Chapter 4 The Maid and the Maid
The girl's light voice seems to be sweet and sweet, and it is particularly true even in the noisy market.
Jiang Shouzhong, who was about to go home and have a good night's sleep, turned around when he heard this and saw a pretty girl wearing a green coat and lake clothes beside the street. Jiang Shouzhong looked surprised and raised a warm smile on his lips. "What a coincidence, Miss Jinxiu."
The girl is twenty-eight years old, wearing a big black double braid, exuding the aura of a young girl in the prime of life. She is the head of the Ran Mansion. The lady's personal maid.
And the eldest lady of Ran Mansion is his current wife, Ran Qingchen.
Ran Qingchen's family is decent.
His grandmother is the granddaughter of King Wuyou, the only king with a different surname in the continental dynasty, and the princess of Mingwan County.
His grandfather was the youngest son of the former chief assistant Ranxu. He once held an important position in the army. Later, due to some political struggles, he was dismissed at home and died in depression.
Ran Qingchen's father once served in the Imperial College and was a fourth-rank official. However, he died of illness when Ran Qingchen was five years old.
Her mother, however, is rarely mentioned due to special reasons.
Although the Ran family seems to be in decline, Ran Qingchen has been a disciple of the Xuanji Sword Sect since he was a child and is extremely talented. Nowadays, she is recognized as a adopted sister by the imperial concubine of the dynasty. In addition, she is known as the "Bead of Capital", so her status is naturally noble.
The descendants of the princes and nobles who admired him were enough to line up outside the capital.
Such a proud daughter is naturally arrogant. It is natural to look down upon a husband like Jiang Shouzhong, a low-level man who lives at the bottom.
At this moment, the girl was dragging a sack, her small forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat, and she was panting.
Because I impulsively called Jinxiu to the other party, facing my uncle who was familiar but seemed strange, I didn’t know what to say for a moment. I squeezed out a dry smile and said, "It's a coincidence. My uncle is here. ... Are you working on a case?”
"I have a lot of free time these days, so I can just wander around." Jiang Shouzhong looked at the obviously heavy sack with no idea what it contained, and asked softly, "Didn't you ask for help?"
Jinxiu rubbed his hands The sore and sleepy wrist said helplessly: "I shouted, something unexpected happened again."
"How about I find you a carriage?"
"No trouble, it's only a few steps anyway. We're on our way." The girl smoothed the curls on her temples and said with a smile, "Uncle, please continue shopping. I won't disturb you anymore."
Jiang Shouzhong nodded lightly.
The girl picked up the sack, gritted her teeth and continued to drag it diagonally across the street towards the alley.
After struggling for a few steps, the girl, whose palms ached, was about to slow down when a black shadow suddenly approached her. Then her arm lightened up, and the heavy sack was placed on the man's shoulders.
Jiang Shouzhong smiled and said, "You're on your way, let me help you."
After all, in the Ran Mansion where there was not much warmth, this girl was the only one close to him.
Jin Xiu was startled and stopped talking.
But she heard the man say: "Don't worry, I won't enter the Ran Mansion."
Jin Xiu opened her red lips, swallowed back the words that were about to escape her mouth, and stopped saying anything.
The two walked together on the noisy street.
The girl is pretty and charming, and the man has a jade and golden appearance, which makes him look like a match made in heaven.
Although Jinxiu is still in her prime, her growth is particularly complete, and her figure is quite plump and mature. If it weren't for the youthfulness and tenderness in her bones, she would be mistaken for a married woman.
Jiang Shouzhong deliberately bypassed the main entrance of Ranfu, passed through the relatively quiet Xing'an Lane, and walked towards a side entrance in the north courtyard of Ranfu.
This made Jin Xiu, who had originally planned to remind him, breath a sigh of relief.
At the same time, the girl felt a bit of sourness in her heart, as well as sympathy for the man around her.
Half a year into their marriage, the couple only met twice.
How can there be such a couple in the world?
My dear uncle, I can’t even enter the courtyard gate of my own house.
Say it without being laughed at.
But since the lady doesn’t want to, how can she, a maid, have the courage to pull the string. I can only blame the old lady for messing up the rules and leading to the current result.
What makes the maid depressed is that the young lady doesn’t want to, and the uncle next to her doesn’t even care.
Other young masters have no chance to show their courtesy to the young lady, but my uncle obviously has the opportunity, but he is too lazy to pay attention to her. I have a free and easy attitude that you don’t look down on me, and I don’t want you to look down on me.
Alas, they are really a pair of enemies born from heaven.
The girl is very sad.
Xing'an Lane was originally called Weihua Lane, and most of them were residents of official families. However, a haunted house appeared here later, causing many people to move here, and now it is quite quiet.
Different from the temple Jiang Shouzhong had visited, the haunted house here was really filled with deaths.
Beside the house, there is an old locust tree with thigh-thick branches pointing to the roof of the lobby.
Although the locust tree looks old, its branches are lush in summer, which actually dispels a bit of the gloomy atmosphere that permeates the surroundings. Even now in winter, there are still some magical locust leaves of different sizes hanging, swaying in the cold wind, giving people peace of mind.
Some people who are proficient in Feng Shui say that a dragon-slaying corpse stone was cast here, which is prone to murders. Later, some immortals wrote the "Nine Phoenixes to Destroy Evil Talisman" and the "Taishan Suppressing Evil Talisman" to suppress evil spirits.
This old locust tree is transformed into two talismans. As for whether it is true or false, it is just a matter of speculation by the storyteller.
At this time, there was an old man and a young man under the locust tree.
The girl was dark-skinned, skinny, and looked obviously undernourished.
The old man looked slovenly and wore a shabby blue shirt.
Seeing Jiang Shouzhong approaching, the old man's eyes lit up as his hair was as messy as a bird's nest. He hurriedly stepped forward and asked, "Master, is there a maid in the family? My granddaughter is agile, smart and knowledgeable. , How about selling it to you for ten taels of silver?”
The old man is smart enough to know that most of the people passing by are either rich or noble.
Jiang Shouzhong was expressionless and ignored him.
The old man showed his big yellow teeth and stretched out his five fingers like dead branches, "Young Master Guan is a wealthy and kind-hearted person. He will not treat my granddaughter badly. I will sell you to you for five taels. How about a good relationship?" ?”
Jiang Shouzhong still ignored him.
Jinxiu glanced at the thin black girl with a look of pity.
The old man was anxious and persisted in insisting: "Just four taels! If you like it, my granddaughter can be a concubine. This girl's butt is very fertile and her water is flowing. It will ensure that the young master's family will be in good health." Jue, Ding and Cai are both prosperous."
Jiang Shouzhong twitched his lips.
It seems to be saying, I am not blind.
The old man turned around and glanced at his granddaughter's dark, thick skin and dry, thin frame. He bared his teeth and said helplessly: "I'm just selling it for three ounces. This girl is very obedient and will never cause trouble for you, young master. You can't do anything more than three ounces." Less!”
It’s a pity that no matter how the old man tried to sell, Jiang Shouzhong always acted coldly. Helpless, I can only watch the other party leave.
"Alas, it's a pity that a handsome young man has lost his life."
The old man sighed, looked back at the dark and thin girl, with a guilty look on his face, "Girl, grandpa is useless, I'm dragging you down. "
Arrived at the side door of Ran Mansion, Jiang Shouzhong placed the sack on the short steps and said gently: "Be careful, this thing is quite heavy, and it sounds like there is some porcelain. I have something else to do, so I'll leave first. Oh, by the way, don’t give me any money this month. Although my salary is not much, it is still enough.”
Jin Xiu shook his head, "The lady asked me to give it to you. If you don't want it, just tell yourself."
Jiang Shouzhong laughed dumbly and was about to leave.
“Wait!”
Jinxiu suddenly called him.
The girl's face was extremely tangled. After a fight between heaven and man, she bit her lip and said, "Uncle, please wait for a while. I'll call the lady!" After that, she turned around and ran into the courtyard gate. The bright black double braids cut through a neat arc, bringing with it the youthful vitality of a girl. Jiang Shouzhong wanted to stop him, but was a step too late. Looking at the sack at the door, I had no choice but to wait.
"Two taels then!"
The old man who was unwilling to give up suddenly appeared, startling Jiang Shouzhong.
The old man stretched out his two fingers in extreme pain, "Sir, I'll sell it to you for two taels! Although this girl looks like she doesn't have much weight, as long as you give her a mouthful of food, she will definitely grow into a flower. It would be nice to be a greenhouse girl then.”
“Get out!”
Jiang Shouzhong was angry.
......
Jinxiu trotted all the way, the symbol of a girl's precocity swaying, as if her clothes would split at any time.
After passing through the winding corridor, Jin Xiu was about to speed up his pace, but he almost bumped into someone at the corner.
The girl stopped quickly.
Seeing the person who was almost hit by her, Jinxiu's pretty face changed, she hurriedly bent down and gave a Wanfu, and said respectfully in a crisp voice: "Jinxiu has met the second master."
Being called "the second master" The man named "Master" is a middle-aged man, about forty years old, with handsome appearance and outstanding temperament, and he is wearing a rich brocade suit.
This man's name is Ran Jinsheng, and he is the second eldest son in the Ran family.
Compared with Ran Jinyi, the head of the Ran family who was a bachelor of Wenhua Palace, and Ran Jinyu, Ran Qingchen’s father who served in the Imperial College, this man was once a veritable playboy when he was young. It seems that not much has changed after the year. He is still in the romantic place, and the old lady has long been disappointed with him.
Nowadays, the prosperity of the Ran family rests entirely on the shoulders of Ran Qingchen.
Ran Jinsheng's eyes swept over the breasts of the girl in front of him without missing a trace, and asked with a smile: "Jin Xiu, you are in such a hurry, what happened?"
Ran Jinsheng was still following behind him. A young man.
Wearing a green shirt, she has a delicate appearance and smells of rouge. She is obviously a woman disguised as a man.
It is probably another prostitute that the second master secretly brought in.
"To answer the second master's question, Jinxiu is going to see the young lady. Gu... Master Jiang is waiting outside the door." Jinxiu said in a low voice.
Mr. Jiang?
Ran Jinsheng was stunned for a moment, then suddenly realized.
I was about to tell Jinxiu that Ran Qingchen had just gone out and was not in the hospital at this time. The man's eyes suddenly moved again, and he squinted and smiled: "I know, you go find Qingchen."
Jin Xiu saluted and hurried to the small courtyard where Ran Qingchen lived.
“He must be Miss Ran’s suitor again.”
Young Master Rouge behind him smiled, but there was deep jealousy in his eyes.
Jealousy between women is unreasonable.
We are all beauties with outstanding looks, and they are all just lusted after by men. Why do those young masters from aristocratic families treat you like a gentleman who admires you, Ran Qingchen, but treat me like a gentleman? The dirty look of the goods.
Ran Jinsheng did not respond. He walked to the end of the corridor and looked through the door from a distance. He was sure that it was the uncle of the Ran family. A playful smile appeared on his lips.
He whispered something into the woman's ear.
The rouge-clad young lady had a strange look on her face, "This...isn't this appropriate."
Although she was willing to throw dirty water on the aloof eldest lady of the Ran family, the other party's status was special after all. If the accounts were to be settled afterwards, how could she, a little shepherd, resist.
Ran Jinsheng knocked on the folding fan in his hand and said with a smile: "Don't worry, it's just a joke, it's harmless. Besides, my niece should also thank me, my second uncle, for helping her get rid of a few flies. You can do it What I do is, I will bear it.”
Since Mr. Ran made such a promise, the woman agreed.
Ran Jinsheng roughly estimated the location, took the woman to a high wall, waited deliberately for a while, and suddenly asked in a deep voice: "Jin Xiu, why are you in such a panic! ?”
This good ventriloquist, who was praised as an "actor with ten thousand voices" in the Western Chu Academy, recalled Jin Xiu's voice just now and said in a panic: "Second...Second Master, I went to call the lady just now, I saw...I saw the young lady and the second son of the Minister of Rites in the room..."
"Shut up!"
Ran Jinsheng shouted angrily.
There was admiration in the corner of the man's eyes.
As expected of a Wan Yin actor, although I can’t say that they are very similar, they are 70% or 80% similar. If you are not familiar with it, it will be difficult to distinguish between true and false.
Now there is another wall...
Ran Jinsheng glanced at the wall beside him, and seemed to be able to see Jiang Shouzhong on the other side of the wall. The corners of his lips were raised slightly, and he lowered his voice and said angrily: "What are you doing, Miss?" It’s her thing! Even if you see it, you have to pretend you didn’t see it, understand?”
“But...”
“Jin Xiu” almost cried. But Mr. Jiang is waiting outside."
Ran Jinsheng was silent for a while, and his tone was deliberately serious, and he warned: "Just tell him that the lady just went out and is not at home now."
"...Yes."
"Jin Xiu" responded weakly.
The conversation between the two ended, and Ran Jinsheng looked up at the corridor. Sure enough, Jin Xiu, who had been searching for the young lady to no avail, hurried back and the time just happened to match.
Ran Jinsheng and the woman retreated to the shadows in tacit agreement.
Jinxiu didn't see the two of them, and ran out of the hospital with regret. She apologized in a low voice to Jiang Shouzhong who was waiting outside: "I'm sorry, uncle, the lady is not at home and has already gone out."< br>
"It doesn't matter, go and do your work."
Jiang Shouzhong smiled slightly.
Somehow, Jinxiu felt that her uncle's face seemed a little gloomy. He wanted to say something, but the other party had already turned around.
The girl stared blankly at the man's back, feeling inexplicably uneasy.
Suddenly, Jiang Shouzhong turned to the pretty girl and smiled: "The sound is similar but the spirit is different. The smell of dust is too strong. Your voice is very clean, and it is nothing like what she imitated."
< br>
The girl was confused.
Ran Jinsheng, who was hiding in the door and eavesdropping, looked stunned, and then cursed angrily in a low voice, "You bitch!"
......
Walk to Xing'an Lane, Jiang Shouzhong came to the old locust tree again.
The thin black girl is kneeling alone.
Jiang Shouzhong, who had already passed by, hesitated for a moment, sighed in his heart, turned back, and placed the two taels of silver that had been returned from the fortune-telling stall in front of the thin black girl.
"If you don't mind the bad luck, keep the dead man's money. Forget it about the maid, I don't need it. I'll wait for the next person."
Jiang Shouzhong dropped these words and walked away.
Before leaving, she cursed in a low voice: "I've been seeing ghosts a lot lately. It seems like I need to burn some incense."
The girl was wearing hemp and mourning, with a straw mark stuck in her head.
On the shabby white cloth beside him were written some faint and distorted small black characters, to the effect that he would sell his body to bury his grandfather, and would like to work as a slave, a maid, or a cow or a horse.
Under the straw mat behind him, there lay the body of an old man in a green shirt.
It has been two days since the old man passed away.
(End of this chapter)