Walking into the Red Mansion starts from the maid

Chapter 127 Si Qi’s letter

Could it be that a new thief has appeared?
Yunzhu gently placed the kettle filled with warm water in the space, and did not return directly to the dormitory, but stayed by the door for a while.I wanted to boil another pot of hot water for She Yue and the others, but I saw the woman guarding the courtyard gate going out from the corner door.

With a creak, the person went out, but the door was not tightly closed.

A lot of moonlight slipped in through the ajar door, shining brightly on the ground. Yunzhu looked at it for a long time, but she didn't see the mother-in-law coming back.

"What are you looking at?" Qixie entered the house carrying a teapot. Seeing Yunzhu dazed at the door, he hurriedly pulled her into the house with a smile, "Why is the corner door open? Who is out?"

"Oh, Mrs. Zhang, the gatekeeper, went out. There was some movement just now. I don't know who was walking around outside."

"It's so late, who can be outside? Well, you don't know, when Sister Yuanyang went to deliver the medicine to the second girl, the second girl was crying. Oops, there are so many broken skin on her forehead... I don't know if it will happen in the future. Leave a scar." It's okay to forget that my mother died early. She finally found a husband who was suitable in all aspects, but she actually had such an unsightly idea.

Qi Xie said that it was unlucky for Yingchun to bump into such unreasonable people. She couldn't help but sneered, "The second girl is making such a fuss now just for some gossip. And she...that background, her father is not like her father and mother." Damn it, who from a good family in this capital dares to ask for marriage?"

Women are weak!Even if Yingchun is the victim, she will still be excluded from the mate selection circle because she is not "respectable enough". And for such a young lady who has no family, half of her hopes in life depend on her husband and children, which is really despairing.

Tsk, this Qixie is really about to leave her job. She speaks unabashedly and lawlessly, and she dares to fire a cannon even more than Qingwen!

"It's considered a proper and proper quarrel. At least the old lady and the eldest man are going to push forward the marriage. It's better than jumping into the fire pit with your eyes closed." Yunzhu clicked his tongue.

If Sun Shaozu didn't publicize it in public and did not damage the Jia family's face, even if he really demoted Yingchun to nothing in private, he would be beaten out of his brains when he married, and there would be no room for reasoning.

Jia She would not challenge the Sun family over a concubine.

5000 taels.

Seeing that Yunzhu wholeheartedly thought that Yingchun's marriage was a good thing, Qixie couldn't help but be surprised when she thought of how she often worked hard to draw fancy calligraphy for Qingwen.

She tentatively asked, "But I'm afraid it will be difficult for the second girl to find such a good husband. Don't you think it's a pity?"

"What's the pity? In a house as big as ours, no matter how rich the owner is, he only sleeps on one bed. Today, if we can't see the future, we should at least live comfortably in the present."

"I can't blame Baoyu for mentioning you." Qi Xie covered her mouth and smiled lightly.

When promoting subordinates, in addition to whether they speak and act appropriately, what is more important is whether they are in line with the superior's wishes.Just talking about running errands, there are so many servants here who can handle errands well. Do they all have the opportunity to be used?
Yunzhu's bright-minded and bright-sighted nature is also suitable for Baoyu's eyes.

While they were talking, Baoyu came in. Yunzhu sneered twice and ran away quickly, "I, Sister Qi, you are busy. I'm going to see why Mrs. Zhang hasn't come back yet. What are you talking about with the door open?" "

Seeing her running away, Qixie shook her head helplessly. This girl seemed to be a little resistant to serving Baoyu. What would she think if she knew that the girl in front of Baoyu made twice as much money per month as she did now?
The yard has set a rule to close the doors at midnight every day, not only for unified management, but also for fear of someone being restless down there.

The buildings in the Grand View Garden are surrounded by mountains and rivers. Yihong Courtyard is a rare place to find tranquility amidst the bustle. A few steps from the corner door of the back room is a ditch, and further ahead is a lotus pond. There are many directions to take, and I don’t know what this old woman did when she was out for so long.

She has always kept herself to herself, and has never wandered into the garden at night for so long. If she hadn't known that this was a mansion, looking around, only the moonlight and a few sparse lights were left, and it would look no different from the wilderness.

More refined than wild land?
I heard that when the Grand View Garden was brightly lit all night, that is, on the day of Concubine Yuan's wedding, there were still candles on the main streets in front of Tanchun Housekeeper, but now they were only lit every ten or so, and they were dim and not as bright as the moonlight.

"Who!"

"Ouch!"

"Xiaoyun? Why did you come out?" Mrs. Zhang held a lantern and put it on Yunzhu's face. After looking at it with empty eyes, she was relieved when she saw that she was an acquaintance. She saw that she was rubbing her ankle, and there were still a few traces of traces on her old face. Shy.

"It's Aunt Zhang, you scared me! I saw that the corner door was open, so I thought something had happened. Are you okay?"

Mrs. Zhang helped Yunzhu up with a look on her face. Seeing that her face was not as domineering as others, she thought for a while and said nothing more. She was helped by an old man and a young man and started to walk to Yihongyuan.

"I'm asking you to worry too much. The old lady has little sleep and can't sleep at the slightest disturbance, so I had to come out and take a look..."

Yunzhu seemed to have accidentally supported Mrs. Zhang's sleeves, and with the help of her limping feet, she bounced around and brushed off the yellow paper in her sleeves. With an ouch, she knelt down on the ground. The spread skirt just covers the note paper.

"Aunt Zhang, my feet are so raw that I can't walk. Can you go back and see which sister is in the tea room? Can you come and pick me up?" She wrinkled her little face and forced a smile pitifully. Mrs. Zhang opened her eyes wide.

"Then... what should I do, girl? I have some Panax notoginseng plasters over there, why don't I bring them to you later? It's so late, can I carry you?"

The old woman spoke incoherently, and Yunzhu was even more convinced that there was something fishy about the writing.There are not many literate servants in the inner courtyard, and the doorkeeper like Mrs. Zhang is even more illiterate among the illiterate. Maybe she doesn't even recognize her own name, so how can she carry a piece of writing paper in her sleeve?
Now that we are sitting close to each other, we can smell the scent of ink coming from her sleeves. It is taboo to give or receive privately. If someone doesn't do it well, everyone will sit together.

"It doesn't matter, I know it in my heart. Maybe I don't need the plaster, it's just that I suddenly got sprained and I don't need the strength. Although it is right at the door, I am still far away from going back to the dormitory. How can I let you carry it?"

"Hey...Aunt Zhang, can you...leave me the lantern? It's dark here, I..." I wanted to read the words through the lantern, Yunzhu thought to himself.

Mrs. Zhang wiped her hands and said hurriedly, "Oh, it's okay. We old ladies are used to walking on dirt roads. Girl, wait for me for a while, ah."

Yunzhu praised the old woman's presbyopia in her heart. When she turned around, she couldn't wait to lift up her skirt and take out the letter.

Fortunately, it was not sealed with glue, otherwise it would have been difficult to operate. With the dim candlelight, as soon as Yunzhu opened it, a crimson vanilla purse fell to the ground. The contents of the letter were even more frightening to read.

Oh my God, Yunzhu was stunned and folded the letter back according to its original traces. He looked around and hid the letter under the grass behind him.

There was no name in the letter, nor did it say who it was to be sent to, but the deep meaning in the words clearly indicated that they had been communicating for a long time.

First, he said that his parents had noticed what you and I meant, and then said that before the girl left the court, they could not fulfill their wishes.

There are also people who meet each other and give each other perfume beads and sachets...

Could it be that I caught a glimpse of a pair of mandarin ducks?

"I was just about to say that the girls wanted to enjoy the moonlit night in the garden. I specifically asked not to light the lamps, but then I saw you running out. How are you now? Can you still move your feet?" The person who came was Qixie, she babbled, Seeing Yunzhu sitting on the ground, she felt even more resentful that iron could not become steel.Yunzhu rolled his eyes inwardly as he came up with a good excuse to cut costs.She leaned obediently on Qi Xie's shoulder and walked back in a skip and a jump. Passing by Granny Zhang, she suddenly realized, "We don't have the lantern, so I have to help you go and get it. Look at me." , it’s just causing trouble for you.”

Next to the lantern was a wallet with writing papers. If the recipient of the letter found out that he had lost it, he would be in a panic.

Fortunately, there is no right of privacy among the servants. The management method of everyone being prosperous and others suffering losses makes everyone have a weak sense of boundaries. Yunzhu condemns his behavior and feels happy at the same time.

"Sister Qi, tell me, what would the masters do if the girls and boys in the garden fell in love with each other?" Yunzhu could not ignore such a big sign, but she was afraid of self-defeating. If she let it go, Mrs. Zhang But what should she do if the people from Yihongyuan implicated her?
"Since it's a marriage, it's up to my mother and I to agree to the birth of a child. After that, it's a dowry that's honorable. Those who don't have a name can ask the lady in charge for instructions, and then they can go back to the banquet and it's considered a gift. It's done." Qi Xie was not interested in these things, but when Yunzhu asked, she still told her everything she knew.

If she hadn't been leaving, Qi Xie wouldn't have wanted to torture this salted fish like this and insisted on asking her to cope with it.

Recalling the sentence "But the girl hasn't left the palace yet, Yun Zhu made a vague guess in her heart and continued to ask, "What if it's the girl who serves the girl?"

"It depends on the girl's wishes. Generally, a girl will arrange the girl's whereabouts before and after she leaves the court. She will either accompany her to her husband's house or stay at her parents' house for errands. The girl also needs her approval for the marriage." Qixi finally didn't have to stay on duty at night. Now, It’s also called petty pestering, and it’s such a sensitive topic.

As she spoke, she was stunned, her beautiful and dignified face revealed a subtle look, and she asked Yunzhu warily, "Why are you asking these questions?"

Yunzhu was so frightened that she almost stepped on the threshold. Seeing Qixie glance at her, she hurriedly picked up her skirt and stood up straight, and said honestly, "I just wanted to ask."

Where the note goes is still a matter of uncertainty. Yunzhu thought for a while, and decided to observe it first and then see if he should tell Qixie, in case it was really just Mrs. Zhang who 'picked it up'.

"Okay, if you really need anything, just tell me. Even if you whisper, it will be fine." Qi Xie tapped the little girl in front of her, and finally said that she would be given a three-day holiday. She didn't have to stay in the room to take good care of herself. What to say to her?

"Thank you, Sister Qi. You're so kind!" If her feet weren't still numb, Yunzhu would have loved to pounce on her and kiss her twice. She was tired in spring, autumn, and summer. People with long bodies hardly have time to wake up. Now they have a holiday. , she was as happy as anything.

Early the next morning, Yunzhu was sitting on the threshold, sipping brown sugar and egg water. When she saw Fang Guan passing by outside, their eyes met.

Yunzhu waved.

"Master! I heard that you sprained your ankle, are you feeling better?" Fangguan jumped into the room like a little magpie. She always had a smile on her face, which was very pleasant.

"It's okay, who did you listen to?"

"It's been spread all over the place. It's said that you went to the garden with others last night and missed the mark!"

who is it!Who is making this up!Yunzhu felt that there was a puff of anger in her ears. Is having a tryst with someone something to be proud of?Not to mention, who was she having a tryst with?Isn’t this throwing dirty water?

"who said it?!"

Seeing Yunzhu's serious look, Fang Guan was also startled. He suppressed the smile on his lips and timidly said, "Door, Mrs. Zhang on the door."

What a terrible old lady!
Yunzhu hissed and gasped, wishing he could confront the mother-in-law right now.But then I thought about it, if such a self-defeating rumor really spreads, I don't even need to confront it myself. The person involved, Qixie, can break the flames of ambiguity.

As he said this, he put his ear next to Fangguan's head and chirped and gave instructions, then handed over a purse and raised his eyebrows and said, "Here's the money for tea. Just go ahead and pay for it. If it's done, I'll treat you to a birthday banquet."

Now in June, this body will soon be nine years old again.

It's great to live another year.

"Don't worry, I understand!" Fangguan knew that the master was afraid that Mrs. Zhang would bring down her reputation, so he called her young apprentice to "strike first."

If Mrs. Zhang is allowed to spread such mindless rumors, I'm afraid someone will talk about it. Even if there is no trace of it, the blame may be turned on Master.Therefore, if you catch Mrs. Zhang's shortcomings first, you can tell her to shut up.

"Okay, I don't worry about what you do." Even though they are all teenagers, these real children are much more thoughtful than this fake child like me.

It is much easier to spend a little money and ask Fang Guan and the others to watch Mrs. Zhang's whereabouts than to do it yourself. As long as you know where she has gone and investigate one by one, you can always find the real owner.

The matter was half solved, and she felt much better.At noon, Mrs. Song from the kitchen specially gave her a bowl of chicken and tofu roasted with sheep blood. The fresh garlic leaves were mixed with the unique smell of sheep blood. Yunzhu ate it fresh and praised it several times.

In fact, her feet didn't hurt very much, but since Qixie gave her leave, she had to do enough to look good. Whose patient looks like a walking chicken?

After eating, I put the soles of my shoes under the window for a while, and drew two pictures of naked children holding arrows, preparing to give them to Qingwen the next time I go to see her.

After a lot of work, I had time to sit on the bed, count the silver for half a stick of incense, and then sleepily lie down with my clothes on to sleep.

What a fulfilling day.

The cool summer breeze blows, and the greenery outside the window is softly draped on the treetops, swaying with the scent of lotus, making people feel sleepy.

In the dream, there was an overwhelming amount of money, but no one could pick it up. Yunzhu pushed it in a hurry, which made her open her eyes slightly.

"Master, wake up quickly, something big happened!" Fangguan put his small hands on Yunzhu's shoulders, shaking them constantly, and even wanted to pinch her nose.

Yunzhu narrowed her eyes and had a nasal sound, and asked angrily, "You're back so soon?"

"It's over, it's over, it's over! I followed Mrs. Zhang out of the garden, and my wife bumped into me in the east courtyard!"

Then I bumped into him, and he didn't say that servants are not allowed to walk in the house during the day.

"That Granny Zhang went to deliver a letter to Sister Siqi, and the letter she delivered was from the boy in the outer courtyard! The wife took it away!"

Yunzhu got excited, turned over from the bed and sat on the footrest, exclaiming in surprise, "What!?"

(End of this chapter)