Full House Spring

Chapter 23 Life is like grass
She looked at Xiao Fengxianer with deep and sharp eyes.

Although Xia Li is not very old, his words and deeds reveal a calmness and decisiveness beyond his age, which should not be underestimated.

Just when Xiao Fengxian was a little exhausted, Xia Li finally nodded in agreement. She reached out to take the earrings, looked at them for a while, put them in her purse, and said in a deep voice:

"I've done you this favor. If you dare to play tricks, I'll make sure you die miserably."

Xiao Fengxian'er smiled bitterly with a pale face, "Girl, in my current situation... I don't know whether I can live until tomorrow..."

Xia Li is not a person with overflowing compassion. No matter what happens, she must first protect herself and then talk about other things.

She asked again: "Have you thought about asking to see the old lady?"

Xiao Fengxian nodded without hesitation. Xia Li said solemnly, "In that case, I will take you to see Aunt Xie first."

Xiao Fengxian had sung for the old lady before, so she knew Aunt Xie. She struggled to stand up and went out with Xia Li.

At this moment, the noise outside the courtyard was getting louder and louder. Nanny Xie was in the room with candlelight illuminating her. She must have been woken up by the noise outside. Xia Li knocked on the door gently and called in a low voice:
"It's me, Grandma. Please open the door. I have something important to discuss with you."

Aunt Xie opened the door wearing a jacket and her hair loose. She frowned and asked calmly, "What's going on outside?"

Xia Li shook his head and led Xiao Fengxian into her room first. Looking at the embarrassed woman in front of her, Aunt Xie recognized who she was at a glance. She had a serious expression and her eyes were cold. She pulled Xia Li behind her and scolded, "How dare the actors from Jixiang Garden enter Leshou Hall without permission? Is the housekeeper dead?"

Aunt Xie has been with the old lady in charge of the household for many years and she is very dignified. Xiao Fengxianer can behave herself in front of Xia Li, but she dare not be presumptuous in front of Aunt Xie. She kneels down and explains the whole story with a trembling voice.

Aunt Xie listened expressionlessly. After she finished speaking, she did not respond in a hurry. Instead, she turned to Xia Li and warned her, "Next time you encounter something like this, don't put yourself in danger. Your life is more valuable than hers."

Xia Li smiled and said obediently, "I will listen to Grandma. I won't meddle in other people's business next time."

Madam Xie nodded slightly and said in a gentle tone, "Go back to your room and rest first. Don't worry about what happens next. I will take care of it."

Xia Li felt very uncomfortable when she saw her grandma's tired face. She didn't say much and obediently turned back to her room. Instead of wasting time talking nonsense that had no practical meaning, it would be better to let her deal with it as soon as possible.

After returning to the room, Xia Li simply washed up and lay down on the bed to rest. There was gradually no sound outside. She thought that her grandma must have gone out to say hello. It was still unknown whether the old lady would make a decision for Xiao Fengxianer, but she must have no good impression of this girl. Thinking about it, she fell asleep...

The next morning, Xia Li was awakened by the rustling sound of leaves in the wind. She got up, quickly dressed herself, and went to work.

Everything in the main room was still calm, as if nothing had happened last night. Xia Li had just finished making tea in the tea room when Yin Zhu walked in.

She was quick-witted and picked up the teacup on the table, saying proudly:

"It's better to come at the right time than to come early. Today I'm here to serve tea to the old lady. You just stay in the tea room and don't come out and make trouble."

Xia Li didn't want to show off her presence in front of the old lady every day, so she didn't argue with her. Instead, Yin Chen, who came with her, said like a peacemaker:
"Xia Li, don't mind it. Yin Zhu has no ill intentions. She is just like that. It's the same for you two to take turns serving tea to the old lady."

Xia Li had heard her grandmother talk about Yinchen, who was timid and cowardly and was a fussy person. She smiled and said, "The errand should be arranged by Aunt Xie. When did I have to listen to you?"

Yinchen's face froze, and she stammered, "That's not what I meant. I just don't want you two to quarrel..."

Xia Li disdains to do things that bully others, she said calmly:

"Yin Zhu wants to serve tea to the old lady, so she can go ahead. Someone has to do this job anyway, so why should I argue with her?"

Yin Zhu held the teacup in his hand and showed no appreciation, "Alright, you're the only one who talks too much. Go do what you need to do and stop looking for trouble."

In the end, it was Yinchen's fault. Xia Li continued to fan the stove to boil water and ignored the two of them. Yinzhu saw Xia Li's indifferent expression and suddenly felt half less happy. She went out with the teacup, not knowing what Xia Li was up to.

At this moment, the main room was very quiet. Bai Shao and Qian Cao helped the old lady get dressed. Chan Yi brought hot water. Shi Mi dipped the toothbrush in the toothpaste made by Xia Li's recipe. The old lady took over and brushed her teeth and rinsed her mouth. After wiping her face clean, Shi Mi spoke:

"This toothpaste is really good. Not only are the old lady's teeth much whiter, but her breath is also so fresh. She hasn't had any toothache for several days."

Seeing the old lady's unhappy face, Aunt Xie knew that she was angry because of what happened last night, so she said calmly, "It's fine as long as you use it, old lady. You need to apply more of this facial cream, the wind will dry your face too much."

Shi Mi sighed softly. She had also been serving the old lady for many years, so it was better for her to speak less at this time. The two of them helped the old lady sit in front of the dressing table. Shi Mi gently combed her hair for her. The old lady had a gloomy face and remained silent.

Yin Zhu lifted the curtain and came in with a teacup, then carefully handed it to the old lady. The old lady took a sip and immediately spat it out, angrily saying, "This tea is cold, how can you drink it? How do you do your job?"

Yin Zhu knelt down with weak legs, kowtowed and said, "Old lady, calm down. This tea was brewed by Xia Li. I was just bringing it here. I didn't know..."

As soon as she said this, Aunt Xie scolded with a serious face:

"You can't do your job well, so don't come and talk to others. Even if it was Xia Li who made the tea, why did you bring it to her? She doesn't have legs herself."

Yin Zhu was a little anxious, and looked at Chan Yi for help. Chan Yi turned her head away slightly. The old lady didn't have the patience to listen to her explanation, and said coldly: "Go outside and kneel down. You are all rebellious, you fools!"

Yin Zhu's face turned pale and she dared not argue. She hunched over and climbed to walk out. Aunt Xie comforted her at the right time, "Master, don't be upset. If a girl is disobedient, just punish her. It's not worth getting angry."

The old lady's pupils suddenly shrank, her brows full of disgust, she yelled:

"They are just some low-class bitches. They seduced my son and made him lose his mind to do serious things. Now she pretends to be chaste. It's really unreasonable."

Madam Xie kept trying to calm her down. The maids in the room were silent. Chan Yi quietly left and headed straight for the tea room. When she passed by the small window, she saw Xia Li was happily brewing tea. Chan Yi's eyes flashed with anger, and she said indignantly, "You cheated Yin Zhu to bring the cold tea to the old lady. What was your intention?"

Xia Li raised his eyebrows slightly and said in a calm tone, "I'm afraid Sister Chanyi doesn't know. When Sister Yinzhu came over just now, she picked up the teacup and went to serve tea to the old lady without giving me a chance to speak. If you don't believe me, you can ask Sister Yinchen."

Yinchen, who had not left the tea room, did not know what had happened. She replied subconsciously, "It was indeed Yinzhu who brought the teacup herself. Xia Li did nothing."

Chan Yi didn't believe Xia Li was innocent. She sneered and said in a bad tone, "I know you are a smart person. If you had reminded her just now, Yin Zhu would not have been punished. We are all maids serving the master. Why do we have to quarrel with each other?"

Xia Li stood up and said calmly, "Sister Chan Yi's words are so unreasonable. I was doing my job quietly, but she took the teacup and rushed to serve tea to the old lady. She is so arrogant that she is bullying me. Should I repay evil with kindness and give a kind reminder?"

Chan Yi was speechless, Xia Li sneered, "If she didn't have bad intentions, she wouldn't be punished. I don't take the initiative to bully others, but if anyone wants to step on me to climb up, that's not allowed. Sister Chan Yi is angry, and I'm afraid she has found the wrong person to vent her anger on."

As soon as Xia Li finished speaking, Qiancao came in. She seemed to have heard nothing and ignored the two people's argument. She just said to the three people with a serious face: "The old lady asked all the servants in the mansion to go to the front yard to watch the execution."

Xia Li's expression changed almost instantly, and she asked back, "Who is going to be punished?"

Qiancao shook her head and sighed, "I heard that it was the actress Xiao Fengxianer raised by Jixiang Garden. She was originally a plaything raised by the mansion. I don't know what she did wrong to anger the old lady and the second master, so she ended up like this."

Xia Li had a cold face. She thought that even if the old lady didn't make the decision for Xiao Fengxian'er, at least she wouldn't let her die. She didn't expect the reality to be so cruel. She said in a dry voice, "Sister Qiancao, I'm a little scared. Can I not go to watch the execution?"

Qiancao said helplessly: "I'm afraid that won't work. This is the old lady's order, saying that all the maids in the mansion should learn a lesson from it."

Chan Yi and Yin Chen did not react much, as if this matter was nothing serious. Qian Cao held Xia Li's hand and comforted him as they walked: "If you are really scared, just close your eyes and it will pass. We will just do our job and not have so many small thoughts. We will not be punished."

Xia Li nodded absentmindedly in agreement. She only felt that the earrings hanging around her waist were weighing her down so much that she couldn't straighten her back.

By the time they arrived at the front yard, there were already several circles of people surrounding it inside and outside. The one in charge was the head of the outer courtyard. Xiao Fengxian was lying on a stool with her head drooping, looking like she was breathing more than she was taking in. She must have suffered again last night.

The head of the family raised his hand to signal for everyone to be quiet, and then he said in a loud voice: "According to the old lady's order, this actor who seduced the master and caused trouble in the mansion must be beaten to death with sticks to serve as a warning to others."

As soon as he said this, the servants who were watching began to talk about it.

"What's going on? This little Fengxian has such a good figure and can sing better than the opera troupes outside, why is she being beaten to death?"

"What a pity. I bought him and brought him back to the mansion to train him since he was young. Now that I can finally use him, he got into trouble again."

"I heard that you angered the Second Master. You are just a lowly actor. If the Master wants you, you should give it to him. But you want to deliberately use Qiao..."

Xia Li stood in the crowd, hearing all kinds of unbearable discussions. She watched the board being raised high and hitting Xiao Fengxian'er hard again and again. She could not make any other sound except screaming, and soon there was no movement.

The beating of the board on her body did not stop until her entire lower body was covered in a glaring red.

Xia Li didn't know how she got back. She remained calm and took out the carved candied fruits spread on the bamboo plate to dry in the sun. She turned them over one by one. Aunt Xie came over with a gloomy face.

Seeing Xia Li's distracted look, she walked up to him and said, "Don't be too sad. This is not your fault."

Xia Li's face was filled with sadness. She said helplessly, "If I hadn't looked for the old lady last night and let her sneak out of the house, would she not have died here?"

Madam Xie shook her head and said in a gentle voice, "Xiao Fengxian'er can't escape. Even if she does, she will die sooner or later. The Duke's Mansion is not a small family. It's too easy to catch an actor."

Xia Li's expression was blank for a moment. She said foolishly, "The old lady has a kind face and recites sutras and chants Buddha's name all day long. How could she have the heart to do this?"

Aunt Xie looked at her with a complicated look. Although Xia Li was extremely intelligent, she did not fully understand the unbearable nature of human beings. She patted the back of Xia Li's hand and said earnestly, "You must remember that the old lady is the master who can control your life and death. Even if she was joking with you the moment before, if you annoy her, she can kill you the next moment. Reciting scriptures and chanting Buddha's name is just to make her feel at ease."

Aunt Xie had served the old lady all her life and never dared to be careless in front of her. Xia Li seemed to have just realized the reality. She said with a pale face: "Grandma, in the eyes of these nobles, our lives are like grass and not worth mentioning."

Madam Xie sighed with some distress, "So if you want to leave the mansion, I agree. Don't test the old lady's bottom line easily in the future. Just do your job well and do things within your ability. Do you understand?"

Xia Li wanted to live longer, so she nodded slightly and said, "Don't worry, Grandma. I will be careful with my words and actions in the future and do my job. I will never do anything unnecessary."

Aunt Xie was very pleased. She had lived for most of her life and had seen too many people and things, so she understood what was most important at the moment.

Xiao Fengxian'er's life was gone, and she didn't know if she would ever be able to return her earring to her brother. Xia Li didn't plan to tell Aunt Xie about this, and only frowned and asked, "Grandma, where should Xiao Fengxian'er's body be buried?"

Madam Xie didn't understand what he meant, and said calmly, "For someone of her status, she would just be sent to a mass grave with a roll of tattered mats, and buried in a hastily dug grave. Why are you asking this?"

Xia Li said seriously, "After all, I knew her. I couldn't help her when she was alive, but after she died, I should at least do something to help her rest in peace."

Since the person was dead, there would be no trouble. Aunt Xie did not object. She said, "Then go to the front yard and ask. I'm afraid the body will be sent away soon."

Xia Li didn't dare to delay and ran out. After asking around, she found out that the matter was handed over to Manager Chai. She hurried and finally caught up with them before they left the house.

Manager Chai had some friendship with her, so he would not refuse her request.

Xia Li paid an extra two taels of silver to buy a thin coffin for Xiao Fengxianer, and then found a beautiful place to bury her, and the matter was settled.

(End of this chapter)