A good omen for a good person

  Xian Yi quietly pulled open the curtains, gazing out at the slow-rising rain and furrowing her brow. This was absolutely not a good omen. The carriage hadn't even entered the Taoist temple before it was stopped on the side of the road. The voices coming from up ahead were completely different from when they were surrounded by refugees earlier. Before, it had been noisy and chaotic, but now it was eerily quiet, with only occasional whinnies from the horses and loud questioning from a man. Yun Shuang and Lu Shuang leaned against each other, not daring to speak much. Xue Shuang seemed to sense that something was off as well, tightly clinging to Xian Yi's side, holding a cup of hot water in her hand and taking small sips.

  After a while, it seemed that there were rough footsteps of servant girls coming and going outside. Xianyi moved over and leaned against the door to listen, but except for the complaints of these servant girls, she didn't understand anything else.

  "Are you refugees again?" Yun Shuang hesitated and asked.

  Xian Yi shook her head and said with a pretended air of ease, "Where did so many refugees come from? I suppose there's some routine inspection ahead. We encountered it last year too, no big deal."

  As soon as the words fell, Xianyi saw Lu Shuang and Yun Shuang secretly let out a sigh of relief.

  The rain grew denser and the carriage grew colder, just as Xian Yi was considering whether to get off and attend to the horses in front. At that moment, Chen Ayi opened the door of the carriage. Xian Yi took a look and saw that her mother's body had a layer of mist on it, and her hair was slightly disheveled. She couldn't help but take out a handkerchief and wipe it for her while saying: "Is there something that can't be said through the servant girls or by calling over one of the maidens to announce? Must you personally come over? We're not some kind of noble people after all."

  "They're all out for the first time, it's inevitable to be worried when they encounter such things, who is as calm as you." Chen's mother looked at her daughter with a calm face and no fear, couldn't help but smile, then held her daughter's hand, only after finding it wasn't cold did she say: "The madam's place is off-limits to you, the front is just for inspection, we're official relatives, they wouldn't dare do anything to us, but you can't run around randomly, it rained today and it's muddy road, what if someone bumps into you."

  The other three girls naturally responded, only Xianyi saw that the ones blocking the road were not simple, otherwise why didn't they see anyone setting up checkpoints last year? But now was not the time to ask more questions. Xianyi just smiled and promised, waiting until they arrived at the Taoist temple to investigate further with her mother. After saying this, Chen Ayi took a hand warmer and went to the front carriage, and it wasn't until about an hour later that the carriage slowly moved again. At this time, the sky had already passed noon, but the sun was hidden by thick clouds.

  The rest of the way was smooth, but from time to time, I could encounter a few scattered refugees, especially when I arrived in the suburbs of Beijing. Without lifting the curtain, I could hear the cries of refugees outside.

  By evening, the carriage finally passed through the gate and stopped in front of the mountain gate of Tianfeng Pavilion. Xianyi took out an oil umbrella from the carriage and led the other three people to get off quickly. They rushed to the first carriage, opened the door, and Chen Ayi came out. Xianyi held up the oil umbrella high, and the big lady walked out in simple clothes. Chen Ayi supported her as they walked towards the pavilion. Apart from Chen Ayi, Xianyi, and three second-class maids, two rough servant girls and two nannies followed behind, slowly moving the luggage of the last carriage into the pavilion. The big lady had arranged for a courtyard before departure, and due to today's delay, the original two-day journey would be extended to three days and two nights. Fortunately, everything was well-prepared, so they wouldn't be in a hurry.

  The Tian Gong Temple was originally just a small Taoist temple, but after thousands of years of evolution, it has slowly expanded to half the mountain, with nearly 60 large and small halls, not including the mountain houses and guest rooms. The scenery inside is not deliberately arranged, but it has become ancient and solemn due to the passage of time. Xian Yi had been here several times before, so she was familiar with it, and the courtyard they had set up was still the same as in previous years. With this familiarity, Xian Yi received the order from her mistress to take the maids to clean up the courtyard first, while Chen Mama would accompany the mistress to meet the abbot of the temple, as a sign of respect.

  It was said that a few young girls would go ahead, of course it was impossible for them to walk alone in the front, and several housekeeper wives who followed them also took some easy-to-carry things with them to the small courtyard, so as not to let Mrs. come back, the yard is still messy, even the bed and bathtub are prepared neatly. Entering the Taoist temple, walking inside, there are three roads that can be taken, one side is going to the Zhai Xing Hall of the master of the temple, one side is leading to the Jie Tai and Shan Fang of the disciples in the temple, and the other side is the courtyard where the immortal clothes are going to stay. The road was found, but due to the long distance, the carriage could not enter, and generally the soft sedan chairs were prepared for the ladies inside the temple, and then carried by their own rough-serving maids into the courtyard, which also saved trouble.

  As usual, the third daughter-in-law was not qualified to ride in a sedan chair. However, Xue Shuang was young and Xian Yi took her into the sedan chair just like her mother used to do with her. Fortunately, they were both small in stature and the rough servant girls had enough strength to carry them without appearing too tired. Only Yun Shuang and Lu Shuang, who were not very old, although they had suffered a lot before, but after being raised in the Jin Mansion for some time, and with the fine rain above and the muddy ground below, they followed behind with pale faces and gritted teeth.

  A group of people were carrying a sedan chair, bringing things quietly walking in the rainy night, until they turned into a predetermined courtyard, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Under the immortal clothes, the umbrella was brought into the courtyard with snow, and the rough maid and the daughter-in-law followed behind, sending large and small packages into the back room. The courtyard is not big, but it is clean and tidy, although the furniture inside is not expensive and simple, but due to its long history, it does not look cheap. The courtyard is divided into main rooms and side rooms, except for a small compartment in the main room, the compartments in the side rooms are shared. In addition, there is also a small kitchen on the outermost side, but large dishes cannot be cooked, only small food can be boiled and water can be opened.

  Xian Yi led the maids to their quarters first, then took out a set of dry clothes from her bundle and changed into them. Just in time, the ladies had already put away the bedding and soft furnishings. She then led the third-grade maids to tidy up, lit the incense burner, and waited for Madame's return.

  "Dongniangzi, go ask ahead, did the big kitchen send over food or are we going to make it ourselves?" Dongniangzi was a second-class daughter-in-law. Although she was alone, her husband's family still had some status in the mansion. In the past, she would also come along with them and was considered an acquaintance of Xianyi.

  "Earlier, I had the servant girl ask, let's wait, and when the time comes, a young boy will deliver it." The madam has never come so late in all these years. Dongniang was also starving, but she couldn't show it in front of Xianyi, so she could only urge the servant girl to make a few more trips.

  Xian Yi looked up at the weather that was stopping and starting, thinking about the refugees she met today, and felt a bit strange.

  They waited for a while longer, but the mistress still hadn't returned, and the food hadn't arrived either. Even if it had, the servants wouldn't have dared to eat first. Xian Yi could only bring out some pastries and share them with Yun Shuang and the others. Xue Shuang was so sleepy that she dozed off while eating, and Xian Yi looked at her pitifully but didn't dare let her rest without permission. She could only let her lean against the warm couch and take a nap, and sat down in a chair herself, exhausted.

  Dazed and confused, they heard Dongniang calling from outside. Xianyi thought the mistress had returned, so she tidied up her clothes and hastily woke up the others. They went out to find Dongniang standing in the same spot, looking around, with two maidservants behind her also looking bewildered. She couldn't help but ask: "Has the mistress really come back?"

  Dongniangzi shook her head and said: "The lady hasn't come back yet, it's just..."

  This time, except for Chen Nian's mother, all the second-class matrons didn't come, only two second-class wives and Xian Yi, this close second-class maid. Now that Chen Nian's mother is not here, the two wives don't dare to take charge, so they came to ask Xian Yi for advice.

  "Dong's sister-in-law, is there something troubling you?" Xian Yi looked out at the pitch-black outside and frowned.

  "A group of people came to the door, hesitated and knocked, Lin's family said the lady was not in, but they refused to give up, the guards blocked them at the door, looking like that..." Dongniangzi slightly lowered her head.

  At this time, still being here and so strong, it's probably the power of some noble family. Xian Yi is young, but she is after all Chen's daughter. The big tree provides good shade, whatever happens later, these slaves also have a shield to hide behind. All the Xian Yi understand, but she can't avoid facing them. She turns back and lets the remaining three people stay in the house, only taking an oil umbrella and walking out together with two robust servant women. Xian Yi didn't directly go open the door, just standing beside the courtyard gate, listening to Lin's wife shouting at the door, but as soon as she heard Xian Yi, she calmed down.

  It wasn't a woman who came from outside, so it's no wonder that Lin's wife didn't dare open the door. However, Xian Yi raised her face, but unfortunately couldn't see outside. The person speaking outside was a man, but his voice was sharp and fine, somewhat like the eunuch who had once come to the Jin Mansion to deliver an imperial edict.

  "My wife is not at home, so please go back." Lin's wife emphasized again and again.

  "Is there a young master in your esteemed residence who has come along with you? We can discuss business with the young master without disturbing the ladies." The person outside said.

  Xianyi pulled Lin Niangzi's sleeve and walked aside, asking in a low voice: "Why did they have to come in?"

  "It's said that someone has snuck in and needs to be investigated." Lin's wife had never encountered such a thing before, and couldn't help but feel flustered.

  "This is an official residence, and they are not officials. They directly replied that the lady has not returned, we don't have orders from the lady, so we dare not open the door." Xian Yi covered her face with a parasol, blocking the gaze of the surrounding guards, and said: "If it's still not working, just let them knock, we don't need to pay attention. In a short while, the lady will return anyway. When encountering such things, can we really let them come in and slap our manor's face?"

  Lin Niangzi nodded repeatedly, she and Dong Niangzi also thought so, but because of their status, they didn't dare to make a decision.

  Xian Yi listened to a few more shouts from outside and then headed towards the main house.