books44 Chapter 233: Starving
Chapter 233: Starving
Ding Xiang immediately pretended to slap herself on the mouth and said in a panic, "It was my fault, Madam Xiao, please don't blame me."
Seeing her like that, Xiao Chuchu smiled softly, clapped her hands, then stood up and walked towards the main house. As she walked, she said, "Okay, you should go back too. After all, you are from Youlian Courtyard. How can you serve the master if you come to my place all day long?"
Ding Xiang felt a little disappointed after hearing this, but she still concealed the emotion in her eyes, bowed respectfully, and replied, "I will go back right away."
Just as he was about to leave, he heard Xiao Chuchu's voice again, "Peony, see Miss Dingxiang off for me."
Dingxiang was delighted again. As Shaoyao just walked out of the door of Haitang Courtyard, she stuffed a piece of silver into her hand.
"Sister Shaoyao? What's this?" Dingxiang's face was full of excitement, and there was a full two taels of silver in her hand!
Shaoyao patted her hands and said in a soothing tone, "Aunt Xiao knows what you mean, but it's not the right time yet. When the time is right, Aunt Xiao will transfer you to our Haitang Courtyard. Just be at ease and wait patiently."
Ding Xiang smiled like a flower, "Then I can only wait for the day when I can serve Aunt Xiao with you."
"It will be soon. It won't take long. You can go back now."
After watching Dingxiang leave happily, Shaoyao showed a disdainful expression and snorted contemptuously, then returned to Aunt Xiao's room.
"Master, the new concubine is obviously disliked by the general. Do we still need to go to such great lengths to plant spies?"
Aunt Xiao took off the gold hairpins and step-shakes on her head one by one, placed them on the dressing table, and sighed, "You don't understand men's minds. The more you blame them, the more you love them. What will happen in the future is still unknown!"
It was she who organized the concubine's wedding in Shangjing City that day. The general told her, "Make it a grand ceremony, no matter how much money it costs, it must be a grand ceremony." Her heart sank at that moment, as she had a premonition that this new concubine would directly threaten her position in the general's mansion.
But who could have thought that after just one night, the general never entered the new concubine's room again.
Everyone thought that the new concubine had done something wrong to make the general dislike her, but she always felt that things couldn't be that simple. How could he treat her so well in the beginning, and abandon her like a worn-out shoe in just one night?
A few days later, at noon that day, Yingniang looked at the obviously rotten food in the lunch box and sighed helplessly. After all, she was afraid that the food would go bad and affect the fetus in her belly, so she endured the hunger in her stomach and did not eat a single bite.
When Ding Xiang came to get the food box, she looked at the untouched food, sneered, and said sarcastically, "Oh, Auntie, are you not satisfied with the meal I brought? In the current situation of our courtyard, it's good enough to have something to eat, so don't be picky!"
Yingniang frowned slightly and said with a breath, "I'm not hungry today."
"Since my aunt is not hungry, I will not go to the kitchen to get her food tonight, so as to avoid being looked down upon." Ding Xiang raised her chin and said with a hint of provocation. After that, she carried the food box, lifted the curtain and left the room without even looking back, omitting even the basic greetings.
Yingniang clenched her teeth tightly, trying to hold back the tears that were about to burst out, and her heart was filled with sadness.
After she calmed down, she stood up, walked to the bed, and gently stroked the two handkerchiefs she had embroidered all night, with a hint of reluctance in her eyes.
Then, she carefully took out the little silver she had left from the drawer, counted out half a dozen coins, turned around and walked out of the house.
At this time, Ding Xiang was standing in the yard, pouring the leftovers into the swill bucket. As she was pouring, she kept complaining: "Do you really think you are a delicate and precious master? Ugh!"
When he was halfway through his words, he saw a pretty figure standing in front of him. He looked up and saw that it was the master he was insulting. However, he was not afraid at all and continued with what he was doing, pretending not to see Yingniang.
Yingniang pretended not to hear and said humbly, "Miss Dingxiang, I want to ask you for a favor. This half a pound of silver is your reward for your hard work."
Ding Xiang put down the bowl and plate in her hand, looked at the half pound of silver, and thought to herself that he was really poor and petty, but at least it was half a pound of silver, and it was better to have it than not have anything. "What's the matter?"
Yingniang handed over the two handkerchiefs and a hundred coins in her hand, saying, "I cannot leave the house at will. When you leave the house, please sell these two handkerchiefs for some silver."
Ding Xiang took the handkerchief and saw that the embroidery on it was indeed exquisite. She was moved and agreed, "I'll try, but I can't guarantee how much money I can get from it!"
Yingniang nodded and said, "Just sell it, no matter how much silver you get." She knew that Dingxiang would definitely take a lot of the money from selling the handkerchief, but she had no other choice but to embroider a few more handkerchiefs in the future.
"Miss Dingxiang, do you know when to collect the monthly salary from my aunt?" Yingniang thought that if she collected the monthly salary, she could hold on for a few more days.
Ding Xiang looked away and lowered her eyes, and said unnaturally, "Aunt Xiao will send it out at the beginning of the month, I don't know which day it will be."
Yingniang did not doubt him. Calculating that there were only two days left until the first day of the new year, she became a little excited and a smile unconsciously appeared on her face.
When Ding Xiang raised her eyes again, she was dazzled by the smile for a moment, thinking to herself, she is really pretty. She had heard that this aunt was a courtesan in a brothel before, and she only thought she was a dull beauty before, but she didn't expect that she would be so charming when she smiled. She was indeed a courtesan, but she didn't know why the general disliked her.
"Miss Dingxiang, why don't you tell me where the kitchen is? I won't bother you to get food for me anymore. I have nothing to do, so I can go there myself."
Ding Xiang came back to her senses and said impatiently, "How can that be possible? How can a concubine go to get food by herself? If people find out, they will definitely say that I am lazy and don't serve the master."
The smile on Yingniang's face flashed away, and she spoke carefully, "Then... I'll have to trouble you to get me some food tonight. I don't need any delicacies, just simple food. But no leftovers. It's hot, and it's not good to get an upset stomach."
Ding Xiang didn't know whether she felt guilty or had taken advantage of her, so she didn't say anything this time. She just responded calmly, "I know."