in spring

Chapter 255 Promotion
This is how Chunying's career as a maid in Dongfu began.

The East Mansion is a four-entry house, with two sets of courtyards on the east and west roads, which is quite different from the layout of the Hou Mansion.

The first entrance after entering the gate is the outer courtyard. There are three main rooms, namely the living room, the side hall and the tea room. The residence of a staff member and his family hired by the Second Master for many years is a relatively independent courtyard separated by an aisle and can leave the mansion through a corner gate.Now this gentleman went north with the second master, but his family lived in with the employer's family, and usually closed the moon cave door in the middle, and only walked through the aisle when going to Zhuo's side.

There are two rooms in the west wing, the hall in the middle leads to the first courtyard in the west, and it is the place where the stewards of the family discuss matters. Zhuo Shi will also come here to meet them.As soon as you enter this courtyard, it is the residence of the Xu family couple and the other two senior managers in the mansion.

After entering the second gate, the second entrance courtyard of the whole mansion is the main courtyard where the second master and his wife live. In addition to the bedroom, there are also rooms such as an inner study, a piano room, a chess room, and a flower hall.The second wife, Zhuo Shi, was originally from a scholarly family. Occasionally, she would teach her children piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, or spend time with her husband.

There is a veranda on the west side of the main courtyard, which leads to the courtyard on the west side. The terrain is narrow and long, and it is divided into three separate courtyards horizontally. It is a place for the concubines at home. It is said that when the second old master was there, he decided to The current layout is that only one courtyard has been occupied by people for many years, and most of the houses have been abandoned. As early as two years ago, the Zhuo family wrote a letter back to the mansion, ordering Mr. Xu to find craftsmen, and put the two unoccupied The yard was converted into one, and it will be used when the fourth young master gets married in the future.As for the courtyard on the east side, it is still empty, just for storing things.

The third yard after that is Chunying's workplace.This is the place where the two old ladies lived for the elderly. Because the doors, windows, and partitions are carved with patterns such as Songhe Yannian, Fushou Ruyi, etc., it was named Songyiyuan.There are three rooms in the main house, which are the small hall, bedroom and warm pavilion of the second old lady, and the wing rooms on both sides are the residences of the fourth young master and fourth lady.The first-class girls live in the side room, while the others live in the back room at the back, and come to the front every day to work as errands.

Chunying had just started working, and the two first-class girls Yingge and Xuehe were still there, so she could only squeeze together with other girls in the outer cover room.But she didn't pay much attention to it, and instead took the opportunity to build a good relationship with other second- and third-class girls.If others have difficulties, she will help if she can, and if she can't help, she will also give some suggestions; the old spring clothes that I used to wear that don't fit, I brought from home this time, and the new girl has no decent clothes , I will give one or two pieces, and some small jewelry of little value are also used as gifts; when someone has no time to comb their hair in the morning, she will help comb; or when they are not on duty at night, she will make two pairs of shoes for the little girls; Where she doesn't understand, she always mentions a few words from time to time.Within a few days, the new girls all thought that this sister was very good and capable, and the old girls also thought she was gentle and reliable, and loved to get close to her in their spare time, and would always take her with them when it was beneficial.

Seeing this, the second old lady, the second wife and the others felt that they had seen the right person. They thought that it was reasonable for Huo Yi to value Chunying as a girl. From then on, he treated her more politely and even rewarded her from time to time.Every time Chunying smiled and accepted, thanking her, she didn't lose her composure at all. When she went out, if the little girls liked it, she would pick up some unimportant things and share them. Since then, her image in their hearts has become even taller. The second old lady, When the second wife saw her, she felt that she was not good at property, and that she was generous, but she also had a sense of propriety, and would not spoil the kindness of the master.

In less than a month, Chunying's position in Dongfu became more and more stable. With Xuehe and Yingge's wedding date agreed, the new first-class girl became the biggest priority in the hearts of all the girls in Songyiyuan. suspense.

Originally, beside the old lady, besides the two parrots, there were also two big girls, who were made up by the couple after they got married. One was named Bailu and the other was named Qiuyan.The former was born at home, but the latter was bought in the south.After the second room returned to Beijing, the second old lady had a lot of people around her. The two of them were almost considered as candidates for first-class girls. There were still two places, which should be selected from the newly selected family members, but no matter what, Bai Lu He and Qiuyan are both leaders, but the appearance of Chunying made this matter change.

Qiuyan is from outside, knowing that she can't compare with the family's children, and the monthly payment is the same, she has long given up her competitive thoughts, but Bailu is the daughter of the Dongfu family, and Chunying About the same age, she has been serving the second old lady for nearly six years. Apart from the four mandarin magpies and parrot cranes, she considers herself to be the one with the most senior qualifications. Suddenly, Chunying steals the limelight, and seeing that she is getting more and more attention from everyone, Then there was resentment in my heart.

Originally, Brother Ying entrusted her with the task of disciplining the new little girl, hoping that she would take over the work after he left in advance, but Bailu disciplined her so strictly that the little girls were a little afraid of her.And Chunying has a gentle attitude. Whenever she asks something she doesn't understand, she will get a detailed answer, and sometimes she will patiently teach them.Compared with the egret who only yells and scolds loudly, the little girls naturally like Chunying more, plus Chunying gives some small things from time to time, or does a little favor, when talking about it, the little girls feel that Chunying is better than Hello Bailu, I hope Chunying will discipline them in the future.Bailu overheard them by chance, scolded them, and after returning to the room, the more he thought about it, the more wrong it became. From then on, when he saw Chunying, he became stern, and often sneered, relying on his chance to take care of the affairs of the two Yinghes, but All the tiring and faceless errands were handed over to Chunying, and she dedicated herself to flattering and currying favor in front of the old lady.

Chunying has long passed the age of competing with others, and she doesn't care about it. Do what you should do well, and leave what you shouldn't do to the person who should do it. If you encounter someone who sends messages elsewhere As an errand, he took the opportunity to establish a good relationship with people everywhere.She is in this mansion, and if she wants to inquire about news, or send something home, she needs the help of these people. Temporary buying with money is always not as reliable as making emotional investment in advance.Moreover, although the second old lady has the most honorable status in this mansion, it is the second wife Zhuo who is in charge after all.She never let go of any chance to speak in front of Mr. Zhuo, flattered her inconspicuously, and secretly flattered Mrs. Xu and other women in charge with real power. Since then, her good reputation has spread even further.

By the time Bailu heard from her family and realized something was wrong, Chunying's image in Dongfu had already settled down, and it would not help if she got angry again.Thinking that he and Chunying will be promoted at the same time in the future, but Chunying has more face than himself in the mansion, Bai Lu feels guilty, and hurriedly grabs the job of showing his face in front of the second wife Zhuo Shi, and also goes to flatter him, thinking about the four The young master is the young master, and even more the wife's darling, so he swayed around him a few more times graciously.Chunying calmly took over the job of serving in front of the second old lady. She didn't try to be obedient, but did things carefully and seriously, and tried her best to make the second old lady live comfortably.

Although the weather has warmed up in spring, there is still a bit of chill in the air, so the charcoal pots are still burning in the house.In order to prevent the people in the house from feeling unwell due to the overheating of the charcoal fire, the maids always put water basins by the corner wall. arrive.Chunying thought of another way, put the wet wipes on the shelf in the house, or put them on a tray and put them near the second old lady. When the wet wipes were dry, they would change another one. No one kicked over the basin.If the second old lady thinks it is too damp, it is convenient to remove it.

Chunying carefully studied the recipes of the second old lady, and specially selected some foods that are suitable for eating in spring and can also warm up the body. Knowing that the second old lady has a weak spleen and stomach, she often feels bloated and has no appetite, so she specially found the food according to Hu Fei. The recipe, combined with things I have seen in modern times, made Bazhen Cake with Poria, Gorgon, lotus seeds, coix seed, yam, lentils, malt, lotus root starch and other materials. Because it is sweet, it suits the appetite of the elderly. The second old lady ate it In two days, I had a lot of appetizers. The fourth young master and fourth young lady ate with their grandmother, and ate a few yuan, so they ate half a bowl of rice.Zhuo was very happy to see her, and ordered Chunying to hand over the recipe to the kitchen, and rewarded her with a pair of purses containing four silver scorpions.Chunying thanked her with a smile.

The second old lady said to her daughter-in-law: "This girl is really caring. I saw her right. The rare thing is that she is calm. No matter whether you scold or praise, you have never panicked. I see, she is still a bit of a big family." appearance."

Zhuo smiled and glanced at Chunying: "Did you hear that? The old lady praised you." Chunying hurriedly said: "It was originally taught by sisters when Miss Biao was here. The slaves dare not take credit for it."

The second old lady scolded with a smile: "I praise you, you just agree, what are you pushing it to others? Others teach you well, and you need to be sensible!" After that, she changed her posture and patted her legs: "Come on, give me Kneading, you rubbed me well yesterday, and I slept comfortably at night, and the leg wind did not reoccur, but unfortunately it hurts again today."

Chun Ying stepped forward with a smile, bowed to her and Zhuo Shi respectively, then sat on the footrest and began to massage.She has been practicing for several months, and she has tried it with an old man in the village, and she is quite confident in her skills.While rubbing lightly, she increased the intensity, and asked: "This is a temporary solution, not the root cause, but it can make you feel more comfortable temporarily. Since the old lady likes it, I will teach it to other sisters. In the future, even if I am not in front of you, the old lady will also feel better." But I asked someone to rub it." The second old lady looked at her in surprise, then turned to her daughter-in-law and said: "Look at this girl, she would say that, if it were someone else, she would definitely not want it in her heart, and she actually brought it up by herself. It's gone!" This is a unique skill, who doesn't want to lose face in front of the master?This girl is rare and generous!I don't know whether to call her honest or stupid.

Chunying lowered her head and bent her lips.Of course she is not that stupid, even if she really teaches, she can decide how much to teach.When everyone has learned it, but no one can press it better than her, it will be even more rare, isn't it?Bringing it up now can also make you appear generous and selfless.

Zhuo sighed there: "What a rare and good boy. Mother, I remember that Xuehe will go out in a few days, and Brother Parrot is also a matter of these two months. Look...you need to make up two ones in your house." Waiting for the big girl, why not let Chunying occupy one of them. She used to be the second class next to Sister Yi, and she has been doing it for more than three years, which is enough in terms of seniority and age." The second old lady nodded: "That's very good. yes."

Chunying was overjoyed, she was promoted to the first-class girl next to the old lady, she was almost sure to be released, and she had been avoiding the people in the Hou's mansion during this time, worrying about accidents, now she was finally relieved, even though When you meet former enemies, you are not afraid of what they will do to you.Neither Hou Ye nor his wife, An Shi, could overstep their authority to dispose of aunt's girl, and it was even more impossible for the third young master.Thinking that the fourth young master would respectfully address him as "sister" every time he saw him, it must be a fun scene if it were replaced by the third young master?
Thinking of this in her heart, Chunying didn't forget to move her hands and feet, and quickly kowtowed to thank Grace.By the time Bai Lu and the others entered the door with the Fourth Young Master and Fourth Miss happily hugging, Chunying was already a newly-baked first-class girl, taking over the errand of clothes and jewelry that Xue He was originally in charge of, with the key to the storeroom at her waist, in the Songyi Courtyard. There is a small side room in the house, with a monthly payment of one tael, and a little girl who is always at your disposal.

Bailu was stunned and felt even more wronged.She also planned to wait for the two Yinghes to leave before taking over. She tried her best to please the wife and young masters, but she didn't expect the old lady to praise Chunying first, and then she thought that she had served for a longer time, so she called someone from outside. Taking the lead, the circles of his eyes turned red.Seeing everyone coming forward to congratulate Chunying, her feet felt like lead was poured on her feet, she forced a congratulations, then turned around and asked someone to pour tea for the Fourth Young Master and Fourth Miss and bring some snacks.

Zhuo glanced at her back lightly, and saw that everyone was congratulating Chunying, and whispered to her mother-in-law: "Mother, recently the egret seems to be hanging around Brother Dun to make him happy. The daughter-in-law is worried that she will grow up." , the heart is also big, you see...do you want her family to take her back and match her?"

The second old lady was silent, and after a while, she gave a soft "hmm": "At least serve me, you call her mother to come, say it is my favor, give her 20 taels of silver, ten horses of high-quality material And a golden face, I'm adding makeup to her. Ask her to find a good family for her, and don't wrong her." Zhuo bowed her head and answered: "Yes, my wife knows."

Chunying didn't know the result of the secret discussion between the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law. She only knew that within two days, Bai Lu's mother came to beg the second old lady herself, saying that the family had arranged a marriage for her daughter. Decorous.The two old ladies asked about each other's situation, and nodded in response.Bailu was dumbfounded, cried and refused to leave, and went to beg Zhuo Shi, but she didn't expect that Zhuo Shi just rewarded her with another dowry, so she had no choice but to go back and forth.A few days later, Brother Ying left, and Qiuyan, Bailing and Cuiling filled in the vacancies of the other three first-class girls.

Chunying only felt that from now on, everything would go well, and no one in the East Mansion would oppose her, so she felt happy.The family sent another letter, saying that they had received a letter from Hu Fei from the south, and that they had already set off for overseas at the beginning of last month, and everything was going well, and then it was that my younger brother's homework had improved, and he had begun to study "The Book of Songs", and the husband even praised He works hard.She just feels that the future is bright and she is more motivated to do things.

One day, on a sunny spring day, the second old lady thought of her sister-in-law in the West Mansion. She had not seen her since she went to drink tea the next day after returning to Beijing, so she sent someone to inquire about the old lady in the Hou Mansion today He was in good spirits, so he took Chunying and Qiuyan with him, took a soft sedan chair, and went to visit him.

Chunying walked along the side of the soft sedan, and met one or two acquaintances by chance, ignoring the surprise on the other's face, smiling lightly, and after a while, entered the second gate of Hou's mansion, and went to the old lady's courtyard .When we arrived at the gate of the courtyard, we helped the second old lady get out of the soft sedan chair, and were about to enter the door, but heard a noise nearby. Looking along the sound, it turned out that the second young lady, Mrs. Liang, was pointing at a young woman and scolding her. Very ugly.And the young woman knelt on the ground and cried, almost falling to the ground.

The second old lady frowned, and Chunying stepped forward and asked, "Who is cursing people over there? Why is it so noisy?!"

Mrs. Liang was annoyed, and no matter who was asking, she cursed: "I discipline the girl, who is talking too much?!" When she turned around and saw an old woman with extraordinary style, she was startled for a while.

At this time, the young woman kneeling on the ground looked up, and Chun Ying was secretly surprised when she saw her appearance.

That was actually Cui Manru!
(End of this chapter)