Smoke curled up from cooking kitchens, and the tranquility of the remote and peaceful mountain village was broken by the sound of rapid horse hooves.
They were a group of outsiders. The middle-aged man who led them scattered a handful of coins, easily got the information they wanted, and went straight to a house at the end of the village. Seeing this, the bored villagers hurried to follow, talking and guessing as they walked.
"The little lady's family has come to find her, right? I've long said that the young lady must be a girl from a wealthy family, and it's true!"
"Tsk tsk, now the life of the old Wang and his wife is settled."
…
The group of outsiders ignored the followers and comments of the villagers and hurriedly knocked on the door of a house to explain their intention.
"Excuse me, I would like to ask my uncle, did you save a little girl two days ago?" The middle-aged man rushed to the old man who opened the door and cupped his hands, his expression could not hide his eagerness.
The old man was stunned. The imposing manners of the middle-aged man and his group made him dare not neglect him. He nodded quickly: "The old man went to collect firewood two days ago and saved a little girl. You are -"
The middle-aged man breathed a sigh of relief and glanced at the courtyard while explaining: "My girl accidentally fell off a cliff while hiking two days ago. My family has been looking for her everywhere. Today I heard that an old man from your village rescued a little girl when he went into the mountain. , so I found it..."
The middle-aged man's name is Duan Wenbai, and he is the second master of the Shaoqing Mansion. The girl he was talking about was not his daughter, but his niece, whose surname was Kou and whose maiden name was Qingqing.
Kou Qingqing was hiking and playing with three girls from the Shaoqing Mansion two days ago. He accidentally slipped and fell off a cliff, which led to what happened today.
The old man invited people into the main room and pointed to the west room with a shabby door curtain: "The child is in there——"
Among the people who followed Duan Wenbo, there was a girl dressed as a maid. After hearing this, she rushed in. When she saw the girl lying on the kang, she rushed towards her and burst into tears: "Oh, oh, oh, girl, you are scared to death." I’m a maid…”
Hearing the maid's cry, Duan Wenbai raised his feet and followed in. When he saw the girl, he was completely relieved, with a look of relief and relaxation: "Great, Qingqing, you're okay..."
The girl sitting next to her had black hair like a waterfall, making her face as pale as snow. Her dark eyes were slightly rippling, and she had some doubts in her heart.
She didn't recognize the girl in front of her who called herself maid, nor did she recognize the middle-aged man who called her "Qingqing".
She was mourning the death of her mother, and when she was on her way, she slipped down the hillside and fell into a coma. When she woke up, she was at the home of the old couple. The old couple were kind-hearted and took good care of her. She was supposed to take care of her for another two days before bidding farewell, but they didn't expect these strange people to appear.
They recognized her as a girl named "Qingqing". If it weren't for the fact that she had not changed, she would have thought that the bizarre stories her mother told her about resurrecting corpses had come true.
Seeing that the girl was silent, the maid panicked: "Girl, what's wrong with you? Are you injured somewhere..."
Duan Wenbai also asked with concern on his face.
Neither the maid nor the middle-aged man looked fake. The girl hesitated for a moment and then spoke: "You have recognized the wrong person."
"Girl, what did you say?" The maid was startled at first, and then her expression suddenly changed as if she had thought of something, "Girl, did you hit your head and lose your memory like what was said in the storybook?"
The Great Xia Dynasty has been stable for a long time, especially in the capital. From the nobles down to the common people, storybooks are indispensable among pastimes. In the past two years, the whole country has become obsessed with them.
"I'm not your girl." The girl was full of doubts, but her tone was calm.
Duan Wenbo looked at the girl carefully and was convinced that she was his niece. Whether this girl had a problem with her head or lost her temper, she shouldn't stay in this small mountain village for a long time. He sighed and persuaded: "Qingqing, go back to your house with your uncle to see the doctor first. Your grandmother has been unable to take a few bites of food these past two days because she has been thinking about you."
The girl shook her head: "You have really recognized the wrong person——"
"Then who do you think you are?" Duan Wenbai interrupted Xin You.
"I am -" the girl paused.
The image of corpses on the ground appeared in front of her eyes, causing her to close her eyes unconsciously. When she opened them again, her eyes were like deep pools, without any light.
She was Xin You who came to Beijing to find the murderer of her mother, but she couldn't tell.
"Qingqing, it's not unusual for your head to be bumped and your memory to be confused for a while. Don't feel embarrassed." Duan Wenbai glanced at her and said in a deep voice, "Why don't you help your cousin up yet."
A strong woman came forward and carried Xin You on her back with the help of her maid.
Xin You's body had not yet recovered, so she lowered her eyes slightly and temporarily accepted the reality that she could not tolerate rejection.
Duan Wenbo took out two silver ingots from his money bag and thanked the old couple.
The old man quickly declined: "I can't, I can't—"
The old woman who had been shy and silent also waved her hand and refused.
"If the old man doesn't accept it, it will appear that we are ungrateful." Duan Wenbai forced the silver ingot into the old man's hand and walked out.
There were many villagers standing outside the courtyard watching the excitement, and their eyes fell on Xin You who was being carried by the servant woman.
"I don't know whose girl it was that Lao Wangtou saved."
"Old Wangtou is very lucky."
The idea of the villagers is very simple: Lao Wangtou saved a girl from a wealthy family, and the girl's family can give him a small reward, which is enough to make Lao Wangtou a windfall.
These whispers reached Xinyou's ears, causing her to turn her head.
"Grandpa Wang, Grandma Wang, when I recover, I will come back to see you."
My mother said that we must not have the intention of harming others, and we must have the intention of guarding against others. If this kind-hearted old couple makes the jealous of evil people because of her, it will be her fault.
The old couple said repeatedly: "Girl, please go home in peace."
A carriage with green curtains stopped quietly at the entrance of the village. As Xin You was helped into the carriage, the carriage slowly drove away from the small village.
Along the road, the scenery of distant mountains and blooming exotic flowers gradually turned into numerous shops and a steady stream of people. When the carriage stopped, the maid firmly believed that it was because of her girl's amnesia that Xin You knew about Qing Qing's general situation.
This girl named Kou Qingqing is the only daughter of the prefect. Four years ago, her father died unexpectedly on the way to transfer. When her already sick mother heard the bad news, her condition worsened, and she desperately arranged for someone to send her twelve-year-old daughter to the capital. The natal family passed away and passed away. The beloved daughter of the prefect became the cousin of the Shaoqing family, and she lived there for almost four years.
The maid's name is Xiaolian, and she is a maid brought by Kou Qingqing from home. Duan Wenbai, who led the search for his niece, was the concubine of Kou Qingqing's grandmother. The person supporting the Shaoqing Mansion was her uncle, Duan Wensong, the Shaoqing of Taipu Temple.
"I'm so worried about grandma, my Qingqing..." Xinyou entered a house. Before she could see everyone in the house, she was taken into the arms of an old lady dressed in rich clothes.
Strange smells, strange people.
Xin You moved uncomfortably, but was finally let go by the old lady.
"Qingqing, are you okay? Are you feeling uncomfortable anywhere?"
The person who spoke was a woman who was less than forty years old. She was wearing a light-colored flowered gown with a concerned smile on her face. Xin You guessed that this was Kou Qingqing's aunt Qiao.
Another woman, who looked younger than Mrs. Qiao, caught Xin You's gaze and nodded to her in comfort. This woman must be Kou Qingqing's second aunt, Mrs. Zhu.
There were four girls standing in the distance. Before Xin You could look at them one by one, the old lady said: "Xiao Lian, help the girls back to the room first. The doctor will be there soon."
"Yes." Xiaolian bent her knees and came to help Xinyou.
Xin You's eyes subconsciously fell on Xiaolian's face, and she suddenly raised her hand to cover her eyes.
There was nothing strange before, but just now, she saw a pair of hands grabbing a soft pillow and pressing it hard on a woman's head. When the woman stopped struggling, the pillow moved away, revealing a face.
That's... Xiaolian's face.