After the announcement of the provincial examination results, the topic of the imperial examination really aroused a wave of enthusiasm in all parts of Xing'an County. However, for people like the Chu family who had no one to participate in the imperial examination, it was just a temporary chat. After the heat was over, their own days How we live our lives is how we live our lives.
In mid-September, the Chu family received another letter from Chu Li. The letter said that he had received a package from his family and saw the things the whole family had brought to him.
He tried on all the clothes Shen Luzhu made for himself, and they all fit him. He said that he lived in his master Liang Huairen's home, and his food and clothing were well taken care of, and he didn't have anything to spend. I have saved all the money I had before, so I don’t need to bring any more banknotes to my family.
In addition, Chu Li also mentioned one of his decisions in the letter, that is, Liang Huairen's mother-in-law has completely recovered. Liang Huairen said that he could leave the capital, and asked Chu Li if he wanted to return to Xing'an County directly, or go with him everywhere. Take a walk around and experience the different customs and customs of different places.
Chu Li said that he struggled for a long time, but finally decided that he wanted to follow his master's footsteps and visit various places. While continuing to learn painting, he also wanted to expand his horizons and knowledge. He hoped that his family could forgive him. Can't go home immediately.
He also told the family not to worry. The master plans to take a few followers with him when he goes out this time. He will also take good care of himself and return home to reunite with his brothers and sister-in-law after completing his studies.
After Shen Luzhu finished reading the letter, the Chu family hall fell into silence. Third Uncle Chu pretended to be relaxed and said, "Ali, this kid, has grown up a lot since he went on a long journey. Look at these few letters. When I heard the letter coming home, I felt like I was now an upright adult. Now that my child is older, it would be good to go out and see more. Didn’t I say that Mr. Liang would bring more people with him? I guess there won’t be anything wrong. It’s a problem, let’s not worry too much.”
Chu Yi nodded when he heard the words and said: "What the third uncle said is that it's okay to go out for a walk. Mr. Liang is a man of trust. He promised to take good care of Ah Li. I think he brought more followers this time, partly for Ah Li's sake." .”
"In this case, let's talk about it when we reply to Ali later, and let him know that we support him, so as to save him from being anxious, thinking about his family, and giving him money if he still has it. Ah Li, please bring more with you. How can you go far away without money? What do you think, third uncle?"
Uncle Chu nodded and replied with satisfaction: "I can rest assured that Lu Zhu will do your job. I'll just do it as you say."
Although Shen Luzhu supported Chu Li in his heart to go out and have more adventures, he was still a little worried: "How about I bring a few more pairs of shoes for Ah Li? For those who go out, it is better to have more comfortable shoes... Just bring them. If there are more, I don’t know if it will be inconvenient.”
Seeing this, Chu Yi patted his wife's hand on his knee and said, "Azhu, it's okay. Don't worry too much. We told him to send a letter home whenever he goes to say he's safe." , Ah Li is no longer a child."
However, Shen Luzhu could not worry for long, as his mind was soon occupied by another matter.
Ever since the last time Shen Luzhu took Shen's mother and Second Aunt Shen to find Matchmaker Tan, the Shen family has been waiting for news. In the past few days, they finally got a reply from Matchmaker Tan.
The girl that Matchmaker Tan made peace with Shen Zeqi was from a village near the county town. It is said that because she had a stepmother who treated her harshly at home, she is now twenty-three and she is still waiting in the harem, let alone getting married. I have never had any relatives.
Granny Tan said that she had personally seen the girl in the village. She was a pretty girl who was honest and willing to work. From what she heard, she thought she had a good temper, so she thought of introducing her to the Shen family.
Second Aunt Shen was a little hesitant after hearing this. It wasn't that she cared about the girl's life experience, but when she heard that the family had a difficult stepmother, she felt a little wary. She was afraid that she would meet the same in-laws as the Liu family again and cause trouble. The couple can't live a happy life.
"Matchmaker Tan, to tell you the truth, my previous daughter-in-law was confused because her parents-in-law couldn't handle it, and the daughter-in-law listened to her mother's family, so the young couple couldn't have a happy life because of this. What you said This girl is pretty good, but I’m just afraid that her family..."
After hearing this, Matchmaker Tan waved her hands and said, "This Shen Er
Madam, you don't have to worry. This Hao girl is indeed pitiful, but my job is to keep matchmakers and pull strings. I will never introduce someone who will make your family uneasy in the future just because of something trivial. It's a coincidence. If you had found me two months earlier, I wouldn't have introduced this girl to your family.
Miss Hao's father was originally kind to her, but the stepmother gave birth to three sons to the Hao family within a few years, and her father became a stepfather. Not only was she indifferent to her, but she also Even at this age, he doesn't care about marriage. He only knows how to instruct people to do work at home.
Four years ago, when her father was working in the mine, there was an accident in the mine and no one came out. Her stepmother used this incident to force her to keep her. Three years of filial piety was not enough. She wished she could stay with her. I don’t know if God can’t bear to be her slave for the rest of her life. Last month, the stepmother suddenly contracted a serious disease and she died like this. Those younger brothers have established their own businesses, so naturally Rong Rong There was no room for her anymore, so it was up to her aunt to make arrangements for the marriage, otherwise it would have been delayed until when. "
After hearing this, Mother Shen noticed something: "This girl's stepmother passed away less than a month ago? If you don't want to keep your filial piety, you have to get married within three months."
It is said in Daqian that if an immediate elder passes away, the children must observe filial piety for three years. During these three years, they are not allowed to marry or discuss marriage. Otherwise, it will not only be disrespectful to the deceased, but also cause many obstacles to the newly married couple. But if If you get married within the three-month hot filial period, you will no longer be subject to this restriction.
Matchmaker Tan nodded: "Indeed, what Mrs. Shen said is that although she is a stepmother, she is the one who raised her in name. If she doesn't want to wait three years, she has to get married during the filial piety period. But although this girl She had a harder life before, but she is indeed a good girl with a pure and kind personality, who knows both cold and hot. If Madam Shen Er thinks she is successful, let's take a look at her first."
After hearing this, Second Aunt Shen felt a little sorry for this poor girl, but after all, it was her son's life-long event. She had already missed it once before, so she had to be more cautious this time: "Matchmaker Tan, can you tolerate me in this matter?" Could you please give it some thought and give me an answer?"
"It's natural."
Second Aunt Shen wrote down the village that Matchmaker Tan mentioned. After Matchmaker Tan left, she spent a day looking for it. Together with Shen's mother and Shen Luzhu, she went to the village on her own to inquire about the Hao girl.
In the village, it is said that the family named Hao married the stepmother. Any aunt and aunt could tell a few bad things about her family. The three Shen family members easily found out about the old stories of the Hao family. We also successfully found the aunt's house where Hao Qiuyue lives now.
Hao Qiuyue's aunt's house is built in a slightly remote part of the village. There are not many other houses nearby. The conditions in her aunt's house seem to be a bit difficult. The yard surrounded by fences is not big, and there are two low thatched houses in the yard. There are also some free-range chickens. ap.
A young girl wearing a white-washed and patched blouse was chopping weeds in the yard, looking like she was going to feed the chickens.
Hearing footsteps outside the courtyard, Hao Qiuyue raised her head and looked outside the courtyard. She saw two old people, one young person, and three strange women looking at her outside her courtyard. She quickly stood up and asked, "Two aunts, and this girl." But is something wrong?"
Mother Shen and others looked at each other, and Second Aunt Shen explained with a smile: "Girl, the three of us are not from this village. We were really thirsty when passing by your house. Can you lend us a bowl of water?"
Hao Qiuyue hesitated for a moment after hearing the words, then opened the door of her courtyard, invited Aunt Shen and her three children into the courtyard, found three small wooden benches from the side, and saw that there seemed to be some dust on them, so she wiped them clean with her hands. Then he put it down and said, "Auntie, please sit down for a moment, and I'll get it for you right away."
Second Aunt Shen saw no one around and asked in a low voice: "Sister-in-law, do you think this girl is the one introduced by Matchmaker Tan? She is really good-looking and has a good temperament, but she is too thin." A little more."
Mother Shen was also looking around, and when she heard this she was a little unsure and said, "I forgot to ask Matchmaker Tan if the girl's aunt has a daughter. Don't make a mistake."
Just as he was talking, he saw the girl from before walking out with two earthen bowls, followed by a woman also wearing an old shirt, also holding an earthen bowl in her hand.
, greeted with some embarrassment: "Sorry, I don't have any herbal tea at home. I only have this well water. I don't know if you are used to drinking it."
The three Shen family members hurriedly stood up and took it with both hands, thanking them repeatedly: "This is already very good. It would be sweet to drink some well water in this weather."
Thinking of the questions raised by Mother Shen and Aunt Shen just now, Shen Luzhu turned his eyebrows and greeted with a smile: "Auntie, your daughter looks exactly like you."
The middle-aged woman was stunned for a moment when she heard this. Then she glanced at Hao Qiuyue beside her and said, "This is not my daughter, but my sister's daughter. She is my nephew."
Hearing this, Second Aunt Shen quietly glanced at Mother Shen, and the smile on her face became even bigger. The three of them drank water and didn't wait too long. After returning the bowls, they stood up and left.
As soon as she returned to Shen's house, Second Aunt Shen couldn't wait to talk to Second Uncle Shen about today's events: "My sister-in-law, Lu Zhu, and I took a trip today. We were walking in front of that house's yard. It happened that I saw the girl. I asked her to talk to her because she was thirsty. The girl looked good, but she was a little thinner. She must have been treated harshly at home. The conditions at her aunt's house were not very good. Looks like."
After being married for many years, Uncle Shen knows his wife well. After hearing this, he said directly: "From what you said, does it sound good to you that you want to settle down?"
Second Aunt Shen shook her head when she heard this and said, "I think it's good, but this matter still needs Zeqi's final nod. I'm thinking of going to see Matchmaker Tan tomorrow and asking her to arrange a visit between the two families. What do you think?"
"If you think it's good, then we'll make arrangements."
Second Aunt Shen went to Matchmaker Tan's house the next day and said that she had thought about it and wanted to ask Matchmaker Tan to arrange a meeting.
Matchmaker Tan was happy that the arranged marriage had come to fruition, and repeatedly assured Aunt Shen that the matchmaking would be done properly.
"Don't worry, Mrs. Shen Er. I'll go to the woman's house later, and I'll reply to you once I've decided."
"Sure, let's trouble Matchmaker Tan."
