Chapter 106 Chapter 106 Update.
Ji Xu was not particular about her bed and could fall asleep easily anywhere. She dreamed of Tian. After many years, the mother and daughter finally met, but she was timid.
Although he subconsciously always thought of Tian as his mother, his body also longed for her touch.
But this daughter, after all, was replaced by her, and this almost became a source of worry for her. She woke up immediately, tossed and turned repeatedly, and couldn't sleep well.
It happened that the Second Master was asking for tea.
"Yuan, pour some tea."
Maybe he was sleepy or something and called the wrong person. Ji Xu hit a small piece of cloth with a burnt stone and an iron bar, which ignited a flame and then lit the lantern at hand.
She put on her padded jacket, took a lantern and went to the stove in the outer room to pour him some hot tea.
The Second Master came out of the tent, half leaning over, drank the tea, recognized the person, rinsed his mouth and said:
"It's you, what time is it?"
"The person has been decided."
There is a bronze clepsydra with three hoof legs in the outer room. The number of days and nights is engraved on the column. When water is filled in the clepsydra and drips from the mica sheet at the bottom, the floating needle will point to the corresponding scale. It is a very exquisite thing.
Ji Xu had just gone to pour tea and happened to take a look at it.
"It's very late, go back to sleep, Master."
She had just drawn the tent and lay down for a short while when she heard him say he wanted to go to the bathroom.
At that time, the toilet was far from the wing room, and it was freezing cold outside, so it was inconvenient to go out. There was a tiger in the room.
Yu was a meticulous person. Before leaving, he told Master Ji Xu about his night habits.
At this moment, Ji Xu brought over the Hu Zi, which was actually a bronze chamber pot. It was called Hu Zi because it was shaped like a tiger lying on the ground.
I saw that there was a hand on the tiger's back, which was hollow inside. The tiger raised its head and opened its mouth, and the shape was perfect, just right for its owner to relieve himself.
If she saw such a tiger-shaped crock from the Western Han Dynasty in a museum in later generations, Ji Xu would definitely be impressed by its fine workmanship and beautiful shape. But now, as a night watch girl carrying the tiger-shaped crock and serving, she could only sigh that it was difficult to earn a monthly salary!
The lamp hung on the bedside, dimly lit. She tilted her head and looked at the lamp, and heard the second master say:
"How can I use it if you lift it so high?"
I had to find a good angle to kneel down and let the second master, who really knew how to enjoy life, sit on the bed and use Hu Zi. Finally, I put it back in the corner. Tomorrow, a special maid will take it away, pour it out, and wash it clean.
She hadn't realized the difficulty of keeping watch yet. When she lay down again, she hadn't closed her eyes for long when she heard someone say in the tent:
"Xu, I'm cold."
"But there's not enough charcoal."
As Ji Xu spoke, she got up and used a fire stick to stir the silver charcoal in the stove. She had to wake up every once in a while to add more charcoal, and it was burning brightly at this moment.
She went to the outer room again, filled a hot water bottle for him and tucked it into the quilt. The bed was covered with a large silk quilt and a fox fur mattress, so he shouldn't be cold.
The Second Master still said:
"cold."
If he hadn't seen him shivering, Ji Xu would have thought he was playing a prank on him.
"I'll add another quilt for the Second Master."
After saying that, she opened the cupboard and brought the quilt over to cover him. The light was not bright, but one could still see that the Second Master's face was pale. When he tucked the quilt in, his hand was cold, which was really not the body temperature of a normal person.
Even with two quilts, he still couldn't get warm, and he could hear low groans from tossing and turning in the tent.
Yu hadn't told the Second Master that it would be so cold at night. Ji Xu didn't know what to do, so he said:
"Second Master, wait a minute, I'll call Yu over."
"It's late at night, there's no need to make any noise." Someone murmured twice in the tent, the voice so low that it was almost inaudible due to the cold.
Ji Xu thought that he still had such a considerate side for his servants, so he retreated and set up another warm stove. Although the room was large, the charcoal could not be burned too much, otherwise the people inside would not be able to bear it.
"Is Second Master feeling better?"
She opened the curtain and saw the Second Master inside with a frown on his face and cold sweat on his forehead.
She wiped it with a towel and felt a little uneasy when she saw that his lips had turned pale.
If something happened to this person while she was on guard, and she knew about it but didn't report it, she couldn't bear the consequences, so she said:
"Second Master is in such pain, we should ask a doctor to come."
As soon as she finished speaking, her hand was grabbed.
The Second Master's teeth were chattering from the cold. He couldn't bring himself to stop the man, but he just held him tightly, preventing him from leaving. He even rested his head on him to pin down his legs.
For a moment, it felt like she was clinging to a piece of warm jade, which made her feel better. Even though Ji Xu understood what he meant and agreed verbally, he did not let go. He put his arms around her waist and put his face against her abdomen.
Ji Xu sat stiffly on the edge of the bed, feeling as if she were shivering from the cold. Unable to move, she pointed outside and said coaxingly:
"I won't call the medical officer, I'll just go over there and give Second Master another hot water bottle, the one that's very warm."
He didn't let go, so I could only let him tie me up like this. Later, I couldn't hold on any longer and fell asleep.
When she woke up with a numb neck, Erye was still in the same position with his head resting on her legs, but he was facing her on his back.
The lantern had long since burned out, and the dim light of heaven shone through the tent, but the second master's eyes were still as dark as the night.
It seems that he is better now, because he is looking at himself and can speak.
"Have you taken the elixir that Madam Qu gave you?"
Ji Xu was not able to understand what was said for a moment, and after a pause he said:
"I can't bear to eat it for the moment."
She didn't know whether Erye believed it or not, but he chuckled softly. She felt like she had heard it somewhere before.
"Is the Second Master awake?"
She heard Xing asking outside, thinking it was time for her to come in and help her get up. She hurriedly opened the curtain and rushed out of the tent.
The Second Master was not prepared for her move, and half of his body was pulled down to the side of the bed.
Xing watched this scene and was filled with anger all morning. During breakfast, she complained to Ji Xu and Lu behind their backs:
"You didn't see it. We slept in the same bed last night and ruined two quilts. Two quilts. The underwear that Second Master took off was still damp to the touch."
Seeing Ji Xu come into the warm room after finishing his meal, she turned her face away and stomped her feet out. However, Yu still had that friendly smile on her face and was doing needlework with her.
After a while, he heard the warehouse manager outside calling someone. Yu went out to greet him and said he was looking for Ji Xu.
"What's going on?"
"Second Master just ordered there to be a reward."
The steward said, "I saw a piece of embroidered brocade with Xiang Fei's color, which was very shiny.
"This is a piece of embroidered velvet from Xiangyi. As the saying goes, even a dull woman in Xiangyi is skilled at making brocade. Xiangyi is the hometown of brocade, renowned throughout the world. This is the only piece of the imperial color in the storehouse, and it has a floral and cloud pattern. Second Master, please give it to me."
Yu came to congratulate her:
"You must have served me well last night, so you came to reward me early this morning. I've served you for so long, and I haven't even received any embroidered brocade from Xiangyi. I think you can please the Second Master better than I can."
"It's just a coincidence."
Ji Xu thought that it was because the Second Master caught a cold yesterday and she happened to be serving him. She was lucky that no one was called for help and nothing happened. She thought that was why she received such a big reward.
Yu thought she was embarrassed and said with a smile, "One day I'll ask the Second Master to take her in as a concubine. There will be more things like this."
Ji Xu knew that she was thinking the wrong thing, and it was not easy for her to tell him about the Second Master's cold situation last night. He didn't allow her to tell anyone and call the doctor last night. Now it was not easy for her to say it either. She just regarded it as a great reward and kept her mouth shut.
"Sister, I heard that you received a reward from the Second Master. It's the Xiangyi embroidered brocade that no one else has!"
When she returned to the servants' quarters, Ji Feng looked radiant. After all, she was still young, and she had not expected that at that level, only her elder sister was good at her job and had received such a great award.
The embroidered brocade was so intricate, beautiful, delicate and smooth that Ji Feng didn't dare touch it for fear of getting it snagged.
Ji Xu asked, "Who is so quick to speak that a little brat like you would know about it?"
"Zhao just came to the kitchen to get food. She told me about the customs of Xiangyi... customs..."
"The people of Xiangyi are good at weaving brocade, and even dull women are skilled at it." Ji Zhu remembered it clearly.
"Yes, yes, that's what it means! It shows how good it is."
Ji Xu also treasured it very much. The material could be worth a lot of money, and she had enough coats made in the mansion to wear.
In order to prepare for redemption in the future, Tian took the material to the West Market, went to three or four cloth shops to inquire about the price, and sold it to the one with the highest bid for fifty taels.
He carefully packed the silver cake, stuffed it into his sleeve and prepared to take it back, then buried it under the doorpost.
On the way back home, she saw a lot of people gathered in front of the pavilion, pointing and talking at a notice. She had a lot of money on her, so it was not convenient for her to squeeze in the crowd. It would be painful if she dropped a silver cake.
Ask a man who just came from there:
"My dear, what's written on it? There are so many people."
"The State of Yan is setting up an enclosure and hosting a hunting event. We are recruiting talented and brave men from our county to compete there! The reward is generous."
Yan State was adjacent to Zhuo County, and the notice was posted here. Speaking of which, Ji Xu had also been to Yan State. When he first arrived in Youzhou, he settled in Ji County, the capital of Yan State. Later, he followed the news to Zhuo County.
However, she could neither shoot an arrow nor wield a sword, so no matter how generous the bounty was, she had no chance of winning. She covered her sleeves tightly and entered the mansion through the corner gate, and was still buried with her body carried on her back.
Here in the study,
All I saw was a wall full of ancient scrolls and wooden slips, a green-glazed porcelain vase on the table, filled with a few red plum blossoms in bud, a painting at the side, and a big hand with slender joints holding something.
"Odds change, evens remain the same; the sign depends on the quadrant..."
"What is the Second Master mumbling about?"
He just happened to bring in tea and asked curiously, only to see the Second Master muttering something to a handkerchief, which He could not understand.
But when she looked at the handkerchief, it was made of an ordinary blue coarse cloth, with neither flowers nor trees embroidered on it, but rather Chinese characters in Li script. Although she could not understand the characters, she knew that the needlework was very clumsy.
It looked familiar, as if it was something Xu had embroidered in the warm room in the past.
“I haven’t understood it yet.”
The second master said.
"Where's Xu?"
Asked again.
"She took half a day off and went to the West Market to buy food and clothing for her two younger sisters before the New Year."
The New Year was approaching, and Ji Xu went out to sell embroidery and brocade, and brought back a lot of things, including dried chestnuts from Yan, large red dates from Anyi, dried mutton from the Western Regions, crispy goat milk cakes as cold as snow, and hundreds of pounds of firewood and charcoal. It was the New Year, so he should eat something good.
New Year's Eve, also known as the New Year's Eve, is a day of lanterns and decorations all over the house, with golden lights shining like daylight.
After the family dinner, the second master got drunk and rested in the inner room, leaving them to stay up all night to celebrate the New Year.
Yu took the initiative to set up a banquet in the warm room, and there was no need to ask the kitchen to serve the dishes. Ji Xu was able to prepare various snacks to go with the wine.
They no longer followed the nobles' way of eating at separate tables. Instead, they connected the tables end to end on the kang and placed wine, dishes and fruits on them.
The maids were not very good at those elegant hobbies, so they just played guessing the number of coins.
Ji Xu was lucky. After playing for a while, he won half a string of money. Now he was not allowed to leave.
Xing said, "Hurry and hold her back! Who would allow her to go back to spend New Year's Eve with her sister? If she wins my money, she's not going to leave!"
Ji Xu was no match for him, so he sat and played for a while. His luck was very good, and when Jiang Xing lost, he didn't stop her. He said angrily, "Go away! I worked hard all day for nothing, earning you a reward!"
She lost all her reward money.
When Ji Xu left, he even said in a playful manner, "Which sister or sister wants to keep me?"
The one who was chased out slipped on his shoes and went out of the warm room, holding two strings of money, laughing so hard that he couldn't stop. He saw the second master standing at the door in a jade-white robe.
"When did Second Master wake up? He must have caught a cold and is now saying he's cold."
He carefully placed the money on the bluestone in front of the courtyard, folded the collar of his robe over his front, and pinched it.
She was already familiar with doing these trivial matters. The second master was cold and complained of being cold at night, so he needed to boil medicine and drink tea. The ones who suffered the most were the girls working there, so she took care of every detail and tied the belt around his waist.
The Second Master looked down at them for a moment, then asked, "I see they're all wearing new clothes today, but you're still wearing these old ones. Where's that piece of embroidered brocade I gave you as a reward?"
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