"Oh." Su Yiqing realized that of course money is needed to do such a big thing. A few hundred taels is naturally a small sum for her now, but for Aunt Zhou whose monthly salary is only three taels of silver.

, that’s a lot of money, probably all her life’s savings, she can’t help but give it.

Thinking of this, she immediately took out a banknote with a denomination of one thousand taels from the small box on the bedside and said: "Mommy, this is for you. Thank you for your hard work. You can keep this much first.

The little girl also needs money for medical treatment and medicine. In addition, I’ll give your grandson some cloth to make clothes for the body.”

Aunt Zhou did not pretend to delay. After accepting it calmly, she said: "Miss, please be kind. Miss, you are a kind-hearted person. The current difficulty is only temporary, and things will gradually get better."

Aunt Zhou never made any request, and Su Yiqing was embarrassed to ask more.

Originally, she was planning to agree. After all, there should be clear rewards and punishments in life. No matter what purpose Aunt Zhou had, this matter always made her a profit, and she also indirectly saved a person. Aunt Zhou should be rewarded.

But the strange thing is that Aunt Zhou didn't mention it. Maybe she was too embarrassed to mention it right away. Aunt Zhou is very good at understanding people's hearts and is meticulous in everything she does. She must demand perfection.

In the early morning, when the first ray of sunshine begins to shine on the land of Beijing.

In an ordinary small courtyard, the smoke from the kitchen curls up, and then with the contact of the spatula and the iron pot and the unique sound of the dishes being stir-fried, an attractive fragrance slowly spreads, letting this sunshine

The bright morning seemed particularly peaceful and warm.

Suddenly, a scream broke the tranquility.

The woman in the kitchen quickly put down her spatula and rushed into the hut where the noise came from.

The girl lying on the bed in the hut was holding the quilt with both hands, trembling all over, looking straight at the helpless boy in front of her with a pair of frightened eyes.

The boy was even more nervous when the girl called him that, and he couldn't say the complete words: "Don't...don't call..."

This half-sentence, which was even more misleading, made the girl shrink back again, and the fear on her face deepened.

At this time, the woman came in and said to the young man: "Daniu, what are you doing here? Get out quickly."

"Mom, I just heard the girl shouting, water...so..." Being scolded by his mother, Daniel stammered in explanation.

The woman interrupted the young man and said, "Okay, okay. Don't cause trouble. There are still vegetables cooking in the kitchen. Just watch the fire."

Daniel looked at the girl worriedly, but still went out.

The woman then smiled and said to the girl on the bed: "Girl, don't be afraid, I'm not a bad person. My surname is Zhang, and my husband's surname is Zhou. Others call me Sister-in-law Zhou, and that kid just now is my son. This kid is impulsive."

It's a bit old, we are country people, we don't have so many rules, so he may have heard you woke up and got anxious, so he broke in."

Looking at Sister-in-law Zhou's amiable face, and then looking at the simple things around her, the girl seemed to relax a little, but still didn't speak.

At this time, the girl's stomach made an unexpected growling sound, and her face suddenly turned red.

Sister-in-law Zhou smiled and said: "Girl, you have been in a coma for a day and a night. It's time to get hungry. The porridge has been cooked in the kitchen. Just wait, I will give you a short meal."

Sister-in-law Zhou went out after saying that. After a while, she came in with a tray. On it was a bowl of porridge, two steamed buns, a plate of fried eggplant, and a plate of pickles with pickles. It was a simple meal, but it exuded an irresistible flavor.

of aroma.

Mrs. Zhou put the food on the kang.

The girl hesitated for a moment, then slowly picked up the porridge. She was probably very hungry. She ate in small bites at first, but in the end she ate more and more eagerly.

"Slow down, be careful not to choke." Sister-in-law Zhou looked lovingly at the horrible bruises on the exposed skin of the girl's hands, how pitiful she was.

It wasn't until the girl had eaten all the food, put down her bowls and chopsticks, and burped that she let down her guard a little, looked at Sister-in-law Zhou and said, "Aunt Zhou, where is this place, and who are you? Why am I here?"

Sister-in-law Zhou said with a smile: "This is my home. Our family is all farmers. Our head is good at carpentry. During the slack time, he goes to the city to find some odd jobs to supplement the family income. This house belongs to a relative of mine.

We are basically helping her look at the house."

"But why am I here?" The girl thought of all the horrors she had experienced in the past few days, fear struck her heart, and her face turned slightly pale again.

Sister-in-law Zhou said: "You were sent by a relative of mine. She works in a wealthy family and is a very nice person. She said that the family who originally bought you saw that you were very ill and was afraid that... my relative is kind-hearted and would not see a living person."

Just like that, the little girl bought you. Don’t worry, we won’t embarrass you. If you have any relatives or friends you can seek refuge with, I can help you notify them. By the way, I don’t know your name yet?

"

"My name is... Du Juan." When Du Juan said her name, she paused and said a name that she had not used for a long time, a name that made her feel warm when someone called it.

"The name is very nice. There are many beautiful azaleas behind our hometown." Sister-in-law Zhou said with a smile.

During the chat, Du Juan's nerves slowly relaxed, and she began to feel at ease inexplicably.

Seeing this, Mrs. Zhou asked again: "Miss Dujuan, you haven't said what family members or relatives you have?"

Du Juan looked confused, shook her head and said: "I only have one sister, who has been separated for a long time, and has no relatives... Auntie, you are a good person, please take me in, I can do anything, please."

Du Juan became excited as she spoke, and knelt down in front of Mrs. Zhou.

Sister-in-law Zhou hurriedly said: "Miss Dujuan, don't be like this. Since my relatives have saved you, they will not ignore you. Since you have nowhere to go, just stay here for now. Although our family is poor, we still don't lack this."

food."

Du Juan burst into tears of gratitude and struggled hard in that dark and dirty place. Several times she wanted to kill her biological mother, but she always kept her sister's words in mind. No matter how difficult it is, she must live. Only by living can there be hope.

As long as we live, we will meet again one day.

…

At the same time, the towering corner gate of the mansion.

The beauty with delicate eyebrows grabbed the hand of the person in front of her and said, "What did you say? My sister was sold to someone who knows where?"

Cui Qiao's hand was so painful that she hurriedly said: "Feng Rou, calm down first. I found out when I went to inquire about it. It was probably because Zhang Yuanwai's wife was jealous and took advantage of you when Zhang Yuanwai was not at home.

My sister has been sold, but I really don’t know who the buyer is."

A grayish look suddenly appeared on Feng Rou's face, and her beautiful eyes also lost their former luster.

I don't know why, but Cui Qiao felt an indescribable joy in her heart.

She and Feng Rou are of the same age. I think back then, she was better at singing and dancing. Although Feng Rou was pretty, she was a bit dull, so she was more valued by Madam Lin's mother.

Back then, the big businessman came to Cuixiang Mansion to select a widower, saying that he wanted to give it to a nobleman of Zhou Dynasty. Everyone was afraid of the girls who were candidates. Generally speaking, if someone came to choose a girl to give away, everyone would compete for it.

After all, the people serving you are all dignitaries. Nothing is better than suffering in this fireworks alley with a pair of jade arms and a pillow for thousands of people and a little red lip for thousands of people to taste.

But this time it's different. The place I'm going to be sent to is a foreign country. I heard that foreign countries are barbarians and don't regard women as human beings.

Cuixiang House is no better than an ordinary brothel. Mother Lin knows how to use people. Most of the time, she does not force the girls to accept customers, but constantly gives them hope. For example, after the girl collected enough ransom money, she returned to her hometown to buy several acres of land.

She found a simple and honest husband to live her own little life, or the girl was favored by a high official and entered a wealthy family and became an aunt. Within two years, she gave birth to a big fat boy, and from then on she lived like a golden slave.

day.

Although the girls are not stupid, they know that what Mother Lin may be talking about is one or two successful examples. Most of them have been squeezed out of the last bit of their beauty, their appearance has declined, they are sent out alone and helpless, or they are sold to those who cannot marry.

A country boy who comes to his wife.

But Mother Lin is good at telling facts. Many of them were already sensible when they were sold in, and some still remember their own homes. Mother Lin said that a few taels of silver can live in the country for several years, but here they can only drink a pot of tea and a few plates.

Dim sum, no matter how little they earn, in the worst few years, they can still save enough money for a few acres of land. Are they worried about not being able to go back to the countryside and live a good life? If they are lucky, it is possible to save tens of thousands taels.

Not to mention returning to the countryside with tens of thousands taels, one can even buy a big house in the capital and live the rest of his life comfortably.

Life is lived by people, and no one can guarantee what will happen in the future. Even in the capital, there are still people who will become rich overnight or lose everything overnight.

As for how they can live a good life after leaving Cuixiang Tower with their money, it all depends on the individual.

If anyone is unwilling, there is no need to seek life and death. She will return them to Ren Yazi and sell them to the next family. However, in the capital, there are also three, six or nine grades of brothels. Cuixiang House is the best. If they are resold,

He would have to be sold into a lower-grade kiln, which would be miserable.

Besides, they were still young at the time, so they were not asked to sell themselves immediately. Life would be long, and maybe their family members could redeem themselves if they had the money, so there was no need to rush to find a life and death.

Mother Lin's words are very touching. It's so easy for people to seek death, but ants still live in vain.

So they lived like this, learning various skills every day, just to earn more. If they could save enough money to redeem themselves soon, they could go home as soon as possible.

Cuixiang Tower is a place where gold and silver are thrown away, where wealthy businessmen and businessmen gather. Occasionally, when you encounter a customer who is generous with your money, it is common to sing a ditty and casually reward him with hundreds of taels of silver notes.

For the truly top girls, Mother Lin will not let them go on stage early. She says that no matter how beautiful the flowers are, they will become stale if they are seen too much. They must wait until they are at their most beautiful, so that people can be amazed at the first sight, so on weekdays

They all sing very carefully. The sisters in the building can see it, but the men outside can't.

She and Fengrou are both at the top, and Mother Lin said that she would promote them as oirans.

At that time, I was a little young and didn't understand some things very well. I only knew that everyone was vying to be an oiran. Once you became an oiran, you would be worth a hundred times as much and earn much more than others.

But there was only one oiran, and she was very close to Fengrou. At that time, she still had a kind and honest heart, and she was thinking about being humble, because Fengrou had a younger sister to take care of. Of course, there was no need to worry, Cuixianglou

There is another goal worth striving for, which is to be favored by high-ranking officials and enter a high-level courtyard to enjoy the glory and wealth. If the son succeeds, he will still be able to enjoy a good life full of children and grandchildren when he is old.

She and Feng Rou met with such an opportunity. At first, Mother Lin did not tell them that the guests who came to pick people were going to send them to a foreign country to serve a noble somewhere. She only told them to serve a noble, a seventh-rank official in front of the prime minister's door.

, the cats and dogs of noble families are more noble than others, let alone the aunt?

It's just that Fengrou has a younger sister. She said she didn't want the sisters to be separated. At that time, she thought Fengrou was a bit stupid. What's the point of staying in Cuixiang House? If she was chosen to become the second wife of a rich man, please ask for a husband.

, wouldn’t it be better to help redeem my sister?

Of course, she didn't tell Feng Rou about this little thought in her heart. In the land of fireworks, she had long learned to hide her thoughts and only comforted Feng Rou. Then she would behave better and try to be selected. Anyway, she was alone.

No worries. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for recommendations and monthly votes. Your support is my biggest motivation.)
Chapter completed!