Chapter 606 A Dream of Youth 138
Although she never met her father during her childhood, she and her mother lived a relatively peaceful life in their small courtyard. Her mother said that her father had become a bodyguard and was sending back more money every month.
Qingli didn't understand; she only knew that she could eat some meat every day, and that her mother had made her new clothes and bought her new hair ornaments.
But such good days didn't last long. A group of soldiers came and turned them from free women into slaves. Until she turned twelve, she lived a life of wandering, moving from one employer to another.
It wasn't until she joined the Xie family that she was able to return to her peaceful life, free from the worries of being beaten or scolded by her master, from hunger, and from the fear of freezing to death on a snowy day.
Qingli is an easily satisfied person. She feels that she has no great ambitions in this life. If she can continue to follow Xie Ning, it will be the greatest blessing in this life.
Seeing Qingxu and Qingle's serious expressions, Qingli's eyes softened involuntarily. At first, she studied hard to please the girls, but gradually, as she learned more and more, she fell in love with reading from the bottom of her heart.
She has gradually come to terms with things that she couldn't understand in the past.
Instead of dwelling on the past, we should look to the future.
A gentle breeze stirred the darkness, and the dawn broke through the clouds to reveal the moon. The incense in the bronze censer had long since burned out. Zhao Huilan looked at the water clock and felt that the night was unusually cold.
She was somewhat proud. From childhood to adulthood, she was seen by others as a talented and well-mannered young lady, with both family background and appearance being quite impressive.
However, her carefully planned marriage was rejected.
Zhao Huilan couldn't help but think about her performance at Qingfeng Temple yesterday. Logically speaking, there shouldn't have been any problems. Could it be that she showed some of her talents and displeased the Xie family?
No, neither the Xie family nor Xie Qi are like that. If they were, they wouldn't have produced a Xie Ning.
So what exactly is the reason?
Zhao Huilan couldn't guess, and a slight bitterness rose in her heart. However, she didn't succumb to despair for long. After being sad for a while, she started looking at the information of the other young masters, which her mother had given her.
Of course, she couldn't just choose Xie Qi; she always had to have a backup plan.
The maid was tidying up the gifts sent by the Xie family today when she saw an invitation. She pulled it out and said, "Miss, this is an invitation from Miss Xie to the Qiu family's flower viewing banquet. Would you like to attend?"
"Of course I'll go."
Zhao Huilan instructed her maid to put the invitation away, and then prepared her clothes for the next day's trip, as well as spare clothes and jewelry.
Their family had only recently returned to the capital, so they naturally had to attend many banquets and infiltrate various circles in the capital. While the men were out working, the women were not idle either; managing relationships with different families was one of their tasks.
As for taking care of the children's daily needs, that was naturally done by servants, and the mistress of the house would at most ask a few questions every few days.
After thinking for a moment, Zhao Huilan lowered her eyes and said, "Take out my zither and bring it with me tomorrow."
The Qiu family's flower-viewing banquet was not held in their own residence, but in a rented garden. After all, land in the capital is expensive, and even though someone in their family is an official in the court, their own mansion is only enough for living in. This alone makes them better off than most other families.
Because many people, even officials, live in rented accommodations.
If you want to hold a banquet, you naturally won't have enough space, so renting a garden to hold a banquet has naturally become a trend.
During the Dragon Boat Festival, the Xie family only set up a few tables for their banquet. If there were more, they still wouldn't be able to fit them all, and even if they could, it would look crowded, which would be undesirable.
Upon seeing the plaque in front of the garden, Xie Ning was taken aback. Jade Mirror Garden? Isn't that Yan Xi's property?
Although Yan Xi, as a princess, had her own stipend and received occasional rewards, these alone were insufficient to support her luxurious lifestyle.
Therefore, Yanxi also has businesses outside, and the income from them allows her to live a better life.
This Jade Mirror Garden was a birthday gift that Yanxi's cousin gave her not long ago.
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