Holding three or four exquisitely crafted purses, Zhao Yuanyi ran home quickly.
"It scared me to death! It was really scary!"
After entering the main room, Zhao Yuanyi's heart was still beating.
"What? The neighbors to the west are hard to talk to?"
Or even a messy bad guy?
Gu Qingcheng saw that his cheap niece's expression was not right, so she asked.
However, she rejected her guess in her heart - she didn't hear any noise, so the next door should be fine.
And her eyes fell on the purses held by Zhao Yuanyi.
Although the material used is the most common fine linen, the embroidery thread is not very fine, and the embroidery pattern is simple.
However, Gu Qingcheng was someone who had seen good things. She could tell at a glance that the person who made this purse must have excellent embroidery skills.
Even ordinary fabrics and household items can't help but display superb skills.
Is the neighbor to the west an embroiderer?
In other words, do you have ancestral skills in your family?
Gu Qingcheng thought to herself.
However, regardless of whether the person is an embroiderer or not, being able to "return the gift" also shows that she understands etiquette.
Since he understands etiquette, why is Zhao Yuanyi afraid of being like this?
"Auntie, you don't know, that old lady is not hard to talk to, but she is cold all over!"
"When I saw her, I couldn't help but restrain myself. I didn't even dare to breathe."
"Auntie, what does the old lady next door do? Why does she look more powerful than the old lady next to Mrs. Cui?"
Zhao Yuanyi didn't have much knowledge. If she hadn't been with Gu Qingcheng, she wouldn't even have been able to get in touch with noble people like Mrs. Cui.
And the most noble and powerful person she could think of was Mrs. Cui.
Oh, and the old nanny from the Cui family.
It is said that Mrs. Cui invited her from the capital and was a retired female official from the palace.
The old grandma looked kind, but she was very particular about every move she made.
When Zhao Yuanyi saw her, she couldn't help but feel inferior and didn't know where to put her hands and feet.
The old lady next door was actually more polite and solemn than the old lady of the Cui family. Zhao Yuanyi was immediately intimidated by her aura.
"More powerful than Grandma Chen?"
Gu Qingcheng raised his eyebrows.
Grandma Chen of the Cui family was a female official released from the palace.
However, she is not someone who can be used by the queen, concubines, etc., she is just an ordinary female official of the Shangshi Bureau.
When he was old, he was released from the palace.
She didn't want to get married, and she didn't want to be sucked by her best relatives, so she wanted to be a nun in a wealthy family.
Mrs. Cui has no daughters herself, but has several concubines.
Mrs. Cui is a typical matron of a wealthy family. She will not be bitter and jealous, and she will not tolerate concubines.
On the contrary, Mrs. Cui feels that whether she is a concubine or a concubine, as long as she is well educated, she will be a help to her children and grandchildren.
However, she was too lazy to teach him personally.
She wrote to her relatives in Beijing to help find a nanny.
There is no need to deliberately look for the best, as long as the rules and etiquette are acceptable.
So, there was Grandma Chen.
Gu Qingcheng became good friends with Mrs. Cui and had contact with Grandma Chen.
Every time he went to the county government office, Gu Qingcheng would take a "maid" with him, and Zhao Yuanyi followed him a few times.
Mrs. Cui is okay. She is noble, but she doesn't pay attention to any rules.
As for Nanny Chen, she had just come out of the palace and was very careful about everything she said and did.
I came to the magistrate's house to educate the girls.
She pays special attention to rules.
Every time Zhao Yuanyi sees Nanny Chen, she is instinctively afraid, but she also wants to get closer.
She is just ignorant, but not stupid.
All the ladies from the magistrate's family have to learn from Grandma Chen. If she can get even a little bit of guidance, it will only be good for her!
"Yes! She didn't pretend to be pretentious on purpose, but she just looks respectable and scary!"
Zhao Yuanyi said seriously.
oh?
So impressive?
Gu Qingcheng secretly guessed that the person on the west side was also a maid from the palace.
Or is she a real female official with status and rank who has served noble people?
The embroidery work is exquisite + impressive?
Gu Qingcheng couldn't help but become curious.
She became interested in her neighbors on the west side, who were also discussing her.
"She is a person of etiquette. I heard that the mistress is also a chaste woman!"
The nanny who scared Zhao Yuanyi so much spoke to a seven or eight-year-old girl in a warm voice.
However, when it came to the word "chaste woman", she did not praise it as much as Wan did.
It is admirable for young people to observe discipline, but it should not be encouraged.
A man can remarry his wife after his death, even without waiting for three years. Why should a woman remain a widow for the rest of her life?
Her young lady just passed away, and as a result, her uncle--
Thinking of this, a coldness flashed across Mammy's eyes.
What a heartless and unjust man, he really let down the lady's sincerity.
The most hateful thing is that this person doesn't even care about his own flesh and blood.
Poor little lady, she is such a noble person, but she has been raised to have a low self-esteem and a cowardly character.
She is timid, shivering, and has a petty air, but how can she have any bright and flamboyant personality of her own lady?
"..."
The little girl lowered her head, her face was thin, and her expression was shrinking.
She nervously twisted the ribbon on her dress, said nothing, and did not dare to raise her head.
When grandma saw it, she felt angry again.
She was not angry with the little lady, but she scolded the betrayer and bastard father over and over again in her heart.
"Little miss, try this steamed cake. Although it is a bit rough, it is better than clean!"
Grandma suppressed her anger and spoke softly to the little girl.
In her mind, she was thinking that the little girl named Yuan Yi said that the Gu family next door was sickly.
She has a soft temperament and should be easy to get in touch with.
If possible, you can let your little lady get in touch with Mr. Gu.
This child is too cowardly, but fortunately he is young and can still break him.
However, grandma felt sorry for her and didn't want to follow the rules directly, so she wanted to take her time.
Next door, maybe it's an opportunity.
…
After visiting the neighbors and roughly confirming that none of them were competitive or sarcastic, Gu Qingcheng felt relieved.
After Zhao Qingyun settled down at home, he went to the academy to report.
Cousin Goudan'er worked as a bookboy with Zhao Qingyun, helping with errands, carrying school bags and other trivial matters.
Zhao Qingsong set up a small school field at home, doing horse walking and driving wooden stakes, and practiced seriously every day.
As for Gu Qingcheng, he occasionally visits Mrs. Cui and spends the rest of the time at home recuperating.
After Zhao Yuanyi is busy, she will go out of her house and interact with her neighbors on the east and west sides.
Slowly, Gu Qingcheng gained a deeper understanding of her neighbors——
On the east side is Mr. Zheng's house. Mr. Zheng is weak and cannot work too hard. The virtuous and capable Wan family is taking care of the house and outside.
Wan's eldest son is thirteen years old this year. He has passed the college examination and is the youngest scholar in the county.
The second son and second daughter are twins, both seven years old this year.
The second son is studying in the academy, while the daughter is studying with her mother and rarely goes out on weekdays.
However, through a wall, Gu Qingcheng could always hear the girl's laughter and endorsement, and knew that the little girl next door was a lively and smart child.
The neighbors on the west side are "grandfather and grandson".
Grandmother Liang was an embroiderer when she was young.
When his daughter-in-law died, he took his only granddaughter to Beijing to join relatives.
But when passing through the county town, my granddaughter fell ill and her condition was not very good.
Liang had no choice but to rent a house and stay in the county town to take care of her granddaughter.
Without money, Liang had no choice but to return to his old business and make money through embroidery.
Gu Qingcheng looked at Zhao Yuanyi with fear and admiration when he mentioned the Liang family, and his heart moved: "Yuanyi, do you want to learn embroidery?"
Ahem, she doesn't want to raise a cheap niece.
She really didn't want to buy ready-made clothes anymore, and Zhao Yuanyi's needlework was just average.
Gu Qingcheng is used to being particular and wants to create conditions even if there are no conditions.
After cultivating Zhao Yuanyi, she can wear exquisite and satisfactory clothes in a reasonable and reasonable manner.
"think!"
Zhao Yuanyi is well aware of the saying that "a craftsman will never die of hunger in a disaster year". In the past, there was no opportunity, but now that the opportunity is at hand, there is no reason for her to refuse.
Unbeknownst to Zhao Qingyun, his own mother had already had deeper contact with her neighbors on the west side.
And he, with his super talent, won the favor of Mr. Zheng.
"Oh? You also live in the back street of the academy? We are still neighbors."
Mr. Zheng was a little surprised. After school, he took the initiative to invite Zhao Qingyun to his home.
Zheng Wanjun was sitting under the verandah, holding his little face in his hands, thinking about how to use what he had learned to create financial resources for his family. When he raised his eyes, he saw a fair-skinned, delicate and beautiful boy!
(End of chapter)
