in spring

Chapter 12 The Bright Road Towards Freedom

Since Chunying traveled for half a month, she has gained a certain understanding of her situation.

As a child of the family, you are a slave from birth. If you want to be free, you must have the permission of the master, and the ransom money is not enough. The master must be willing to let you go.In the Mansion of the Marquis of the Kingdom of Qing, there has always been a tradition of letting slaves out of the mansion with "graciousness". In this way, the free domestic slaves will not only not offend the original owner, but may also have the opportunity to take away their accumulated property.If the master is happy, maybe he doesn't even want the money.

Judging from the information obtained, the young master usually releases people when they get married, and the young lady also releases people when she gets married. Mother Lu also hinted that when the old lady passed away, she would also release people.The identities of these people are also very particular, close confidantes and big maids may not be released, and it is hard to say that young maids who are not valued are hard to say, but those who are second or third class are most likely to be released.And this is what the family wants now.

In order to obtain more accurate information, Chun Ying asked: "Mother, eldest sister, if you go to be the maid of the young lady, will you really be released in the future?"

"That's not necessarily the case." Lu's mother lifted her foot onto the kang, "There are only four or five out of ten people, so it is natural to rely on favors. Your sister has an old lady who makes decisions, so you don't have to worry about it at home. Your favors and money are yours. Take it out yourself, nine out of ten will succeed."

Chunying made up her mind, and asked again: "Then what will happen to us after we are released? If my sister and I go out, what about you, dad, and Xiaohu?"

Lu's mother laughed and said: "What kind of nonsense is this? You two are the only ones who are released. Of course, your father and I are still working in the mansion. As for your younger brother..." She thought for a while, and smiled bitterly, "I and I Your father has no ability, so we have to let him continue to suffer..."

Qiuyu hurriedly comforted her mother: "Where is it so far? I think my brother is clever, and he might have a great future in the future. If he can be assigned a job in charge, he will be considered a blessing."

Lu's mother thought about it, and she felt better, but Chunying's expression was a little unsightly.The fact that only she and Qiuyu were free, and the family was still slaves, was uncomfortable.So she bit the bullet and asked: "Is there no way for our family to be released? My sister and I are outside, how can we feel at ease?"

Qiuyu smiled and nodded her forehead: "I have a conscience to listen to you, but this matter cannot be forced. It is the master's grace for us to go out. Unless father and mother have decent errands, how can we get into the master?" eyes?"

Lu's mother said: "It is enough for you to have this heart. Your father and I have grown up in this mansion since we were born. What can we do when we go out? I only hope that you can marry into a good family, and no matter how bad you are, you can still be servants in the mansion." Find an honest and reliable person here, live a better life in the future, help your brother, and when your father and I are too old to be useful, give us some pension money, that's all."

Qiuyu's cheeks were slightly red: "What do you mean by this, mother? It's boring. Didn't you just cook? Be careful of burning."

Mother Lu just remembered, hurriedly got off the kang and walked towards the door, stopped halfway there, and turned to ask the eldest daughter: "There are rice cakes sent by others at home, I will cut a few pieces for you and fry a plate of shredded pork with vegetables." How? That's your favorite."

Qiuyu nodded: "That's all right, I need to put more salt. I eat tasteless things in it all day, and my mouth is sour."

Lu's mother responded and went out, Qiuyu stretched her waist, crossed her legs on the kang again, and seeing Chunying's expression changed, she asked, "What are you thinking?"

"It's nothing..." Chunying lowered her head, feeling very uncomfortable.She didn't expect that the "letting out" that her mother and eldest sister said was not true freedom, but that she was no longer a slave in terms of status, and it did not mean independence.When they are released, they have to marry. If they are lucky, they will marry commoners. If they are unlucky, they will still marry servants in the mansion. In the future, they will continue to be controlled by this rich mansion.This is too far from her original idea!
After thinking for a while, she asked Qiuyu: "Sister, you said just now that two young ladies will add people to their room in a few months. How old are those two young ladies?"

Qiuyu pinched her fingers and calculated: "Second Miss is less than one year older than you, and her birthday is in October. Third Miss is only eight years old this year, so she's still young." After a pause, she continued: "It's best Go to the second lady. She is about the same age as you. When she gets married, you will be the age to leave the house. If it is the third lady, I am afraid that you will be over the age before she goes out. She is not favored. People still don’t know if they will be assigned randomly.”

Chunying immediately made up her mind: if she really can't avoid the fate of entering the mansion as a servant, it doesn't mean that she will be a maid for the rest of her life. As long as she finds a good way out, she may still be free in a short time of.

She will be 11 years old in a few months this year. The second young lady is about the same age as her. She was about sixteen or seventeen when she got married. I can come out.At that time, she was still young, and her parents might not marry her off right away, so she would have time to make her own plans to make a fortune.

What if the waiter is the third young lady who is only eight years old... How many years will it take until she gets married...

Chunying immediately made a decision: "I also think that the second lady is the best place. I don't know how her temper is? Is it easy to get along with?"

Seeing that her younger sister was asking a serious question, Qiuyu was also very happy: "Even though the second young lady is a concubine, she shares the same mother as the second young master. She is quite respectable in the house, and the old lady loves her very much. She has a good temper. She is very talkative and kind to others, and the people who follow her have never been beaten, and in private discussions, they all say that she is easy to serve, as long as she does her part well, she will not make things difficult."

It sounds good... "What about the third lady?" Chunying asked.

"Miss San... Her biological mother, Aunt Rong, was originally a girl married by his wife. She was promoted by Lord Hou to be a concubine, but his wife has always been indifferent. Although Miss San has as much food and clothing as Miss Er, she is not considered as a concubine in front of the old lady. Being favored, her temperament is also a bit cowardly. Those who follow her will inevitably suffer some anger, but Aunt Rong is very picky..." Qiuyu thought for a while, and cautiously did not continue, "In short, it is best to be able to serve the second lady, otherwise I would rather go to the sewing room, although it cannot be released, it is still safe."

Chunying knew it well.

Now that she has transmigrated into this body, this family is really good to her. She has no reason to eat nothing. I am afraid that she really has to go to the house. This is not only to reduce the burden on the family, but also to consider future freedom.After all, whether it is to redeem oneself or to make a living, money is needed.

She decided to fight for the second lady's side, don't get ahead, don't rush to be the first, keep her position, be honest, get through the past few years, save the monthly money at the same time, leave when the time comes, and use the rest Money as start-up capital...

Although being a servant is uncomfortable, if the immediate boss has a good temper, she can treat it as a job for a few years and accumulate capital for future entrepreneurship!

After thinking about it, Chunying's mind became more settled, and she began to ask Qiuyu about the second lady, including her preferences, taboos, and the situation of the maids around her, etc., and asked the maid who is the lady. what to do.Although Qiuyu has been in the Hou's mansion for many years, after all, she is not someone close to the young lady, so how could she know so much?But she also knew that her sister was only asking for business reasons, so she could only patiently explain one by one, if she didn't know, she secretly wrote it down, and promised her sister to inquire after returning home.

However, Chunying still has a general understanding of the duties of a maid.The rough maids are responsible for cleaning the house, taking care of flowers, cats and dogs, delivering things, passing messages, etc., and sometimes doing needlework; second-class and above maids do fine work, and they take care of general clothes and utensils. They are also responsible for grooming and eating of the young masters and young ladies; as for the first-class maids, there are usually only one or two people around each young master. They are responsible for managing valuables and taking care of the daily life and study of the young masters and ladies together with the nuns and others. With words and deeds.

This kind of big maid is usually given by the elders, and will not be arranged until the little master grows up.They have a high status, and there are little girls as assistants on weekdays, and ordinary housekeepers dare not speak loudly to them.If it is a big maid next to the elders, the masters of the younger generation will also be respectful when they see it.

Qiuyu is only second class, and there is a little girl waiting on her when she returns home, which shows her status in the mansion.

Chunying felt that her waist and liver had become much straighter, as long as she could bear less anger after entering the mansion, she would be able to bear it in the past few years.Time-traveling women can bend and stretch!

At lunch, Lu's mother made several favorite dishes for her eldest daughter and kept feeding them to her.Qiuyu accepted one by one, holding back her tears quietly, smiling and persuading her mother to eat more.Chunying was feeding her younger brother, and was a little moved when she saw this.

After dinner, Qiuyu grabbed her mother and opened a bundle she had brought, revealing the clothes, shoes and socks inside: "Here is a waistcoat and a skirt that the old lady gave you, and a jacket I made myself." Son, let mother keep it for herself. The two pairs of shoes are for father. The craftsmanship is not comparable to mother's. It is also my heart. There is also a piece of material, which is also rewarded by the old lady. Mother also makes one for younger brothers and sisters. New clothes."

Lu's mother hurriedly said: "Since the old lady rewarded you, you can keep it for yourself, there are still some at home."

Qiuyu smiled: "I have quite a few of them. These are too heavy, so they are more suitable for mothers to wear. Just keep them." Then she took out a small silk bag from her sleeve: "This is my wife's favor. I have a pair of gold three things, and two pairs of silver three things. The gold ones are taken away, and the silver ones are kept for daily use." She took out a silver bracelet inlaid with agate from her small bag, and handed it to To Chunying: "Didn't you say you liked this last time? I got another one, take it."

Chunying was stunned: "This..." Although it was made of silver, but looking at the workmanship on it, she knew it would not be cheap.

But Qiuyu stuffed things over without saying a word: "I'm not at home, how filial are you to your parents and take care of your younger brother, and you will be one year older after the New Year, so don't mess around anymore!"

Chunying took the bracelet blankly, her nose suddenly felt a little sore.

Qiuyu hugged her younger brother, kissed her twice, took her mother's hand, and said, "It's getting late, I have to go back. Take care, mother. Dad is back, tell him that I will kowtow to him..." Mother Lu choked up : "Can't you wait a little longer?" Qiuyu smiled wryly and shook her head: "Sooner or later, I will go back, and it's not like I won't come back."

Mother Lu wrapped two newly made jackets for the eldest daughter, and stuffed some snacks with her. She gave her many instructions, but she was reluctant to let her go out.The little girl who came home with Qiuyu urged her outside the door, and she let go.

Chunying followed her mother to send her sister out of the courtyard, and Qiuyu bid them farewell again in a low voice before getting into the car reluctantly.

Looking at the car going away, Chun Ying suddenly felt a little empty in her heart.

(End of this chapter)