Chapter 376: The Ceremony
 

Lauren had no choice but to remove her blanket. She was in a much better state today than she was yesterday.

She walked to the door and opened it. The person standing at the door was none other than her grandma, Tina.

Tina had already put on her clothes. Even though she was in the temple, she was very well-dressed. She had brought all the jewelry and makeup she needed.

The sky had yet to brighten, but the wall lamps in the long corridor of the rooms had already been lit.

Tina was the only person in front of Lauren.

In an instant, Lauren actually felt a little scared.

She moved her lips, but she did not call out ‘grandma’.

After all, her first meeting with Tina was not very pleasant. Moreover, Tina did not seem to like her.

In that case, she might as well play dumb and act dumb.

Fortunately, Tina did not give her a hard time from the start. Instead, she spoke indifferently.

“Get up. Lent is a relatively grand event. You need to wake up early to eat vegetarian food and recite prayers.”

What surprised Lauren was that Tina’s attitude was not too bad. Her tone was reasonably gentle, even though they still did not sound like grandma and granddaughter.

Lauren was stunned for a moment when she heard what Tina said.

She had just woken up and her brain had yet to activate.

“What are you waiting for? Quickly change your clothes and go wash up. I’ll wait for you in the courtyard.”

Since males were not allowed to enter the girls’ rooms, Tina was the only one who could bring her along.

Lauren changed her clothes as quickly as she could in her life. She then brushed her teeth and ran out without even washing her face, afraid that Tina would say that she was taking too long.

Fortunately, Tina did not say anything.

Considering that it was a temple, the clothes that Lauren brought were simple and the color was not garish.

“Your brothers have already woken up an hour earlier to prepare.”

Lauren could not figure out what Tina was trying to say.

Was she implying that she was lazy? But Lauren had no idea that she had to wake up so early.

Lauren could only silently chant in her heart, “My brothers must be tired!” Then, she mindlessly followed Tina forward.

When she reached the temple, she realized that not only were Franklin and the others there, but Sean and Maria were there as well.

They were surrounded by a group of people dressed in monk robes.

It was not quiet inside the temple, but everyone was walking around doing their own things. Therefore, Lauren did not dare to rashly walk around or speak.

She remembered her mission this time and was careful with her words and actions.

Time seemed to be very tight, so Lauren did not even have the time to greet everyone before the ceremony began.

Lauren had never participated in such a ceremony before, so she could only follow everyone step by step. After going through the whole process, it actually took more than an hour.

Lauren stood up repeatedly and then knelt down again. Her knees were starting to hurt.

Finally, after the monk at the front shook a bell the size of a palm, everyone began to move freely. The tension of the ceremony was gone.

Tina went to talk to a senior monk at the front, and Lauren was finally able to escape.

She quickly ran to Franklin’s side.

This kind of ceremony was very specific. As the men of the Torres family, Franklin and the others stood at the front while Lauren was to stand at the back.

When Lauren ran to the front, Franklin was supporting his mother, Maria.

Lauren asked nervously, “What happened to Mom?”

Although they hadn’t seen each other for some time, she didn’t feel Maria was a stranger to her. In fact, she missed her very much.

Maria’s lips were a little pale, and there were beads of sweat on her forehead.

Sean and Franklin were supporting Maria on both sides.

Although she wasn’t feeling well, she still forced herself to answer Lauren’s question.

“Lauren, I am fine, just a little tired.”

“Mom, don’t talk for a while. Let’s go to the next room and have a rest.”

Maria nodded, and the two men helped her to the side.

Quinn, Bryce, and Lauren also followed behind.

Maria was half-lying on a soft chair, but before they could speak to her, Tina came in again.

“The ceremony is about to begin. We can’t waste any more time. Let Mr. Hayes stay here and take care of Maria. The rest of you, follow me out to continue the ceremony.”

Sean and Franklin, the eldest son and grandson of Tina, could not miss the ceremony. They knew that they had no right to speak in front of her. So, even though they were worried about Maria, they could only turn around and leave. If it was Mr. Hayes who came in to take care of Maria..