Mojing, the city that never sleeps
The edges are cyanotic, while the center is somewhat dark yellow, indicating that the condition is beginning to improve.
It's not a new injury, it looks like it was caused about two weeks ago.
She called out to the person: "Wait a minute!"
"Huh?" Xiao Zhi turned around, confused.
"How did you get that wound on your arm?"
Xiao Zhi was startled at first, and then subconsciously pulled down the sleeves of her clothes: "I, I accidentally fell."
It was obviously not caused by a fall or scratch. Shi Yan stepped forward and lifted up the person's clothes. After careful observation, she confirmed that there were other scars, but they were there for too long and only a few faint red marks remained.
"Don't try to hide it from me. I've learned medicine."
This was clearly caused by someone, perhaps due to long-term beatings and scolding. "You are being abused in this mansion, or is it that the Second Young Lady is not as kind as she appears to be, and treats you..."
"No." Xiao Zhi waved her hands repeatedly to deny it, fearing that others would misunderstand Zhang Shutang.
"The young lady is definitely not that kind of person. She treats me very well. I got this injury at home."
She seemed not to want to bring up the past, but in order to protect Zhang Shutang's reputation, she chose to tell the truth even if it would bring up sad memories.
Xiao Zhi is from Mojing. Her family is not wealthy. She was sent to the mansion of a wealthy family by her parents to work as a servant when she was very young. At the beginning, she could only do the most basic and difficult jobs.
Later, he was selected by Zhang Shutang, and his monthly salary was raised a lot. With the reward from his master, his conditions became better.
She also had more opportunities to go home and visit her parents, and she didn't have to wait several months to get permission even if she had to beg for leave from her mother-in-law.
But that time she returned home happily, but the situation was not as good as she had imagined.
My mother was sitting at the table, clutching an embroidered handkerchief and wiping her tears. After asking her the reason, I learned that my father had become addicted to hibiscus.
Now we have sold all our savings and the family is already unable to make ends meet.
Xiao Zhi was even more anxious: "This Hibiscus Tablet is not a good thing. It's not an exaggeration to say that it's a den of money. How can our family afford to buy Hibiscus Tablets for Daddy? Where is he now?"
"He stole the jade bracelets and sold them."
"This is a relic given to you by grandma!" Mother has always treasured it very much, no wonder she is so sad.
Xiao Zhi stood up and said, "I'm going to find Daddy and get the bracelet back from you."
There is a pawnshop near our home, and my father must have gone there.
"Don't go. It must have been sold by now." The woman was worried that the father and daughter would have a quarrel, and her daughter would suffer.
Xiao Zhi held her mother's hand and comforted her, "It's okay, mother. I'm living a good life in the mansion now. I was transferred to serve the second young lady a few days ago. Now I have saved some money. I will talk to the pawnshop owner later and ask him to keep it for me. There will always be a day when I can redeem it."
She had made up her mind. No matter what, this was her mother's only thought of her grandmother, and she had to get it back.
As for Daddy...
Before she had time to think about it, the door was kicked open heavily, and she trembled in fright. It was her father who walked in with a staggering gait.
The man's body was unsteady, his steps were unsteady, and his facial expression was very strange.
Half of her face had an exaggerated smile, while the other half seemed to be sobbing, which made people feel numb.
Seeing this, the woman nervously protected her daughter behind her and said, "Did you go to smoke hibiscus again?"
His unconsciousness and inability to control his body movements and facial expressions after taking the drug all proved her suspicion.
The man's tongue was tangled, and he spoke as if he was drunk: "Didn't the girl just say that there is more monthly allowance, why haven't I seen you take it out? Why don't you take it out to honor me?"
As he spoke, he pushed and shoved his way over to take the purse that Xiaozhi was hanging around her waist.
Xiao Zhi subconsciously wanted to protect him and started fighting with her father for it. The man had just taken some hibiscus tablets and didn't have much strength left, so the two of them fought evenly.
Seeing that he couldn't get the money after trying for a long time, the man became furious and raised his hand to slap the man hard.
Xiao Zhi felt a burning pain on one side of her cheek, tears in her eyes, and looked at the person in front of her in disbelief, unable to understand why her father would hit her.
Although she rarely saw her father showing concern for her on a daily basis, she felt that her father's love for her was just not expressed in words, and he still cared about her in his heart.
In the past, when I went home, my father was always willing to put down his work and come back to have dinner with me.
But this face now was hard to connect with the previous image, which made her stunned for a moment and unable to utter a word.
It was her mother who got anxious first and pushed her husband away: "What are you doing? This is our daughter."
"I've raised her for more than ten years. What's wrong with giving me some money to spend now? Stay out of my business."
Unable to succeed, the man became even angrier. He picked up a cleaning broom from the house and hit the man with the stick.
"Be careful, kid!" The woman turned around and used her back to block.
Seeing the man's evil face like a demon, they did not dare to resist for a moment, and both of them had many marks of whipping on their arms.
Especially Xiao Zhi's mother was injured more seriously and could hardly straighten her back.
After the fight, the man felt exhausted. It was the aftereffects of the hibiscus tablets he had taken. He sat down against the wall with his body limp, still mumbling something in a mumbled voice, and began to talk nonsense again.
I guess I've entered some fantasy world again.
"Don't be afraid, girl." Although the woman was injured, the first person she was worried about was the child. She patted Xiao Zhi's back and comforted her softly.
Xiao Zhi then looked in the direction of the man and found that her father was very different from the last time they met. His face was much thinner, his skin was duller, and some dark spots appeared on it.
The whole person's appearance changed.
She murmured, "How could Daddy become like this?"
How could it become like this, neither human nor ghost.
The woman wiped the tears from her eyes and sighed, "It's all because he didn't learn his lesson and got infected by others."
Men usually do odd jobs like handymen and farmhands, and are surrounded by a mixed crowd of people from all over the place.
These people have different personalities, and naturally they have some bad friends. One time, they were instigated by someone who said that hibiscus slices were a good thing and that they could see paradise in front of their eyes out of thin air.
Others described it in such vivid detail that it made him feel uneasy. He could not resist the temptation and took hibiscus tablets, thus embarking on a path of no return.
This kind of thing is extremely addictive, and the man soon became addicted to it. When the attack came, he felt worse than death. In order to get some relief, or to indulge in the illusion, he invested all his money into it.
Calculating the time, it has only been more than two months and all the family assets have been used up, to the point where they have to rob her mother of her dowry.
"Why didn't you tell me earlier?" Xiao Zhi held her mother's arm tightly.
"What's the point of telling you, child? It's fine to stay in the official's mansion. Don't come back again. As for your father, just let him be."
It doesn't matter what happens to her, but her child's life must not be delayed. Now, she just wants her daughter to be well.
Xiao Zhi understood her implication: "I can't leave you alone, mother. Let's go together and leave here."
Judging from what Daddy did just now, we know that even if he wakes up, Mom's life will not be easy.
Maybe my mother had suffered even greater injustice in the past.
The woman shook her head. She had lived here for many years and did not have the courage to adapt to the new life and environment.
"Mom is old and doesn't want to travel around anymore, so just listen to her."
Of course Xiao Zhi would not agree. After her vacation, she returned to the Yuanwai Mansion and was still worried about this matter. She was a little absent-minded when cleaning the room, and Zhang Shutang noticed something was wrong.
Under pressure, she was forced to confess everything.
Xiao Zhi bit her lip and said, "Don't worry, Miss. I will do my best and will definitely not affect the work at the mansion."
The job at the Yuanwai Mansion is the safest one she can find at the moment. She also needs to leave a way out for herself and her mother, so she absolutely cannot lose this job.
At that time, Zhang Shutang was basking in the sun on a rattan chair in the yard, holding a hand stove to keep warm with her slender fingers. It was already the twelfth lunar month, and it was rare to have such good weather as today.
Covered by a large fox fur cape, her skin was slightly paler than that of ordinary people, with almost no blood color visible.
The sunlight was a little dazzling, so she closed her eyes and said softly, "Get up. From what you said, did your father get the hibiscus infection accidentally?"
Xiao Zhi put her hands together respectfully.
"This servant dares not hide anything. My father was indeed bewitched by a treacherous person, but it was also his lack of self-control that led to the current disastrous consequences. He also beat and scolded my mother wantonly. Ultimately, it's all his fault."
She didn't want to argue for her father, she just wanted to tell the truth.
If you say she has selfish motives, she does have some. She still wants to rescue her mother from the dire straits, but she has not thought of a better way yet.
Zhang Shutang spoke slowly and calmly, "Hibiscus slices are extremely expensive. Given your family's situation, your father probably won't be able to afford to buy more, right?"
Xiao Zhi thought about it, her nails digging into her fingertips with nervousness: "That's his business. I just hope that mother won't be bothered by him anymore."
She knelt down and said, "Please, young lady, take my mother in and let her serve in the mansion. This way, my father won't be able to find my mother. No matter what he does, I won't care!"
Nowadays, there is a strict set of procedures for recruiting servants in the mansion, and they need to pass multiple levels of selection before they can be retained.
It was only about half a month, which might not be a big deal to others, but to my mother, it was an eternity.
Half a month is enough for something unexpected to happen.
Seeing that Zhang Shutang did not answer, Xiao Zhi raised her head to look at her expression.
Zhang Shutang had already opened his eyes at this time, and looked over at her with a calm expression, which startled her.
The second young lady was always very kind and amiable to her servants. However, due to her poor health, she needed medicinal food every day and was very frail.
But the look he gave her now made her feel a little concerned.
Those almond-shaped eyes seemed to be filled with too many emotions, which made people feel suffocated.
She didn't dare to speak again.
"It's not a long-term solution for you and your mother to hide here. Apart from anything else, your father knows you're at home. When he's cornered, he'll inevitably come looking for you. How will you respond then?"
"I..." Xiao Zhi was speechless for a moment. She had not thought of this.
Zhang Shutang propped himself up and tried to sit up. A maid came up and took the heater, helped him up, and put a cushion behind his back to support his waist.
"It's nothing more than making a scene in the front yard, or the steward in the mansion will just kick you out to avoid any trouble."
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