Ma was so sad to hear this.
The last time I met my eldest brother Ma Yukun was more than ten years ago. At that time, Ma Yukun was in his prime and had not yet joined the army to fight in the northwest frontier. Although he suffered from leg problems, he still looked high-spirited and believed that he would be able to surpass his father and ancestors in the future and rise to the top...
Who would have thought that more than ten years later, Ma Yukun would be so old and sick that he would have to retire?
Ma touched her temples. She also has white hair, she is quite old...
She whispered to Zhou Ma in a low voice: "Sister, there is no need to say any more. I understand what you mean. Isn't it just four hundred taels of silver? If you don't lack this little money, you won't ask your eldest brother or sister-in-law for it."
Zhou Ma said sarcastically: "Well, I don't mean anything else. I just think it's not easy for the eldest brother... Although the eldest sister-in-law is greedy for money and hateful, she also thinks about the Ma family."
Alas, when Zhou Ma thinks about it, he still doesn’t understand how the Ma family has fallen to this point. In the past, although the Ma family was not as prominent as the Zhou family in Chang'an, it was still a well-established old family with a prosperous family business. When the eldest brother was young, he could be regarded as a young talent with a bright future. With the help of her, her biological sister who married into the Zhou family, the eldest brother's development in the military should have been getting better and better, but why did he go downhill without knowing it?
In the past, the eldest brother and sister-in-law never paid attention to the small eighth- or ninth-grade official position of their brother-in-law. But now, it is difficult for their grandson to find an eighth- or ninth-grade official position. As long as he can find a serious job, they dare not Nothing more to be picky about.
The eldest nephew is mediocre in talent, but he has a calm temperament, he has his in-laws to rely on, and his wife is also capable. It is estimated that he can be promoted to the sixth grade; the second nephew is not outstanding in everything, and he is not smart either. The couple only has one who is filial and obedient. The good thing is, I'm afraid it won't be of much use in the future. The eccentric elder sister-in-law never mentioned that she wanted to separate the two sons, because she knew that the well-behaved second son would not be able to stand up independently without his elder brother and sister-in-law. Therefore, although the elder sister-in-law favored the second son, she was never unkind to the eldest son, for fear that he would be resentful of his mother's younger brother. She just loves to quarrel with her eldest daughter-in-law.
Zhou Ma couldn't help but ask Ma: "Yumei, you said... if you hadn't persuaded me to promote the eldest brother, if the eldest brother hadn't gone to the border to fight in the war, and if he hadn't suffered from leg problems, wouldn't the Ma family be in the current situation? "
Ma looked at her helplessly: "Sister, there were so many people participating in the war back then. How come other people's families did not go downhill, but were promoted step by step? My eldest brother doesn't have any outstanding talents. Don't listen to your relatives praising him. In other words, you really think of him as a capable person!"
Of course, to be fair, the Ma family is married to the Zhou family and can still get along to the point where it is now. The grandchildren can't even get a small position in the eighth or ninth rank. The sons want to be promoted to the seventh rank. Try your best, this is really not entirely a question of personal ability. Ma Yukun has been on the sickbed for many years. Ma Jiang's eagerness for quick success and frequent mistakes in the marriage of his children and grandchildren are all important reasons.
I'm afraid even Mrs. Ma and Zhou Shigong are suspected of deliberately suppressing the Ma family. Whether they were thinking about Zhou Jinpu, the eldest son of Zhou Shigong, not wanting Zhou Ma's natal family to be powerful enough to threaten his stepson, or for some other reason, if they were determined to help the Ma family, the Ma family would not even be able to find small official positions for their children and grandchildren. So tough.
The Zhou family still has the final say in the Northwest Frontier Army!
Ma sighed and didn't want to say anything more, so she changed the topic: "Um, I didn't know that my eldest nephew's sons were all married, so I didn't prepare a meeting gift. How is my eldest brother's health lately? I want to choose Go back and see him on a nice day."
Zhou Ma said: "I'll send someone to ask for you later. You can't ask your sister-in-law about this kind of thing. She will never look good if she finds out. When she sees you, she will tell you a lot of things. She didn't think so. The five hundred taels of silver collected were covered by the rent earned from renting out your house over the years, and they also blamed you for causing your eldest brother to spend money to build a house for your family. Well, he would choose when she was not at home. , just take the two younger ones back to meet the elder brother."
Ma sneered: "I won't avoid her, it's as if I'm afraid of her. She's the one who's in the wrong! Since I'm not going to ask her for money, I have to keep my favor on the face of it and call her I can only feel grateful to see you, so how can I give her a chance to say yes?!"
Seeing that her younger sister had made up her mind, Mrs. Zhou Ma couldn't persuade her any more because she was afraid that her younger sister would quarrel with her elder sister-in-law again. Seeing that it was getting late, she got up and said, "Well, we have to go back. The master has agreed that we will go home for lunch today."
Having returned to Chang'an, Mrs. Ma knew that she would often have the opportunity to meet her eldest sister in the future, so she did not leave her alone: "I will see you when I have free time. If that woman gives you trouble again, remember to send a message to me."
"I know." Zhou Ma paused, "Actually, it's all the trouble caused by the money. If the step-mother-in-law didn't want the money, why would she bother to calculate the amount? If the sister-in-law didn't have the money, she wouldn't be in trouble. You have become such a disgusting person now. Yumei, brother-in-law Hai has always been a talented person who can make money. When you return to Chang'an, if there is any way to make money, don't forget to include your eldest sister. . I believe you and your wife are capable. Even if I sell my dowry, I will raise enough money to form a partnership with you!"
Ma said helplessly: "Those are all from the past. Now that I and I are both old, I don't want to bother anymore. After a few years of promotion, I will retire and return to my hometown." Anyway, I am making money now. There is enough money.
Zhou Ma smiled and did not take her sister's words seriously: "Anyway, if you have any connections, be sure to tell eldest sister. After living in Chang'an City for so many years, you are somewhat respectable, and Mrs. Zhou's name can still be used to scare people. people."
Mrs. Ma was about to send Mrs. Zhou Ma out, but before going out, Mrs. Zhou lifted up the curtain in the east room and looked inside. Haitang quickly stood up and saluted: "Is Auntie leaving now?" She pretended that she hadn't heard anything before.
Zhou Ma smiled and said: "Good boy, you can sit still." He saw that the needlework in Haitang's hand had four or five more flowers than when he first came here. Although the pattern was not complicated, the embroidery was still beautiful. It's meticulous and the stitches are neat, it's obvious that a lot of thought was put into it. She praised Haitang a few words and then left accompanied by her sister Ma.
Haitang put down her needlework and followed her grandmother Ma to see off the guests. When he came back, Mr. Ma ordered the kitchen to prepare lunch. He turned around and saw his eldest grandson, Hai Jiao, leading a horse in from the door. He smiled and said, "Where have you been wandering around for the past half day? Is it busy outside?"
Haitang glanced at the hem of Haijiao's coat, then looked at the sash on the horse's back without saying a word.
"It's very lively. Chang'an City is really prosperous." Hai Jiao said hello to his grandmother, then led the horse to the stable. Afterwards, he went back to the house and changed clothes, and then went to the main room to talk in detail about today's "shopping" with his grandmother. For example, what are the famous large shops in the area around the Chenghuang Temple? Which of the time-honored brands that my grandparents once mentioned in casual conversations are still around? Which neighborhood sells a wide variety of studios? Where are the harness shops and blacksmiths gathered? ...and so on, it's as if he really spent the whole morning visiting so many places.
Ma was happy to hear this: "The cakes, sauces and meats sold by those time-honored brands are all delicious. I will send someone to buy them back and try them soon. I haven't eaten them in so many years, so I don't know if the taste has changed." He also felt that his grandson had been shopping for a long time. , he must be tired, so he sent him back to the house to rest, and then come back to the main room after dinner.
Haitang found an excuse and followed her brother out of the main room.
The brother and sister went to the backyard together. Taking advantage of the fact that there was no third person in the backyard, Haitang took the opportunity to ask her brother: "Brother, have you gone to Biezhuang? Why were there blood stains on your clothes just now? Where did your stick go?"
(End of chapter)
