Recently, Uncle Geng had been 'elated' in the workshop.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew that Uncle Geng's wife had died of illness a long time ago. She didn't have time to leave him a son or daughter. Uncle Geng didn't remarry either. Firstly, he was poor and didn't want to harm others. Secondly, he couldn't forget his first wife. So he had no one to rely on in his old age and was very pitiful.
He didn't expect that a distant grandniece would suddenly travel thousands of miles to Yongling to seek shelter. This made Uncle Geng, who had been lonely for most of his life, smile all day long. He was happier than if he had picked up money. He treated everyone with a kind face.
Everyone in the neighborhood knew that Uncle Geng had a frank and upright temperament. It was already a 'gift' that he didn't show you a cold face. Ever since his grandniece Yue 'er came, he seemed to have changed into a different person. It was hard for people to get used to it.
However, for an old man, this was always a good thing. After living next to him for decades, everyone in the neighborhood felt happy for him.
One day, after Uncle Geng got up and washed up, he went to the market early. He bought a few taels of yellow wine, half a piece of roast chicken and a few taels of pig head meat. He also went to the Xu Ji Worldwide Commerce to buy a set of high quality pastries. Then, he hummed a little tune and leisurely walked home.
Uncle Geng's house was located in an old residential area near the entrance of Yongle workshop. It was a 'pierced through bucket' type of house.
The so-called pierced through bucket was to connect rows of pillars to form a rack. It was usually in the shape of a herringbone. The roof was covered with wooden planks and tiles. This was the pierced through bucket type of house structure.
And the so-called 'pierced through bucket' was a residence where the master bedroom, wing room, and kitchen were all in one house. Compared to the courtyards of the rich, the residences of the powerful, and the palaces of the royal family, this kind of structure took up less space and used less materials. It could be said to be 'good quality and cheap'. Most of the residential houses in Yongling city were of this style.
Opposite Geng Shu's house was a two-room courtyard. The owner of the house was called First Madame Gongsun, an old woman who was unreasonable and unforgiving. Geng Shu's temper was straightforward and tough, he could not bear to look at her. The two of them often quarreled over small matters, the neighbors on the left and on the right were annoyed to no end.
Uncle Geng had just arrived at the door of his house when unexpectedly the gate of the courtyard opposite suddenly opened. First Madame Gongsun was carrying a basin of water, which happened to splash outside.
Although the water did not splash onto Uncle Geng, it did wet his trousers. Uncle Geng's temper flared up immediately. He turned around and glared at her angrily, but when he thought of his little granddaughter who was waiting at home, his anger melted like snow. He only said, "You woman, be careful."
"Hey, hey, hey, the sun rose from the west today." First Madame Gong Sun was full of good fortune. Her clothes were of good quality. With one hand holding a washbasin and the other on her waist, she said, "The night watchman is actually not angry anymore. He has really improved. Should we beat the gongs and drums to tell the neighbors that there's no need to stop people from fighting in the future. The world is at peace. Every household will beat the gongs and hang up firecrackers …"
Unexpectedly, before he could finish his provocative words, Uncle Geng turned around and was about to enter the house.
First Madame Gongsun was taken aback for a moment before she hurriedly called out, "Hey hey hey, you, wait a minute, wait a minute …"
"What do you want?" Uncle Geng impatiently turned around and glared at her.
First Madame Gongsun said, "I heard that your family has a relative. Yesterday when you brought her out on the street, I saw her. She's very pretty. Many families have their eyes on her and want to marry you … Oh yes, one of them is Li Fangzheng's son." After saying that, she returned to the house.
These words had a profound meaning to them.
When Uncle Geng heard this, he was shocked. Other families were fine, but this Li Fangzheng's son was a famous little tyrant in the workshop. He was also extremely lecherous. Every two or three days, he would provoke his eldest daughter-in-law, and no one could control him.
This Li Fangzheng's family was also very influential. It was said that when his mother was still alive, she used to be the wet nurse of the late Emperor Ji Wenyuan. His younger brother was now the Head Steward of the Ye Mansion. So in Yongle Workshop, no one dared to provoke Li Fangzheng's family. Even if they were wronged, they could only bite the bullet and endure for a while.
Uncle Geng was worried and slightly regretted bringing the child out on the street.
But on second thought, this old woman was always making trouble out of nothing. It must be an alarmist. Moreover, the child was still so young. Even if he wanted to 'propose', it would take a few years. At worst, he could bring the child and move somewhere else before then.
Thinking of this, he felt relieved. He pushed the door open and entered the house. Seeing that Yue 'er was sweeping, he couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Ever since his daughter-in-law passed away, the number of times his house had been cleaned over the past few decades could be counted with his fingers. It was as dirty as a coal mine.
The little girl was hardworking. In less than four days, the house was clean and tidy. It looked brand new. It was like a celestial magic.
Uncle Geng was very grateful to God for giving him such a treasure when he was old. Tears were about to flow out. He quickly calmed his emotions and secretly swore to protect her.
Hearing the door open, Yue 'er saw that it was Uncle Geng. She smiled sweetly, "Grandpa."
She was naturally the lucky one who escaped from the ghost cave of the Black Mountain. She was only ten years old, but her family was ruined and her relatives died tragically. In her heart, Lin Miaoyue and the others were undoubtedly second only to her parents. In order to save her life, they died in the ghost cave of the Black Mountain, the hell that caused her nightmares.
She hid the secret of the Black Mountain in her arms, but she didn't dare to tell Uncle Geng. It was as if she had grown up overnight. Although her innocence and innocence didn't disappear because of it, it made her understand the meaning of 'treasuring a jade ring gets into trouble'. Uncle Geng was only a very ordinary person. Obviously, he wasn't strong enough to bear this secret. It might even bring about a fatal disaster.
Therefore, she hid the truth about the Black Mountain. She only said that her parents brought her to seek shelter with relatives. Unexpectedly, the relatives were not there, so they had to return home. Unexpectedly, they encountered bandits and her parents were killed. She fell into the river and was finally rescued by Uncle Geng.
Uncle Geng was old and had no children, so he immediately decided to adopt this orphan girl.
After all, Yue 'er was still young and didn't have any ideas. She didn't know that her wandering here was actually not very secretive. As long as someone put in some effort, they would be able to find some clues. In addition, she really didn't know where she went, so she didn't think too much and agreed.
"Ah!" Uncle Geng happily responded. He smiled and put the things he was carrying on the table. "Child, look, what did grandpa bring back for you?"
"Wow! So many delicious things. "Yue 'er put down the broom and deftly put the things aside.
Uncle Geng opened the Xu Le Ji's pastries and took out a piece of mung bean cake. He smiled and handed it to Yue 'er. "Child, this is our Xu Le Ji's pastries from Yongle Square. Grandpa specially bought it for you. Quickly come and try it to see if it suits your taste."
Yue 'er happily took a bite. She only felt the fragrance of mung beans intertwined between her mouth and nose. It went back and forth, and her taste buds seemed to melt. She was so happy that she almost fainted. However, when she thought that Sister Miao Yue would never be able to eat such delicious pastries again, she couldn't help but cry.
When Uncle Geng saw this, he immediately panicked. "Child, what's wrong? Is it not delicious? Did it go bad? That Xu Le Ji's dared to sell it to me. I'm going to settle the score with them! "
This old man was swift and decisive. He grabbed the bag of pastries and was about to leave.
Yue 'er turned pale with fright. She hurriedly stopped Uncle Geng and said, "It's not like that. Grandpa, this pastry is very delicious. Yue' er just thought of … Father and Mother. Thinking that they will never be able to eat such delicious pastries again, I feel very sad."
"Poor child." Uncle Geng lovingly stroked her head. "Don't be sad. Even if grandpa starves to death, I will still raise you into an adult."
"Grandpa, you are so good to Yue 'er." Yue' er said with tears in her eyes. "Yue 'er is willing to serve you for the rest of my life."
"When Yue 'er grows up, you will have to marry someone. Grandpa will find a good marriage for you …"
Uncle Geng pulled Yue 'er's hand to the bedside. He opened the secret compartment under the pillow and took out a small box. He opened it and saw some old jewelry.
He touched the jewelry as if he was reminiscing. He smiled and said, "Your grandmother died a long time ago. These were left behind by her. I was always reluctant to sell them. They just happen to be your dowry."
"Grandpa …" Yue 'er was moved beyond words. She threw herself into his arms and cried.
But while she was moved, the little girl's heart shivered as she realized one thing. Could she really escape the pursuit of the Black Mountain Ghost Cave?
In the beginning, she didn't think too much about it. But after thinking about it a lot these days, she naturally had her worries.
Grandpa treated her so well that she couldn't bear to harm him. So she decided to secretly leave this house tonight to avoid bringing disaster to grandpa.
…
Li Fang Zheng was called Li Tianshou. Because his family was wealthy when he was young, he indulged in debauchery, causing his body to be weak and weak. After he got married, he couldn't get pregnant. Unexpectedly, when he was forty years old, his old mussel gave birth to a pearl. His new concubine gave birth to a big fat boy. He was wild with joy and doted on his only son. He wanted to pluck the moon from the sky for him to play with.
His only son was called Li Ruifu. It had the meaning of 'a heavenly blessing, great wealth and nobility'. Under his doting, he was a devil incarnate. Everyone in the neighborhood would take a detour when they saw him. Moreover, what made him feel gratified and helpless was that Li Ruifu had inherited his talent and was lustful. He was only fifteen years old this year, but he was already arguing with him to buy a servant girl.
Servant girls were very popular among rich families. Most of them were the children of poor families. Because they couldn't support them, they would be given away or sold to rich families. Even though it was considered a slave trade, there were too many cases. How could they deal with it? If I can't support my children, can the government help me raise them? So this kind of thing couldn't be dealt with. The government could only turn a blind eye to it.
Li Tianshou only had this one son. How could he not agree? Who knew that Li Ruifu didn't want anyone else and only wanted one. After asking around, he found out that it was a poor girl who came to seek shelter with the old night watchman. He heard that she was very intelligent. No wonder his son took a fancy to her.
However, he also heard that the old night watchman cherished the girl like a treasure. He knew that he wouldn't sell her to his own family to be a servant girl. He wanted to coax Li Ruifu to change his target. Who knew that Li Ruifu was dead set on the girl. He refused to compromise and caused trouble all day long.
Li Tianshou couldn't bear to scold or beat him. In desperation, he could only send a letter to his younger brother, who was the head steward of the Ye Mansion, begging him to give him advice.
Li Tianshou's younger brother was called Li Tianyang. He was worthy of being the steward of a big family. He had experienced many things. He quickly replied to his brother and came up with a brilliant plan.
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