Most of the people who look after the house in the old house are married servants.
The men take care of the outside, and the daughters-in-law of each family are responsible for taking care of the inner courtyard.
Therefore, there are no maids here.
After Jia Lian came, he did not act arrogantly and kept everything simple in life.
But for dinner tonight, he asked the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes early in the morning and then put them in the dining room.
"Second Master, try this sweet-scented osmanthus duck and this squirrel fish. These are both famous dishes of our old Jinling."
Jin Cai knew that Jia Lian was about to leave, so although Jia Lian did not give special instructions, he still specially arranged several famous Jinling dishes for Jia Lian to enjoy.
Jia Lian each took a bite, nodded, then put down his chopsticks, looked at Jin Cai who was serving carefully beside him and said, "How long has it been since Butler Jin saw a mandarin duck?"
How could Jin Cai not care about his precious daughter? He also knew that he was able to secure his position as the general manager thanks to his daughter's strength in front of Jia Mu. Therefore, when he heard Jia Lian's words, he immediately showed a nostalgic look: "The last time I saw her, I
, it was still when I returned to Beijing three years ago... I dare to ask the second master, I wonder how she is doing now, is she still serving the old lady attentively, and has she ever made the old lady unhappy..."
Jia Lian: "Don't worry about these housekeepers. Yuanyang serves the old lady very well. Among all the maids in the family, she is the one who loves the old lady the most. Even the master and the wife have a lot to rely on. But housekeeper Jin has given birth."
A good daughter."
"How dare you, how dare you, the second master is so complimentary. It is her blessing to be able to serve the old lady..."
Jin Cai was modest while smiling from ear to ear.
Jia Lian did not expose him and continued: "If you miss your daughter, you might as well write a letter home and I will help you take it back to her."
Jin Cai didn't expect Jia Lian to say this. A letter was a trivial matter. As his master, Jia Lian was willing to bring them a letter. This was a great favor, so he immediately knelt down and thanked her.
Jia Lian asked him to get up.
Yuanyang is naturally a rare and good girl, and now looking at her parents, they are pretty good.
Although he made a mistake, he took good care of the old house and did not let anyone else rent it.
Jia Lian was naturally happy to give them grace.
After letting Jin Cai wait for the manservant to go down, not long after, Jin Cai's wife also came over with Xiang Ling.
As soon as Xiangling appeared in the dining room, Jia Lian was immediately attracted to her.
It's just that Xiangling has changed a lot from before. Not only did she put on the new clothes he bought for her before, but she also combed her hair again. Apparently after taking a bath, the housekeeper
The daughters-in-law arranged it for her.
As a result, now she has completely lost the aura of a wild girl, and her whole person does indeed show some similarities with Daiyu. And because she is several years older than Daiyu, her figure is naturally better than that of Daiyu.
Quite a bit, her beauty that makes her look like the moon is really impeccable.
She was still a little afraid of strangers. When she saw Jia Lian, she subconsciously wanted to go towards him, but when she saw a table of sumptuous dishes, she did not dare to approach.
Seeing Jia Lian's reaction, Jin Cai's daughter-in-law became more and more certain that Xiang Ling's future was boundless, so she helped her forward and said with a smile: "Second Master, look, this girl looks like a different person after dressing us up."
! With this appearance, it’s probably not an exaggeration to say that she is a wealthy lady from a wealthy family.”
Jia Lian laughed. Originally, Xiang Ling was a real lady, but she was in trouble because of the servant's negligence.
Wave to Xiangling and ask her to sit down and eat.
Xiangling looked at the table, then at the maids around her, and shook her head.
Jia Lian tried to persuade her again and again, but Xiang Ling still refused to serve.
Jin Cai's wife sighed: "Second Master, please don't embarrass her. This girl is so pitiful. She was kidnapped when she was so young. She has suffered so much and suffered so many crimes over the years. Where has she seen her before?"
In such a scene, although the second master loves her, he insists on doing this, but he is only afraid of scaring her.
Why don't you let me take her down for dinner?"
Jia Lian was still thinking about whether what Jin Cai's wife said was right, but when he saw Xiang Ling suddenly take two steps away, he knelt down and kowtowed to him, crying and begging: "Please don't drive me away, I want to be a cow or a horse for the rest of my life."
Serve the second master, please don’t drive me away..."
After hearing what she said, Jia Lian finally understood.
It turned out that she thought she was sending her away.
Thinking about it, although she is introverted and unwilling to speak, she understands it very well in her heart.
In such a home, only the master is qualified to eat at the master's table. If she wants to stay with Jia Lian all the time, she can only be a maid or a slave. Obviously, it is impossible for a maid or a slave to eat at the same table with the master.
, so she refused.
Jia Lian was also a little hesitant. Although he also wanted Xiang Ling to follow him all the time, to follow him, he must have a reputation.
Considering Xiangling's current situation, it would probably not be a good thing for her to take her as a concubine. She could not resist the pressure, especially Wang Xifeng.
If she was only allowed to be a maid, Jia Lian felt that she had been wronged and could not bear it.
As for sending her home...
If the Zhen family is still around, it's not impossible, just do a good deed and reunite the Xiangling family.
But he knew that the Zhen family had been destroyed a long time ago. Xiangling's father, Zhen Shiyin, had also become a Taoist priest. He didn't know if his old mother was still alive. If she was alive, perhaps only Jia Yucun knew where she was.
This is not difficult. You can find out after going back to Jia Yucun and asking about it. But Jia Lian feels that even if Xiang Ling's mother is still alive, she is a weak woman and it is difficult for her to shoulder the responsibility of raising Xiang Ling alone. So Jia Lian
More importantly, I also want to find out where Xiang Ling's mother is and take her over to reunite with Xiang Ling.
In other words, whether it is for his own selfish reasons or to be good to Xiang Ling, it is best for her to stay by his side and be protected by him.
It's just a matter of title... Otherwise, why don't we just accept her as a foster sister?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Jia Lian's hesitation made Xiang Ling feel more and more that Jia Lian wanted to send her away. She didn't know where Jia Lian was sending her away, and she didn't dare to think about it. She was just afraid.
She cried even more sadly and kept begging.
Jin Cai's wife became sad and advised: "Second Master, why don't you just agree to her? It's so pitiful."
In the eyes of Jin Cai's daughter-in-law, it would be easy for a girl like this who was abducted and left her hometown to remember her parents in her hometown, but she had asked her before and Xiang Ling basically couldn't remember them.
In this case, the only way to find a good home is to take him in.
Jia Lian was just stunned when he saw that Xiang Ling was already crying. Then he bent down to help her up and said: "Are you really willing to follow me all the time, even if you are just a maid?"
Xiangling kept nodding her head and said: "As long as the second master doesn't dislike you, I am willing to serve the second master for the rest of my life."
At Xiangling's age, she actually knows everything there is to know. She also knows that the kidnapper is also planning to sell her to a wealthy family. During this time, she has already begun to inquire about people. As long as the price is right, she will
Sold her.
Whether she is a maid or a concubine... she is probably a concubine. Xiang Ling heard the kidnapper say when he scolded her that with her appearance, she would not lose money if she was a concubine for others, and she might be able to sell well.
A few hundred taels of silver!
Many people will never make this kind of money in their lifetime.
This is the reason why those kidnappers abduct and sell young girls. As long as they abduct a good-looking person and feed them for seven or eight years, they are sure to make a profit without losing money.
Although Xiangling didn't think Jia Lian would sell her out, she was unfamiliar and scared of the outside world, so she just wanted to stay by Jia Lian's side.
Jia Lian laughed, hugged her and sat on the stool, and then said: "Even if you want to be a maid, it will happen after tomorrow. Today's meal is specially prepared for you. If you don't eat it, wouldn't it be wrong?"
Did you fail me?"
Seeing that Xiang Ling was a little dazed, Jin Cai's daughter-in-law came forward to arrange the dishes and chopsticks for her, and said with a smile: "Girl is still stupid, the second master has promised you. Since you are the girl in our family, you have to listen to the second master's words. His name is
You eat, just eat, don’t be afraid.”
Jincai's wife had already seen it. With Xiangling's appearance, she would definitely be a concubine in the future. If she had another son and a half, her status would be even different. This girl seemed very innocent at first glance. If we make friends better now, she might have a concubine in the future.
The benefits are not certain either.
Hearing Jin Cai's wife say the same thing, Xiang Ling finally sat down peacefully, but she didn't move her chopsticks.
Jincai's wife took the initiative to prepare food for her.
Jia Lian saw it and ordered: "Okay, just leave two people here to serve. Everyone else can go down."
Therefore, Jin Cai's wife left only two people to wait in the hall, and left with the others.
Jia Lian saw Xiang Ling holding chopsticks as if she didn't know how to eat, so she took the initiative to pick up a small piece of fish and put it to Xiang Ling's mouth, asking her to open her mouth.
Xiangling was a little uneasy, but under Jia Lian's gaze, she could only open her thin lips obediently and take the fish meat that Jia Lian handed her.
Jia Lian brought another dish for her to taste, and then said: "If you feel at ease, I will keep feeding you, just don't do anything."
Xiangling thought Jia Lian was blaming her and was about to go down immediately. Fortunately, Jia Lian held her down in advance and sighed helplessly: "Silly girl, I'm letting you eat by yourself. Otherwise, we might end up eating this meal."
It’ll be morning tomorrow.”
Xiangling's cheeks turned red. She finally mustered up the courage to pick up the bowl in front of her. She glanced at Jia Lian secretly and saw his encouraging expression. Then she lowered her head and picked up the duck meat that Jin Cai's wife had given her.
took a bite.
The oil overflowed and the strong smell of meat made her frown unknowingly.
Jia Lian then laughed with satisfaction.
…
It took half an hour to finish the meal. Jia Lian led Xiang Ling off the table and asked the maid next to her: "Where is the room arranged for her by Jin Cai's family?"
"Reporting to the second master, in the second master's room, Aunt Jin asked us to tidy up the small cubicle next to it, saying that it would be convenient for her to serve the second master."
When Jia Lian first moved in, the people below arranged for two young daughters-in-law to serve him.
Although it was not stated explicitly, Jia Lian also knew what it meant.
But under Ping'er's gaze, Jia Lian was someone who had a crush on Wang Xifeng. How could he take these servants' wives in his eyes? Naturally, he drove them out without mercy.
Therefore, there was no one serving in his room. Jin Cai's daughter-in-law's arrangement was within his expectation.
Asking others to take Xiang Ling back first, Jia Lian went to the outer courtyard and practiced boxing with Zhang Yong for another hour before returning.
This old house is much more convenient than the Lin Mansion. Not only can you practice long-distance running, but it also has a dedicated martial arts field.
It can be seen that the martial arts style in the old house is stronger than that of the Guogong Mansion built by the royal family in Beijing. It is not known whether the emperor at that time deliberately did not build a martial arts field, or the Jia family at that time no longer needed it...
After taking a bath, I walked back to the house. At this time, the housekeepers and wives had packed up the beds and left, leaving Xiangling alone in the house.
Xiangling had already learned a lot of rules entrusted to her by housekeepers and wives, so when she saw Jia Lian coming in, she quickly poured Jia Lian a cup of tea.
Jia Lian took a sip and saw that Xiang Ling was still a little fresh, so he pulled her to sit on the edge of the tea table and said softly: "From now on, you can follow me with peace of mind. You can tell me anything you want."
, as long as I am here, no one will dare to bully you.
Also, talk more usually, I like to listen to you."
Xiangling nodded shyly.
Jia Lian said again: "By the way, let me give you another name. From now on you will be called Xiangling, the fragrance of flowers, the water chestnut of lotus leaves and water chestnuts. What do you think?"
Xiangling's previous name, Yinglian, was homophonic to Yinglian, which Jia Lian felt was not very good. However, the word "Xiangling" chosen by Baochai was both elegant and nice-sounding.
Xiangling was about to bow down immediately and said, "Thank you, Second Master, for giving me the name. From now on, I will be called Xiangling."
Jia Lian held her up with one hand and said, "Don't kneel to me every now and then. I'm not a landowner or a rich man. Why do you, a little girl, kneel to me?"
Xiangling said this and smiled sheepishly.
Jia Lian drank tea again and stood up, "It's getting late, you should go back to sleep."
Xiangling blushed and said, "I~I'm here to help the second master sleep..."
Jia Lian looked at her appearance, smiled, picked her up, and when she was obviously nervous but silent, he carried her to the small bed outside, put her on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and finally put her on the bed.
She bounced her head and said with a smile: "Whenever you truly learn to serve others, come and give me a good night's sleep. For now, just sleep on your own."
After saying that, he turned around, blew out the candle on the cabinet, and walked back to the inner room.
What he said about sleeping in peace was clearly an attempt to induce him to commit a crime, and he would not be fooled.