As expected, this house has not been inhabited for a long time. Although it has been kept clean, it still looks shabby due to its lack of popularity. However, from this shabby look, we can also see what it looked like when it was prosperous.
Why don't you live in such a nice house?
Qi Yue looked up at the quaint and grand house in front of her. There was a plaque hanging on it, but there was no word on it.
It's...so strange.
"Has Shou Mu Zhai been sorted out?" Mrs. Chen asked here.
The servant hurriedly replied that it was ready.
"Move Yueniang's things over there." Mrs. Chen said.
As soon as these words came out, the three people walking in front were stunned again and looked back at Chen.
Chen didn't pay attention, Qi Yue naturally followed the host's wishes.
"You go to Guizhi Guizhi and take a rest first," said Chen.
When family members meet, they naturally say something about themselves, and it is inconvenient for outsiders to be present.
Qi Yue nodded without any courtesy and followed the servant who led the way. There was a servant woman behind her carrying boxes and cages.
"Xue Niang, who is this person?" The man couldn't help but ask, looking in the direction where Qi Yue was going. A mansion was faintly visible over there.
"She is Qi Yueniang." Mrs. Chen said with a smile, and looked at the house over there, "She is the only one who can live in Shou Mu Zhai."
Who is Qi Yueniang? I haven't heard that there is a big family named Qi in Yongqing Mansion?
The three of them looked at each other, all confused.
Mrs. Chen said no more and walked away.
The three of them had no choice but to follow.
But they came out reluctantly soon after.
"Brother and sister-in-law, don't worry. I grew up here, how could I not get used to living there?" Ms. Chen said with a smile, "When I go home tomorrow, I won't go there today."
The man looked at her and sighed.
"Whatever you want," he said.
"You guys can't live in such a big house. These people have to stay." The woman said, pointing to the seven or eight servants, women and men who were following her.
Mrs. Chen nodded and did not refuse.
"Thank you, sister-in-law." She said with a smile, watching the three of them get into the car and leave.
The courtyard door was closed, and although the lights were turned on, the lights were quickly swallowed up by the huge courtyard.
After the three people's carriages and horses passed through a few streets, they entered a large house. The lights were bright in the night. The door was decorated with golden paint and animal faces and tin rings. The large lanterns reflected the four characters of Deqing Gongfu on the gate. In front of the door were all the people in brown clothes.
The porter stood neatly, listening to what a steward-looking man said. A few steps further was the corner door. At this time, people were coming in and out. When they saw the carriage coming, someone immediately opened the door and separated the road.
The carriage went straight in and walked for a long time before stopping in front of a screen wall.
Then a group of people came out cheering, their faces covered with jewels and jewels, and they hugged the three people through the hall and came to a courtyard with the word "Xining" hanging on it.
"Snow Lady is back?"
"Why don't you come back?"
"Then how can the old house be inhabited?"
"I told you that I shouldn't have let her buy it in the first place..."
People in the room were talking non-stop, and an old woman with white hair sitting in the front seat was obviously used to so much noise, and her expression remained calm.
"It's not like you don't know that this child has had a weird temper since he was a child," she said.
As soon as she spoke, the voices in the room disappeared.
"Mom, Xue Niang is so old, and you still call her child." The man whom Chen called third brother laughed.
"How old is Snow Lady?" the old woman asked with some confusion.
"Old madam, Snow Lady is the same age as the fourth master, and she will be forty-one after the twelfth lunar month." A chubby woman next to her smiled and held the old woman's shoulder and said.
The old woman was obviously surprised.
"You are over forty? How is that possible? Not long ago, you were reading to me in a clear voice in front of me," she said.
Everyone in the room laughed.
"Now that Xue Niang is here, I can still read to you in a clear voice." Everyone laughed.
The old woman did not laugh but began to cry.
"Xue Niang has never seen her father since she was born, yet you married her so far away. She is sick and will die. If you hide it from me, don't think I don't know," she said.
People in the room didn't dare to laugh. They knew that the old man's dementia had relapsed, so they hurriedly coaxed her, saying that they would see Snow Mother tomorrow, and the old woman was cured.
After talking for a while, everyone retreated, leaving only Mr. Chen.
"Why did she come back suddenly this time? She refused to come to Beijing despite repeated calls." the old woman asked.
"I saw her very happy and in good spirits." Chen Sanye said, "I just said she wanted to come back, nothing else."
The old woman sighed and said nothing.
"It's just that she brought someone back this time." Mr. Chen said again.
"Is it her child? It would be best to bring her back. This time our family will marry each other and we will be close to each other," the old woman said.
"No, it's not her child. She didn't tell anyone, it's a woman." Chen Sanye said, "Moreover, let the woman live in Shou Mu Zhai."
The old woman sat upright suddenly.
"Your fourth uncle's Shomu Zhai?" she asked in surprise, "Xue Niang wouldn't even let your father enter that house, so why..."
Yes, Mr. Chen also had a face full of confusion. Why did this woman let this woman live in the house that was guarded by his sister as if she were guarding her life?
Who is this woman?
Qi Yue didn't know that the house she lived in was a forbidden area in the eyes of the Chen family. To her, any house was the same, it was just a place to sleep.
This room is nice. Although the furnishings are a little dated, there is no decaying smell, which shows that it has been carefully cared for.
"Why is this plaque empty?" Qi Yue curiously pointed to the large green-bottomed plaque hanging in the middle of the room and asked.
Ah Ru, Ah Hao and several of Chen's maids were tidying up the bedrooms inside. Qi Yue didn't need to do these things as she wandered around the three clean rooms.
A servant girl who was smoking incense glanced at the words, but immediately lowered her head as if frightened.
"This slave doesn't know." She whispered.
She didn't know or just didn't want to say it, but Qi Yue understood the subtext. She walked away waving her hands and stopped asking.
Soon the bedroom was tidied up, Chen's servants and wives all retired, and Aru'a slept on the servant's bed in the outer room. Traveling long distances was always hard, especially in the ancient era of horse-drawn carriages. Qi Yue fell asleep and fell asleep.
.
A night of silence.
Qi Yue woke up to the quiet chirping of birds and felt refreshed. Outside, Aruahhao had already gotten up, and when she heard the sound, she came in to help her get up.
Breakfast has been prepared here. It is in the dining room next to it. Qi Yue is walking and looking at the yard. Seeing her coming, the two girls hurriedly opened the silk and brocade bamboo curtains.
The layout of this house is similar to that of Dingxihou, but it is a little different. It is equally gorgeous and luxurious, but a little more elegant.
This may be the difference between the upstarts and everyone else.
"Did you sleep well?" Ms. Chen came in from outside.
"Very good." Qi Yue turned around and smiled.
"You're hungry, let's eat quickly." Mrs. Chen smiled and pulled her to sit down, while he also sat down beside her.
The table is full of meat and vegetable soup, cold snacks and candied fruits.
"These are the characteristics of the capital. Try them and see if you like them?" Chen said with a smile.
Qi Yue nodded and picked up two to eat.
"Yeah, it's delicious." She nodded in praise with bright eyes.
Mrs. Chen's smile grew even wider.
"Yes, you must like food." She looked at Qi Yue and said with full joy.
"Aunt, you can eat too." Qi Yue gave way.
Mrs. Chen nodded and ate slowly.
Without saying a word, he finished eating quickly. The table full of food seemed to be untouched, but Qi Yue tried his best to eat it. It can only be said that Mr. Chen prepared too much. Fortunately, Mr. Chen didn't do anything.
I didn't care, as long as she was happy, and I didn't urge her to eat the whole table.
"Is this house okay to live in?" Ms. Chen asked.
They had walked out of the dining room and returned to the main hall.
"Very good." Qi Yue smiled.
Chen looked around the room.
"This is my father's house," she said.
Qi Yue was startled.
Isn't that the most noble place in this house? Mrs. Chen actually let her live there?!
"Like you, I have never met my father." Chen continued.
Qi Yue was a little surprised.
Qi Yueniang has never seen her father. She doesn't know. Does this mean that Chen doesn't have a father?
"I am a posthumous child." Mrs. Chen turned to look at Qi Yue and smiled slightly, "My father passed away when my mother was pregnant with me."
"That's really a pity." Qi Yue said with some comfort.
"My mother said that she was already very old when she raised me. She originally didn't want to have any more children, but my father always wanted a daughter." Mrs. Chen looked at the room again, brushing the tables and chairs with her hands and walking slowly, "At that time, my father
He was already over forty years old. The imperial doctor checked his pulse and said it was a daughter. He was extremely happy..."
Qi Yue followed her. Chen is now in her forties, right? It is very sad to recall a father she has never met. At this time, listening is the best comfort.
"My mother said that at that time, my father would name me in the study every day, unlike my two brothers, who were all named by my grandfather." Mrs. Chen said, turning around and smiling at Qi Yue.
"Fathers always love their daughters very much." Qi Yue also smiled.
She also thought of her father. Although he had two daughters at home, his father was still full of love.
I don’t know if my father can bear the thought of his own death.
She lowered her head to hide her sadness.
Mrs. Chen didn't notice. She looked into the room again, as if looking for her father's breath here.
"Father has given me a name, and it's called Snow." She continued, laughing again as she spoke, "Everyone laughed at him, saying that he had thought about it for so long and came up with such a simple name."
Qi Yue raised her head and smiled.
"But I like it very much, Snow Lady, Chen Xue, it sounds so nice." Ms. Chen said with a smile.
Qi Yue nodded and said yes.
"After giving me a good name, my father went out," said Chen, "and then he never came back."
The topic suddenly turned to this, Qi Yue was a little stunned.
Mrs. Chen walked back to the central hall at this time, looked up at the plaque without words in the middle, and her expression had long lost any smile.
"Even the corpse has not come back. There are only tombs in the ancestral graves." She said one word at a time, staring at the plaque, "But my father must be very happy. He died well, unlike them..."
The words stopped abruptly.
"I'll go home in a while. You can rest here or go out to play as you like." She turned to look at Qi Yue and said with a smile.
The topic changed so quickly that Qi Yue couldn't keep up for a while.*** (To be continued)
