Gasp! She's a Time Traveler Using Modern Tech to Improve Ancient Life-Chapter 632 - 630: Nine Days

Lin Wanwan settled down in the Zen courtyard of Daxingshan Temple. Every evening was uneventful, but during the day, she had to listen to the monks chanting scriptures.

The Daxingshan Temple of the Tang Dynasty was not an ordinary temple of later generations; it was a place rich in the era’s characteristics, integrating education, culture, and entertainment.

It was densely populated here, with celebrities and nobles gathering, making it one of the cultural and entertainment exchange venues in the Great Tang.

Many people lived in the Zen courtyard of the temple, both men and women. Like how the princesses of the Tang Dynasty lived in temples and Daoist temples, it was for the convenience of favoring their male companions rather than truly for worship.

Lin Wanwan, due to her status as the Heart Lamp Saintess, naturally could not mingle with ordinary people. So, her residence was a secluded little courtyard, separate from the meditation rooms where other female practitioners and literati lived.

Aunt Xiao was greatly surprised to learn that Lin Wanwan turned into the Heart Lamp Saintess after just one visit to the temple.

Before leaving, she came to the Zen room to visit Lin Wanwan, offering her earnest advice.

The two sisters-in-law, although they didn’t manage to get Lin Wanwan to accompany them to visit Xiao Chong’s stepmother, Mrs. Wu, still thickened their faces to engage in conversation with her on behalf of Lin Wanwan’s family.

Mrs. Wu had lost the zeal to make arrangements after her servant girl failed to conceive for a long time. Therefore, when Lin Wanwan’s family approached her, she naturally gave them some face.

In fact, she looked down on Mrs. Wu’s group; their status was too low, yet it didn’t prevent her from feigning friendliness.

As a woman from a prominent family, the skill of handling things gracefully was a basic skill she was well-versed in.

However, the subsequent loss of her children hit her hard, leaving her uninterested in socializing, which gradually made her cold and withdrawn.

During that time, she couldn’t be bothered to socialize with her husband’s female colleagues.

She was tired of being the virtuous wife.

Now, after a long time, she gradually emerged from the pain of losing her children and had to pull herself together; otherwise, her status would be jeopardized.

Without her own children, she could only rely on her husband and stepson.

She had to accept this reality, or else she was headed for a bleak old age.

So, starting this year, she began to resume her daily social engagements.

She was not Xiao Chong’s biological mother, so she had to give due regard to Xiao Chong’s fiancée, Lin Wanwan, who petitioned the Emperor herself. The formalities had to be observed.

As for the actual benefits, she certainly would not give those away.

Like on the day of Empress Xiao’s flower appreciation banquet, she gave Lin Wanwan only a modest gift as a meeting present, without putting in much effort; looking splendid on the outside was enough. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Lin Wanwan never imagined that even after avoiding it, Aunt Xiao could still make use of her.

This is the complex social relationship in the Tang Dynasty, intricate and unavoidable if you wish to avoid it.

As her blood relative, Aunt Xiao was not someone easily brushed aside.

Lin Wanwan recognized the Xiao family as her maternal family. Her grandmother, uncles, and aunts were all considerate and in sync with her, never overstepping by dictating to her as elders.

But unexpectedly, Aunt Xiao was an exception, so oblivious.

But once this relationship was acknowledged, Lin Wanwan could only hold her nose and endure it.

In the Tang Dynasty, who doesn’t have a couple of odd relatives?

With numerous family and in-laws, there’s a variety of people; it’s not surprising, as every family is like this.

If Lin Wanwan hadn’t assumed this identity initially, she would have struggled to stand her ground in the Tang Dynasty because this was an era where birth determined destiny.

If you’re of humble origin, you’re bound to remain so for generations; if you’re of noble birth, you’re inherently superior from the start.

Lin Wanwan wished to be granted the title of Village Lady through merit, but first, she needed a clean, legitimate, and noble background.

Without the Xiao family as her in-laws, she wouldn’t have been able to latch onto Xiao Chong at the start.

Simply curing Xiao Chong’s illness would have only earned her some reward; forming deeper ties with Xiao Chong would have been impossible.

Initially, she considered Xiao Chong merely an NPC to strategize with—specifically, at first, she treated everyone in the Great Tang as NPCs except for little Qingyu.

In the beginning, the Great Tang was like a farming game in her mind, leading the ancestors of Lin Family Manor to change their lives and create a Peach Blossom Spring, much like playing a full-immersion simulation game.

But as time went on, she became more emotionally involved. Her loyal servants, her clansmen, and her caring grandmother and clan leader made her gradually feel the reality of the Great Tang.

As for Xiao Chong, he evolved from just a golden-thigh NPC to what he is now.

Because Lin Wanwan became the Heart Lamp Saintess of Buddhism, she had to stay nine days at Daxingshan Temple, which naturally meant she couldn’t attend the two scheduled pulse-checks for Empress Zhangsun.

This showcases Buddhism’s transcendent nature indeed. When the news of her becoming the Heart Lamp Saintess reached the palace, Empress Zhangsun didn’t blame her for neglecting her duties but instead gifted her a string of Buddha beads.

The money-crazy Lin Wanwan had Lu Shouyue examine the beads; Empress Zhangsun gifted her a string of Agarwood Buddha Beads with three Heavenly Pearls.

In 2007, a Buddha Bead left by Song Gongdi Zhao Xian was auctioned in London for over a hundred million yuan.

Of course, that auction had the added value of being an imperial relic, so the Buddha Beads Lin Wanwan holds cannot fetch such a high price without proof of being used by Empress Zhangsun.

Antiques must be endorsed by famous people; just bringing them from the Tang Dynasty doesn’t result in astronomical prices.

But anyway, even without Empress Zhangsun’s added value, this item is already priceless, so Lin Wanwan is naturally delighted.

The only pity is that when Empress Zhangsun gifted her the item, it was through verbal decree, not accompanied by the Empress’s order. If there were an order to prove the identity, it would raise the value of these Buddha beads to over a billion.

If given a chance in the future, Lin Wanwan plans to seek Empress Zhangsun’s favor.

After all, even if she doesn’t agree, Lin Wanwan loses nothing, and if she does agree, she would hit the jackpot!

Empress Zhangsun has the demeanor of an empress and is much easier to get along with than Li Shimin. Lin Wanwan’s peculiar maternal courses are quite favored by her.

On the ninth night at the temple, in the modern era, it was already mid-May when Gu Jingyu’s belly started prematurely, a week earlier than her due date.

As Gu Jingyu’s close friend, Lin Wanwan naturally had to fly back to Yongcheng to visit her.

Of course, Lin Wanwan could choose to wait until Gu Jingyu had given birth to visit the mother and child. But as soon as she thought of the Liang Xingchi family, she felt it was better to go earlier.

In case anything happened, she might be able to offer some help.

In obstetrics, Lin Wanwan is quite competent. In Chang’an, she had already delivered several noblewomen.

The Pharmacist from the palace’s Food Bureau (female doctor) didn’t possess her medical skills. As the disciple of Elder Sun, everyone had confidence in her.

Speaking of Elder Sun, becoming the Heart Lamp Saintess and staying in the temple for nine days, she actually felt quite guilty towards Elder Sun.

But surprisingly, Elder Sun didn’t mind at all and even sent her a medical book of his insights for her to study on her own.

Elder Sun, a legendary figure who will be remembered through the ages, truly had a different perspective than ordinary people.