Chapter Eighty-One: Abandoning Servants

  The Tuisan Yang family has already left Beijing.

  They left yesterday, a couple with a teenager, and Tuo Sanyang's brother's family, saying they were going to Shandong. Tuo Sanyang's brother-in-law was in charge of the former Jiangnan Marquis' estate in Shandong, although the estate had been confiscated by the government, but he still kept his job, managing the estate with other old people. Tuo Sanyang and his wife left Xiaochangfang four or five years ago, but his brother stayed until half a year ago when he was dismissed. Tuo Sanyang brought his wife to Beijing to reunite with his brother's family, they discussed for a while, feeling that it was hard to make a living in Beijing, so they decided to go to the estate together. Even without the identity of Jiangnan Marquis' servant, relying on his brother-in-law's relationship, it wouldn't be difficult to find work as a hired hand. There were fewer people who knew them there, and they could start anew as good citizens, no longer bearing the identity of servants for their whole lives.

  This was not their wish, although they were slaves, but not official slaves like Lu Dazhou and his son. As long as the master did not pursue them, once they left for another place, changed their names, found a local guarantor, spent some money to get registered, who would know that they had been slaves? Tu Sanyang and his wife were not outstanding in Xiaochang House, doing chores such as driving carriages and following cars for the housekeepers. Although Tu Sanyang had served on Zhao Jiong's ship five years ago, after the sinking incident, he was dismissed by the steward Wang Si Ping to the villa, without being caught with others. A month later, he returned to Beijing. Also because of suspicion of deserting in battle, they were not trusted by their superiors, so they resigned early. When they asked for leave, they feared that Madam Niu, the mistress of Xiaochang House, did not even know who they were.

  After they resigned, they went directly to Shandong. It wasn't until last year that they returned to the capital and took away a child. This child was none other than Pearl's own flesh and blood. His father, Chen Lao San, had married another wife four years ago, a third-rate maidservant under Niu Shi, and within two years she gave birth to a big fat boy. With the arrival of a stepmother came a stepfather, and Pearl's son was bullied pitifully. Gou San Yang and his wife had no children, so when they heard about this, they hurried over to take the child away, and in order to bring him back, they gave most of their money to Chen Lao San.

  They were in the capital at that time. They lived together with other servants who had also been dismissed by Xiaolongfang on a street, taking care of each other. After Xiaolongfang lost his marquis title, most of the servants did not bring them out. Only more than 20 rooms were brought out for use, and later found that there were too many people and too much expenditure, so they dismissed some of them. Tu Sanyang's brother was kept because of his good driving skills. Half a year ago, he accidentally offended Xiaojie Niang, the second son of Zhao Yuanshen, Zhao Yan, and was driven out with his family. His brother was somewhat disheartened and decided to go to the Yue family.

  On the same street, there were not a few servants who had been driven out by their masters. Those who were later dismissed brought luggage and private money with them. Even if they lost their jobs, they would not be unable to make a living. They could either find another job in a wealthy household or do some small business and still live a relatively good life. Only those who had been driven out of the Hou Mansion before it fell were different. Because they had been expelled with nothing, their lives were very difficult. Also, because they bore a bad reputation, it was hard for them to find jobs, so they could only do odd jobs to earn some small money to get by. Among them were Qinglian's family members.

  That young girl in green, had once gone with Tou San Yang's wife to the entrance of Zhang's residence to beg for an audience with Zhang's little maid. When she met the person sent by Zhang, she cried and hugged their legs, asking to see Zhang. Her grandfather was seriously ill, although there was some money from Tou San Yang's wife pawning her jewelry, it was only enough to buy a few doses of medicine. If she could enter the Zhang residence as a maid and receive a monthly salary, she would be able to treat her grandfather's illness.

  After hearing this, although Zhang didn't like that all these people were from the small main house, he thought that they themselves had no major faults and that Qing Cai's sister was also commendable for her filial piety. So he let someone reward her with ten taels of silver and allowed her to stay at home to take care of her grandfather. Qing Cai's sister was extremely grateful and insisted on seeing Zhang to kowtow, but was stopped by several wives, so she had to change to kowtowing in front of the small second house instead. Then, with a nose full of snot and tears, she left, looking back three times with each step.

  She genuinely wanted to enter the small second house as a maid, without any other thoughts, purely wanting a good job with stable and reliable income. Ten taels of silver can be used for a long time, but there will always come a day when it's all spent. However, Zhang refused to accept her, and her grandfather couldn't bear to part with anyone by his side either. She had no choice but to give up, looking at the silver in her hand, she felt somewhat bewildered - must she really go to Shandong to rely on her uncle and aunt Tu?

  Just as she was lost in thought, a man in his early twenties walked in from outside, carrying several packages of medicine in his left hand and a basket in his right. The basket emitted a faint scent of meat. He looked around the room before fixing his gaze on Qinglian's sister: "Qinglian, I just heard that someone sent by the old lady has arrived?"

  Qing Hui saw him and her face sank: "So it's you? Liu Rong, what are you doing here?"

  Liu Rong's face also sank: "Why are you calling me like this again?"

  Qing Hui coldly smiled: "I didn't call you that, what should I have called you? Should I still call you Gao Rong? Your new father now dotes on you, changing your and your sister's surname to Liu. Whenever he meets someone, he says you two are his own children. Weren't you laughing happily in front of people? You've long forgotten that your real father is Gao Cheng, not Liu Tai. Now you say I'm calling you the wrong name."

  Liu Rong turned his face away: "I don't want to quarrel with you, Uncle Liu has been good to us siblings and wants to protect our lives. In front of outsiders, I wouldn't dare say that he's not related to me, but in my heart, I know who my real father is. You can scold me as much as you want, but don't bring up this matter. I only ask you, did the old lady just send someone to find you?"

  "What's the big deal? Are you still thinking of relying on Old Madam? She wouldn't even take me in, let alone you! Your father harmed Second Master and Second Mistress, if she really saw you, she'd kill you on the spot. If not, that would be a Buddha-like heart. You're just dreaming!"

  Liu Rong fell silent, how could he not be clear about this fact? It's just that even if Xiao Changfang lost his prestige, he was still not someone Liu Rong could deal with. The female prison of the Dalisi Temple was also inaccessible to him. If only he could climb up to Xiao Erfang, he might be able to borrow the master's name and seize the opportunity to avenge his father, but unfortunately, it was all just a fantasy.

  Qing Hui saw that he wasn't speaking and became somewhat worried: "What are you thinking about again? Didn't Uncle Liu find a new job? I heard it's also a high-ranking family, you can follow him in. In the future, you'll have a good life, with great prospects. Could it be that you still want to take revenge? I stopped thinking about it long ago, we're just lowly servants. Even if we die, it's a pointless death, taking revenge is just sending our own lives away!"

  Liu Rong still didn't speak, Qing Xie became anxious: "Are you dumb? I'm telling you, Old Madam is leaving soon, this time she just came to find Aunt Tu because of something, and since they're not here, she's leaving. Tomorrow she'll set off by boat back to the south. Even if you want to rely on them, it's too late now, you'd better die with a willing heart. Don't lose your own life and also implicate your whole family!"

  Liu Rong smiled slightly and handed over the medicine and basket to her: "These are a few doses of tonic, just right for your grandfather to take. The basket has some new rice that Uncle Liu got as a reward from his new master. I brought two bowls of meat for you, take good care of yourself and nourish your body. Look at how thin you've become, like a bean sprout. I have to go now, I'll come visit again another day." He turned around and left.

  Qing Hui was stunned for a moment, then chased after him, calling out to him several times, but he didn't come back. Looking at the medicinal herbs and meat dishes in her hand, she couldn't quite put into words what she was feeling.

  Failed to find Tú Sān Yáng couple, couldn't figure out the silver bangle thing. Zhāng Shì's heart was gloomy, but the itinerary was still set. She decided that when passing through Shandong, she would send someone to inquire at the former Jiàn Nán Hóu Fǔ's villa to see what happened, and if lucky, might be able to find Tú Sān Yáng couple.

  Lu Dasou and his wife failed to escape, and the couple was taken together to Tongzhou Dock. They would first find an inn there to stay for a few days, with someone keeping an eye on them until Zhang Shi and Zhao Wei boarded the ship, and they would follow suit. Whether they liked it or not, they were all house slaves under the name of Xia'erfang, and Lu Dasou was still an official slave who couldn't be redeemed. His wife followed him as his master had ordered, so where did they have the right to make a fuss? Regardless of whether it was good or bad, they would first bring them back to Fengxian before deciding what to do next, and there were also Lu Mama and her husband to discipline.

  Mrs. Zhang did not dismiss the other male and female servants in the house, she knew that there might be Lu Dasou's confidants among them, but she no longer had the energy to distinguish them, and could only temporarily keep everyone on hand, not allowing them to leave the mansion at will, then let the Akiho family move over and stay for a few months. After she returned to the south, she would send someone to take over. In the meantime, Akiho was in charge of handling all matters in the house, if any of those servants showed their true colors, whether they were beaten or sold or sent to the authorities, it was up to Akiho to decide. Lu Yunpeng is now a big official, and can still hold his own on the scene. And as for ability, meticulousness, and loyalty, who can compare with Akiho?

  The Guangping King's Mansion sent two guards over, wanting to send Zhang and her grandson back south. Zhang did not refuse, but instead took her grandson Zhao Wei on a personal trip to the Guangping King's Mansion to thank and bid farewell to the Guangping King's family.

  The mood of the King of Guangping was very calm, as if he had already grasped the situation, and his calmness reassured Zhang. However, Queen Zhong of the King of Guangping seemed to be unwell and did not come out to meet him, nor did the King allow Zhang to enter the inner palace to visit her. Zhang didn't know what was wrong, but he also didn't think much of it.

  When the grandfather and grandson left, it was Gao Zhen who sent them out of the second gate. Gao Zhen gave Zhao Wei a boxing manual, which was passed down by his martial arts master, with personally drawn diagrams and many annotations. He said to Zhao Wei: "I see that your boxing is too rigid and lacks flexibility, it's just for physical exercise, not for fighting with others. You once told me that you learned boxing for physical exercise and self-defense, but what you've learned so far is far from enough for self-defense. This set of boxing techniques is better than the previous one, study it well."

  Zhao Wei was overjoyed and hastily accepted it, thanking him repeatedly.

  He waved his hand, then pulled out a small dagger and handed it to him with some embarrassment: "This... is for your sister. A girl learning to fight doesn't look good. If she wants to protect herself, it's better to carry a sharp object on her body. This was used by me when I was young, now I don't need it, so I'll give it to her."

  Zhao Wei was stunned, blankly taking the dagger, and for a long time didn't come to. When he came around, Gao Zhen had already turned back into the inner courtyard.

  He had no choice but to turn to Zhang for help. Zhang was also surprised, and after finishing her surprise, she laughed: "The young master is also embarrassed? Let me take it, when we get home, let Xiu Jie take a look, and then put it away. What girl would carry a knife on her body for no reason? The young master is really childish."

  Zhao Wei hastily handed the dagger to his grandmother, secretly letting out a sigh of relief, and helped her get into the carriage. He squinted at the sky, June's weather, scorching sun overhead, the sun beating down like a fiery oven, dry and hot, he felt a pang of longing for Fengxian's gentle warmth, and asked his grandmother in a low voice: "Are we really going back tomorrow?"

  "Of course I'm going back," Zhang smiled slightly, "Don't you miss your little sister?"

  Zhou Wei was naturally thinking of his sister, but at this moment, his sister might not have the time to think about him. The Shanghai government had been experiencing continuous heavy rain for days, and there were signs of flooding. The area around Fengxian was low-lying, with a dense network of rivers, and many cotton fields had been submerged. Zhou Xuan had to urge Lu Changxiu every day to send people to inspect the fields and organize tenant farmers and hired laborers to dig ditches and drain water, but the effect was not great. The accumulated water had already flooded into the farmland, and from a distance, it looked like a vast expanse of water.

  Zhao Xuan was worried to death, this was the first time she had encountered such a thing. The only thing that could comfort herself was that there was enough firewood at home. It's worth knowing that many families in the county had already run out of firewood, and a basket of firewood on the market had long been priced at one silver coin, which was still in short supply.

  When will such days come to an end? Zhao Xuan silently screamed in her heart: Grandma, come back soon!