In the evening, just after dinner, there was a knock on the courtyard door.
The one who went to open the door was Xiao Hua who happened to be nearby, and outside the door was the fat butcher Zhang.
Butcher Zhang is tall and strong, but he is quite clean, and he is always clean when he is short and brown.
"Sister from the Tao family."
This title made Xiaohua stunned for a while, but she quickly reacted and said, "Brother Zhang, what's the matter?"
Butcher Zhang scratched his head and handed over a large piece of pork wrapped in lotus leaves.
"My big fat always eats at your house. I'm really sorry. You accept this pork as a thank you."
Xiaohua repeatedly pushed and refused, "This can't be done, a meal or two is nothing."
Xiaohua still knows that most of the people in this alley are not wealthy. A pound of pork is more than ten cents, and many families have to eat for a few days.
"If you want to keep it, you will keep it. If you don't keep it, you will look down on our family."
After a few words, Butcher Zhang did not change his natural rudeness. After he finished speaking, he glanced at Xiao Hua a little nervously, and when he saw that she didn't show any disgust, he felt relieved.
"This… "
"Sister Tao, our family sells pork. It really doesn't matter. Just thank you for taking care of our fat family."
"Thank you, Big Brother Zhang."
Xiaohua took the lotus leaf bag and saw that Butcher Zhang had not left, and asked, "Brother Zhang, is there anything else?"
"No, no more..."
"Then I'll go first." Xiaohua said politely, then turned around and closed the door.
Leaving Butcher Zhang standing at the door, he was stunned for a long time before he regained his senses.
Zhao Da was drinking in the house when Zhao San came in.
"Change shifts?"
Zhao San nodded and sat down opposite him. The two brothers drank a few cups, and Zhao San said, "A man gave something to the lady just now."
The wine in Zhao Da's mouth spurted out with a puff, and his face was weird and nervous.
"Who is so bold?!"
"Butcher Zhang in the alley." In comparison, Zhao San's expression was calm.
"What did you send?"
"Pork, I heard from him that Mrs. thank you for always taking care of his cubs' meals."
Only then did Zhao Da calm down and scolded: "You motherfucker, you don't even talk about the whole thing. I thought there was a man who had some crooked thoughts on his wife."
Mrs. Zhao knew about the wife's claim to be a widow, and he also reported it one by one in the manor. I don't know what his Highness will look like.
His Royal Highness's expression, he can't control Zhao Da temporarily, he can only control what is in front of him, protect the lady and the little master, and of course protect her from being harassed by men.
"This is a normal human relationship, a friendship between neighbors."
Zhao San is a little unreasonable, and Zhao Da is teaching him.
Well, in fact, the few of them are not very knowledgeable about the world. They are all big men, who understands how ordinary people live their lives, and Zhao Da also learned a little bit after arriving here.
Zhao San nodded and said nothing. Since the boss said it was normal, he wouldn't say that there was something wrong with his expression when he saw the door of the butcher's station lady.
Maybe he was wrong? After all, the boss is the smartest among them.
***
King's Mansion
West Court
It's still the same yard, and those people are still serving, everything is exactly the same as before, but less angry.
In the past, the person who always had a lively expression on his face returned to the taciturn and solemnity he used to be. If there is no comparison in the past, it is fine, but when there is a comparison, it will make people look strange.
King Jing did not return to the Jingtai Hall. The West Courtyard was still the place where he stopped the most. He would come back every night to rest. Fushun Changshun also often went in and out of the courtyard. But if you look closely, you can see some clues. King Jing is even more indifferent. It is rare to hear him say a word almost every day. Fushun's eyebrows are always furrowed. The degree of cold noodles has skyrocketed.
The range of activities of the palace eunuchs in the courtyard also showed a strange state. No matter what they were passing by or doing, everyone avoided the east wing consciously or unintentionally.
The correct one is to avoid the corner room next to the east wing.
Qianxi sat on the couch of the imperial concubine under the corner window, and she couldn't contain her anger. It doesn't matter if she lives in this kind of place that looks like the servants live, the servants are still angry with her.
Thinking that she wanted to go to the back garden to relax and was stopped by someone, her face twisted with anger.
But she also knows that this is not the time to be angry, and now that this yard is full of people from one country, who can she show a temper? To be looked at with sarcasm.
I don't know how long it took, when Qianxi suddenly heard the sound of greeting outside, she immediately stood up and ran out.
"Your Highness, you have to be the master of your maid and concubine."
When Qianxi shouted like this, everyone in the courtyard turned their attention to her.
"The concubine wanted to go to the back yard to relax, but was stopped by a servant."
Ding Lan, who was under the corridor of the main room, stood up and took two steps forward, "Is the servant girl Qianxi said is a servant girl
Qianxi didn't expect that this slave would dare to embarrass herself in front of His Highness, so she gritted her teeth and pretended to be wronged on her face.
"Look, Your Highness—"
Unfortunately, King Jing didn't even look at it, so he went straight into the main room.
After His Royal Highness and Fushun left, the people who were kneeling in the courtyard all stood up. Some gave her a sarcastic look, while others pouted, "I don't even look at my identity."
What is the identity? Qianxi understands and does not understand.
On that day, she was sent away together with several other Xiao Gongmen, but she was brought out alone, and then she went to live in a house. The house is very big, but there are very few people, and only a few servants serve her. It's not that Qianxi isn't curious about the real reason behind the surface, but she's been pampered for too long, and that curiosity has faded away.
Until this time, he was sent back to King Jing's mansion and met Fushun. Fushun told her that you will be Mrs. Xiyuanhua in the future, and Qianxi was secretly delighted. It seems that her face is not useless. It turned out that she was reserved to serve His Highness.
As for what happened to the original Mrs. Hua and where she went, Qianxi didn't ask. She took Fushun's words very simply, and she would be the one who would replace Mrs. Hua in the future.
She really lived in the west courtyard, but it couldn't be the main room, but the corner room in the east wing. However, she was allowed to enter and exit the main room, but only in the main room of the flower hall and the east room. The room in Dongcijianzai is not allowed to enter. In Qianxi's eyes, that room has become something he really wants.
Once she took advantage of the absence of the palace servants and entered the room inside, which was a very luxurious bedroom. All the furnishings are extremely luxurious, and the cover of the makeup box in front of the dressing table can't be closed, and it is all the jewelry of a woman who can blind her eyes.
As long as women can't control liking these things, Qianxi is no exception. She sat in front of the dresser obsessively and tried on the hairpins one by one on her body. With beautiful jewelry, it is inevitable to match beautiful clothes. Qianxi opened the closet again.
Afterwards, she sat on the kang under the window wearing clothes and jewelry, imagining how wonderful it would be to be Madam Hua.
Then she saw the face in the nightmare appear in front of her, and looked at her in shock.
Qianxi was also shocked, like a child who was found stealing other people's toys, but she was a little proud, she was allowed to appear here, and now everything you have is mine.
What happened after that was so chaotic that Qianxi could only reflexively hold her when a palace servant went to her bedroom.
"What are you doing in my bedroom?"
Yes, Qianxi proudly declared her existence.
Soon, her face was beaten, she was beaten by a palace servant, and she was slapped after the beating.
It's up to you too!
Qianxi wanted to find someone to call the shots, but found that no one cared about her at all. Fushun took her out and reprimanded her for a while, and ordered her not to enter the main room again.
Only then did Qianxi know that some people clearly left, but they didn't seem to leave. Her servants all joined forces to exclude her, ignore her and bully her. She originally thought that His Highness would definitely turn towards her, he must not know that she was being bullied like this, and only then did she realize that she thought everything wrong? !
Qianxi was standing in a daze, and Fu Shun came over, her brows furrowed, and her face was indescribably unpleasant.
"you-"
Qianxi was still a little afraid of Fushun. The memory of the past was too deep. This old eunuch was a person who turned his face and did not recognize people, and his methods were strict.
"Eunuch Fu, what's the matter?"
Fushun glanced at her with disgust, and said, "You haven't learned the rules well or what? Can a concubine call yourself a slave? You should call yourself a slave."
Qianxi was a little stunned. The reason why she called herself a maid and concubine was because she heard her call herself so. Since she is going to replace her in the future, isn't it wrong to call herself so in front of His Highness? Of course, Qianxi didn't dare to say these words, so she could only say nothing.
"In the future, these two maids will be responsible for teaching you the rules, and don't go out of the room if you have nothing to do."
After saying this, Fu walked away, leaving behind two old mamas with solemn faces.
Qianxi was completely stunned.
***
There are many young daughters-in-law who are about the same age as Xiaohua in Dongyulin Lane. In their spare time, these young daughters-in-law will sit together to do needlework, choose dishes, gossip, and pass the time.
Women have a lot to talk about together, such as raising children's classics, such as which one's fabrics are cheap, which one's vegetables are fresh, and there are many gossips on the streets.
Xiaohua joined such a group because the daughter-in-law of Aunt Ma's family also joined this group. Because this Tao family girl is good-looking and speaks well, many little daughters-in-law like to come to talk to her. There are many such small groups in East Yulin Lane, including Cuizhi, the daughter-in-law of Aunt Ma's family, the daughter-in-law of Liu Doufu's family, and the daughter-in-law of the blacksmith Yang's family.
Because the Tao's sister's house is clean and tidy, and the population is simple, no family in the alley is not a large group of people living together, there are in-laws, aunts and uncles, women gossip together and prefer a relatively quiet environment.
Anyway, Xiaohua and Lilac Chuncao are fine all day long. These little daughters-in-law have excellent personalities, and they don't mind making a few more friends.
Everyone chatted extensively and digressed quickly. It was possible that the daughter-in-law of a certain family had quarreled with her mother-in-law, and later they said that the food at that family was really tender when they bought food today.
After all, the three Xiaohua had just arrived, so they all heard a lot and said less.
"Sister from the Tao family, my elder sister also envy you such a leisurely life. You don't have to wait for your mother-in-law, and there are few things to do. But after all, you think it's better to have a man in a woman's family, so you haven't thought about it anymore?"
The blacksmith's daughter-in-law has a straightforward personality, and she never speaks. When other people heard such words, they naturally felt that the blacksmith's daughter-in-law had too many things, but Xiaohua knew that she was actually thinking about her.
Xiaohua doesn't listen to such remarks a lot. The aunt and the daughter-in-law in the alley will more or less say such words to her. After all, a widow with two children has had a really hard life. It is always good to have a man to rely on.
"The child is still young." Xiaohua can only say that, she can't say that she is not actually a widow, she also has a man, but now her man doesn't want her anymore.
Tofu's daughter-in-law interjected, "It's good to be young, the baby doesn't remember things now, and it is easy to raise relatives, so that men will be good children in the future. Which man would like to raise two babies who still remember their father."
Xiaohua didn't know how to react to this, she could only pretend to smile shyly.
"Don't be shy, the widow's remarriage is the right way, and no one dares to say that the widow will stay with her for a lifetime. We women, it's better to have a man who knows the cold and the hot by the side."
Lilac squatted beside the well washing clothes, her face was already twisted and she didn't know how to describe it.
But she is a widow now, and the wife is also a widow, and the two little masters have no father, so she can only listen, hurt in her heart.
"That's right, you are alone with two children, and the house is full of women. Although you have some savings now, what will you do in the future? We women can't go out to earn money to support the family like men, so we should find a reliable man to marry. It's good."
"Hey, Tao's sister, what do you think of Butcher Zhang? I think you are very good to Big Fatty. Our family's hairy eggs always say that Big Fatty wants you to be his mother." Cuizhi said aside. .
"Yes, yes, I think Big Fat likes the Tao girls."
"Butcher Zhang can't do it, he's not worthy of the Tao family's sister." A weak voice said aside.