After a while, Steward Liu, Mama Ruan, and two maids came in, knelt down and kowtowed.

There was no one behind them, and when they saw these people saluting, Mrs. Hou's face sank: "What about people? What about the people you picked up? ”

"Old lady, Miss Xi said that we don't have a certificate and can't prove that she is a child of the Hou Mansion, so she refuses to come back with us." Ruan Mama said.

Everyone was stunned.

Zhao Ruyu, who had returned to sit behind the second lady, opened her mouth wide in surprise.

Why is this different from the previous life? In his previous life, Xu Xi was brought back, with a small family spirit, acting timidly and cowering, and he couldn't talk or do things. The first time they met, the old lady and the lady didn't like her, and they repeatedly complained about the second lady as sarcastically as they had just now.

The second lady seemed to dislike Xu Xi in the first place, and the old lady and the lady repeatedly taught her about this matter, so she hated Xu Xi more and more. So she treated Xu Xi as she did to her adopted daughter, she seemed warm and intimate in front of people, and she was sarcastic, snubbed and even tortured behind her back.

Xu Xi, as a child raised by a small family, had all kinds of inferiority complex after entering the Hou Mansion, and the second lady's mother also treated her like this, and the slaves in the mansion who stepped on the high and the low did not have half of their dignity for her, which made her even more depressed and inferior. Later, when she was old, she wanted to talk about marriage, and when the eldest lady went out, she took her out to socialize, and she made all kinds of mistakes, and she became a laughing stock in the circle of nobles in the capital.

The Hou Mansion has been on the way, and the Hou Mansion of the top aristocratic circle has been unable to enter. I usually socialize with some wives who are in the same situation as the Hou Mansion and those who are five or six petty officials. Xu Xi's life experience has been talked about by people, and her such a scandal made the Hou Mansion laugh at it.

At that time, the old lady was so angry that she simply ordered not to take her out.

So Xu Xi stumbled until he was eighteen years old, and then the second lady was in charge, and he married a man whose family background was not very good and his reputation was very bad.

Zhao Ruyu remembers clearly, Xu Xi was picked up today in his last life. Because today is Zhao Ruyu's birthday. Although the second lady doesn't pay attention to it, the eldest lady will ask the kitchen to cook a few favorite dishes for her, and will also plant a new dress for her; The sisters in the house would also give her a small gift.

But because Xu Xi is going to be picked up today, except for her cousin and cousin, no one cares about her birthday.

But compared to the previous life, things are actually different. Xu Xi not only did not obediently return to Hou with Mama Ruan, but she also said something like "There is no certificate, it can't be proved that she is a child of the Hou Mansion, so she refuses to come back".

Zhao Ruyu didn't know if he had heard it wrong just now. Is this what Xu Xi can say? Xu Xi won't be reborn like her, right?

She stared at Mama Ruan tightly, hoping that she could repeat what she had just said.

However, after Mama Ruan finished speaking, she stood there dutifully, hanging her head slightly and not saying another word.

After Mrs. Hou was surprised, she looked at Steward Liu: "Liu Heng, you tell me about the situation carefully." The tone returned to his usual indifference.

"Yes."

Steward Liu didn't dare to add oil and acid, and honestly reported all today's events.

Hearing Xu Xi's words relayed by him, and then hearing that Xu Xi did not hesitate to hang himself in order not to return to the Hou Mansion, everyone was stunned, and secretly observed the old lady's expression, and saw that the old lady's face had already turned black into the bottom of the pot.

And Zhao Ruyu has already determined that the current Xu Xi will definitely not be the Xu Xi of the previous life.

“…… That's the way it is. The old slave was worried that Miss Xi would act radically again, and he was also worried that others would say that it would be difficult for our Hou Mansion strongmen, so he didn't persuade him more, and came back to the old lady, Hou Ye and Mrs. again. Steward Liu said.

Old Madam Hou sat on the top and was silent for a long time.

The whispering and chatter had stopped, and everyone sat quietly, not daring to make a sound.

After a while, Mrs. Hou sighed, rubbed her forehead, and waved her hand: "Okay, you go and rest first." ”

After Steward Liu and Mama Ruan retreated, Old Madam Hou said again: "The Zhu family and the Wei family stay, and the others are scattered." ”

The ladies and girls of the Hou Mansion all led their subordinates to retreat, and even the maids and daughters of Mrs. Hou and the second lady were also sent out by the two, and only the three masters and Madam Hou's henchman Mama Jin were left in the house.

Old Madam Hou held the Buddha beads in her hand, her eyes were half-closed, and she said, "What did you say?" ”

"Naturally, I want to take it back." Mrs. Hou was the first to speak, "The news of the child's mistake came from the Yin side of the capital mansion, and the aristocratic circle has already been publicized. At this time, if we don't bring people back, isn't our Hou Mansion a joke? ”

The rosary in Mrs. Hou's hand stopped, opened her eyes and glanced at the second lady, and asked, "Wei, what about you?" ”

Wei kept her head down, so that people couldn't see the expression on her face clearly.

Only then did she raise her head, nodded and said, "I listen to the old lady and the lady." ”

Old Madam Hou looked at her half-squinted for a while, until she saw that the second lady's whole body was stiff, she lowered her head and twisted her skirt uncomfortably, then she closed her eyes again and said lightly: "Wei, Ming'er, you and Yuanliang, take Sister Yu to go together." You two are Sister Xi's biological parents, and she will feel at ease if you pick her up in person; Sister Yu is the daughter of the Xu family, no matter what, she should go to the door and meet her relatives. ”

"Yes." The second lady hurriedly stood up and agreed.

"I don't care if you love that child or not, whether you want to take her back or not, she is also the blood of our Hou Mansion, and she must not be left behind. Our Hou Mansion is not as good as before, and if there is a granddaughter who is outcast, she will have to be seen as a joke by people in the circle. In the future, who wants to marry us? ”

The rosary in Mrs. Hou's hand paused, thought about it and said: "I didn't give the hundred taels that Steward Liu brought today, so I asked Sister Yu to bring it tomorrow, and made it clear that she was filial to her uncle and aunt, and in addition to that, I would prepare some silk and satin and pastries." ”

The second lady lowered her head again.

Only then did Mrs. Hou wave her hand to let the two of them retreat.

After the two of them went out, Mrs. Hou instructed Mama Jin: "Go and call Master Hou and the second master over." ”

There are more than a dozen masters in the Hou Mansion, except for the Hou Ye who has an idle post in the yamen, everyone else has nothing to do. Hou Ye's idle position is called an idle job, so naturally he doesn't often go to the yamen to do things. Therefore, none of the gentlemen in the whole mansion went to work in the yamen, either at home, or in the teahouses and restaurants outside.

But fortunately, because the Hou Mansion is unable to make ends meet, Mrs. Hou is strict in managing money, except for everyone's monthly routine, no one can withdraw money from the account; Once someone is found to be gambling outside and visiting the Qinglou, even if it is Suiping Hou himself, he will be punished by Mrs. Hou's family law.

Therefore, although the gentlemen of the Suiping Marquis Mansion can't do it, they don't dare to make trouble outside. At most, I go to the teahouse to listen to books and drink tea, and the destination is fixed.

Mama Jin went out for less than a cup of tea, and the brothers Zhao Yuanan, the Marquis of Suiping, and Zhao Yuanliang, the second master, entered the main hall one after the other.