Zhou Shenzhi put down the letter paper and began to polish the ink on his sleeves. When the ink was polished, he began to reply to the letter.
The letter was written until daybreak. Zhou Shenzhi put down his purple brush. The handwriting on the letter was clear and neat, with neither too much nor too little ink on one page. Finally, Zi Jiajing wrote.
In the letter, he told his uncle that he had been busy with official matters recently and that he might not be able to go to Xunjiang to pay New Year greetings to his uncle and them in person. He asked the Lu family who sent the letter to bring the New Year's greetings back to him. He also asked his grandfather to take care of his health, but he did not mention the grounding. He must have received the letter. , my uncle’s family knew his attitude.
After he finished writing, Zhou Shenzhi looked at it for a while, sealed it with wax, and called Shumo to come over and add some medicinal materials in his warehouse to the New Year's gift. He still gave enough of the New Year's gifts that should be given.
But sometimes the more serious the etiquette, the more unfamiliar it becomes.
How could Zhou Shenzhi not understand this? He sighed softly. After everything was ready, Zhou Shenzhi went to see the housekeeper of the Lu family, and then went to greet his mother and father.
The housekeeper of the Lu Mansion was a middle-aged man with a long and thin face. When he saw him coming, the middle-aged man immediately approached him with fear and fear: "Young Lord, just send someone to call me. How can I trouble you to come in person?"
"This is a reply. You give it to your uncle. Shumo and others will send you a New Year's gift. Then you go back with the New Year's gift." Zhou Shenzhi handed the letter to his uncle's confidant.
Butler Lu Mansion immediately took it: "Wei."
After Zhou Shenzhi took care of the matter, he returned to his Yueying Residence. Xie Deyong was a scoundrel, and he had not returned to his Langge Courtyard to celebrate the New Year, so he stayed here directly.
After returning to his room and changing into a new set of clothes, Zhou Shenzhi was about to go to Mingxintang. When he went out, he met Xie Deyong.
"Happy New Year, Zijia." Xie Deyong greeted his friend with a smile.
"Happy New Year." Zhou Shenzhi nodded to him and glanced at Xie Deyong twice: "I'm going to pay my respects to my parents. You are familiar with the small kitchen. Let the cook know what you want to eat."
"Hey, wait a minute." Xie Deyong stretched out his fan to block his friend's way. He was wearing a purple jade robe and a white fur belt, looking like a handsome young man from a troubled world. At this moment, the fan was half-covered. The fan was painted with pale pink peach blossoms and smoky green willows. In the cold winter Seasons are particularly noticeable.
Zhou Shenzhi's brows couldn't help but move: "Why are you so dressed up?"
"Hey, hey, how do you describe it?" Xie Deyong put away his fan and was very dissatisfied when he heard his friend's words: "Isn't this the Chinese New Year? I also thought of my aunt's liveliness, so I tinkered with it carefully. No matter what I say, I can't lose it. I’m grateful for my family’s face.”
Zhou Shenzhi stopped and looked at Xie Deyong, squinting his eyes slightly. The young man's appearance was not handsome and elegant, but he was angular and his tough face looked very sharp.
Xie Deyong was a little frightened when he saw his friend like this. Most of the Zhou family are military generals. There is no doubt that Master Jieduzhi has served in the army for many years, killed countless enemies, and has a great reputation. However, his friend is the only son of Master Jiedushi, with a calm and cold personality. Be observant of etiquette and rules.
But once he got serious, his squinting expression was exactly the same as that of Master Jieduzhi, and his cold look made Xie Deyong feel so cold that he didn't even need to fan himself.
"Zijia, why are you looking at me like this?" Xie Deyong couldn't help but asked.
"Have you not met my mother?" Zhou Shenzhi said calmly. His book boy had already told Zhou Shenzhi about his mother holding a lamp to look for him late at night. Naturally, he also knew how Xie Deyong behaved in front of his mother. The whole thing Just disheveled.
Although he knew that such a bohemian style was popular in today's aristocratic families, Zhou Shenzhi really couldn't stand it.
Wear your clothes as soon as you need to wear them, they are loose, dirty and annoying.
"Yes, I have seen him before, but I heard that the Yulang of the Xiao family was also here, so I wanted to see if he was really like the legend says. When others are in the same room with the Yulang of the Xiao family, they feel that I am as dirty as a jewel by their side. "Xie Deyong said, waving his fan.
Zhou Shenzhi didn't understand the idea of young men from aristocratic families competing for beauty. He had heard in the past that not only the girls in Chang'an loved beauty, but also the husbands. They would apply powder on their faces, and during grand festivals, they would parade with hairpins, and the sheep carts would be loaded with flowers and fruits. The more beautiful you are, the more popular you are with girls, and what’s more, you are also favored by husbands.
"Zijia, my aunt has seen me anyway, why don't she take me to meet Xiao Yulang?" Xie Deyong said with a smile.
Zhou Shenzhi led people to a bridge and suddenly asked: "Is my mother good-looking?"
Caught off guard, Xie Deyong subconsciously recalled the woman holding a lantern. Looking back at that scene with a sense of silence, he replied without thinking: "Of course it is the appearance of heaven and man."
After he finished speaking, Xie Deyong came back to his senses. He felt that his friend had harmed him, and his heart suddenly felt cold. He quickly made up for it: "Zijia, what I mean is that the general's wife is both a virtuous and a virtuous person..."
Zhou Shenzhi sneered and kicked the person into the cold river water.
He knew Xie Deyong's temperament, so he wouldn't offend him intentionally, but he just wanted to kick him. The family loves beauty, and Xie Deyong was no exception. Who knew if he was telling the truth when he said he wanted to meet Yulang of the Xiao family, even if what he said was true.
Dressed like a peacock in front of my mother, I'm looking for death.
Chapter 161
The second day of the Lunar New Year.
Xiao Qinghe woke up early. When he got up, the sky was still dark outside and the room was as warm as spring. He put on his clothes and the Sichuan brocade embroidered with complicated patterns made him look like a young man in a wealthy family.
Xiao Qinghe heard the voice and looked back. It was his senior brother, Chen Fu.
Chen Fu had changed his clothes, wearing a dark blue brocade robe, and had an ordinary face. He came with a sword on his back and sat next to his junior brother, waiting for him to wash up. When he was on the road, he never left ten meters away from his junior brother. Now It has become a habit.
Xiao Qinghe is tying up his hair with a bamboo hairpin. He is thirteen years old this year. His body is very thin and a little longer than last year. Due to his growth, his body is thin and thin. He is sometimes popular for being thin. I feel that in the broken sunlight, the young man's face, which has not yet completely grown, is a little green, but it is already very handsome, with clear red eyes, red lips and white teeth, and an elegant and elegant appearance that is filled with the fragrance of books.
Xia He, who came in together, saw such a pleasing young man, who was different from the Northland young man. He immediately smiled and said: "Xiao young man, my lady is here to see you."
Xiao Qinghe was surprised and happy, and bowed politely to Xia He: "Thank you, sister Xia He, for informing me. Please ask my cousin to wait in the middle hall for a while. Senior brother and I will be there soon."
Xia He easily avoided the courtesy of the distinguished guest, and said with a smile on his beautiful face: "Young gentleman, you are so polite, I will tell you this, young lady." After saying this, he closed the door and went to the central hall.
Needless to say, Mr. Xiao Xiao, the young lady was already waiting in the middle hall. Since it was still early, Xia He also served some tea and fruit cakes to comfort the young lady who got up early today.
inside the house.
Xiao Qinghe carefully checked his clothes again to make sure there was nothing rude. The sword on his waist had been hung on the wall. It was a light and soft sword that was very suitable for young people to use. It had a white name. Frost was specially given to him by his great-grandfather when he was leaving, and it was also given as a new year's gift to his aunt.
Chen Fu opened the package and took out the gift for Jiedushi's wife. It looked like a wooden box.
"Senior brother, let's go out, otherwise my cousin will be in a hurry." Xiao Qinghe said, Chen Fu followed him silently.
nave.
When Xiao Qingxue saw Xiao Qinghe and his senior brother, she quickly cleared away the sleepiness on her face. When she saw the young man bathing in the golden sunshine like a clear breeze and bright moon, Xiao Qingxue's mood improved a lot.
"Good morning, cousin." Xiao Qingxue greeted with a smile.
"Qinghe has met my cousin." Xiao Qinghe saluted his cousin.
"Let's go, I'll take you to see grandma. Grandma is very happy to know that you are here. After greeting you, we will stay at grandma's place for breakfast. After dinner, I will take you to Langge City. Just for fun." Xiao Qingxue bent her eyes and said with a smile. This was also the purpose of her coming here early in the morning. After all, Qinghe is now considered grandma's natal family, so of course she has to get along well with Mr. Qinghe.
"Thank you, cousin." Xiao Qinghe was about to salute again when Xiao Qingxue lifted him up.
"No need to salute. We have to hurry up. Maybe we can see my brother. He is always the first to ask for permission." Xiao Qingxue led the way, talking to Qinghe's cousin and asking him to relax as much as possible.
Xiao Qinghe followed his cousin, and his face gradually became brighter. He was a very thoughtful person, and when he saw his cousin coming to see him at dawn, he understood a little bit and was quite moved.
When he and his senior brothers came, it was inconvenient to carry a large number of annual gifts. Firstly, it would slow down the journey. After all, Langge was far away from Qinghe. Secondly, the world outside was not peaceful. Too many gifts would attract attention and worry about causing trouble.
Qinghe, Jinling, Luoyang, and Dahu have always been prosperous places in the south. There are many aristocratic families like dragons and snakes. My aunt suddenly became the mistress of Youzhou. In recent months, she has attracted a lot of attention, and there is an endless stream of inquiries. There are many invitations, but under the blooming flowers, there is a cold and venomous snake watching.
Headed by the aristocratic family, Wei Yanshan, the military governor of Taiyuan, and King Jingnan of the imperial court, were indirectly mixed with the figures of several princes, especially Wei Yanshan, the military governor of Taiyuan.
Xiao Qinghe has always been surrounded by his great-grandfather, and he cannot guess the future direction of the world's trends, but now he can still clearly see the direction of the fixed point.
Taiyuan was originally close to the edge of the North, separated from several counties in Hexi by three mountains, surrounded by three mountains, and had large fertile river valleys and plains. However, the forces of the Taiyuan Jieduzhi have been migrating southward in recent years. Xiao Qinghe is not sure if it is because of his uncle. Due to the rise in recent years, it is not suitable for two behemoths to collide. The other side can only avoid them first.
But there is no doubt that Taiyuan is prosperous, and Wei Yanshan is originally the descendant of the famous Wei family in Taiyuan. Nowadays, many aristocratic families in the south of the Yangtze River follow his lead, and their power cannot be underestimated.
Xiao Qinghe gently breathed the cool air of the winter morning. He already knew about his aunt's title seal, which was why his great-grandfather sent him here.
But no matter how many reasons there are, it is still a bit shabby for the two of them to come with a package, especially since the Zhou family has a large number. In addition to the aunt, there are also uncles, cousins, the young master of the Zhou family, and so many other people in the Zhou family... Young Lang Yue The more I thought about it, I felt a little rude, and my jade-white cheeks felt a little hot.
Time was still running out and preparations were not complete. Great-grandfather was worried that his aunt would change her attitude due to the ban, so he and his senior brother set off in simple clothes.
"Brother, here!" Xiao Qingxue accidentally saw brother coming from the other side and waved to him happily.
When Zhou Shenzhi saw A-mei, he also smiled. A-mei was used to being lazy, but she got up early today. He glanced at Xiao Yulang behind A-mei, and nodded calmly: "It's getting late, A-mei, Jade Lang, let’s go in quickly to pay our respects.”
Xiao Qinghe looked at the two stepbrothers and sisters who were getting along closely in front of him, his expression as usual.
Entered the central hall of Mingxintang.
Xiao Qinghe saluted like his cousin and the young master of the Zhou family.
Xiao Luolan looked at the three children and asked them to get up with a soft smile.
Zhou Xu picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said with a smile: "Shenzhi, when the juniors from Sixteenth arrive, go greet them first."
"Yes, father." Zhou Shenzhi responded.
"Qinghe, come here." Xiao Luolan took out a prepared jade pendant and waved: "Your cousin and Shenzhi both have New Year's gifts. I've also prepared one for you. Good boy, accept it quickly."
Xiao Qinghe accepted the extremely fine moist green jade pendant with auspicious patterns and bowed to his aunt: "Qinghe, thank you, aunt."
"Aunt, this is a annual gift from my great-grandfather to you." Xiao Qinghe bowed again. The young man was thin-skinned and his ears were red: "My senior brother and I wanted to come here before the year, so we didn't bring many gifts. Please give me some gifts." Uncle, cousin, and cousin, don’t mind me.”
Xiao Luolan took the wooden box and smiled at Xiao Qinghe: "You and your senior brother have come all the way here, which is already the greatest gift. Get up quickly."
Zhou Xu nodded in agreement and said: "That's right. You are a junior and you have feelings for your aunt." Finally, he sighed: "Your aunt and I have not been able to fulfill our filial piety to Mr. Xiao, and we feel quite guilty for him. .”
"It just so happened that I collected some ancient books a few years ago. When your senior brother returns, I will have someone load a few carts back and give them to Mr. Xiao so that he can have a good time." Zhou Xudao.
Xiao Qinghe's heart moved, and he stood up and said, "Thank you, aunt, uncle. My great-grandfather loves books as much as his life. He will definitely be very happy."
Zhou Shenzhi saw that although the young man of the Xiao family was younger, his every move was already graceful, and his words were full of sincerity and sincerity. No wonder his father and mother liked him very much.
Now the family, including Xiao Qinghe, had breakfast in the outer hall. Xiao Qingxue took her new cousin out to play after dinner. Zhou Shenzhi wanted to entertain the younger Zhou family in the front yard first.
For a moment, only Xiao Luolan and Zhou Xu were left in the outer hall.
Seeing that Qinghe was busy here, Xiao Luolan thought that she would see the Zhou family juniors handing out new year's money to them later, so she wanted to go to Uncle Sun's to have a look. She must prepare enough annual gifts. Women's annual gifts are mostly gold flowers, and men's are Golden melon seeds, according to Uncle Sun, were not like this before. Occasionally, there were jade bracelets, hairpins, small swords, and fine inkstones. However, the head of the Zhou family was particularly fond of gold, so the New Year's gift was replaced with gold.
He is the head of the Zhou clan. If he sends it, who can refuse to accept it?
Besides, gold is both practical and beautiful, so the new year's gift for the younger generation of the Zhou family was turned into gold.
There is a kind of rough and simple beauty, after all, who doesn’t love gold.
Zhou Xu saw that his wife had been busy since she got up early. She went to the warehouse to pick out gifts, asked about breakfast, and now she had to go to the front yard. He took people to the small cubicle and brought in Mr. Xiao's gifts by the way. .
"There are Shen Zhi and Uncle Sun in front, Madam, don't worry." Zhou Xu asked Madam to sit on the couch near the window and have a good rest, then poured her a cup of tea and peeled an orange.
"Eat one."
Xiao Luolan ate a piece of orange and poured a cup of tea for Sect Master Zhou. She suddenly felt relaxed and she pursed her lips and smiled.
"This is Mr. Xiao's annual gift, Madam. Open it and take a look." Zhou Xu pushed the box towards Madam and said with a smile.
Xiao Luolan was also a little curious, so he opened the box and then opened his eyes slightly.
A seal and a copy of Laozi's Tao Te Ching.
Xiao Luolan picked up the seal and looked at it carefully. There were four beasts engraved on the four sides of the seal, which should be the four spirit seals. They were mostly private seals. She also saw clearly the five small seal characters on the seal, the seal of Xiao Jingshu.
Thinking that her daughter also had a seal given by Mr. Xiao, Xiao Luolan felt that Mr. Xiao had a naughty heart.
But what is the purpose of giving the Tao Te Ching?
Xiao Luolan strangely picked up the Tao Te Ching and flipped through it. It was just an ordinary Tao Te Ching book. There were no other characteristics for the time being. However, this book should have been used by Mr. Xiao. There were obvious signs of turning over the pages, and it seemed to be... I can turn to the page that Mr. Xiao is reading.
Zhou Xu watched his wife flip through the Tao Te Ching to the chapter "Shan Ruo Shui", and he closed his eyes slightly.
