It was almost dusk when I came out of the court, and the setting clouds gave the afterglow a layer of warmth, spreading quietly on the street.
Chu Yao, who had not had a drop of water all day, was in a trance at this moment, feeling quite like a nirvana after a disaster.
People came out one after another behind her. Most of the innocent guests were released after the case was settled. They had been tortured more or less and they did not dare to point fingers at her in front of the Yamen. They only dared to steal. They whispered and left together in twos and threes.
Chu Yao was still puzzled about something, so she turned to ask her frowning mother: "Mom, didn't I use all the thousand taels the Lu family gave me to buy a house? Why do my aunt and others still think I have a thousand taels?"
She and her mother were the only people who knew about the one thousand taels. Her mother also saw her putting the thousand taels of silver notes into the hands of the Lu family with her own eyes, and the written receipt was also written in front of her mother.
When Mrs. Zhou heard Chu Yao suddenly ask this, she avoided her eyes for a long time, and finally understood what she said after a while: "The man from the Lu family later sent the banknote back. I know you refused to accept it, so...so... I stayed secretly..."
Chu Yao was speechless for a moment and was extremely disappointed with her mother: it turned out that the root cause of this unnecessary disaster was actually her mother's greed and showoff.
That day, someone from the Lu family came to deliver the house deed, and her mother pressed her fingerprints regardless of her wishes. She had no choice but to acknowledge it, and made it clear to her mother repeatedly that she hoped her mother would discuss everything with her in the future before making a decision.
But her mother still accepted the thousand taels sent back by the Lu family without telling her.
If such a terrible thing hadn't happened today, I don't know how long my mother would have kept it a secret from her.
Mrs. Zhou saw her daughter standing there quietly, with no trace of emotion on her face, looking at her coolly...
Ms. Zhou panicked. No matter what she did to make her daughter unhappy, her daughter would never look at her like this. She would refute, advise, and even quarrel with her. But now, my daughter refuses to say a word to her. Is it because she is too disappointed in her? Will she resent her mother for this?
"Ayao, mother was wrong. Mother will never do such a thing again." Mrs. Zhou hurriedly apologized to her daughter, "Mother will never associate with them again in the future. Mother promises that she really won't. You don't want to Is it okay to be angry with your mother? At worst, I will return the thousand taels to the Lu family. I don’t want it anymore, not even a copper plate..."
Chu Yao turned her eyes away, not wanting to see her mother crying and apologizing to herself: "I'm tired, let's go home."
Before leaving, she said goodbye to Su Nian and asked her a few questions about her plans after leaving.
Su Nian smiled and looked very relaxed: "Ayao, don't worry about me. My father taught me how to read and write since I was a child. I plan to be a teacher in the future. If things don't go well, I can also make money by copying books for others. , you will never be hungry..."
As a Heli person, Chu Yao admired her for being able to make a living for herself with her skills: "Cousin... no, I'll call you sister. Sister stepped forward to testify for me today. I'm very grateful in my heart." , I have a shop in my hands, and I haven’t decided yet what to do for a living. If I don’t mind, I would like to hand over the shop to my sister to run a private school or open a bookstore..."
Su Nian thought that she made the decision impulsively because she was eager to repay her kindness. She smiled softly and said no, "My testifying for you today is not a favor. Instead, I feel very guilty. If I had found a chance to remind you earlier, you would have You don’t have to suffer this hardship. Just keep the shop. If anyone needs my help in the shop in the future, you can come to me. You were frightened today, go back and have a good rest..."
Although Chu Yao was indeed a little impulsive, she would never regret it in the future. Su Nian did not accept her kindness for the time being, and this kind of thing could not be settled in a few words.
Let’s talk about it later.
Qiu He came to Chu Yao crying and said helplessly: "Cousin, my father and my mother are both locked up, and my brother's marriage is gone. My brother said it was all my fault..."
Today in court, Qiu He's testimony also played a big role. The third aunt slapped her on the spot, and the third uncle pointed at her and scolded her for not having a daughter like her in the future. Although Qiu He's brother was not in jail, he was alone. After leaving the court, he took off his wedding robe and threw it away, cursing and walking away.
Qiu He didn't dare to go home. She knew her brother had a bad temper and would definitely be beaten if she went back.
"You come home with me. The new house I bought has a lot of rooms. You can stay there as long as you want." She broke up with her family because of herself. Chu Yao didn't say much about her parents, but just stood up for her. Wiping away her tears, she coaxed softly, "Stop crying. When we move here, I'll take you to the store and buy you rouge and the new peach blossom dew, okay?"
Qiu He paused crying and asked her: "What is peach blossom dew?"
"It's used to apply on the face." Qiu He is a little girl who loves beauty. She likes to dress herself up since she was a child. Chu Yao knows how to make her happy. "I heard that using peach blossom dew on the face will make the skin whiter and tender..."
After saying goodbye to Su Nian, Chu Yao got into the carriage with Qiu He.
Still riding Jiang Qingci's carriage.
He was busy today, which made Chu Yao feel very sorry. She looked at him several times, wanting to say some words of thanks to him, but every time their eyes met, and she was about to speak, the other person hurriedly looked away, as if he was avoiding her on purpose.
After doing this several times, Chu Yao never said the thanks she had been preparing in her heart.
She thought that she must have troubled him too much today, and he must be feeling tired.
Zhien repays the favor, Su Nian helped her, she wanted to give her a shop, Qiu He helped her, she could give her rouge and gouache, Jiang Qingci also worked tirelessly to help today, how should she express her thanks? ?
Pei Zhan had bought all the antiques, calligraphy and paintings before. How could there be anything useful at home now?
Let's go back to the street to buy some gifts.
The carriage arrived at the door of the house, and when Chu Yao said goodbye to Jiang Qingci, he suddenly asked her: "Mrs. Chu, when will you move?"
"Pack up tomorrow and move the day after tomorrow." Now, I don't care about the auspicious or unlucky days. It's better to get busy quickly and forget about these worrying things.
I thought he was just asking casually, but on the day of moving, when Chu Yao and Qiu He had just packed up their things and were about to move out, he came over with two boys and stood openly in front of her house, smiling. Gentle and soothing: "Ms. Chu, let me help you move."
He was obviously well prepared. He wore a neat indigo straight skirt with narrow sleeves and a wide-brimmed brocade belt around his waist. It was a little less elegant and a little more down-to-earth and lively.
The eyes of the aunts and aunts who were chatting and waving cattail fans around him were suddenly attracted to him.
Chu Yao was surprised and a little flustered: "No, no need, why bother the office?"
"Don't bother, we men are stronger after all. You and sister Qiu He can get some light ones, and leave the rest to us." He took the wooden box in her arms smoothly, and the two boys immediately moved quickly. Get busy, moving in and out of luggage and items to the oxcart hired in advance...
Chu Yao was a little confused. For a moment, she couldn't believe that the gentle, elegant and well-educated young master would come to help her do such a rough job.
When something goes wrong, there must be a monster. He suddenly became so attentive. Could it be because...
Chu Yao glanced at Qiu He secretly: Could it be because of Qiu He?
At the wedding banquet the day before yesterday, the distant gaze he cast across the crowd and the smile he raised seemed to be aimed at Qiu He.
Today she was even more direct. She knew Qiu He lived with her and would help her move, so she brought two people here to help.
It must be!
Qiu He is cute and cute, and at the same age as a flower, it is a good time to attract people.
After figuring this out, Chu Yao was no longer as embarrassed as before, and she felt a little more calm and relaxed when facing Jiang Qingci.
She and Qiu He were responsible for picking up some scattered small items, while the heavier ones were handed over to Jiang Qingci and the two boys.
Zhou's body was plump and bulky, and several of the young men were busy going back and forth. Not only was she unable to get along, but she was causing trouble, so she simply took a cattail leaf fan and sat outside, chatting with the women and old friends in the neighborhood.
When those people saw her coming, they naturally couldn't help but ask: "Whose husband is that? He is so handsome and looks very familiar with your A-Yao. Could he be your future son-in-law?"
Zhou knew Jiang Qingci's identity, so she couldn't help but show off a little: "That man is the son of a high-ranking official in Suizhou City. He is friends with my A-Yao. A-Yao almost suffered a loss the day before yesterday, thanks to this You gentleman, you helped A Yao get justice..."
As for her future son-in-law, Mrs. Zhou never dared to think about it: "But I am a noble son, and my A-Yao has been married and had children before. He is not a good match. I am not here for A-Yao today..." "
She thought the same as Chu Yao, thinking that Jiang Qing was here for Qiu He when she resigned.
"It's not for your A-Yao, but for your cousin A-Yao?" The women were older and had sharp eyes. They shook their heads after hearing what Zhou said, "No, I think it's for your A-Yao... "
Mrs. Zhou still didn't believe it and said with a smile: "Don't make fun of my A-Yao..."
With the help of Jiang Qingci and the others, the things that originally took two hours to move were emptied out in more than half an hour.
Chu Yao took one last look at the empty courtyard and then locked the door.
Mrs. Zhou and her neighbors gave another instruction: "If my two sons come back one day, you must tell them that we moved to the city and live in Shuanghuai Lane next to the Washi. Let them know Go there and find us..."
When Chu Yao heard these words, her heart felt sour.
After so many years, there is no news about her two brothers. Those who were captured as soldiers together with her brothers have all come back alive. Even if they died in battle, letters and pensions have been sent back. Only her two brothers have returned. A brother who lives without seeing anyone and doesn’t know life or death.
Jiang Qingci invited Chu Yaoqiuhe and Zhou to ride in his carriage, and asked his two young men to ride in an ox cart to look after the luggage.
In the car, Jiang Qingci said with some surprise: "I just heard from my aunt that your newly bought house is in Shuanghuai Lane. What a coincidence, my family also lives in that alley..."
"Really?" Chu Yao was stunned for a moment, "What a coincidence, but I really didn't know your mansion was there before..."
"From now on, we can be considered neighbors. If you need help, just ask."
"Ya Nei has helped me a lot, and I don't even know how to repay it..."
"Whatever you say about whether you can repay it or not, if Mrs. Chu treats me as a friend, you don't have to be polite to me." He said, suddenly remembered something, and took out two palm-long white porcelain robes from the wooden box beside him. The bottle came, "I heard you mention Peach Blossom Dew the day before yesterday, so I asked someone to buy two bottles from Jiarenzhai. You guys try it. If it works well, I'll ask someone to buy more..." He said and handed it to Chu. Yao and Qiuhe.
Jiarenzhai is the best powder shop in Suizhou City. The products inside are all excellent, and the prices are naturally quite high. In the past, when she was still in the Lu family, she would occasionally go shopping with the two girls from the Lu family, and buying a few here and there would cost more than ten taels of silver.
I wonder how much these two bottles of peach blossom dew cost?
It seemed that he really liked Qiu He. He actually listened to what she said casually to coax Qiu He, and even specially asked someone to buy it from Jia Ren Zhai.
I was able to take advantage of Qiu He and get a bottle.
Qiu He was overjoyed, accepted it happily, and thanked shyly: "Thank you Jiang Yanei."
"It's costing the government office." Chu Yao had a smile on her face, but she was thinking in her heart that she couldn't let the money for buying peach blossom dew go to waste. She would have to give him a bigger thank you gift later.
The favor I owed him seemed to snowball, getting bigger and bigger.
It was already noon when they arrived at the new house, and the ox cart pulling the luggage had not yet arrived. After unloading some luggage from the cart, they were so tired that they each found a place to sit and rest.
Chu Yao had someone clean the house inside and out a few days ago. It was still clean, but there was no furniture. Qiu He sat on the swing, looking tired and sleepy. Jiang Qingci sat on the stone bench, looked at the house, and praised her for her good taste. Because Zhou didn't contribute much, she was in good spirits and wandered around casually. The more she looked at the yard, the more she liked it.
Chu Yao had no time to spare. She planned to go to a nearby restaurant to order some food. When the bullock cart arrived, everyone would have lunch together.
"I'll go to a nearby restaurant to buy some food. What do you want to eat?" she asked.
When Qiu He heard about the food, he immediately announced the name of the dish happily: "Cousin, I want to eat Dongpo pork! I also want to drink ginger honey water!"
"Okay." Chu Yao agreed with a smile and looked at Jiang Qingci, "What do you want to eat in Yanei?"
Jiang Qingci stood up: "I will go to the restaurant with you and help you carry things..."
Chu Yao wanted to keep him here with Qiu He for a while: "It's better for the yamen to rest here for a while. I can go by myself. There are idle people in the restaurants. I'll just ask them to bring them back."
"It's okay, I'm not tired..."
"You've been busy all morning, how can you not be tired?" As he stood up, Chu Yao happened to catch a glimpse of a tear in his clothes at some point, about two or three inches in the lower back.
There were needles and threads in the few small bundles that happened to be brought over. Chu Yao asked Qiu He to find them: "Qiu He, while you have nothing to do at this moment, please help Jiang Yanei mend his clothes."
"Well, okay!" Qiu He glanced at Jiang Qingci, lowered his head and smiled, and quickly went to find needle and thread.
Chu Yao went out. Although Jiang Qingci didn't tell her what she liked to eat, she had eaten with him once before and still remembered where they ate and what dishes they ordered.
So she went to the restaurant again and ordered the same dishes as last time. In early autumn, the four-cheeked seabass and water shield are very plump, as well as the Dongpo pork that Qiu He asked for. After Chu Yao told her where to live, she paid the money and asked the shopkeeper to arrange for the idle man to deliver it.
On the way back, I went to a shop selling cooked water, asked for ginger honey water and cooked perilla water, and walked back slowly with them.
There were not so many clouds at noon in early autumn. The sun shone brightly, and the streets were covered with silvery light. After a while, my skin became a little red from the sun.
I should have known better when I went out with an umbrella.
She was a little wilted from the sun, she lowered her head and counted the green bricks on the ground, and her steps became more and more dragging...
A pair of indigo straight-leg clothes suddenly appeared in front of her, and the bamboo embossed pattern made her immediately recognize him.
Looking up, Jiang Qingci was holding a green umbrella in his hand. The noble and elegant young man was like a clear spring, standing on the silvery street, with a particularly warm smile.
"I'll do it," he took the two pots of boiled water from her with one hand, moved the umbrella above her, turned around and walked side by side with her, "Let's go, Ayao..."
The last two words seemed to be a bit shy and were spoken very softly, but Chu Yao still heard them.
Wait, something seems wrong?
Why don't you call her Mrs. Chu?
