When Wei Yan was competing with others, Shen Xiu was not idle either.
Since she promised Tao that she wanted to cure Mi Xinzhi's depression, she had to keep her word.
Shen Xiu spent a day recalling the medicinal tea and medicinal diet she used.
Medicinal teas mainly include roses and jasmine, both of which can help relieve depression. Medicinal meals mainly include tangerine peel porridge.
She wrote down the recipes for these herbal teas and herbal meals and delivered them to Mi's house in person.
When Mrs. Tao came to see her, Shen Xiu noticed with sharp eyes that there was some tea stained on her front.
Mrs. Tao smiled uncomfortably and said, "I accidentally knocked over the tea cup just now."
Although Shen Xiu had only been in contact with Mr. Tao once, he also knew that Mr. Tao acted prudently, so how could he accidentally overturn the teacup? There must be someone else who overturned the teacup.
Shen Xiu did not pursue the question, but just said: "These prescriptions can only play a supporting role. In the final analysis, they must cure the second girl's heart disease. I wonder if I can see the second girl?"
Mrs. Tao was a little hesitant. Mi Xinzhi started to lose her temper when she got up early this morning, and now the bedroom is in a mess, which is really not suitable for seeing guests.
"Well, I'll have someone bring Xin Zhi out. The weather is nice today, so I'll have someone prepare some refreshments in the pavilion, and you can chat while you eat."
Mrs. Tao thought very carefully and quickly ordered people to prepare and asked the maid to bring Mi Xinzhi out.
The people below had prepared the refreshments, but Mi Xinzhi arrived belatedly.
She wore an ivory blouse embroidered with cloud patterns, and underneath was a light blue shiny satin skirt with plum orchid and bamboo patterns.
At such a flowery age, she was born beautiful and upright, and grew up in a pile of flowers. She should have been carefree, but she had a depressed face.
Shen Xiuhan called her "Second Miss" with a smile, and then asked: "Second Miss, this shiny satin skirt should be very expensive, right?"
Mi Xinzhi's mind was not on her clothes at all. Mrs. Tao asked her to come out to accompany the guests. She was already reluctant. When Shen Xiu asked, she replied perfunctorily: "I don't know the price of this dress, but this shiny satin sounds like it."
It's said to be a tribute, so it shouldn't be cheap."
Shen Xiu picked up the hot tea on the table and took a sip, "Ordinary plain satin from a silk and satin shop costs several taels of silver per foot. Since this shiny satin is a tribute, then why does it cost dozens of taels per foot?"
"When I came, the driver accidentally hit a little beggar. Fortunately, the little beggar was not injured. I asked the driver to give him a piece of silver to calm his shock. The little beggar said that he had never seen silver in his life.
After receiving the money, he ran away, fearing that I would regret it."
Shen Xiu looked at Mi Xinzhi in front of her and said, "I don't have any profound meaning in saying this, it's just a temporary feeling."
Mi Xinzhi listened to Shen Xiu's words and suddenly sighed: "That little beggar is so pitiful!"
Shen Xiudao: "Of course it's pitiful. Seeing that he came out to beg at such a young age, most of his parents have died. In the alley where I live in the county town, there is an orphan. Because he has no father or mother, his life is very hard. In winter,
I don’t even have a cotton-padded coat to keep out the cold.”
Before Shen Xiu finished speaking, Mi Xinzhi's tears had already fallen.
She even choked up and said, "I never imagined that there are so many poor people in the world."
Shen Xiu knew that she was thinking of him, so she said gently: "Actually, I think the second girl is also very pitiful."
Mi Xinzhi looked at her with tears in her eyes, "Why did you say that?"
Shen Xiudao: "I have met the second girl twice, and I have never seen you smile. I guess you have something on your mind that you can't express."
Mi Xinzhi wiped the tears from the corner of her eyes with a handkerchief, "You were asked by my mother to solve my problem, but unfortunately no one can solve my problem."
Shen Xiu smiled softly and said, "I'm not here to explain it to you. I'm just curious about what the second girl might have on her mind at such a young age."
Mi Xinzhi said displeased: "What's wrong with you being so young? Can't you have worries?"
"Of course you can have worries at a young age." Shen Xiudao, "But like the little beggar and the orphan I just mentioned, they have no father or mother at a young age and rely on begging for a living. Logically speaking, they should have endless things to talk about.
It’s painful, but I see that they have nothing to worry about, they only have the belief to live.”
Compared with Shen Xiu, Mi Xinzhi couldn't help but feel a little ashamed and said: "Compared with them, I am a bit pretentious."
"The second girl is not too pretentious, she was just born into wealth and has never suffered any hardships." Shen Xiu said slowly, "If you are like us, you have to be busy every day to make a living, then you have no time to worry about the spring and the autumn.
."
Mi Xinzhi's face turned red when she said this, and she couldn't help but ask: "Do you also have to work hard for a living?"
Shen Xiu smiled and said: "Of course. You don't know my identity yet! I am the embroiderer invited by your grandfather. Your grandfather asked me to embroider two camellias for him. Originally I didn't have that much time, but your grandfather
I paid a high price and came here in order to earn more money."
Mi Xinzhi heard that Shen Xiu was an embroiderer, so she looked at her carefully and said, "The work of an embroiderer shouldn't be hard!"
"Compared with farmers in the fields, it is indeed not that hard. However, the embroiderers have to sit in front of the embroidery frame and embroider for one or two hours every day. Therefore, the eyes of the elderly embroiderers will gradually become blind.
At the same time, you will also suffer from back pain.”
When Shen Xiu talked about these problems, she spoke in an understatement, as if she was not talking about Xiu Niang.
But it was this kind of understatement that was particularly unpleasant to Mi Xinzhi's ears.
She thought with some shame that she didn't have to work for a living and had the love of her parents, so why did she feel more miserable than a little beggar?
Seeing her expression, Shen Xiu knew that her previous words had an effect, so she asked again: "I have said so much, it's time for the second girl to tell me what's on your mind, right?"
Mi Xinzhi was no longer prepared for Shen Xiu at this time, and Shen Xiu's words made her feel that she was not the most pitiful person in the world, so she opened her heart and said: "I can tell you what's on my mind, but this is not a conversation.
Can we change the place to talk?"
Of course, Shen Xiu had no problem. After Mi Xinzhi waved the maid away, the two of them followed a cobblestone path in the garden to a pond.
There are no rocks around the pond, so it is a good place for private conversations.
Mi Xinzhi hesitated twice, and finally said, "Have you ever heard of Tao Siqian since you came to Fucheng?"
Shen Xiu felt that her guess was correct, Mi Xinzhi's concerns were indeed related to Tao Siqian.
She looked at Mi Xinzhi and said, "I've heard that Mr. Tao has gained the reputation of being a scholar at a young age. Everyone says that he will definitely win the imperial examination in the next provincial examination."
Mi Xinzhi bit her lip and said, "My concerns are related to him."
Shen Xiu listened to her words quietly, thinking that it was nothing more than childhood sweethearts.
Unexpectedly, Mi Xinzhi's words shocked her.
"I once saw Tao Siqian kill the maid. Ever since I found out about it, I couldn't sit still. But other people didn't know. They thought I loved Tao Siqian, so after Tao Siqian got engaged, my illness became more serious.
."
"But this is not the case. I have never told anyone about this. I told you today because you are not from Fucheng and will not have too much contact with Tao Siqian."
Shen Xiu couldn't believe it. The Tao Siqian she knew was clearly a handsome young man, how could he do something like killing the maid.
Mi Xinzhi saw what she was thinking and said softly: "I know you won't believe it, so I'll tell you from the beginning."