Chapter 13 second quarter

Mrs. Kui explained that she would be back before dark and went out.The yam paste will not taste good after being left for a long time, so let's make it after my wife comes back. Ah Liu buried himself in chores at home.The uncle who sells vegetables stays behind, removes the empty rice bags and starts a fire, and is roasting sweet potatoes, saying that the secret is to stay on the sidelines for a moment.The sweetness of roasted sweet potatoes overflows.It was also this uncle who taught her how to plant vegetables and sweet potatoes in the yard. This house was originally the residence of the local rich peasants.It is said that 20 years ago, when the fortunes of the family fell and the family was separated, the mansion became empty and left to be abandoned.It wasn't until Mrs. Kui's master rented it five years ago that it was refurbished.In other words, when Ah Liu came here, Mrs. Kui had only lived here for two years, but in the past two years, she had changed three maids, and no one could stay there.

As soon as Ah Liu came here, Mrs. Kui told her about these maids herself.At first, each of them expressed that they were not afraid of the strange and harsh conditions. They were overjoyed by the luxury of the mansion, the tranquility of the scenery, the cleanliness and elegance of the maid's room, and the good sunshine. They vowed never to leave and would work for their wife.However, it was only two months before he came to resign. "The three of them each put forward a lot of reasons, but to put it bluntly, they are just too scared to stay here." Mrs. Kui said, looking straight at Ah Liu, her eyes seemed to be deeply curious, and showed a narrow look: They were all scared and ran away, how about you?

Ah Liu was unmoved.No matter what is in this mansion, compared with Sun Ba's poisonous snake eyes, it is always better. "Madam, is what they are afraid of related to the rumors in this house?" Ah Liu raised his head and looked into Madam's eyes.Madame nodded. "So, what kind of rumors are they?" "You don't need to tell me, the people nearby will tell you sooner or later." "What madam said is true, but you promised to ignore the rumors nearby, so I want to ask madam boldly." Hearing Ah Liu's firm answer, Mrs. Kui smiled for the first time. "Do you really want to know? Let me warn you first. Among the three maids who escaped from here, two of them have children with you. Both of them said: I can bear anything myself, but for the sake of the children, Don't dare to stay here again."

This suspicious statement made Ah Liu shiver.She forced herself to think of Sun Ba's pair of eyes that people just want to forget as soon as possible, to cheer herself up. "May I ask what kind of wind noise it is?" Mrs. Kui said: It is rumored that there is a thief demon in this house. "Thief Demon...?" "Yeah, a monster that captures and eats children." That was a long, long time ago.The rich peasants who built this house have treated the tenants harshly with vicious methods for generations. The accumulated grievances of the tenants have unknowingly turned into thieves, making trouble in this house and eating the children who will inherit the rich peasants in the future. After breaking.

"I heard that after the house was emptied, there were no children to eat, but the Thief Demon was left behind. Now the demon is still in this house, his eyes glow with hunger and thirst, and he wanders around the house every night." It was clearly a scary story, but Mrs. Kui told it cheerfully for some reason, with a smile in her eyes. "It's a scary story. But madam, you don't believe that there really is a Thief Demon?" Mrs. Kui's eyes widened in surprise, and then she looked at Ah Liu carefully. "Do you believe?" "I don't know, and I can't think of what kind of monster a Thief Demon is. But, compared to a Thief Demon who doesn't know what it looks like, the people who pester me are more terrifying, so..."

Madam Kui didn't say much, and then she leaned forward and looked at Ah Liu intently.The curiosity in Madam's eyes had disappeared, and Ah Liu could only feel the gentleness of silent support. Ah Liuyi gritted his teeth and told about Sun Ba.Mrs. Kui didn't say a word, and immediately stood up after listening. "Well, let me show you this house first. Put the bedding in the closet, take it out to dry, and you can sleep well at night." "But, ma'am..." "I like you very much. If it were you, I would definitely be able to stay." So Ah Liu lived in the mansion.

She doesn't feel like working hard every day.This is indeed a spacious mansion, but only Mrs. Kui has to serve.Although there are countless rooms, only a few are actually used. After learning the order of arrangement, cleaning is not troublesome. However, for a while, she was still anxious, wondering if she could really get rid of Sun Ba this time, and she was always worried.Arriving in a new land and seeing novel and new things, Ah Xing and Ah Dao wanted to go outside, but Ah Liu took them with him and never let them out of sight. Almost half a month passed like this. One day, when Ah Liu went to pack dinner, Mrs. Kui said:

"It seems that there is no suspicious person wandering around, Liu, I think you can rest assured." Then, he smiled kindly.Ah, it turns out that Madam has been worrying about me all this time—Ah Liu felt warm in his heart, leaning on the tatami mat with both hands, and bowed deeply to Madam. "Yes, thanks to Madam, thank you Madam for your care!" The two looked at each other and smiled. "By the way, Ah Liu, do you still remember about Thief Demon?" "Remember." "Did you see anything suspicious these days?" "there has never been."

"Didn't you hear any unusual sounds?" "No." "Where are the children?" "Both had a great time and were not at all scared." Mrs. Kui nodded in satisfaction. "You are afraid of that man named Sun Ba, and you are always in doubt. You must prick up your ears even when you sleep. But you didn't see anything, you didn't hear anything, did you?" "Yes, as Ma'am said." Mrs. Kui waved to Ah Liu, asking her to sit closer. "Ah Liu, Thief Devil doesn't exist at all." "Is it a made-up story?"

"No, it must have been true before. The rumors about eating the children of rich peasants may be true, but it must have been done under the guise of a robber. They are real people like us, not demons or ghosts." Mrs. Kui said that there must be someone who wanted to destroy this rich peasant family and hated the children who inherited the blood. "However, it is true that it is a person with flesh and blood, who is very ordinary, and that person is no longer in this room. As soon as the three maids stayed here, they were so frightened that they started talking nonsense. Why did they see suspicious shadows in the corridor? , hands with sharp claws stretched out from the well, and in the middle of the night they heard the sound of licking their tongues. What they saw and heard were actually phantoms in their own minds, but they didn't understand at all. But Ah Six, you're different. You know what real horror is, and you're not deluded by hallucinations that don't exist."

It sounded like she was praising her, but Ah Liu was inexplicably nervous.Mrs. Kui spoke lightly, but her expression was extremely serious, as if she was admonishing her. "So, Liu, you can rest assured to live here in the future. Although I don't want you to be close to those who love to talk, but since you don't need to worry about it, you can gradually get to know people nearby. " Then, by the way, add a sentence: "By the way, there will be guests tomorrow, and dinner is prepared for two, as well as wine." The next day, she saw the master visit for the first time.The master is about fifty and a half years old, with a face like a crown jade, an extraordinary bearing, and a melodious voice when he speaks.Only then did Ah Liu finally understand that Mrs. Kui seemed to be the golden house Gillian of this respectable old man, and Mrs. Kui's presence must not be known to the main room of the old man's mansion.Don't get close to gossiping people, and don't communicate with the outside world, because this matter must be kept strictly confidential. Ah Liu is very close to the uncle who sells vegetables, and after chatting a few words with the wine shop assistant, he got to know the master and Mrs. Kui a little more.According to the uncle who sells vegetables, the master is very rich.The wine shop said that the master is very particular about wine, and sometimes asks for famous wine that is rare in Edo. "It must be a great merchant." When the master came to visit, Ah Liu just opened the door to greet him, served him food and wine, and left.Cleaning up the leftover seats was a matter of the next morning, and no matter how early Ah Liu got up, the master had already returned home.Although the master and Mrs. Kui sometimes go out for several days, the master never spends the night in this house. Most of the master's visits were announced the day before.There is a well-behaved boy of fifteen or sixteen years old, who should be hired by the master, who comes to the door almost every day.When you come, you should greet Madam in a polite manner, such as do you have any orders today?Are you in good health?The news of the master will be reported by this young man.Ah Liu neither knew the boy's name nor was he introduced to him.When the boy arrived, he was led to the porch outside the wife's room, and when he returned, he was sent away, that's all.When he saw Ah Liu, he always saluted respectfully and said hello, and Ah Liu also returned the salute and thanked him.She doesn't serve tea, and the boy doesn't ask for water.Ah Liu thought he shouldn't ask around, so he didn't ask any more questions. Sometimes the master didn't come for twenty days in a row, and sometimes he came within a few days.If the interval is too long, even if Mrs. Kui looks the same as usual, Ah Liu will be secretly anxious. Because when the master was away, Mrs. Kui's life was peaceful and peaceful, but she was so lonely and deserted that she spent almost all day in her room.The wife often does needlework, and what she makes is the master's clothes.Sometimes, to relieve boredom, I would also look at painted double paper and yellow table paper, draw ink paintings, and copy scriptures, but I would stop from time to time and stare blankly outside the house. Whether it is a kimono shop or a dressing shop, the merchants who come in and out of the house come and change it every time.Probably to avoid long-term contacts with the same shop.Mrs. Kui prefers gorgeous and exquisite clothing and accessories, but she doesn't buy more frequently, and she never travels alone to watch movies. Ah Liu didn't dare to ask more questions, but perhaps sensing her doubts about this quiet and lonely life, Madam once took the initiative to mention: Before I moved here, my life was much more lively and busy. "I left Edo for a long time and lived in Kyoto. I also ran a business there and traveled around." "Then why don't you do the same now?" Upon hearing this, Madam smiled a little lonely. "It's just that I broke my body, and my whole body suddenly became timid. I will move here, because the master saw that I was really depressed, and wanted to say that I might be more cheerful in another place, so I arranged it... But I also began to feel that , Nesting in this room, it’s not bad to age so smoothly and muddled..." "Anyway, it's getting old." Madam said with disgust. Ah Liu has been doing chores since he was a child so that he can't move, but he never eats a meal. He has never seen such a blessing as an "elderly person living a leisurely life".Mrs. Kui's flustered and lonely expression, on the other hand, is actually a symbol of wealth, which is enviable.But Ah Liu still had some sympathy for Mrs. Kui. Can't live with the master anyway?Madam and Master seem to have been together for a long time, but is it still difficult to stay together forever?Are there no children between the two?Mrs. Kui seems to like children. Even though A Xing and A Dao were laughing and making noise, Madam never showed any signs of embarrassment.Maybe it's because the room is so big that I don't care too much, but people who hate children will yell at them as long as they make a little noise.Madame is the complete opposite.If Ah Liu laughed out loud because of the absurd things the children did, or severely scolded them for being disobedient, Madam would definitely ask this afterward: "What were you laughing at just now?" "I heard you scolding again, what's the matter?" When Ah Liu told his wife this and that, she would laugh along with her, or persuade her not to scold the child loudly for such a trivial matter. Madam is also very concerned about Ah Liu's daughters.A Dao's eyes are not very good, he can't see small things clearly, Ah Liu is very troubled by this.Madam told her that if A Dao were to bask in the sun and eat more vegetables every day, he would soon improve.After a try, it really got better.It was also Madam who said that there was a teacher who borrowed a Buddhist hall from Fachunyuan in front to run a private school, and he was especially good at teaching girls family etiquette. Shuxiu is paid monthly, and the salary is changed to be paid in installments in advance.Thanks to his wife's care, the daughters are better than Ah Liu in writing and sewing. It’s not like borrowing the words of the vegetable seller, but for our mother and daughter, the wife is really Guanyin Bodhisattva—— Ah Liu thought with a smile. Ah Liu came to the yard to chop firewood.The sun is still high, but Madam is used to taking a bath first after returning from a long trip.Prepare the firewood first, and then you can boil water at any time. The vegetable seller is turning over the straw piled up into a hill with a branch to see how the sweet potatoes are roasting. "It's almost ready for the children to eat the hot sweet potatoes that have just been baked." When the uncle said this with a smile, Ah Liu saw two small figures appearing outside the hedge in the yard. They should be Ah Xing and Ah Dao at the end of the gentle slope leading to the mansion from Fachun Court. "Just came back." After finishing this sentence, Ah Liu stopped talking.That's right, Ah Xing and A Dao.The two of them were wearing old clothes that she had resewed from the old clothes given by her wife. However, it wasn't just them, there was an adult following behind.No, the man was caught between the two of them, holding A Xing with one hand and A Dao with the other, walking towards here swaying. The three of them gradually approached, and Ah Liu could see clearly who the man was, and he could also see the man holding Ah Xing and Ah Dao by the hand, with an expression like he was catching a snake. The firewood card in Ah Liu's hand fell to the ground with a clatter and rolled down to his feet. "A six." Sun Ba said to her in an intimate manner. "Long time no see, it was hard to find me."