Most of the people who look after the house in the old house are married servants.
The men take care of the outside, and the daughters-in-law of each family are responsible for taking care of the inner courtyard.
Therefore, there are no maids here.
After Jia Lian came, he did not act arrogantly and kept simplicity in all aspects of life.
But for dinner tonight, he asked the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes early in the morning and then put them in the dining room.
"Second Master, try this sweet-scented osmanthus duck and this squirrel fish. These are both famous dishes of our old Jinling."
Jin Cai knew that Jia Lian was about to leave, so although Jia Lian did not give special instructions, he still specially arranged several famous Jinling dishes for Jia Lian to enjoy.
Jia Lian each took a bite, nodded, then put down his chopsticks, looked at Jin Cai who was serving carefully beside him and said, "How long has it been since Butler Jin saw a mandarin duck?"
How could Jin Cai not care about his precious daughter? He also knew that he was able to secure the position of general manager thanks to his daughter's strength in front of Jia Mu. Therefore, when he heard Jia Lian's words, he immediately showed a nostalgic look: "The last time I saw her was when I returned to Beijing three years ago... I dare to ask the second master, I don't know how she is now. She is still serving the old lady carefully, has she ever messed with her? The old lady is unhappy..."
Jia Lian: "Don't worry about Butler Jin. Yuanyang serves the old lady very well. Among all the maids in the family, she is the one who loves the old lady the most. Even the master and the wife have a lot to rely on. But Butler Jin has given birth." A good daughter."
"How dare you, how dare you, the second master is ridiculous. It is her blessing to be able to serve the old lady..."
Jin Cai was modest while smiling from ear to ear.
Jia Lian did not expose him and continued: "If you miss your daughter, you might as well write a letter home when you go back, and I will help you bring it back to her."
Jin Cai didn't expect Jia Lian to say that. Letters were a trivial matter. As the master, Jia Lian was willing to bring them letters. This was a great favor, so he immediately knelt down and thanked her.
Jia Lian asked him to get up.
Yuanyang is naturally a rare and good girl, and now looking at her parents, they are pretty good.
Although he made a mistake, he took good care of the old house and did not let anyone else rent it.
Jia Lian was naturally happy to give them grace.
After letting Jin Cai wait for the manservant to go down, not long after, Jin Cai's wife came over with Xiang Ling.
As soon as Xiangling appeared in the dining room, Jia Lian was immediately attracted to her.
Just because Xiang Ling at that time had changed drastically from before. Not only did she put on the new clothes he had bought for her before, but she also had her hair styled again. It was obviously arranged by the housekeeper and his wife after taking a bath.
As a result, now she has completely lost the aura of a wild girl, and her whole person does indeed show some similarities with Daiyu. And because she is a few years older than Daiyu, her figure is much wider than that of Daiyu, and her beauty is really impeccable.
She was still a little afraid of strangers. When she saw Jia Lian, she subconsciously wanted to walk towards him, but when she saw a table of sumptuous dishes, she did not dare to approach.
Seeing Jia Lian's reaction, Jin Cai's daughter-in-law became more and more certain that Xiang Ling's future was boundless, so she helped her forward and said with a smile: "Second Master, look, this girl looks like a different person after dressing up for us." ! With this appearance, it’s probably not an exaggeration to say that she is a wealthy lady from a wealthy family.”
Jia Lian laughed. It turned out that Xiangling was a real lady, but she was in trouble because of the servant's negligence.
Wave to Xiangling and ask her to sit down and eat.
Xiang Ling looked at the table, then at the maids around her, and shook her head.
Jia Lian tried to persuade her again and again, but Xiang Ling still refused to serve.
Jin Cai's wife sighed: "Second Master, please don't embarrass her. This girl is so pitiful. She was kidnapped when she was young. She has suffered so much and suffered so many crimes over the years. Where has she seen her before?" In such a scene, although the second master loves her, he insists on doing this, but he is only afraid of scaring her.
It's better to let the slave take her down for dinner. "
Jia Lian was still thinking about whether what Jin Cai's wife said was right, but he saw Xiang Ling suddenly take two steps away, knelt down and kowtowed to him, crying and begging: "Please don't drive me away, I want to be a cow or a horse for the rest of my life." Serve the second master, please don’t drive me away..."
After hearing what she said, Jia Lian finally understood.
It turned out that she thought she was sending her away.
Thinking about it, although she is introverted and unwilling to speak, she understands it very well in her heart.
In such a home, only the master is qualified to eat at the master's table. If she wants to stay with Jia Lian all the time, she can only be a maid or a slave. Obviously, it was impossible for maids and slaves to eat at the same table as their master, so she refused.
Jia Lian was also a little hesitant. Although he also wanted Xiang Ling to follow him all the time, to follow him, he must have a status.
Based on Xiangling's current situation, it would not be a good thing for her to take her as a concubine. She could not resist the pressure, especially Wang Xifeng.
If she was only allowed to be a maid, Jia Lian felt that she had been wronged and couldn't bear it.
As for sending her home...
If the Zhen family is still around, it's not impossible, just do a good deed and reunite the Xiangling family.
But he knew that the Zhen family had long been destroyed. Xiangling's father, Zhen Shiyin, also became a Taoist priest. I don't know if her old mother is still alive. If she is alive, perhaps only Jia Yucun knows where she is.
This is not difficult. You can go back to Jia Yucun and find out. However, Jia Lian felt that even if Xiangling's mother was still alive, she would not be able to shoulder the responsibility of raising Xiangling alone as a weak woman. Therefore, Jia Lian also wanted to find out the whereabouts of Xiang Ling's mother and take her over to reunite with Xiang Ling.
In other words, whether it was for his own selfish reasons or to be good to Xiang Ling, it was best for her to stay by his side and be protected by him.
It's just a matter of title... Otherwise, why don't we just accept her as a foster sister?
Jia Lian's hesitation made Xiang Ling feel more and more that Jia Lian wanted to send her away. She didn't know where Jia Lian was sending her away, and she didn't dare to think about it. She was just afraid.
She cried even more sadly and kept begging.
Jin Cai's wife became sad and advised: "Second Master, why don't you agree to her? It's so pitiful."
In the eyes of Jin Cai's wife, it would be easy for a girl like this who was abducted and left her hometown to remember her parents in her hometown, but she had asked them before, and Xiang Ling basically couldn't remember them.
In this case, the only way to find a good home is to take him in.
Jia Lian was just stunned when he saw that Xiang Ling was already crying. Then he bent down to help her up and said, "Are you really willing to follow me all the time, even if you are just a maid?"
Xiangling kept nodding her head and said: "As long as the second master doesn't dislike you, I am willing to serve the second master for the rest of my life."
At Xiangling's age, she actually knows everything there is to know. She also knows that the kidnapper is also planning to sell her to a wealthy family. During this time, she has already begun to inquire about them. As long as the price is right, he will Sold her.
Whether she was a maid or a concubine... she was probably a concubine. Xiang Ling heard the kidnapper say when he scolded her that with her appearance, she had to be a concubine for others so that she wouldn't lose money. Maybe she could sell well. A few hundred taels of silver!
Many people will never make this kind of money in their lifetime.
This is the reason why those kidnappers abduct and sell young girls. As long as they abduct a good-looking person and feed them for seven or eight years, they are sure to make a profit without losing money.
Although Xiangling didn't think Jia Lian would betray her, she was unfamiliar and scared of the outside world, so she just wanted to stay by Jia Lian's side.
Jia Lian laughed, hugged her and sat on the stool, and then said: "Even if you want to be a maid, it will happen after tomorrow. Today's meal is specially prepared for you. If you don't eat, won't you?" Did you fail me?"
Seeing that Xiang Ling was a little dazed, Jin Cai's daughter-in-law stepped forward to arrange the dishes and chopsticks for her, and said with a smile: "Girl is still stupid, the second master has promised you. Since you are a girl in our family, you have to listen to the second master's words. His name is You eat, just eat, don’t be afraid.”
Jincai's wife had already noticed that, with Xiangling's appearance, she would definitely be a concubine in the future. If she had another son and a half, her status would be even different. This girl seems very innocent at first sight. If you make friends with her better now, it may be beneficial in the future.
Hearing Jin Cai's wife say the same thing, Xiang Ling finally sat down peacefully, but she didn't move her chopsticks.
Jincai's wife took the initiative to prepare food for her.
When Jia Lian saw it, he ordered: "Okay, just leave two people here to serve. Everyone else can go down."
Therefore, Jincai's wife left only two people to serve in the hall, and left with the others.
Jia Lian saw Xiang Ling holding chopsticks as if she didn't know how to eat, so she took the initiative to pick up a small piece of fish and put it to Xiang Ling's mouth, asking her to open her mouth.
Xiangling was a little uneasy, but under Jia Lian's gaze, she could only open her thin lips obediently and take the fish meat that Jia Lian handed over.
Jia Lian brought another dish for her to taste, and then said: "If you feel at ease, I will keep feeding you, just don't do anything."
Xiangling thought Jia Lian was blaming her and was about to go down immediately. Fortunately, Jia Lian held her down in advance and sighed helplessly: "Silly girl, I'm letting you eat by yourself. Otherwise, we might end up eating this meal." It’ll be morning tomorrow.”
Xiangling's cheeks turned red, and she finally plucked up the courage to pick up the bowl in front of her. She glanced at Jia Lian secretly, and seeing his encouraging expression, she lowered her head and picked up the duck meat that Jin Cai's wife had given her. Take a bite.
The oil overflowed and the strong smell of meat made her frown unknowingly.
Jia Lian then laughed with satisfaction.
…
It took half an hour to finish the meal. Jia Lian led Xiang Ling off the table and asked the maid next to her: "Where is the room arranged for her by Jin Cai's family?"
"Reporting to the second master, in the second master's room, Aunt Jin asked us to clean up the small cubicle next to it, saying that it would be convenient for her to serve the second master."
When Jia Lian first moved in, the people below arranged for two young daughters-in-law to serve him.
Although he didn't say it explicitly, Jia Lian also knew the meaning.
But under Ping'er's gaze, Jia Lian was someone who had a crush on Wang Xifeng. How could he take these servants' wives in his eyes? Naturally, he drove them out without mercy.
Therefore, there was no one serving in his room, and Jin Cai's wife's arrangement was within his expectation.
Asking others to take Xiang Ling back first, Jia Lian went to the outer courtyard and practiced boxing with Zhang Yong for another hour before returning.
This old house is much more convenient than the Lin Mansion. Not only can you practice long-distance running, but it also has a dedicated martial arts field.
It can be seen that the martial arts style of the old house is stronger than that of the Guogong Mansion built by the royal family in Beijing. It is not known whether the emperor at that time deliberately did not build a martial arts field, or the Jia family no longer needed it...
After taking a shower, I walked back to the house. At this time, the housekeepers and wives had packed up the beds and left, leaving Xiangling alone in the house.
Xiangling had already learned a lot of rules entrusted to her by housekeepers and wives, so when she saw Jia Lian coming in, she quickly poured Jia Lian a cup of tea.
Jia Lian took a sip and saw that Xiang Ling was still a little fresh, so he pulled her to sit on the edge of the tea table and said softly: "From now on, you can follow me with peace of mind. You can tell me anything you want." , as long as I am here, no one will dare to bully you.
Also, talk more usually, I like to listen to you. "
Xiangling nodded shyly.
Jia Lian said again: "By the way, let me give you another name. From now on, you will be called Xiangling, the fragrance of flowers, the water chestnut of lotus leaves and water chestnuts. What do you think?"
Xiangling's previous name, Yinglian, was homophonic to Yinglian, which Jia Lian felt was not very good. However, the word "Xiangling" chosen by Baochai was both elegant and nice-sounding.
Xiangling was about to bow down immediately and said, "Thank you, Second Master, for giving me the name. From now on, my name will be Xiangling."
Jia Lian held her up with one hand and said, "Don't kneel to me every now and then. I'm not a landlord or a rich man. Why do you, a little girl, kneel to me?"
Xiangling said this and smiled sheepishly.
Jia Lian drank tea again and stood up, "It's getting late, you should go back to sleep."
Xiangling blushed and said, "I~I'm here to help the second master sleep..."
Jia Lian saw her look, smiled, picked her up, and when she was obviously nervous but silent, he carried her to the small bed outside, put her on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and finally put her on the small bed outside. She bounced her head and said with a smile: "Whenever you truly learn to serve others, come and give me a good night's sleep. For now, just sleep on your own."
After saying that, he turned around, blew out the candle on the cabinet, and walked back to the inner room.
What he said about sleeping in peace was clearly an attempt to induce him to commit a crime, but he would not be fooled.
