The two of them are the legitimate daughters of the Zou family, and the Zou family's family is quite prosperous. Not only does the family have a hundred acres of fertile land, but they also have three or four shops, which are engaged in tea, silk and groceries business.
With a loving father and a gentle mother, the two sisters originally lived a carefree and well-fed life.
However, my mother never gave birth to a son. Many of my grandparents were dissatisfied, so after persuading my mother, I took a concubine for my father.
The concubine in this room is my grandmother's cousin. She is beautiful and well-read. It is said that she is well-educated and very outstanding.
After entering the Zou family, the concubine was cautious in her words and deeds. She always had nothing to do and was very confident. After entering the Zou family, she gave birth to two sons and one daughter. Her status in the Zou family It can be said to be rising day by day.
My grandmother valued her, but my father gradually became partial to her. As a result, my mother became depressed and became bedridden after a cold. She passed away three years ago.
After their mother passed away, their grandmother and father gave the concubine the right to manage the family affairs on the grounds that they needed to take care of the family affairs. After they were full of filial piety, they helped the concubine upright and became their second sister. Mother of man.
Since the concubine came to power, her usual gentle face has disappeared. Not only did she drive the two sisters out of their yard and place them in a remote and narrow courtyard, but they also deducted a lot of money from food and drink. They are no longer allowed to study at home.
The two sisters were dissatisfied and complained to their father and grandmother. The reply they received was that it is a virtue for a woman to have no talent and she can just learn knitting at home.
No one supported the complaint, and the treatment they received was even worse. Even the servants in the mansion gradually became neglectful and ignored the two of them.
But in early spring, the concubine who had been righted suddenly greeted Zou Shiyun, made new clothes for him, and took him out as a guest.
At first, Zou Shiyun and Zou Shiliu thought it was the news that the concubine had treated them harshly. The concubine had no choice but to save face for her own reputation. She never thought that the concubine actually planned to marry Zou Shiyun to her natal nephew. .
It would be fine if her natal nephew was good-looking, but after some inquiries, Zou Shiyun learned that although my concubine’s natal nephew also went to school, read a few books, and looked polite on the surface, in reality She was a womanizer by nature. Not only did she frequently visit brothels and prostitutes, but she also kept an extramarital affair. She even had an affair with a widow, which resulted in a very bad reputation. She would not marry girls from good families at all.
The concubine knew about the situation of her natal nephew, so she came up with the idea of marrying Zou Shiyun. This would not only allow her nephew to marry a daughter-in-law, but also legitimately subsidize her natal family in the name of dowry.
Zou Shiyun naturally refused and even made a fuss over it. However, the concubine threatened Zou Shiliu's marriage, saying that if Zou Shiyun was obedient and got married this time, then she could let Zou Shiliu go and marry well in the future. But if Zou Shiyun is disobedient, it will be difficult for Zou Shiliu in the future.
Zou Shiyun was wavering at first and wanted to sacrifice herself for her sister, but when she thought about the fact that her concubine always acted the same way before and behind the scenes, she never meant what she said. If she had compromised this time, it would have really come to the point where Zou Shiliu was talking about marriage. At that time, she was already someone else's wife, how could she help Zou Shiliu?
And the concubine has already received an advantage in her marriage, so how can she fulfill her promise and let her sister go?
After long planning and discussion with Zou Shiliu, Zou Shiyun decided to run away from home with his sister and go to his uncle and grandfather's family in order to get protection.
So, after packing up all the gold and silver they had accumulated since childhood, and taking advantage of the late night gatekeepers to doze off, the two sisters escaped over the wall.
Then we headed all the way to my uncle’s grandfather’s house, and met Ma San and his wife on the way...
"Actually, we don't know if my uncle and my grandfather's family are still in the Falcon Prefecture now, and we don't know what their situation is like and whether they can take in our two sisters." Zou Shiyun sighed.
Everything is just the two of them trying to move forward.
If everything goes well, that's fine, but if it doesn't go as expected... Zou Shiyun couldn't imagine how they would face the situation if they couldn't find their uncle and grandfather's family after arriving in Falcon City. Lost.
"How about you stay in Jinqiu County for a while longer, write a letter to Shanzhou Fucheng, and wait for a definite reply before setting off?"
Xia Mingyue suggested, "When you are on your way there, you can also consider hiring a bodyguard to go with you. This will save you a lot of trouble along the way."
"This is a way!" Zou Shiyun suddenly became enlightened.
It’s just...
The Ma San couple plundered a lot of money and valuables from them, and spent a lot of it lavishly. Even when they got to the county government, the county magistrate took the decision to take away everything When their belongings were returned, Ma San and his wife were already penniless. No matter how much they were punished, the money they could get back would be limited.
They have to live in Jinqiu County until they get a reply. During this period, all the expenses for the two of them, the travel expenses on the road to their uncle and grandfather's family, the expenses for hiring a bodyguard...
All these things add up and require a lot of silver.
And they can't spend all the money. They still don't know what the situation of their uncle's family is, and whether their aunt's family is easy to talk to and can tolerate them. If uncle and aunt start to worry about money, they will at least have money in their hands. You also have to have money to live on.
In short, this money must be planned carefully, and there is no room for waste.
Xia Mingyue saw Zou Shiyun's embarrassment and said, "I still have a spare room in my house where you two sisters can stay temporarily, but my house has a workshop. If you live here, You just need to do something in the workshop.”
“But this work is not free. I will pay you some wages based on the amount of work you usually do. How about that?” br>
Provide a place to live and pay wages, and the only thing they need to do is to put in some effort.
It was obviously Xia Mingyue who extended a helping hand to them. They met such kind people, so what's the harm in helping them?
Zou Shiyun did not hesitate at all and nodded hurriedly, "We are willing!"
He thanked Xia Mingyue again and again, "Thank you, Madam Xia, thank you Madam Xia!"
"This There’s no need to say thank you so early, I’ll tell you in advance You agree, if you don't do well in the workshop, the wages won't be that much. Maybe you two get into trouble in the workshop and still owe me some money, and you will have to stay and work to pay back. With the money, I can get two labors for free.”
Xia Mingyue joked, "Don't blame me for being a black-hearted master then."
Sisters Zou Shiyun and Zou Shiliu couldn't help laughing when they saw this, and the thick haze in their hearts also dissipated at this moment Got clean. (End of this chapter)