waiting for father, we can start as soon as he arrives.”

granny zhu frowned, showing her displeasure: “he’s getting more and more disrespectful lately. call him and rush him.”

zhu xiangxiang said: “father is busy with lots of company stuff recently and can’t get away. he should be here soon though.”

granny zhu snorted coldly: “those are just excuses. does he think his company can’t run without him, even on the day of his daughter’s welcome party?”

zhu xiangxiang didn’t know what to say in response. she noticed the gift bag on the table and went over to it with a smile: “ming jing, madam jiang is really good to you, giving you gift like this. can we take a look at what it is?”

granny zhu didn’t object; she was also quite curious.

ming jing glanced at both of them and untied the tie on the gift bag. inside lied a fine rectangular wooden box. when opened, a bodhi pendant was revealed inside. a silver thread made for the string, fitted through a tag, which was made from purple sandalwood. on the front was a delicately carved tranquil lotus flower that seemed lifelike. on the back was a line from the tan jing written in small seal script, and in the lower right corner, the name “ming jing” was also inscribed in small seal script.

the tag was strung through with red-gold tianzhu, vajra, xueshan, and a white jade bodhi seed. every single one was a top-grade bodhi seed, said to bring luck, avert disaster, and purify the spirit. the scent of it carried a light fragrance of sandalwood, bringing about a tranquil state of mind.

zhu xiangxiang didn’t fully understand, but she knew it was extremely valuable. it was custom-made for ming jing.

ming jing traced the small seal script on the tag with her finger, murmuring: “bodhi has no tree, ming jing is not a platform, originally there is not a single thing, where could the dust arise?”

the dharma names of all five of their sisters were derived from this bodhi pooja gatha.

their hopes were to see through to their original nature and attain bodhi for themselves.

granny zhu also had some understanding about this. after she got older, she had developed a liking for being a vegetarian and chanting buddha’s name.

although she wasn’t obsessed, she did have some knowledge, which was why she felt a kindred spirit when she first saw ming jing and took a liking to her.

“keep it well, this is madam jiang’s good intentions, don’t let it go wasted.”

“ming jing, have you left your monastic life now?” zhu xiangxiang suddenly asked.

granny zhu shot her a glance.

ming jing placed the pendant back in the wooden box, and replied indifferently: “cultivation doesn’t depend on the environment, but on the heart.”

zhu xiangxiang lowered her eyes, feigning profound insight.

outside the door, xiao ying knocked, “madam, the two young mistresses, mr. zhu has arrived.”

zhu xiangxiang began to smile: “father is here, let’s go down.”

xiao ying had a strange look on her face and seemed hesitant to speak.

zhu xiangxiang slightly furrowed her eyebrows and asked, “what’s wrong?”

xiao ying lowered her voice: “mr. zhu brought his secretary.”

in the zhu family, it was well known that mr. zhu’s female secretary was also his mistress.

bringing his mistress to his daughter’s welcome banquet, wasn’t this just asking for trouble?

granny zhu’s face darkened: “this damn man.”

zhu xiangxiang’s mouth edged upward in a hidden and quickly suppressed smile. then she put on a worried face and said: “this is ming jing’s banquet. what is father trying to do? allow our guests to witness a spectacle?” ming jing smoothed her dress and gently said: “let’s go.”

as soon as zhu wentao appeared with his female secretary, it immediately stirred up a commotion.

there are no secrets that cannot be exposed. the affair between zhu wentao and his secretary had already spread. lin qing was conspicuously absent in recent gatherings of high society women, and people had started mocking her without restraint.

the same people who were once so envious had become ruthless in their mockery.

everyone had thought that zhu wentao would, for the sake of lin qing and his daughter’s face, not overstep certain boundaries. however, it turned out that they had underestimated a man’s capability to be cold -hearted and shameless.

the secretary didn’t fit the traditional image of a seductive and provocative mistress. hers was a demeanor of elegance and simplicity, grace and composure, a mild-mannered domestic charm that easily won people’s hearts.

all the women present understand that the more unassuming and affable a woman seems, the harder she is to deal with.

at first, lin qing’s face darkened, but she quickly composed herself and showed no sign of it, she just smiled and went up to greet them. she linked arms with zhu wentao as if it was completely natural, softly saying: “you are late. the guests have been waiting for a long time.”

the secretary automatically distanced herself from zhu wentao, keeping a polite and gentle smile on her face.

if they didn’t know the story behind this, everyone would have been fooled by them.

no one could deny that all three of them had acting skills that could rival those of award-winning actors, especially lin qing. how strong a heart she must have had to be able to maintain her composure in the face of her unfaithful husband and his exceptional mistress.

zhu wentao smiled and apologized to the guests, his charm palpable: “i had an important meeting at the company, please forgive me for being late.”

“how about punishing yourself with three drinks then?”

zhu wentao took a wine glass from a waiter’s tray and downed three drinks in a row, eliciting applause from the guests.

lin oinz turned her back to the crowd. her gaze dassing over zhu wentao’s

shoulder to rest coldly on zhou ling.

suddenly, someone shouted: “mr. zhu and madam zhu shouldn’t monopolize the spotlight, the real protagonist of tonight’s banquet hasn’t appeared yet..”