Chunying wiped the tears from her face. Carefully raised his eyes and looked at Zhou Nian, seeing that he was still looking at him with a smile on his face, the roots of his ears were a little hot, and he whispered, "I'm sorry, I'm out of shape......"

Zhou Nian shook his head: "It doesn't matter, sit down, let's talk well." Then he turned back to the bookcase in the center of the room and pulled over a chair and sat down.

Chun Ying absentmindedly sat directly on the chair next to her, but suddenly paused, hesitating whether to stand up and find a new place to sit, Zhou Nian had already spoken first: "Since you were sent out of the house, I have been worried, I don't know how you are doing outside, but Brother You said that he sent the most appropriate family member to do it at that time, I think you should be okay?" ”

In retrospect, it's really hard to say whether those days were good or not, but Chunying admitted that most of the year outside the mansion was quite pleasant, so she said, "It's okay." At first, I lived in a shop under my wife's name, where the shopkeeper was very good, and then I went back to his house with my second uncle for more than half a year, and I had a ...... Neighbors, doing some small business of fat powder jewelry, occasionally helping others to be a middleman, I also earn some pocket money. ”

Zhou Nian smiled: "Sounds good, you have been very keen on saving money since the past, presumably you have saved enough money for the whole family to redeem themselves?" ”

Chunying smiled reluctantly: "Originally, it was enough, but now ...... Even if there is silver, it is useless for my father and mother to refuse to nod. ”

Zhou Nian was a little surprised: "Isn't your father and mother refusing?" He realized: "Just ...... You are so sad, but because of this? ”

When Chunying heard this, her eyes began to turn red again: "My father is now reused, and he thinks it is better to stay in the house, but he is afraid that he will encounter many difficulties when he goes out...... I know that if I leave my nationality and leave, I will have to rely on my family to find a way to make a living in the future, unlike in the Hou Mansion, where I don't have to worry about food and clothing...... But freemen and slaves are not the same after all......"

Zhou Nian persuaded softly: "Your father's idea is also reasonable, he also wants the family to live a more stable life, right?" ”

"I know......" Chunying flattened her mouth, "but if you go out, you may not be able to make a living?" In the past, when our family was poor, he would occasionally be a middle-aged person. Earn a hard-earned fee. I went out for a year, helped that neighbor Xiao Fei Ge do business, and met many foreign merchants. They come to the capital several times a year to sell goods, I know their names and where they are staying, and they know me. Even if my father can't find a job, it's enough to make a living just by relying on these merchants...... "The connections on the Shi shopkeeper's side can also be used, even if the father is not as articulate as Brother Xiaofei, the silver he earns every year is discounted, and there are dozens of taels, which is enough for their whole family to live a well-off life."

Zhou Nian thought for a moment and asked, "These words...... Didn't you tell your dad? ”

"I mentioned it a little, but it didn't work!" Chunying sniffed, "My father decided that if he doesn't have a backer, he will be bullied outside, and he can't live his life...... I really can't help him, I can't leave the whole family behind, and find a way to get out of the country alone, right?! ”

"Why do you have to be obsessed with this?" After Zhou Nian pondered for a moment, he asked this question, and Chun Ying was stunned when he heard it: "Because...... Because I want to be free and I don't want others to decide their own future. ”

"Then you don't have to be out of citizenship, do you?" Zhou Nian said. "The stewards of the high families are more dignified than ordinary slaves, and there are many things that can be done by asking their masters for mercy and allowing them to act on their own. You just said that your father is now reused, so he must have weight in speaking in front of his master, right? Why do you still ...... Still insisting on leaving the country? And still in a hurry? ”

Chunying was stunned, calmed down and thought about it carefully, and replied, "Because I'm in a hurry...... My father still has to be reused, but he hasn't even been officially promoted to stewardship, and even if he becomes a steward, he's just a small steward, and he's still far from those big stewards, who knows if the master will listen to him? I don't know how many years it will take until he has enough decency to act autonomously...... I'm young and can afford to wait, but my sister is seventeen years old this year, and seeing that she is the age of marriage, God knows who she will be rationed to? If that's a bastard, wouldn't it be ruined for the rest of his life? Even if he is a good person, it is very likely that he is the son of the family in the house, so even if our family succeeds in redeeming herself in the future, my sister will still be a slave, and the child she gave birth to will also be a slave...... Can I leave her behind? ”

She sniffed and continued, "And my brother...... He is only three years old this year, but Aunt Qing of his aunt's family has already sent a message asking him to accompany the young master of the Huo family to study in two years. Aunt Qing also said that she wanted our whole family to serve the Huo family in the past, why didn't I worry? Is it good for the Huo family to be a slave at home? Will they release them in the future? I don't know anything about them! And myself...... I'm not in Huanhuaxuan now, I'm waiting for Miss Huo Jiabiao in the Evening Fragrance Pavilion. I don't know how long I'll be waiting for her, will I marry her? I've seen other people's families stay in the Hou Mansion, but the daughter married with the lady and went elsewhere, Aunt Qing used to be the maid of the Hou Mansion, and since she married with the aunt's wife, she hasn't been home for more than ten years, and she has become a concubine! The whole family died, and she didn't get to come back to see it...... I was scared in my heart...... Nothing is out of my control...... I don't want to be separated from my family...... I don't want to be arranged by others for my future......" She lowered her head and wept, the handkerchief in her hand had been twisted, but the fear in her heart was getting bigger and bigger, and she always felt that these assumptions were likely to become reality.

A shadow was over her head, she looked up, it turned out to be Zhou Nian, handed over a clean cloth, and said softly: "Don't cry, you won't encounter these unfortunate things." ”

Chunying took Bupa, whispered thank you, bit her lip, and raised her head: "How do you know that you won't meet?" There are such things everywhere in the Hou Mansion, just our neighbors who are familiar with each other, there are several men who are on errands in other places, and there are also daughters of two families who accompany Princess Jing to get married, and they may not be able to return home once a year. My father's boss, Xiao Chen, is in charge. His own uncle and cousins are still slaves in his wife's mother's house, and the family is divided into several places, and there are many such things...... "She wanted to speak and stopped, thinking that even if her family was redeemed, the second uncle was going to leave with the eldest young master, which could be regarded as separation.

Zhou Nian smiled faintly: "These things are all decided by the master of the Hou Mansion, aren't they?" Brother You is the future master of the Hou Mansion, as long as he speaks, what are you afraid of? ”

Chun Ying's heart moved at first, but she quickly shook her head: "He is still a child now, and he has to listen to Mrs. Hou's ideas in everything." When he becomes the master of the house, I don't know how many years it will take. ”

"Then I'm not a kid, am I?"

Chunying was stunned: "You? ”

"That's me." Zhou Nian smiled and sat back in place, "Have you forgotten what I promised you at the beginning?" When my family is rehabilitated, Brother You will give your family to me, and not only will I not interfere in the affairs of your family, but if you want to get out of the country, I will also nod happily. ”

Chunying was pleasantly surprised, why did she forget about it? Busy said: "Yes, yes! You promised me! She believed that Zhou Nian would not break the contract, and she was immediately relieved in her heart, but she immediately became nervous: "That...... Young Master Nian, when will your family be rehabilitated? I remember that before you left the Hou Mansion, there was already good news, right? ”

Zhou Nian nodded with a smile: "There have been two adults who have been rehabilitated, they are both close friends of my father before his death, presumably the good news is not far away." Hou Ye asked me to be calm and wait for the opportunity. ”

Chun Ying's face was happy: "That's great!" After that, he was a little ashamed: "I'm sorry...... I seem to keep talking about myself, but I forgot to ask you how you are doing......"

Zhou Nian was not angry, but his eyes were a little gloomy: "Me? It's nothing, less than a month after you left the house, I left the capital...... First, they arrived at the Shandong border...... Hou Ye opened the way and rescued the person who replaced me from the salt farm, and planned to change it back on the way......" He paused, bowed his head and was silent for a while before continuing, "That person...... Half of his life has been tortured, and it took a lot of effort for the doctor to keep him alive to support him to the agreed place...... I've never seen anyone so thin! I thought that if it weren't for Hou Ye's rescue, I would be like that today, and I might not even be able to support it for so many years! And the man ...... I was an innocent child, and I volunteered to be my stand-in for filial piety...... His father died just three years after entering the salt works, and he still struggled there...... When I left, I just wanted to see my family again......"

His eyes were red, his voice trembled, and he seemed to have endless grief buried in his heart, but he couldn't vent it. Chun Ying also followed with red eyes, and hurriedly handed over the piece of cloth. He squeezed out a forced smile and took the veil. Only then continued: "It's a pity that he didn't have time, but fortunately, Lord Hou's people brought news from his family, saying that he ** married a carpenter from Hejian Mansion and gave birth to a son, and his life is fine, his sister married a small businessman three years ago and already has a son and a daughter...... He smiled and closed his eyes and thanked me, but I didn't even know his name...... In order to hide people's eyes, he was buried at night, and there was not even a monument on the grave...... I feel like I'm really guilty! For me, I hurt him all my life, he suffered a lot, and he had to be incognito when he died, but I borrowed his help and returned to the capital openly......"

Chun Ying hurriedly said: "No, you were still young at the time, where did you know this?" It's not you in charge, you're just following the arrangement! ”

Zhou Nian shook his head: "If it weren't for me, Master Hou would never have found him...... He was a child...... It was a little like me...... He suffered for me in the salt field, I didn't have to worry about food and clothing in the Hou Mansion, except that I couldn't go out at will, and occasionally received a few sarcastic words from Li Chang, so I have been pampered, but I still feel that I have been wronged...... What kind of face do I have to say such things?! Looking back at the past, there were countless people who were convicted, and even my closest relatives were exiled to remote places, and I have been staying in the capital and being protected by the Hou Ye, which is really a great blessing! But what else did I do besides thinking about them once in a while, and sighing a few times about the pity of the person who replaced me? self-abandonment and decadence...... Damn it, it's me! ”

He clenched his fist and hit it vigorously in the chest, Chun Ying hurriedly stopped it, and persuaded: "Don't be like this, it's not your fault, you are all wronged, aren't you?" You were a kid after all, what could you do? Why criticize yourself so badly? ”

"But I don't have the face to see them!" Zhou Nian said excitedly, "I'm a hundred times better than them, but I still dare to be resentful, if you hadn't reminded me, where would I remember that someone was suffering for me?" I've lived a comfortable life for a long time, and I've even forgotten the principles of life that my father taught me, even if I rehabilitate him in the future, where will I have the face to see him?! ”

Chun Ying held his arm tightly to prevent him from hurting himself again: "Even if you hurt yourself now, what's the use?!" ”

Zhou Nian was stunned, and then the whole person was deflated: "Yes...... They're all dead......"

"That's not what I meant." Chun Ying stared at him, "The people who served for you are dead, but the others are still alive, what you should do is to rescue them!" And that person's family, you also have to do your best to take care of it, not through the Hou Mansion, but on your own strength. Don't you want to...... Do something for him? ”

Zhou Nian looked at her for a while before he calmed down, closed his eyes, and muttered, "Chun'er......"

(Rewritten halfway through writing...... Alas...... I'm sorry...... ）。.。