Mother Tian and Mother Gui walked in front of the maids one by one with their paces, and the primary selection was of course based on appearance, manners, rules, conversation, etc.

Xiao Xia lowered his head and peeked secretly, and saw that there were people in front of him who were unqualified in appearance, who did not follow the rules, who could not understand the dialect of the capital, and who could not even speak the Jiangzhou dialect well.

Xiao Xia is secretly nervous, oh no, what should she do if she wants to let herself speak? I hope I can fool the past.

A lot of people in front of them were brushed out, and one of them was not convinced, so he opened his mouth and asked, "What am I worse than them?" Why don't they want me? ”

Mother Tian glanced at her lightly: "You can't compare to them now, I don't let you enter the mansion for your own good, hurry back and find someone to marry, you are not suitable to serve people." ”

The woman's face turned red, and she shook her veil angrily: "Hmph, isn't it just to choose a maid for the young grandmother?" Who do you think is rare? Who is sincere in serving people one by one? Why don't they all go to the position next to the second young master of the Hou Mansion? Can't fancy me? I can't take a fancy to you anymore! Phew! ”

The woman shook her handkerchief and swaggered past Tian's mother, Gui's mother was so angry that she wanted to stop her theory, Tian's mother stopped her and whispered: "That's it, this kind of woman has no self-knowledge, she will suffer wherever she goes, I am not afraid that she will be proud now, and someone will treat her in the future!" ”

Gui's mother said: "Alas, really, there are all kinds of people, look at her upright, white and clean...... Blind with a good skin. ”

"What are you talking about? Madame asked us to screen first, for fear of accidentally recruiting this kind of person into the house. Look carefully, don't look away. ”

Gui's mother nodded, and the two of them slowly sifted down.

When it was Natsu's turn to be the one before. The girl was probably too nervous, and as soon as Tian's mother stood still, the girl pulled Tian's mother and said, "Mom, I'...... I do everything, cook, wash clothes, take care of children, anything, Mom, you can leave me. I am willing to sign a deed of sale, as long as I can see my mother, I am willing to do anything. Please, Mom, please save my mother! ”

Mother Tian frowned, and the two mothers-in-law beside her stepped forward to remove the girl's hand and said coldly: "We are picking a maid for the second young grandmother, not a doctor sitting in the hall." I want to save your mother and find a doctor. ”

"But I don't have money, the doctor doesn't give me medical treatment, and I don't give medicine! Mom. Please, have mercy on me! ”

"Presumptuous!" The woman pushed the girl away, and she took a step back and hit the wall, then slid down the wall, and fell to her knees covering her face and weeping bitterly.

Mother Gui also came over and said coldly: "Our Hou Mansion is not a good hall, what does it look like to cry here?" If we disturb the master, none of us can afford to take care of her, come and drag her out as far as she wants. What a bad luck! ”

Xiao Xia watched the girl being taken out by the two mothers-in-law, and felt very uncomfortable.

"Raise your head!"

Natsu turned around. Seeing that Tian's mother had already arrived in front of her, she secretly tightened her sleeves and slowly raised her head, even though her face was facing Tian's mother, she always drooped her eyelids and looked down, not looking at Tian's mother.

"Salute!"

Xiao Xia took a step back slightly, and made a decent blessing salute.

Tian's mother nodded with satisfaction, raised her hand and pointed into the alley: "Go in!" ”

After bowing again, Xiao Xia bowed his head and took a few steps back before turning around, and then walked into the alley with small steps.

Mother Tian couldn't help but stop and look at it twice, and Mother Gui said in a low voice: "Eldest sister, this girl is good, she looks good, and the manners and rules look like she comes from a big family." ”

Tian's mother frowned slightly: "Do you think something is wrong?" ”

"Huh? I don't think so, if it's really wrong, this girl is too well-behaved, obviously a cut above other girls. ”

Tian's mother lowered her eyebrows and thought about it, and felt that Gui's mother's words were also reasonable, there were a lot of people who applied today, but there were no two who were really agreeable, so keep it for the time being, anyway, there are several procedures in the back, and if it is really not suitable, it will be brushed down sooner or later.

She turned to the back, and in just two quarters of an hour, there were only about a dozen of the more than 100 people who originally enlisted, including three nurses and three rough mothers-in-law, and only eight of them were recruited, and Xiao Xia was among them.

Gui's mother took them into the house, and as soon as they crossed the threshold, they saw a desk in front of them, with all the paper, ink, pens and inkstones on the table.

Mother Gui stood at the table: "The eight of you come over and write down your names, addresses, reasons for entering the mansion, and what you are good at, do you hear clearly?" ”

The eight maids should be in unison, and they stepped aside one by one after writing according to Gui's mother's request.

Gui's mother has been watching, it stands to reason that the maid does not have to be literate, but this second young grandmother is from a scholarly family, and she is good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting.

What's more, this request was made by the second young grandmother herself, which shows that the second young grandmother also attaches great importance to this.

Xiao Xia wrote the third one, which is exactly what she wants, she deliberately changed her name when she wrote the name, writing that Yu Qiu'er, whose ancestral home is in Beijing, her relatives are separated in the middle of the family road, and she came to Jiangzhou to find relatives without success, and she has nowhere to live, so she wants to enter the Hou Mansion to find a place to live on an errand, and she is good at writing in one column: calligraphy and painting.

Xiao Xia Tian writes, even if she didn't write well before, she has practiced for so long, she is decent, elegant and beautiful, and it is said that seeing words is like seeing people, and now it is just right for her.

Gui's mother watched from the side, very satisfied with Xiao Xia's appearance, Xiao Xia looked up, and saw that Gui's mother was looking at herself and laughing, Xiao Xia smiled embarrassedly, and by the way, she took a piece of paper and sketched it simply, and the silhouette image of Gui's mother jumped on the paper.

Xiao Xia put down the pen and handed the portrait to Gui's mother, then nodded with a smile and stepped aside.

Mother Gui looked at the portrait in surprise for a long time, and then took it to Tian's mother, who was also quite shocked when she saw it, and asked in a low voice: "This is what the girl painted?" ”

"Yes, it's really good, you don't have to be a painter, this girl has some skills! I think we'll recommend her directly to Madame. ”

"This ...... What is her background? ”

"The ancestral home of the capital is in the middle of the road. It was supposed to be a middle-sized lady, right? Otherwise, how can there be such rules and such skills? ”

"You, it's just a portrait, it doesn't mean anything. We still have to check his family's background, after all, it is to be sent to the second young grandmother, the second young grandmother is pregnant, and she can't make a mistake. ”

Gui's mother disagreed: "If everything is really good, how can so many people up and down our house not be able to pick out someone?" But the second young grandmother of the family can't look down on it, I think she may not be able to meet her conditions, even if she is a young lady from a big family, you look at the others. Write a crooked word, you can't even write your own name well, do you think the second young grandmother can get past it? ”

"But you can't ...... either"

Tian's mother was halfway through her words. I heard a few mothers-in-law next to me say loudly: "The slave maid has seen the second young grandmother." ”

When they looked back, they saw seven or eight maids and women coming over with a soft sedan chair behind them, and the young woman on the sedan chair with a face like silver and skin like clotted fat was not her second young grandmother?

The two of them also hurriedly bowed their heads and saluted, and Xiao Xia also saw the legendary second young grandmother.

She thought about it. She has seen a lot of famous ladies in the capital. Whether it is in Su Mansion or Liang Mansion, you can always meet when you participate in various banquets and garden parties, whether you are married or not, as long as it is a woman in the noble circle in Beijing, even if you don't know each other, you should have an impression, but why is this woman born like this? Not at all impressed?

Of course, even if she was suspicious. The etiquette still has to be thorough, and she honestly follows Tian's mother to greet her.

The soft car stopped. And the young grandmother slowly got off the sedan chair with the maid's hand, her eyes swept around, and finally landed on Tian's mother and Gui's mother: "Have you picked the maid for me?" ”

"Back to the second young grandmother, the old slave screened a trip, selected eight maids, three nurses and three rough mothers-in-law, and planned to find out the background of the background, and then bring it to the lady to see and choose, compared to less than two days!"

"Two more days? Hmph, did you see me coming from afar, deliberately snubbing me and perfunctory me? The second young grandmother did not hide her dissatisfaction, holding her stomach with one hand and squinting her eyes unhappily:

"Don't forget, I still have the eldest grandson of the Li family in my belly!"

Tian's mother said: "The old slave doesn't dare, and the second young grandmother is angry." ”

The second young grandmother let the maid support her with one hand, and protected her stomach with the other, and said lightly: "That's it, these are all alternatives, right?" ”

"Yes, Second Young Grandma."

"In this way, I will pick the rest by myself, and I won't bother my mother!"

"This ...... The second young grandmother, I haven't found out their background yet! ”

"What? This Tanghou Mansion has been operating in Jiangzhou for hundreds of years, does anyone dare to attack the master of the mansion? ”

"No, no, if you're not afraid of 10,000, you're afraid of what if!"

"It's okay, I'll choose you first and then check it out." The second young grandmother paced in front of Xiao Xia and the other eight people, and the maid behind her cleared her throat and said:

"This is my second young grandmother, who is your future master, and you are the person next to my second young grandmother, as long as you are well-behaved and obedient, you will definitely not be able to lose your food and clothing and monthly rewards, so you all raise your heads."

Xiao Xia and the others slowly raised their heads, still honestly drooping their eyelids and not looking at her, but the strange thing was that they stood silently for a while, but the second young grandmother did not speak, but it was obvious that a critical gaze was sweeping over each other.

After standing like this for about half an hour, no one spoke, and the two girls couldn't help but be curious to raise their eyelids to see what the situation was, but they happened to be caught by the second young grandmother, which frightened the girl so much that she quickly lowered her eyes, and her face was dyed with a layer of red.

Another half an hour passed, and the second young grandmother finally moved, she turned her head slightly to give the maid beside her a look, and the maid immediately jumped out, "You, you, and you, you all quit, we don't need to be around the young grandmother who can't control the wild girl who can't control herself." ”

Half of it was removed at once, and there were still four honest and well-behaved maids left, one of them was quite gorgeous, and there was still some charm between her eyebrows, and the second young grandmother stared at her for a long time, thinking that she would raise her eyes, but unfortunately it was not, and the second young grandmother looked quite regretful, but her eyes were always on the woman.

"You ...... What's your name and where is your ancestry? Why apply? Report them to me one by one. ”

When Gui's mother heard it, isn't this exactly what they asked the maids to write? She felt that this was an opportunity to please the young grandmother, so she took a step forward with a smile:

"Oh, the second young grandmother, you can really pinch and calculate, and you can even guess what the old slave and other girls who are going to take the school exam. You see, the old slave and the others have asked a few girls to write down all the questions you want to ask, one can understand their roots, and the other can test whether they are literate and elegant, and whether they can meet the wishes of the two young grandmothers. ”

Gui's mother offered Xiao Xia what they had just written with both hands, and the maid took it and handed it to the second young grandmother. The second young grandmother glanced at it, glanced at Gui's mother again, and chuckled: "You can do things!" ”

Mother Gui was happy in her heart, but she humbly said: "No, no, no, it's the second young grandmother who has the foresight." ”

"Well, it's a talker, Biting, reward!"

The maid behind her took out a silver ingot and handed it to Gui's mother, Gui's mother was naturally so happy that she took the silver and kowtowed again and again to thank her, and looked at the mother-in-law and maids on the side.

Xiao Xia glanced at it secretly, the silver ingot is not small, not to mention five taels, tsk, it's really generous! The first-class maid in this house is only about two taels a month, and she is five taels when she makes a move, which is too generous, right?

When I was in the Liang Mansion, the Liang Mansion was so rich, and I didn't see Mrs. Liang often give such rewards, only occasionally when she was happy or rewarded the subordinates who had made great achievements. I don't know if this second young grandmother deliberately supported the scene for the next person to see, or is she really so generous?

Then, the second young grandmother took Xiao Xia and went through all the things they wrote, and finally took out one: "Who is Liu Yan'er?" ”

The glamorous and charming woman beside Xiao Xia stepped forward and saluted softly: "Slave Liu Yan'er has seen grandma." ”

The second young grandmother was obviously a little surprised: "You are Liu Yan'er?" ”

"Yes, young grandma."

"You...... Is it from the capital workshop? ”

"Yes, young grandma."

The second young grandmother frowned and stared at her for a long time: "Since it is from the Beijing Teaching Workshop, why don't you go to the palace on an errand?" If you get the favor, wouldn't it be like flying on the branches to be a phoenix? ”

"The young grandmother looks down on the slave maid, there are many women in the palace who have both ability and political integrity and good character, and the slave and maid are self-aware, rather than dying in the palace for a lifetime, it is better to come out and seek a good future."

"What's your future?"

"The slave maid has no advantage except for writing poetry and dance music, I heard that the second young grandmother is from the capital, and she is good at piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, she is an elegant person, the slave and maid feel that she may fall in love with the second young grandmother, so she came."

"Affinity?" The second young grandmother raised her lips and smiled: "It's really fate, okay, you stay!" ”

"The slave thanked the second young grandmother." Liu Yan'er thanked her unhurriedly and stood beside the second young grandmother.

Everyone was secretly surprised, originally thought that this Liu Yan'er was bewitching, and a normal lady in the main room would not put such a woman by her side, but she didn't expect the second young grandmother to leave her! Are these two young grandmothers really stupid or fake stupid?

"Which one is Yu Qiu'er?" (To be continued.) )