The Dreamer in the Spring Boudoir

Ning Jinchen’s expression slightly change. He raised his clear eyes to look at Yan Buba. “Qian-er‘s reputation will be affected if she stays too close to me?”

Yan Buba nodded. “Of course. If an unmarried maiden follow after a young man every day, it’s inevitable that people will start gossiping. If you’re willing to take my daughter as your wife, then that would be fine...

“I won’t marry anyone,” Ning Jinchen interrupted him. He pressed his hands together in prayer and recited a Buddhist prayer. “I’ll be leaving the secular world in a few years.”

Yan Buba was shocked. “You’re still planning on becoming a monk?”

Ning Jinchen pursed his lips. “I’ve never left that monastic order.”

In the other room, Qian-er looked at her mother with a scarlet face. After hesitating for a long time, she finally nodded. “I... I like him.”

Madam Yan chuckled. “If you like someone, there’s no reason why you can’t say that out loud. There’s nothing shameful about that.”

Qian-er was delighted for quite a while. Somewhat shyly looking at her mother, she said, “But, I don’t know what Big Brother Chen is thinking... Mom, you can’t go ask him. I can still wait a few more years.”

Madam Yan cover her mouth and laughed. “Silly girl. Let’s just wait to hear from your father.”

Qian-er anxiously stood up. “Dad went to ask him?”

Madam Yan quietly laughed. “You can’t leave this type of matter unasked. We need a clear answer. Otherwise, it’ll be wasting your best years.”

Face paling, Qian-er

rushed over to the room on the right side. Ning Jinchen had already left. Yan Buba was still in the room.

Seeing his daughter, Yan Buba said in sunken voice, “Keep your distance from First Young Master in the future and spend more time learning the scholarly arts.”

Qian-er froze in surprise. Not understanding, she asked, “Why?”

Yan Buba didn’t say anything. He only deeply looked at her, then he let out a long sigh.

Eyes suddenly becoming wet, Qian-er stood in place for a while before suddenly rushing downstairs and outside to the large stone.

There was no one on the stone. Ning Jinchen had returned to the marquis’s estate early today.

Qian-er looked at the stone for a while before sitting down on it. Using her memories of Ning Jinchen as a model, she placed her hands on her knees, closed her eyes, and started to recite, “Buddha said, “Idealism, fulfill your desires, forget yourself...

If you could gain enlightenment by idealism and fulfilling your desires, why couldn’t she do it? Sure enough, Buddhism was just a lie.

—

Ning Jinchen continued to come to the rice shop every day, but he no longer spoke to her. He wouldn’t even look at her. After sitting on that large stone for three years, he no longer went there again. After finishing his work at the rice shop each day, he would head straight home.

Qian-er couldn’t keep her calm. She didn’t like that as soon as she saw his figure and approached him, he would disappear like the wind without a trace. Hadn’t she been by his side for over the past three years? For her to suddenly not be there, shouldn’t he feel unaccustomed to her absence?

“First Young Master is someone who’s going to be a monk,” said Yan Buba, “Wait until your adulthood ceremony. Father will choose a good husband for you.”

Qian-er forcefully shook her head. “I don’t want that.”

—

Crouched down by the doorway, she waited there until he came.

“Miss Yan, what is it?” Ning Jinchen had his hands pressed together in prayer position. He asked her this question without emotion.

Qian-er looked at him. She had originally planned on erupting in anger, but as soon as she heard him saying the first two words, she couldn’t stop herself from bursting into tears.

Standing in front of her, he instinctively reached out to ruffle her hair, but when his hand reached halfway, he took it back. “Amitabha.”

“I hate your Buddha,” said Qian-er quietly, “It’s clearly a devil. It’s a devil that destroy people’s ability to feel emotions and the warmth they feel towards others.”

“Don’t say such nonsense.” Ning Jinchen glanced at her. He wanted to walk around her and enter the rice store.

“Why are you avoiding me?” Qian-er tenaciously blocked his way by spreading out her hands to each side of the doorway. “You clearly like to spend time with me. When we’re together, you frequently smile. Since you like spending time with me, why are you avoiding me?”

Ning Jinchen froze in surprise. He liked spending time with her?

There was only blankness in his impressions. He didn’t remember anything. He was pursuing religious practice, so his heart naturally only had Buddhism. There was nothing else. To him, the mortal world symbolized evil. It was a tribulation that he needed to overcome.

“Miss Yan, you’ve probably misunderstood,” said Ning Jinchen, “Even when I’m by myself, I’ll still smile. When I get through a mediation or gain understanding of a Buddhist scripture, I’ll also smile.”

“It’s not because you, Miss.”

Qian-er blankly looked at him. Her arms felt as if they had lost strength and drooped down.

Ning Jinchen slightly bowed at her and went around her to enter the rice shop.

—

In the following month, he didn’t see Qian-er. He no longer heard her chattering voice by his ear. When he opened his eyes, he wouldn’t see that she had plucked a bouquet of flowers and brought it over to him to get acknowledgement. He didn’t see her smiling face.

Ning Jinchen remembered the old monk’s words. Human emotion was an illusion. He had to see through it and reject the world of mortals.

However, even though the weather was very cold, he didn’t dare to put on the cloak that she had embroidered for him. It felt as if the demon of temptation was lurking in that cloak. He wanted to stay far away from it.

“Buddha said...” Sitting on the large stone in the rice store’s back courtyard, he started to recite a Buddhist scripture. Seeing a person in the previously empty courtyard, he got slightly distracted.

“Buddha said, “Don’t desire, don’t demand, and don’t long for something. Reject the illusions, expose the truth, and gain understanding.” Smiling, Qian-er made her way to him. Grabbing a handful of snow, she threw it towards him.

Translator Ramblings: Just want to say this is one of my favorite story arcs. It’s so easy to like both of these characters and root for them.