Going back thousands of years, the Great Xia Dynasty was covered under the vast sky.
In the summer of the sixth year of Baoyuan, Dingxihou Mansion.
It had been raining for a while in the morning. It was dinner time, and the servants and maids coming and going all held umbrellas. Their clothes and umbrellas of various colors were intertwined together, like colorful clouds. Among them were the words "you stepped on my shoes, you"
The laughter splashed onto my skirt, and the exquisite utensils could not conceal the aroma of the food. As we walked by, a little girl standing under the corner of the corridor sniffed and swallowed.
The little girl is fourteen or fifteen years old, wearing a green cloth shirt and trousers, which is the most common maid outfit in Dingxihou Mansion, but what is extraordinary is that she wears a red belt, which is a color only used by second-class girls in Dingxihou Mansion.
The green and red formed a sharp contrast, which was particularly eye-catching, but the people coming in and out didn't even look at her, as if they were air.
The little girl was holding a basket in one hand, rubbing her belly with the other, and looking longingly at the kitchen door. Gradually there were fewer and fewer people coming and going.
A short and fat woman stepped forward, followed closely by four or five women, all of whom were vying to hold an umbrella for her.
"I said you all should wake up. You are all old people for many years. Don't lose your identity. Do what you should do. Don't take what you shouldn't take. Keep your eyes open. Let me tell you...
"The woman said slowly and softly, with a bit of arrogance in her voice. At this point, she stopped.
As soon as she stopped, the women behind her immediately stopped and looked at her with flattering smiles.
"...If someone embarrasses me, don't blame me for not giving her face. It's not just one person who is being chased out. If the whole family cries with me and has no way to survive, I can't help it." The woman smiled half-smilingly.
He said, raising his hand slightly to point at these people, revealing two red gold bracelets on his fat and white wrists.
"Ms. Dong, your instructions are in vain. We are all old, how can we do anything unreasonable." A horse-faced woman said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, if we still need Madam Dong to teach us, then our lives will be in vain. It's better to leave here as soon as possible." Everyone agreed one after another.
This is the lady in charge of the kitchen in the Dingxi Marquis Mansion, Madam Dong.
The little girl bit her lower lip, rushed out from the corner of the corridor, and stood in front of the group of people in the rain.
Madam Dong was smiling with satisfaction, and was about to make a few jokes, when someone suddenly stood in front of her. Because she was running so fast, a splash of water splashed, leaving a mark on her pine-colored horse-faced skirt.
"Oh, you're seeking death." The women next to them shouted. Out of the corner of their eyes, they glanced at the Tsing Yi visitor, and they immediately raised their hands and slapped him.
These women were stout, and the little girl staggered when she was hit on the shoulder, and the basket in her hand fell to the ground.
"Hey, this isn't..." Madam Dong looked carefully at the person standing in front of her, especially the red waistband, and couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
The woman who started to hit the man saw it now, and couldn't help but be shocked. She was a third-class rough lady, and this second-class maid in the upper room could not be offended, so her legs bent due to inertia.
"Yes, that's good." Mrs. Dong said, her voice was long and thin.
Hearing the name Ah Hao, the woman with bent legs stood up straight again, breathed a sigh of relief, and glared at the maid as if she was frightened.
Ah Hao stood in the rain and soon got wet from the rain. His hair stuck to his head and face, making him look even more embarrassed.
"Mrs. Dong, I belong to our young lady..." she said tremblingly.
"What's wrong, young lady? Do you have anything to give me?" Madam Dong asked, looking at her with a smile and a kind attitude.
"Young madam, I would like to ask, maybe the rules for this month have been set aside?" Ah Hao said, raising his head and taking a look at Mrs. Dong. She didn't know whether she was frightened or was wet by the rain, but her face was pale and blue.
Madam Dong's face turned cold.
"What? Have you forgotten the rules of Qiutongyuan again?" she said in a nonchalant manner.
Originally hearing the little girl's complaint, and then seeing Mrs. Dong's cold face, the ladies were a little scared. They were thinking about how to beg for mercy and admit their mistake, but when they heard such a question, they suddenly laughed again.
"You really deserve a slap," a woman raised her hand and gently pretended to slap herself in the face, and said angrily, "I forgot!"
When she said this, she looked at the little girl, bowed slightly and saluted.
"Hit me, girl. I heard that the third lady was infected with the cold, so I panicked and hurriedly bought the light meals, fruits and vegetables that were ordered. I am old and useless, and I can't stand things. I remembered this and forgot that.
..." she said with a smile.
How dare the little girl hit her?
"Mom is joking, of course the third lady's illness is important..." She bit her lower lip and whispered.
Madam Dong's face showed a smile, but then it turned cold again.
"I'm so stupid, the girl is soaked in the rain," she said.
As soon as these words were spoken, the women around seemed to see that the person in front of them had been soaked by the rain, and they hurriedly stepped forward to hold her umbrella.
"Why did the sky come out..."
"It doesn't matter who you are, just tell me..."
"The girl even came here in person..."
Everyone said one after another, full of heartache and concern.
"No matter how busy you are, don't delay the work that you should do. If there is a next time, don't blame me for being merciless." Mrs. Dong shook her head and smiled at these women.
The mothers-in-law swore that they would never do it.
"Then I'll leave first." Madam Dong said, looking at Ah Hao again, "Ah Hao, if you need anything, just come and tell me."
Ah Hao shook his head and nodded his thanks.
After Mrs. Dong left, the women in the yard chatted and laughed, starting from the young lady praising the deliciousness of the dish and rewarding her with some money, to talking about which girl's shoes the concierge Si Bao was wearing, until Ah Hao followed them.
After entering the house, one of them seemed to have just seen her.
"Why hasn't the girl left yet?" she asked.
Ah Hao looked down at his empty basket.
"Oh, we have people deliver the things in person. It's raining and the road is difficult. Where can we let the girl carry it?" The woman smiled and told the other women, "Sisters, listen.
Are you there? Please prepare your things quickly and send them to the young lady."
The room was filled with laughter and mixed responses.
"I..." Ah Hao hesitated for a moment and wanted to say something, but was pushed and pulled out of the door by the woman.
The courtyard door slammed shut and the rain started to fall harder and harder. Ah Hao stamped his feet and put the basket on his head and ran quickly along the path.
After passing through one door after another and crossing a narrow road, you can see this small courtyard standing in the rain and fog from a distance, with a few flowers and trees scattered around, and nothing else, making it look particularly lonely.
A red umbrella floated over from there.
"Ah Ru." Ah Hao shouted when he saw it and quickened his pace.
Under the red umbrella here is a girl about her age. She is wearing a simple white coat, a cyan armor and a gray sarong. This simple dress gives her a layer of
Duan, who was of similar age, quickened her pace when she saw the girl coming in the rain.
"Why didn't I hold an umbrella when I went out? I ran back in the rain and borrowed one wherever I could..." She finally covered the running people with her umbrella. She looked at the soaked girl with a look of distress and anxiety on her face.
He took out the handkerchief and wiped her face.
"I run fast, so I'm not afraid." Ah Hao said with a smile.
It was just an umbrella. The child was afraid that he would not be able to use it. Aru felt very sad.
"Go back and change it quickly." She stretched out her hand to pull Ah Hao, but when she saw Ah Hao's empty basket, her expression paused, "Why, there's still nothing..."
"Sister, they said they would send someone to send it right away." Ah Hao said hurriedly, feeling a little ashamed and self-blame for not handling the matter well.
Aru sighed.
I'm afraid it will have to wait until two or three days later...
"Sister, why are you out? Madam, she..." Ah Hao asked hurriedly.
"Young lady is asleep. I don't trust you. Come out and have a look." Aru said.
The two of them were talking and walked to the courtyard. The courtyard wall was a bit mottled, and there was a plaque with peeling paint on it, which read the three characters Qiutong Yuan. With a creak, the two women opened the door and went in.
After changing clothes in the room, Aru made another bowl of ginger soup and brought it over.
"Sister, we don't have much ginger left. Let's keep it for the young lady." Ah Hao declined.
"Drink, the young lady's health is as good as this bowl of ginger soup." Aru sighed and said, "The most important thing is that we all need to be well, otherwise, who else can the young lady rely on..."
When she said this, tears couldn't help but fall.
Ah Hao stopped talking, took the ginger soup and drank it in big gulps.
"Sister, don't worry, we will all be fine. When the prince comes back and tells him that the young lady has taken good care of herself, he will definitely take us out," she said with a smile.
Aru looked at her, the smile on his lips was very bitter.
"I hope so." She said softly.
There was silence in the room for a while.
"I'm going to boil some water. The young lady will wake up soon so she can wash herself." Aru stood up and said, breaking the dullness in the room.
Ah Hao nodded and pulled his hair in front of the bronze mirror on the low old table. As soon as he tied the last hair tie, he heard a scream from outside, followed by the sound of a copper basin falling to the ground.
The sound was sharp and harsh, cutting through the eardrums and making people tremble.
Ah Hao trembled and rushed out, only to see Ah Ru sitting on the threshold of the main room, trembling all over and screaming one after another.
"Sister, what's wrong?" She hurriedly ran over, stretched out her hand to support Aru, and subconsciously looked up.
The shrill screams cut through the rain and fog.
"Young Madam, Young Madam." Ah Hao cried and crawled into the house.
Following her line of sight, you can see a pair of feet hanging in the air, wearing shoes embroidered with lotus flowers. Looking up, you can see a white gauze skirt, a snow-green embroidered robe with a coiled collar, and then a plain white dress.
face, tongue faintly sticking out.
"Put it down quickly." Aru, who had recovered from the scream, rushed over, hugged the legs and lifted them up.
Ah Hao cried and came to help, and finally lowered the man hanging from the beam.
"I'm not... I'm... angry..." Aru tremblingly put his hand towards the woman's breath, and his face suddenly turned pale.
"Young madam..." Ah Hao burst into tears and threw himself on the woman lying on the ground, "Why are you so confused!"
The woman on the ground was motionless. If it weren't for her livid face due to suffocation, she would undoubtedly have fallen asleep.
"Quick, go tell the Marquis and his wife." Aru, who was a few years older, got up and ran out.
The door was slammed with a clanking sound, and Ahao's crying suddenly stopped. She covered her mouth with her hands. The door opened and the wind blew raindrops in non-stop. Apart from the sound of the rain, there was no other sound.
The plain, snow-cave-like house looked increasingly cold and gloomy.
Ah Hao's breathing became more and more rapid, and she suddenly did not dare to look at the person lying on the ground. With another clang of the door, she let out a scream, turned around and rushed into the rain.
There was a sudden flash of lightning in mid-air, accompanied by rumbling thunder that almost tore the entire sky apart.
Ah Hao, who had just ran out of the yard, collapsed on the ground and fainted from fear.
At the same time, the person lying on the ground in the room moved his hands, and then his whole body twitched as if in a spasm. The hand hanging by his side suddenly lifted up and waved, as if to grab something.
A coughing sound came from her throat, and at the same time, a white box suddenly appeared above her, and it hit straight down, hitting the person on the ground accurately and hard in the abdomen.
"Oh my god." The person on the ground let out a cry of pain and sat up suddenly. (To be continued)
