Chapter 101 Silently Protecting Her
The two families were originally just nodding acquaintances, but after joining forces to fight, their relationship became closer.
Xiulian is already twelve years old and usually helps with chores at home.
Younger brother Xiuzhou studied at the school just like Fu'er.
In ordinary households, families that could afford to send their daughters to school were either officials or wealthy families.
The most common type of person to help out at home is someone like Xiulian.
Yao Shisan discovered that Xiulian was very intelligent; she had learned a lot of characters from her younger brother's studies.
She deliberately demonstrated how to use an abacus in front of Xiulian, and Xiulian was able to quickly learn how to use it.
"Xiulian, would you like to be an apprentice?"
Apprenticeships in all trades have always been exclusively for men.
Once an apprentice is out of school, he can earn at least one or two taels of silver a month.
My younger brother, Xiuzhou, once asked him about it. He said that he saw how hard our mother was working and he didn't want to study anymore.
When his mother found out, she gave him a severe beating before he could go back to school.
Xiulian was stunned. Madam Yao wanted to take her on as an apprentice?
Can she be an apprentice?
Yao Shisan laughed, "I have a granary in Yuzhou, but I don't have any apprentices yet. If you were..."
"I do!"
Xiulian nodded repeatedly, "I...I'll go tell my mother this good news!"
A moment later, Sister Zhang came running over with Xiulian in her hand.
"Madam Yao, you're willing to take Xiulian in... if she marries in the future..."
When a girl grows up, she will get married and can no longer continue working. Wouldn't it be a waste of all these years of nurturing her?
Yao Shisan said, "As long as I am in Yuzhou City, I will take her back no matter if she gets married or has children in the future, as long as she is willing to come."
Sister-in-law Zhang immediately pulled Xiulian to kowtow, "Quickly become her apprentice!"
Yao Shisan immediately stopped her, "There's another master. I'm just a half-baked teacher, so I shouldn't corrupt Xiulian."
The next day.
Manager Wu was summoned over.
He hadn't expected that the apprentice he wanted to take on would be a young girl, so he immediately refused.
"That won't do! How can you take a girl as an apprentice!"
When Manager Wu was in Linzhou, he had taken on apprentices, all of whom were young men; there were no young women among them.
Yao Shisan remained calm and composed. "I don't know what the rules are for other businesses, but my business only accepts young girls."
“Manager Wu, I remember your daughter is ten years old. If she is willing, she can come too. In the future, whether she gets married or has children, as long as Yao’s Trading Company is still around, even if she is fifty years old, I will still want her.”
Manager Wu wavered somewhat.
To supplement the family income, young women could only do needlework or wash clothes for wealthy families. The worst option was to sell themselves into servitude as maids.
The only way out for an apprentice was to become a steward, but in those days, apart from the female stewards in the inner quarters, where were there any female stewards?
Yao Shisan said, "What my Yao family business values is ability, not gender. In the future, Xiulian's abilities will be no less than yours, Manager Wu."
“If your daughter also has this talent, you might as well pass on your mantle to her.”
The following day.
Manager Wu brought two girls with him, one was his daughter and the other was his niece.
Three girls of similar age huddled together, chattering away.
Manager Wu had never worked with a young girl before, and for a moment he was caught between a rock and a hard place, unable to hit her or scold her, and his face turned red with anger.
Yao Shisan found it amusing and said to the three girls, "After you graduate, you'll be paid one tael of silver a month. You'd better learn quickly."
To prevent Manager Wu from abusing his power for personal gain, she continued, "If they fail to meet the standards after completing their apprenticeship, I won't use them, and Manager Wu, you'll have to leave with them."
This tactic has been quite effective for now; at least the three of them aren't just busy fighting anymore.
When Shuang'er returned, she had already been in Ding County for more than a month.
My brother wrote twice, saying that Shuang'er was fine, but she was not talkative. He also sent people to increase patrols near the granary.
Therefore, Yao Shisan wasn't too worried.
Now that Shuang'er has suddenly returned, her face is so thin that there's no flesh left on it!
"Shuang'er!"
Shuang'er finally couldn't hold back anymore and snuggled into her sister's arms to cry.
"Sister, he's gone."
Yao Shisan paused for a moment as he patted her back, though he gently comforted her.
"So what if he's gone? He was just a guard. I'll find you a better husband."
"Look at my brother! He'll definitely rise to the position of Grand Secretary someday, and you'll be the Grand Secretary's wife! Even Wei Xun will have to kneel before you!"
Shuang'er, who was originally heartbroken, was suddenly amused and burst out laughing.
"No way, I don't want a dad..."
"Lord Jiang is too long-winded..."
Yao Shisan, “…”
Indeed, her brother has been a chatterbox since he was a child, and he hasn't changed this habit. Who knows how many good marriages he'll ruin with his nagging.
Shuang'er wiped away her tears and took out the wooden hairpin from her bosom.
"He left before New Year's Eve was over. I've been waiting for so long, but I haven't heard a word from him."
"Only this wooden hairpin remains..."
At this point, a wave of sadness washed over her, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
"Even if he regains his memory, I will never bother him as long as he leaves behind even a single word."
"He was going to leave quietly, so why did he leave this hairpin behind?"
Yao Shisan couldn't give her a definite answer.
All he could say angrily was, "Master and servant are the same! They're not worth our tears."
Shuang'er also said angrily, "Yes! They're the same!"
She finally understood why her sister was so determined to leave the capital.
Being around a man like this will shorten your lifespan considerably!
So, on the second day.
Zhou Congxian, who had been recuperating at the Prince of Cheng's Mansion for several days, came again.
When Shuang'er opened the door and saw Zhou Congxian, she knew that Wei Xun, who had regained his memory, had summoned him.
"Frost's Descent..."
Before Zhou Congxian outside the door could speak, she slammed the door shut.
Grandma Laigen from the end of the alley came running after smelling the aroma.
She had long disliked this newcomer, and they even dared to throw her grandson's candied hawthorns at her.
She's only been here a short time, and so many men have come and gone!
This one looks easy to bully, and he looks sickly.
She leaned against the doorway of Zhuzi's mother's house and asked, "Zhuzi's mother, have you cooked yet?"
Zhu Zi's mother also didn't like to have a piece of milk; once she took a bite, she wouldn't let go.
Just as she was about to say a few casual words to send him away, Grandma Lai started speaking in a sarcastic tone.
"Zhu Zi's mother, if others are really capable, they don't even need to cook at home, and food from big restaurants is delivered to their door!"
Zhu Zi's mother immediately understood what was going on. She peeked through the crack in the courtyard wall and, sure enough, saw someone else coming to the opposite door.
She also wanted to watch the excitement, but she didn't dare to say it in front of everyone like Grandma Laigen did.
Who knows what kind of people these men are? If she messes with someone she can't afford to offend, her husband will skin her alive when he gets back.
Grandma Lai waited for a long time but didn't hear Zhu Zi's mother say anything, so she knew that Zhu Zi's mother was a coward.
She rolled her eyes and snorted. So what if the men worked in the state government? They were still a bunch of cowards.
Regardless of whether he spoke to her or not, she continued to hurl insults.
"Our alley hasn't been this lively in years. Men come here every day."
"This little harlot is staying in the wrong place; she should be staying at Chunlai Courtyard..."
"ah--"
Grandma Laigen flew from the doorway directly to the main gate of Zhuzi's house, like a tattered sack.
With a "bang," it hit the door and then slowly fell down.
She only managed to utter one cry before completely losing consciousness.
The sudden change startled Zhu Zi's mother, who stood frozen in place.
The man at the door looked sickly, but his murderous aura was like that of a ghost from hell.
"If I hear that phrase again, I'll die without a burial place."
Pillar's mother trembled and collapsed to the ground, "M-Murder..."
Grandma Laigen didn't die, but she was too badly injured to get out of bed.
She trembled and pounded the bed, wanting to report the matter to the authorities.
The case has been filed with the authorities.
People from the yamen (government office) also came.
It was still Zhu Zi's father, an old neighbor in the alley.
Lai Gen's father wanted to have a good cry first, but Zhu Zi's father stayed far away from them.
"You've insulted an official of the imperial court! Don't you value your lives?!"
Lai Gen's father was terrified. "No, it's not the house at the alley entrance..."
Pillar's father snorted coldly, "Those are officials' wives!"
"Why did you provoke them? Are you tired of living? There are so many families living in our alley, none of them are like you! You only know to be afraid when you kick a hornet's nest?"
"You have five days to move out!"
Lai Gen's father was weak-willed and always did whatever his grandmother said since he was a child.
With his mother bedridden, he lost his sense of direction.
"Move...move away?"
Lai Gen, who had been eating a sugar pancake the whole time, heard this and immediately shouted, "My family is not moving!"
"Get that prostitute and her little prostitute out of here..."
Lai Gen's father grabbed his son and covered his mouth, saying, "Shut up! Don't make things worse!"
When Lai Gen got angry, he even bit his father. He opened his mouth and bit his father's hand, and his father, in pain, immediately let go of his son.
Lai Gen ran out and headed towards the end of the alley.
As he ran, he kept spouting the foul language he had learned from his grandmother.
Startled, Lai Gen's father chased after him, grabbed his struggling son, and covered his mouth tightly.
The figure at the alley entrance was even more chilling than the winter wind.
Despite his scholarly appearance, he was terrifying.
Zhu Zi's father also caught up. Upon seeing Zhou Congxian, he immediately bowed and said, "This humble one greets Lord Zhou."
Zhou Congxian looked at them coldly and said, "Get out of here. You've disturbed the peace of my wife and daughters."
The son in Lai Gen's father's arms struggled even more fiercely, but he dared not let go. This child had learned from his grandmother and had become so arrogant that he didn't know the immensity of the world.
"Yes, I'll move it right away!"
Lai Gen knew he could no longer live here.
He carried his son home, trembling.
He didn't dare let go of her hand until he closed the door.
But the son in her arms was already limp and powerless.
"Come on, come on!"
Five girls in the corner of the room watched all of this indifferently.
In this family, the oldest one and the youngest one are the most deserving of death.
If my uncle hadn't stolen something, killed the owner, and been beheaded, why would my grandmother have come to their house, bringing with her my uncle's newborn son, and forcing my parents to acknowledge their son as their own?
How could this be the beginning of their nightmare?
Less than three days.
The shop at the end of the alley is now empty.
No one else knew the truth, except for the Zhu family, who were the only ones who did, and no one dared to speak up.
When Fu'er was leaving school, she met her father, whom she hadn't seen for a very long time, for the first time at the alley entrance.
She rushed forward with a face full of joy, "Daddy!"
Zhou Congxian was stunned for a moment, then opened his arms and caught his daughter.
His daughter didn't abandon him.
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