box of hearts

Chapter 22 Suo Nanzhi (3)
"Mom!" Qingtian stopped in front of Second Sister Duan and tried to persuade him, "Mom, why bother to get so angry? The newcomer is ignorant, so if he makes a mistake, hit him or her twice. Set up the rules and we'll be done. Who hasn't been beaten? When did you get so serious about it?"

Second Sister Duan glared at Zhaohua, who was half-hanging under the beam, and the scarlet tiger[1] on her head was swaying, "I can forgive myself for other mistakes, but I can't do this one. Good girl, this one Don't worry about the matter, if I don't beat her to death with my own hands today, she won't be named Duan! Uncle Jiu, gag the mouth of this little bastard!"

"Wait!" Qing Tian stopped the turtle slave, while holding the second sister in his arms, he took out the handkerchief to lightly smear the sweat on her face, "Mom, how much did you pay for this girl? "

"Don't mention it, it hurts when I mention it, it's a total of 400 taels. It only cost me 50 taels of silver to buy your baby bump back then. I thought this little girl was cute and played well, so I didn't think she was old. Big, bought her for such a huge price. I originally expected to promote her and make her a celebrity, but who would have thought that this slut who doesn't know what to do—"

"Okay, mom, calm down, you see, she knows she's wrong, so just let her go. Or the 400 taels of silver wasted in vain, and it's heartbreaking, isn't it?"

"No matter how painful it is, my dear girl, you don't know how powerful this is. This bitch offended the Immortal Baimei, and the Immortal blamed it. He either caused the girls to have troubles, or induced the guests to change jobs. When the time comes Saying 400 taels of silver, there is no need to play for four taels, we all have to drink the northwest wind. Only by beating this bitch to death in front of the Daxian can the Daxian's anger be calmed down and this disaster will be eliminated."

"Mom, are you going to kill her today?"

"Be sure to kill her."

Duixia who was behind threw her scallion and yellow beanie on her body, squinted her eyes, and said coldly around the tree three times, "You see, sister, it's not that we don't persuade you, it's really self-inflicted, and you can't live."

Zhaohua was so frightened that she was completely pale. She rubbed her toes several times, as if she wanted to retreat, but she was only hung by the rope and dripped in the same place. After the knife flower is only waiting for the fish to be served.She burst into tears, fixed her eyes on Qingtian, and there was foam bubbling from the corner of her mouth, "Sister, sister help me! Sister help me, I don't want to die! I beg my sister, help me!"

The shrill cry startled Fengqin and covered her ears and hid her under Diexian's skirt. Diexian hugged her with one hand and fiddled with a flat gold hairpin and clove pendant on her temples with the other hand. The hairpin has nothing to do with her. hang there high. "Don't worry, no one can save you."

Blood-red tears flowed down Zhaohua's cheeks, she looked at Qingtian sadly, and there was a whoo-ho in her throat.Qingtian looked back at her, with such outstanding beauty and youth, it was hard to avoid being an eyesore in this world where beauty and youth make a living.And in this kind of world, she has also hardened her heart early, and she doesn't feel much pity for this girl. She has seen people and things that are much more tragic than that-she herself is the witness.Qingtian's only feeling is: it's not right to see this girl being beaten to death and doing nothing.

Then she thought about what to do.

He walked two steps forward, lit a stick of incense on the fire, knelt down on the futon in front of the statue with his hands in his hands, raised his eyes and raised his voice and said: "Grandpa Baimei, my female disciple Duan Qingtian sincerely wishes, today I will show you that the little maidservant Zhaohua has nothing to do." , Offend Grandpa, Grandpa is not to blame. Since then, Zhao Huayi's life and death, wealth and honor are only on the female disciples, and if there is a retribution accident, only the female disciples will be responsible. Grandpa Baimei is on top, and the female disciples worship him four times. "

Qingtian kowtowed to God Baimei, offered incense, turned around and looked at Second Sister Duan indifferently, "Mom, let him go."

The madam, Fentou, the teapot tortoise inside and outside the house, they all stared at Qingtian in shock, unable to figure out why this red-hot oiran had to stand up for a young prostitute whom she had never met before the wrath of God.As for Qingtian herself, she only had the urge to laugh, the snickering of a naughty, cheating child.

Everyone was deceived by her, even God was deceived, she, Duan Qingtian, was not afraid of any retribution at all.Because no matter how poisonous the retribution is, it is impossible for her to be more painful than the current days and nights—the days and nights of a dead soul whose heart has been buried in the ground, but whose body is forced to walk under the sun of the living. .

4.
The little shepherd Zhaohua put on her clothes again and sent her to the back building. The second sister Duan took back four hundred silver for nothing, and happily asked someone to wash her body for Zhaohua, and then put rice wine, safflower, peach kernels, etc. , Sumu and other blood-promoting medicines were taken with her.Although Zhaohua was seriously injured, she never moved her muscles and bones, so she will be raised for two days and she has acted as before. When she sees her second sister again, she is like a sheep and a wolf, and what to say.The second sister saw that Zhaohua was well-behaved, so she devoted herself to nurturing her. When she had free time, she would preach to her some prostitutes' charm tricks, and she would welcome guests as soon as she recovered.

Although Qingtian saved Zhaohua's life, there was no trace of what happened, and he didn't even visit her once.At noon on this day, Zhao Hua took the initiative to invite her to see her.Qingtian just stayed with Qiu Yushi and Qiu Jinqi all night, and he didn't bother to say anything, so he just told Mu Yun: "If she came to thank you, tell her not to."

Mu Yun turned around, came back and said with a smile: "This young lady is a little bit interesting. I want to thank you even if I say thank you, but I didn't come here just to say thank you. I also sincerely beg the girl to hear it."

Qing Tian was wearing a padded jacket on his upper body, and was sitting on the bedside changing strings for his pipa.She sighed, threw away the messy strings wrapped in her hand, "Bring her in."

Zhaohua entered the room, she was wearing a white porcelain dress, and a bright green gauze Bijia, with a circle of catkins embroidered on the neckline of Bijia.Qingtian remembered that this bijia was worn by Xizhu before, and Zhaohua's body was slightly fat when it was worn on, but she was so thin and sickly, which made her look even more pitiful.Zhaohua called "Sister", then moved her hands and stopped talking, just moved her eyes from side to side; the curved and long eyes almost opened from the root of her nose to her temples, like the opposite growth of a fern. leaf.

Then Qingtian waved his hand, and told all the servant girls in the house to quit.Unexpectedly, the door curtain was lowered, and Zhaohua also bowed her body with a "boom" and prayed several times, "Sister, good sister, thank you for your life-saving grace, I just ask my sister to save people to the end, and send Buddha to see you." To the west, please let me out of here! I beg my sister, I will never forget my sister’s great kindness in my life. If I have to get out of the tiger’s mouth, I will enshrine my sister’s longevity tablet, eat Changzhai for my sister for the rest of my life, and bless my sister with a long life. Years old, long life, I beg my sister..."

Qing Tian was not surprised when he saw this, he just casually took out a piece of Baise silk from his pillow and handed it over, "Talk slowly if you have something to say."

Zhaohua took the handkerchief, wiped her nose and eyes, and twitched, "Sister, I am originally from Datong, Shanxi. I am 14 years old this year. My parents went out to worship the temple last year. I didn't want to encounter a strong man on the road and kill the two elders. I A girl was alone at home, and only knew one uncle, so she went to join him. But the uncle got into a lawsuit again, and the aunt said that it would take thousands of dollars to pay the government to save her, and the family couldn't afford that much. Ask me if I am willing to give up my life. I am already living under someone else’s roof. How can I be willing to do this? Auntie found a matchmaker to come to my door within a few days. Saving my uncle's life was considered my good luck, so I didn't care about showing off my ugliness, and followed others' eyes. If I was asked to compose poetry, I would write poetry, and if I was asked to play the piano, I would play the piano, so I sold it for a hundred silver coins. You clearly said it well, you sold me to a family member in the capital as a concubine, but who would have kidnapped me here! Sister, I was originally a girl from a good family, but now I am far away from home and have no relatives or reasons. The men and women here They are all fierce like wolves and tigers, but you are the only one who has the heart of a bodhisattva. Good sister, who else can I ask if I don’t ask you? I only ask my sister to show mercy and let me go! Even if I die, I will never refuse. Do the trick here!..."

Zhaohua cried miserably, but Qingtian was only dull in his ears.She remembered that when she was first sold in, she was young and didn't understand anything, but she was terrified when she suddenly lost her mother.Later, every day, I practiced calligraphy and singing with several girls of similar age from morning till night, fell asleep when I was sleepy, and rubbed my eyes to start a new day in the midst of beating and scolding, and the days passed quickly.One day I finally understood what I was going to do in the future, and I didn't feel anything, as if I had been walking on a deserted and howling road. When I came to the end, I saw dead bodies and blood, so I wouldn't be surprised where I went.But the girl in front of me, at the age of 14, could write and paint, recite poems and play the piano. Her family background is not too bad.How many times have her flawless soles been stained with blood, and she walked a wild life in person?
Therefore, Qingtian understands all Zhaohua's grief and fear.

With just one word, she interrupted her crying: "Okay."

Even Zhaohua herself was dumbfounded by Qingtian's joy, she just knelt there blankly, still sobbing like hiccups.

Qingtian had stood up, reached out his hand to pick up a gauze with swirling branches and leaves from the hanger, and put it on, tied with auspicious cloud buttons one by one, "Get up, I will take you away, get up, Mu Yun! Mu Yun, you Ask outside to prepare a car. If Mom wants to ask, you just say that sister Zhaohua and I will go out for a walk."

The weather in early June is scorching, and there are white heat waves everywhere.The coachman was very surprised when he heard that Qingtian was going out at this time, and heard her say those words, "Girl, what are you going to do there?"

Qingtian put the silk fan in his hand halfway on his face to block the sunlight, only a thin straight silver ear string was exposed from under the fan.

"Go as long as you are told. Call Cao Wang'er to escort the car."

(End of this chapter)