Misty Rain of the Old Times

Chapter 25 Little People

At noon, someone came to inform Chen Xuan to go for lunch. The person who came was not Wang Hai, but Xiaojuan, the maid who had ridden in the same car with him in the morning.

She is in her early twenties, about 1.6 meters tall, with a round face and big eyes, and she looks pretty when she smiles.

"Xuan'er, during the two days on the boat, you need to go to the first floor to eat morning, noon and evening. You are still young, so you probably won't understand the approximate time even if I tell you. Anyway, when you hear the sound of people eating downstairs, you can go there. Remember, the meal time is only half an hour. If you go late, you will have to wait for the next meal. You can't blame others if you are hungry," Xiaojuan reminded when they went downstairs.

Chen Xuan nodded and said, "Yes, I'll remember it. Thank you, Sister Xiaojuan."

With so many people on the boat and three meals a day, even a wealthy family can't afford it. Chen Xuan's understanding of the Gao family deepened through the daily details.

"What are you thanking me for? I just wanted to remind you of something. But Xuan Ge'er is really polite and very likable," Xiaojuan said with a smile, her eyelashes curved.

Soon they arrived at the dining area. Maids, servants and guards were already eating in groups, sitting around different tables according to their division of labor.

The food was placed on the table, it was quite rich, with four dishes and one soup, meat dishes, and vegetables full of oil.

They ate very quietly, with only the sound of dishes and chopsticks colliding, and no one spoke.

When they entered, Xiaojuan whispered, "Try not to talk while eating. It's a rule not to talk while eating and not to talk while sleeping. Although there's no clear rule, if you make noise, outsiders will think our Gao family has no rules and will be punished for bringing shame to the Gao family. Just add as much as you can eat, don't waste it. We servants won't be treated unfairly, and everyone will eat their fill."

"Okay, I understand," Chen Xuan nodded softly.

I quickly glanced around and there was no table with children at all.

"Come with me and eat with us. The boys are eating so fast that you won't be able to snatch food from them," Xiaojuan said with a smile. She led Chen Xuan to the maid's table and brought him bowls and chopsticks for more rice.

Chen Xuan knew several of the people here, but after Xiaojuan's reminder, Chen Xuan became quiet and kept silent during the meal.

Soon, he noticed that Xiaojuan frequently looked to the side while eating, while the other women at the table occasionally showed playful and joking smiles, which made Chen Xuan a little confused.

After eating and drinking, Chen Xuan doesn't need to clean up the meal. You can just go for a walk on the deck to digest the food. There is no rule that prohibits going to the deck, so just don't prohibit it.

The ship had already left the dock. In the distance, there were continuous green mountains and fertile fields on both sides of the river. As the boat sailed in the middle of the river, farmers could vaguely be seen busy in the fields.

The area for activities on the deck was not very large. The guards were guarding every direction diligently. No one was familiar with anyone and there was no one to talk to. After enjoying the river breeze for a while, Chen Xuan felt bored and planned to return to his room.

However, when he was going upstairs, he saw Xiaojuan and a guard whispering in the corner. He didn't know what they were talking about, but after a while she left shyly, holding up her skirt.

Just as he was curious, Guoguo, the maid who had been riding with him that morning, appeared beside Chen Xuan. She looked in Xiaojuan's direction and jokingly said, "Xuan'er, you have a hobby of eavesdropping at such a young age?"

"Sister Guoguo, you misunderstood. I didn't eavesdrop. I just happened to see it by accident," Chen Xuan quickly argued.

She covered her mouth and said: "Okay, I'm just joking with you, don't take it seriously"

Then she winked and said, "Don't be surprised. Xiaojuan has been betrothed to Guard Niu with the Madam's permission. They will be married next month. Although everything is simple, they will have someone to rely on in the future and have something to look forward to. So it's not surprising that the couple is talking about private things."

This is what love is like. No wonder Xiaojuan looked absent-minded during the meal, and the others also looked amused, wondering whether they were envious or looking forward to what kind of person their future partner would be.

"Oh, you won't understand even if I tell you this. When you grow up, take good care of the young master. Maybe if Madam is happy, she'll find you a good wife. Okay, go have fun. I have to get busy too." Before Chen Xuan could say anything, Guoguo patted his head and walked away with a gentle steps. It was just a little gossip that Chen Xuan found quite normal.

It was probably a common practice in wealthy families to pair maids with guards or servants, and the offspring they gave birth to would, as expected, still be servants, known as house-born children.

It’s a bit sad to say, because the fate of the offspring of such a union is almost determined from the moment they are born.

Perhaps only those servants who are favored or have made contributions will be released from their status as slaves when they reach a certain age, leave their master's house and find a good family to start a family. How they live is their own business. At that time, there may still be a trace of affection for the master, and when they are in real trouble, they may get some help by going to the master's house.

After returning to the room, Chen Xuan became idle again.

It's a bit funny to say. He was obviously a servant bought by someone, and it was normal for him to be treated like a slave, but at the moment he was the one with the most free time.

I don’t know what the road ahead holds, so I’ll just wait and see.

Time passed quietly. In the afternoon and evening, Chen Xuan would go downstairs to eat when he heard the sound of bowls. No one came to disturb him.

After dinner, it was already dark and a bright moon rose in the sky, like a jade plate hanging in the sky.

Coming to the deck, feeling the cool night breeze from the river, he felt temporarily settled and his mood calmed down. Looking at the bright moon in the sky, Chen Xuan couldn't help but feel some unspeakable emotions in his heart.

'The moon in the water is the moon in the sky, but the people here are not from their hometown'

Everything in this world is unfamiliar to Chen Xuan, and he has no sense of belonging. Even if he temporarily accepts his current fate, it is only because of the instinctive desire to survive. As for lofty ideals, he has no such ideals for the time being. Who can predict what will happen in the future?
To be realistic, in the past Chen Xuan was destined to be a worker. He was used to following orders and doing things, living a simple life. Occasionally he would eat some skewers and drink some beer, watch some short videos and laugh heartily, or shed a few tears when being cheated. He didn't have to think too much. But if he were to plan his own future, he would become confused.

"Xiao Xuan, how do you feel about this day? Are you used to it? Has anyone bullied you?"

When Chen Xuan was lost in thought, a gentle voice sounded beside him.

Chen Xuan reacted and looked at the housekeeper He who had come to his side without knowing when, bowed his head slightly and said: "Greetings, housekeeper He"

"There's no need to be like this. Don't be so restrained. Let's just chat casually. You haven't answered my question yet," Butler He smiled as he gently touched Chen Xuan's head, his eyes also looking at the bright moon in the sky.

His attitude towards me is really different from that of others. Could it be that my guess is correct?
As long as he works as a servant honestly, when the young master whom he has never met takes over the family business in the future, can he replace Housekeeper He as the housekeeper?
So this was also a silent advance gesture of goodwill? After all, if it was really as he thought, and he had offended him severely now, was he worried that he would settle the score in the future, causing him sadness in his later years?

After all, Chen Xuan is not a real child, so it is inevitable that he will make a lot of associations because of some small things. To put it bluntly, his head is full of random thoughts and nothing can be counted.

"Fortunately, I have never experienced such a day. No one bullies me and everyone is very friendly to me," Chen Xuan answered truthfully.

Nodding, Butler He said, "That's good. You don't have to worry about anything for the next two days. Just get used to it. When you return home, you won't be able to be so idle anymore. You need to do your duty as a book boy."

Sooner or later, things will have to be faced, but Chen Xuan really didn't understand anything. He hesitated and asked, "Butler He, what should I do when the time comes?"

With a smile, Butler He said, "Don't worry, take your time. I can give you a rough description now. You're still young, so you don't have to memorize it too hard. Someone will be specially assigned to take care of you for a while later..."

(End of this chapter)