488 My Jiaojiao (1)
After the tribute banquet, the capital was still lively. In order to entertain the nobles from the Daliang Dynasty and the State of Qin, the streets looked much more prosperous than before. The royal family of Ming Qi wanted to paint a picture of prosperity for others to see.
In the Shen family, the servants in the Autumn Water Garden were talking about something new.
“Who exactly is that new girl in the mansion? Why is Third Madam treating her so nicely?”
“Could she be someone noble?”
An old woman in a green robe said in a low voice, “I heard that this girl’s father used to be especially close to the old general. Back then, he even took a knife for the old general and almost died…”
A young maid quickly covered her mouth and said in surprise, “No wonder this girl is treated as a distinguished guest.”
“She said she’s here to seek refuge because something unfortunate happened to her family. From the looks of it, Third Madam wants to take good care of this girl.”
“Taking care of her? Now that the Shen family itself is struggling to make ends meet, why do they want a freeloader? It’s better to send her away as soon as possible.”
As soon as she said that, the surroundings fell silent. Now, on the surface, the Shen family looked good, but the servants knew very well that ever since Shen Xin split up from the family, the money had become much scarcer. Even the monthly salary of the servants had decreased a lot.
“I wonder why Third Madam is so generous to that girl this time,” someone said in confusion.
In the Autumn Water Garden, Ren Wanyun was sitting in the room. She pushed the teacup in front of her to the girl opposite her and smiled. “It’s a new tea. Miss Chang, try it.”
The girl sitting opposite her was wearing an emerald green dress. There was no top-grade embroidery on the dress. This dress was very simple and the color was very loud. If this dress was worn by someone else, they might look like a country girl. However, when it was worn by the girl, it actually made her look very pleasing to the eye.
This girl looked to be in her early twenties. Her clothes and hair accessories were very simple, and she was very gentle. Most importantly, she had a strong scholarly aura. One look and one could tell that she was raised by a scholarly family and had a good upbringing.
Seeing that Chen Ruoqiu was enthusiastic, the girl did not refuse. She picked up the teacup and took a sip. She smiled and said, “The tea is extremely light, but it’s fragrant and rich. Madam, you’re also outstanding at making tea.”
“Miss Qing, do you also know about tea-making?” Chen Ruoqiu smiled even wider. “Tea-making is the best form of art, but very few young girls like you know it these days.”
The girl smiled. “Madam, you’re right. Tea-making is the best form of art. But Madam, don’t make fun of me. I’m 26 years old now. How can I be considered a young girl?”
“You are 26 years old?” Chen Ruoqiu exclaimed, “Looking at you, I thought you were in your early 20s. However, that’s good. You have the face of a girl in her early 20s and the temperament of a girl in her late 20s. It’s really rare.”
The girl in green in front of Chen Ruoqiu was the person who came to seek refuge yesterday. Her name was Chang Zaiqing. Her father, Chang Hu, was once a subordinate of Old General Shen. Back then, he took a knife for Old General Shen on the battlefield and got injured. From then on, he could no longer go to the battlefield. Chang Hu’s family was supported by Chang Hu alone. Old General Shen felt guilty, so he had been using money to help them in private. At that time, Chang Zaiqing was still young, but Shen Xin was already old enough to start a family. Old General Shen even joked that he wanted Chang Ziqing to be his daughter-in-law. However, before he could see Shen Xin marry, Old General Shen passed away. Because no one knew that Old General Shen was secretly helping Chang Hu’s family, the Chang family and the Shen family stopped contacting each other after that.
