Jiangnan Water Town, Wu'an County.

The autumn rain lasted for three or four consecutive days, and it finally cleared. When I woke up early in the morning, I saw the sky was blue, which must be a sunny day.

The autumn rain cools, and it is time to put the thin summer quilt into the box. When the scholar's wife Jin got up, she took off her and her husband's quilt covers. While removing them, she was muttering that she had to take the quilt covers and the accumulated dirty clothes to the river to wash them today.

Zhu Chang stood on the ground and tied his belt. Hearing the words, he glanced at his wife and asked with a serious face: "Last night, you said you were going to the market in the south of the city today. You went to the market. Who asked to wash so many quilts and clothes?"

Jin's lips pursed, and she had the strength to remove the quilt and glared at Zhu Chang and said, "Of course, I'm going to let Shuangshuang wash with Gillian. This is also worth your question. Could it be that I would give it to your baby niece?"

Zhu Chang glared back: "You'd better do this, let me know that you took Shuangshuang out again, throwing all the dirty and tiring work to Gillian. Don't think I'll hand over the money to you in the future."

Jin bit her lip, but she still didn't dare to continue talking to her husband.

She was busy in the house, so Zhu Chang went out first.

The Zhu family's life was not rich. At first, there were only three rooms in the north. Later, Zhu Chang passed the imperial examination and became famous and went to the school to teach and earned training. His life at home improved a little, and he built east-west wing rooms in the yard one after another. The east wing room was distributed to his daughter Zhu Shuangshuang and the west wing room was distributed to his son Zhu Shiyu.

After Gillian returned from Huayue Tower, she moved into the east wing with Zhu Shuangshuang.

When Zhu Chang opened the door of the main house, he saw his niece Ajiao cleaning the yard with a broom. She was wearing a half-old green dress, bent down slightly, lowered her head and swept the fallen leaves lightly. Her long black hair fell down to her shoulders, revealing her half-white face, with dark eyebrows and red lips, just like roses blooming brightly on the wall in summer, so beautiful that it makes people shine.

Hearing the sound of the door opening, Gillian raised her head and saw Zhu Chang, she smiled and said softly: "Uncle is getting up."

Zhu Chang, a private school teacher who had just faced his wife coldly, smiled into spring breeze at this time, and said to his niece kindly: "Why did Jiaojiao get up so early again? Just leave these rough tasks for your aunt, you don't have to do it."

Gillian continued to clean and said, "My aunt butler is very tired. I'm idle anyway, so it's okay."

Zhu Chang knew that his niece was diligent and sensible, and it was useless to persuade him, so he went to the toilet to solve his problem.

Jin in the room heard the conversation between the uncle and nephew, but she did not think that Gillian wanted to share her worries, and deliberately tried to please her in front of her husband.

Thinking of her husband's guilt and protection towards Gillian, Jin felt upset.

She stopped her work and remembered the past.

Five years ago, her husband Zhu Chang went to Fucheng to attend the hospital examination. She was a woman at home, working hard to take care of her children and her niece, Ah Jiao, who was so desperate that her parents came to join them. Unfortunately, her son Zhu Shiyu suddenly fell seriously ill and had to be cured at least ten taels of silver.

Almost all the money at home was taken by her husband. Jin could not watch her son die and went to borrow money from relatives and neighbors. People despise them for being poor and did not think that her husband could pass the exam for scholars. They were afraid that they would lose money after borrowing money, so they refused to help her. Jin asked all the people who could ask for it, and they were tired of their mouths and only raised dozens of copper coins.

In despair, Jin hit Gillian.

Although Jiao was only eleven years old at that time, the little girl was white and beautiful, and she couldn't find anyone who looked better than Jiao's daughter in a few streets nearby. It was important to treat her son. Jin gritted her teeth and coaxed and deceived him to take Jiao to Huayue Tower. The madam in Huayue Tower was very satisfied with Jiao and gave her ten taels of silver.

Jin has never forgotten that day. It was a rainy day. After Jiao found out that she had been sold, she cried so hard that she knelt in front of her and hugged her legs begging her aunt not to sell her. Jino was the first time she was a bad guy. She was so uncomfortable that she was crying by Jiao. The more she felt uncomfortable, the more she wanted to escape. So she pulled the little girl's hand away, forgot to take the umbrella, and rushed into the heavy rain.

The sound of rain was so loud that she finally couldn't hear Gillian's crying.

In this way, Jin used these ten taels of silver to cure his son's illness, and Gillian also became a member of Huayuelou.

Soon after her husband came back from the exam, he learned that Gillian had been sold by her, so he slapped her directly in the face, and then pulled her on her necktie to Huayue Tower to ask for someone.

The couple did not see Ah Jiao. The madam in Huayuelou called a few guards to stop them, and told them with a smile: "Ah Jiao entered Huayuelou and was the girl in our Huayuelou. It is impossible for you to steal people, but it is okay to redeem people. It is only a ransom of one thousand taels. Can you take it out?"

How can the Zhu family have that much money?

I have nowhere to borrow it.

It is useless to report to an official. He has black and white characters. Not to mention that Zhu Chang was admitted to the scholar later, even if he passed the imperial examination, he had no choice but to be able to do anything.

Because of this, Zhu Chang neglected the Jin family for half a year. It was not until Jin's father died and Jin cried that Zhu Chang accepted the Jin family again.

Jin thought that this matter was completely over and her husband would never be angry with Gillian and him again, but things were unpredictable. Last year, the madam at Huayuelou was involved in a major case. He was arrested and Huayuelou was also seized by the government. After a while of trial, the madam and several prostitutes of accomplices all lost their heads, and the prostitutes who were not involved were released, and the government arranged it to go back to their respective homes.

Among them is Gillian.

After not seeing each other for many years, Gillian, who was thin and small, could only see her with one face, has become completely different.

It is said that all the prostitutes in Huayuelou are tuned according to the model of the ladies from a family. The madam specially invited the old lady who left the palace to teach the etiquette and rules of the girls in Huayuelou, reading, writing, playing the piano and singing songs. The girls are all fond, and they have a delicate skin and tender flesh before picking up the guests.

When Jin saw Ah Gillian again, if her husband had not been holding Ah Gillian's arm tightly, his uncle and nephew would have cried red. Jin would have thought that her husband had received a daughter from a daughter. His appearance and manners suddenly compared her serious daughter to a maid who served tea and poured water.

In the second year after seeing Gillian Jin, she was such a beautiful person, and she must have received customers long ago and was not clean.

But when she asked Ah Jiao tactfully, she realized that Ah Jiao was lucky. The girl in Huayue Tower arranged for her to bloom on the day of the hairpin. Bao, the madam knew Ah Jiao's birthday and decided to bloom on the sixth of the eighth lunar month for Ah Jiao. Bao, but coincidentally, Captain Zhao, next door to the first day of August, surrounded Huayue Tower with a group of detectives and arrested everyone inside.

In other words, Jiao has been studying talent for so many years in Huayuelou, and has been restored to her status as a good citizen in vain.

After Zhu Chang learned that his niece was still the daughter of Huanghua, he knelt in front of the tablets of the ancestors of the Zhu family to thank his ancestors for their blessings. He also personally promised Jiao that his uncle would definitely find a good in-law's family for her.

Jin thought that it was impossible for Jiao to marry a decent family after entering such a place, but Jiao was beautiful and there was no problem with marrying Lai Han’s poor man.

At this moment, Gillian lowered her head and said something big.

It turned out that when the madam arranged for Ah Jiao to pick up the guests, someone brought her a bowl of Juesi soup. Ah Jiao was already scared by the brothel's methods and did not dare to resist at all. She drank it completely with her fate. Afterwards, her stomach hurt for several days. It seemed that she had completely cut off the possibility of pregnancy.

Men marry for the purpose of continuing the family line. No matter how beautiful a woman is, who wants it?

The woman who came out of the kiln claimed to be innocent may not believe anyone, and she was still a desperate person. This condition is simply a worse situation.

Jin asked various matchmakers to help tell me that there was no serious person who wanted to marry Gillian.

However, there were several masters who wanted to take Gillian as their concubines, and they were purely greedy for Gillian's beauty. Zhu Chang went to inquire about it. He heard that those masters had already raised several concubines at home and fought all day long, so Zhu Chang rejected it. He disagreed with the number of betrothal gifts he gave, saying that he was sorry for his niece once, and he must find a reliable husband for his niece.

Jin Shi didn't want to keep an idle person at home, especially she was sorry for Ah Gillian. Every time she saw Ah Gillian, Jin Shi felt that there must be a heart that wanted to take revenge on her under the surface of Ah Gillian's obedient appearance.

For various reasons, Jin wanted to marry Ah Jiao out as soon as possible, and it didn't matter if she was a wife or a concubine.

Her husband is stubborn, and Jin tries to persuade Gillian to take the initiative to agree to be a concubine for the rich man.

Unexpectedly, Gillian was so honest in her usual fashion. She played with her at the critical moment and clenched her hands and said that everything was up to her uncle.

Jin was almost angry to death by this sentence.

The kind words of advice didn't work, so Jin wanted to get along with Ah Gillian. After being ruthless, Ah Gillian could not bear it. She wanted to pick a man quickly and leave her mean aunt. But Jin ordered Ah Gillian to cook a meal, and was scolded by Zhu Chang. She was not allowed to do rough work. Anything she had not arranged for her daughter to do was not allowed to throw it to Ah Gillian.

Jin has cried and made a fuss and the wind blew around his pillow, but it was useless. Zhu Chang, this bastard, treats his niece better than his biological mother!

From last year to now, Jin has been holding back Gillian for a year!

Now that Gillian is sixteen, she still has no interest in it. The older she is, the harder she is to marry. Could it be that she will never be able to stay in the Zhu family for the rest of her life?

Zhu Chang is willing to serve his niece for the rest of his life, but Jin is not willing!

After removing the quilt, Jin held his breath to make breakfast. The wontons wrapped in vegetables and meat that he had wrapped last night were boiled and boiled for a while.

The family of five people, Jin gave Zhu Chang and his son Zhu Shiyu a full bowl. She, her daughter Zhu Shuangshuang and Gillian were both small bowls, and each of them had eight wontons, which was not biased, so that Zhu Chang would scold her again.

When Zhu Chang sat down, he glanced at the three small bowls quietly and found that his wife did not have a mean niece, so he started eating.

Gillian sat down next to her cousin Zhu Shuangshuang, picked up the bowl, and ate slowly quietly.

Cousin Zhu Shiyu secretly glanced at her.

Gillian had feelings, but she pretended not to notice.

Jin suddenly arranged for two girls to say, "I'll go to the market later. When the weather is good, Jiao will go to the river to wash clothes and quilts. I'll put all the things in the yard for you. Each person has a bucket. The quilts will be hung up and put away when they are dry. Don't be lazy, wash them clean."

Gillian put down the bowl and nodded.

Zhu Shuangshuang curled her lips, knowing that the scholar's father didn't like her to talk back, so she didn't complain.

After dinner, Jin and Zhu Shuangshuang whispered a few words, and then shouted loudly that the two girls would set off early. They were late and the good places to wash clothes by the river were occupied by others.

When she spoke, Zhu Shuangshuang had already gone to the yard.

When Ah Jiao came out, she saw two knee-high wooden barrels placed on the eaves of the house. The things inside were stuffed almost high. However, the quilt in the bucket that Zhu Shuangshuang picked up was brightly colored, which was clearly used by her and Zhu Shuangshuang. The remaining quilt in the bucket was dark, and the traces of dirt were heavier. The quilt was condomed by his uncle, aunt and cousin Zhu Shiyu.

Gillian looked at her cousin.

Zhu Shuangshuang was proud.

Gillian picked up the wooden barrel on the ground as usual.

Zhu Shuangshuang was in front and Gillian was behind. When she stepped out of the Zhu family's courtyard gate, Gillian turned sideways and took the door up. When she looked up, she saw a figure walking out of the Zhao family next door.
Chapter completed!