Shen Tingjun was busy until New Year's Eve. When he finally came out of the palace and returned to the Hou Mansion, the New Year's Eve dinner was ready.
It took several days for the old lady to see her eldest son, and she felt extremely distressed. He kept holding Shen Tingjun's hand and muttered, "Da Lang has lost weight. Look, these clothes are too wide. You haven't rested in the past few days, have you? I see that your eyes are black and blue, you must be exhausted."
Shen Tingjun said, "The state affairs are busy, and His Majesty is about to seal the deal. There are too many things that need to be dealt with urgently, so it is appropriate to be busy. But after today, I can have a few days of leisure, so I can spend some time with my mother."
When the old lady heard her son's words, she smiled happily. He was obviously very happy in his heart, but he still had to act considerate to his son. "Mom doesn't need you to accompany me. You should have a good rest and recuperate your energy. Seeing how haggard you are now, my mother feels distressed just looking at you."
Shen Tingjun responded "Okay".
Next, Shen Tingyi and Shen Tinglan also joined the topic, because officials at all levels in the DPRK have been busy with disaster relief, so the topic inevitably turned to this.
Shen Tingyi was the censor, and disaster relief had nothing to do with him, but reconstruction was necessary after the disaster. The imperial court took pity on the victims and prepared to build some houses for free, but some people always passed them off as good ones, or simply exchanged or deducted construction materials such as sand and sand.
Shen Tingyi was a serious person, and he hated to see such kind of flies and dogs. Therefore, he went to the victims' settlement area to keep watch when he had free time. He always stared at the sand and wood, which was frightening.
Shen Tinglan is not yet a court official, so disaster relief has nothing to do with him. But he is a candidate for next spring.
This year's snowstorm is so severe that no one knows whether there will be questions related to it in next year's exam. Shen Tinglan has a keen mind and feels that it is more likely to happen. Although it will not directly appear as a "snow disaster" topic, there is always some knowledge involved in the disaster.
Therefore, Shen Tinglan has no time to spare these days. He gets up very early every day and goes to the study to look up information. When he has free time, he "goes to the construction site" with his second brother. Occasionally, we meet with friends and meet fellow practitioners. We exchange information with each other, check for omissions and fill in the gaps, striving to obtain more comprehensive and detailed answers.
Of course, no one could compare to his eldest brother, whether it was his friends or fellow disciples. The eldest brother also has the identity of being the prince's companion, and the prince is responsible for disaster relief, so if you want to know something, it is more convenient to ask the eldest brother directly. But the eldest brother was too busy before and didn't go home for several days. Therefore, it was only now that Shen Tinglan took an opportunity to talk to his eldest brother.
While the three brothers were talking lively, Shen Yuyao happily ran in from outside. As soon as she entered the door, she saw the maids busy serving food, the third brother and the elder brother were talking loudly, while the mother sat aside and watched with a smile, and the second sister-in-law and the third sister-in-law had helpless expressions on their faces.
Shen Yuyao pouted and ran over to hug the third brother's arm. She called "eldest brother", "second brother" and "third brother" again and again, and then said arrogantly, "Are you still going to eat? It's Chinese New Year, what do you think? You are such loyal ministers who care about the country and the people for causing these endless snow disasters."
The old lady slapped her daughter and said, "You are the only one who can talk nonsense, so go ahead and play."
"Mom, you are so partial. Didn't you see that the second sister-in-law, the third sister-in-law, and several nieces and nephews are all waiting for dinner? Look at Rong An's greedy mouth and the saliva is dripping from his mouth. If you don't feel sorry for me, you don't feel sorry for me either. Don’t you feel sorry for your grandchildren? How long has it been since this happened? My brothers keep talking about it, but you don’t have any objections and you don’t allow me to protest? "
The old lady was told that all she had to do was raise her hands and surrender to her daughter, "My fault, my fault."
When Shen Tinglan saw that her son was really looking at the dishes on the table eagerly, looking extremely greedy, she smiled and took him over from Zhou Baolu's arms.
"Yes, yes, it's all our fault. My eldest and second brothers and I were just talking and didn't pay attention to you and the younger ones. Okay, okay, let's start dinner."
The family started eating happily.
Because there were several children talking and laughing, and their childlike words kept the adults entertained, the meal seemed very happy.
But the more lively the flower hall became, the more the old lady felt sorry for her husband.
Erlang and Sanlang both had children, and Erlang had three biological children. Although Sanlang was alone and Rong An had no biological brothers, they were still a family, with both parents and children around their knees.
Compared with the liveliness of Erlang's and Sanlang's houses, Dalang's place became even more lonely and lonely.
The old lady saw her son alone, and her heartache continued to rise.
The old lady is getting older and her health is getting worse day by day. But she had to find a home for her husband before she left. Otherwise, she would not be able to rest in peace seeing her husband alone in this world.
The old lady drank the soup silently and once again touched and lined up the noble ladies in the capital. She recalled that in recent days, she had received messages from the families who were interested in getting married to the Marquis of Wu'an. She finally selected two families and planned to arrange the meeting after the new year.
After all, Dalang had promised her to go on a blind date, and he would keep his word. Otherwise, if she went back downstairs, she would have to accuse him of being an unfilial son in front of her ancestors.
After the New Year's Eve dinner, several children happily went to the yard to set off fireworks, and then started to keep vigil.
But the children are too young. Rongxi and Rongxun are only seven years old after the new year. Rong An is even younger, only more than three years old after the new year.
The children yawned early. The old lady felt sorry for her grandson and asked the second lady and Zhou Baolu to take the children back to their room to rest.
She was old and couldn't bear it anymore, so she only stayed with her children for a while and then went back to lie down.
There were only four brothers and sisters left in the flower hall. Shen Yuyao saw that her three brothers started to say something she didn't like to hear again. She couldn't help curling her lips in boredom and muttered, "It would be great if Sister Sang was still in the house. Sister Sang is young. She’s not too tired, she can definitely stay vigil with me.”
The three brothers all paused when they heard this. Shen Tingjun said nothing, Shen Tingyi was not familiar with this "cousin", and Shen Tinglan's eyes flickered slightly.
He couldn't help but think of what Zhou Baolu had done before, the rumors that had been spread, and how Zhou Baolu had gone too far and maliciously smeared people.
He felt guilty for this cousin, and there were some inexplicable feelings deep in his heart...
Shen Tinglan said with a smile, "Cousin Sang is observant and will not come to join in the fun at this time. Besides, although there are only two siblings left in the Sang family, they are still one family. They also have to have a family reunion dinner together. Keep vigil in memory of parents and relatives.”
He also made fun of Shen Yuyao, "You only read a few literacy books. The rest of the books asked you to read more, and you got a headache. Do you know that the Sang family is an heirloom of poetry, calligraphy and etiquette, and the cousins of the Sang family can speak naturally. I have been reading since I was young. Cousin Sang is very knowledgeable, so it is a little difficult for Cousin Sang to talk to you, who is not literate."
Shen Yuyao was angry, "Third brother, you know how to make fun of others."
Shen Yuyao went to her elder brother to complain, "Brother, look at Third Brother, this is how he treats his elder brother. He made fun of me for being illiterate and said I didn't know poetry and books. Brother, how can Third Brother treat me like an elder brother? Please teach him a lesson." "
It's a pity that her eldest brother only said "hmm" and then became silent. He didn't know whether he didn't listen to what she said, or he felt that although Saburo's words were hurtful, they were the truth after all, and he couldn't go against his conscience and say something to Saburo.
Shen Yuyao was very angry because she didn't get support from her eldest brother. She swung her teeth and claws at the third brother and scratched him. The brother and sister were playing and making fun, and the whole room of maids couldn't stop laughing.
Fortunately, Shen Yuyao has a child's temper. His anger comes and goes quickly.
After a while, she put all her anger aside, and instead became interested in what the third brother had just said.
"Is the Sang family heirloom of poetry and calligraphy? Are all the ancestors of the Sang family scholars?"
Shen Tinglan saw his sister's curious eyes widening and asked him, so he nodded lightly, rubbed her head and said, "Yes. The ancestors of the Sang family are not only scholars, but also have great honors. Both the grandfather and father of the Sang family were Jinshi. ,Unfortunately……"
It's a pity that Shen Tinglan didn't say anything, but everyone sitting here had heard about it. It was nothing more than that the parents of the Sang family were killed, leaving a pair of children alone and helpless.
Shen Tinglan added, "The Sang family is a family of scholars, and there are several bookstores under the family. Unfortunately, after the Sang family's parents passed away, they only left a pair of young children. Cousin Sang was only eleven or twelve years old at the time, and Qing'er was also She is still a baby waiting to be fed. There are men in the family who are not enough to support the family. Cousin Sang suddenly encountered a big crisis and had to take care of her parents' affairs and find her missing brother..."
Shen Yuyao suddenly said, "Does Cousin Sang have a brother? I've never heard her talk about it."
"Yes. It's just that I fell into the water at that time, and I haven't seen anyone alive or dead in these years."
Shen Tingyi couldn't help but ask, "Have you sent someone to look for it?"
"Found it. Cousin Sang was still young at the time, but she still insisted on looking for her missing brother. Now that she is a few years older, she won't give up until she finds him."
Shen Yuyao muttered silently, "Cousin Sang is really miserable."
The four siblings fell silent.
What happened to the Sang family is just a microcosm of all living beings. Who doesn't suffer a little bit while surviving in this world?
It's just that those people have nothing to do with them, and they don't care about their happiness or anger. But the Sang family is a close family after all. Now that I hear that there is so much suffering behind them, it is inevitable for people to sympathize with her and feel more pity and love for her.
Shen Yuyao sighed in a low voice, "When Cousin Sang comes to the house to pay New Year's greetings in the new year, I must be nice to her. I didn't know that it was so difficult for Cousin Sang."
"Don't pity her. Cousin Sang is self-reliant and may not want to see you being careful with her."
Shen Yuyao was dissatisfied, "I don't pity Cousin Sang, I feel sorry for her. Do you understand that I feel sorry for her?"
Shen Tinglan stopped talking. Shen Tingyi felt that commenting on an unfamiliar female family member behind her back was against the moral character of a gentleman, so she also kept silent. As for Shen Tingjun, he was used to being silent. Normally, he would sit on the sidelines and act as an invisible person unless he was specifically asked about the troubles between brothers and sisters. He remained silent at this time, and no one felt anything was wrong.
However, it is not good to talk behind people's backs. They quickly changed the topic and talked about the many things that happened when they first came to the palace to congratulate them and the subsequent New Year greetings.
The three of them talked so lively that no one noticed. The silent and steady elder brother in their hearts had dark eyes at this moment, filled with many strange emotions.
Shen Tingjun suddenly said, "I still have something to do, so I'll leave first. You can continue to keep vigil."
Shen Tingyi and Shen Tinglan stood up immediately after hearing the sound, "Brother, are you going to patrol the streets again?"
Shen Yuyao: "Brother, can't you just stay at home and have a good time? This is New Year's Eve. Even some young people have to celebrate the New Year. Everyone is staying at home, and there are not even many pedestrians on the street, so where are they? What kind of crime happened? Besides, there are police officers patrolling the streets, so I don’t need you, big brother."
However, Shen Tingjun only said, "Just stay on guard."
Seeing Shen Tingjun striding forward and quickly out the door, Shen Tinglan couldn't help shouting, "Brother, you can go out, but don't waste your time and miss today's congratulations."
Shen Tingjun responded with a cold "I know."
As soon as the words fell, he had disappeared, leaving the three siblings in the flower hall looking at each other, unable to help but whisper about the eldest brother again. "Brother, as an official, he is too caring and doesn't even take a break on New Year's Eve."
"You are of the third grade, you hear the scenery, but how many people have seen the difficulties that big brother has endured over the years?"
"Then there is no way. Who asked your majesty and the prince to entrust the important role to the eldest brother. 'The great virtue of the body and the world today is unprecedented in the past and the present. Even if the heart and brain are ruined, how can it be repaid! As long as you work hard day and night, Loyal to one's duty'..."
…
Not to mention what the three brothers and sisters were talking about here, Qing'er was very excited because it was her first time to watch the night with her sister in Sang's house.
Although they are only two siblings, compared to other families where parents are present, grandparents are especially present, brothers and sisters-in-law accompany them, and nephews and nieces wrap around their knees, the joyful scene is particularly lacking. But compared to the previous situation where I had to stay under someone else's roof and even had to keep vigil quietly, the two situations were completely different. Now this is very satisfying.
Human beings need comparison to be satisfied.
Qing'er was very contented, and after he started to look forward to it, he became even more full of expectations.
His sister told him that she would send him to Fan Fuzi to study after the new year.
Master Fan runs a prestigious private school nearby.
His old man lives in Dongcheng. He knows that his ancestors were all officials.
This is indeed the case.
Master Fan’s ancestors had produced high-ranking officials of the second rank, but their descendants failed to live up to their expectations and fell down from generation to generation. When it came to Master Fan’s generation, although they were lucky enough to pass the Jinshi examination, they were the same Jinshi... The same Jinshi was like a wife, and Master Fan consciously gave The family was humiliated and there was no money left to support him in seeking an official position. In desperation, Master Fan gave up his plan to become an official and returned home to open a private school in peace.
His personal knowledge is not outstanding, but he is very good at teaching and educating people. Over the years, many students have passed the Jinshi examination under Professor Fan Fuzi, and they have become well-known figures in the capital.
Qing'er went to Fan Fuzi's private school for a trial period two years ago. Qing'er liked Fan Fuzi's teaching methods, the atmosphere of the school, and the classmates she would study with in the future. Therefore, I decided to formally hand over to Shu Xiu after the new year and study in a private school.
Qing'er grew up in the inner house, and her playmates from childhood to adulthood were either Zhou Baolu's nephews or Wang Wenju's nephews. It's a pity that Zhou Baolu's nephew was influenced by his parents and grandparents and only regarded Qing'er as a poor relative who stayed in their house to play in the autumn wind, and often beat and scolded him. The two children of Wang Wentao's family were very violent and were used to doing many evil things. They couldn't see it. The Qing Dynasty's children looked elegant and elegant, but they thought of fooling, cheating, beating, and scolding.
It can be said that none of the peers Qing'er came into contact with when he was young was friendly. Therefore, after meeting peers who were so kind to him in Fan Fuzi's private school, he was very excited and couldn't wait to socialize with them immediately. stand up.
Qing'er is still in high spirits and is discussing with Sang Nianyue what apprenticeship gift to give. Shuxiu is definitely indispensable, but in addition to Shuxiu, worship must be given. The traditional six rites have become outdated. Nowadays, it is popular to give tea, wine, snacks, and bacon to apprentices. However, these items are easy to buy. You only need to walk around the street to buy them all.
However, it was Qing'er's first time attending school. In order to give him a good admission experience, he had to specially select tea and drinks and send them there so that the master could take more care of him, Sang Nianyue thought to herself.
Sang Nuanyue was lost in thought when Qing'er suddenly said, "Sister, when will we go to the Marquis Mansion to pay New Year's greetings to the old lady after the new year?"
The smile on Sang Nuoyue's face suddenly froze, but fortunately she reacted quickly and quickly said with a smile, "Qing'er arranges it, Qing'er is an adult too, we will go when Qing'er says we will go. "
"How about the seventh day of the Lunar New Year? The Hou family has a big business, and there must be many people coming to pay New Year's greetings. There must be many people who need the Hou Master and others to pay New Year's greetings. They must be very busy in the days before the New Year, so we will go there on the seventh day of the Lunar New Year. It's early, old man People don't have time to see us, and it's rude to go late. After all, the Hou family is kind to us siblings. Although we have moved out now, we can't be blind wolves." Qing'er nodded solemnly, "We should still settle things. Please talk to the old lady carefully and don't let the old lady hold any grudge against us moving out rashly."
Sang Nuanyue smiled lightly, "Okay, listen carefully."
The time was getting later and later, and the nanny and Su Xin's table had already finished, and even the tables, chairs, dishes, and chopsticks had been put away.
The wet nurse came over to the flower hall to take a look. She saw the siblings talking but no one was touching the dishes on the table, so she said, "I'll ask the maids to leave, and I'll give the girl and the young master two bowls of bird's nest soup." ?”
Sang Nuoyue waved her hands quickly, "My stomach is still full, so I won't eat."
Qing'er also said with a look of disgust, "Bird's nest soup is what my sister eats. I am a man and I won't eat it."
The wet nurse and Sang Nuanyue laughed together, saying that his "manly husband" was not worthy of his reputation.
The maids came over to clean up, and Sang Nianyue and Qing'er urged the nanny to go back and rest.
The wet nurse is getting older, and because her siblings are back for the New Year, she is too busy these days. Her legs were inconvenient, and now she had been through a lot of pain, and her complexion turned sallow.
The nanny couldn't stop laughing when she saw that the two children she had raised were so considerate to her.
However, she was not polite to the two masters. She also wanted to accompany them to start a family and find the eldest son. If she didn't take good care of her body, she might not survive that day.
Suxin sent the nanny back, and Sang Nianyue looked at her brother who was yawning profusely, and asked him to go to the front yard to rest.
Qing'er was not happy, "I'll stay with my sister until dawn."
"Go back and rest. There will be more opportunities in the future. You are growing, and you will not grow taller if you lack sleep. Sister, I won't stay any longer. It's just a formality. I have to go back and rest."
Qing'er was satisfied after hearing this, "Then I'll have a rest too."
After watching Qing'er go to the front yard, Sang Nianyue and Su Jin went to the room together. As she walked, she couldn't help but mutter, "It's time to add two people to Qing'er's side. Now only Uncle Dumb is guarding Qing'er. Uncle Dumb is old and it's inconvenient to follow Qing'er out. It's time to add two people to Qing'er's side." It’s best if two boys follow.”
"You made the right decision," Su Jin said, "Add two more people and let Uncle Mute discipline them for a few days. Although Uncle Mute can't speak, he was with the master before, so it's not a problem to train a few servants."
Uncle Ya is one of the old people from the Sang family who came to Beijing this time.
After Sang Nianyue left the Wang family, she asked her wet nurse to write a letter to them. More than ten years have passed, and there are very few elders of the Sang family who are willing to follow their siblings, but there are still a few who remember their old master, so they pack their bags and go to Beijing without saying a word.
Uncle Ya used to be the manager of Sang's bookstore. It was Sang's father who saved his life and gave him a stable job when he had nothing. Uncle Dumb was grateful and stayed with his master.
With Uncle Mute accompanying Qing'er, she naturally doesn't need to worry about the front yard, but Uncle Mute has a mute disease after all, and he is really not young.
Sang Nuanyue and Su Jin talked about the arrangements and entered the room.
Because we were living in a hurry, this house didn't have time to connect to the earth dragon. However, the wet nurse bought good smokeless charcoal, and the brazier in the house was kept on from morning to night, so it was very warm.
Sang Nuanyue packed up and asked Su Jin to go back and rest. It was already midnight at this time, maybe because she had gotten through it, or maybe because Qing'er mentioned the Hou Mansion, Sang Nianyue was a little restless at this time.
For the old lady, Sang Nianyue felt really guilty. The old lady was not kind to her. When Zhou Baolu was not kind to her, it was the old lady who always stood up to support her. Although the old lady inconvenienced Zhou Baolu's face due to her status, the old lady also preserved her face without harming Zhou Baolu's interests, allowing her to spend the past few months in the Hou Mansion smoothly. .
And because of the absurdity of that day, she ran out of the Hou Mansion in a panic, without even being able to say goodbye to the old lady in person. This kind of behavior is no different from a white-eyed wolf. She is really afraid that the old lady will be hurt by her and will be sad again.
After thinking about the old lady, the man who had been deliberately ignored by her inevitably appeared in her mind.
Sang Nianyue thought of Shen Tingjun's angular face and his restraint...
Her face turned red and her breathing was slightly rapid.
Sang Nunyue pursed her lips tightly, clenched the corners of the quilt, and lowered her eyelids slightly.
As time passed, her memory not only did not fade, but became clearer.
Sang Nuanyue also realized more and more clearly that it was indeed her initiative that day.
It's because she can't wait, it's because she lets her guard down...
(End of chapter)
