Most of the people who look after the house in the old house are married servants.

The men take care of the outside, and the daughters-in-law of each family are responsible for taking care of the inner courtyard.

So, there are no maids here.

After Jia Lian came, he did not act arrogantly and kept simplicity in all aspects of life.

But for dinner tonight, he asked the kitchen to prepare a few more dishes early in the morning, and then put them in the dining room.

"Second Master, try this sweet-scented osmanthus duck and this squirrel fish. These are both famous dishes in our old Jinling."

Jin Cai knew that Jia Lian was about to die. He left, so although Jia Lian did not give special instructions, he still specially arranged several famous Jinling dishes for Jia Lian to enjoy.

Jia Lian each took a bite, nodded, then put down his chopsticks, looked at Jin Cai who was serving carefully beside him and said, "How long has it been since Butler Jin saw a mandarin duck?"

How could Jin Cai not care about his precious daughter? He also knew that he was able to secure his position as the general manager thanks to his daughter's strength in front of Jia Mu. Therefore, when he heard Jia Lian's words, he immediately showed a nostalgic look: "The last time I saw her was when I returned to Beijing three years ago... I dare to ask the second master, I don't know how she is now. She is still serving the old lady carefully, has she ever messed with her? The old lady is unhappy..."

Jia Lian: "Don't worry about these golden housekeepers. Yuanyang serves the old lady very well. Among all the maids in the house, she is the one who loves the old lady the most. Even the master and the wife have a lot to rely on, and Butler Jin gave birth to a good daughter."

"How dare you, how dare you, the second master is so complimentary, she is lucky to be able to serve the old lady..."

Jin Cai was modest on the one hand, but smiling from ear to ear on the other.

Jia Lian did not expose him and continued: "If you miss your daughter, you might as well write a letter home when you go back, and I will bring it back to her for you."

How could Jin Cai have expected that? Jia Lian said that a letter was a trivial matter. As the master, Jia Lian was willing to bring them a letter. This was a great favor, so he immediately knelt down and thanked them.

Jia Lian asked him to get up.

Yuanyang is naturally a rare and good girl, and now looking at her parents, they are pretty good.

Although he made a mistake, he took good care of the old house and did not let anyone else rent it.

Jia Lian was naturally happy to give them grace.

After letting Jin Cai wait for the manservant to go down, not long after, Jin Cai’s wife also came over with Xiang Ling.

As soon as Xiang Ling appeared in the dining room, Jia Lian was immediately attracted.

　Just because Xiang Ling at that time had changed drastically from before. Not only did she put on the new clothes he had bought for her before, but she also had her hair styled again. It was obviously arranged by the housekeeper and his wife after taking a bath.

So much so that now, she has completely lost the aura of a wild girl, and her whole person does indeed reveal some similarities with Daiyu. And because she is a few years older than Daiyu, her figure is much wider than that of Daiyu, and her beauty is really impeccable.

She was still a little afraid of strangers. When she saw Jia Lian, she subconsciously wanted to go towards him, but when she saw a table of sumptuous dishes, she did not dare to approach.

When Jin Cai’s daughter-in-law saw Jia Lian’s reaction, she became more and more certain that Xiang Ling’s future was boundless, so she helped her forward and said with a smile: “Second Master, look, this girl has dressed up for us. I look like a different person! With this look, it’s not an exaggeration to say that she is the wealthy lady from a wealthy family.”

Jia Lian laughed, Xiangling was indeed worthy of her name. Our young lady was in trouble only because of a servant's negligence.

Wave to Xiangling and ask her to sit down and eat.

Xiang Ling looked at the table, then at the maids around her, and shook her head.

Jia Lian tried to persuade her, but Xiangling still refused to serve.

Jin Cai’s daughter-in-law sighed: “Second Master, please don’t embarrass her. This girl is so pitiful. She was kidnapped when she was so young. She has suffered so much in these years. How many sins have she committed? She has never seen such a scene. Although the second master loves her and insists on doing this, he is only afraid of scaring her.

Better, let the slave take her down to eat."

Jia Lian was still thinking about whether Jin Cai’s wife’s words were right, but saw Xiangling suddenly take two steps away, knelt down and kowtowed to him, crying and begging: “Please don’t drive me away, I am willing.” I will serve the second master all my life. Please don’t drive me away..."

After hearing what she said, Jia Lian finally understood.

It turned out that she thought she was going to send her away.

Thinking about it, although she is introverted and unwilling to speak, she understands it very well in her heart.

In such a home, only the master is qualified to eat at the master's table. She wants to stay by Jia Lian's side all the time, so she can only be a maid or a slave. Obviously, it was impossible for maids and slaves to eat at the same table as their master, so she refused.

Jia Lian was also a little hesitant. Although he also wanted Xiang Ling to follow him all the time, to follow him, he must have a status.

Based on Xiangling’s current situation, it would not be a good thing for her to take her as a concubine., she couldn't resist the pressure, especially Wang Xifeng.

If she was only allowed to be a maid, Jia Lian felt that she had been wronged and could not bear it.

As for sending her home...

If the Zhen family is still around, it’s not impossible, just do it as a pure good deed and reunite the Xiangling family.

But he knew that the Zhen family had long been destroyed. Xiangling's father, Zhen Shiyin, also became a Taoist priest. I don't know if her old mother is still alive. If she is alive, perhaps only Jia Yucun knows where she is.

This is not difficult, just go back to Jia Yucun and find out. But Jia Lian felt that even if Xiangling's mother was still alive, she would not be able to afford to be alone as a weak woman. The responsibility of raising Xiang Ling. Therefore, Jia Lian also wanted to find out the whereabouts of Xiang Ling's mother and take her over to reunite with Xiang Ling.

That is to say, whether it is for his own selfish reasons or to be good to Xiangling, it is best for her to stay by his side and be protected by him.

It’s just a matter of title... Otherwise, why don’t we just accept her as a foster sister?

Jia Lian's hesitation made Xiang Ling feel more and more that Jia Lian wanted to send her away. She didn't know where Jia Lian was sending her away, and she didn't dare to think about it. She was just afraid.

She cried even more sadly and kept begging.

Jin Cai’s daughter-in-law became sad and persuaded: “Second Master, why don’t you agree to her, it’s so pitiful.”

In the eyes of Jin Cai’s daughter-in-law, this kind of being treated by others It would be easy for a girl who was kidnapped and left her hometown to remember her parents in her hometown, but she had asked them before, and Xiang Ling basically couldn't remember them.

In this situation, the only way to find a good home is to take him in.

Jia Lian was just stunned when he saw that Xiang Ling was already crying. Then he bent down to help her up and said: "You are really willing to follow me all the time, even if you are just a Maid?"

Xiang Ling kept nodding her head and said: "As long as the second master doesn't dislike it, I am willing to serve the second master for the rest of my life."

At Xiangling's age, in fact, She basically knew everything she needed to know, and she also knew that the kidnapper was also planning to sell her to a wealthy family. During this period, he had already begun to inquire about her, and would sell her as long as the price was right.

Whether she is a maid or a concubine... she is probably a concubine. When Xiangling heard the kidnapper scolding her, she said that with her appearance, it would be a good idea to be someone else's concubine. Yes, maybe it can be sold for hundreds of taels of silver!

Many people will never make this kind of money in their lifetime.

This is the reason why those kidnappers abduct young girls.A good-looking person, with supplies for seven or eight years, is a sure-fire business.

Although Xiangling didn’t think Jia Lian would sell her out, she was unfamiliar and scared of the outside world, so she just wanted to stay by Jia Lian’s side.

Jia Lian laughed, hugged her and sat on the stool, and then said: "Even if you want to be a maid, it will happen after tomorrow. Today's moment is what I specially prepared for you. , if you don’t eat, wouldn’t you have let me down?”

Seeing Xiang Ling in a daze, Jin Cai’s daughter-in-law stepped forward to arrange the dishes and chopsticks for her, and said with a smile: “Young lady is still stupid, Er. This is my promise to you. Since you are the girl in our family, you have to listen to the Second Master. If he tells you to eat, just eat it. Don’t be afraid."

Jin Cai’s wife had already seen it. Yes, with Xiangling's appearance, she will definitely be a concubine in the future. If she has another son and a half daughter, her status will be even different. This girl seems very innocent at first sight. If you make friends with her better now, it may be beneficial in the future.

Hearing Jin Cai’s wife say the same thing, Xiangling finally sat down peacefully, but she didn’t move her chopsticks.

Jin Cai’s wife took the initiative to prepare food for her.

Jia Lian saw it and ordered: "Okay, just leave two people here to serve, and everyone else can go down."

So, Jin Cai's wife only stayed The two people waited in the hall and left with the others.

When Jia Lian saw Xiang Ling holding chopsticks, as if she didn’t know how to eat, he took the initiative to pick up a small piece of fish, put it to Xiang Ling’s mouth, and asked her to open her mouth.

Xiang Ling was a little uneasy, but under Jia Lian's gaze, she could only open her thin lips obediently and hold the fish meat handed over by Jia Lian.

Jia Lian brought another dish for her to taste, and then said: "If you feel at ease, I will keep feeding you, just don't do anything."

Xiang Ling thought Jia Lian was blaming her and was about to go down immediately. Fortunately, Jia Lian held her down in advance and sighed helplessly: "Silly girl, I'm letting you eat by yourself. Otherwise, we may have to wait until tomorrow to finish the meal." It's morning."

Xiang Ling's cheeks turned red. She finally plucked up the courage and picked up the bowl in front of her. She glanced at Jia Lian secretly and saw an encouraging look on his face before she lowered her head. , picked up the duck meat that Jin Cai’s wife had given her before, and took a bite.

The oil was overflowing and the rich aroma of meat made her frown unknowingly.

Jia Lian smiled with satisfaction.

　…

It took half an hour to finish the meal. Jia Lian led Xiang Ling off the table and asked the servant next to her: "What's the price for Jin Cai's family?" Where is the room she arranged?"

"Reporting to the second master, in the second master's room, Aunt Jin asked us to clean up the small cubicle next to it, saying that it would be convenient for her to serve the second master."

When Jia Lian first moved in, The people below arranged for two young daughters-in-law to serve him.

Although it was not stated explicitly, Jia Lian also knew what it meant.

But under Ping'er's gaze, Jia Lian, who had a romantic relationship with Wang Xifeng, how could he take these servants' wives in his eyes? Naturally, he chased them away without mercy. Go outside.

Therefore, there was no one serving in his room. Jin Cai’s daughter-in-law’s arrangement was within his expectation.

Let others take Xiang Ling back first. Jia Lian went to the outer courtyard and practiced boxing with Zhang Yong for another hour before returning.

This old house is much more convenient than the Lin Mansion. Not only can you practice long-distance running, but it also has a dedicated martial arts field.

It can be seen that the martial arts style of the old house is stronger than that of the Guogong Mansion built by the royal family in Beijing. It is not known whether the emperor at that time deliberately did not build a martial arts field, or the Jia family at that time had no longer Need it...

After taking a bath, I walked back to the house. At this time, the housekeepers and wives had packed up the beds and left, leaving Xiangling alone in the house.

Xiang Ling had learned a lot of rules given to her by the housekeepers and wives, so when she saw Jia Lian coming in, she quickly poured Jia Lian a cup of tea.

Jia Lian took a sip and saw that Xiangling was still a little raw, so he pulled her to sit on the edge of the tea table and said softly: "From now on, you can follow me with peace of mind. What's the matter? You can talk to me about anything you want. As long as I am here, no one will dare to bully you.

Also, talk more usually, I like to listen to you.”

Xiangling nodded shyly.

Jia Lian said again: "By the way, let me give you another name. From now on you will be called Xiangling, the fragrance of flowers, the water chestnut of lotus leaves and water chestnuts. What do you think?"< br />
Xiangling’s previous name, Yinglian, was homophonic to Yinglian. Jia Lian felt that it was not very good, but Baochai’s choice of the word “Xiangling” was both elegant and nice-sounding.

Xiang Ling was about to bow down immediately and said, "Thank you, Second Master, for giving me the name. From now on, my name will be Xiang Ling."

Jia Lian held her up with one hand. , "Don't kneel to me all the time in the future. I'm not a landlord or a rich man. Why do you, a little girl, kneel to me?"

Xiang Ling smiled sheepishly.

Jia Lian drank tea again and stood up, "It's getting late, you should go back to bed."

Xiang Ling blushed and said: "I~ I'm here to help you sleep..."

Jia Lian saw her look, smiled, picked her up, and when she was clearly nervous but silent, he carried her to the small bed outside, put her on the bed, covered her with a quilt, and finally put her on the small bed outside. She bounced her head and said with a smile: "Whenever you truly learn to serve others, come and give me a good night's sleep. For now, just sleep on your own."

After that, she turned around. He blew out the candle on the cabinet and walked back to the inner room.

What he said about sleeping in peace was clearly an attempt to induce him to commit a crime, but he would not be fooled.