Archives: FS

 

While Gu Fei was worrying, a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old opened the curtain and came in.

Gu Fei looked towards her, and the girl was also looking at her.

This girl was wearing a madder red coarse cloth and skirt. She has a delicate appearance and a slender figure.

Li Chunhua smiled at the girl, turned to Gu Fei, and said: “Sister-in-law, don’t you recognize her? She is your uncle’s daughter, named Xing’er.”

Gu Fei was still searching for things related to Xing’er in her memory. Xing’er covered her mouth and laughed: “I heard from my mother, Xiao Fei, you were beaten, and you are covered in wounds.”

Gu Fei looked at her strangely: “Why are you laughing? I was beaten, but you are so happy?”

Xing’er was startled and let go of her hand covering her mouth: “That’s not true. Grandma always said that you went to the Marquis’ Mansion to enjoy the blessings. Now it seems that you are not enjoying the blessings but suffering.”

Gu Fei nodded: “Well, I have suffered, otherwise why would I come back?”

Xing’er bit her lip and asked: “I heard that young ladies from wealthy families wear silk and satin every day and eat delicacies from all over the world. Is it true?”

Gu Fei: “Well, almost.”

Xing’er came here to ask what kind of good life Gu Fei lived in the city, especially in the Marquis’ Mansion, what she ate, what she wore, and what she used. Her Grandma said all day long that Gu Fei was sold to the Marquis Mansion to enjoy the blessings. She had good food, good clothes, and monthly money, which was much better than at home.

Her biggest wish was to be sold too into the Marquis’s mansion.

But her mother refused, saying that she was going to be a slave, which was not a good thing.

She originally thought that Gu Fei would be wearing silk and jewelry like the ladies in the city. But when she came over to see her, she was not only wearing her sister-in-law’s old clothes but she was also injured.

Her jealousy has disappeared. Her Mom was right, being a slave was not a good thing.

Xing’er couldn’t help but feel happy, all the vague inferiority complex before had disappeared.

How could Gu Fei know what a little girl was thinking? She was thinking about the problem with her eyes closed.

No matter how bad things were here, it was still better than the end of the world, where the ground was full of zombies.

But in the next few days, the North would become hell, and the only way was to leave the North and go to the South.

But how will she convince her family?

It was hard to leave the homeland. It was not just a few matters of words. Their family’s fields, house, and relatives were here. Leaving was equivalent to abandoning everything. Starting from scratch requires a lot of courage and determination.

Li Chunhua and Xing’er sat for a while and then left. At dinner time, Gu Zhang and his son had not come back yet. They were waiting for the rice to be cooked at home.

The whole family craned their necks to look. It was already dark when the father and son came back.

Mrs. Chen took the bag of grain from Gu Qing’s hand and hurriedly entered the kitchen house with Li Chunhua to cook.

Gu Zhang walked into the room carrying baggage and took out a document from his sleeve: “Daughter, your household registration has been done. From now on, you will no longer be someone else’s slave. You will be a good citizen.”

Gu Fei nodded, identity and household registration were important no matter in any era. In ancient times, without household registration and road guidance, it was impossible to go out.

Gu Zhang carefully put away the household registration and then unpacked the bag. “Dad bought you two pairs of clothes. I don’t know if you like them or not.”

He took out the clothes underneath. He was wearing a muslin jacket and skirt with white floral flowers on a blue background. The upper coat was apricot yellow, and the lower skirt was light green. It looked very fresh.

Gu Fei agreed with her father’s aesthetics and nodded vigorously: “It looks good. I’ll wear it when I’m healed.”

Gu Zhang received his daughter’s approval as if he had received some kind of praise. He rubbed his hands happily and said: “Actually, this is all your own money.”

Just as he was talking, Gu Qing also came in: “Sister, I asked for you, they said that the female relatives of the Pingyang Marquis Mansion have joined the Jiaofang House.”

“What?” Gu Fei suddenly stood up from the kang and pulled open the wound on her back. She couldn’t help but groan in pain.

 

 

“Ah? Oh, okay, okay.” Mrs. Chen’s heart was pounding. She poured a few spoonfuls of chicken soup and put the chicken legs into the bowl.

As if in a dream, the family picked up their chopsticks and started eating.

After taking two bites, Gu Qing couldn’t help it anymore and looked at Gu Fei: “What’s going on with this chicken?”

Gu Fei took a sip of the delicious chicken soup and said happily: “It’s okay, it’s just a trick I learned from an Old Taoist Priest. This pot of chicken has always been there, but you can’t see it.”

The whole family nodded: “So that’s it.”

In the past, when they visited temple fairs, they had also seen a magic trick. The thing disappeared and then came out again. It must be the same thing.

Only Gu Zhang stared at the bowl in the middle.

He could see clearly that the bowl was a little closer to where it was before, and the chicken soup was still rippling slightly. This was not a magic trick!

Seeing that Gu Zhang was still dazed, Gu Fei knew that he might have noticed something.

But she was not too worried, she knew her family’s character.

She smiled at Gu Zhang: “Father, don’t be in a daze, let’s eat.”

“Oh, okay.” Gu Zhang then picked up the chopsticks and picked up the rice bowl.

While eating, Mrs. Chen started to chatter: “Eldest, you have to go to the city to buy food in the afternoon. There is no food for dinner at home today.”

Speaking of entering the city, Gu Fei thought of the second young lady again and wondered if she was still in prison.

She has to ask her eldest brother to get some news later.

As soon as Gu Fei finished chewing the chicken drumstick, another drumstick fell into her bowl. Gu Zhang looked at her eagerly: “Eat more, so your injury will heal faster.”

Just as Gu Fei was about to start eating, she saw Xiao Cao in Li Chunhua’s arms, biting her fingers and looking eagerly at the chicken drumsticks in her bowl.

The little girl’s big eyes were full of desire for meat.

Gu Fei felt soft, picked up the chicken legs, and put them in Li Chunhua’s bowl: “Let’s give it to Xiao Cao to eat.”

Li Chunhua quickly took the chicken leg back and said: “You can’t. Sister, you are injured. You should eat something good. Xiao Cao is still small and cannot digest too much food.”

Gu Fei looked helplessly at the chicken leg in the bowl. This family was too down-to-earth.

She put the chicken leg into Li Chunhua’s bowl again, “Stop pushing them around, give them to Xiao Cao, I can’t eat anymore.”

Li Chunhua glanced at her parents-in-law and saw that they were both silent. She then carefully tore off a piece of meat and put it in Xiao Cao’s mouth: “This chicken leg was given to me by my sister-in-law. Xiao Cao must remember to thank your Aunt.”

Xiao Cao mumbled to Gu Fei while chewing the chicken: “Thank you, Aunt.”

Gu Zhang looked at Gu Fei with relief. Although his daughter had been in the duke’s mansion for eight years, she had not changed at all. She was still the filial and sensible child.

After eating, Gu Fei went to lie down on the bed again.

Not long after, she heard someone whispering outside.

“Father, I have no money in my hand. What will I do to buy food now?” This was Gu Qing.

Gu Zhang sighed: “Don’t be in a hurry for food. I asked Erlang and Sanlang to go up the mountain to see if they could find something to eat. The money in my hand has to go to the Yamen to handle your sister’s registration and settlement. 2 taels of silver may not be enough.”

“Okay, Father. Let’s leave quickly.”

Gu Fei felt anxious after hearing this. There must be food in her space. When she went to the supermarket warehouse to move supplies, she didn’t take a closer look. The entire warehouse was packed into the space.

Although the warehouse was not big, there was no shortage of basic things such as rice, flour, and oil.

It was just that this food cannot be taken out of thin air.

She still has to buy some.

Gu Fei was afraid that Gu Qing and Gu Zhang had left, so she raised her voice and shouted: “Brother, come in, I have something to ask you.”

 

Mrs. Chen stood up and looked at Mrs. Qian with a pleading look on her face: “Sister-in-law, we are all one family, can you just give me a few days of grace? I will go back to my parents’ house tomorrow and borrow some money to pay you back.” Mrs. Qian snorted: “Speak with human language!” “Then the day after tomorrow, if you don’t pay back the money, let’s see if I demolish your house!” She rolled her eyes and saw the chicken pot placed in the table’s center. She stretched out her hand to pick it up: “I’ll take this chicken and treat it as interest!” Gu Fei almost went crazy wanting to eat chicken. She thought Mrs. Qian was wasting her time and the chicken soup was almost cold. Seeing Mrs. Qian’s sinful hands reaching for the pot of chicken, Gu Fei couldn’t help it anymore and grabbed the chopsticks and beat Mrs. Qian’s wrist: “Put it down!” Mrs. Qian felt pain and immediately retracted her hand. She turned to look at Gu Fei fiercely, and raised her hand to slap her: “You damn girl, you are such a rebel, how dare you hit an elder? Gu Sanlang, who was beside Gu Fei, rushed over and grabbed Mrs. Qian’s wrist with a fierce expression: “Auntie, Xiao Fei is injured. If you want to hit people, just hit me.” Mrs. Qian was so angry. Not only she can beat such a wench, but she still has someone to protect her. Is this Third Son so crazy? She tried hard to break free from Gu Sanlang’s hand. Gu Fei slapped the table and said: “Okay, it’s just 1 tael of silver. I’ll pay you back.” Gu Fei slowly bent down, took out a piece of broken silver from her shoe, and placed it on the table. Mrs. Qian’s eyes lit up, and she immediately rushed forward and grabbed the silver on the table. People in the room looked at Gu Fei, while Gu Qing asked: “Sister, where did you get the money?” Gu Fei said casually: “It’s my monthly money. I hid it in my shoe before.” Wouldn’t it hurt if she hid it in her shoes? Everyone has this question, but no one asks. When Mrs. Qian got the money, her eyes shone, and she looked at Gu Fei from head to toe: “Xiao Fei, you must have made a lot of money. You can earn 1 tael per month. You worked there for 8 years, you must have saved a few taels of silver, right?” Gu Fei said calmly: “I only received a commission for the first-class maid last year. My monthly salary was not this much before.” She stared at the chicken on the table and said: “Auntie, I’m hungry, so I won’t gossip with you. You should go back and eat quickly.” Gu Zhang didn’t want his precious daughter hungry, so he hurriedly said: “Eat quickly. Xiao Fei is hurt, but he can’t be hungry!” He picked up his chopsticks, aimed at the chicken drumsticks, and was about to give it to Gu Fei. At this time, Mrs. Qian, who had been standing by the table, stretched out her hand again: “I’ll take the chicken away. This chicken is the interest as agreed!” Who agrees with you? It took less than an hour from the time they borrowed the money to the time they paid it back. But she wanted the chicken as the interest? The loan shark was not as ruthless as her! Gu Fei was angry, no one can stop me from eating chicken today! She didn’t think much for a moment. In a blink of an eye, she put the chicken pot on the table into the space. Mrs. Qian reached out her hand, but she grabbed a space. What about the chicken? Mrs. Qian was dumbfounded. The whole family was also dumbfounded. Xiao Cao was stunned, but then stretched her neck and bent over to look under the table. “This, why is the chicken missing?” Mrs. Qian was speechless. She didn’t blink her eyes, but a large pot of chicken disappeared under her nose. She has never encountered such a thing in most of her life. Isn’t this a ghost? Mrs. Qian’s face turned pale, she looked around in horror and ran away quickly. As Mrs. Qian stepped out, Gu Fei took the chicken out of the space and placed it firmly in the center of the table. Li Chunhua exclaimed: “Ah, why did this chicken come out again?” The family stared at the center of the table, dumbfounded. Gu Fei calmly picked up the bowl and said: “Mom, scoop me some chicken soup first.”

Gu Fei fell asleep in a daze.

Gu Fei didn’t know how long it took, but she was woken up by the strong smell of chicken soup.

At this time, there was a knock on the door, and Li Chunhua pushed the door open and came in, smiling: “Sister, you’re awake. Mom has already prepared the meal. Can you stand?”

Gu Fei nodded: “Sister-in-law, give me a hand.” If there was chicken soup to drink, she would crawl over it.

Gu Fei was helped to the main room, and the two teenagers ran over happily: “Sister, you are finally back.”

“Second brother, third brother.” Gu Fei called.

At this time, a little girl with two braids that could reach the sky ran over and hugged Gu Fei’s leg, “Aunt, you are back.”

Gu Fei looked down at the small bean child and smiled. This was Gu Qing’s child, whose nickname was Xiao Cao. She was a little over three years old.

Li Chunhua hurriedly pushed her away, “Your aunt is injured, please stay away.”

Mrs. Chen took a cushion put it on the chair, and then asked Li Chunhua to help Gu Fei sit down.

The whole family also sat down.

There was a pot of chicken, a stack of cornmeal pancakes, a bowl of pickles, and a bowl of green beans on the table. This is the extent of the New Year celebrations at home.

Gu Fei’s eyes squinted when she smelled the aroma of chicken soup.

Xiao Cao sat in Li Chunhua’s arms and clapped her hands, “Oh, it’s time to eat chicken. Let’s eat——”

“Hey, after redeeming the money-losing goods, you kill the chicken to eat ?” Xiao Cao’s cheerful words were interrupted by a sharp voice, and a middle-aged woman with a droopy face and a long green cloth dress walked in from the door.

Gu Zhang frowned and said: “Sister-in-law, my Xiao Fei is not a money-losing good. Please be careful of what you say.”

“What is she if she’s not a money loosing goods?” Mrs. Qian walked in quickly and almost poked Gu Fei in the face with his finger, but Gu Fei hurriedly got out of the way.

“A girl like her is worth 20 taels of silver? If she can’t work for two years, she will get married off, and she will have to pay a dowry. Brother, I think you have lost your mind!”

Gu Zhang stood up with an ugly expression: “Sister-in-law, how much I am willing to spend to redeem Xiao Fei is our family’s business and has nothing to do with you. Our family has been separated for a long time!”

Mrs. Qian turned around and pointed at Gu Zhang and spit at him: “It has nothing to do with me? Then don’t come to our house to borrow money!”

“While I was away, you coaxed your honest eldest brother to get a tael of silver. Do you think I got the money out of nowhere?”

Gu Qing lowered his head when he heard this. He was the one who just went to his uncle’s house to borrow money.

“Give me back my money!” Mrs. Qian spread her hand with her palm facing upward.

Gu Qing looked at Gu Zhang, he knew that Gu Zhang still had two taels of silver in his hand.

Gu Zhang hesitated for a moment but then said: “Sister-in-law, I can’t pay you back the money right now. In 2 days, I will go to the city with my sons to find work. I will pay you back the money before the end of the year.”

He still had some use for the two taels of silver in his hand. He had to go to the Yamen to cancel Gu Fei’s slave registration, and he also had to transfer Gu Fei’s household registration back. This all costs money, and two taels might not be enough.

“Bah!” Mrs. Qian spat fiercely: “Don’t lie to me. The drought has been like this this year, and there is no work in the fields. Many people have all gone to the city to find work. I’m afraid there are hundreds of people under the city wall. You are going to look for work? When do you think it will be your turn?”

“I don’t care, I want the money now!”