0064 064 Old Stories of Xiaobei District
The administrative district planning in Jingyang City has always been quite chaotic, with each generation having its own regional divisions and names. For example, the area now designated as the old city was called Xiaobei District by the generation of the second wife.
The true northern part of Jingyang has always been Henghai New District, which was occupied by the Yang family for many years. The area diagonally below it was called Xiaobei District. When the Gu family was in power, it was the center of the entire Jingyang. Compared with it, other districts were even more different than the gap between rural and urban areas. However, with the decline of the Gu family, even Xiaobei District gradually became a memory. The top group moved to the current Tianlan District. The lower class was the same no matter where they were. Only a small group in the middle left themselves and Xiaobei District in their memories. They could not see the light ahead, so they could only recall the past. The past was not bright, but it could shine brightly in their mouths.
Dinner time arrived, and the servants brought them their dinner. The second wife seemed quite excited, ordering a dozen bottles of wine. She was already tipsy before even taking a sip, and smilingly asked Qi Shuyao, "..."
"Is it safe to drink?"
"bring it on."
Qi Shuyao had only eaten one meal this morning and was already starving. The second wife also looked like she hadn't eaten in a long time. The two of them first devoured the food at the table, and then, holding their wine glasses, they leaned back in their chairs and chatted idly.
"Miss Qi's appetite seems to be very compatible with mine, unlike those daughters of officials."
"Which lady do you know? My friends all have big appetites."
"Really? Maybe times have changed. I don't know. I haven't seen any outsiders in a long time."
Qi Shuyao noticed that she was staring at her bracelet with a complex expression in her eyes. The candlelight on the table reflected in her eyes, making it look as if she was about to cry.
"Guanxiang is so rich, why would you envy my bracelet?"
"You don't understand. You always get the best, and no one compares with you. But people like us have no skills and can only rely on the rewards men give us to gild our image. The more expensive the things he gives me, the more face I have. I try my best, but alas, once I come to this courtyard, I haven't seen anyone else. And no one appreciates what I have."
Why are you telling me these things, an outsider?
"That's why I said it, because they're outsiders."
"You don't seem to love him that much."
"You mean Guan Xiang? I love him, of course I love him. But love is nothing special. It's too easy to fall in love with someone. Love isn't that sacred. Men aren't anything special either. They're all cheap, and their love is cheap too. But my love is what keeps me going. To keep loving, to love forever, that's amazing. Every second I love him, my love gets a higher price. I know there will be a constant stream of women around him, but I still love him, even if it's just for one more second. But a rich girl like you would never understand my thoughts. Even if the person you fall in love with in the future doesn't love you that much, your dad will make sure he only loves you. Unlike me, I have no one to back me up."
What's wrong with you?
“I also want to know what’s wrong with me. I see him going out to find other women every day, and there are always other women chattering around the house and yard. Yesterday he told me to come out and show him someone important. I thought he was going to bring a new woman home again, but no, it was you. You don’t know how I felt at that moment. I felt like I had to kneel down and thank him. But you just said he was vulgar. Did you see his expression at that moment? He was stunned because no one had ever said that to him before, no one dared to say that. It was at that moment that I realized he really was so vulgar. He inherited such a large family business, and the biggest use of it is to bring back more and more women. He’s so vulgar.”
"Is it that feeling of one's own perception of a shattered god?"
"I don't understand, I don't know what this feeling is, and I can't explain it. I'll have to rely on him for the rest of my life."
"Why not find someone who loves you?"
"Ha, no one loves me."
"So what did that Xu Mei you mentioned do to you?"
Why are you so interested in her?
"I love listening to stories."
"Her? Of course she went with Guanxiang too."
"Even if you follow someone from Guoguan Township, you can leave. But he's not good to women either."
"Of course he'll be nice to women, but women are endless. He'll be nice to every woman, but he won't be nice to one person forever. But Xu Mei, she's a worldly woman, and she's the most selfish woman I've ever met."
"But you seem quite envious of her."
"What's there to envy about her? Envy her ruthlessness. When the Gu family was brought down, it was so chaotic. Everyone was thinking about holding onto their own children, but she wanted to throw away the daughter she had just given birth to. She was pregnant with another child at the time, and she still dared to commit so many evil deeds. She changed men one after another, and this one, I don't know whose position she wanted but failed to get. She's gone mad."
How many children does she have?
"I don't know. It seems like she's been having children all the time. If you weren't Secretary Qi's daughter, I would really think you were her child too. The lower half of your face looks so much like hers, even the age matches."
How do you know so much?
"I was her colleague at the dance hall. You didn't know, did you? It was an underground dance hall in Xiaobei District, the liveliest place in all of Jingyang. She was the 'Little Plum Blossom' of the dance hall, and I was the 'Little Jasmine'. We were both quite the stars back then, but unfortunately, I went down there too late and never saw her at her most glorious moment. When I met her, she was already desperately trying to have a son and marry into a wealthy family. But God doesn't let people like us have our way. I can't find a man who will always love me, and all her children are girls. That's karma."
"Can you still contact her now?"
"Why would I contact her? Just to make myself miserable. You have no idea how much she bullied me when she was with Guan Xiang."
"I really want to know more about her."
"Why do you know about her? But I'll tell you something secretly. Don't tell your dad after you get out. I think Secretary Qi looks a lot like a little boy I saw at the dance hall. I heard that there was a dancer who was raped and had no choice but to be born in the dance hall. He grew up in that underground place. I was young at the time and only glanced at him briefly. I thought he was so handsome. It's a pity I never saw him again. I liked him for many years until I met Guan Xiang. But that big jerk! If Lin Ya hadn't dumped him, he wouldn't have even given me a second glance. I'm old and faded now. Heaven hasn't really wronged me."
Who is Lin Ya?
"Lin Shang's sister had a falling out with Guan Xiang because of her brother's situation, and later moved out of here. I don't know where she is now."
"If you met that little boy you liked right now, would you still like him?"
"How would I know? I'd have to see if he's grown up badly over the years. If he looks like your dad now, I'd like him too. But I don't know if he's rich. I can't live the hard life I used to live. What's that saying you cultured people use? Let me think... it's something like, 'It's easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality.'"
The second wife drank too much wine. Holding a wine bottle, she tilted her head back and fell asleep on the bed. Qi Shuyao also drank quite a bit, but she wasn't drunk. Leaning against the stone pillar behind her, she looked at the second wife's red face and red eyes, and felt an unprecedented calm in her heart.
She touched the white jade bracelet on her right wrist, looked up at the sky outside the window, and seemed lost in thought.
Tu Mi followed Sister Hong into the small villa. The overwhelming scent of perfume hit her, and everyone looked languid. She made eye contact with several people outside, but the people inside didn't react and simply looked away.
She grew bolder and wandered around the villa, following the corners. When she reached roughly the back, she heard an elderly woman complaining to a bodyguard.
"They said they found a new helper, but why hasn't she arrived yet? I'm exhausted from washing so many clothes all by myself."
"You'll have to ask Sister Hong. How could I possibly manage something like that?"
Tu Mi tore off her scarf, scratched her hair, and walked towards the two of them.
"Hello, this is the new laundry lady that Sister Hong assigned me to do..."
"Oh my god, you've come so suddenly. You're so pretty, you're here to do laundry? Fine, come with me."
She followed the aunt smoothly into the laundry room. The aunt tossed her a pair of gloves and told her to follow behind and pick out all the underwear first.
Tu Mi observed the auntie talking to herself while picking out clothes. Seeing that she seemed like a kind person, she began to inquire.
"Auntie, I see so many girls here, what are we doing here?"
The aunt was quite surprised to hear her words, but she immediately smiled, beckoned her over with her finger, and whispered,
"Girl, I see you work so efficiently, you're a hardworking person. Don't ask too many questions about this. Let's just wash and sort these clothes, and you'll get paid later. Don't worry about anything else."
"What's wrong? What's wrong with them...?"
"Why is this child so curious? Fine, I'll tell you, but hold your heart tight. Do you know how many people have died from gambling lately in Jingyang?"
"Ah... I know, I know."
"Some of those who couldn't pay their debts committed suicide. These are considered good men. Then there are those inhuman ones who used their wives and daughters to pay off their debts, selling their children to the casino. When a man is addicted to gambling, he also wants those things, so someone solves the problem for him. These are all young girls, daughters of gambling addicts. They also vary in appearance. The pretty ones can be taken out to meet big bosses, while the unattractive ones are just thrown into the casino to play around with. Oh dear."
"Well, I think the environment inside this place is quite nice..."
"You're young, you don't understand these things. Even if you're feeding a pig, you have to feed it the best feed and take good care of it. Let alone this for humans, it's all fed and cared for. Alright, we can't worry about these things, hurry up and do the laundry."
"good."
Qi Shuyao didn't dare to fall asleep in the unfamiliar environment. She leaned against the stone pillar with her eyes half-closed. In the latter half of the night, she was so sleepy that her heart was pounding and her head was spinning. But in the sudden ringing in her ears, she seemed to hear something rumbling.
The noise woke up the second wife in bed. She threw down the wine bottle and got out of bed to check. As she passed by, she told her not to be afraid.
The door opened, but the second wife froze on the spot. Qi Shuyao turned her head from behind her and saw that it was Xiao Lan who was choking her.
The second wife was so frightened that she became incoherent.
"Who are you? How did you find this place? Nobody here knows anyone here..."
"Shh..."
Xiao Lan gestured for her to be quiet and waved to Qi Shuyao behind her, telling her to come over.
Qi Shuyao got dressed and went outside. Looking up, she saw a helicopter in the sky.
Xiao Lan somehow managed to control the Second Madam, preventing her from approaching. She herself slowly withdrew, and when their hands touched, the Second Madam suddenly cried out.
"Aren't you the maid who worked for Xu Mei when she was young? You, you, you are really Xu Mei's daughter?"
The second wife was pushed back into the room by Xiao Lan, and an iron chain was hung on her from the outside. She frantically circled around the room, and when her gaze swept over the table, she suddenly stopped, walked over, bent down, and stared at a painting on the table that had been dipped in wine.
An adult is holding a child's hand, standing inside an iron cage.
Xiao Lan busied herself attaching ropes to Qi Shuyao, preparing to take her onto the helicopter. Qi Shuyao stared blankly at her.
"Sister, how old are you?"
"Miss, I'm almost 40 years old this year."
After Xiaolan finished answering, she blocked the rope, and suddenly a force came from above, pulling Qi Shuyao into the air. In less than five seconds, she was pulled into the cabin. She lay on her back on the deck and suddenly hugged Qi Yu, who was leaning over.
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