After Gao Xiuer received Shen Tianshu's instructions from Zhang Muqiu, he began to think about how to create opportunities for himself to inquire.
Jiang Yuling has four personal maids, and she only has a good relationship with one of them, Qiu Tao.
But this is also based on her understanding of propriety and advance and retreat.
If you keep pestering the other person to inquire about personal affairs, it will be difficult to maintain the relationship.
How to make the other party take the initiative to tell the information she wants to know without feeling that she is deliberately prying. This is the most difficult thing.
No matter what, we must first create opportunities to talk together.
So that afternoon, Gao Xiuer asked Qiutao to go to the well at the entrance of the alley to wash clothes.
Jiang Yuling's condition has relapsed recently, so she has to wash more things.
Gao Xiuer spent a long time shopping around at home before managing to collect most of the clothes in the basin, but the clothes in the autumn peach basin were full to the brim.
There were not many people at the well in the afternoon. Apart from the two of them, there were only a few women living in the alley, chatting loudly.
A woman with a long face said with a smile while washing the clothes in her hands: "Sister-in-law Liu, I saw you cutting meat at the market this morning, carrying such a large piece of meat and leaving, and you didn't hear me calling you!
"It's rare to see you so generous. Money falls from the sky, and it just happens to fall in your yard?"
"Bah! You really can't spit out ivory from a dog's mouth!" Sister-in-law Liu laughed and spat, "Isn't it almost the Mid-Autumn Festival? The greedy boys in my family are stretching their necks in anticipation!
"I was thinking that life at home has been really tight in the past two months, and we don't have much energy in our stomachs, so I'm going to buy a piece of meat to satisfy those guys' cravings.
"But if I go to buy it on the Mid-Autumn Festival, the price will definitely increase. I might as well just go there today. It's all meat anyway. It's not enough to eat it on any day. It's better to save a little!"
"Sister-in-law Liu's family's life is better than mine. Let's see how hard they can live. You don't know that my wife has already said that she wants to eat Gui Fuxiang's dim sum during the Mid-Autumn Festival. More than half of it A man of his age is more greedy than a half-grown boy, yet he still chooses the expensive ones to eat, what can he do with that money?”
"Hey, the Mid-Autumn Festival only comes once a year, so you can eat something good! If you want to satisfy your craving next time, you'll have to wait until the Chinese New Year."
"That's right. You can't eat it more than once a year..."
Several people were laughing and talking as if no one else was watching.
The topic quickly moved from the Mid-Autumn Festival to trivial life matters such as the recent increase in vegetable prices and disobedient children at home.
Qiutao was washing clothes while listening, but when she heard what happened behind her, she gradually slowed down her movements and sighed quietly.
"Have you been homesick for many days?" Gao Xiuer saw this and took the opportunity to say, "It seems that you may not be able to go back to the Jiang family during the Mid-Autumn Festival this year, so you will have to stay in Yongzhou Mansion."
"My parents and brothers are all working in Zhuangzi in the south. I'm the only one at home. It doesn't matter whether I go back to celebrate the festival or not." Qiu Tao said and glanced at Gao Xiuer with envy, "As good as you are. There are so few people living with my father, mother, brothers and sister-in-law that I can’t leave here. They don’t have errands and can’t go home casually, so they rarely see each other once a year. It’s been several years since I’ve been with my family. Let’s celebrate the Mid-Autumn Festival together.”
"If they can't come, then you go to Zhuangzi to celebrate the festival!" Gao Xiuer said, "I've been watching these days, and I feel that Mrs. Jiang and Miss Jiang are both very kind people. If you want to visit your parents, can you still do it? Are you not allowed to take a leave?"
"Well, ever since the girl got this disease, she has been inseparable from others. She also refused to use outsiders, only the four of us who have been with her since childhood.
"Four of us are too busy on duty, so how can we get time off to see my parents?"
Gao Xiuer consoled her, "It's okay. Once my wife has completely cured your girl's illness, you can take the time to go home and take a look."
But Qiu Tao shook her head and said: "It's not as easy as you said. Once the girl's illness is cured, it's time to get busy with getting married. By then, you will have to marry with the girl. It will be even harder to see your family in the future. .”
"No wonder the gift list that Mrs. Jiang received that day had a particularly generous one. I was thinking at the time, who could give such generous gifts? It was just the Mid-Autumn Festival, not the Chinese New Year, but they actually gave so many things. It turned out to be Miss Jiang's husband's family. ah?"
"Isn't that right? The old lady in law has not been in good health since the beginning of this year, and she always talks about having to watch her grandson get married before she can die.
"When everyone heard this at first, it was just for comfort. They couldn't hurry up and get married just because the old lady said this. Instead, they seemed to be hoping that the old lady would leave soon.
"Who would have thought that the old lady's illness has lasted for more than half a year, and instead of getting better, it has become more and more serious. I have seen many doctors, but they all said they are not optimistic. It is estimated that she will only have a year left at most.
"That's why they got anxious and wanted to get married as soon as possible. Because of this reason, no one could find an excuse to delay, so the girl finally agreed to come out for medical treatment."
"So that's it!" Gao Xiuer suddenly realized after hearing this. No wonder Mrs. Jiang always looked worried. Miss Jiang's condition has been relapsing in recent days, and she was even more worried than ever.
"So, regardless of whether it's a madam or a girl, she is very anxious. But Mrs. Tong went out and couldn't come back in time. Our madam is so anxious that her mouth is blistering and she can't eat or drink anything." Qiutao said in a low voice.
Gao Xiuer could naturally hear the complaint in Qiu Tao's words, but what could she do? Now that the Shen family was doing some mundane things, even if Shen Tianshu didn't want to see Mrs. Xu anymore, he had to pay attention to her death.
"It's just a bad time. I was delayed outside for a while, and I will definitely be back in two days.
"Besides, Dr. Zhang's medical skills are also very good. Just keep your heart in your stomach. Since our wife said it can be cured, then it will definitely be cured."
"Oh? Your wife is so capable? How dare she speak so confidently?"
As soon as Gao Xiuer finished speaking, Qiu Tao had not yet spoken, but suddenly a man's voice came from behind.
The voice was so close that it seemed as if it was spoken directly into the ears of the two people.
Gao Xiuer and Qiu Tao were both startled, and both turned to look behind them.
They saw a middle-aged man standing behind them with his hands behind his back, blatantly eavesdropping.
"What's wrong with you?" Gao Xiuer raised his eyebrows and asked, "Looking at your age and your appearance, how could you do such a thing as eavesdropping on others!"
The man straightened up and stood still, and said with a half-smile, "You were talking in public at the entrance of the alley, and I heard you when I was closer. How can you be considered eavesdropping?"
"Are you getting closer? You must have come here on purpose to listen!" Gao Xiuer was so angry that she bent down and picked up the wooden basin and said to Qiutao, "Let's go back! Remember, if you are alone in the future When you go out, be sure to stay away from such shameless people."
The man was not angry after what she said, he just smiled and watched the two of them packing their clothes.
At this time, someone else walked into the alley. When they saw the man, they immediately turned around and came up to him and said, "Master, the young one is back."
Gao Xiuer squinted her eyes, feeling that this person looked familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before.
"Xiu'er, hurry up and go!"
"Hey, here we come." Qiutao's urging interrupted Gao Xiuer's memories. She hurriedly agreed and took a few steps to catch up.
"What's wrong?"
"It's okay, I just look familiar to that person, but I can't remember him."
"Hey, we all live in the same alley. You can't see each other if you look up, but everyone looks familiar!"
Gao Xiuer thought about it and found out that this was indeed the case, and murmured dissatisfiedly: "It's really unlucky to live in an alley with such a person!"
