Half an hour later.
Just as Madam Xu was getting impatient waiting and was about to leave, a young girl dressed in the maid's clothes of the Xu Mansion ran over.
She shouted, "Madam, wait for me! Madam!"
Madam Xu stopped. When the girl got closer, she could see that the girl had dark skin. Her appearance was just passable, but her hair was cut messily, less than four inches long. She was dark all over, except for her eyes, which were astonishingly bright.
If it weren't for the clothes on her that she had given, Madam Xu wouldn't have been able to associate her with the muddy girl just now.
Madam Xu's gaze fell on the girl's open - toed straw sandals on her feet. She felt a twinge of compassion and said coldly, "Get in the carriage and put your fingerprint on the slavery contract."
The girl tiptoed after Madam Xu into the carriage.
Inside the carriage.
Looking closely, Madam Xu found that the straw sandals not only had open toes but the soles were almost worn out.
Noticing Madam Xu's gaze, the girl lifted her clothes generously and showed her shoes to Madam Xu. She introduced herself, "Madam, this servant's name is Gao Shan. I'm very strong and can do anything. I don't even ask for the money for selling myself into slavery. I only beg Madam to give me two days off each month so that I can find my father."
Madam Xu asked cautiously, "Who is your father? Since you're here to find your relatives, why do you want to sell yourself into slavery? Is your father a fugitive?"
Gao Shan quickly shook her head and explained, "Madam has misunderstood. My father is not a fugitive. My mother said he is a great hero who defends the country. He is in the capital. I want to go in and find him, but my things were stolen. And some people said I was a thief, so I had to hide at the foot of the mountain."
"In summer, there are many mosquitoes. I wrapped myself in mud, which can also prevent snakes from biting me. It's very useful!"
Hearing Gao Shan's sincere tone, Madam Xu was skeptical, "Is your father a soldier? What's his name? Maybe I can help you."
Gao Shan knew she had struck lucky and met a kind - hearted noble. She quickly told everything.
She was a hunter and had lived with her mother. She had never seen her father since childhood. Her mother passed away a year ago, asking Gao Shan to go to the capital to find her relatives with the keepsake.
After handling the funeral, Gao Shan set off on the journey to find her relatives. She walked and stopped on the way and finally arrived in the capital three months ago. But she searched all over the capital and couldn't find her father. Her money was almost used up and she couldn't afford to eat. So Gao Shan went out of the city to hunt, hoping to catch a rabbit or a pheasant to satisfy her hunger. While she was concentrating on hunting, the bag she had placed under the tree was taken away.
Without a travel permit, Gao Shan couldn't enter the city and didn't have the money to go home. She could only stay at the foot of the mountain and live on the wild game in the mountains until now.
Gao Shan knelt down and kowtowed in the carriage, "Please help this servant find her relatives, Madam. This servant will be your ox or horse to repay you. Even if I find my father, I won't recognize him. I just want to fulfill my mother's last wish. Please."
Madam Xu didn't care about Gao Shan being her ox or horse. She just thought it was a favor and a way to accumulate blessings for Xu Yunmiao.
Thinking of Xu Yutang, who she would meet tomorrow, Madam Xu hesitated for a moment and then decided where Gao Shan would go, "Can you read? If not, just put your fingerprint."
...
At the Yan Family.
Madam Yan took out the clothes she had made for Madam Xu the First many years ago. They were made of silk, with exquisite craftsmanship. Because they were valuable, she would take them out for maintenance every three months.
Shen Haiyan couldn't find any faults. He looked at Xu Yutang and asked, "What do you think?"
Xu Yutang thought they were too valuable. Before she could tactfully express her opinion, Shen Haiyan said actively, "It's just the first meeting. Isn't it too valuable?"
"What about this bright blue gauze dress?" Madam Yan held the dress in front of Xu Yutang and compared it. "I also have a light green ruqun. If Yutang doesn't like to wear dresses, there's also a dark purple robe. Wearing a jade crown with it would be very nice."
Shen Haiyan took a fancy to the light green ruqun, "Prime Minister Sima said that Madam Xu likes well - behaved girls. How about choosing the ruqun? It looks well - behaved."
With Shen Haiyan's words, Xu Yutang also thought the green ruqun was wonderful.
Madam Yan pulled Xu Yutang to the table. She picked out a lotus hairpin from the table full of ornaments, "Do you like this hairpin? These were all bought for me by Mingli. They're all the kind that young girls like to use. Pick a few you like."
Just as the two were picking ornaments, Yan Mingli walked in angrily, followed by three children holding hands.
"Mother, Father doesn't even believe me. He insisted that you didn't know the Fourth Prince was the Fourth Prince and asked me to come and tell you so that you'd know the Fourth Prince was the Fourth Prince. Isn't he being too much!" Yan Mingli complained to Madam Yan.
Madam Yan raised her hand and patted his head, "What are you talking about? It's all jumbled up. Say it again properly!"
Yan Mingli covered his head and pointed at the children behind him one by one, "This is Qiuqiu, Miaochun's younger sister. This is Baozhu, the daughter of Princess Jingning. And this is the Fourth Prince, the son of His Majesty... Father insisted that you didn't know Gu Chen was the Fourth Prince."
The smile on Madam Yan's face gradually faded. She asked again, "You mean the Gu Chen who has been peeling things all the time and was being ordered around by you is His Highness the Fourth Prince?"
Sensing danger, Yan Mingli looked around cautiously. Not seeing his father, he said reassuringly, "Yes, but I have to correct you. I didn't order Gu Chen around. It's just that Gu Chen peeled so many melon seeds. I was afraid it would go to waste, so I helped him eat them... Mother, why are you hitting me? Stop hitting me. It hurts!"
"Save me some face. Save me some face, Mother! Mother!"
The Dragon King: [I'm so smart. The nickname "fool" is especially suitable for Yan Mingli.]
Lin Yu: [Indeed. He invited guests home but didn't tell his parents the guests' identities. It's quite absurd.]
The Dragon King: [Why is he yelling? His mother just patted him a few times. She didn't chase after him and beat him.]
Lin Yu: [But Mingli's mother picked up a stick.]
Madam Yan was holding a bamboo stick half as tall as a person and pointed it at Yan Mingli angrily, "You stinky boy! You're not happy unless you cause me trouble!"
"Running away from home, setting fire to the house, throwing things around, skipping classes to do business... You just deserve a beating. You have to eat the 'stir - fried meat with bamboo stick' every year!"
Yan Mingli hid behind Shen Baozhu, "Mother, save me some face. Besides, it's not all my fault. I ran away from home because Father beat me. I set fire to the house because I wanted to cook longevity noodles for you. There were reasons for everything."
Shen Baozhu opened her arms and tried hard to protect Yan Mingli, "Brother Mingli didn't do it on purpose."
Madam Yan got even angrier, "Don't hide behind the kids. Come out! Baozhu, don't protect him. What do you mean 'didn't do it on purpose'? He drew a turtle on his father's memorial! He deserved to be beaten!"
"And the longevity noodles. My birthday is in October. You set fire to the house in July. Are you celebrating my birthday three months in advance?"
"Brother Mingli, do you like to draw turtles on memorials? I'll bring Father's memorials to you tomorrow. You can draw to your heart's content." The Fourth Prince planned to prepare a bag and take a few more memorials for Brother Mingli to draw turtles on.
Shen Baozhu tried hard to speak up for Yan Mingli, "He made two mistakes. Just beat him twice. Baozhu will help Aunt Yan beat him."
Yan Mingli whispered, "Thank you, Fourth Prince. I don't like to draw turtles anymore."
"Baozhu, why don't you ask Little Phoenix to take me away? I lost my elder brother's strategy paper and sold my second brother's homework... I've made too many mistakes."
Qiuqiu said bluntly, "Wow! Brother Mingli is a troublemaker."
Shen Baozhu silently took a step to the side, leaving Yan Mingli to fend for himself.
The Dragon King: [Hahaha, he can really cause trouble.]