In the early spring of the Jiangnan Wu self-expected, when the smoke and rain were misty, Zhuo Zhaojie wore a placket apricot yellow half-arm, and a seventy-percent new Luo skirt was tied under the white collar and narrow sleeves, but it was not much matched with the half-arm undergarment, and the black skirt that girls of her age rarely choose, she walked through the back garden of the You family alone with an umbrella, and the You family died not long ago because of the illness of the eldest lady who has been in charge, the second lady and the third lady fought for power, the two ladies intrigued, and they did not do less to tear each other down, and many things became a mess, such as this garden, There was water in many places, and no one came to get it.

Fortunately, the clogs worn on Zhuo Zhaojie's feet were not low, and they could be a little higher than the stagnant water, but when she walked to the corridor of the garden, she also felt that the brocade socks were still wet with the water splashed up when she walked, and the steep spring cold seemed to be cold from the soles of her feet to her heart, so she couldn't help but speed up her pace and walked towards the courtyard where she lived.

She lives in the Binwei Courtyard, the courtyard is as its name, there is an apricot and a peach in two century-old trees, it is still vibrant, it blooms full of branches every year, when the flowers bloom are colorful and splendid, fragrant and bright, these two ancient trees are extremely famous in the whole Moling, and the whole Youfu is also unique - it is said that it is the place where her mother, the eldest daughter of the You family, You Ji, lived before leaving the pavilion.

In the past few days, the apricots and peaches are in bud to be released, and they were originally full of spring, but because of the rain for two days in a row, now it looks a little bleak.

Zhuo Zhaojie glanced at the apricot branches sticking out of the courtyard wall from outside the courtyard, and unexpectedly remembered sentences such as "Wan Mu Spring in front of the sick tree", "No, Jiangnan Spring is not good, and the mood is reduced by decay and illness every year", his heart became heavier and heavier, and his usual light steps seemed to be difficult to move.

She stood outside the courtyard for a moment, and then lazily pushed open the door, and the maid Mingyin and Mingye were talking while doing needlework on the railing facing her, and when they saw her coming back, they hurriedly put down the needlework to greet her, and complained in their mouths: "Where did the girl go, why don't you bring anyone?" ”

"Get a pair of socks to get in exchange." Zhuo Zhaojie's expression was obscure, and he commanded in a low voice, seeing that her interest was obviously not high, Mingyin and Mingye also stopped their mouths with interest, went in and took socks to serve her to change, took off the clogs on the corridor, and after entering the house, Minghe and Mingji, who were waiting in the room, also greeted them, and Mingyin and Mingye made a look, and stepped forward and said: "Girl, Mama Zhou from the old lady's side came over and said that there was a letter in Beijing, and asked the girl to go to the main room after she came back." ”

Zhuo Zhaojie replied lightly, and he didn't seem to like it much, and Minghe said boldly: "The maid looked at Mama Zhou's face with joy, as if it was good news!" ”

"Got it." Zhuo Zhaojie answered lazily before getting up and saying, "Then I'll go over now." ”

Ming Yin hurriedly said: "The maid and Ming Ye accompanied the girl?" ”

Zhuo Zhaojie nodded dispensably - Binwei Courtyard is not far from the upper room of the old lady Ban of the You family, Ming Yin held an umbrella, Ming Ye held his hand, accompanied Zhuo Zhaojie over, on the way I met the second lady Bai Shi with someone passing by, saw Zhuo Zhaojie, stopped and said very affectionately: "Where is Zhaojie going?" My aunt sent something from my family, and there was your favorite candied fruit in it, and my aunt asked someone to send it to you? ”

Bai's maiden family is in Moling City, although it is a scholarly family, but there are a few secret candied fruit recipes, and they refuse to copy it, but they will make a lot of it every year, and distribute it to relatives and friends, Zhuo Zhaojie's favorite candied fruit with one of the green plum pickles, and the Bai family has to send more every time, which is specially prepared for her.

"Thank you, aunt, I still have some there, I heard Mingyin say that my grandmother is looking for me, this will be to see my grandmother." Zhuo Zhaojie said softly and slowly, she was sent to the You family to raise her as an infant, although she was a person with a foreign surname, but the You family treated her really not badly, although she was in a very bad mood at the moment, she still barely concealed her usual way.

It's just that the second lady is a generation older than her, and Zhuo Zhaojie grew up with her, where can't she see it? Immediately, he said, "What's going on today?" Who you off? Why are you unhappy? ”

She said this with a smile, but Zhuo Zhaojie's eyes were almost red, and the second lady was taken aback, and she also accepted the teasing, and coaxed softly: "What the hell is going on?" Well? You tell your aunt, and your aunt is angry for you! ”

Between the words, his eyes swept around Ming Yin and Ming Ye, although the two of them were serving Zhuo Zhaojie, they were the servants of the You family, and the deed of sale was also in the hands of the Ban family, and now the housekeeper of the You family, the eldest lady, died, although the second lady and the third lady have not yet decided who will be the housekeeper, in the end, the second lady is also one of the serious masters, this Bai family is famous for being shrewd and spicy in the Manchu Mansion, Ming Yin and Ming Ye were panicked by her, and quickly argued: "Second lady, how dare the maid snub the girl?" It's really that the girl just went out for a spin and came back, so she wasn't very interested. ”

The second lady was about to ask again, but Zhuo Zhaojie quickly wiped the corners of her eyes and said reluctantly: "Uncle, I have nothing to do, I will go to my grandmother first." After speaking, he didn't wait for the second lady to say anything, and walked away in a few steps, looking a little deserted and running away.

Seeing this, the second lady frowned, and immediately ordered a clever little maid beside her: "You quickly took a shortcut and ran to the main room to tell the old lady, and ask who provoked this child!" ”

The little maid agreed, and ran away with her skirt.

The second lady blinked, thinking that it was the third lady who had been the housekeeper these days, and she didn't want to make such an negligence, so that the granddaughter of the old lady's sweetheart was wronged...... She smiled, and Fang continued.

Zhuo Zhaojie almost cried in front of the second lady, and also frightened the two handmaidens who had been sent by Mrs. Ban to serve her for many years, and there was a knock on the side on the road, but Zhuo Zhaojie tightened his face when he left the second lady, and ignored them at all, and the two of them arrived in front of Duanyi Yuan in fright, praying that the old lady would not be punished too harshly for a while, and saw that Mama Zhou was already waiting outside the door, and greeted her with a smile: "Qi Niang is here?" The old lady was still reading it, saying that she would have good news to tell Qi Niang soon! ”

This Qi Niang is the ranking of the Zhuo family, it is said that the Zhuo family is separated from men and women, that is to say, on the Zhuo Zhao Festival, there are a total of six sisters including the cousin and the sister-in-law, but she has never seen any of them.

At this moment, listening to Mama Zhou's title, Zhuo Zhaojie only felt more sad, sad in his heart, and almost cried again, Mama Zhou had previously listened to the notice sent by the second lady to the little maid, and when she came up, she secretly observed, and saw that Zhuo Zhaojie was really uncertain, and now when she saw her like this, she was also taken aback, asked a few words, and saw that she didn't answer, but there was a tendency to cry, and hurriedly held her arm and said: "Qi Niang, where has she been wronged?" Come to the old lady and say, who dares to make Qi Niang angry, the old lady will definitely not forgive! ”

While talking, he dragged Zhuo Zhaojie into the house with half coaxing and half persuasion, and the old lady in the class looked at it repeatedly with a letterhead, both relieved and emotional, because she listened to the report of the little maid sent by the second lady, and wondered what happened to her granddaughter, she was thinking about the reason, and when she saw Mama Zhou helping Zhuo Zhaojie, who was crying, to come in, she suddenly felt distressed: "What's going on?" ”

"The old body doesn't know." Mama Zhou smiled bitterly and said, "The old man in front of Fang Caiyuan greeted Qi Niang, and only said that the old lady had good news to tell her...... Isn't this just crying? ”

Ban was stunned, seeing Zhuo Zhaojie's teary eyes and hazy face, full of grievances and panic, and then thinking about the news that he had just asked Mama Zhou to say, but he thought of a possibility, and hurriedly got up and hugged her, comforting: "Good boy, don't be sad, but I heard that there is news from Beijing, and you complain that your parents have left you in You's house for many years and have not come to see you?" There's no way around it, you listen to your grandmother talk to you slowly about this—

"You are the youngest daughter of your parents, the first two brothers-in-law and one sister-in-law, the so-called youngest is the most painful, why don't they want you? It's just that when you were born before, you were sick for three days and two ends, and before six months, you were seriously ill twice, and you couldn't see it, someone gave your parents the idea, that is, to send it to the outside to raise, before the age of fifteen, don't meet your parents, the heirs of high-ranking families have never been as good as ordinary people, and this method is not the first time your parents have used it, originally, your step-grandmother is recommended to find a personal foster home in Gyeonggi, but your mother is not at ease, and feels that it is not as reliable as your grandfather's family, which makes your eldest brother send you south. also took a fancy to the water and soil in the south of the Yangtze River to raise people - look, didn't you never get sick again when you arrived at your grandfather's house? Now that you have grown up to the age of thirteen safely, in two years, you will be able to go back with your brother, and you will have to think about your grandmother when the time comes! ”

Ban coaxed and persuaded, but saw Zhuo Zhaojie crying even more fiercely, the handkerchief in his hand couldn't wipe the tears, and choked up: "I-I naturally can't bear my grandmother, but I ...... I'm afraid I'm not going to get better! ”

Ban Shi thought that she had been fostered for a long time, and was aroused by the letter from Jingzhong to be far away from her parents' knees since she was a child, but she didn't want to hear such a sentence, she was taken aback, and changed her face and scolded: "What nonsense are you talking about, this kid? This is so good, since you have been full week, you haven't even had a cough and brain fever, why did you come up with a sentence that is not good?! ”

Zhuo Zhaojie only cried, shook his head, but refused to say more, Ban saw this, he sternly swept his eyes at Ming Yin and Ming Ye, the two maids were trembling in their hearts, and they both knelt down and shouted: "Old lady, the maid has always served the girl carefully, and I really don't know why the girl said this!" ”

"Grandmother, it's none of their business." Zhuo Zhaojie cried sadly, but he didn't want to burden the people who served him, so he grabbed Ban's sleeve and choked up, "I think I'm not blessed, I've been thinking about it for the past few days, and I've also turned over a lot of medical books, and I can't even find the name of a disease!" Fortunately, I have been with Mingyin and Mingye these days, and they have not seen anything bad, so it can be seen that this disease is not passed on, otherwise I would not dare to come to see my grandmother today. ”

Hearing her say so seriously, Ban's family, who was originally angry with her, suddenly felt dizzy, and almost didn't stand firmly, so Zhou stepped forward to support her, and shouted: "Help the old lady back to the couch!" ”

A room of maids and maids were taken aback when they saw this situation, and they all came over and helped Ban Shi back to sit on the couch, and Mama Zhou held a hot tea and asked Ban Shi to drink it. ”

The You family teaches the classwork of the girl and Lang Jun, but instead of teaching them to open a museum to practice medicine, how old is Zhuo Zhaojie? Even if you turn over a few medical books, where can you cut off your pulse and see a doctor?

Seeing that Zhuo Zhaojie was stunned, some words couldn't be spoken, Ban sent everyone back, Zhuo Zhaojie still refused to say, was repeatedly urged by Ban, Fang Mo came to her, and said a few words in his ear, before he finished speaking, his face was already red, like wine and makeup.

Ban Shi listened, but he almost didn't take a breath, and he didn't know whether he was angry or funny, but seeing that Zhuo Zhaojie was still sad and sad, he knew that the girl of this age had begun to save face, so he had to endure the smile, adjust his breathing, and try to say in a normal tone: "This ...... Menarche is a matter of course, and at this age, there will naturally be, otherwise, how can a woman have children and continue to have children? ”