In the middle of the night, Xiaohua suddenly woke up.
She seemed to hear someone calling her, and she looked around.
The moonlight outside seemed to be very good, and it shone through the cracks of the windows that were nailed to the wooden slats, and the room could be seen clearly. Liu Ye and Cui Lan seemed to be asleep, and the two hugged each other and curled up in the corner.
Xiaohua heard someone calling her softly again, and she followed the sound slowly to the window.
Looking outside through the gap, I realized that it was Grandma Wang.
"Grandma Wang, why are you here?"
Madam Wang's old face was tense, as if she was sad and afraid of causing Xiaohua to be sad.
"You silly girl, I haven't heard the wind worrying about you."
Xiaohua wanted to cry a little, but she was afraid of making the old woman sad, so she smiled, "Mother-in-law, you don't have to worry about me, I'm fine."
Madam Wang finally couldn't help crying, for fear of being heard and covering her mouth, "You stupid girl has been sold, how can it be good, unfortunately I can't speak, so I can only watch."
Xiaohua raised her head, held back the tears she was about to shed, took a deep breath, and forced a smile: "Mother-in-law, you look down on me too much. No matter what, my Xiaohua has been sold many times, and I can't make it through. It won't last that long."
The mother-in-law was amused to cry and laugh, "It's good to think like this, mother-in-law is afraid that you won't be able to hold it."
Even if Mrs. Wang couldn't see it outside, Xiaohua raised her small fist and waved it, "Mother-in-law, don't underestimate me, I'm a little wild flower in that field, the wind won't kill the rain, even if it falls now, next year It can still be opened." She blinked her eyes hard, trying to win back her tears, "By the way, mother-in-law, how did you know we were locked here?"
Madam Wang wiped away her old tears, "I've been in this mansion for so many years, and I don't know where the manor is. Generally, the sellers are kept in this yard. It's a pity that the mansion is heavily guarded, and this yard There are still a few doors to go through outside, or my mother-in-law really wants to secretly let you out."
Xiaohua pouted, pretending to be relaxed: "Mother-in-law, you are stupid, even if you let me out, I have nowhere to live. In this world, where can I live as a little girl. I don't have a household registration, and I have a deed. It's still in the hands of people, and it's even worse if you get caught as a fugitive slave."
Madam Wang muttered to herself, "Yeah, alas—"
She stuffed a small cloth bag in through the crack of the window, "You take this, there is some food and some money in it."
Xiaohua refused, "Mother-in-law, why are you giving me money, I don't want it."
Madam Wang said anxiously: "You silly girl, you were sold in a hurry, and you must have no money on your body. Bring a little bit, and if you have anything, you can protect yourself."
Xiaohua thought about it too, so she took it, holding the small cloth bag tightly with her fingers.
"Mother-in-law, thank you."
"Thank you, it's useless for the old lady to ask for money, but it's not too much, so I'll protect you." Seeing the stagnant atmosphere, Mrs. Wang said again: "Where you were sold, the old lady didn't find out. But one thing, Madam should not sell you to the pickled place, after all, those two were used by the Fourth Young Master."
This idea coincides with Xiaohua, and after hearing this, Xiaohua's heart that has been hanging all the time is released.
The two said a few more words before Madam Wang was about to leave. Before leaving, he forced a smile and said, "The old lady is afraid that you can't think about it. If you have the energy you just had, you can live anywhere."
"Mother-in-law take care." Xiaohua murmured.
"Little girl, take care of you too."
After Mrs. Wang left, Xiaohua nestled back in the corner. She looked at Cuilan and Liuye on the ground, but neither of them woke up.
She opened the cloth bag, and there were two pieces of silver chips and two cakes. The cake is very small, only the size of a palm. It is estimated that Granny Wang knew that the window gap was not big, so she handed it such a small one.
Tears that had been held back for a long time came out at once.
She took a cookie and shoved it into her mouth. Chewing the cake in his mouth, tears streaming down his face.
I kept telling myself in my heart, it's okay, isn't it just being sold, and it's not that it hasn't been sold before. She is an unbeatable little wild flower that can live wherever the wind blows.
Even thinking about it, the tears couldn't stop.
After eating one piece of bread, she put the other into her bosom, Xiaohua looked at the few pieces of silver, thought about wrapping it in that piece of cloth, pulled a piece of cloth from her clothes, and tied it to her thigh.
Fortunately, I don't have any jewelry on my body, otherwise I don't know where to hide it.
Packing herself up, she closed her eyes and continued to sleep, forcing herself not to think about anything.
When she woke up, it was already bright, and she didn't know when Xiaohua was, but Cuilan started to knock on the door there again. This time, it was not about seeing the young master, but about something to eat.
But no one came no matter what they called. Cui Lan saw that there was indeed no one outside, and the location was so remote that no movement could be heard outside. She turned her head and looked at the two of them in horror, "They will not Are we starving here?"
Liu Ye didn't speak, but his breathing became heavy.
Xiaohua couldn't bear to see her embarrassed appearance, she glanced at her, and said, "That's not true, they will sell us before we starve to death. Therefore, you'd better save your energy, lest Can't wait until then."
Cuilan wanted to cry again, but when she thought of Xiaohua's words, she quickly stopped crying.
The three of them each found a place to hide, and neither spoke to anyone. Liu Ye and Cui Lan sometimes sobbed faintly, and Xiao Hua curled up in the corner and didn't bother to pay attention to them.
The room was bright and dark and bright, and another small cake was eaten by Xiao Hua at night.
It wasn't until the third day that people's voices sounded outside. At this time, the three of Xiaohua were starving and exhausted.
Especially Xiaohua, when she was growing up, she ate two very small cakes in two days. If it weren't for the experience of starvation in the past, Xiaohua would have been too hungry to bear it.
Two sturdy old women walked in with serious faces, holding a plate of steamed buns and a pot of water in their hands.
After coming in, he kicked Cui Lan, who was lying on the ground, and told them to get up and eat.
Xiaohua's eyes lit up, and she stood up staggeringly and walked over.
I poured myself some water to drink before I went to get the steamed buns.
Although Cui Lan and Liu Ye were extremely hungry, they had not yet adjusted to their identity. One person took a steamed bun and sat on the ground to eat it. Seeing that they were so gentle, Xiaohua took three steamed buns from the plate. I stuffed two in my arms, took one in my hand, and sat on the ground, chewing slowly.
One of the chubby and chubby old women said gruffly, "Eat all of them quickly, and go on the road when you're done."
The old woman said it was scary, but Xiaohua understood what she meant, which meant that they were about to be sold.
Xiaohua also expected this, otherwise she would not have put two steamed buns in her arms. When you get to Renyazi, it will be called a meal.
Cuilan ate a steamed bun in one go and felt that she was no longer hungry, so she began to beg the old woman to see the young master.
The chubby old woman gave her a disdainful look and said, "Young master won't see you, don't think about it, honestly don't make trouble for me, I won't make you suffer."
Cuilan wanted to cry and beg again, but was shoved by a tall and strong woman next to her, and immediately fell silent.
Seeing that the three of them were eating about the same, the two wives glanced at Cuilan and Liuye, followed by their hands, and pulled off the silver hairpins on their heads.
Liu Ye screamed: "What are you doing, this is my thing."
The tall and sturdy woman took a sip, "What I paid back to you has been sold, and nothing is yours." Then, together with the short and fat woman, they pressed Cuilan to the ground and pulled them together. Anything that was valuable on him was dragged down.
Where have Cuilan and Liuye ever seen such a battle, they collapsed on the ground and cried.
After the two wives searched Cuilan, their eyes turned to Xiaohua again. Seeing this little girl, her face is dry and thin, her face is gray, there is no jewelry on her head and hands, and her small body is so thin that it seems that there is nothing to hide, only her chest is bulging.
Seeing the eyes of the two old women, Xiaohua immediately took out the steamed buns in her arms with a dry smile. He pretended to be aggrieved and said, "Two steward mothers, I just got promoted to the big maid a few days ago. I used to be a rough maid. It's been two good days, and I've been implicated." Woo cried.
The two old ladies also knew the situation, so they didn't say anything else.
All the way out of this desolate yard, through a few doors, came to a small house.
At this moment, a plump old woman stood in the small house. As soon as she saw the two old women, she nodded and bowed, her originally ferocious face was full of flattering smiles.
When Xiaohua saw this very familiar tooth, she suddenly felt a trance in her heart.
Qian Ya, it's actually her.
I think that she was sold to the capital through the hands of Qian Yapo. This old woman is cruel and cruel. Of course, this is a slave to her. When facing the stewards of wealthy people, he completely changed his face.
"The two elder sisters in charge are here, just these three girls?"
The chubby old woman in charge said: "Qianya, these three people will be handed over to you. Our wife explained that we want to sell out of Beijing, and sell them far away." Thinking of the above explanation, she added: "Sell It's good to be a slave, and you know the rest."
Qian Yapo licked her face and smiled: "That's for sure, that's for sure, I'll do things, the house can rest assured."
She is in the business of teeth, not only as a businessman, but also in charge of helping some wealthy people deal with some private affairs. If you offend the owner, the above will specifically explain that you will sell it to the next three places. The other is that it has been used by the young master of the mansion, so he will be a little more scruples.
Sometimes she really can't figure out what those people think, everyone decides to deal with it, and so much attention is paid. Where to sell is not to sell, anyway, out of sight is the net. But she does things for others, why she can deal with so many rich people is because she knows her duty, as long as it is explained from above, she can do it well.
Looking at the two maids, who were obviously 'good seedlings' although they were embarrassed, Qian Yapo thought regretfully, it was a pity for two good seedlings.
After negotiating with the steward, Qian Yapo ordered her subordinates to come in and drag people.
Xiaohua had dealt with Granny Qian Ya, and when she heard that the steward's mother said that she was sold as a slave, she went out without struggling.
Cuilan Liuye still wanted to struggle, but was slapped by Qian Yapo's wife, and she became honest.