Xiao Nanhui was stunned.
Was this touching just to find out how big the head was on her neck?
She didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and was becoming increasingly confused by the situation.
"What is the old lady doing?"
The old woman didn't say anything, but waved her hand to signal her to stretch out one hand, and then she reached for the bamboo basket on her back.
She noticed that there was a stick in the bamboo basket. The stick was very long and did not look like an axe handle or a hatchet. It looked more like a crutch or something like that. However, one end of the stick was covered with floral cloth, so the whole stick could not be seen.
The bamboo basket was very deep. The old woman groped for a long time and finally slowly withdrew her hand. She picked up a piece of candy and gently placed it in her palm. She grinned at her with her toothless mouth.
"Eat candy."
Xiao Nanhui forgot to stop for a moment.
From childhood to adulthood, she has never eaten candy given by the elderly.
Others have grandparents, but she only has cuckoos and shrike.
She forgot her previous dissatisfaction and felt a little flattered. Just when she was hesitating whether to eat the candy, the person next to her calmly put the candy into his sleeve.
She turned around to look at the man, but he didn't look at her.
"How many of us are here? Can you count them, old lady?"
The old woman was half bent over, and her chilling face slowly drooped, half hidden in the shadows.
"I'm old, blind, and suspicious. I need to confirm many things in person before I can feel at ease. I hope you won't mind. It's getting late today, so please come with me to the wing room to rest and then go to see the head of the family tomorrow."
After the old woman finished speaking, she signaled the gray-clad guard holding the torch to lead the way, while Shen Yangyang saluted and quietly retreated.
Ding Weixiang followed, and his master followed closely behind him. Just as he was about to move forward, he suddenly found that the woman next to him did not move.
He turned to look at her, seemingly unaware of anything amiss.
"What's wrong?"
Xiao Nanhui looked down at the hand holding his, then looked up at the innocent face, and wanted to sigh: You were not like this before.
But she ultimately chose the path of peace and moderation.
"My palms are sweaty."
However, once she opened her mouth, she realized that her voice could be so soft and thin.
If Yao Yi heard it, he would have suspected that she was possessed by a female ghost.
Ding Weixiang, who was walking in front, obviously heard it as well. He took a few quick steps and put some distance between himself and the other two.
Seeing that those people were about to walk away, he finally let go of her hand.
Xiao Nanhui breathed a long sigh of relief, opened and clenched his fingers, trying hard to wipe away the chill left in his palms.
"Let's go."
Speaking of fast walking, it is actually not possible to walk fast.
Not only in the Shen family, but in the courtyard of any wealthy family, you are not allowed to walk fast.
She seldom came to hang out in such a house with so many rules before, but after considering the Zou Mansion, the Kang Wang Palace, the Xuanyuan Wang Mansion and the Yulin Villa, she had some experience with these tortuous and circuitous architectural structures.
Although it was dark, she vaguely guessed that the other party did not intend to take them into the Shen family's inner courtyard, which meant that they had not yet passed the second door.
The old woman walked very slowly, passing through the rocky cliffs, turning seven or eight times, and finally entering a winding corridor.
At the end of the corridor was a door with hanging flowers. Just as they were about to pass through the door, a young woman dressed in plain clothes came out of the inner courtyard with five or six half-grown children. When she saw the old woman, she hurriedly bowed respectfully.
Those dolls were all delicately carved and well-dressed, but they looked timid and confused when they saw strangers. They were not as lively and bold as the children of wealthy families in the capital, and they did not show the playfulness and noise that children of their age should have.
They are so delicate and quiet, like the dough dolls made in the Yugongmen noodle shop, even the blush on their faces is carefully painted.
Xiao Nanhui frowned slightly.
Where should I take the child in the middle of the night?
Five or six dolls followed the woman and saluted quietly. Suddenly, a short and fat figure came hurriedly from the corner. It turned out to be a girl who had fallen behind.
The last baby was chubby, with a single bun on his head. He was secretly stuffing apricots into his mouth with his fat hands. When he suddenly saw a stranger, he was startled and tripped and fell into the mud.
Xiao Nanhui stared at the child in a daze, and suddenly he walked forward uncontrollably and helped her up.
The doll raised its head, the corners of its mouth were dyed bright yellow by apricot juice, and its eyes were empty and confused.
Before she had time to take a closer look, the fat kid stuffed the thing in his hand into hers, turned around and ran away with his butt twisted.
She looked down and found a pony made of straw resting on her palm.
"What are you going to do with it? Throw it away."
Xiao Nan stood up and found that the old woman had appeared in front of him without him noticing.
But subconsciously, she didn't want to throw away what was in her hand.
"Children's toys, they look quite interesting." She paused, then asked, "Are those children... all members of the Shen family?"
"Strictly speaking, their surname is indeed Shen. But they are not real members of the Shen family." The old woman rolled her lifeless eyes, finally stopping at her palm, "Young lady, do you know what a straw dog is?"
Straw dog, a dog made of straw.
An offering used in ancient sacrifices.
It turned out that the animal made of straw was not a foal, but a dog.
"People would tie straw into a dog shape and use it in sacrifices, then place it in a box and cover it with embroidery. However, once the sacrifice was over, people would abandon it and trample on it. Passersby would walk over its ridges, and only the cooks collecting firewood would pick it up and use it for cooking."
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