The most beautiful lady in the harem

Chapter 251 Little Wine

It was the coldest time of the year and Yan Shouyu was an official so he couldn't just ignore this scene.

He squatted down and woke the girl up.

The girl was covered in dust and dirt, and it was hard to tell what she looked like. Her clothes were also very ordinary.

After the girl woke up, she looked at Yan Shouyu with some fear and said nothing.

Yan Shouyu comforted her, "Don't be afraid, I am the owner of this house. It's almost New Year's Day, why is the girl here? Where is her home and what is her name?"

The girl looked at him for a long time, as if she was considering whether she could believe what he said.

After a long time, she finally let down her guard and told him that her family had fallen on hard times and that she was from the suburbs of Beijing. She was originally the daughter of a well-off farmer, but her father and brother lost money in gambling years ago and all the food in the family was taken away by the creditors.

Unexpectedly, all the food stored in the house was looted, and this was still not enough to pay off the debt, so her father and brother planned to marry her to the head of the neighborhood as a concubine.

But the director was already in his seventies or eighties. After she overheard what was going on, she took her only savings and ran away.

Originally, she wanted to go to the city and live with her aunt in the capital, and do some housework to make a living.

But when she arrived at her aunt's house that day, she happened to see her brother and his wife coming. She heard her aunt promise that if she came, she would send someone back to tell her to be scolded and would not indulge her.

She was frightened after hearing that and didn't dare to go over.

He had been wandering in Shangjing City for several days, but he was almost bullied by local thugs before, so he moved to a different place every day.

"I really had nowhere to go today, so I came here."

The girl stood up tremblingly, holding onto the door, and said apologetically, "I didn't mean to dirty your door lintel. I thought the door was locked and no one would come back, so I wanted to stay through tonight before leaving."

Having said that, he was about to leave.

Yan Shouyu saw that she walked lightly and knew that she was probably hungry and cold and had already suffered from physical exhaustion. He thought it was inconvenient and unsafe for a girl to walk on the street in the middle of the night.

He stopped her and said, "How about I take you to the government office to rest for a while? How about the name of the young lady? When you get there, explain your situation and find a place to stay. You can find a job in the workshop under the weaving bureau later. It should be no problem."

Yan Shouyu was thinking that girls of this age were quick-witted and deft, and could learn anything quickly. If they found a job, they would not starve to death in the future.

If you can make a name for yourself and become a master, then you won’t have to worry anymore.

The girl looked at Yan Shouyu, her pair of almond-shaped eyes on her dark face were particularly bright.

She seemed to be embarrassed to look at Yan Shouyu, and only lowered her eyes and said in a low voice, "My surname is Yuan, and because my mother loved to drink when I was born, my name is Jiu'er. You can call me Little Jiu'er."

The three words "Xiaojiuer" came into my ears, and for a moment, many memories flashed through my mind.

The reason why Yan Shouyu called Concubine Xiao De "Xiao Jiu" was because Concubine Xiao De's full name was Yuanniang, and her nickname contained the character "Jiu".

Xiao Jiu, if you call him that many times, it will just become Xiao Jiu.

Yan Shouyu looked at Xiaojiu who looked like a little beggar in front of him, and couldn't help but think of Xiao Yuanniang's life experience. She was also unloved by her father and mother, so she would rather die of old age in the palace than let others ask the late emperor to release her from the palace.

The past events rushed into his mind. Yan Shouyu had drunk some wine and was a little excited. He said, "Well, there are plenty of empty rooms in my house. You can stay here for one night and I'll find you a place to stay tomorrow."

Yuan Jiuer immediately burst into tears.

In the blink of an eye, I didn't see Yan Shouyu open the door. Instead, I saw him use his hands and feet to climb on the wall and flip over the wall to get in.

Before Yuan Jiuer had the chance to ask what was going on, the wooden door had already been opened from the inside.

Yan Shouyu looked at her stunned expression. A grown man actually showed some embarrassment. He touched his head and said, "It's late at night. If I knock on the door to wake up the old lady, it will disturb the peace of the neighbors."

That's why he chose to climb over the wall directly.

Yuan Jiuer then smiled for the first time that night.

However, although Yan Shouyu did not wake up the old mother, she was in a light sleep and when she heard the noise outside, she came out suspiciously in her coat.

When he came out and saw that it was Yan Shouyu, he immediately smiled and walked quickly to the door, "Young Master is here, why are you here so late? You didn't even let me give you a lecture, so that I can wait for you to come."

Mother Shi walked to the door and saw Yuan Jiuer standing at the door. She asked again, "What is this?"

Yan Shouyu touched his head and tried to cover up for her, but he didn't say it directly. Instead, he said, "The surname is Yuan, and the name is Jiuer. Mom, boil two buckets of hot water and clean her up."

Mother Shi used to be a servant in the Duke Dingguo's mansion, also in Yan Shouyu's courtyard. But because she was too honest, she was bullied by the old woman that Shi Qiuwu brought with her to marry into the family. When Yan Shouyu was not around, she was driven out.

It was later that she met Yan Shouyu again. Yan Shouyu knew that she had no children and her husband had died, so he settled her here to guard the door for him.

Mother Shi has always believed in Yan Shouyu as her master, so when Yan Shouyu didn't say anything, she was smart enough not to ask any more questions.

Instead, he quickly asked Yuan Jiuer to come in. "It's windy outside. Please come in quickly. It's pitiful. On such a day, such a pretty girl is tossing around like a beggar."

With Shi's mother taking care of her, Yan Shouyu went to the main room to light a tea.

Mother Shi went to the kitchen to boil water, while Yuan Jiuer sat on a stool beside the stove and talked to her.

Mother Shi usually guards the house alone, and there is no one to talk to her. Seeing Yuan Jiuer like this, she felt distressed and also liked her, so she started chatting with her.

When the water boiled, Mother Shi became hesitant again.

Yuan Jiuer was about to ask her what was wrong, but Mother Shi put down the stove cloth in her hand, wiped her hands, and said, "Madam Yuan, wait for me here first."

Yuan Jiuer looked puzzled and followed Shi Mama out. She saw that Shi Mama was heading towards the main room.

Mother Shi went to the main room. Yuan Jiuer knew that she was not clean and was embarrassed to follow her, so she waited here.

Mother Shi really went to look for Yan Shouyu. When she arrived at the main room, Yan Shouyu was sitting under the lamp, drinking tea, eating and reading a book by himself.

Hearing Mother Shi's voice, Yan Shouyu raised his head and asked her what was wrong.

Mother Shi said, "Sir, I don't know who Madam Yuan is, so I have to ask her."

"There is a bathtub in the main room. You can also wash in the kitchen, but you have to use a wooden bucket. It doesn't matter to an old woman like me, but for a young lady like Yuan, I can't make up my mind."

Mother Shi said hesitantly.

The reason why she couldn't make up her mind was that if this Madam Yuan was someone the young master knew, then she would have to be treated as a guest, but the bathtub in the main room was strictly guarded, so she couldn't make the decision on her own.

If she was an unimportant person, then having a place for her to bathe would be enough. But Mother Shi was soft-hearted, and seeing Yuan Jiuer's look, she felt a little bit reluctant.

That's why I came here to ask.

"Mom is thoughtful."

Yan Shouyu was just a rough man, and indeed not as thoughtful as Shi Mama, so he didn't think about these things.

They were marching and fighting, so they could wash anywhere, even in the river, so for a moment, they didn't think there was anything wrong with letting Yuan Jiuer wash in the bathtub.

Then he said, "Mom, carry her here. I'll go to the east wing."