Chapter 14 Shan Lai had a stroke of great luck.
Chapter Fourteen
"Young lady, are you hungry?"
"Auntie, you eat, I'm not hungry."
After a while.
"Girl, have some water."
"..."
Even if the words were meant to be caring and meant no ill intent, hearing them five or six times in just half an hour would annoy even the most patient person. Moreover, on the way home, one's heart is burning with anxiety and irritability, so how could one have the leisure to listen to such useless noise?
But no matter how dissatisfied they were, they dared not say anything more.
She has no right to throw a tantrum.
The carriage wasn't hers, the horse wasn't hers, the driver and the people who took good care of her weren't hired by her, the piles of things on the carriage weren't bought by her, and even she herself didn't belong to her.
Eating with your bowl in hand, then cursing your mother after putting it down—Shanlai wouldn't do something so shameless.
There is no better host family than the Liu family.
Shanlai was incredibly lucky to have such an opportunity.
The old lady of the Liu family was an incredibly kind person.
Even though she knew that accepting her kindness would come at a price, Shanlai was still grateful for her kindness because she was so good to Shanlai, too good.
"The old lady instructed us to take advantage of this free time to pack your things for your journey home, so as not to delay your departure early tomorrow morning." As she spoke, she unfolded the bundle and pointed out each item to Shan. "This bundle contains medicine, such as ginseng, lingzhi, and deer antler, all for nourishing the body. These two bundles contain materials, such as silk and satin, which can be used for making clothes and quilt covers. These bundles contain sweets, pastries, and meat, all neatly packed. You only need to take these with you. As for what you eat on the road, there will be freshly made for you tomorrow morning."
After Ru Hui finished speaking, Shan Lai was so frightened that he dared not sit down.
"How can this be allowed? How can anyone feel at ease..."
Ru Hui laughed and said, "Don't tell us that. We're just following orders. If you have anything to say, go and tell the old lady."
Shanlai was about to go look for her when Ruhui stopped him.
“The old lady has already gone to bed. If you want to express your gratitude, you should wait until you come back tomorrow. If it’s not for expressing gratitude, then you definitely shouldn’t go. I’m not afraid of offending you. Although these things seem valuable to us, they are really nothing in the old lady’s eyes. It’s just a gesture of respect from her. You should just accept them. If you don’t, you will be letting her down.” As she spoke, she took out a gold hairpin from her sleeve. “This is my token of appreciation. Don’t let me down.”
She set the example, and the maids who had come with her all brought out their own things as well.
Shanlai resolutely refused to accept it, and as they were turning back and forth, several maids from Biwutang walked in laughing, saying they had heard the commotion and wanted to join in.
Since it was at Biwu Hall, the maids there said they wanted to be the hosts and immediately set out several plates of fruits and candied fruit. As the group ate and chatted, they saw the things that Ru Hui and the others had brought out on the table and said they wanted to do their part. Some took off their hairpins, some took off their bracelets, and things got even more chaotic. Shan Lai almost talked himself hoarse.
Fortunately, a little girl, about eleven or twelve years old, took out a peace charm, saying that her family had gotten it for her, that it had been blessed, and that it was very effective in relieving illness and disaster. She said it would come in very handy and that she must accept it.
The four words "curing illness and eliminating disaster" perfectly capture Shanlai's thoughts; once he saw them, he couldn't take his eyes off them.
In the end, I still accepted one.
Because she had accepted all the items from Shanlai, the little girl was inevitably proud and grabbed Shanlai's hand, asking him all sorts of questions.
Since she had accepted their gifts, Shanlai patiently answered their questions. As she spoke, everyone around her listened attentively.
The group made a ruckus until late at night. Shanlai was quite sleepy, but she tried her best to stay with them. Fortunately, Ruhui was observant and noticed her embarrassment. She stood up and said that it was too late and that everyone had things to do the next day, so they should disperse.
At the door, Ru Hui stayed until the very end, took Shan Lai's hand, gently slipped something into his hand, and whispered, "This is one hundred taels of silver. It's from the old lady. She specifically told me to give it to her secretly and not let anyone else know. After all, you're going out into the world, so don't cause any trouble."
In short, they blocked Shanlai's path. They dared not refuse, fearing that if others found out, things would become unsafe.
Ru Hui's last words were, "I'll come over tomorrow morning and find someone to help you carry your things. You don't need to worry about it at all. Just sleep peacefully."
How can I fall asleep?
I tossed and turned all night, thinking that no matter what happened in this life, I must repay the old lady.
The young master of the Liu family is also a good person.
The young master is too young and inexperienced, and not as thoughtful as the old lady, but he is still very good to her.
He was her master, yet he didn't demand that she serve him well. Instead, he told her not to waste her talents...
He asked her why she was crying.
She didn't answer him.
But she knew perfectly well why she was crying.
She had died once, and when she came back to life, people told her she was Yao Shanlai. Who was Yao Shanlai? What did she love and hate? She knew nothing, yet she was Yao Shanlai. How could she not be afraid? She cried day and night, incessantly, until she fell ill, delirious and unable to control her body or mind. When she regained consciousness, she saw large patches of flowers, birds, mountains, and rocks drawn on the ground, drawn with twigs when she was seriously ill and delirious. Looking at the paintings, she was stunned. In her moments of unconsciousness, "Yao Shanlai" returned. "Yao Shanlai" could paint; she had lived, she had existed. Yao Shanlai accepted that she was Yao Shanlai. Painting was Yao Shanlai's favorite thing to do; it was her connection to the past, making her believe that she truly was Yao Shanlai. But Yao Shanlai had sold herself into servitude. Being a servant meant she was no longer a person; her life was over. Yet someone told her it wasn't over; she could still be a person, continue doing what she loved. How could she not cry?
He treated her well, and she wanted to repay him.
Thinking of how good these two people had been to her, her heart softened, so she was able to forgive the bad things others had done.
"Thank you, Auntie. I am indeed a little thirsty."
Zhao's second wife watched her drink water with a smile and said, "Don't worry, girl, we'll be there soon."
"Hmm, I'm not in a hurry."
When Shan said there was no rush, it was somewhat of a lie, but when Zhao Er's wife said they would arrive soon, it was the truth.
Zhao Erle stopped his horse and asked from outside, "We've arrived at Huixian Town. How do I get to your house, young lady?"
"Have we arrived?"
Shanlai couldn't believe it. They had arrived in such a short time? He lifted the curtain and saw that they had indeed arrived. Everything in front of him was familiar to him, something he had seen many times over the past four or five years.
Tears welled up in my eyes. Things I knew so well seemed to be veiled in mystery, yet also unfamiliar.
She quickly wiped away her tears and said to Zhao Er, "Uncle, walk along the river until you reach the end, and you'll be at my house. There's a big locust tree in front of my house..."
Zhao Er responded and cracked his whip, and the carriage started moving again.
When strangers enter the village, the villagers will inevitably stop them and ask them a few questions: Who are you? What are you doing here?
Shanlai poked his head out and called out to the person who came in, "Uncle."
The man, of course, recognized Shanlai, and said with a smile, "So it's Shanlai." He then asked, "Is this a relative of yours? He looks unfamiliar."
To introduce Zhao Er to someone, one must first explain one's own situation. Shan Lai was not very willing, so he simply said that they were not relatives and brushed it off. Then he said, "Uncle, I'm going home. I have to go now."
The man then stepped aside and let the carriage pass.
After the carriage passed, the man immediately ran to the house of someone he knew and exclaimed, “Stone’s daughter came back from outside in a very impressive carriage! I think her family has really struck it rich this time!”
A village, a place no bigger than a fist, can't hide any secrets. When Shanlai got off the carriage, there were already four or five people waiting for her at her door, and more people were still on their way.
Aunt Wang had always been on good terms with Shanlai's family and genuinely cared for him. As soon as the carriage stopped, she came to greet him, and as soon as Shanlai got out of the carriage, she took his hand.
"Shanlai, we heard you went to Master Liu's house in the city. Is everything alright? Did they treat you well? Why didn't you tell us? We had no idea. If we had known, we would have definitely seen you off..."
Shanlai knew she meant well and her words were sincere, but Shanlai was in a hurry to see Yao Yong, so he could only give her a perfunctory answer: "I'm fine, Auntie. Is my father inside?" As he spoke, he went inside.
Aunt Wang naturally went into the house with Shanlai. "Where else could your father be if he's not in the house? He's still not well..." Shanlai felt a pang of pain in his heart, but thankfully Aunt Wang added a couple more sentences, "But compared to before, he's much better. A skilled doctor came the other day, and after he examined him, your father was able to eat a little more." Shanlai felt a little better after hearing this.
Before you even reach the door, the strong smell of medicine hits your face.
Medicine is never good; anyone who gets infected will either die or be seriously injured.
The heavy, suffocating smell of medicine... Shan Lai was suddenly overcome with a profound sense of pity.
Yao Yong and his daughter, both ill, suffered from the pain of their illnesses, while the healthy also paid a heavy price. This is the tragedy of the poor.
Hearing the noise outside, the person inside asked in a hoarse voice, "Who's here?"
Those four words brought tears to Shan Lai's eyes.
Shanlai didn't want to cry. In front of her loving father, she had to appear relaxed and cheerful, otherwise her father would definitely not allow her to go to the Liu residence again, which would not be good for them.
But I couldn't stop the tears.
He couldn't control his body either.
She threw herself onto her father's sickbed, burying her face in her hands and weeping uncontrollably, lamenting the suffering her father had endured and the humiliation of selling herself into servitude.
Yao Yong was also in tears.
The father and daughter, one sitting and one lying down, were both crying.
Yao Yong didn't cry for himself, but only for his daughter who had been wronged.
A note from the author:
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