The Qiu family's carriage team traveled for a month and a half and finally arrived in the capital safely.
Mengying rejected the Qiu family's kindness and moved into the inn with Lin Xiao and Hongying.
Lin Xiao was riding a horse along the way. The wind and sun made it darker again. Hongying laughed at him and couldn't find him even if he fell into a pile of charcoal.
Since they planned to live in the capital permanently, they naturally had to rent a courtyard to live in. After resting for one night at the inn, the three of them went to Yahang the next day.
Ya Ren took the three masters and servants around the capital for two days, but they couldn't find a suitable yard. It's not that they were picky, it was either too expensive, too big or too small.
It wasn't until the third day that Yaren showed them a small courtyard that they entered.
There are cyan courtyard walls and a black-painted gate. There are two stone lions standing at the door, with a plaque reading "Qufu" on it.
Yaren hurriedly introduced, "Girl, you're lucky. This courtyard has always been Qu Ge's old residence. Now he has returned to his hometown as an official. This courtyard was just vacated the day before yesterday. It really hasn't been there a few days ago."
Passing around the screen wall where the goddess scattered flowers, the courtyard is paved with green bricks. You can see three main rooms with two small side rooms, and there are three east and west wing rooms on the left and right sides of the yard.
Near the right side of the yard is a large apricot tree that is as thick as two arms and taller than the roof. Five or six thick branches stretch out, and there is a large bird's nest in the middle.
It's winter now, and if you wait until the branches and leaves are luxuriant, they will somehow cover up the sky and the sun.
Lin Xiao was very happy when she saw the bird's nest. She climbed up the tree, sat on the tree, and threw stones at Hongying.
Because outsiders were present, Hongying resisted the urge to curse and rolled her eyes at Lin Xiao several times.
Seeing Mengying looking at the big tree, Yaren said seriously: "Girl, this tree is a few years old. When the flowers bloom in spring, the yard will be filled with the fragrance of flowers. In summer, you can eat sweet apricots and enjoy the coolness."
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Mengying nodded and continued to move forward.
There were several large water tanks under the window. Mengying took a closer look and saw that there were withered yellow lotus leaves in them. They must have been the lotus tanks kept by Qu Ge.
Ya Ren continued to lead the way and opened the door of the main room. "The middle room, Qu Ge Lao, is used as a banquet room. The one on the east is a study room. The one on the west is a living room."
Mengying entered the banquet living room first. There was a long desk with an upturned head against the wall. There was a small square table in front of the desk and a Taishi chair on the left and right.
There is a shelf against the wall. Mengying's fingers have been scratched on the shelf, and there is a thin layer of dust, indicating that the owner of the house has left recently.
The dentist opened the curtain, and Mengying went to the study room again. Next to the wall was a whole row of bookshelves, with a black desk in the middle.
When Mengying walked into the bookshelf, she seemed to see Mr. Qu Ge reading books in front of the shelf. Mr. Qu Ge was born in the Imperial Academy. In her previous life, Mengying had heard Mrs. Wu Wu say that Mr. Qu Ge was very knowledgeable and a man with a beautiful beard.
It’s just a pity that I never got to see you.
The living room is divided into two rooms: an inner one and an inner one. The outer room is a fire pit, with a kang table and other items; the inner room has a three-sided ridged bed against the wall, with railings on both sides, a landscape screen on the side, and a clothes rack on the back.
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The white walls have different colors. Mr. Qu Ge must have hung paintings, but he just took them away.
Mengying was still immersed in her thoughts, Yaren coughed lightly and said: "There is a garden behind, girl, you can come with me to see it."
Mengying nodded, walked through the moon door on the left, and entered the backyard. Fortunately, it was the place where Mr. Ge lived. The place was as big as a palm, but the decoration was very elegant.
A grape trellis was built against the courtyard wall, and there was an octagonal pavilion on the west side. There was also a small fish pond next to the pavilion.
It’s lonely in winter, but it’s really a good place to cool off in summer.
After looking at the yard, Yaren talked about the house price. Before she finished speaking, Hongying's jaw almost dropped: "Two hundred taels a year! How come it's more expensive than the two days of entering the yard yesterday?"
The tooth man smiled and said: "Although this courtyard is a bit small, it is unique. When you see that the girl is from everyone, we can't take you to that dirty courtyard."
Hongying pulled Mengying aside and whispered: "Girl, this yard is too expensive, let's take another look."
Mengying shook her head and whispered: "Let's rent this one. Pay three years' rent. You go and deal with him to make the owner less money."
Hongying wanted to persuade her, but when she saw Mengying, she went straight to the pavilion.
Hongying gritted her teeth, turned to Na Yaren and said: "Our girl is not interested in this yard, but you tell the owner that the silver is less, so I will advise our girl..."
In the pavilion, there is a stone table with rounded corners. I think Mr. Qu Ge often played chess here.
Mengying looked at the pond next to the pavilion and thought that if she scattered some lotus seeds in spring and raised a few fish, it would be a good place to cool off in summer or read and listen to the rain.
You can install a swing frame next to the grape trellis. It will be very pleasant to eat grapes and swing on the swing in autumn.
Hongying bargained with Yaren several times, and finally rented the yard for one hundred and eighty taels a year. After paying for three years, the total rent was five hundred and forty taels.
After sending Yaren away and going to Li Zheng to register, Mengying finally settled down in the capital.
Hongying went to buy curtains, bedding, porcelain bottles and other items. Three days later, she finally moved into her new house on the 23rd of the twelfth lunar month, the day of the Little Year.
Mengying thought about buying two more maids and hiring a cook, but Hongying thought it would be better to save some money if she was new here.
So Hongying became the cook, and Lin Xiao became the "fire girl".
Fortunately, both of them came from poor backgrounds, so they could still afford the food for the three of them.
On the twenty-fifth day of the twelfth lunar month, Mengying got rid of her clothes. She took Hongying and bought two brightly colored dresses and prepared some new year goods.
Finally, on the 29th of the twelfth lunar month, everything was arranged. Mengying wrote the couplets herself, and Lin Xiao applied paste and pasted them one by one.
Red lanterns were hung up in the yard again, and Hongying and she cut the window grilles. Lin Xiao hung up firecrackers with bamboo poles, and the yard suddenly felt like the New Year.
On New Year's Eve, Mengying gave New Year's money to the two of them, and cooked two side dishes herself. Hongying was so moved that her eyes were red; but Lin Xiao was thick-skinned and accepted it with a smile.
The second day is the first day.
Lin Xiao and Hongying both got up early and rushed to kowtow to Mengying and say a lot of auspicious words.
Mengying looked at the two people who had changed into new clothes and felt particularly comfortable. She thought that if the two of them got married in the future, they would also say goodbye to her like they did now. She couldn't help but feel a little sad when she thought of this.
The two people seemed to have agreed upon it. They were reconciled for a moment, and then started arguing the next moment. One said that he stepped on her new skirt, and the other said that her voice was so loud that it made his head hurt.
Just as Mengying was about to break up the fight, she heard someone calling the door.
Who will come in the first year of junior high school?
Lin Xiao quickly went to open the door, and Hongying also hurriedly put a cloak on Mengying.
Listening to the giggles, Mengying guessed that it was none other than Qiu Yan.
Today, Qiu Yan changed into women's clothing, wearing a white fox fur cloak, a pink brocade embroidered butterfly jacket, and a red horse-faced skirt with dark cloud patterns.
Mengying was really surprised when she saw Qiu Yan wearing women's clothes for the first time. She used to think she was elegant in men's clothes, but now she is dressed in women's clothes, showing a sense of heroism in her dignity.
Also surprised was Qiu Yan. Today, Mengying is wearing a moon-white jacket embroidered with green twigs and flowers, a real purple skirt, a pink armor, and a cape with red piping. She is wearing a single snail bun.
A pearl flower hairpin is inserted on the head. It is carved from pink and jade. She is really more delicate than flowers.
Qiu Yan opened her mouth and said in surprise: "In the past, I felt pity for you when I saw you dressed in filial piety. Now I see that you are light and pink, and you are like a fairy descending from the Nine Heavens. I really regret that I am a girl. If I were a boy, I would definitely treat you like a girl."
You take it home and stay with me every day."
Mengying knew that she was witty and joked: "Sister Qiu is not bad either. Now she has transformed into a handsome man. If your fiancé saw her, he would not be able to take his eyes away."
Seeing Mengying making fun of her fiancé, even a majestic woman like Qiu Yan could not help but be shy. She scolded and said: "It's nonsense. It shows that this capital is not a good place. I have not changed my mind all the way. After arriving in this big dyeing vat of capital, in a few days
If you don't see me, you will learn to be sharp-tongued. Huainan is called orange, and Huaibei is called zhi. It shows that the ancients sincerely did not deceive me. Why don't I still send you back to Qingzhou?"
Listening to Qiu Yan's serious nonsense, Mengying really couldn't help it, and said semi-mockingly: "Sister Qiu, please come in and talk quickly, otherwise the wind will be strong and the words will blow into Mrs. Qiu's ears again. How can you help me?"
Eat the good fruit."
When Mrs. Qiu was mentioned, Qiu Yan stuck out her tongue and led the maid into the house.
Mengying had already decorated the living room. Qiu Yan turned around and admired: "Mengying is indeed a beautiful woman. Once you take over this room, it will become extraordinarily elegant, but a little deserted. Changed
Tomorrow, I will bring you a kitten and puppy, and it will be lively."
Mengying smiled and said: "Thank you Sister Qiu for your kindness, but I have already raised three hundred ducks here. They are really noisy, so you can keep your pet."
Qiu Yan stood up, looked around, and asked: "Where is the duck?"
Mengying glanced at Hongying and Lin Xiao and said, "Well, that's it."
Qiu Yan clapped her hands and laughed, Hongying lowered her head in shame, and Lin Xiao scratched her hair disapprovingly.