Chapter 9 Zhan's Mansion

　　The carriage covered with green oil cloth followed by a young man on a high horse reeled over the green stone road, from the corner gate of the Zhan State Duke's Mansion in, and along the planting of flowers and willows all the way forward to the second gate, the young man first dismounted, rushed to that closely covered the curtains of the carriage and said, "Righteous mother, sister, we are home." 　　The driver of the carriage got down early, and there were servants guarding the door with footstools and other things to come forward to serve. 　　The closed door of the car opens from the inside, the curtain lifts up, and Gui mama walks down first, followed by Xu Shanran. 　　She lifted the hem of her skirt, and because she was still small, getting off the carriage was a bit of an effort that she was not used to, but fortunately it was only a momentary effort. 　　Following that, she stepped off the footrest and stood on the ground, taking a brief look at the place where she had lived for a long time and should be living for a long time more, she turned her head towards the carriage and extended her hand, saying to He who was about to get off, "Mother, I'll do it." 　　He, who was walking down the carriage on Gui's mother's hand, saw that Xu Shanran wanted to reach out to help herself down, and laughed and laughed for a moment, saying, "A small child's family, what's the point of fooling around, you're a child who's simply getting bigger and bigger and more and more narrow minded." 　　The words are so said, but when she really walked off the car, or because of that small reach and feel no shortage, more and more glowing up. 　　This scene was right into the eyes of Sister Zhu, who had been waiting here early. 　　She is an old woman of nearly fifty years old, her usual dress is not too conspicuous, and the ordinary subordinates in the mansion are more or less the same, just wearing a round bun, wearing green than the armor, white hair in addition to combed meticulously, and not with much jewelry, sometimes even a plain silver hairpin can not be seen. 　　But this name is called Zhu Zi's grandmother is actually Zhan Guo Gongfu old lady Zhang's maid from her mother's home, has been with Zhang's side with three or four decades, to the age of not married, but combed to do Zhang's yard steward. 　　Zhang's several children can be said to be this Sister Zhu watched grow up, when they were young, they were all held by her hands coaxed, so this Sister not to say in front of the current second generation of masters, even in front of the old Duke of China, but also very much in the face of the face. But the most rare is, this sister hold body prudent, no matter how her own status, treat the masters of the State Duke's House has never been as respectful as ever, is Zhang's side of the first-class beloved. 　　In fact, a maidservant has been with the master for her whole life, no children, no husband, not even too much love for money, only single-mindedly do things for you, and no matter who it is, all of them have to treat such a maidservant as a beloved one to make. 　　Standing behind the corridor pillar, Sister Zhu watched for a moment, and with a bottom in her heart, she walked out from the back with a smile, bowing to He Clan, saying, "The Fourth Mistress and the Fifth Girl are back, the old madam has sent people to ask a couple of times since this morning, and was looking forward to seeing you guys earlier." 　　To this mother-in-law beside the pleased person, He never dare to take big, hastily smiled and answered, portable Xu Shanran, a line of people to the inside of the vast. 　　This Zhan Guo Gongfu's backyard twists and turns connected, this side of the crowd from the copious corridor walked through, that side of the hanging flower door behind the courtyard of the maids and maids have heard the commotion, the two yard of the granny side of the melon high side of the rambling, next to a roughly dressed girl in broom sweeping the leaves. 　　I heard the two grannies say: "The Fourth Mistress and the Fifth Girl are back, later we will pick two branches of the most beautiful flowers to send to the Fourth Mistress. The Fourth Mistress is a kind person, we can get a cup of tea and two pastries in the past." 　　Another granny smiled and said, "Pick the red ones, the most festive kind, to celebrate the fifth girl's recovery." 　　While talking, these two grannies did not stop getting high on melon seeds, and the melon seeds on the ground soon accumulated a thin layer of skin. 　　The maid with the broom finished sweeping the fallen leaves in the courtyard, and went to the hanging flower gate to sweep the melon peels that fell to the ground. 　　But perhaps the hand holding the broom was frozen stiff by the cold wind, and when lifting it up, she raised it a bit more, and the broom pierced the shoes of the two grannies who were sitting and talking at the door of the hanging flower. 　　Sitting on the left side of the horse-faced woman was this poke immediately turned face, the hand of a bunch of melon seeds splitting head and face towards the girl to raise, mouth cursed: "This little bitch is from the death, sweeping a floor is not good, also think they are the body body of a delicate vice Miss, do not know to pose a howling face to whom to see it!" Make gestures will go to fight. 　　The right side of the granny is a little more cordial, reached out a false stop, smiled: "Old sister and rest, this girl is really delicate point, not used to this place is also there, put aside a few days ago, we have to seriously call her sister it." 　　"I pooh!" The horse-faced woman sneered, "You ask her to tell you how she was kicked out? If the Fourth Mistress and the Fifth Girl were the kind of masters who were unforgiving, we couldn't help but sympathize with her a bit. But at that time the fifth girl can't speak, the fourth wife's usual charitable people were also forced by her to get angry, if I say ah, under the sky there is no master suffered underlings hooting and hollering, if I am this little whore, which still have the face to live in the world, early to take a belt to hang themselves!" 　　"All right, all right," said another granny, "let's go and cut the branches of the flowers; if we are late we will not be able to catch up." 　　The horse-faced woman cursed angrily a few more times before she and her companion left. 　　After they left, the maid who had been listening dumbly swept the melon peels off the ground, and carried a broom around the garden, sometimes sweeping twice, sometimes not, indescribably lost in thought. 　　At this time, He and Xu Shanran just walked to the old lady's courtyard. 　　That yard because it is the main courtyard, flowers and plants on the small side, not enough quiet, but very sparse and elegant, carved with auspicious beasts and clouds behind the wall, two large tanks with some lotus, because the season is not yet, you can only see the green lotus leaves, the occasional sparkling pink, is hidden in the leaves under the koi carp. 　　The small girl who guards the yard saw people come, quickly called inside: "Old lady, the fourth wife and the fifth girl is here." 　　As soon as the words fell, a row of finches in a cage under the corridor followed, "Old madam, old madam, the Fourth Mistress is here, the girl is here." After a break, they called out again, "Old madam smiled, old madam smiled, the courtyard is bustling again, little asshole little pussy don't hit me with a rock!" 　　This last sentence was a bit abrupt, and both He and Xu Shanran who were passing through the corridor were a bit startled. 　　Lead the way of the little girl also smiled, and said bitterly: "I do not know which promiscuous ghost taught this sentence, this group of stupid birds to learn those pleasing words slowly, learn this sentence on the fast, but also how to correct it, slave girl also reported to the old madam, the old madam said 'those monkeys have done, still afraid of being flat-furred animal scolded twice? '" 　　Between the words, Xu Shanran into the chamber, see the first seat sitting on an old woman with hair like silver, and then under a sliver of chairs, also filled with Mrs. and girls, the rest of the servants and maids, are standing in the corner, perhaps because they just came in the sake of the hall, all people do not speak, quiet and do not hear a cough. 　　He grabbed Xu Shanran's hand, walked a few steps to the center of the hall, bowed to the old madam at the top: "Mother, daughter-in-law brought the fifth girl back." 　　"It's been a hard journey." The old madam said a sentence and then let He sit down, and rushed to faintly smile up, Xu Shanran beckoned, "Good sister child come over to let grandmother look down, the disease can be greatly healed?" 　　"All well, grandmother." Xu Shanran also blessed a bow, and then snuggled up to her grandmother's side, letting her grandmother caress her own face hair, "The mountain is very clean, I went to see the peach blossom forest and waterfalls, but also soaked in the hot soup that is said to be very healing, but also watched from afar the farmers planting their fields, and almost had to make jokes about not recognizing the five grains. Other than that, it's just reading more scriptures and offering incense to the Bodhisattva." 　　The old madam was also a believer in Buddhism. 　　Perhaps because of the long period of fasting and reciting the Buddha's name, the old madam was not as rich as most of the old Fengjuns in the family; she was somewhat dry and thin, with wrinkles densely crawling all over her fingers and cheeks, and her body wasn't too good, and at a glance, she looked a little bit scary. 　　Seeing Xu Shanran speak a long string of words, the old madam laughed: "After going out for a trip, this tongue is as deft as those birds outside the eaves of my house, so it is evident that the feng shui of the mountains really does nourish people." Said she patted down Xu Shanran's arm, "Okay, get well on good, you are sick, your mother and your father are busy busy, your aunt and sister also followed the concern, go to say thank you to them." 　　Xu Shanran promised, look around, see the first wife Dou sitting on the first chair on the right hand side, followed by the third wife Zhao and his own mother. 　　And looking to the left, Dou's two concubine daughters Danxia Danchen are there, Zhao's daughter Shanqiao is also there, there are still remaining sitting after Danchen before Danxia a girl, is Zhao's brother's daughter, has been in the State Duke's mansion as a guest for two years, is called Zhao Yungui. 　　Xu Shanran bowed to the two aunts in turn, and sisters to see the salute, this is not the end, in those sisters bowed back and sat down, she did not wait for other people to speak, and rushed to sit in the middle of the Zhao Yunquei blessing: "Sickness before the things I do not quite remember, but heard my mother say that at that time I was naughty to take the snowballs to throw cousin, I'm here to make reparations to the cousin, but also please cousin do not and my general understanding. ." 　　Words fall, a room of people look a few strange. 　　A quarter of an hour, half an hour, three quarters of an hour, an hour. 　　Sitting on the porch of the little girl bored to look at the sky counting the hours, is thinking that today the old lady will be left more than usual to be much, see guarded at the door at the sister will be lifting the curtain to, all the wives and girls out in a row, can not help but busy stand up, followed by the other girls to go up to serve. 　　Back to the house when it is already afternoon, and then from the grandmother's room out, the distant sky has been colored with a hint of scarlet. 　　Xu Shanran with green parrot and bamboo solid to their own courtyard. She would have liked to follow her mother back to the four sides of the courtyard, but always love their daughters, He's heartbroken daughter just not long to run all the way, insisted that Xu Shanran go back to rest first before coming to her courtyard to eat dinner together. 　　Mrs. masters of the courtyard and the girls are not in a place, Xu Shanran and He's early separation, along the courtyard to the less than residence after walking for a while, saw the red parrot with a lantern waiting in the depths of the bamboo forest waiting for them, and then back to the courtyard, Li mother also prepared soup soup water, so as to wash away the dust of the Xu Shanran body. 　　Because of these two months have stayed in the state government to watch the yard, so the red parrot first sent Xu Shanran in, and then turn back to deal with some things, do not want to just out of the yard, I saw a person stood in the courtyard entrance, although wearing the old brightly colored clothes, but the eyes are dull, hands rough, do not need to look at it to know that this person is not good. 　　Red parrots first saw the person, first startled, then heard the person said: "good sister, I know the girl is back, you go to plead for me, let me meet the girl ......". 　　When working in the same house, the red parrot has never seen the other side of this look, the heart will be a little soft, body side, was about to open the mouth to let the other side to come in, the arm but suddenly a pain, was followed out of the green parrot to the dead force pinched a bit. 　　Because Xu Shanran do private matters do not like someone to serve, green parrot will follow out, just to see the red parrot and the people outside the courtyard, and heard the voice, see the red parrot to agree, busy dead force pinched the other side, lowered his voice at the good sister said: "You're going to die, the girl has not yet spoken, what are you on the tablets, you dare to agree to these things?" 　　Said she looked toward Tang Xin standing outside, only said, "I can help you to ask the girl, if the girl wants to see you then there is no guarantee." 　　Then without waiting for Tang Xin to reply, she turned around and walked towards the room. 　　This wait was a bit long, the servants and little girls who came and went all looked at Tong Xin standing at the doorway, which made Tong Xin slowly come back to her senses and lowered her head with a reddened face. 　　The red parrot accompanied by waiting also a little embarrassed, want to go and feel bad, only in the heart of the green parrot and Tang Xin complained a pass. 　　After a long time, the green parrot went in and came out again, bringing the news that Xu Shanran had let Tang Xin go in to talk. 　　Has been standing in the heart of this Tang into the courtyard, followed the green parrot all the way into the familiar premises, to be turned through the screen tent, a wink to see sitting on the embroidered pier by Li mother combing the girl, under the swaying lights, only to feel that the person seems to be far away but also close, I do not know whether it is unfamiliar or familiar, the body of the bones seem to have been taken away in general, only to focus on the heavy ground, crying loudly: 　　"Girl! Miss! I was wrong! I was wrong! --"