The proprietress of the noodle stall brought a bowl of water to drink with the little girl, and talked to the boss again. The two of them only thought that she was still young, and they didn't know how to hide it, and the meaning of the words was that she looked pitiful and wanted to find an acquaintance to take her back to Quantang Town.

The little girl couldn't drink it anymore, and when she saw that the two of them were talking lively, she dropped the bowl and ran away. She already knew that if she wanted to get to Huaiyang, she needed to get a wharf to take a boat and go north. She found the location of the dock and saw that there were many boats parked at the dock, but she didn't know which one was heading for Huaiyang.

She knew that the captain was going out of the boat to shout and report to the place. She listened carefully. But none of them went to Huaiyang.

It was dark, and there were not many boats left on the dock. She was cold, hungry and scared, sobbing and refusing to leave. When some of the captains saw her crying, they asked her why.

She wiped her tears and boldly asked, "Uncle, are you going to Huaiyang?"

Several captains looked at each other, and one asked, "Little girl, are you going to Huaiyang?"

She nodded. She was going to Huaiyang to find her sister and brother Shi.

"We don't have a boat here to go directly to Huaiyang. A captain said, "If you want to go to Huaiyang, you can take the boat to Yuxian, and then turn to Huaiyang." ”

A captain looked her up and down and asked, "Little girl, where is your family?"

She closed her mouth with tears in her eyes and did not speak.

Seeing that she refused to speak again, these captains speculated about where she came from. A very good-hearted person pointed to a big boat docked on the other side of the dock and said, "Little girl, we won't go to Huaiyang except for that boat." ”

As soon as his voice fell, he was heckled by several people around him.

"Aren't you saying it in vain? This is the ship of the Chengde Marquis Mansion, how can she catch it?"

"Yes. It is. Little girl, you should take a boat to Yuxian first. Then turn to Huaiyang. ”

She stared at the boat for a moment, then ran away again.

The bow of the ship of the Nahou Mansion was guarded. There are also people on both sides of the transom that get on and off the boat. There were many boxes on the shore, and a few people were carrying them on board. Taking advantage of the guards' inattention, she opened several boxes in a row, looking for the few things in them and got in.

Because she was small, it was dark again, so she got into the box and was carried to the ship, and no one noticed.

She ate in a wooden box for a day and a night before she was discovered.

She was asleep at that time, and when she woke up, she startled the girl with the lantern. That girl is the most powerful person next to the old lady of the Chengde Hou Mansion, temporarily in charge of the luggage on the ship. She was stunned for a while when she saw such a person suddenly appear in the old lady's brocade box. Hurriedly ordered to take her.

The matter made a fuss and alarmed the old lady.

She was caught in front of the old lady, and at first she refused to say anything. The girl threatened, "If you don't say anything more, I'll throw you into the river and feed the big fish." ”

She glanced at the girl with disdain.

The old lady laughed and said, "Okay, okay, don't say anything to scare this child, she must have grown up by the Huaishui River, how can there be anyone who can't water?"

The old lady had food brought in. She was starving.

The old lady said, "Eat slowly." No one is robbing you. Then he instructed the people beside him, "Go and bring a bowl of water." ”

She drank the water and suddenly felt much more comfortable.

The old lady asked, "Little girl, where is your house?" and how did you get into my box? ”

The old lady smiled kindly. He ate and drank with her, and did not beat and punish her, and she felt that she was a good person. And he said all that.

The old lady listened to the silence and said to her, "Little girl. What if you can't find your sister in Huaiyang?"

She couldn't eat it all at once. She hadn't thought about it yet.

The old lady touched her head, sighed and said, "You don't have to get off the boat." Let's go to Huaiyang with this boat, when I get to Huaiyang, I will find you a sister, if you can't find it, you will follow me in the future, okay?"

She looked up at the old lady and asked, "Are you really looking for a sister for me?"

The old lady nodded, "Find." ”

"I'll repay you when I find my sister!" she said, craned her neck, "I can do laundry, cook, and do a lot of things." ”

"Good, thank you, good, a good boy. The old lady said with a smile.

The girl next to the old lady also laughed.

"If you can't find your sister...... she whispered, "I'll come to serve you and be your maid." ”

The old lady laughed again, "Okay, I'll take you as a maid." ”

The boat arrived in Huaiyang, and the princess of Huaiyang Palace came to pick up her mother in person.

The old lady said in front of her that she was looking for someone. The princess agreed.

After waiting for five days, the steward in charge of finding someone sent news that her sister and brother Shi had encountered a mudslide on the way to the northwest, and neither of them was gone.

She didn't believe it and cried breathlessly. The steward also brought with him the traffickers of the time.

The old lady took her into her arms and comforted her, "All right, all right, don't cry." ”

So she stayed with the old lady, and they stayed in Huaiyang for nearly half a month, and then returned to Yanzhou.

The old lady treated her very well, saying that she was a girl, but she never treated her as a girl, she had her own house, and taught her to read.

Only the old lady was not in good health, so she went the next year, and asked her before leaving, whether she was willing to return to her hometown or follow the eldest lady of Huaiyang Palace.

She didn't want to go back, her father was gone, her sister was gone, and her mother didn't like her at all. She followed the eldest lady back to Huaiyang.

The eldest lady also treats her well. She grew reluctant to think about the past.

The eldest lady's maternal grandparents passed away one after another, and she lived in the Huiji Nunnery next to the Guangji Temple for some time every year for the past three years.

The sesame oil donated by Huaiyang Wangfu every year is very rich, and Guangji Temple and Huiji Nunnery have benefited a lot, so they have set aside a few small courtyards to keep for the royal women.

She came here every year with the eldest lady, and she didn't expect to see her sister again one day.

At that time, she didn't recognize it, but she felt very familiar, and when she looked at the small mole on the woman's earlobe, she remembered it after thinking about it carefully.

Her sister's little mole didn't have when she was a child, but one day the two of them stole their mother's embroidery needle and pierced her ear. At that time, my sister couldn't see it, and she still wore it.

After wearing it for a few days, the whole ear turned red, and then it supulated, and my sister also had a fever and was sick for a few days.

They were afraid that their mother would blame them, and no one dared to say anything.

Later, my sister's fever subsided, and her ears were better, with only a black mole.

The black mole on her sister's earlobe was different from everyone else, and she hadn't forgotten it. She thought it had to be her sister.

She immediately chased after her, but the person was already gone.

She was so sad that she missed her sister. When she thought about some things again, she found that she hadn't actually forgotten a lot, she was just afraid of being sad, so she subconsciously avoided thinking about it.

How could she forget her sister? The sister who had been carrying her on her back since she was a child, hunting pigweed, feeding her, and taking her with her wherever she went.

When the flood came on a rainy night, she ran out of breath and didn't leave her, killed people to save her, and never gave up no matter how difficult it was.

How could she forget?

But I just missed it.

She didn't look very good, her clothes were gray, her cuffs were patched, and she didn't have a single piece of jewelry in her hair, and she came to ask her for water.

She didn't even recognize her.

Little Pepper was annoyed and hated in her heart, she was not short of food and clothing now, and she had some surplus on hand, but her sister was not doing well at all.

Now that she's older, she can make her sister live a good life, and she's going to find her anyway.

Little Pepper sobbed and cried for most of the night, and the next morning, both eyes were swollen into peaches.

When Narcissus saw this, she was startled, pulled her aside and asked, "What happened to you last night?"

Pepper lowered her head and said, "I, I'm dreaming." He looked up again and asked, "Sister Narcissus, is the eldest lady awake?" I want to go down the mountain. ”

Narcissus looked at her, "What are you doing down the mountain?"

Pepper said, "I'll go down the mountain and find someone." ”

Narcissus remembered that Xiao Pepper stared at people yesterday, and then chased after him, and asked, "Do you know the two girls who broke in yesterday to beg for water......?" Could it be that your sister?"

The matter of Xiao Chili, Gu Xiruo, the eldest lady of Huaiyang Palace, has long known about it, and Narcissus has been serving by Gu Xiruo's side since she was a child, and she is also clear about this matter.

Pepper shook her head slowly, "I don't know if it's like it?" ”

Although Xiao Chili is said to be a person in the Qiuhua Courtyard of the eldest lady of Huaiyang Palace, it is different from other girls in Qiuhua Courtyard, and it can be seen from her Xiao Chili name. Living alone in a room in the palace, Gu Xiruo rarely sent her to do some things that a girl should do, and only talked with her from time to time.

Xiao Chili was still young when she came to Gu Xiruo's side, and the old lady of the Chengde Hou Mansion was very good to her, so Xiao Chili didn't know many things. When she arrived at Gu Xiruo's side, she was almost taught by Narcissus. Therefore, it is not ordinary for narcissus to treat peppers.

Pepper's plight, Narcissus also feels sympathy. She said, "The eldest lady is copying Buddhist scriptures, you can wait for her to stop writing before you go in." ”

Pepper sat down on a stone bench at the door and waited. After about a stick of incense, the narcissus came out and gave a face and a little pepper. Pepper followed Narcissus inside.

Gu Xiruo was wiping her hands. She is eighteen years old this year, and because she is filial piety for her maternal grandparents, the family affairs have been delayed. Normally, if a woman is in her current situation, most of them will be impatient. But she is different, her behavior is as leisurely and calm as flowing water, with a stunning appearance, so that people can't help but feel conscious when they see it.

Pepper waited for her to finish wiping her hands before she stepped forward.

Gu Xiruo glanced at her, suddenly laughed, and said, "This is really a little pepper." ”

Pepper couldn't help but touch her eyes.

Gu Xiruo said again: "I heard Xia Lian say, you had a nightmare and cried all night last night?"

Pepper nodded.

"What kind of nightmare did you have to cry like this?" Gu Xiruo looked at her, "Did you dream of your sister?" (to be continued......)