Xin Wei remembered the "flower language" of plum blossoms that Zhang Ning once said: elegance, refinement, and loyalty. But when this familiar environment came to him, the plum blossoms in his memory did not have that feeling at all.
...The group is getting closer and closer to a place called Guzhuang, which is the hometown Xin Wei mentioned. She said to the Peach Blossom Fairy: "We are only staying in Guzhuang temporarily. If the news spreads through gossip, even if
It will take a long time to reach the government’s eyes and ears; the only thing worth guarding against is that if someone in the village becomes suspicious and goes directly to report to the officials, that would be a bit bad. Therefore, for the sake of caution, we should send people to take turns to go to the intersection.
A secret whistle."
The Peach Blossom Fairy felt that what she said made sense, so she agreed to the proposal. There was a green mountain opposite the intersection of Zhuangzi and Zhuangzi. A secret sentry could be set up in the forest. If she met someone, she could report that someone had sprained her foot and go up the mountain to collect medicine.
A dozen people were walking to the intersection to enter the village. The road was relatively wide, but the dirt road was filled with dust when people and horses walked together. There was an archway in the middle of the road, a stone and wood building, with the word "Gu Zhuang" engraved on it.
It was a local landowner named Gu who funded the construction. However, not all the people in Guzhuang were named Gu, Li, Zhang, Chen and Lu. Xin Wei was originally named Lu.
In Xin Wei's opinion, the surrounding hilly terrain and rural road pattern have hardly changed in the past five years. And the archway is as old as before, and the handwriting is also a bit blurry... The subtle appearance of a place can make a difference.
She remembers it so clearly that it can only be the hometown where she grew up. No matter where a person goes, it is difficult to escape the influence this place has had on her.
Xin Weiyi's mood was extremely complicated for a while. This time, everyone needed a place to take refuge. She took the initiative to suggest coming here because she wanted to take the opportunity to come back and have a look. When she returned to her old place, it was already far away from the last time.
Five years. Five years may not be too long for an adult; but five years ago, Xin Wei was just over twelve years old, and when he walked out of here, he was ignorant of the world.
But the feeling at this time was slightly different from the memory. As soon as he walked under the archway, the scene that immediately came to Xin Wei's mind was the Chinese New Year. There was not so much dust on the road, but a lot of white snow, and both sides were piled with sediment.
There was snow, and there was broken ice in the middle. She lay on her father's back, the wind was strong, and she felt very cold; she was very hungry, and the smell of meat and vegetables wafting in the wind made her greedy.
The aroma of vegetables always came from one direction, and that was the Gu family's manor; she turned around on her father's back and saw a few plum trees blooming in the snow, and the wealthy manor was behind the sparse plum blossoms.
His vision was fragmented by branches.
The white snow and plum blossoms have been fixed in the bottom of her heart. They always appear in dreams and memories. However, plum blossoms have never made her feel the so-called elegance and refinement. Instead, they feel sad, painful and sad.
As she grew older, she gradually began to envy not only the delicious meat dishes and the warm clothes in the house, but also people were slowly changing. The things in Guzhuang became the embodiment of beauty in her ignorant eyes, and the women who came out of it
People always wear beautiful clothes, and in the eyes of people they are both fond of and awe-inspiring, they think they are good but dare not approach them; in the lakes belonging to the Gu family, there are often small boats floating among the lotus leaves, and the people in the boats neither fish nor dare to go near them.
There is no need to pick lotus roots, but it is very leisurely. The trees and roofs exposed in the high walls make people daydream about the different life inside.
When Xin Wei was in her teens, she would often want to get close to the Gu family manor intentionally or unintentionally, yearning for another world there. Later, she came over and took a look around and felt very comfortable, which probably satisfied her fantasy for a while.
Later, when her parents passed away one after another, the Gu family actually noticed the little "Xin Wei" and discussed with her relatives to buy her. However, the Gu family did not want to buy a maid, but bought her and sent it to other places. Because the source of maids and slaves for the local Jin gentry was
Those who are least willing to buy a good girl locally will damage their reputation, and if something happens, they will have to face trouble from their relatives nearby.
Several members of Xin Wei's family accepted the money, and Xin Wei left his hometown. He was first sent to Nanjing to be cultivated in Fengyue. Later, something happened and he fled to the west, where he was taken in by someone from the anti-evil cult.
After several years of wandering, she grew up and gradually woke up from her childhood dreams. Whether it was the prosperity of Nanjing or the wealth of a wealthy family, she had the opportunity to experience it, but none of it could be her own.
People are always greedy to examine her use value. She is young, looks good, and has no family members to cause trouble. Of course she will be accepted by the upper class, but after acceptance, it is not sharing, but plundering; Xin Wei has seen through the process very early.
If you give in, within a few years the only things you have will be squeezed out of you, and you will be abandoned and returned to a more miserable and hopeless situation than before.
She gradually understood the strengths and weaknesses of a woman; in her quiet state of mind when the prosperity was gone, she occasionally missed the poor but sincere family warmth of her childhood. Therefore, she once again got a chance to rise in the evil cult and was chosen by Yao Ji.
The Sword Queen in White Clothes... She was pleasantly surprised at first, but soon regretted her intention to escape. The Sword Queen in White Clothes was respected and feared by people in the anti-evil cult, and the remuneration was very high. When she was a child, her dream of being well-dressed, well-dressed, and enjoying a decent life could be realized.
But what will you get in the end? It is almost impossible for women to start a family. In a few years, the life that ordinary people should be entitled to will become a luxury.
Xin Wei's appearance is still a little childish now, and she is the youngest among the group, but her mind has truly matured. Some middle-aged women in the evil-proofing sect (Ministry of Internal Affairs) may not have the same ideas as she does. Now she has experienced the biggest
The dream is to have a wealthy family, to have children, to have one's identity recognized by the world, and to have that man within one's control; a man can be capable in talent and work, but emotionally he must be honest.
Fortunately, it is easier for you to master this aspect if you are stupid, and you can't be distracted easily by others.
Of course, this kind of perfect good thing is not easy, and she also knows that it is unlikely, it is just her dream; but compared to her childhood thoughts, it is no longer the same.
…
"Xin Wei, which way are we going?" Peach Blossom Fairy's words brought Xin Wei back to his senses. People were walking on a fork in the road.
Xin Wei pointed in the direction without hesitation: "The road on the right is to our village, and the road on the left is to the Gu family..." She turned her head to the left and could clearly see the wealthy manor that she had longed for.
.
For some reason, she was a little disappointed in an instant, because when she looked at the manor again, she suddenly felt very rustic. I heard that the master of the Gu family had the title of a member of the family, and the young master was admitted to the school early and was from a scholarly family.
; But at this time, it seems that the courtyard building is indeed no different from that of a rich man. There is a large group of gray and black ducks feeding in the lake outside the door, and the duck feeders on the shore are everywhere. There is a woman standing at the door,
Wearing bloated clothes, she was cracking melon seeds. Not far away, another girl was washing clothes by the lake. The mallet made a loud snapping sound. There must be a lot of duck droppings on the water not far away.
Xin Wei thought of the situation in the Chu Palace. The words and deeds of Yao Ji and others were completely different from the wealthy country man.
She no longer wanted to go to the Gu family's manor, and there was nothing interesting to see. Soon the group walked into the village, and they were all on familiar roads.
An elder in the family clan, with uncles, uncles and other relatives.
When she was sold to a brothel, did any relatives in the clan know about it? Or was she tricked by the Gu family? Just a guess, it is estimated that the Gu family would not tell the truth to people in the clan, but most sane adults would not tell the truth to anyone in the clan.
After thinking about it, he also knew that there would be no good in buying things to go abroad... But now, Xin Wei no longer holds grudges against his relatives, time can fade a lot of things.
A group of children playing were the most foresighted and soon followed them. A little girl boldly caught up and asked: "Are you salesmen?" Another boy with a snotty nose shouted: "Why not?
Sugar carrot!" Another guy naughtily came up and slapped the horse's butt. After a spanking, he ran away screaming, and the man leading the horse suddenly became less serious. He turned around and pretended to make faces to scare those little brats.
At this time, a follower reminded him in a low voice: "Will the gentry of the Gu family whom Xin Wei mentioned just now have anything to do with the government? Will there be any risk if they know about the situation?" Fairy Peach Blossom said: "The roots of that landlord are here.
You have a family and a job, so if they want to cause trouble and offend someone, you have to be a little cautious... Besides, didn't we arrange a secret sentry?"
"Auntie!?" Suddenly a woman's voice shouted, "Are you the auntie of Second Aunt's family?"
Xin Wei was stunned for a moment, then suddenly said: "Second sister!"
The woman dropped the bucket and was so happy that she wanted to jump up: "Haha, it's really my aunt! You still recognize me!"
Everyone noticed the woman who spoke. She was estimated to be in her twenties or thirties, but judging from Xin Wei's tone of voice, she could be called "Second Sister", so maybe she was actually younger than Xin Wei. The woman's hair was combed randomly on top of her head and tied with a piece of coarse cloth.
It looked like my face had not been washed clean, but upon closer inspection it turned out to be stains, and the crow's feet around my eyes were very obvious.
The woman was wearing a coat and skirt, and an apron, but the stitching was very rough and poorly cut, and it was stained with a lot of dirt. The clothes of the people in the countryside were basically cut and sewn by themselves, and it was enough to cover the body and keep warm; in the past
Xin Wei didn't think there was anything wrong with it. Looking at it now, the clothes of the woman from the same village were really ugly. No wonder the people she met along the way looked bloated even though they were not fat.
Compare it to the lapel robe that Xin Wei wears. Although it is a man's dress, it is cut with meticulous consideration and brings out the lines of her figure to the fullest. The conservative style also has its own style. Her skin is fair and fair, and her hair is exposed under the square scarf.
Her hair on the temples is neatly combed and looks like soft blue silk...compared with the two sisters from the same town, it's like the difference between silk and straw.
A woman dressed as a man, wearing only cotton, looked like a fairy from another world.
Sure enough, the woman called the second sister quickly asked: "Auntie, are you married to a noble family?"
Xin Wei then summarized what he had already discussed, saying that he and Fairy Peach Blossom were both concubines of a wealthy bureaucrat named Wang in Taihu Prefecture, Nanzhili, and this time they were allowed to return to their hometown to worship their ancestors.
After hearing this, the woman looked envious and jealous. She said that they had played together when they were children and that everyone was similar. She regretted marrying Ergouzi from the village... As for whether she was a concubine or not, it didn't matter. People are very realistic.
, although it is not enough to laugh at poverty and not laugh at prostitution, there is indeed nothing shameful about being a concubine.
Xin Wei asked again if the "Three Masters" were still there. The woman enthusiastically wanted to take everyone there in person, but she left the work she was doing just now.