It had been snowing for several days, and the treetops and roofs were covered with a layer of frost. The light reflected from the gauze-papered window lattice was much brighter than usual, and there was a crystal clear glow in the house. .

Eleven Niang put down the half-read Chronicle of the Nine Regions of the Great Zhou Dynasty, opened the window and looked out.

The woods outside Luyun Tower are all covered with a thick layer of snow. Occasionally the wind blows, and the snow pom poms resting on the tops of the boxwood trees fall rustlingly, revealing the green leaves, which makes people look at them. Feeling refreshed.

It turns out that Yuyao where she is located is in the northwest of Hangzhou Prefecture. There is Dadi Mountain in the southwest and Jingshan Mountain in the northwest. There is Tiaoxi River in the south, originating from Tianmu Mountain in Qianxian County.

Too little information

She had been to Yuyao before, but that time it was a business trip. The client's wife took the children and hid back in her hometown in Yuyao. She found Yuyao and persuaded the client's wife to give up the custody of the children. As a lawyer, she received a fortune Seven-figure remuneration. This was the first pot of gold in her career.

Thinking of this, Eleven Niang couldn't help but sigh.

What's the use of thinking about this now?

In the three years since she came here, the farthest place she has ever been is the second door of Luofu's inner house to send Luofu's eldest wife, her aunt, Mrs. Xu, to Ci'an Temple to offer incense.

What does Yuyao look like now? How far away from Hangzhou is it? What does it have to do with her?

Even if you know all this and see it with your own eyes, what's the use?

This world is no longer that world

Eleven Niang let out a long sigh, as if she wanted to blow away all the previous things with this breath.

When Miss Eleven's maid Bin Ju came in with hot tea and shortcakes, she happened to see Eleven Niang's forehead pressed against the window lattice. You opened the window again. There is a north wind today. As she said that, she put the tea tray Put it on the small table aside and go up to help her. Today I am making shortbread with plum blossom filling. You can try it.

Three years ago, this body fell down and fell into a coma for three months, and then lay in bed for another half a year. Without the careful care of Bin Ju and another maid Dongqing, she would have passed through this body inexplicably. It's impossible to survive.

Eleven Niang couldn't bear to brush off her kindness, so she sat down at the table obediently, took the hot tea from her and took a sip.

Mellow black tea with a little bit of bee is her favorite.

Eleven Niang's eyes couldn't help but narrow slightly, showing a satisfied expression.

Bin Ju looked at it, raised the corners of her mouth, turned around and closed the window lattice.

Suddenly there was a banging sound upstairs. It sounded above the head, making people panic.

Bin Ju's face changed and she looked up at Chengchen. Just as she was about to say something, Eleven Niang said as if she were chanting a sutra: Bear with her, let her avoid her, be patient with her and ignore her. In a few years, just look at her.

A chuckle came from the door.

Eleven Niang and Bin Ju couldn't help but follow the sound, and saw a girl wearing a pink armor, carrying an azurite baggage, standing against the curtain.

Sister Dongqing Binju's eyes lit up, "You are back," she said, and she went up to help her carry her baggage.

Dongqing is from Yu County. Her sister got married and her eldest wife gave her five days' leave. Today is the fourth day. Unexpectedly, she came back before noon.

Why don't you stay at home for a while? Eleven Niang said with a smile, there are not many opportunities like this.

There is so much to stay. Dongqing and Ren Binju took over her burden: My brother married his sister-in-law, and in the past few years he has had a nephew. The family is already small. If I go back, I have to make room for the house. It is better not to go back.

In the past two years, Dongqing's family has relied on her as a maid to provide monthly subsidies and subsidies. Last summer, her brother wanted to buy the land next door and was short of money. Her sister-in-law even came to the house to ask for her help. Let's borrow some money.

What was it for this time? Binju had already poured a cup of tea for Dongqing.

At that time, Binju also lent five taels of silver to Dongqing, and Eleven Niang pawned two gold hairpins to collect ten taels of silver.

Dongqing didn't answer, but smiled and untied the baggage that Binju put on the round table: "My mother made some pairs of shoes for the lady and asked me to bring them back."

While they were talking, the thumping upstairs didn't stop, and now it became more urgent, making people uneasy.

The expressions of the three people downstairs remained the same, as if they were sitting in a garden with the gentle spring breeze.

This green flower handkerchief is for Bin Ju. This one is Jiang’s soybean, for Xin Ma.

This year I’m making soybeans again. Binju smiled when she heard this. It seems that your family has a good harvest this year. My lady also likes to eat them. You should bring more back.

Holly was a little embarrassed.

The family was very considerate. Even Xin’s mother, who was doing menial work in Miss Eleven’s house, brought something with her, but she didn’t even say a word about paying back the money.

Just when she didn't know how to explain it, Eleven Niang asked her with a smile: "Can I go to my mother to thank her?"

Dongqing said hurriedly: I went. I also met Xu’s mother and gave her two jars of soybeans.

Eleven Niang smiled and nodded. She took the shoes that Dongqing Niang had made for her and looked around: Dongqing, your mother’s craftsmanship is really good.

That goes without saying. Bin Ju laughed and said, Sister Dongqing just got the true inheritance.

For some reason, Eleven Niang remembered that when she was in college, school started after the Spring Festival. Each of them brought back specialties from their hometown for the sisters in the same dormitory to taste. She was the only one who always had the most expensive snacks that could be bought in the city in her bag.

The expression on her face was somewhat sad.

As Dongqing watched, she couldn't help but think of what she had been worried about.

Miss Eleven, there is a bit of uneasiness in her voice. Is it because of me?

Eleven Niang was startled, and it took her a moment to understand what she was talking about.

Dongqing was pretty, calm, and good at needlework. She was attracted by the eldest wife’s mother, Yao, and wanted to give her to her nephew as a wife. However, mother Yao’s nephew not only looked wretched,

She is still a prostitute and gambler. Not to mention Eleven Niang, even Dongqing doesn’t like her. Years ago, Yao’s mother came to mention it to Eleven Niang. Eleven Niang even agreed to it.

It was Holly's blessing that Yao's mother got married. As soon as Yao's mother left, she took the bandages for the eldest wife and went to the eldest lady's place. While beating her legs, she asked the eldest lady blankly: Yao

Mom said that his nephew was looking at girls all over the yard, so he fell in love with Dongqing. I was with Dongqing on x day, and I don’t know where his nephew saw Dongqing.

From then on, the eldest wife treated Yao's mother a little bit coldly, and the matter naturally fell into disgrace. But the eleventh mother and Yao's mother Liangzi also formed a friendship.

After a while, the eldest wife began to use Yao's mother again. Yao's mother straightened her waist and said: Look, in two years, I will have that little bitch lying under my nephew.

Let him ride

It is an unwritten rule of the wealthy families of the Zhou Dynasty that if a maid is not married to a mate when she reaches the age of twenty, she must be released, so as not to violate the harmony of nature.

Dongqing is eighteen years old this year

Eleven Niang's biological mother, Aunt Lu, couldn't help but advise her: Why do you have to have a relationship with Yao's mother over a maid? She is the eldest wife's companion, you don't know where your own future is, and you still offend others for a maid.

Thinking of these, Eleven Niang became a little irritable.

She did not regret standing up for Dongqing.

Living in a place full of women like the Luo Family Courtyard, if you are kind, you will be bullied by others. If you can't even protect your own maid, who will take you seriously? What's more, Dongqing has paid a lot for her.

She worries about her future

If the concubine is beautiful, her mother will not favor her, and her fate is entirely in the hands of the eldest wife.

If the eldest wife is just a housewife who can be fooled by saying a few nice words and is easy to talk, she comes from a prominent family in Qiantang. Her father worked for a long time and rose to the rank of minister of the Ministry of Rites. She followed her father in office since she was a child. She traveled all over the world and read and wrote like a man.

He was brought up like this. He married into the Luo family at the age of thirteen and took charge of the family at the age of fifteen. There were six aunts around the eldest man, except Aunt Ke, who was the eldest wife's personal maid. She gave birth to a son who was nine years younger than his eldest son.

The concubine, the other children, either died in infancy, or the daughter was a little uneasy every time she saw the eldest lady's face as quiet as a Bodhisattva.

The thought flashed through her mind, and Eleven Niang couldn't help but look up at Chengchen above her head with a strange expression.

Green Jun Tower has three rooms and two floors. Eleven Niangs live on the east side of the first floor, Twelve Niangs live on the west side, and Ten Niangs live upstairs.

Eleven Niang's biological mother, Aunt Lu, and Shiniang's biological mother, Aunt Yang, had been fighting for most of their lives. In the end, both aunts were taken care of by Twelfth Niang's biological mother, Aunt Lu. When Shi Niang remembered it, she asked the maid to knock on the floor with a big mallet, causing a lot of noise.

There was no peace between them.

The Eleventh Niang can keep her composure because she has a mature soul in her body after all. And the Twelfth Niang, who is only seven years old, can keep her composure just as well, so she can't help but be impressed.

Sister Dongqing, don’t worry. Seeing that Eleven Niang didn’t say a word, the joyful atmosphere in the room disappeared. Bin Ju smiled and comforted Dongqing, isn’t there still two years left? The lady is so smart, she will definitely be able to come up with something in these two years.

There's a way

Dongqing's expression darkened and she stopped talking.

Eleven Niang's heart moved as she looked at it, thinking of Dongqing's expression when she came back.

She looked a little serious and asked: Dongqing, did Mother Yao send someone to your house to propose marriage?

Holly lowered her eyelids.

The guess was confirmed silently, and Eleven Niang felt a fire rising in her heart.

She snorted coldly and was about to say something when the little maid Qiu Ju's voice, which was deliberately raised, came from outside: "Mother Yao, why are you here with such heavy snow? Hurry up, go inside and have a cup of hot tea."

cold.

Everyone in the room was stunned.

Bin Ju pulled Eleven Niang's sleeves with a pale face: What should I do?

Holly's usually gentle eyes also had a bit of sharpness.

Why are you panic? The Eleventh Mother stood up with a smile and commanded the two of them calmly: Dongqing, go and take out the big red robe that the eldest wife rewarded last time to entertain the guests. Bin Ju, go and welcome Mother Yao in.

Her calmness infected Holly and Binju.

The two of them made a promise and were about to go their separate ways. Yao's mother had already lifted the curtain and entered in person. She looked at the three people in the room with a smile: Miss Eleven, the eldest madam, please come over.
Chapter completed!