Chapter 110.
There is a side courtyard and a rockery pavilion. Although spring has not yet arrived, the exquisite elegance of the courtyard is enough to highlight the Qiao family's heritage.
Tang Li's hair was dazzling with pearls, noble and dignified, which made people intimidated. Following her fingers, the housekeeper and Liu Zhu couldn't help but look at Tang Yuan who was standing in the corner. The housekeeper looked at Tang Yuan and saw her clear eyes. Without any evil thoughts, he said, "Come here, come closer and let the second miss take a closer look at you."
Liu Zhu whispered to Tang Li, "This girl doesn't look very clever."
Tang Li glanced at Liu Zhu, and sensing Tang Li's displeasure, Liu Zhu closed her mouth angrily.
Liu Zhu couldn't help but glance at Tang Yuan who was standing stupidly, and once again confirmed her idea. This girl looked like a glutton at first glance. Everyone else had a thin face, but she was very good, very round, not like a girl. She is a person who sold herself to be a slave. Moreover, the miss has already specified that she wants her. If she doesn't come to thank her, why are we going to let the miss come to thank her?
Tangyuan didn't seem to hear the housekeeper's words. She was still dazed, her face turned pale, and her red lips lost their beauty.
Ren Yazi laughed tactfully, complimented Tangli and the housekeeper, "These girls that the old slave has taken have never seen the world. Now that they have gained your favor, miss, these girls are surprised and say nothing." Ren Yazi went over and pushed Tang Yuan. At this time, she finally came back to her senses, but her legs were a little weak and she almost stumbled when she took the first step.
Upon seeing this, Tangli subconsciously wanted to move, but luckily Ren Yazi helped her to avoid falling, and Tangli breathed a sigh of relief.
She timidly raised her eyes to look at Tang Li, and was about to kneel down to salute. This time Tang Li stretched out her arm, stopped her, and asked casually, "What's your name?"
Tang Yuan was stunned, her eyes were attracted to Tang Li, because this was the most beautiful woman she had ever seen, and even the fragrance on her body was so intoxicating.
"My...servant's name is Tangyuan."
Huh? Why can't I hear that voice? Did I just have a hallucination? Come to think of it, there's no such thing as ghosts in broad daylight. Don't scare yourself.
Tangli smiled and teased, "Your name is quite interesting."
[It sounds so awful. ]
Tangli's back that had just relaxed straightened up again, and her big frightened eyes were wide open, as if she had seen some ferocious beast. So she, this timid white rabbit, was just too scared to even think about running for her life, and stayed dumbfounded. She is really not very clever, but she is quite cute and naive, which is very annoying.
Heard it is again!
Ghost...it turns out that ghosts can appear during the day! Doesn't that mean that all the strange stories in the storybook are lies? Fortunately, I had spent copper coins to go to teahouses and heard the storytellers telling these strange things. Little did I know that the storytellers were not liars!
This voice seems to be related to the girl in front of her. Every time she finishes speaking, she can hear another voice.
Tangyuan carefully looked at the person beside her, Yazi. The old woman was still smiling flatteringly, her expression unchanged.
In this way, it seems that only she can hear it. But what does this voice mean? Is it what she is saying?
Tangyuan's heart trembled, and she frowned. She mustered up the courage to look at Tangli again. After hearing this strange sound for the first time and the second time, Tangyuan became much calmer. For example, she is afraid of the butcher killing pigs in the village every year, but every time she suppresses her inner fear and wants to join in the fun. Therefore, Tang Yuan feels that she is not timid at all.
"This is from my father and mother. My mother said that I was a little fatter than other children when I was born. She said that I am chubby everywhere, so why not call me Tangyuan."
Her voice was like a mosquito. If Tang Li didn't listen carefully, she might not be able to hear clearly what she was saying.
Now Tangli couldn't hold back her smile at all. She had been thinking about Tangyuan for more than half a year, and now she finally saw her. How could it not be a happy thing? So Tangli smiled broadly and her eyes were affectionate, which made Tangyuan, a simple girl who had not experienced many things, couldn't help but blush. She didn't know why, but she always felt that Tangli's eyes standing in front of her were burning, as if she had seen some delicious food that she wanted to swallow, but Tang Yuan wondered in her heart, she was just an ordinary person, and she was not a delicacy in the market, so why did she look at her like this?
Tangli said in a soft voice, "The name chosen by your parents is very good."
[What's good? It's obviously the simplest. It seems that her parents don't care about her at all. ]
The blush on Tangyuan's cheeks gradually faded, and she lowered her face, no longer as shy as before.
Sure enough, I heard her voice again.
It's not what she said. Her parents love her very much and dote on her. If it weren't for the flood that year, her parents would not leave her.
How could she say kind words on her lips but think of other things in her heart?
She is so terrible, so terrible.
Tang Yuan's expression was noticed by Tang Li, who was staring at her, causing Tang Li's smiling eyes to flash with confusion. Why did she seem to become depressed in the blink of an eye? Which sentence was wrong?
Tang Li was thinking. She was still thinking about Tang Yuan when she heard the housekeeper say, "This maid's name offends the second miss. Why don't the second miss give her another name?"
Tangyuan clenched her fingers and pursed her lips. She liked this name, why should she change it!
"No need, she is staying by my side to serve me anyway, there are not so many taboos." Tangli rejected the housekeeper. Whether it was "yuan" or "kite", they all belonged to her. If she changed it herself, it would be superfluous.
The corners of Tang Yuan's lips rose. This second miss who had different opinions seemed to be somewhat pleasing to the eye. At least she didn't change her name. So for the time being, she could forgive what she just said in her heart.
The housekeeper smiled lightly, "Okay, just follow the second miss."
Tang Li came to the side courtyard this time just to look for Tang Yuan. Now that she has seen her, she will naturally not stay here anymore.
"Then I'll take this little girl back first."
"Second miss, are you not going to continue to be picky?"
Tang Li laughed, glanced at Tang Yuan who was secretly sizing her up, "This one is enough."
"By the way, here's her bond of sale."
Ren Yazi immediately offered it with both hands, "Second miss, this is the contract of sale of this little girl."
Liu Zhu glanced at it and said in surprise, "Are you sixteen?"
Tang Yuan scratched her cheek and said Nunuo, "Yes."
Liu Zhu said helplessly, "A round face really looks small."
They shouted one after another, thinking that Tang Yuan was young. They all thought she was thirteen or fourteen years old, but she was already a sixteen-year-old girl.
Tangli carefully folded the deed of sale and planned to ask her confidant to go to the government tomorrow to cancel the slave status and restore her good status.
She said smoothly, "Some girls are just like her. It only takes a few years to raise them and they will be fine."
Tang Yuan pursed her lips and looked at her own stature, then at Tang Li, and then at Liu Zhu. Compared with them, she looked like a winter melon growing in the field, not as beautiful as her girl's family.
Tang Li smiled, "What do you want us to do?"
"Slave... I'm a bit short."
Tang Li raised her dark eyebrows and said comfortingly, "Each height has its own beauty, don't be afraid."
[Tsk, short winter melon. ]
Tang Yuan's moved smile was instantly wiped out by the words that followed. She forced herself to raise the corners of her lips and responded with a dry smile, "Thank you so much, miss, for your comfort."
Short winter melon? I'm short?
Okay, I'm a bit short, but admitting it yourself and being slandered by others are obviously two different things. These two girls are really bad! Fortunately, she has a pretty face, but she is actually very wilted! Always scolding me in her heart.
The housekeeper looked at their leaving figures, cleared his throat, and continued to select maids.
Everyone has their own destiny. From today on, they will start a different life.
Tangli walked in front, Liu Zhu and Tangyuan followed behind her, which gave Tangyuan a chance to look around.
She was dazzled by the exquisite luxury of Qiao Mansion. When she saw a maid squatting and combing the hair of a Pekingese, Tang Yuan took a few more glances with interest and almost couldn't turn her head around.
Liu Zhu tugged at her sleeves and said softly, "Be careful, the master is still here."
Tangyuan was grateful to Liu Zhu for reminding her. She had never seen such a situation. She had grown up in the countryside since she was a child. Although she was sold into slavery, she had also been treated by her parents as a treasure held in the palm of their hand and is naturally innocent in nature. She was sold into the Qiao Mansion before she began to suffer, so her innocence has not been destroyed and she is still the same as before.
Liu Zhu smiled and said nothing. Being a slave was not easy. She was lucky enough to be with the miss. Naturally, she had to be kind to others, because the kindness in her heart still existed, and she would pass it on to Tang Yuan.
After what happened just now, Tang Yuan no longer looked around. She imitated Liu Zhu's unswerving gaze and looked at Tang Li who was walking in front. She was lost at this glance.
Her black hair reaches to her waist, her waist is slender, and she wears a tight skirt. She is like a lotus flower with one step.
Tang Yuan was filled with envy. This was the first time she had seen someone walk so gracefully. However, the vengeful Tang Yuan would not be fooled by beauty, she firmly believed!
"Miss, you should let your slave teach Tangyuan the rules for a few days."
Tangli heard Liu Zhu's words when she returned to the courtyard. She took a sip of tea, moistened her throat and said, "No need."
Liu Zhu didn't understand Tang Li's meaning for a moment. If this new maid doesn't learn the rules, what should she learn?
Tangli put down the tea cup and said softly, "I will teach her the rules. Liu Zhu needs to worry about other things in the yard, so I have nothing to do, so I will pass the time by teaching her the rules."
Tang Yuan blinked, learning the rules? How to learn? But this official girl is very idle and she is actually planning to teach her herself. This... is a bit overkill.
Liu Zhu obviously had the same idea, and said tactfully, "The miss has just returned to Yuzhou from mobei, shouldn't she take more rest? It would be better to let this servant in charge of Tangyuan's affairs."
Tang Yuan glanced sideways at Liu Zhu and gave her her own smile.
Tangli was drinking tea, but she wasn't, because her focus was on Tangyuan. She had never smiled so brightly with her, but Liu Zhu was the one who gained her favor. This was an unequal treatment, which made Tangli feel a rare sense of loss.
She said coldly, "That's it."
"Yes, miss." Liu Zhu stopped trying to persuade Tang Li and bowed.
"You go down first."
Liu Zhu's eyes flashed across Tang Yuan's body, and finally she left the room.
At this moment, there were only two of them in the inner room.
Tang Li chatted casually, "From the first moment I saw you, your right hand was clenched. Is it holding something?"
Tang Yuan opened her palms, and then she realized that she had been so nervous that she had pinched blood marks, but she didn't feel a single bit. Moreover, why did this flawless jade button have a few light red lines inexplicably?
She explained nonchalantly, "This is the jade button left by my mother. I didn't dare to expose it for fear of being snatched away, so I kept holding it. After a long time, I forgot that I still had it in my hand."
She answered lightly, and when Tangli saw the blood stains in her palms, she immediately understood the origin of these scars.
Tangli stood up and rummaged for some powder to stop bleeding and then found a clean handkerchief. She stepped forward and grabbed Tangyuan's wrist and said, "Sit here."
"Miss, this is inappropriate." Ever since Tangyuan was sold to Ren Yazi, the old woman had been telling them a lot about the rules in the houses of powerful people. They had been sold as slaves, so they couldn't sit with their masters. It's disrespectful.
Tang Li approached her and said softly, "There's nothing wrong with it. Just sit down."
Tangyuan was so frightened by her expressionless face that she shrank her neck. After she said something, Tangyuan sat down obediently.
After all, she was not born in a family. She had been a commoner for more than ten years, and her servility had not yet penetrated into her bones. She only knew that Tangli was an official girl, so she should be respected, but that was all. She would not be as trembling as other maids. That master's words were engraved in her heart.
Tangli sat on her left side, applying medicinal powder to her palms wholeheartedly. As for the jade button, she had already placed it on the round table.
The woman's eyebrows were picturesque and her thick eyelashes drooped naturally. The emotion in her eyes could not be seen, but Tang Yuan could feel her tenderness from the way she applied the powder lightly with her hands.
"Alright."
The small, fleshy palm was wrapped in a handkerchief. Tangyuan also saw the embroidery on the handkerchief, which was a dark purple butterfly, lifelike.
"Thank you, miss."
Tangli put the medicine bottle back on the shelf, went to clean her hands again and said lukewarmly, "No need to thank me, maybe I will thank you if you get hurt less."
"Um?"
Seeing that her eyes were blank, Tangli sighed in despair, sat back on the round stool and said, "Learn the rules from me tomorrow, do you understand?"
"Your slave understands." Tangyuan nodded obediently.
Tangli's hands were still busy this time. She took the embroidery basket on the table and found a few strands of vermilion embroidery thread. She tied it with her fingers deftly and said, "Give me that jade button."
Tangyuan sent it over with one hand, and couldn't bear to take her eyes away from the movements of Tangli's hand. She saw Tangli holding the jade button and placing it on the finished braid, wrapping the embroidery thread around the ring in the middle of the jade button. Passing through, the white jade fingers and vermilion embroidery thread, snow and red, strongly occupied Tangyuan's eyes, making Tangyuan stare at Tangli with all her concentration.
"Do you want to wear it as a belt, or hang it around your neck and down to your chest?"
Tangli asked Tangyuan what she thought, and raised her head from her busy work to look at her.
Tang Yuan said hurriedly, "I want to hang it around my neck."
"Ok."
Tang Yuan looked at her, lost in thought.
Why is she so kind to her? She gives her medicine and injects collaterals. She doesn't look like a noble born official's daughter at all.
After a while, Tangli cut off the embroidery thread with scissors, and naturally stretched out her hand to hang Tangyuan's black hair on one side of her shoulders. She had not tied the knot yet, so she needed to put her hands around the back of Tangyuan's neck and use her fingertips flexibly to tie, and soon, the last knot was tied.
She said slowly, "This is a removable knot. You don't have to use scissors to cut it to avoid scratching you. This embroidery thread is very strong. I used several strands and it will not break easily."
Wherever Tangli's eyes passed, Tangyuan held her breath nervously and did not dare to make a sound. Finally, she and Tangyuan looked at each other, she pursed her lips and smiled, silently retracted her arm, she no longer showed her hot pursuit to Tang Yuan, but instead left Tang Yuan with room to relax.
Tangyuan's face turned red again. From the moment Tangli put on the jade buckle for her, she realized that she was very close to her, as if she could touch this person's face with the tip of her nose if she moved her body. Such intimacy was... It was an experience Tangyuan had never had before. And what Tangyuan couldn't stand the most was the glare from Tangli. She felt like she was just like the delicacies on the plate.
[The inferior jade material is probably worth less than the embroidery thread when you touch it. ]
The voice of the heart that has disappeared for a long time is hard to prevent when it appears.
Tang Yuan was blushing just now and her heart was pounding, but now she felt like a basin of melted snow water had been poured on her head. The blushing face and ears disappeared.
Tangyuan was so ashamed and angry. Hearing her humiliation again and again, Tangyuan hated the woman in front of her with itch.
What on earth does she want?
Since she look down on her, why would she do these considerate actions?
"Miss, do you treat every maid like this?"
Tangli's smile froze on her face and she immediately retorted, "How could it be possible? I only treat you like this."
Tang Yuan felt even more aggrieved, and she bullied her.
She grabbed the jade button on her chest and said, "Don't worry, miss. I will take good care of the embroidery thread and never let it break."
Tangli felt that this silly girl had missed the point, so she hurriedly said, "The embroidery thread is not in the way, just break it. The jade button is what you should protect."
Tang Yuan shook her head, with a solemn expression, and looked at Tang Li calmly, "How could it be possible? The slave's jade buttons are the least valuable jade material, how can the embroidery thread in the girl's embroidery basket be as valuable."
She bowed respectfully to Tang Li. She still remembered Liu Zhu's etiquette when leaving and followed it to the letter, with no mistakes, but because of this, Tang Li suffered even more.
Tangli grabbed her wrist and couldn't bear her to continue doing this. She said in a deep voice, "Tangyuan, you misunderstood me. I didn't mean to belittle you."
Tangyuan retorted without thinking, "Yes miss."
"I don't!"
"Slave heard everything!"
Tangli laughed angrily and pulled her into her arms, but Tangli didn't want to leave a frivolous impression on Tangyuan and asked, "When did you hear this? How come I didn't know?"
Speaking of this, Tangyuan couldn't help but feel proud.
She raised her chin, her pretty almond eyes were full of energy, and said slyly, "I won't tell you."
Don't you like to say bad things about me? By coincidence, I can hear you just right.
Hum, so what if you are a high ranking young lady? A little maid like me can still guess your thoughts?
Tangli smiled helplessly. She didn't think too much, thinking that Tangyuan was just deliberately irritating her.
Tangli didn't care about Tangyuan's indulgent temper. She would rather Tangyuan was angry with her from time to time than see the Tangyuan who saluted her just now again.
"Okay, you don't have to tell me. But you are not allowed to misinterpret my words anymore."
Tang Yuan insisted that she did not misunderstand.
Tangli let out a long sigh, looked at her bulging cheeks, and did what she wanted to do the first time she saw her.
Tangli pinched her cheek and murmured, "I'll call you Yuanyuan from now on."
She stared, with a very angry temper, "Young lady calls other maids too..."
Tangli covered her mouth and gritted her teeth, "I'll tell you one last time, I only do this to you!"
She blinked and used her eyes to communicate with Tangli. Who couldn't control her mouth?
Tang Li said domineeringly: "I like it."
[I'm happy to do that, but can you take care of it? Short winter melon. ]
Tangyuan tried her best with one hand and finally escaped from Tangli. She protested dissatisfied, "Young lady is being unreasonable!"
Tang Li caught up with her, grabbed her collar, and said, "When you grow taller, I can be reasonable."
"You are not allowed to call me short winter melon!"
"I didn't."
"You have it, you just said it."
Tang Li took advantage of the opportunity and said, "Then I can only call you Yuanyuan."
Tang Yuan waved her hands feebly, "Call, it's up to you, as long as you're happy."
Stop torturing me.
"Yuanyuan."
When she heard the nickname that only her family members would call, she couldn't help but turn around and look around, which made Tangyuan seem to suddenly see her parents again.
She thought she could pretend not to care, because she knew her parents were no longer alive. Even if someone called her "Yuanyuan", it couldn't be her parents.
Tangli's eyes were gentle and tender, filled with kindness, clear and warm.
She thought of the jade button and the powder on her palm.
Her kindness to herself is real.
"Miss, please don't scold me in the future, please."
"Your slave is very well-behaved."
"Because the miss is the only person who treats me best after my father and mother died."
Tangyuan was just as she said, extremely well-behaved. Her eyes were moist, but she didn't dare to cry for fear of disturbing Tangli.
"After?"
Damn it, Yuanyuan also has plot memory, right?
It seems that my luck was shattered. I thought it would not be a hell difficulty at the beginning.
It turns out that this is still the case.
[It's still miserable for you, Tangtang. ]
[Why is there nothing new in this broken rules! ]
[Hmph, hot chicken! ]