Yue Zhongyao stayed at Liu's house for less than a stick of incense before he came out.
He and Liu Mu sat in silence, looking at each other.
One has something in his heart, and the other is not good at words.
Yue Zhongyao thought for a long time and organized his words for a long time, but before he could speak out, Liu Mu's words: Mei Niang is living outside now.
It made his heart move, and he swallowed back his unfinished words.
He stopped the car in time.
Maybe it's him who can get through the iron shoes without any effort at all.
He got Mei Niang's address, walked out of the Liu family gate and turned around to look there.
Don't rush along the way, just think about things slowly.
It was not that he was unaware of Mei Niang's change. She used to guard the yamen door every day, waiting for him with a food box. She said that the yamen's general food was not good, and she cooked it carefully in her own small stove, and she had to watch him finish eating before leaving.
How long has it been since I saw her at the Yamen Gate?
He didn't even remember it himself.
When did the yamen at the door stop teasing him?
On the contrary, every time they whispered, they pursed their lips and stopped talking when they saw him coming. There were also many people who cast sympathetic looks at him.
He didn't understand it before, but now he vaguely understands it.
When we arrived at this exquisite little courtyard, we felt as clear as a cloud.
He also worked as a policeman in Qingchuan County for a year. He didn't know which street or alley?
This is the private residence of Zheng Yuan, the youngest son of Da Laoyuan, the county magistrate. Ordinary people don't know it, but they can't hide it from him, who works as a policeman in the Yamen.
I heard a long-time colleague in the Yamen say in a vague way that this private residence has had several mistresses.
I don’t know which one Mei Niang is.
Although he was not familiar with Zheng Yuan and Yue Zhongyao, he often saw him. He also knew very well the situation in the home of the magistrate.
This Zheng Yuan is the youngest son of Zheng Zhixian and the legitimate youngest son of Mrs. Zheng. He has been holding it in his hands since childhood.
The eldest son of Zheng Zhixian married a capable wife, got the support of his in-laws, and now became a county magistrate elsewhere. The younger son only passed the boyhood and failed to pass the exam, so Zheng Zhixian thought of donating an official position to his younger son.
However, he did not have much windfall at hand, so he found a daughter from a wealthy family for Zheng Yuan. When they got married, they brought a dowry covering several streets.
Zheng Zhixian relied on his daughter-in-law to find officials and make money abroad. Therefore, Zheng Zhixian and his wife did not dare to stuff people into the nursery.
However, this Zheng Yuan is also a romantic and talented person, facing the same woman at home every day, even bird's nests and shark's fins are boring.
Zheng Yuan's wife came from a merchant family and married into an official family, which was regarded as a high-ranking one. So as long as Zheng Yuan didn't drag him home, she didn't care. So Zheng Yuan built a house outside to house the woman he liked.
Yue Zhongyao didn't know when the two of them fell in love.
He only knew that when he came here, he saw this alley that he had visited several times. His body felt light and heavy, and he couldn't tell what emotions he was feeling.
Yue Zhongyao didn't know whether to knock on the door or not.
It's hard for a foreigner like him to get in, right?
After wandering for a while, I saw a little girl opening the courtyard door, carrying a basket and stepping out with one foot.
"Who are you?" The little girl paused and asked, half of her body inside the door.
"Oh, I am...yes..." Yue Zhongyao felt embarrassed for a while.
The little girl stood on her head with her eyebrows: "Who are you? What are you doing walking back and forth in front of other people's houses?"
Yue Zhongyao's face turned red and he didn't know how to report it.
After thinking for a while, he said anxiously: "This house, is there a lady named Liu living in this house?"
The little girl looked him up and down suspiciously.
"Are you a relative of my wife or a friend of my master?"
Yue Zhongyao breathed a sigh of relief, looked at her and said: "Your wife's surname is Liu. Your father's surname is Zheng, right? I know them all. Please report it to me. Just say my surname is Yue, your wife's maiden name."
The address given by my mother."
After hearing what he said, the little girl looked him up and down and saw that he didn't look like a bad person, so she put the basket on her arm and turned around to push the door open with her other hand.
"Wait!"
After saying that, he ducked back in and the courtyard door was tightly closed.
Yue Zhongyao waited outside for a while before hearing the sound of footsteps.
"My wife wants you to come in." It was the same little girl just now.
Yue Zhongyao thanked him, thought for a moment, and stepped in.
The yard is neither big nor small, and visually it looks like it has three entrances. The scenery is pretty good. Along the way, you can see screen walls, corridors, rockeries and boulders, surrounded by green trees and flowers. Living here is both pleasing to the eye and the eyes.
It can't be compared with the small courtyards where the poor people live together.
Liu Meiniang stood at the door of the flower hall, waiting for him.
Standing tall and graceful, with towering hairpins and shining gems. She wears a long goose-yellow skirt with gold flowers scattered all over the place. She has a slender willow waist that can’t be grasped. She has bright eyes and bright wrists. She stands on the steps and smiles at Yue Zhongyao.
Yue Zhongyao was stunned and couldn't recognize it for a moment.
There is no trace of the past.
"Mei, Mei Niang?"
Liu Meiniang burst into laughter. She stared at Yue Zhongyao and said with a smile, "Brother Yue can't recognize Meiniang anymore? It's been a long time since we last met."
Yue Zhongyao was slightly embarrassed.
Without moving, he asked: "But is it convenient?"
Liu Meiniang smiled and nodded: "It's convenient. There are maids and women in the courtyard, and there are also a few maids close to you. Besides, he also knows about you."
Yue Zhongyao looked at her blankly: "He, he also knows?"
Liu Meiniang nodded and said: "Come in and sit down. Do you want to stand there the whole time?"
Yue Zhongyao then followed her into the flower hall.
The maids were well-trained, and after a while they served hot tea and tea fruit snacks, and then left quietly.
Only the two girls Liu Meiniang brought with her stood quietly behind her with their lips pursed.
Liu Meiniang followed Yue Zhongyao's gaze, looked sideways, and said with a smile: "It's all arranged by the young master. There are four girls who serve me closely and are extremely dedicated."
Yue Zhongyao nodded. He didn't know what to say for a while, so he only brought tea to eat.
"Have you met my mother?" Liu Meiniang looked at the man opposite, sighed, and asked.
Yue Zhongyao put down his tea cup and nodded.
The two of them talked a few words about Liu's mother, Liu's mother.
"In a few days, my mother and brother will also move out. The young master said that the people living there are too mixed, and it is not convenient for my brother to study. When he finds a house in a few days, he will let them move there."
Yue Zhongyao nodded.
After a moment, he said hesitantly: "Zheng Zhixian said that he could no longer serve only this term and would transfer to another place. When the time comes..."
Liu Meiniang smiled and said: "He must have been promoted. Isn't that great? The young master said that as long as I serve him well, he will always let me stay by his side in the future."
After a pause, he then said: "The one in the mansion doesn't dare to make trouble outside. As long as I don't enter the mansion, that's fine. The young master only has one daughter now. If in the future... it doesn't matter if he is a boy or a girl, it will be fine if he has a child by his side. Come in or not
It doesn’t matter if we have a house or a house. The young master will always need us to eat and drink. Although the young master is not good at studying, he is still affectionate and righteous..."
Yue Zhongyao didn't know what to say after hearing this.
He wanted to say that this was not the path that a serious woman should take, and she was ashamed of the teachings of her parents. He was also ashamed of the entrustment of her father.
But……
The woman in front of me seemed very satisfied with everything in front of her.
It's only been a while now, but she's already acting like a female family member of an official family.
Liu Meiniang looked at his troubled face and said: "Brother Yue, don't worry. I am living a very good life now. This period is the most comfortable I have lived in the past ten years. I have been with my mother since I was a child and worked for a wealthy family.
Doing work, washing oars, embroidering... I also did a lot of work in the kitchen, chopping wood and lighting the fire... just to get a few copper coins. I suffered a lot of contempt from others. In order to get a job, my mother had to find connections and provide money.
People are nodding and bowing, and even after getting a few dollars, they are reluctant to eat or drink, just to save up to buy a knife of paper for my brother..."
He glanced at Yue Zhongyao and said: "I know you feel uncomfortable when my father entrusts us to you. But my father loves us. He knows that you have a family, so he definitely doesn't want you to divorce your wife and marry me. You don't want it either.
I blame my mother, she has been in poor health in the past two years, and everything she did before was just for my brother and me, hoping that we would have someone to rely on in the future."
He added: "For a family like ours, if we have no relatives or friends in Qingchuan County, no one will help me. Even good people will look down on me. Brother Yue is the best candidate. It's just..."
Yue Zhongyao listened quietly and saw her stop and look at her steadily.
Liu Meiniang smiled and said: "I have seen Brother Yue's struggle this year. My sister-in-law is a good person, she is better looking than me, has a good temper, and is literate. After waiting for Brother Yue for four years,
In the year, I raised my daughter for Brother Yue. I thought that way before, thinking about replacing her... but I thought wrong. I shouldn't be so selfish."
"My mother, my brother, and I have been dependent on each other these years. My brother is the last hope of my parents. Not only does he need money to spend on his education, but when he studies in the future, he also needs to have connections to help him move around. Otherwise, just rely on
We and he are not much better than they are now."
Liu Meiniang looked at Yue Zhongyao steadily and said: "So Master Zheng is more suitable than Brother Yue."
Yue Zhongyao opened his mouth, but he really didn't know what to say.
After a long time, he said: "But you are like this... you can't live outside all the time in the future. Even if you have children in the future, aren't you afraid... aren't you afraid that the children will blame you?"
Liu Meiniang's eyes were firm: "I'm not afraid. Everyone has their own way to go. If he is reincarnated into me, he must be prepared to be criticized and scolded by others. If my brother is successful in the future, maybe our mothers will be too.
It will be easier. I don’t fight or rob, I just want to have a comfortable life with no worries about food and clothing, and I don’t block other people’s way.”
Yue Zhongyao didn't know what to say when he heard that Liu Meiniang had made up her mind and had everything planned.
He wanted to end it, but he never thought it would end like this.
He thought that he would help his benefactor take care of their family, let Liu Youcai study, and let the two of them have food and clothing. In the future, Liu Meiniang would marry a good family, have a husband and children, and have a smooth life.
But not like this now.
Be a shady outer room for the officials. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
