Chapter 49 The Jiang Family
Jiang Huai smiled wryly. This little girl really has a big heart and is very open-minded. That's good.
"When Scholar Xiao came to borrow the carriage, he spoke highly of you. Indeed, as he said, you are a clever person."
Jiang Huai was very satisfied with Lin Yuesha and firmly believed that he had not misjudged her.
"Master Jiang, are you saying my elder brother praised me?"
Lin Yuesha could hardly believe it. Why would he bring her up when he was just borrowing a carriage? Besides, although her stepbrother was a kind old man who was easy to fool, he didn't like to boast, let alone brag to Master Jiang.
"yes."
Jiang Huai smiled warmly, his face amiable. There were so many girls in the village; if Xiao Shusheng hadn't mentioned the little girl, the clan chief wouldn't have remembered Lin Yuesha at all.
Lin Yuesha didn't ask any further questions, feeling that something was off. She patted her head, wondering if she was overthinking things. Her stepbrother was an exceptionally kind and honest man, so it was impossible for him to have such intentions.
The conversation continued inside the carriage.
"Master Jiang, why doesn't Miss Baozhu talk much?"
Lin Yuesha was very curious about the Jiang family's situation. Since her task was to subtly change Jiang Baozhu's personality, she needed to find the right approach to begin.
Master Jiang is too good to his daughter. In this era that favors sons over daughters, Lin Yuesha already has a very good impression of him because of his high regard for his daughter.
"well."
Speaking of this, Jiang Huai sighed.
He was from out of town; his ancestors lived in the south. Years ago, his hometown was flooded, and the fields and land were all submerged, and the houses and fields were gone.
While everyone else was heading to the capital, he made his way from the south to the north by relying on wild vegetables. Jiang Baozhu was also born to his wife in the north.
The food and drink along the way were poor, which caused Jiang Baozhu to suffer from malnutrition. At that time, he wanted to make money to start a business, so he ran errands for others and went to the barbarians to collect furs.
"Barbarians are unreasonable and do business based entirely on their mood. Countless people have lost their lives because of this."
Although it's a fur trade, it's a business fraught with peril.
Lin Yuesha listened with great interest to Jiang Huai's poignant entrepreneurial story, but she still couldn't understand what it had to do with Jiang Baozhu's autism.
“I was often away from home and couldn’t be with Baozhu. When she was seven years old, I secretly hid her in a cart loaded with cloth and porcelain, but I didn’t notice and took her to the barbarian territory.”
At that time, he wanted to use a batch of goods he had to trade with the barbarians for furs.
The wild lands are not lacking in high-quality furs, and if there are any top-quality ones, even the nobles of the capital would fight over them.
At that time, he was focused on making money and establishing himself in the North.
Jiang Huai sighed repeatedly. This was his biggest regret. If he had discovered his daughter was in the truck earlier, none of what happened later would have occurred.
Jiang Huai and the barbarians had been trading goods smoothly for over a year, and he gradually lowered his guard.
Who knew that trouble would happen on that occasion? They encountered barbarians on the road who came to rob them. They didn't want to exchange anything; they just wanted to take the goods.
All of Jiang Huai's companions perished. One of them was beheaded by the barbarians, and his head fell in an arc onto the carriage, landing right in front of little Jiang Baozhu.
After a series of twists and turns, she was finally rescued, but Jiang Baozhu was frightened for a long time and then became increasingly silent.
“Baozhu isn’t stupid; she can still speak, just very rarely.”
Now, Jiang Baozhu is two years older than Lin Yuesha, and it's considered good if she can say two or three sentences a month.
Lin Yuesha understood. This was probably due to a traumatic experience that led to her becoming withdrawn, perhaps because of insecurity or something else.
However, she was not a professional and did not know how to communicate with Jiang Baozhu, so she could only give it a try.
Lin Yuesha comforted herself, thinking that it was better to be quiet than to be a spoiled young lady causing trouble.
By the time they arrived at the Jiang family's house, it was already dusk.
Jiang Huai brought Lin Yuesha to meet his wife, Madam Xu. Madam Xu spoke gently and seemed to have a good temperament, but there was a trace of sorrow between her brows.
"Yue Sha, why don't you stay in the side room of Baozhu Courtyard tonight?"
Madam Xu arranged for one of the family's maids to tidy up Lin Yuesha's room and make her bed. It was well past dinner time, so the kitchen staff made her a bowl of hot noodle soup. The soup was a light chicken broth, and it tasted very good.
Because the Jiang family all came from the south, they prefer milder flavors, while Jiang Baozhu, who was born in the north, prefers strong, salty, and spicy food.
After Lin Yuesha finished dinner and returned to the courtyard, her temporary room had already been prepared.
Two large red lanterns hung under the eaves of the main house, their orange-yellow glow reflecting off the white snow.
Lin Yuesha rubbed her hands together and felt less cold.
“Miss Lin, my name is Xiao Xi, and I serve in the courtyard.”
A little girl of about ten years old ran out of the room, hopping and skipping. She seemed a bit unruly and looked at Lin Yuesha with curiosity in her eyes.
"Xiao Xi, you can't call me Miss. You can call me Yue Sha or Sister Lin."
Lin Yuesha waved her hand. Although she hadn't signed a contract, she was still receiving a monthly allowance from the Jiang family. In essence, she was still serving Jiang Baozhu and was no different from a servant.
"Alright then, Sister Lin."
Xiao Xi nodded happily. Although her young lady was quiet, she was exceptionally easy to serve and never found fault with the servants.
She was the only maid in the courtyard, along with the mute old woman who cleaned the courtyard.
"Miss rarely wakes anyone at night, so you can sleep soundly, Sister Lin."
After working for a while, it was already late at night. Xiao Xi yawned, waved goodbye to Lin Yuesha, and left.
The Jiang family are from the south and are very particular about their food. There is a dedicated tea room and a small kitchen in the courtyard, and there is never a shortage of hot water throughout the night.
The rich are different. As Lin Yuesha walked in, she immediately felt a wave of heat. Under her feet were warm blue bricks, on which were laid genuine wool carpets from the barbarian lands.
"There's no heated kang (traditional Chinese bed)!"
Lin Yuesha discovered that although the side room was a single room, it was also a suite. Upon entering, there was a small reception hall, separated by a large screen, and the bedroom was located inside.
Southerners are not used to sleeping on heated kang beds in the north, as they are hard and can easily cause internal heat.
The Jiang family retained the southern customs, burying chimneys underground and a fire wall, which was much warmer than the heated kang (a traditional heated bed) at home.
"It's good to be rich!"
Lin Yuesha sighed repeatedly. She was a successful person in modern times, but here she was brought back to reality, like a country bumpkin who had never seen the world.
The antique-style bed, the purple curtains, the soft, fragrant bedding—everything was brand new.
Lin Yuesha took off her shoes and got into bed, rolling around on the bed several times. She closed her eyes and contemplated life, becoming even more determined to make money.
With money, you can renovate your mud house, bury a chimney underground, and sleep comfortably in winter without worrying about the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed) being too cold and waking you up, or about it being too hot and burning your bottom.
In a daze, Lin Yuesha fell asleep.
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