Duanmu Xinmiao stepped into the flower hall alone, but Duanmuqin had already arrived, holding a tea bowl and savoring the tea.
Seeing his niece coming, he put down his tea bowl, smiled gently, and said, "Xin Miao is here? Sit down quickly, there is no need to be polite."
Duanmuqin is middle-aged and somewhat stout, but his face is fair and his eyebrows are broad, so he can be described as having a dignified appearance. He seemed to be a very kind person, with kindness in his eyes. He looked at his niece Duanmu Xinmiao with a touch of care and compassion.
But these good intentions could not dispel Duanmu Xinmiao's boredom with her family. She sat down at the bottom of the bed without bowing as she was told. As soon as she sat down, she frowned and asked lightly: "Is there anything wrong with Fourth Uncle? If nothing is wrong, I’ll leave first, I’m very busy now.”
"I heard a few days ago that you were ruling the nobility here in Xiliang. At first, my uncle didn't believe it." Her attitude was indifferent, but Duanmiqin didn't take it seriously. He still smiled and said, "I remember that when you were a child, you loved being clean the most. Yes. One time, your uncle went to pay your respects to your grandmother, and he happened to see you making a fuss about eating lotus seed soup, so he fed you a few mouthfuls. As a result, a spoon accidentally fell on the ground, and when it fell, it got on your sleeve. Don't eat it immediately. You are making a fuss and asking the wet nurse to quickly bring you clothes to change... Because of this, your uncle has been asking you to complain for a long time. When he saw you several times in a row, you pouted at your uncle. Later, you were still your eldest sister. I gave my uncle an idea and asked him to buy you several candy figures to coax you."
There were memories and sighs in his eyes, "In the past, you couldn't tolerate even a little bit of dust on your clothes. I didn't expect that one day you would go to the market in person, not avoiding common people and untouchables, and treating everyone equally."
In the eyes of the disciples who grew up in rich clothes and fine food that are unimaginable to ordinary people, no matter how hard they work all day long, they are rural people and lowly people who have a lingering feeling. The dirt that won’t go away.
Therefore, Duanmuqin was surprised that Duanmu Xinmiao could lower his body like this.
Duanmu Xinmiao was not affected by the memories of the past, and still said indifferently: "I was too young at that time, and I don't even remember it." He then said lightly, "I treat common people and lowly people, why don't I treat them at home? Are you happy? I learned medical skills on my own. My eldest sister gave me the money to study medicine. It’s not my family’s money! It’s my business to treat whom I want to treat. Why should they not see it? If you think I have disgraced the Duanmu family, just banish me from the family tree. I can practice medicine in this world, and I guess I won’t die of hunger because of my master’s reputation!”
"You are still the same as before. Whenever your family says a word to you, you think they want to restrain you and they don't like you." Duanmuqin shook his head and said calmly, "Your grandfather and father didn't say you lost Duanmuqin." My face is just worried about your reputation, fearing that these things will delay your leaving the cabinet. "
Duanmu Xinmiao sneered and said, "What's the benefit of getting married? You go through the door tremblingly with the ten-mile red makeup given by your mother's family. You have to serve the aunt, you have to deal with the servants, and you have to please your husband! Maybe once you get married, you won't be married yet. On the full moon, the concubines and concubines came to add to the trouble! After decades of hard work, if you are so lucky and have no children, you will not only be ridiculed by the aunt and dissatisfied by your husband, but also all the concubines below will be born. Noble, show off your power! The life of a dignified mistress is worse than that of the ambassador in the old lady's yard! The son of a concubine relies on his father's favor and doesn't pay attention to his aunt... Say a few words to the elders, and you will be beaten and said that you are unkind and deliberately evil. Instead of marrying into such a family, it would be better to stay at home for the rest of your life with the reputation of serving your parents and get a memorial that will last forever!"
She looked at Duanmiqin coldly and said sharply, "Fourth uncle might as well tell the truth! Whose family did my grandfather and father make an agreement with? There is no legitimate daughter of high status under his knees, so he decided to take the initiative to me. Go up? Let me tell you, if you want to do that, I am not Liu Ruoyu!"
Duanmuqin was silent for a moment and said: "Sister-in-law, I have been very wronged in my life. Your father did a lot of wrong things at the beginning, but now that time has passed, he is very regretful now and has repeatedly hoped to make it up to you... "
"It was my stepmother who took me back to Duanmu's house." Duanmu Xinmiao reminded, "When I was ostracized by my brothers and sisters and couldn't stay at home anymore, so I had to live in another courtyard, my father didn't care about my life or death. If my stepmother hadn’t taken me back and protected me everywhere, I would still be living alone outside!”
Duanmuqin sighed: "It's not easy for your father either!"
"It's not easy for him, but it's easy for my mother?" Duanmu Xinmiao said disdainfully, "He has never shown sympathy for my mother, nor for my eldest sister. Why should I show sympathy for him?! If it wasn't for my mother's deathbed "Tell me, I've already..." She sneered, "If you didn't have any use for me, would you come and wait for me like this? After my mother's death, the person in the entire Duanmu family who cared about me the most was not my biological grandfather or my father. Uncles, aren't you my stepmother? If it were her who came here today, I would feel a little warmer. Since it is you, the fourth uncle, it is really ridiculous... When my mother was forced by her concubine because she was childless, you had Did you say something fair? When my mother passed away and I was bullied by my concubine brothers and sisters, did you pay any attention to me for being so kind and pretending to be a good person? nausea!"
She stood up immediately and said coldly, "No matter what your plans are, I advise you: if you don't want to die, it's better to restrain yourself! I am not my mother or eldest sister! My mother and eldest sister are gentle and virtuous." What has happened to them all their lives? Through them, I can see clearly - I can't believe a word about you people! If you are gentle and virtuous, you will just treat each other like a gang. Trampling like mud to death!"
After saying that, she didn’t say goodbye, just waved her hands and left!
Duanmiqin shouted in a deep voice: "Stop!"
Duanmu Xinmiao ignored it, walked to the door, then turned around and said mockingly: "Why are you showing off your authority, Fourth Uncle! This is Mingpei Hall, not Jinxiu Hall! The head of this place, my My step-brother and step-sister-in-law think that I am much more important than you. If we two fight, they will definitely help me in private. Do you believe it? It doesn’t matter if you don’t believe it. Anyway, you will be the one who suffers! "
"Weimiao brought you a message!" Duanmiqin said coldly with a calm face.
Duanmu Xinmiao's expression changed, and she took her foot back when she was about to cross the threshold. But after thinking for a moment, she sneered and said, "Are you still going to use eldest sister to coerce me? I recognize the head of the Shen family and his wife. As adoptive father and mother, we agreed to let them help take care of the eldest sister and Sui'er. My stepmother didn't say anything, but I told my adoptive mother clearly to guard you against me! What's more, the eldest sister is the princess' daughter-in-law. Queen Mother, if you want to embarrass her, you have to see if your eldest sister will go to the Lord to complain! Do you really think that our sisters will be able to be crushed and rounded by you in your palms for the rest of their lives?"
Duanmuqin let out a long sigh and said, "I'll say it again, my family has no intention of threatening you! Isn't Weimiao a member of the Duanmu family? Although the Duanmu family has been dormant these years, they have never been so dissatisfied as to play tricks on their own people. So majestic! Wei Miao did bring you a message, and she took the initiative to send someone to Duanmu’s house to tell me after knowing that I was coming to Xiliang!”
Afraid that her niece would not believe her and leave, Duanmiqin quickly said, "She hopes you will return to the imperial capital as soon as possible, so as not to delay your youth! Your stepmother also means the same thing, and you are already eighteen now!"
Duanmu Xinmiao frowned, then sneered: "Then who do you have candidates for? Come and tell me?"
Duanmiqin frowned and said: "Weimiao told your grandfather and father that she will decide on your marriage after discussing it with your stepmother and then asking you what you want. Your grandfather and father also promised not to interfere. You don't Go back to the imperial capital to discuss with your eldest sister and your stepmother, how can we decide on a candidate?"
"What kind of benefits did eldest sister promise you?" When Duanmu Xinmiao heard this, not only did she not breathe a sigh of relief, but her face became even darker, and she turned around and asked!
Duanmuqin, no matter how good-tempered he was, was laughed out loud: "What benefits can Weimiao offer to the family now? In your eyes, the Duanmu family is so miserable, treating their own daughter like a foreign enemy?! It seems that for hundreds of years, Are you the only one who is so hostile to the family's legitimate daughter?"
"For hundreds of years, as the first wife's legitimate daughter, she has been looked down upon by her biological father. I also want to know if I am the only one?" Duanmu Xinmiao immediately said tit for tat.
"..." Duanmiqin was silent for a long time before saying, "Your father really regrets it now."
"Because he never thought that my medical skills would be so good?" Duanmu Xinmiao said mockingly, "So he couldn't win over me while I was still young and ignorant?"
Although Duanmiqin is quite famous, he still feels headache and unable to deal with his niece who has such deep prejudice against the family. He paused for a moment and sighed: "You have suffered too many injustices in the past, but many of them are because your father doesn't know." It was not your father's intention to suffer under such circumstances. Now that your father has chosen Haomiao as his heir, although it is due to your stepmother and Haomiao's own talent, it is also because neither mother nor son have treated you badly... "
"That's because I had already moved out of Duanmu Mansion. They wanted to bully me, but they couldn't." Duanmu Xinmiao said calmly without any emotion.
Duanmiqin was completely speechless and said with a wry smile: "Then how do you think the family can make up for you now? Originally, the family wanted to choose a good husband for you, but the one they chose for you, you must think. I want to trick you. So your marriage can only be given to Wei Miao, so that you can rest assured that there is nothing lacking for you... Your father said last time that he planned to give you more dowry, compared to Wei Miao's example when he left the court. , I will subsidize you in private, but I think you may not take this to heart... "
Before he could finish his words, he saw his niece, who had looked cold and distant just now, suddenly burst into laughter, and said enthusiastically and joyfully: "Oh, is this true? Fourth uncle, you can't lie to me. Mine, right? Since she is marrying His Royal Highness, the dowry will be more than what the aunts received when they left the cabinet. Is this true? "
"..." Duanmiqin was stunned for a moment and then said, "Of course this is true, you..."
"Fourth uncle, I know you love me the most!" Duanmu Xinmiao said with a smile on his face, "If you have any errands, just tell me! If you have anything to do, just tell me! As long as my niece can do it, she will never refuse. ! We are blood relatives. If I don’t help others, I won’t dare to neglect you, right?”
Not only that, she even went back to the hall, took the tea set from the somewhat dull maid's hand, and filled the tea cup for Duanmiqin with her own hands - looking at her niece who was very close at hand, and suddenly acted very affectionate, Duanmiqin A helpless, bitter smile gradually appeared on his face, and he asked word for word: "Xinmiao, are you really... so alienated from the Duanmu family?" (To be continued)