Chapter 636: Looking Alike

Just as she was thinking this, the conversation inside had already ended.

"Alright, let's stop here for today."

Two people walked out from behind the screen; one of them was a woman, and Lady Jian was stunned the moment she saw her!

This woman looked so much like her daughter-in-law that if not for the fine lines at the corners of her eyes betraying her age, she would have looked like she was cast from the same mold.

This person saw her, paused slightly, but quickly pulled her hat brim down to cover most of her face and hurried out.

She kept staring as the woman walked out.

"Furen, Furen?" the Abbess called to her, and only then did she snap out of it.

The Abbess smiled slightly: "Does Furen know her?"

"I don't know her, but she looks very much like my daughter-in-law," Lady Jian answered honestly.

The Abbess changed the subject without leaving a trace: "If I am not mistaken, your daughter-in-law is pregnant, right? Congratulations."

Lady Jian was astonished: "How did you know?"

The Abbess invited her to sit down, did not answer her question directly, but spoke to herself: "Your long-held wish is finally about to be realized, congratulations."

She did not say much, just a few sparse words, yet every word spoke to Lady Jian's heart.

She admired the Abbess so much that she was completely won over; without the other person needing to ask anything, she poured out everything about her family's affairs.

She felt as if she had met a kindred spirit.

But later, one sentence from the Abbess made Lady Jian so happy she nearly flew to the sky.

"Congratulations, you will be adding three grandchildren in a few months."

"What did you say? Say it again." She did not believe her ears, fearing she had misheard.

So the Abbess repeated it again: "Congratulations, you will be adding three grandchildren in a few months; your daughter-in-law is carrying triplets."

"That can't be, right?" Although Lady Jian was very happy, she was still half-doubting.

She was unable to contain herself and immediately made a phone call to ask.

"Wan'er, are you carrying triplets?"

Jin Wan'er received her mother-in-law's call and thought the news had leaked, so she admitted: "Yes, I was just thinking of telling you about this in the next two days."

Lady Jian hung up the phone, admiring the Abbess to the point of total submission.

It was too accurate; she was simply a living immortal!

The Abbess suggested she donate more incense money so she could request a peace lamp to be lit in the main hall.

For Lady Jian, money was not an issue.

Being able to let her daughter-in-law give birth to the children smoothly was what mattered most.

So she did exactly as told.

Triplets, she hadn't even dared to think of it.

Now it was great; the Jian Family would have many children and much fortune, and this daughter-in-law of hers was simply better than Shi Youxuan; Lady Jian would wake up laughing even in her dreams. She was incredibly happy.

After arriving home, she was so preoccupied with the joy of the triplets that she actually forgot about the woman she had met at the temple.

Her mother-in-law was only happy and did not blame her for intentionally hiding the matter, so Jin Wan'er breathed a sigh of relief.

She asked her husband: "A Ning, did you tell Mom about the triplets?"

Jian Yining shook his head: "It wasn't me, and it couldn't have been my sister who said it either. I'm also curious how Mom knew."

His sister was the most tight-lipped, especially when she promised others something; she would never break her word.

The two felt it was strange, so they went to ask.

Lady Jian chided them: "Hmph! You two hid such big happy news from me; it's the Abbess at the temple who is capable—she calculated it accurately."

"The Abbess at the temple?"

"Yes, I went to the Songzi Niangniang Miao this morning to pray for peace, and it was the Abbess who said it."

"Right! I even saw a woman who looked exactly like Wan'er."

Jian Yining didn't even think and blurted out: "Did Xuanxuan go too?"

Jin Wan'er:...

Her mother shook her head, dismissive: "What are you saying? It wasn't Shi Youxuan, it was another woman who looked like our Wan'er, though she was a bit older."

Another one?

She immediately wondered if it could be someone from her mother's Clan.

Jin Wan'er hurriedly asked her mother-in-law: "Did you talk to her? Did you leave any contact information?"

"No."

Indeed, she hadn't; at the time, she only felt curious and didn't think much of it.

Getting the answer, Jin Wan'er was a little disappointed, but it didn't matter.

Since that woman was familiar with the Abbess, she would just go and ask personally.

Shi Youxuan received Jin Wan'er's call, explained the reason, and invited her to go to the Songzi Niangniang Miao together.

She agreed immediately, and the two arranged for the afternoon.

People usually went to make wishes and burn incense in the morning, so there were not many pilgrims at the temple in the afternoon.

When the two arrived at the temple, they felt something was not quite right.

Shi Youxuan felt a pair of eyes watching her from behind.

This feeling was very strange; she couldn't say if it was good or bad.

She wanted to ask if Jin Wan'er had noticed, but before she could ask, Jin Wan'er leaned close to her and whispered: "I feel like someone is watching us, did you notice?"

"Mm," Shi Youxuan nodded lightly.

The two of them did not look around; just like all the pilgrims who came to offer incense, they requested high-grade incense and knelt to pray.

Then, they stuffed a stack of banknotes into the merit box.

Everything they did was exactly the same as what Lady Jian had done in the morning, yet no one came to invite them to the back hall!

Even the nun sitting beside the merit box, tapping the wooden fish, did not even lift her eyelids.

It was as if she were accustomed to such things and found nothing strange about it.

Since no one invited them to the back hall, they should have left.

But the two of them did not want to leave.

The things they needed to do had not yet been done, and the person they wanted to see had not been seen; they could not leave!

Shi Youxuan went up to the nun, pressed her palms together in a salute, and said, "Greetings, Master. I would like to request the Abbess to chant scriptures for my younger sister to ensure her safety. Could you please pass on the message?"

"Amitabha."

The nun stood up, recited a Buddhist chant, and then said, "The Abbess is not in the nunnery. As for chanting scriptures to ensure safety, I can do it just the same."

Shi Youxuan:...

Fine.

Since it is the same, then let her chant.

Neither of them believed in Buddhism, so naturally, there was no talk of piety.

Chanting scriptures and requesting a safety talisman to be placed before the Buddha—all the procedures were very standard and meticulous!

Shi Youxuan asked, "May I ask when the Abbess will be back?"

The young nun: "I don't know."

Shi Youxuan: "A woman came this morning who looked very much like us and was very familiar with your Abbess. Do you know that person?"

The young nun: "I don't know."

Jin Wan'er: "That woman seemed very familiar with your Abbess; have you really never seen her even once?"

The young nun: "I have never seen her."

The two of them were completely at a loss.

One can find flaws in a lie, but there is no way to deal with someone who claims to know nothing at all.

The two were unwilling to leave just like that and decided to wait a while.

But they waited until the mountain gate was closed without seeing the Abbess return, so they had no choice but to head back first.

Shi Youxuan drove, and Jin Wan'er sat in the back seat.

Jin Wan'er: "Why did you say I am your younger sister? Clearly, you are the younger sister and I am the older sister."

Shi Youxuan: "No, I am the older sister and you are the younger sister."

Jin Wan'er: "I am the older sister."

Shi Youxuan: "Do you have proof?"

Jin Wan'er:...

She retorted: "I don't have proof, do you?"

Shi Youxuan: "I don't have proof either. Older sister or younger sister is nothing more than a form of address; don't be so petty, don't take it too seriously."

Jin Wan'er...

"Fine, fine. Since you don't care, from now on in front of others, you say I am the older sister and you are the younger sister."

Shi Youxuan: "I won't!"

Jin Wan'er: "Didn't you say you didn't care? Why won't you now..."

The two sisters argued endlessly.

Who is the older sister and who is the younger sister is the eternal, unchanging topic of their arguments.

There was never a result; both wanted to be the older sister.

Shi Youxuan dropped Jin Wan'er off at her doorstep, and Jin Wan'er invited her inside to have a glass of water before leaving.