Hong Ling, however, thought it was due to Qing He's temperament, so she didn't take it to heart at all because of her indifferent attitude, and continued to talk to herself.
"It would be great if the county chief could let us out of the house before we turn 18!
Otherwise, in a few years, we will become old girls and unable to get married.
In fact, if we can serve the men in the house, we can at least have a aunt.
Even if she is not an aunt, it would be much better to be the first wife than to serve the magistrate like she is now.
If we follow the county leader, we will be like Qing Niang, and we can see the whole world at a glance."
Hong Ling went from being excited at the beginning to feeling regretful and then sighed in frustration.
When Qing He heard what she said, she couldn't help but stiffen up as she didn't want to talk to her at first. Then she sat upright from the bed with a sigh, glaring at Hong Ling with a stern look on her face.
"Be careful, Hongling, it is our blessing to be able to serve the county master.
If you talk nonsense like this again in the future, don't blame me for not respecting sisterhood."
Hongling was shocked by Qinghe's sudden appearance of a corpse.
When he heard what Qinghe said clearly, he couldn't help but become angry.
"Qinghe, what do you mean by this?
Is it possible that you still want to go to the county boss and sue me?"
Speaking of the complaint, Hongling's heart tightened inexplicably, her fists clenched tightly, and she stared at Qinghe. Although she was worried to death, she still questioned Qinghe fiercely.
Seeing her like this, Qinghe couldn't help but sigh and replied in a soft voice.
"Hong Ling, all the masters in Ning Mansion are quite clear-minded.
You have also seen that these gentlemen have no maids or concubines in common with them.
We have not been getting along with the County Lord for a short time, and you probably know the County Lord’s temperament.
Even if the gentlemen had the intention to accommodate others, I'm afraid the county chief wouldn't agree to it.
In the Ning family, the county head is the head of the family, and no one can get past the county head.
It is a great blessing for us to be able to serve the county lord.
Because no one can bully us.
After all, we are the people who serve the county master closely.
If anyone is bullied, it means not giving the county owner face.
And in the Ning family, who dares not to give face to the county leader?
You are thinking about being the aunt and wife of the old man, but have you ever thought about the fact that we have a contract to sell ourselves?
Not only is the master our master, but so is the wife.
If the ladies we offend become unhappy and sell us out, who can we go to to complain?
Don't say anything that the ladies wouldn't dare to do if the master is here.
The Ning family members almost never stay in the house.
We are all people who have things to do, how can they guard us day and night?
So, even if our wives sell us, can you still divorce your wives?
Besides, you want to get married out of a good family, but I don’t.
After all, I don’t want to be sold out again by my family after being kindly released from the house by the county lord, and get two copies of the money for selling myself.”
When Qinghe said it, his voice became a little sharp.
At first, Hong Ling was not convinced, and she only felt that Qing He's worries were unfounded.
But when it came to the later part, Hongling couldn't help but think about the consequences according to what Qinghe said, and she couldn't help but shudder.
If what Qing He said before was scary, the last two sentences directly made Hong Ling feel heartbroken.
She recalled the first time she was sold, and no matter how much she cried and begged, her parents took the money from her sale without hesitation and turned around and left.
In the first few years after she was sold, she often had nightmares about her parents leaving without mercy.
However, as time passed, the nightmare was gradually forgotten by her.
Of course, the biggest reason why Hongling actually wanted to regain her good status and be released from home was because she wanted her own parents to regret selling her in the first place.
She even wanted to show off in front of her biological parents that she was living a good life even without them!
If Ning Pengpeng knew that this little girl was so thoughtful, she would definitely laugh at her for feeling too good about herself and treating herself as a dish.
You know, the Jin Dynasty now attaches great importance to filial piety.
If Hongling is released from the house by the Ning family, Hongling's parents may really sell Hongling again.
However, this time, Hong Ling is already older and will definitely not be sold as a maid again.
It would be better if they were only sold to those men as wives.
The worst thing is that I might be sold to be a prostitute in Yanliu Lane, which would really be a desperate situation!
Qinghe didn't think much about it, mainly because she didn't have a wide range of contacts.
So, all I thought about was that I was afraid of being sold by my parents again.
Seeing Hong Ling's eyes turn red, Qing He lowered his head and remained silent. He stepped forward, took Hong Ling's hand, and solemnly persuaded her.
"You also said that the county master is willing to let us leave the house and no longer be slaves.
Then you know that the county lord is a kind-hearted master.
Will such a master allow us to remain old maids even if we don't leave the house when we reach our age?
The county lord will definitely make arrangements for our future marriage. After we get married, wouldn’t it be nice to be a nanny in the mansion?"
What Qinghe said is actually correct, it is almost the best outcome for most maids.
However, Hong Ling bit her lower lip. There was a voice in her heart that kept tempting her, and she was unwilling to give in.
She is not willing to continue to be a maid, nor is she willing to let her children become slaves.
However, Hongling never dared to say this to Qinghe again.
After all, the words Qinghe scolded her just now are still ringing in her ears.
Qinghe didn't know what Hongling was thinking.
Seeing that she didn't refute what she said, Hong Ling just assumed that she had listened to what she said.
So, he patted her arm and said comfortingly.
"Get some rest early. Although the county master asked us all to retreat, we still have to take turns to watch the night later."
Regardless of whether the county magistrate calls them at night, they have to guard the door.
Hong Ling pursed her lips and rolled onto the bed, but turned around so that her back was facing Qinghe.
Seeing this, Qing He sighed silently and lay down too.
He quickly closed his eyes and fell asleep.
When it got dark, Qinghe woke up immediately.
She got up and saw Hong Ling still lying on her side. She freshened up a little, thought about it, then went to the galley on the ship, picked up her dinner for the county master, and brought it over.
Ning Pengpeng saw the maid in yellow dress coming with a food box, but she didn't ask what the maid in pink dress was doing now.
Anyway, she just said that if you want to get rid of your slave status, you have to pay first.
It's a pity that some people may only remember what she said later, but not at all what she said before.
Because it was dinner, the food prepared for Ning Pengpeng on the boat was relatively light, just a bowl of thick white porridge and a piece of grilled fish with a charred aroma.
In addition to the grilled fish, there is a plate of stir-fried green vegetables.
With just this little food, Ning Pengpeng was very full.