Many of the servants of the Sheng Mansion were bought from the local area. Those servants who were reluctant to leave their hometown and relatives were released by the Sheng Mansion and given some severance money. Everyone praised the people of Shanda for their kindness and love for the people. Sheng Hong chose a suitable place to travel. On the auspicious day of the zodiac, he set out early in the morning with his whole family. Dozens of people from the Sheng Mansion plus the luggage and gifts were enough to load seven or eight boats. Sheng Hong was worried that it would be too ostentatious, so he sent a trusted steward to escort some of the luggage. The boat goes north first so that we can prepare the house in advance.
Yao Yiyi lived with the Wang family on the right side of the ship. The maids and women around her had a few new faces. She was too lazy to remember them. She still ate and slept every day. She couldn't eat much but overslept. Except for the first one. In addition to feeling seasick for a few days, the little girl Sheng Rulan who was with her was very interested in watching the scenery on the water. While watching, she jumped up and down to talk to her sixth sister who could not speak and had a stupid disease.
Little Rulan probably hasn't been out much. Even if a big bird flies up, she will be excited for a long time, waving her fat fingers and making a fuss all the way. When Mrs. Wang couldn't stand it, she would scold her. Little Rulan I was depressed and didn't dare to lie on the porthole all the time. I just wanted to talk to Yao Yiyi. Every time she chattered for a long time, Yao Yiyi would give a feeble hum or nod.
"Mom, I see the sixth sister is really stupid, she can't even speak." Six-year-old Xiao Rulan expressed dissatisfaction with her new partner.
"Fourth sister, don't talk nonsense. Minglan is sick. I listened to her yesterday. She is more than a year younger than you, and she just lost Aunt Wei. You are not allowed to bully her." Sheng Changbai was sitting by the window reading a book, with clear eyebrows and a tall and straight body.
"Yesterday she only said four words - 'I want convenience'. Big sister, you heard it too." Xiao Rulan pulled Yao Yiyi's braid, and Yao Yiyi leaned motionless on the soft couch, as if she was asleep again. Already.
"Okay, Rulan." The thirteen-and-a-half-year-old Miss Sheng Hualan was in her prime, as delicate and beautiful as a white orchid that had just taken off an arrow. She was sitting next to the soft table, looking at the embroidery patterns, " There's no need to make any noise. I heard you making noises along the way. There are no rules at all. If you make noise again, I'll go back to your father and ask him to punish you for copying books. Let's see if you still have time to care about others and play by yourself. Go on your own."
Xiao Rulan pouted, as if she was a little afraid of her eldest sister, and reluctantly jumped off Yao Yiyi's soft couch, went to the side to turn over the flower rope with the maid, and when she walked behind Sheng Hualan, she made a face at her.
Not long after, the maid next to Hua Lan came in. Hua Lan put down her tricks and asked, "How's it going?"
The maid pursed her lips and smiled, and replied: "As the lady expected, there is a lot of excitement on the other side. Because we are on the boat, there will be no commotion. I am wiping away tears at the moment. I wanted to ask a few more questions, but I was Aunt Liu kicked her out."
Hua Lan smiled and felt happy. Chang Bai put down the book and frowned: "You went to inquire again. Father has already ordered not to ask too many questions. Why don't you listen? You act like a young lady when you inquire all the time."
Hua Lan rolled her eyes at her younger brother and said, "Why are you blabbering? You don't have to worry about my affairs. I'll just read your book." Then he whispered to himself: "...She really annoyed my father, but she really annoyed her. Why exactly? I have to ask my mother tonight... I deserve it!"
Yao Yiyi squinted her eyes and pretended to sleep. As the only person present who knew about the situation, she felt that the scenery inside the ship was much more exciting than the scenery outside the ship these days. Just ten days after sailing, Sheng Hong sent two or three people to the dock where the ship was docked for supplies. Managers, please note that their surname is Lin.
They were originally down-and-out relatives who came to Aunt Lin. In the past few years, they had become Aunt Lin's right-hand men. They were in charge of the shops outside and took care of the purchasing errands inside. They were all impressive in front of and behind them. This time Sheng Hong wanted to Of course, they refused to ask for help. When they came to Aunt Lin to beg, Aunt Lin was shocked. She was cautious and knew that something was wrong, so she immediately went to Sheng Hong to plead for mercy. But this time, no matter what she said, Sheng Hong had a cold face and refused to go. To deal with her, it happened that she was on the boat, where the master and the servants were talking to each other, and she couldn't find the skills to play the piano, play the flute, and shed tears, so she could only watch helplessly as her arm was cut off.
Wang's heart was filled with joy, but she didn't dare to show it on her face. She had to keep her face tight and didn't dare to show her joy in public. It was extremely hard to hold on. She was in a happy mood and acted generously. When Yao Yiyi became more and more She was so kind that she provided food and clothing for her own daughter. As soon as the boat docked, she asked a doctor to check Yao Yiyi's pulse to see if she was really stupid. Unfortunately, Yao Yiyi refused to cooperate and still looked sick. He looked like he couldn't eat more than a few mouthfuls of food and fell asleep all day long.
Sheng Hong often came to see Yao Yiyi, and every time he saw her, he became more worried. Every time he held his daughter and weighed the weight, his brows furrowed more tightly, and he urged the boatman to go quickly, hoping to reach Dengzhou as soon as possible and settle down. I need to give my daughter a good look after I get down.
In early summer, the south wind was strong, and the boat trip from south to north went very smoothly. When they arrived in the Beijing-Tianjin area, Sheng Hong and several staff got off the boat by themselves, and walked overland to the capital's official department to go through the promotion procedures, and also thanked the emperor for his kindness and thanked him. A group of fellow division commanders and the rest of the family members headed north to Shandong, led by the eldest son.
After Sheng Hong left, Aunt Lin became more honest. She didn't even show her face at all, and she only raised her children in her cabin. The servants, women, boatmen and other ships on the ship passed by, and you could often hear Aunt Lin reading loudly in the cabin. Everyone praised Shengfu for being the heirloom of poetry and calligraphy. As expected, the family education was closely related. The Wang family became angry again and forced Changbai to read out some books for others to listen to. Brother Changbai was a man of few words and steady, and his mother listened. Such a request made the pretty girl's face suddenly turn into a big eggplant.
Yao Yiyi said, Eggplant can't even read.
Yao Yiyi was so sleepy that she had no idea how long it had been. Anyway, when little girl Rulan got tired of riding on the boat, brother Changbai finished reading three volumes of books, and Miss Hualan finished embroidering four handkerchiefs, everyone finally stopped the boat and docked. There was already a steward and a group of servants waiting to pick people up at the dock. The disgraced people on the shore and the dizzy people on the boat had nothing to say, so they directly transferred to a car, and then it was bumpy and bumpy for several days. Fortunately, Dengzhou is also a place close to water. When Old Mrs. Sheng was about to lose her breath, everyone finally arrived.
Yao Yiyi is from the south. She doesn’t get seasick very much, but she got very sick in the carriage. She vomited yellow water for several days and almost even vomited out bile. This time she didn’t pretend to be asleep, but fainted directly under a powerful force. I was carried into the house in the arms of my mother-in-law. I had no idea what the new home in Dengzhou was like. When I regained my breath, I was already on the kang bed. Every time I opened my eyes, I could see a doctor there. The person next to him was shaking his head. The first time was an uncle who was about forty years old. The second time was an old man with gray hair. The third time was an old man with white beard and hair. According to the law of traditional Chinese medicine, the age of a doctor is directly proportional to his medical skill. This doctor should be Getting better and better each time.
Three doctors were invited in a row, and they all said that the condition of the young girl in Sheng Mansion was worrying. It was not that the medicine was not good, but that the problem lay with Yao Yiyi. She had no will to live at all. Seeing that the little girl was only skinny and skinny, Wang's heart began to She was anxious and uneasy. Recently, her relationship with Sheng Hong had eased. Sheng Minglan was brought to her by Sheng Hong to raise. If Sheng Hong came back and saw that her little daughter had died of illness, then the Wang family would be in trouble instead of taking the credit.
When Sheng Hong came back and saw his daughter in such a weak state, he became even more angry with Aunt Lin. She dealt with official duties during the day, and sent people to the house after leaving the government office. When the Sheng family came to Dengzhou for the first time, they would not buy or sell people outside. Knowing the inside story, he just thought it was a new official taking office, and there were many changes in the servants in the palace. Sheng Hong was angry, and avoided seeing Aunt Lin, and dismissed several capable maids and wives in her room for two days in a row. , either demoted, expelled or sold, and still rested in Wang's room night after night. Wang was almost happy. She scooped out the ginseng for Yao Yiyi to nourish her body. Each ginseng was bigger than the other, and one branch was as big as a radish. Yao Yiyi was heartbroken when she only saw the ginseng.
The spring is bright here, but the wind and rain are miserable over there. Aunt Lin wanted to see Sheng Hong several times, but was blocked by the servants. However, she was not an ordinary person after all. After dinner that day, Sheng Hong and Wang were discussing Sheng Minglan. Due to his illness, all the children returned to their own rooms. Only Yao Yiyi was still lying drowsily on the kang bed by the window. The couple sat next to each other on the kang table, and as they talked, the topic turned to buying property in Dengzhou. There was a sudden commotion outside, and the maids shouted to stop her. Wang was about to send the Liu Kun family next to her to take a look. Suddenly, there was a gust of wind, and the thin curtain of lake blue soft silk was opened. Someone came in, who could it be if it wasn't Aunt Lin?
I saw that she was completely unadorned, her hair was tied up in a bun, and she didn't even wear any jewelry. She didn't put any makeup on her face. She was naturally charming and graceful, and her dark blue plain clothes reflected her frosty skin even more. Sai Xue, with a pair of crescent-shaped dark eyebrows that seemed to be frowning, and a round waist, she seemed to have lost a lot of weight today, and she looked very pitiful.
There were sounds of maids and women pushing and slapping each other from outside. It was evident that Aunt Lin had brought an army of women to break through the barrier. Sheng Hong turned his head away from her, and Mrs. Wang slapped the bed table angrily: "You look like a ghost. Look, who is showing this, telling you to stay in the room, why are you barging in? Everyone in the room knows that you are so noisy that you are as shameless as others! Get her out of here!"
As he said this, several maids came to push people away.
"Don't touch me!"
Aunt Lin struggled to break away, and immediately knelt down towards Sheng Hong. Her voice was like an iron tool hitting an anvil, and her face was determined: "Master, Madam, I have made a determined decision today. If you don't let me speak, I will hit you to death." It’s better to be here than to suffer piecemeal!”
Sheng Hong shouted coldly: "You don't have to seek life and death. Just because I treat you well, you imitate that woman from the market and make a show of crying, making trouble, and hanging for everyone to see!"
Aunt Lin burst into tears and said sadly: "These days, I feel like I've been boiling oil. I have something to say, but the master avoids me and refuses to see me. I have died in my heart several times, but the master , you are the official of the people's parents. Even if you want to deal with a thief, you have to allow others to argue. What's more, after all, I have served the master for these years and have raised a couple of children. Now, even if you want me to die, you have to do it. He’s called a sensible ghost!”
When Sheng Hong thought of Aunt Wei's death, he became angry and smashed a tea bowl on the ground: "You did a good thing yourself!"
Aunt Lin burst into tears and choked with sobs: "...Hong Lang!" Her voice was sad.
Mrs. Wang was so angry that she jumped down from the kang and shouted at the maid and daughter-in-law: "Are you brave? The dead person is here, why don't you drag her out!"
Aunt Lin raised her head and said, "My wife doesn't allow me to speak. Is it because I'm afraid of what I'll say?!"
"What are you talking about? Why don't you talk nonsense here! I have nothing to be afraid of."
"If you are not afraid, just spit on your words today and speak clearly. Master, you will be able to distinguish between right and wrong."
Wang's chest was bulging with anger, and Aunt Lin was weeping. The room was silent for a while. Is Sheng Hong an official?
, knowing that it was better to explain everything clearly today, he asked the maid to find the steward Laifu. The Liu Kun family was very attentive and called all the maids and wives in the house out of the house. After a while, Laifu came in, and Sheng Hong gave instructions in a low voice. Afterwards, Laifu took the order and brought in a few rough servants and women, and separated all the servants and women outside the main courtyard.
There were only five people left in the room: Sheng Hong, Mrs. Wang, Aunt Lin, and Bing Laifu from Liu Kun's family. Oh, and classmate Yao Yiyi was sleeping on the couch. It is estimated that everyone had forgotten about her at this moment. Yao Yiyi once again She swore to the mudslide that she didn't want to stay here to listen to the three trials, but... it was best for her to remain in a coma.
Aunt Lin gently wiped her tears and said sadly: "I don't know what I did wrong these days. The master ignored me and didn't say anything. He also attacked the people around me one after another. First, the two clan members who came to me. , then there are the two maids next to me, and the day before yesterday, even the wet nurse who has served me since childhood was kicked out! I don’t dare to say anything about the master’s work, but I have to tell the truth! "
Sheng Hong said coldly: "Okay! I will tell you everything today. Let me ask you, how did Aunt Wei die?"
Aunt Lin didn't seem surprised, but instead smiled: "Ever since Sister Wei passed away, I knew that this day would come. When I was in Quanzhou that day, the girls and women in the house were talking vaguely, saying that it was I killed Aunt Wei. I thought it was just the gossip of a few ignorant servants, and because the master was about to be promoted, I did not dare to bother the master with trivial matters, so I endured it secretly, always thinking that those who are clean will be free of themselves. The rumors will dissipate after a while, but I didn't expect... I didn't expect that the master would also doubt me!"
As he spoke, his tears rolled down his cheeks and he couldn't stop crying.
Sheng Hong said angrily: "Am I still wronging you? On the day Aunt Wei gave birth, why didn't you go and ask for Mother Wen? Why didn't she even have anyone to help her in the hospital? Why were there so many women in the family who knew how to deliver babies? My wife and I both went to Wang's house that day, and you were the only one left at home. Is it you or who else?"
Aunt Lin wiped her cheeks with her jade-like fingers, and said sadly: "Master, do you still remember what my wife said when the third girl died a few years ago? She told me to take less care of my aunts' affairs and take care of them." I did it myself. After the master and his wife left home that day, I stayed in my courtyard peacefully. The master knew clearly that the two masters of the house had left, and the servants in the house did not want to take a rest and rest, so they lazily ran back There are so many women in the house, and not just the ones who can deliver babies?! I have only been here a few years, but those women have been in the family for decades, how can I help them?!"
Sheng Hong snorted and said nothing. Wang turned her head to look at Liu Kun's family, with a slightly anxious look in her eyes.
Aunt Lin continued: "Later, a servant came to report that Aunt Wei had a stomachache and was about to give birth. I quickly asked the maid to go to the disciples and asked them to call Po Wen, but who knew that Mrs. Wen and several disciples were there? After drinking and gambling, my girl begged my grandpa and grandma for a long time before they left slowly. It took several hours. I also asked the doormen afterwards, and they only said that the road was close and stable. My mother-in-law was not at home, so she ran several miles to the west of the city to find her, so she missed Aunt Wei's delivery. Master, madam, there is heaven above and earth below. Everything I said is true. If I deliberately wanted to harm Aunt Wei, I would I'll die if I'm struck by lightning! If you still don't believe me, go and ask the wife of that day when I went to call for the wife, and someone will hear you!"
As he spoke, he started to cry again.
Sheng Hong turned her head and took a deep look at Ms. Wang. Ms. Wang's heart skipped a beat and she went to see Liu Kun's house. She frowned at herself. You must know that most of the women who can deliver babies are her roommates, and She has always been in charge of the daughter-in-law and disciples of the second family. Even if Sheng Hong is not suspicious, she cannot escape the guilt of being a lax and indulgent servant.
"So, you are not guilty at all? You are so articulate!" Wang couldn't say more, it seemed that she knew the inside story very well.
Aunt Lin walked a few steps on her knees and climbed to the Kang. Her beautiful face was full of tears, as bright as the bright moon. She choked and said slowly: "If you say that I am not wrong at all, then it is not true; I am timid and afraid of getting into trouble. I don’t want to take it upon myself. If I had been by Sister Wei’s side in person and commanded the maids and daughter-in-law, maybe Sister Wei wouldn’t have been so young and frivolous... I was just afraid of my own responsibilities and afraid of being gossiped about. I It's wrong, but if you say that I have the intention to kill Sister Wei, I won't obey even if I go to the King of Hell! After all, I grew up studying, don't I know that human life is a matter of heaven and earth?"
Sheng Hong's heart moved and he sat silently.
Wang was extremely angry and was about to curse, but Liu Kun's eyes stopped her, so she had to endure it. Aunt Lin sobbed twice more, wailing sadly, and said in a trembling voice: "Master, Madam, I am a helpless person." A helpless person will depend on the master all his life. If the master abandons me, I might as well die now. I am also the daughter of a good family. If the old lady wants to choose a family for me, I am shameless. , I have to stay in the Sheng family, but I admire the master’s character. I accept being ridiculed by everyone and looked down upon by the servants. I am willing to do so... I also know that I have angered my sister and made her unhappy. , I understand that my sister blames me and hates me, and I don’t dare to defend myself... I just hope that my sister will forgive my infatuation with the master, treat me like a little kitten or puppy, and give me a place to shrink in the huge palace. Well, it’s okay for you to have a stutter. As long as I can see the master all the time, I will be scolded by thousands of people and spit on by thousands of people, but I will have no regrets! ... Madam, today in front of the manager of Laifu and Sister Liu, I will kowtow to you. Now, please take pity on me!"
As he said this, he kowtowed. There was a banging sound, which made Sheng Hong feel a pain in his heart. He quickly jumped off the kang and picked up Aunt Lin: "You're so good, what are you doing?"
Aunt Lin raised her head and looked at Sheng Hong with tears in her eyes, feeling tender and aggrieved. She stared for a while, but said nothing. She turned around and threw herself at Wang's legs. She cried and begged: "Please have mercy, Madam. You can beat me or punish me, but don't think of me as a treacherous person...If I'm ignorant, just ask me to reprimand me. I will listen to my wife in everything...I am sincere to the master..."
She cried hoarsely, her breath was hoarse, her eyes were red and swollen, and she fell exhausted onto Sheng Hong's lap on the other side. Sheng Hong couldn't bear it anymore, and was quite moved, so he gently helped her.
——So awesome!!!
Yao Yiyi finally couldn't help but open her eyes to see. Sheng Hong's face couldn't bear to be angry. Wang's face was green with anger, but her lips were white, but she couldn't say a word. Her whole body was shaking as if she was shaking. Laifu was dumbfounded. , the Liu Kun family sighed to themselves.
Ms. Lin's astonishing talent miraculously woke up classmate Yao Yiyi, who wanted to sleep to death. She asked herself, a young lady from an official family, although she has fallen into poverty, has been pampered for more than ten years, she has the courage to do this in front of the servants His face shows determination and infatuation. If he says to kneel down, he will kneel down. When he needs to beg for mercy, he will beg for mercy. When he cries, he cries. .
On a cool summer night, a professional mistress with excellent professional skills finally aroused Yao Yiyi's courage to survive.