The supreme good is like water. Water is good for all things and does not compete with it. It is disliked by everyone, so it is almost in line with the Tao. Habitat, a good place; heart, a good abyss; and, a good benevolence; speech, a good faith; government, a good governance; work, a good ability; action, a good time. The husband does not fight, so there is no need for you.
The old fox was telling Madam.
The best is like water, but I don't fight, so there is no special reason.
Zhou Xu thought for a while and suddenly laughed. Maybe Mr. Xiao had another meaning.
It is not self-seeing, so it is clear; it is not self-righteous, so it is manifest; it is not self-cutting, so it is meritorious; it is not self-conscious, so it is long-lasting. The husband does not fight, so no one in the world can fight with him.
That is the art of a gentleman, not to fight but to fight.
Chapter 162
In the small cubicle, the fragrance of tea lingers.
"Mr. Xiao is praising Madam, saying that Madam is a gentleman." Zhou Xu lay relaxed on the couch and talked to Madam, and peeled off an orange for Madam to eat. Xiao Luolan sat beside him, and Nuan Rongrong was next to him. The small stove in his hand, the Tao Te Ching in his hand was still turned to the chapter "The Supreme Good is Like Water", after all, this page seemed to be read by Mr. Xiao himself.
"Do you have one?" Xiao Luolan looked at the four words "Shangshan Ruoshui". This Tao Te Ching should have been bought not long ago. Mr. Xiao flipped through it a few times and gave it to her. It should have deep meaning, but why did he praise her as "Shangshan Ruoshui"? Gentleman, Xiao Luolan doesn't understand. Ancient people's expressions were very reserved and restrained. Sometimes she had to think better before she could understand these twists and turns.
"Water is good for all things and does not argue about it, which is in line with Madam's temperament. I think Mr. Xiao has already received the title of Madam. After all, there are people from the poor family in the court who belong to Mr. Xiao, so he sent Qinghe to comfort Madam." Zhou Xu said with a smile, The intention of not arguing or arguing was concealed, and some words directly pointed out that it was not good. Madam may not understand the meaning of Mr. Xiao's gift of the book, but it didn't matter at all.
Because she has done her best without realizing it, and no one can do it better than her.
Xiao Luolan's face was slightly warm. In fact, she was not as good as Sect Master Zhou said. She did not fight for anything. When she first arrived here, she was frightened and fought for her daughter and herself. But now her daughter She grew up safely around her and everyone in her family was still alive, so her mentality became very stable and tolerant.
After all, she has always longed for a stable life and doesn't like wandering around. Now that she has all these, she is very satisfied.
"Mr. Xiao really loves to worry." Xiao Luolan complained softly, but her heart warmed slightly. At the same time, she felt sorry for the original daughter of Mr. Xiao. Such an old man, a direct relative of a once flourishing family, There are only one old and one young person left in the bloodline, how can people not look at them with sadness.
"Of course it's because the madam is worth it." Zhou Xu explained to the madam. He knew that the madam felt guilty towards Mr. Xiao's family because she was now the daughter of the Xiao family, but in Zhou Xu's view, this deal Mr. Xiao was happy to see it come to fruition.
The choice of Mrs. Xiao as his wife's natal family was also carefully considered by Zhou Xu. Although the Xiao family is a little thin now, Mr. Xiao has many disciples and is the head of Qinghe Academy. Confucianism upholds the principle of the master of heaven and earth, and the status of master. The weight is not small, especially for a direct disciple, it is equivalent to half a son.
Therefore, the Xiao family is not considered to be in decline. Just like a dead branch giving birth to a bud, it must be given time for them to grow.
Zhou Xu thought about things very quickly, and these thoughts just passed by in a flash. In the end, she looked at her wife with a smile. During the New Year, except for Shen Zhi's troubles, the New Year was still very good.
I make soup with my wife, talk when I have free time, and take a bath and sleep together at night.
Xiao Luolan closed the box and prepared to put Chunhua in his study for collection. After all, it was Xiao Gong's heart.
"Zhou Lang, do you want to go to the front yard with me later?" Xiao Luolan asked.
Zhou Xu thought of the younger members of the Zhou family, who would probably have many children. The fourth daughter from the second brother's family got married the year before last, and the third brother's family also has children. If they have children, they should also bring them, and some of them have already grown up. The concubines and concubines, such as Zhou Luo from the fifth house, Zhou Ban from the eleventh house in Zhoushan from the sixth house, as well as relatives and ladies from the side branches...
"If we keep Shen Zhi busy, the child will be noisy and have a headache. Let's wait for a while before going." Zhou Xu took his wife's hand and asked her to sit on the couch. In fact, in previous years, he gave it to Shen Zhi and Uncle Sun. He rarely shows up in person, but since his wife wants to go, he will accompany her.
Xiao Luolan glanced at the sky from the window. Because she got up early, it was still morning.
The two had some tea and rested for a while before walking out of the room together.
Zhou Shenzhi kept a good smile and bowed to the elders who came one by one. His second aunt, third aunt, fifth aunt, and the eleventh uncle's family were also joined by a group of juniors from the Zhou family. At a glance, he saw more than a dozen children dressed in brocade. , fortunately, it was a bit noisy at first, but later he sat down at the table in a polite manner.
"Cousin, why don't you see Qingxue?" Zhou Shiliu asked after looking around the crowd and not finding the person who liked to join in the fun.
"Qinghe is here. She took Qinghe to play outside." Zhou Shenzhi asked, "Why are you looking for her?" He knew that Shiliu and Amei were not in love with each other when they met.
"Hey, I got a new interesting thing that I want to give to her." Zhou Shiliu said as if offering a treasure: "It's an imported item from the other side of the sea. It's very rare. I spent a lot of money to buy it."
Before he finished speaking, his ears hurt, and he saw his mother, Mrs. Li, grabbing his ears gracefully and whispering softly: "Where did you get your money? Huh?"
The Zhou family has only made its fortune since Jiedushi of this generation, and most of the wives they married before they became rich were not from well-known families. They all grew up in the north. Therefore, the New Year rituals within the Zhou family have always been loose and lively, with dozens of family members and relatives We were in the same place lively, no matter where we sat, people from the main family stayed close, and people from other branches, such as Zhou Yihong, who led his son and a group of distant relatives of the Zhou family who had a long relationship, stayed far away. Watching the excitement in front.
Zhou Shenzhi smiled as he looked at Zhou Shiliu, who was grinning at the sight of his second aunt, and everyone in the circle laughed.
Zhou Shiliu lost face, his face turned red but he did not dare to disobey his mother, so he begged for mercy in a low voice: "Mom, please let go."
Mrs. Li looked at her youngest son with hatred, and felt angry. She didn't want to provoke Miss Xiao. She was different from the favored little ladies in other families.
"Second sister-in-law, don't be angry. The sixteenth son has a good temperament. He probably got something good and wants to play with Qingxue." The person who spoke was Li's sister-in-law, the eldest wife of the third uncle's family. Like the third uncle, she had a smiling face. Although she was a round figure, Mrs. Li knew that her sister-in-law was a good housekeeper and had a very stable control of the inner house. Her third uncle had a good job, her children were caring and considerate, and she had become a mother-in-law, and her life was extremely comfortable. .
"Yes, Aniang." Zhou Shiliu nodded.
During the Chinese New Year, it was again at the sect leader's house, in front of a lot of people. Mrs. Li suppressed her anger and let go with a smile: "Brothers and sisters, you don't know, Sixteen has always been a lavish spender. I don't know how much money the family has wasted. Things from the sea." Just for the sake of freshness, there is really no need to spend a lot of money on it.”
"My son, if you want to buy it, buy it. My elder brother bought a piece of Taihu mountain stone in the first half of the year. It was shipped by ship from the south of the Yangtze River and cost a lot of money."
A group of people gathered around the second room, and several ladies who were heads of households also started talking. Some spoke for Shiliu, and some said that their children were disobedient. Zhou Shiliu rubbed his red and hot ears.
Zhou Shenzhi looked at the slightly deserted Zhou Yihong and secretly ordered the maid to add more tea and fruits, and also took care of the warm curtain charcoal basin near the door.
"Sister-in-law is here, now the sixteenth son doesn't have to worry about the gold." The sharp-eyed third-room lady saw the woman's white jade-like hands gently lifting the curtain, and immediately smiled and came closer, never expecting that the sect leader was also there.
"What did Sixteenth do again?" As soon as Zhou Xu came in, the lively atmosphere in the hall suddenly became quieter. The juniors all sat upright, and even the children of a few years old did not dare to make noises or laugh.
Xiao Luolan felt magical about this scene. She just heard a burst of laughter in the room.
Sect Leader Zhou is smiling now, and he is not scary at all.
Yiyi Hong led the Zhou family members to bow to the sect leader and mistress: "With the new year, I wish the sect leader and mistress good health and safety."
Zhou Xu nodded and nodded in response.
Xiao Luolan also saw Zhou Yihong when he was worshiping his ancestors. He looked thin and lean. He kept bending down to perform rituals. The head of Zhou had already gone over there and still didn't get up. A group of collaterals were obviously headed by him, big and small. Everyone was saluting, Xiao Luolan hesitated for a moment, and then said softly: "Everyone, please get up. This is a family banquet, so don't be too formal."
As soon as he said this, Zhou Yihong bent down even lower, then straightened up and said, "Happy New Year, mistress."
"So are you." Xiao Luolan also returned the courtesy. After the mistress left, the subordinates became obviously more active, but they restrained themselves.
Zhou Xu sat in the main seat, with his wife next to him.
"I just spent money to buy an imported product from Lingnan and wanted to play with my cousin Qingxue." Zhou Shiliu answered his uncle's words with red ears.
"What is it? Show me." Seeing his wife's curiosity, Zhou Xu asked casually.
Zhou Shiliu said coyly: "Still at home."
As soon as Zhou Xu saw this kid, he knew that he was not telling the truth. He was probably some kind of gadget that could be used to trick people, so he was his treasure.
Mrs. Li glared at her son, while Zhou Lingzhi rubbed his forehead. He was already married and had children, and his younger brother at home seemed to be another son of his.
"It's just a mechanism box." Zhou Lingzhi demolished his brother's desk. He had also seen the gadget and checked it again.
"Sixteen, take it out and give it to your aunt. You can't break your promise as a New Year's gift for cousin Qingxue." Zhou Lingzhi said.
On the 16th, he took out a mechanism box from his sleeve and presented it to him.
Xiao Luolan took it and was immediately struck by the gems on the mechanism box. The mechanism box was no bigger than the palm of her hand, very compact, expensive in workmanship, and square.
Although she was curious about what was hidden inside, Xiao Luolan decided to let her daughter come back and open it herself.
"Sixteen, come here to collect the new year's money." Xiao Luolan said.
Zhou Shiliu walked over with a blushing face. Actually, my aunt was a nice person, but he was very disrespectful towards her back then.
Mrs. Li felt relieved when she saw that her son was the first to receive the new year's money.
After all the New Year's money was given to the juniors, only some children were left. Xiao Luolan looked at the dozen children of different ages, bending slightly and smiling in his eyes.
After the new year's money was distributed, these juniors bowed and left.
When her daughter came back in the evening, Xiao Luolan gave her the gift from Shiliu.
Xiao Qingxue looked at the mechanism box eagerly and warily. She didn't believe that Zhou Shiliu had any good intentions, but this mechanism box was really beautiful, like a work of art.
Xiao Luolan sat aside and cut some fabrics to make waistbands for Sect Master Zhou and Shenzhi. While watching her daughter playing with the mechanism box, her eyes were gentle.
Finally, Xiao Qingxue made up her mind, but she was also smart enough to find a book and put it in front of her.
"Auntie, please press the button for me."
Xiao Luolan pressed it, and saw a small gem snake suddenly appeared from the mechanism box. It had a green snake body and ruby eyes. The snake opened its mouth and suddenly spit out a stream of water, which splashed on the book.
Um, is this a water-spouting snake?
Xiao Luolan pulled down her daughter's book: "There is no mechanism anymore."
As soon as Xiao Qingxue saw the water stains on the book, she immediately hummed: "I knew Zhou Liu had no good intentions." She clicked on the little snake and found that it was cute and tight. She became happy again and played with it for a while.
Deyan Study.
Zhou Xu was sitting on a high chair. The letter was a letter sent to him by the governor of Xunjiang County. The letter said that after Peng Hui became mute, his temper became violent and irritable. He often killed the slaves who served him and urged Qi Nanhua many times. We are leaving for Langge now and should arrive within ten days.
Under the dim candlelight.
Zhou Xu fell into deep thought and thought about it even though his tongue was gone. Did he want to treat Qi Nanhua as an angel to announce the edict and find a scapegoat to complete the task, or did he have another purpose.
Otherwise, why keep going to Langge, a place of death?
Chapter 163 (revision)
The third day of the Lunar New Year is the Xiaonian Dynasty.
Xiao Luolan originally planned to go to Yueniang's house today to congratulate her on the New Year and return gifts. The gifts were all ready, but Chunhua reminded her that it was not appropriate to visit relatives and friends today, because here in the north, Xiaonian Dynasty also said red. On Dog Day, the red dog is the god of anger, so it is not suitable to go out. It is better to worship ancestors and gods at home.
If she goes there rashly, it will interfere with other people's wealth and good luck, which is really inappropriate.
After understanding it carefully, Xiao Luolan gave up the idea.
Xiao Qingxue directed Fang Yun to take down the door letter and pine and cypress branches, light a charcoal basin, and put them in the basin to burn. She was always very interested in these ancient customs, so she dragged Qinghe's cousin over early in the morning. Grandma Didi Cuixuan is here to play.
Qinghe looked at his cousin, who still had a childlike heart, sitting on the clean corridor.
When Xiao Luolan arrived, she saw a young boy cutting paper with an upright figure. The young boy was so dexterous that even his daughter sat next to him and marveled.
"It's the little pig carrying the ingot. This paper-cut is good." Xiao Qingxue picked up one and praised: "Cousin Qinghe, you are so awesome."
"My cousin is overrated. If you want to learn, I can teach you. It's very simple." Xiao Qinghe smiled shyly.
"Forget it, I'm clumsy and can't learn it." Xiao Qingxue refused. She just had a look and asked her to learn such fine paper-cutting. She didn't have the patience.
"Let me learn." Xiao Luolan raised her skirt and went up the steps with a warm smile. She placed the soft mat behind her and sat down. The large smoker made the surrounding temperature very warm, even in the corridor outside. not cold.
"Auntie, be careful with the scissors." Xiao Qinghe buckled the tips of the scissors and sent them to his aunt. His back straightened even further. Senior Brother Chen Fu was meditating under the corridor, with a sword beside him.
Xiao Qingxue stared at his sword. She also had a sword that she found in the warehouse, but her sword looked like a child's toy compared to Chen Fu's sword.
The sword held by Chen Fu was very heavy at first glance.
