Old things in Nancheng

The little lady Lin Zhilan saw was wearing a coarse cotton padded jacket, the clothes were very thin, and the shoes on her feet were still autumn shoes. She was taller than before, but her body was thinner, her face was blue from the cold, and she didn't look like a girl at all. The flush it deserves.

"Yan'er, why are you here?" Lin Zhilan was stunned for a while, then hurried forward to meet her.

Yan'er looked at Lin Zhilan and tried her best to suppress the grievance in her head, but seeing that Lin Zhilan had a deep scar on her face, she couldn't help asking: "Sister-in-law, your face..."

"I'll tell you about these things later, it's cold outside, hurry up and get inside."

Lin Zhilan brought Yan'er to the back compartment, and Chen Wangshu followed her in. It was the peak meal time, so Lin Zhilan asked Wang Xingen to help out, and made a bowl of wonton noodles for Yan'er.

"Yan'er, are you here to see me?" Chen Wangshu asked stupidly, with surprise in his tone, he was very happy to see Yan'er.

Lin Zhilan rolled Chen Wangshu's eyes, just with such sharp eyesight, let alone, if a man can be so careless, no woman would want to marry him.

"Go and get a bowl of hot water, and bring the wonton noodles to Yan'er." Lin Zhilan drove Chen Wangshu out like a fly.

Chen Wangshu reluctantly left, Lin Zhilan took Yan'er's cold little hand and asked, "Tell my sister-in-law, what happened at home, did you come to the city alone?"

"Sister-in-law..." Yan'er was wronged, but she didn't know how to speak.

"Don't be afraid, speak slowly." Lin Zhilan tightened Yan'er's hand and comforted her.

Yan'er thought for a while, and as soon as she plucked up the courage to speak, Chen Wangshu came in to deliver water and noodles. When Yan'er saw Chen Wangshu, she didn't dare to say anything. Lin Zhilan had to use the excuse that the shop was busy, and drove Chen Wangshu out again, waiting for Yan'er to eat With a full stomach and warm body, he said, "Let's talk."

"Mother said, because of my marriage, the family has no money to buy rice. Let me come to the city to find Brother Shu and do a job to help the family." These words made Yan'er feel ashamed.

"Is this what your mother said?" Lin Zhilan was shocked.

"Yeah." Yan'er nodded lightly, feeling aggrieved.

"Your mother! Really!"

Lin Zhilan's face turned blue with anger, this is still her own mother!

A betrothal gift of ten taels of silver can't be bought for any dowry. It's a huge profit, so I can buy rice and eat it for three to five years!Also, letting an unmarried woman find her fiancé alone, Lin Zhilan really didn't know that the Song Dynasty had opened up to such an extent, so there was no shame in it.It's no wonder that Mrs. Liu did something to seduce the hostess. This bitch in his bones is comparable to that of later generations.

Lin Zhilan really felt that Wang Zimo and Yan'er were not born of the Liu family at all. This behavior was worse than that of her stepmother, and completely ruined Yan'er's reputation.

"Your father also agrees?" Lin Zhilan thought, at least it was her own, mother is confused, father must be more rational.

"My father said, Brother Shu can give ten taels of silver as a dowry gift, he must have done a good job in the city..." Yan'er's voice became lower and lower, and at the end, she didn't know how to answer, so as not to be angry Lin Zhilan.

Lin Zhilan sneered when she heard the words, the muscles on her face twitched due to the extreme suppression, and the scar couldn't stop throbbing, so scared that Yan'er dared not speak anymore.Shen Liang is asking Yan'er to rely on Chen Wangshu earlier, and get the money to pay for Shen's family.

"What are your plans for the future?" Lin Zhilan endured for a long time before she could utter the curse words.

"I'm ashamed to face people, and I don't know what to do. Normally, I should find a tree and hang myself to be clean, but..." People always have the instinct to survive, but the etiquette is like this, Yan'er is struggling, She still has a sense of shame, she is not as shameless as her parents.

"Nonsense, why are you looking for death! Since you are looking for sister-in-law, sister-in-law will not let you be wronged." Lin Zhilan did not dare to let Yan'er have the idea of ​​suicide. This 15-year-old girl is in her most brilliant years , Just like that, being forced to death by parents, it's not a loss.

"Sister-in-law..." After all, Yan'er is young. Since the incident happened, she only dared to secretly wipe tears behind her parents' back. Now that Lin Zhilan's elder sister-in-law is like a mother, she cares and loves her. She can't bear the grievance in her heart. Lin Zhilan cried, out of breath.

In fact, she was engaged to the Chen family during the Chinese New Year, and her parents planned to let her come to the city to start. Yan'er has been thinking about what kind of life a woman should live.For Yan'er, the life of an ordinary woman in the village is what she yearns for the most. She lives quietly, takes care of the family, works hard, can save a few dollars a year, can change into new clothes during the New Year, and have a few children. , Watching the children grow up, giving them a dowry for their wives, and then getting old, bringing up grandchildren and grandchildren, the whole life has passed like this.

It's okay to have a harder life, just to be stable, but her mother is that kind of person, and he wants to use her to climb high.Yan'er can accept serving others as a girl, but she doesn't want to be a concubine. Although the concubine looks carefree in life, she feels miserable in her heart.

In Yan'er's short ten years, Lin Zhilan's appearance shocked her the most.This woman had intercourse with her brother without a matchmaker, had a child out of wedlock, and was doing things that everyone was not ashamed of, but she was justified, even if she was soaked in a pig cage, she would not be able to bend her waist and become weak.When her elder brother was assassinated, Lin Zhilan insisted on relying on her own ability to manage her life, earn so much money, and be able to be the master of her own family. Is there anyone more sturdy than this kind of woman?

For Lin Zhilan, Yan'er was shameless at first, then she was sympathetic, and now she admires her. She came here not to find Chen Wangshu, but to go to Lin Zhilan. Lin Zhilan protected her like a big tree. Yan'er felt that Lin Zhilan It is very safe here, at least, with the dignity of being a human being.

After crying enough, Yan'er wiped away her tears and said with a choked voice: "Sister-in-law treats Yan'er like a sister like a mother, Yan'er doesn't know how to repay."

"My family, what are you talking about in return, you can live in peace with my sister-in-law." Lin Zhilan comforted Yan'er by stroking Yan'er's back, feeling very sorry for this good and sensible child.

"I know how to do things. I can do anything. I will never eat and drink for free." Yan'er promised.

"If you say that again, I'm going to get angry. If your brother isn't here, I will naturally take care of you. If your brother comes back and finds out that I don't care about you, maybe she will divorce me." Lin Zhilan joked.

"No, my brother doesn't dare." Yan'er said softly.

Lin Zhilan looked at Yan'er with tears on her face, said this very seriously, and couldn't help laughing, this girl doll is also interesting, her eyes are bright and her heart is bright, it really didn't hurt her in vain.

"Don't cry, be stronger, life is made by people, as long as we have the heart, we will be able to live a prosperous life."

"Well, I believe in sister-in-law. By the way, sister-in-law, how is my brother doing now?"

"The letter always said this is good and that is good. I haven't seen anyone, and I don't know how she is doing." Lin Zhilan sighed.

"I heard that the second master of the Wang family wants to take brother back. Is this really the case?"

"How do you know?" Lin Zhilan asked suspiciously.

"It's crazy on our side. Everyone knows about it. There is someone in our village who works as a rough envoy for the Wang family. Her mother went to see her during the Chinese New Year and came back and said that the second young master of the Wang family is gone, and the second room is broken. Now The big house and the third house are making a fuss."

Good things don't go out, bad things spread thousands of miles. These days, there is no impenetrable wall. Even Yan'er knows about it, and maybe all the villages in ten miles have heard about it. Soon, the whole Yanguan County will know about it.

"When my mother found out, she was very happy. She just waited for my brother to come back to enjoy the blessing. A few days ago, she went to the Wang family compound, but unfortunately she was kicked out. When she came back, she scolded the second master and said that if brother didn't care about her in the future, she would I'm going to sue the county government." Yan'er was in a very complicated mood, she was her own mother, but she was such a person that her children couldn't respect her.

"If the Wang family could make her make a flower, she would have entered the mansion back then. We have to wait for your brother to come back to discuss this matter."

The two chatted for a while, and Lin Zhilan went out to look at the business. Yan'er tried her best to go to work, but Lin Zhilan refused to let her go, saying that she couldn't see Chen Wangshu now, which made Chen Wangshu very resentful. Accidentally broke a bowl, Lin Zhilan was so angry that he deducted a day's wages.

When it came to Shen Shizheng, Lin Zhilan told Wang Xingen and others to take a good look at the shop, and then took Yan'er home, ignoring Chen Wangshu who was extremely angry.Although they are common people, there are still etiquettes. Unmarried men and women can meet casually. Yan'er feels wronged because she feels that her reputation is bad. Now if Chen Wangshu and Yan'er are really stuck together every day, the two will not be spit on. Are you drowning?

After entering Yang's house, Bao'er threw herself into Zhilan's arms, rubbing her back and forth intimately.Now that she is older, she seldom cries, she grins, showing four small front teeth, and smirks and drools at Lin Zhilan.

"Calling mother." Lin Zhilan gently wiped the drool from the corner of Bao'er's mouth, and smiled.

"Yeah! Yah!"

"Mother's stupid girl, why don't you know how to call someone!" Lin Zhilan teased Bao'er.

"what!"

Even though Bao'er hadn't spoken yet, she could understand some words. She felt that Lin Zhilan was laughing at herself, wrinkled her face in disbelief, and protested in her mouth.

"Bao'er, this is your aunt, called Auntie."

It's very rare for Yan'er to see Bao'er's powder carved jade, but Bao'er doesn't see outsiders often, and now seeing Yan'er for the first time, she can't help shrinking in Lin Zhilan's arms, looking at Yan'er vigilantly, those big black eyeballs, straight He didn't even blink.

Yan'er took out a rag bunny from the bag and shook it, Bao'er's eyes lit up immediately.

"ah!"

A small hand like a lotus root stretched out and grabbed the little rabbit, but Yan'er was still holding it, and Bao'er couldn't snatch it away.

"Call me aunt, and she will give it to you." Lin Zhilan induced Bao'er.

"Ah~" Bao'er increased her hands angrily, and she didn't know what to say, but she just wanted to grab the little rabbit.

Hey, the two adults gave up. The children who are not yet one year old are too impatient.

With Yan'er around, it was much easier for Lin Zhilan to go home. Yan'er was entrusted with washing and cooking. If the child was not allowed to do something, she probably wouldn't dare to stay at home.

After eating and coaxing Bao'er to sleep, Lin Zhilan took out the paper, ink, brush and inkstone, and began to practice calligraphy.

"Sister-in-law, you still learn to write?" Yan'er found it inconceivable that reading and writing are not something ordinary people can learn.

"I can't even understand the letter your brother sent me. I just want to learn. At least I don't have to ask others to read the family letter for me." Ever since Lin Zhilan was made a fortune teller's joke, she has thought about it. Knowledge is power. , Whether it is ancient or modern, this truth is not wrong.

What's more, let Wang Zimo know that she can write and read, so it's only natural to write a small love letter like this. Lin Zhilan never fell in love when she was studying, and now she really feels like looking forward to receiving a love letter .

"How many characters does sister-in-law know?" Yan'er asked enviously.

"Not many, just a few dozen ordinary words. I wonder if your brother will be shocked if he reads my letter." Lin Zhilan said mischievously, looking forward to Wang Zimo's expression when he received the letter from his family.

"Sister-in-law, you are really amazing."

"It's nothing, as long as you put your heart into it, there's nothing you can't do." Lin Zhilan said modestly, but her face was full of confidence.

Yan'er looked at Lin Zhilan's confident face, and couldn't help being dazed. At least, she had never seen any woman who was as independent and self-reliant as Lin Zhilan. Even the ladies from rich families had never had such qualities.

However, for Yan'er, these are not enough, no matter how capable she is, she still has to live in this environment, she still has to act according to this environment, go her own way, go against the current, always out of reach.

"Sister-in-law, if it wasn't because of me, you and brother wouldn't have to suffer so much." Yan'er blamed herself as she swept the scar on Lin Zhilan's face.

"What does this have to do with you? It's not bad now. At least, your brother and I are aboveboard." Although this matter was too deep-rooted and it was a matter of life and death at the time, Lin Zhilan is much more open-minded now. When they come back, their life will be better than in Wangjiazhuang.

The suffering is also worth it.