Twenty years after Jianxing, after fifteen years, the New Year's flavor dissipated, and every family put away their minds and began to make a living for the new year. Those who work for large families must also pack up and return to the master's home.
In the residence of the Marquis of Changxing, a girl wearing a peach red Ruyi pattern jacket, an indigo pleated skirt, and a double bun on her head lifted the curtain. She was just playing with someone, with a smile on her face. When she saw the person, her smile froze.
However, Akiba was someone who had been rolling in the back house after all, so she covered up her real reaction when she was very open, and greeted the incoming person with diligence and kindness.
"Five girls, you came early today. It's cold outside, come in quickly!"
Chu Jinyao didn't start directly. She learned from what she saw secretly and gave Qiuye a blessing before standing up and saying, "Hello, Qiuye. Is your mother inside?"
After all, Chu Jinyao was a young lady, even if Qiuye was the maid next to Mrs. Zhao of Changxing Hou, there was no need to be so polite. Nodding and saying hello is actually enough.
But Chu Jinyao didn't know, even though she knew it, she didn't know how to nod or say hello. These things, which are as natural as breathing and drinking water to the young lady in the back house, are too difficult for Chu Jinyao.
In fact, Chu Jinyao should be the fourth daughter, the second direct daughter of Mrs. Zhao, the principal in the Marquis of Changxing. But her fate was a bit bumpy. When she was just born, she caught up with the Tatar prisoners. The Zhao family gave birth to a daughter outside, but she took her daughter by mistake and took another girl back to the house, named Chu Jinmiao. Chu Jinyao had just been retrieved a few days ago, and Chu Jinmiao had been in the Hou residence for thirteen years. She had a deep relationship with her mother and maid, and her grandmother, Mrs. Chu, was reluctant to let her granddaughter who had been in pain for thirteen years go back. Simply decide, let both girls stay, Chu Jinmiao will continue to be the fourth girl, and Chu Jinyao will be ranked behind Chu Jinmiao as the fifth girl.
Chu Jinyao grew up in a peasant family and did not understand the etiquette of these Houmen. She was afraid of being laughed at by others, so she secretly observed how others saluted and spoke, and then pondered and learned it by herself. In this way, she made many mistakes without knowing it, such as greetings today.
Qiuye received the gift from Chu Jinyao, returned the gift, and hurriedly welcomed Chu Jinyao. As soon as the thick rattan curtain was put down, it blocked the whistling cold wind, and the temperature in the main hall was better, and the cold air was no longer poured back. Qiuye took a breath and said, "The wind is really strong today. If the curtains are open for a long time, it won't blow us. If it freezes, the lady will be broken."
Chu Jinyao didn't expect it, and said quickly, "I didn't do it on purpose, I didn't expect it..."
"Five girls don't have to say that. You are the master, it's a big fault, and it's also the servants who are not serving you well." After speaking, Qiuye raised her face and stared at the people behind Chu Jinyao, "You two Little hoof, the fifth girl just came back, did you just come back? If you are so negligent, pay attention to your skin!"
Lilac and Camellia behind Chu Jinyao hurriedly confessed their mistakes. Qiuye scolded a few more words before softening his face and saying, "Okay, if you make a mistake, you can correct it, and you should pay attention next time you are on a errand!"
This time, even Chu Jinyao also heard that her behavior was inappropriate, and Qiuye couldn't talk about her, so he went to scold the maid who followed her to please.
Chu Jinyao felt sorry for her and hurt others for no reason. If she did a better job, why would others be scolded for her
In fact, when Chu Jinyao thought this way, she was still confined by her original family. In the big households of the Houmen, the young ladies who have not left the cabinet are all golden branches and jade leaves. If they make a mistake, banning their feet and copying the female precepts is a big punishment. When you are a slave, don't you remind me? What's more, the scolding of Dingxiang and Shancha was not wrong at all. Chu Jinyao was just retrieved, and she didn't know how to salute and say hello, and Dingxiang, the servants, didn't understand? But if you remind one or two before going out, it will not be like this. However, Lilac is a stuffy gourd, unable to utter a single word with a single stick, while Camellia's eyes are wandering, and at first glance, it is a heartbeat, and she will not think about it for the master.
Qiuye sighed inwardly, but that's all she could do, beat one or two across the floor, seeing that she was also sold from a peasant family to the Hou Mansion, and felt the same way, that's why Chu, who also grew up from a peasant family, felt the same way. Jin Yao felt pity. No amount, and Akiba won't do it.
In a high-profile household, it is such a realistic and ruthless feeling.
Mammy Zhang came out of the west room and was very displeased: "Who opened the door just now, the lady just got up, and there is still sweat on her body. If the lady catches a cold, who will take care of you?"
Qiuye immediately bowed his head to apologize, Chu Jinyao was frightened, and quickly said, "It's not about Qiuye, it was opened when I came in."
Mammy Zhang has never seen Miss Qianjin rush to confess her fault. Usually, any girl either asks the people around her to confess her guilt, or she has done something wrong, and she will not admit it herself. It's a top sin, not to mention that this kind of fault is not in Chu Jinyao's situation. Let Chu Jinyao say this, Mammy Zhang is really in a bad mood. Even if she is the madam's dowry maid, she is also a slave. How can she say that the master is not
Mammy Zhang had no choice but to change her face immediately, squeeze out a smile and said, "It turns out that the fifth girl is here. It's too early for the fifth girl to invite An. Madam is dressing inside, come in quickly."
Chu Jinyao thanked Mammy Zhang, and then walked to the west room lightly.
Mammy Zhang turned to let Chu Jinyao go first, and then she followed. She looked at Chu Jinyao's back, and deliberately lightened her movements, her heart was very complicated.
Chu Jinyao is a serious daughter-in-law, the proud daughter of heaven who crawled out of Mrs. Zhao's stomach, how could she be so polite and careful? If it was the fourth young lady who grew up in front of her, she would definitely start chatting and laughing loudly as soon as she walked in the door, and then she would run into the second room all the way, crooked and crooked in her arms, who cares if she is dressing or not. Twisted hair. But instead of Chu Jinyao, the wife's real daughter, she was so cautious.
Mammy Zhang sighed, who would have thought that such a thing that was not dared to be written in the play actually happened in the first-class noble family in Taiyuan Mansion, the Marquis of Changxing Mansion.
In the late autumn of the 19th year of Jianxing, that is, around October last year, the old lady in the Zhao family's courtyard, Mrs. Changxing Hou's wife, got drunk and started talking to the servants and women in other courtyards. She boasted about herself. She is old and knows many things about Madam, even the fourth girl is not Madam's biological son.
As soon as the servants heard it, they knew that this old woman was bragging. Who was the fourth girl, that was the second young lady of the wife's direct descendant, the youngest child. It hurts in the palm of your hand on weekdays. How could it not be her own? If this old woman blew it on weekdays, the people beside him should listen to it happily, and the matter would be over, but that day, the long attendant of the Marquis passed by and heard this sentence.
After Changsui returned, he immediately reported to Marquis Changxing. When Marquis Changxing heard it, he was annoyed. It was a big sin to arbitrarily arrange masters. Then listen to what these old ladies were arranging? The Marquis of Changxing immediately asked people to bring these servants in the backyard, and he personally inquired. The old woman was suddenly frightened, and immediately knelt on the ground and told Changxinghou everything she knew.
The Marquis of Changxing didn't believe it at first, but he hesitated after seeing what the old woman said had nose and eyes. In the end, in order to avoid future troubles, he sent his own people to investigate this matter, so as to clear his daughter's innocence. As a result, after such an investigation, it was found that the fourth girl, the most favored direct descendant of the Hou residence, might not really be his daughter.
When Mrs. Hou's wife Zhao was pregnant, it was at the time when the Tartars were attacking the border, and the iron hoof went south, approaching the capital. Northern Zhili almost suffered an accident, and Shanxi suffered even more. In many places, the Tartars were murdered and set on fire, and they were looted, and Taiyuan Prefecture was no exception. The Marquis of Changxing was a famous wealthy family in Taiyuan, and naturally it was also the target of these barbarians. At that time, Marquis Changxing was out with troops and could not take care of their family for a while, so the ladies and ladies of the Marquis had to flee south in a hurry. Fortunately, the Marquis of Changxing soon led troops to recapture Taiyuan, and the scattered family members were brought back one after another, and Mrs. Zhao, who was pregnant, was frightened, and could not hold on to giving birth on the way to the south.
Everything was simple on the way to escape, and I could not save my life, not to mention the utensils during production. The Zhao family can only take people to live in the village's house, and pay with a few gold jewelry, which can be regarded as difficult to give birth to the child.
At that time, the farmer had just given birth to a child, and because of this, they had to stay at home and did not flee south with the villagers. After Zhao's safe delivery, he asked the peasant woman to feed her milk for several days before leaving with the dowry. In a few days, the soldiers who came to take Zhao's back to the house will come.
After the Zhao family escaped and returned to the Hou Mansion, she became more and more fond of her daughter, who died with her, even more than the eldest girl. The Zhao family has one boy and two girls, the eldest girl, the second young master and the fourth girl in order of age. When escaping, the eldest girl was taken away by the old lady. After the Zhao family and others were separated, there were only the grandmother, the Zhang family, and the youngest daughter, the four girls. After returning to the mansion, the four girls were named Miao, and they were loved by their grandchildren.
The Marquis of Changxing also cherished this daughter who was born outside and suffered from displacement, but now there are various signs telling him that Chu Jinmiao may not be his daughter. His real daughter was secretly replaced by that farmer in the year of the war!
The Marquis of Changxing was furious when he found out the news, and suddenly he lost his mind for years. In a fit of anger, the Hou Changxing sent someone to interrogate the woman who had leaked the tongue that day. Later, the woman confessed that she had heard the misunderstanding from her when she was drinking with his wife's dowry, Mrs. Zhang. Mammy Zhang also had doubts in her heart back then, but this kind of thing is hard to say, she kept it deep in her heart, and later revealed it to this old woman when she was drunk. Years later, she was overheard by the Hou Changxing by accident. .
The Marquis of Changxing thought quietly for several days, but did not disturb the Zhao family, nor did he disturb the mother, Madam Chu, but secretly sent people to find the midwife of that year. After the midwife left, the Marquis of Changxing sat in the house for a long time, and finally made up his mind to find his own flesh and blood.
His blood can't be messed up, even if it's just a daughter.
The Marquis of Changxing made a casual excuse and left the house just after the new year. At that time, the Zhao family was still complaining about him. What are you doing to go out in the first month of the year? The Marquis of Changxing ignored it, went all the way south, and found Chu Jinyao in a small village in the southwest of Shanxi.
At that time, Chu Jinyao was also called Su Yao.
Su Yao got up early that day and went outside to pick up firewood for the house as usual. When she came back with the firewood basket on her back, she looked back and saw a man standing not far away. stare at her.
"This uncle, who are you looking for?"
The Marquis of Changxing didn't say a word, and he stared at it for a long time, sighing up to the sky.
The little girl in front of her was thirteen years old. Because she was doing farm work all the year round, she was stronger than the girls in Changxing Hou's mansion, but she was very thin and her skin was slightly tanned. Her face is thin and thin, and she doesn't look healthy, but her eyes are surprisingly good-looking, so good-looking makes people think that she shouldn't appear in this kind of village, but should grow on a beautiful woman of national color and be raised in the deep palace. Loved by thousands, served by hundreds of people.
There can be no mistake, this girl's eyes and nose are almost exactly the same as his sister Chu Zhu. On the contrary, the fourth girl, Chu Jinmiao, became more indifferent over the years, and was not at all like him.
The Marquis of Changxing slowly approached and asked, "What's your name?"
Su Yao thinks it's strange, but she still answers with a sweet smile: "my name is Su Yao. You're not from here, are you lost? "
The Marquis of Changxing didn't answer Su Yao's question, but asked, "Yao? It's not like a name that people in the village can come up with."
"Because my mother said that a Taoist priest gave me a piece of jade when I was born, and he named me Yao, and that's how our family is called."
The Marquis of Changxing looked at Su Yao's jade. It was a piece of jade that was clean and clear with red fluff floating in it. It was very valuable in texture, and the red fluff inside was also very delicate. Bai Yu is imprisoned. The Marquis of Changxing suddenly thought of a rumor similar to a blood drop.
Su Yao, or the year Chu Jinyao was born, a wandering Taoist priest came to Taiyuan Mansion. It is said that he was a treasure, and he brought a precious jade that could bring back the dead and come to the world to find his master. The Marquis of Changxing didn't believe in such rumors, but he thought that his child was about to be born. No matter male or female, hemorrhage was always rare, so he wanted to find a good jade for the child, so that he could get a life-saving jade lock for the child. He personally found it in front of the Taoist priest, and the Taoist priest looked at it, but said, "Jade has a fate with your daughter, but I can't give it to you."
After hearing this, the Marquis of Changxing sneered and walked away. He is a prince, and it is already a great honor to condescend to find a Taoist priest, but this Taoist priest does not know how to praise and is full of nonsense. What is it that Yu and his daughter are destined, but can't give him this father? Not to mention whether Zhao Shi is pregnant with a daughter, if the Taoist priest does not give it to him, how can he get it into the hands of his daughter? Not wanting to take the opportunity to raise prices.
After that, the Tartars invaded the border, and the Marquis of Changxing led the army to resist the enemy, and soon completely forgot about it.
It was not until thirteen years later that the Marquis of Changxing stood in front of Chu Jinyao and remembered this past event again.
"This uncle, it's time to get back to your senses!" Chu Jinyao said with a smile, "You can go north along this road and you will be able to leave the village. I have to go back to chop firewood and boil water, so I can't take you out. When my mother gets up, she will scold me again."
The Marquis of Changxing frowned: "You are a little girl, and you still want to chop wood and boil water?"
Don't talk about the girl in the Hou Mansion, even the maids who serve the girl will not do such rough work. His first daughter, the eldest girl and the fourth girl, have had a grandmother, two first-class maids, and four second-class maids to serve them closely since they were born. They are also accompanied by many servants sent by their elders. It can be said that they cannot leave for a moment. people. When the fourth girl, Chu Jinmiao, got a needle in her finger when she was studying female red, she would be tossed around by everyone, applying medicine and asking a doctor. But Chu Jinyao had to get up early in such a cold winter, pick up firewood on the road, chop wood, boil water, and clean the yard when he came back. Chu Jinyao is his biological daughter! The Marquis of Changxing knew what the eldest girl and the fourth girl were living. Because of this, it was very uncomfortable to hear Chu Jinyao say this, and what was even more irritating was that the farmer deliberately changed their daughters during production, letting them have that It was supposed to be the daughter of a peasant woman, Chu Jinmiao, who entered the mansion to enjoy the glory and wealth, but the real daughter of the noble family was raised in their home without a good environment, and she was even instructed by them to work!
The Marquis of Changxing was furious. At this time, he had already made up his mind to take the little girl in front of him back to the house, keep her name, and call her Jin Yao according to the seniority of the girls in the clan. As for the surname Su, leave it to the farmers' daughters.
Chu Jinyao didn't know what Changxinghou was thinking at this time, and she was still answering Changxinghou's question seriously: "Yes, my sister is married, and I am the only girl in the family, so I should do all the housework. Mother is up, I have to go back..."
"You don't need to go back." The Marquis of Changxing said, "Your surname is not Su. Come with me."
What happened after that was very vague to Chu Jinyao. Father Su, who had always been yelling, beating and scolding at home, shrank aside and didn't dare to speak. Mother Su, who came to scold Chu Jinyao when she was angry with Father Su, screamed and cried. Yelling, the younger brother Su Sheng also seemed to have become a quail. After hearing the news, the eldest sister Su Hui, who had rushed home, suddenly fell silent and looked at Chu Jinyao quietly.
Chu Jinyao was frightened by that kind of gaze. Later, she was taken away involuntarily. She sat on the gorgeous carriage that she had only seen in her life, leaning out crying to see her home. None of the parents who had lived together for thirteen years came out to see her, only the eldest sister cried and ran all the way, and forced her to put a cloth bag through the car window.
Inside the bag were two washed cotton jacket skirts, which were rare decent clothes at home. Chu Jinyao knew that when her sister gave her this, she would definitely be scolded by Su's father and Su's mother when she went back. And my sister's husband's family, I don't know what to say.
Chu Jinyao cried a lot, until she got out of the car, her eyes were red.
The carriage stopped on a flat ground, Chu Jinyao looked up and saw the majestic Changxing Marquis Mansion.
Only then did the Zhao family know that the Marquis of Changxing went out of the house to do something.
Chu Jinyao stood in front of the Zhao family with her head bowed, yearning and shy, she didn't even know what to do with her hands and feet for a while.
However, her real mother swept her up and down several times, and waved her hand in disgust: "Take her out. The smell of earth is really choking."
Chu Jinyao was immediately embarrassed. The villagers had no conditions. In addition, she was in a hurry, so she did not take a good bath. After Chu Jinyao was groomed and changed into clean clothes, she happily went to see her own biological mother in the legend, but she heard outside the partition covered with smoke veil: "Madam, you don't seem to like it... Miss Yao... ."
"What kind of young lady is she? She appeared out of thin air, how can I know who she is? Lord Hou is also true. Hearing the wind is rain. I don't know what kind of cat and dog I brought back. Maybe someone deliberately set up a trick to deceive him."
"Madam..." Mammy Zhang sighed softly. Mammy Zhang knew a little bit about what happened back then. When she saw Chu Jinyao, she thought, I'm afraid this is what happened. But she, an outsider, could see clearly, but the Zhao family had really hurt Chu Jinmiao as a daughter for thirteen years, and now a daughter suddenly appeared, and no one could accept it for a while.
"Send her out, I don't want to see her. I won't have a daughter like her. Miao'er, go and call Miao'er!"
Chu Jinyao was already in tears, she bit her lip, kept herself from making a sound, and left quietly.
After returning to the house, Chu Jinyao threw herself on the quilt and cried. The jade pendant from childhood to adulthood fell out, and one of the red flakes in it disappeared invisibly.