The difference between good wine and bad wine is the taste, and the headache index after waking up from a hangover.
The wine he drank with Lao Chang yesterday was treasured by him, and he was reluctant to experiment with mixing wine for Xiaozhu. When he woke up in the morning, he only had a slight headache.
Xiaohuan wet the towel and walked over to help him wipe his face.
Li Yi took the towel from her hand and said, "I'll do it myself."
He wiped his face, Xiaohuan took the towel from him, put it back in the basin, turned and walked out.
When he put on his clothes and got out of bed, he always felt that something was wrong.
He didn't feel this way today. Since he came back from Cangzhou, he always felt that something was different from before, but when he thought about it carefully, he couldn't remember anything.
He sat at the table, frowning, the feeling making him uncomfortable.
I got up late this morning, Ruyi and the others had already finished their breakfast, Xiaohuan brought in the hot food, put it on the table, and went out again.
Li Yi picked up the chopsticks and stretched them halfway, the expression on his face froze, he knew where the difference from before came from.
Quiet, so quiet.
In the past, when he got up, Xiaohuan would stand by the bed, hand him a towel, and while he was wiping his face, tell him about the new things that happened among the maids in the house.
When he was eating, Xiaohuan would sit beside him or across from him, hold his chin with one or both hands, and watch him eat in a daze.
When he was writing in the study, she stood aside and rubbed the ink, and when the ink was finished, she went around behind him, with her hands behind her back, and stood on tiptoe to see what he wrote, although she didn't know many words at all...
Not anymore.
She would still hand him a hot towel in the morning, but she wouldn't sit across from him while eating. When she was in the study, she would leave by herself after grinding the ink, for fear of disturbing herself.
Several times, Li Yi saw her sitting alone in the yard in a daze. Xiaohuan used to be in a daze, but rarely like this recently. She was in a daze for several hours.
Li Yi feels a little guilty. Since he arrived in Shuzhou three years ago, he has been tossed around in a chaotic place, Wuguo, and he rarely has idle time...
She likes to listen to herself telling stories the most. In her memory, how long ago was the last time she sat in the yard and told her a story while letting her pinch her shoulders
It's been so long that he can't remember.
No one can replace what Xiaohuan means to him, not Xiaocui, Xiaozhu, or even Ruyi and Ruyi.
In the days when he first came to this world, when he was the most hesitant and helpless, it was not Ruyi or Ruyi who was by his side all the time. I will hang around him, like to listen to his stories, like to eat his meals...
She is always twittering, seems to have endless words, since when did she become taciturn
Ruyi walked in from the outside, sat beside him, and said softly, "Mr.
Li Yi raised her head, she looked over, and asked, "Do you know what day tomorrow is?"
"March 21st."
March 21st is not his and Ruyi's wedding anniversary, nor is it Ruyi's birthday, nor is it Ruyi's birthday, March 21st... is Xiaohuan's birthday.
Li Yi had a look of remorse, if Ruyi hadn't reminded him, he would have even forgotten Xiaohuan's birthday.
Seeing the expression on his face, Ruyi knew that he had remembered, looked at him, and said softly: "After this birthday, Xiaohuan will be twenty years old."
Li Yi sighed lightly: "The little girl has grown up..."
"Xiaohuan is my concubine's housemaid. I know that my husband thought Xiaohuan was too young, but she will be twenty years old after today. If a housemaid is not a housemaid, she is just an ordinary maid. Dare to say it, but what do you think of her in your heart..." Ruyi looked at him, shook her head, and said, "Xiaohuan won't tell Xianggong about these things, and Xianggong himself won't think of them..."
Li Yi's eyes were a little lost. In his memory, the little maid will always be the one with double buns or buns dangling in front of his eyes.
He didn't realize at all that Li Duan was already four years old, and Yong Ning had grown into a big girl. In a few months, even by the standards of future generations, Shou Ning would be considered an adult...
The little maid, in fact, is no longer a little maid...
…
Xiaocui had just coaxed Li Mu to sleep, and walked back to the yard that belonged to her and Xiaozhu Xiaohuan. Xiaozhu was packing things in the room. Xiaohuan said: "Xiaohuan, we're leaving in a few days, why haven't you packed up—what are you doing here, eating melon seeds?"
"My uncle likes to eat, but he doesn't like to crack. I'll peel some for my uncle." Xiaohuan smiled back and said, "You guys clean up first, I have nothing to clean up, I can clean it up half an hour before I leave."
Xiao Cui looked at the bowl full of melon seeds in front of her and her scratched fingers, grabbed her hand, and said angrily, "Aren't you stupid? Why are you still peeling melon seeds when your hands are like this!"
Xiaohuan withdrew her hand, rolled her eyes, and said with a smile, "It's all right..."
"you!"
Although Xiaohuan is always so gentle and soft-spoken on weekdays, Xiaocui has never been stubborn to her when encountering things, so she went back to the room angrily, took a look outside, and said dissatisfiedly: "You said this girl, why did she die like this?" Mind!"
Xiaozhu came over, sighed, and said: "She's been stubborn for a day or two. Worrying about Xiaohuan is better than worrying about ourselves. Xiaohuan is much luckier than us..."
…
"Have you heard that the prince and princess are going out again..."
"I've heard, I've heard from sisters Xiaozhu and Xiaocui that they will be away for a long time this time. I really envy sisters Xiaozhu and Xiaocui, who are with the second and third wives. , take them with you wherever you go..."
"She is the housemaid of the second wife and the third wife, and she will serve the bed in the future, which is different from us..."
"That's not necessarily true. Look at Miss Xiaohuan. She is still the concubine's servant girl. She has been with the prince for a long time, and she hasn't been confiscated yet. Guess if the prince doesn't like her..."
"I think it's possible. Xiaohuan doesn't look like Miss Zhu and Miss Cui. She looks silly. How could the prince like it..."
"Shut up!"
…
There is Prince Jing’s Mansion in Kyoto, Prince Jing’s Mansion in Ruyi City, and Prince Jing’s Mansion in Shuzhou. When we left Kyoto, we left some servant girls to look after the house, took some away, and left some in Shuzhou, Ruyi City, and the mansion. There are only a few of the maids who were with him when they were in Kyoto, and the rest were newly recruited later.
At this moment, it was the servant girl named "Xiao Qing" who spoke harshly.
When she was in the capital, she worked in the palace. In Ruyi City, she was also the big maid of the mansion. She was considered a little housekeeper, and her status among the maids was only lower than that of Xiaohuan and the other three.
At this moment, her face was full of anger, and she looked at the two of the chatting servant girls, and said angrily: "How do you usually teach you? Are you able to say such things?"
Perhaps it was because Xiaoqing's usually pleasant image had become deeply rooted in the hearts of the people. A maid glanced at her mouth and said, "Miss Xiaoqing, we are right..."
"That's right, that Xiaohuan looks like a fool..." Another person also chimed in.
"You guys..." Xiaoqing raised her eyebrows and was about to reprimand, but suddenly she looked behind everyone and bowed, "My lord..."
Li Yi glanced indifferently at the two maidservants in the crowd, waved his hands, and said, "Pack up your things today, where did you come from, where do you go back..."
The faces of the two were pale, and they knelt down on the ground with a plop: "My lord..."
Li Yi waved his hand: "Let's go, before I change my mind..."
When the two heard this, their bodies trembled and they broke out in a cold sweat. They immediately got up and left in a hurry.
The faces of the other maids were also slightly pale. They knew that what the prince said did not change his mind, and he definitely did not mean to forgive them. The criticism behind the scenes was a big taboo for them as servants. Among those big clans, they wanted to sink ponds and fill wells...
No one expected that the lord, who usually has a pleasant face and never speaks harshly to anyone, would be so angry because they said two bad things about Miss Xiaohuan...
Li Yi glanced at the maids. Although his eyes were gentle, everyone shuddered when they thought of the two words he said plainly just now.
…
Jingping three years, March 21st.
This is a very ordinary day, Li Yi is sitting in the study, looking at a map of Qi.
Xiaohuan pushed the door open, put a small bag on the table, and said in a low voice, "Master, I peeled some melon seeds, the ones without skin, you should eat them earlier, they won't taste good after a long time..."
"Okay." Li Yi nodded.
"Master, remember to eat, I'll go down first." Xiaohuan smiled sweetly, turned around, with an imperceptible sense of loss on her face.
This trace of loss soon turned into a smile again, she sniffed, and walked out of the study.
She only took one step, and she couldn't take another step.
Because Li Yi grabbed her hand.