The boudoir of the Seventeenth Mother of the Wu Mansion.
Wu and Qi Niang sat opposite each other.
But when she saw Wu holding out the box, Seventeenth Mother couldn't help but look at Wu hesitantly.
"Seventeen, open it and take a look."
Seventeen Niang opened the jade box as instructed and took out the jade hairpin.
Wu asked: "Do you like it?"
Seventeenth Mother smiled and said: "My sister gave me this, so I really like it. I have wanted to have one of these peony hostas for a long time, and they happened to be a pair."
Wu smiled and said, "Yes, it's a coincidence, but what if I didn't give you this pair of hostas?"
The Seventeenth Mother was stunned and looked down at the hairpin. Her cheeks turned red and felt like they were on fire. After a while, Seventeenth Mother looked out the window and said, "Sister, the days are passing so fast, it's going to snow in Bianjing."
Wu smiled and agreed: "Yes, it snows on New Year's Eve, and after New Year's Eve there is the Spring Examination, and then you are one year older."
Xun Wu's eyes fell on the hosta again and asked, "Do you like it?"
The Seventeenth Mother looked at the hairpin for a long time, and did not say whether she liked it or not but said: "Why do we get married? Jin Bohua scratched his head."
Wu knew that this allusion came from "Xijing Miscellaneous Notes", which said that Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty liked Mrs. Li, and one day he took off Mrs. Li's hairpin and scratched her head.
This question seemed to be answered again and again without answering.
Seventeenth Mother held the jade hosta and looked at the box, and then said: "This jade box and the jade hosta are not the same."
Wu said: "Yes, I gave you this jade box."
Seventeenth Mother asked: "What about the original box?"
Wu smiled and asked, "Why are you afraid of buying a coffin and returning a pearl?"
The Seventeenth Mother smiled slightly and said, "I also want a casket and a hairpin."
Wu pretended to be surprised and asked, "Oh? Is the wooden box more valuable than the jade box?"
Seventeenth Mother said: "Sister, the five elements of this jade belong to wood, so it is a jade hairpin matched with a wooden box. There is no reason to match a jade box. It is like adding a roof to a house. Don't you know this, sister?"
Wu smiled and said, "Sister, I know this. In fact, this jade box is for you to hold your wedding jewels. You should return the wooden box."
Seventeenth Mother showed a smile on her face and said: "Sister, I'm not sure about this. I don't know when I can get married?"
"Don't you think you can stay at home with your parents for a few more years and get married if you want to?" Mrs. Wu said with a joking smile, "I think it might happen next year."
"next year?"
Wu laughed and said: "That's what you call a big one and then a small one."
The Seventeenth Mother lowered her head and said, "I don't understand what my sister is saying. But this hosta is very expensive!"
Wu said: "I have seen that a few words are worth a hundred words."
Wu saw that Seventeen Niang looked a little dazed after hearing this.
Sometimes a thousand words without words are as good as a hosta.
Neither Mrs. Wu nor the Seventeenth Mother asked Zhang Yue where he got his money, they only looked at the thoughts behind it.
Seeing her sister holding the hairpin on her chest and looking so sweet, Mrs. Wu couldn't help but be envious.
Not to mention how much a hosta is worth?
She knows her sister's temperament best. If she likes her, even a wooden hairpin is enough. If she doesn't like her, even if she puts gold and silver in front of her, she won't be moved.
But when it comes to the present, more is always better.
It’s not about how expensive the hosta is, but that you are worthy of it in his heart!
Wu thought to herself that she was worried that her sister would have a hard time after marrying Zhang Yue, but now it seems that she is overthinking it.
However, Zhang Yue, a scholar from a poor family, could give a hosta to his sister, but his husband, as the prime minister's son, had never even given a hosta.
It seems that in the eyes of this man who chooses a husband, my sister is the only one among my sisters who is like my mother. This Zhang Yue got third place in his first imperial examination. No matter what family, what kind of office, even if he is the husband of the fifteenth mother, he is afraid that he will not be as good as this Zhang Yue in the future.
That was the first time that the other party came to Ouyang Xiu's house. I just thought that this chapter was more and more beautiful, but he didn't know that he was more talented than gold.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Wu reluctantly sighed in her heart: "It is even rarer to find a priceless treasure, but a lover is rare."
But after Zhang Yue left Ouyang Fa's house, he did not return to Taixue. Instead, he asked Tang Jiu to follow him to his brother's house.
When she arrived at her brother's house, Mrs. Yu saw Zhang Yue and smiled and said, "Your brother has gone out, and Xi'er and I are the only ones at home. Does uncle have any homework today? Let's have dinner here."
Zhang Yue smiled and said, "No, sit down for a while and then leave. Let's talk, sister-in-law."
When Yu saw that Zhang Yue was speaking seriously, she immediately sat aside as he was told.
At this time, the servant came and served tea.
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "Second aunt is very considerate. Not only did she find a place to live in, but she also provided her with servants."
Mrs. Yu smiled and said: "Although there were servants in the house in the past, they were useless for a while. Now it's really annoying. I still think about things."
Zhang Yue felt slightly ashamed when he heard this. If his second brother hadn't escaped from marriage and he had been prodigal, which finally put the Zhang family in trouble, Yu wouldn't have gone from having no hands on spring water to taking care of the family's food and daily life.
Zhang Yue said: "Sister-in-law is suffering."
Zhang Yue immediately ordered Tang Jiu to put down the package and open it in front of Yu.
Yu didn't think there was anything in the package that was so heavy at first, but when he opened it, it turned out to be more than a dozen pieces of horseshoe gold.
"Third brother, where did you get so much money?" Mr. Yu gasped when he saw these dozen pieces of yellow gold.
No one can remain indifferent to this mountain of gold.
Zhang Yue said: "The shop owner saved it, and he also made some money by helping others with advice. This place is worth three hundred and fifty coins. Take it, sister-in-law."
"Three hundred and fifty strings?" Yu asked, "Why give it to me? Not to your brother?"
Zhang Yue said: "It's for my sister-in-law, not my brother. Two hundred guan will be returned to my sister-in-law's family. Our Zhang family has owed so much money for so many years. If we include the principal, these 200 guan should be enough to repay it." But I'm afraid it won't be enough after including the interest. I still have one hundred guan to hire a famous teacher for Xi'er, and the last 50 guan for family expenses, all of them are here. If you plan hard, it can last for a year or two."
Mrs. Yu couldn't help but burst into tears when she saw so much money in front of her eyes. After a while, Mrs. Yu took a deep breath and said firmly: "Third brother, my sister-in-law cannot accept this money."
"Sister-in-law, are you going to meet me too?"
"It's not a surprise, it's just that the wine shop paid for it before, and I still owe you two hundred dollars. Besides, it was your brother who lent the money to my family, and it has nothing to do with you. Why should you go out of your way to pay it back for him?"
Zhang Yue said with a smile: "My sister-in-law is still out of touch. Back then, I was studying, eating, drinking, and having fun. There was nothing that didn't require money from the family. My brother couldn't make ends meet. Thanks to my sister-in-law, she looked at her parents' faces and subsidized the family one by one. I used to I am able to study, thanks to my sister-in-law who never cares about my brother. Now that I have some spare energy, it is time to repay my kindness and share the worries of the family."
Finally, Zhang Yue said seriously: "Besides, the reason why I have studied and made progress all these years is not to have today?"
Yu wiped away the tears from the corners of his eyes and said, "Third brother..."
Only halfway through speaking, Yu was already bursting into tears.
Zhang Yue couldn't help but be touched by his thoughts, and his eyes turned red.
Mrs. Yu cried for a while before she stopped crying and said: "Since it is Third Brother's wish, I will keep this money for you first, and then return it to you when we separate."
"Sister-in-law..."
Mrs. Yu interrupted Zhang Yue's words and said, "It's enough for you to have this heart. Why do we all know what we are doing as a family?"
