Yan Qingqing quickly helped them up and said, "Since you've come as agreed, I'll naturally take you in. I've already had ginger soup made, and I'll bring some over for you to drink to ward off the cold."
Your clothes are all soaked, so I had someone find some old clothes for you to change into.
The children, including Mu Xi, were so moved that they didn't know what to say. Soon, A Da and the others brought over some clothes. Some of them were newly made for A Da and the others and hadn't been worn yet, so the little beggars put them on first. Of course, some of the clothes had many patches, but for these children, they were already the best they could be.
Yan Qingqing then asked Ah San to clean the wounds of the injured little beggar and bandage them simply. Fortunately, they still had some basic medicinal herbs at home.
Soon, ginger soup and food were brought over from the kitchen. Yan Qingqing said with a smile, "Have something to eat first. Since we weren't sure if you were coming, we didn't ask the kitchen to prepare any meals for you. These are some leftover steamed buns and flatbreads from last night. Please make do with them."
Yan Qingqing's family's meals were already quite good; both the flatbreads and steamed buns were made from white flour. They felt that if this was acceptable, then Yan Qingqing and her family were living like gods.
Mu Xi was different from other little beggars. She ate her food in a very refined manner and didn't look like a beggar at all. Yan Qingqing thought that this child probably had a good family background before she became a beggar, but there was no point in pursuing that now. It would only make people sad.
Yan Qingqing stayed for a while longer before handing the place over to A-Da and the others. After the children finished eating, she asked A-Da to take them back to rest.
The rain lasted all night before stopping, but the air was very fresh when Yan Qingqing woke up in the morning, and she was in a good mood looking at the weather outside.
Ruyi walked in and said, "Madam, one of the people who came yesterday, named Muxi, said he would like to ask you what kind of work would be suitable for them."
Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Go tell them not to rush, let them rest for a few days and take good care of themselves. Also, tell the kitchen to boil more hot water so they can take a bath."
Go tell the young mistress to arrange for two embroiderers from the embroidery workshop to take the children's measurements and make two new outfits for each of them from the coarse cloth I bought yesterday.
Ruyi quickly agreed and went to find Yuan Huiniang.
Before they knew it, it was February 8th, the day Wu Gang got married. Because the Wang family was now rich, the wedding banquet was held in a grand style.
Yan Qingqing and Aunt Wang have always had a good relationship, so she will definitely go. Besides, as a neighbor, she should help out when someone in the village has a wedding or funeral.
This was Yan Qingqing's first time attending someone else's wedding banquet since arriving in ancient times, so she specially changed into a more festive outfit.
When Yuan Huiniang and Xu Shi came in, they found Yan Qingqing looking in the mirror. Xu Shi teased, "Oh my, Second Sister-in-law, you look so beautiful in this outfit. Anyone who didn't know better would think you were the one who was going to be a mother-in-law today."
Yan Qingqing sighed and glanced back at Li Xiangyang, who was lying on the bed blowing bubbles. Her youngest child had only just learned to roll over. When would she be able to start her retirement life?
Madam Xu then added, "However, my second sister-in-law is getting younger and younger; she doesn't look like a mother-in-law or grandmother at all."
Hearing this, Yan Qingqing became happy again. She also felt that she did look much younger than when she first arrived.
Yan Qingqing chatted with Xu Shi for a while longer, and then they went to the Wang family together. As soon as they arrived at the door, they heard a commotion. Wang Fugang and Aunt Wang were dressed up like clowns, their faces covered in soot and even their cheeks were painted with blush. They looked as ridiculous as could be.
Yan Qingqing laughed along with her, wondering what kind of custom this was.
Xu, who was standing to the side, said with a smile, "This is just the wedding celebration for the father-in-law and mother-in-law. When Erlang and Sanlang get married, you won't be able to escape either, second sister-in-law."
Yan Qingqing got goosebumps all over when she heard this. This won't do. She'll have to plan carefully when the time comes. This is really too ugly.
Aunt Wang was very welcoming to Yan Qingqing and the others, and invited them to sit in the inner room. Yan Qingqing smiled and said, "Aunt Wang, we're here to help out today, there's no reason for us to just sit around."
Aunt Wang exclaimed, "You are a benefactor to our family. You deserve credit for their marriage. There's no reason for you to do any work. To be honest, if it weren't for the fact that there's no such thing as a woman officiating at a wedding, I would have liked you to be their officiant."
Upon hearing this, Madam Xu laughed and said, "Then does that mean I don't have to do any work because of my second sister-in-law?"
Aunt Wang laughed and said, "Of course, there's really nothing to do. I asked your Uncle Wang to specially hire the chef from the restaurant in town. He even brought two assistant chefs with him. You just need to wait for the feast."
Yan Qingqing didn't stand on ceremony with Aunt Wang. At most, she could help pick vegetables, but now that she wasn't needed, she couldn't help with anything else. After all, she was a widow who hadn't been married long. If she rushed to do everything at someone's wedding banquet, she wouldn't be helping them, but rather making them uncomfortable.
So Yan Qingqing and Madam Xu sat in the inner room listening to several elderly women gossiping about this and that.
The Wang family's wedding banquet was a lively affair that lasted all day. However, Yan Qingqing left after finishing the banquet. She went home, took a nap, and then asked Ruyi to call over Mu Xi and the other children.
These past few days, they've been eating and drinking well at the Li family's house, and they haven't had to do any work, so they've all visibly gained weight. But at the same time, they're also a little uneasy. They know they've sold themselves into Yan Qingqing's family; what kind of servants get this kind of treatment?
Hearing that Yan Qingqing was looking for them, they came very quickly. Yan Qingqing saw that the children were in good condition, so she said, "You've rested for a few days now, so let me tell you about the arrangements. I won't force you to sell yourselves since you don't have household registration, but there is a private document that you need to sign."
After finishing her sentence, Yan Qingqing handed the completed document to Mu Xi. She knew that Mu Xi was literate. The document was not too harsh. The general meaning was that they were under Yan Qingqing's protection and support, but they also had to be loyal to Yan Qingqing. If they betrayed their master, Yan Qingqing could decide their life or death.
The servants' lives were in the hands of their masters, so Mu Xi signed her name without hesitation. The other children who couldn't write also followed suit and pressed their fingerprints.
Yan Qingqing then began to speak: "I originally planned to buy a group of people to guard the house, but I wouldn't feel at ease if they weren't trained by me. I asked someone to hire a very good master for you to learn from. How much you learn depends on your own destiny."
Mu Xi and the others never expected such a good thing. Gold and silver treasures are all external things; only skills belong to oneself. Therefore, they cherished this opportunity very much. That very night, Yan Qingqing sent them into the mountains.
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