The old things I repaired have become fine

Chapter 226: The rich are feasting and drinking, while the poor are freezing on the streets (3 more chapters with rewards)

The housekeeper's face was all smiles, and she was half-bending. Both her words and tone showed that she was a loyal servant who respected her master very much and cared about her master.

However, Shen Le listened to her again and again, and always felt that something was wrong with her words, and something made him feel uncomfortable. For a moment, he couldn't think of it:

An orphan girl without a father, a female escort, could become the adopted daughter of "Mr. Jiang" and marry as the daughter of a wealthy family, which really raised her status;
This status is also a guarantee for the woman. Even if the man changes his mind one day, he still has to think twice because of the in-law relationship.

Moreover, embroidering a wedding dress by hand is not a particularly high requirement. It is just a matter of embroidering a veil. If you can't embroider it, it will be unreasonable!

The girl seemed to be persuaded and calmed down. Although she looked unhappy, she still sat down obediently and continued to embroider.

The housekeeper leaned next to her and gave instructions in a low voice:

"You should move the needle back a little..."

"Your stitch is crooked. It would be best if you could take it off and embroider it again... If it's crooked like this, there's no way to fix it later..."

"Well, this stitch is very well done, but it would be better if the stitches were denser..."

The girl lowered her head, clenched her fists, then slowly relaxed them, picked up the embroidery needle and began to embroider. After embroidering a few dozen stitches, she clenched her fists again, her mouth corners tightly tightened.

This happened again and again, and finally she poked the embroidery needle into the canvas, jumped up, and walked quickly to the sword hanging on the wall:

"No more embroidery! I want to practice swordplay!"

"Girl, girl!" The housekeeper opened her arms and stood in front of the girl:
"Girl, please be quiet. After the young master passed the imperial examination, his teacher, the county magistrate, wanted to be his matchmaker, but he insisted on being engaged to you and keeping his promise.

The young master is so good to you, you have to save face for him, right? You are going to be a lady of honor in the future, you have to be elegant! You have to be demure! You have to be a lady from a noble family!"

Shen Le's brows furrowed more and more. He finally knew where the problem was:
The scholar who passed the imperial examination has known the girl since his youth!

He knew that the girl was from a butcher's family, that she used to sell pigs on the street, and that she used to chop pig bones cleanly and neatly with a knife.

I know that the girl left her hometown to work as a escort, and that she rose from a small escort to the head of an escort. I know that she took a lot of silver from her hands and relied on the money to support herself until she passed the imperial examination.

I know what a cheerful person she is, and I know that her hands have held a knife and a bow, but have never held an embroidery needle...

So, were the requirements such as "be elegant and quiet" and "be a lady from a noble family" proposed by him, or was it others who put pressure on the girl and he just didn't know?

even--

Shen Le didn't want to think about it, but he had to think about it:

Is it good for the girl to find a foster father and mother from a wealthy family for her and let her marry out of another family, or is it for his own face?

Shen Le didn't know the answer. He had no way to intervene, so he could only watch quietly:

The girl was irritable and then patient, patient and then irritable. She took off her veil and embroidered it, embroidered it and took it off, took it off and embroidered it again, and embroidered it and took it off again.

Later, Shen Le had memorized the pattern on the veil, but she still hadn't finished embroidering it.

After enduring for so long, I finally couldn't help myself. On a dark and windy night...

No, when a moon was overhead and she was about to make an appointment in the evening after dusk, she quietly changed into a tight short jacket, slung a knife over her waist, put a slingshot on her back, went out, took a few steps, and then jumped!
Shen Le: ...How can it still be like this?

He quickly followed suit and fortunately, according to his memory, jumping so high was not difficult at all. He easily climbed over several walls and left the house of that "Mr. Jiang".

Running through the streets and alleys, he ran straight to the outside of a simple house in a shabby alley:
"Ah Heng! Ah Heng!"

She reached out and found a stone, threw it at the window frame, and then called out softly. After calling out several times, there was no light in the house, no human voice, but a neighbor pushed the door open and came out:

"Master Juren doesn't live here anymore! The masters gave him a big house, and he moved to the west city!"

The girl cried out "Ah", thanked her neighbor, turned around and walked away quickly. Shen Le followed her to the west of the city, and saw her standing far outside the mansion, wanting to go forward but hesitating;

Seeing the constant flow of people coming and going in front of the mansion, people visiting, giving gifts, and trying to build relationships;
Looking at the somewhat fierce doorman with a protruding belly, waving impatiently outside and sending away the poor relatives who came to visit...

The girl's face gradually darkened. She walked around the alley twice, and finally made up her mind. She went to the side of the mansion and climbed over the wall.
The structures of these houses are roughly the same. The girl climbed over two walls and found the study with familiarity.

The room was brightly lit, and the sound of a scholar reading could be heard. The girl smiled sweetly, and pressed the eaves, ready to jump down. Before she could move, the gate creaked:
"Master, someone came to visit from my hometown, saying that he is your third uncle."

"Third uncle is here? Come in!"

The scholar walked out quickly. A trace of annoyance flashed across the girl's face, and she lay on the eaves, motionless. After a moment, she saw the scholar following closely, helping an old man in:
"Uncle, why did you come here in person? If you have anything to say, just tell me to come over!"

"How could that be possible? How could that be possible?" The gray-haired old man smiled and let him lean on him. He looked around the house and became happier the more he looked.
"You are now a scholar, a descendant of the Heavenly God of Literature. How can we just call you over..." After a short chat without much substance, Shen Le was about to fall asleep out of boredom when he suddenly heard the old man ask:

"By the way, are you going to marry that Miss Lin?"

Shen Le's spirits perked up, and his brows knitted instantly. Before he could get angry, he heard the scholar's solemn answer:
"That's right. I've already arranged it. It will be a good day in a month. Then, I'll invite my uncle to come and have a drink at the wedding."

The girl leaned over the eaves and smiled sweetly and gently. Shen Le was shaken by her smile, and then he heard the old man coughing and sighing:

"Ah, why did you marry her... Not to mention the fact that she was selling pork in public, she traveled all over the world, escorting escorts for thousands of miles, how do you know that there are no other men around her?"

"Uncle, be careful with your words!"

The young scholar interrupted immediately. His attitude was still respectful to his elders, but his words were firm and decisive:
"Ms. Lin is my fiancée. It was thanks to her support that I was able to study all the way and finally pass the imperial examination. I have always known her character. She would never do anything to bring disgrace to our family!"

Listening to their conversation, the young girl was angry at first, but immediately turned her anger into joy, her eyes shining with sweetness.

The old man was choked by his own nephew and was speechless. After a long while, he pointed at him and said "Ai" several times:

"You, you! Alas, you have received her kindness, and you should repay her. This is not wrong - but the clan was poor back then and could not afford to support your studies.

But if you marry such a woman, what can she do for you in the future? How can she help you manage the inner house, how can she help you socialize with the Shangguan family?"

"There will always be a way out when you reach the mountain. Even if I go out to be an official in the future, I won't be someone who needs to rely on my wife to socialize in order to keep my position secure." The scholar frowned slightly and said softly.

The old man shook his head:
"I'm not asking you to change your wife, but you should also make some preparations. In this way, your great-aunt will have a niece from her mother's side who is well-educated, well-mannered and generous..."

"Uncle, no need to say more!!!"

The scholar respectfully but firmly pushed the old man out and escorted him out. When he turned around, the girl had already jumped down from the eaves, her eyes full of joy:

"Ah Heng!"

"You're here!"

The scholar smiled and held out his hand to her. He looked her up and down, frowning slightly:

"Why are you dressed like this?"

"I'm so bored! I'm so annoyed! That old woman keeps asking me to embroider and embroider all day long, and she won't let me practice boxing or swordplay!"

The female escort leader who once roamed the world of martial arts, in front of her lover, acted like a little girl, subconsciously acting like a spoiled child:

"If I don't go out for a walk, I'll suffocate to death! Ah Heng, come for a walk with me!"

The smile on the scholar's lips froze for a moment. Before the girl could react and start to get upset, he laughed heartily:
"Okay! Wait a minute, I'll change my clothes!"

He changed into a dark-colored long gown that matched the girl's short jacket, and went out with her. Walking along the long street and reaching the night market, the girl's steps became slower and slower, and her expression became more and more solemn:

"Why... has the price of rice risen to fifty cents per bushel?"

"Yes. We are fine here, but I heard that there is a severe drought in Guanzhong and a flood in the lower reaches of Qingjiang River."

Speaking of the harvest and grain prices, the blue-clothed scholar's face darkened:
"Captain Li from the county, his family is in the rice business, and recently two grain transport teams have had problems. There are also many refugees these days... You should stay at home and don't move around!"

"You too!" The girl grabbed him with her backhand:

"I'm good at fighting, don't be afraid, you can't beat them! - After we get married, I will escort you to Beijing to take the exam, and then you won't be afraid!"

The scholar smiled and nodded, holding her hand as they walked through the long street, and sat down at a small stall in the semi-darkness. They ordered a bowl of glutinous rice cakes, one for each of us, one for each of us, one bite for each of us.

The shadows of the trees swayed as two people leaned against each other, whispering.

After finishing the last mouthful of soup, the scholar sent the girl to the outside of Mr. Jiang's house. He watched her swiftly climb over the wall and then a look of worry slowly appeared on his face:
"Alas... With the situation so chaotic, can we really go to Beijing to take the exam? Or... do we need to make some other preparations?"

The news outside was getting worse day by day. The price of grain went up from fifty coins per dou to one hundred coins. In less than a month, it went up to two hundred coins.

Refugees began to appear outside the city, at first in small numbers, but later in large numbers.
The latest news is that a rebel army came from the neighboring county, captured the county town, and looted all the wealthy families in the county!
The atmosphere suddenly became tense. And on such a stormy day, their wedding finally arrived.

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(End of this chapter)