It’s hot in summer, and at the third quarter of Mao (close to six o’clock), the Golden Crow is about to break. Lishu was very excited yesterday, and today she sat up on her own after keeping track of the time, which startled Shuizhi.
"Why did the girl wake up by herself? Don't you want to sleep a little longer?"
"No, I don't want to be late for the first day of school."
Li Shu stretched her body and looked around. Knowing that Aunt Zhu would not follow her to study, she felt relieved and she could be more casual.
Little did she know that she got up very early, but she forgot that her sisters were all going out together, which meant that she got up early and had to wait until others came together.
Everyone else was okay, except Lizhen who arrived late. She was the youngest and was loved by her uncle and aunt, so she finally managed to shout out. Now the sun is shining.
When Lishu was studying in Jiujiang, she liked to arrive early rather than late, and she didn't want to leave a bad impression on her husband on the first day. Therefore, although she didn't say anything, her expression was already very unhappy.
Even after getting on the carriage, she ordered the driver: "It's getting late, you have to take us to Zeng's house quickly."
As soon as she said this, Li Rou thought that Li Shu had also committed a crime. She was a direct descendant, and the third lady, Mrs. Fu, had always been valued by her father. When she was in Jiujiang, she dominated everyone, but now Li Zhen is also a demon king.
This Zhenshan Tai Sui met the devil incarnation. Li Rou thought to herself that it would be better if she and Li Jia were in a carriage. The eldest sister was very caring and she was born directly, unlike the third lady who was a concubine and married as a second wife. She must be stronger and have a better life. My daughter must also be strong.
Li Zhen was the youngest. When she was at her maternal grandfather's house, her aunts were very polite to her mother in public, but they were rude in secret. As a result, she developed a domineering and explosive temper. When she returned to the Liu family, it turned out that her grandparents and parents were all around her, but the situation was different after the cousins from the second room came back.
She is no longer the only girl in the family. Her grandmother still raises Li Shu and Lirou under her knees. Of the two, Lirou is okay and ignorant, but Lishu is very outstanding. She has a kind of thing that she is completely unaware of. I feel decisive and outstanding.
However, Lishu rarely talked to her. Most of her free time was either sewing, learning rules, or reading. Even her grandmother rarely saw her except to greet her.
Just like now that she knew that she was late, it was not a big deal to comfort her like a big sister, but Li Shu didn't say a word, only urged the groom, and it seemed that she had a strong opinion on her.
But they didn't target her explicitly, and Li Zhen didn't know how to get angry.
As for Lishu, although her mother died young in her previous life, her biological mother doted on her in every possible way. After she got married, she lived in Wusun and relied on her own wisdom to gain a foothold. Not to mention how cold she is to her sisters, she is a little impatient with her son, who is noisy.
Hurry up and hurry up, you are still late. Mr. Gong was still very gentle when he was apprenticed yesterday, and he is still very gentle today, but he will be punished on the first day.
"An inch of time is worth an inch of gold, and an inch of gold cannot buy an inch of time. If you are still late in the future, won't it be tomorrow after tomorrow, and there are so many tomorrows? How to study? If you are late for less than half an hour, you will stand behind for half an hour."
Li Shu remained silent. What she was thinking was that if she was late again tomorrow, she would be forced to stand together. It would be a disaster for herself. Then she would definitely suggest it to Mrs. Liu.
The girl's family especially needs to be proud. Yesterday they were praised at the Zeng family, and today they are made to stand in front of the Zeng family girls and their cousins. Li Shu silently took the book to the library and stood at the end, listening to Mr. Gong's lecture calmly. When she saw Li Jia beside her, she smiled sarcastically.
Lijia usually ignored her principles, even just now she comforted Li Zhen and said it was not a big deal. When she was the head teacher in Jiujiang, she was very good at protecting Li Rou to win their favor. She also thought that studying was a small thing, but she was so generous as a eldest lady. The reputation is great, but now she has tasted the bitter pill.
Li Wan glanced at Li Zhen, also full of resentment, but she thought that her brother was about to adopt a second family, so she couldn't get angry at this time, so she had to swallow her anger.
Li Zhen, on the other hand, did not feel that it was her fault. She thought that Mr. Gong was too harsh and wanted to make excuses, but Li Jia persuaded her to stop him.
…
Of course, this is a small episode. Mr. Gong started teaching. He was a lecturer in the academy. He had already made it clear that he would finish the "Three", "Hundred" and "Thousand" in the elementary school within a month, and then start teaching again. other.
Mr. Gong was very good at citing others, and Lishu did not dare to ignore him. She always felt that a person should do his or her part well no matter where he was.
Since she is here to study, she must be a diligent student. Just like when she was going to marry Zheng Hao in her previous life, no one personally taught her how to be a clan wife. She would learn it secretly during sacrifices. When she was about to marry Yu Maozhong, She also thought that if her husband had no future, she would train her son.
She doesn't object to others jumping up the ranks. That's their ability. If she wants to hate it, she only hates her own lack of ability.
But what she hates the most is those good people who ignore their principles and just blindly break them. The so-called hometown wishes are thieves of virtue!
There are nine girls in the school. Lishu and Miss Lu Biao are sitting at the same table. She is very satisfied with this classmate. She doesn't say much, which saves her worries. As she wished, Li Zhen sat with her good friend Zeng Yingxiu, the third wife of Zeng, while Li Rou and Zeng Yingdan, the fourth wife of Zeng, sat together. Only Lijia had two people sitting next to her, one was Liwan and the other was Miss Zhong.
After Mr. Gong finished his lecture, he went down to rest first, and the school became lively.
First, Miss Zhong and Lijia said: "I heard that Mr. Gong even taught the number one scholar. He looks gentle, but he is an extremely well-behaved person. You have been wronged today, but Mr. Gong is very proud. My uncle and As long as the master of the house is here, they will definitely not interfere in this matter."
Liwan couldn't bear it, and quickly said: "The five of us are going out, and we still have half an hour to travel. Alas, it's really..."
Lijia, who usually tried to smooth things over, remained silent. Fortunately, Miss Zhong was a worried person, but she was not indifferent.
Lishu chatted with Miss Lu and gave her a pen. This Miss Lu's maiden name was Jingxuan. Although she had an aura of poverty, she was open-minded and gave her a lot of advice.
"There is a vat outside the school. The water there is mountain spring water. Whenever you are tired from studying, you can fetch water from a bamboo tube and drink it. Lunch is usually three dishes and one soup, and the children of the Zeng family also eat like this on weekdays."
Li Shu asked curiously: "Sister Jingyi, I think the Zeng family's construction is excellent, why are the children of his family doing the same?"
Lu Jingyi smiled and said: "That's because the second master of their family is rich, but in fact the Zeng family has ancestral traditions. Do you think if they enjoy themselves all day long and only know about rich clothes and food, how will their children make progress?"
Li Shu nodded slowly and looked up at Lu Jingyi because she saw what was going on.
Lunch is indeed very simple. Of course, although it is simple, it is not shabby and it is also made with care. As for the second half of the day, a female gentleman named Shen first taught them how to read piano music and how to play the piano. At this time, the two girls, Lu and Zhong, excused themselves from coming because they were busy.
Li Shu looked at her piano and knew why.
Lijia and Liwan's pianos were prepared by Mrs. Fu, Lishu and Lirou were brought out from the warehouse by Mrs. Liu, and Lizhen was included in Mrs. Xu's dowry. As for the two girls of the Zeng family, Zeng Yingxiu's father is the Shaoqing of Taichang Temple. Her stepmother will never be harsh on her in public. Not to mention Zeng Yingdan, her father is a businessman, and I am afraid that he can play eight out of ten harps. Can be taken out.
Since they can afford to hire female gentlemen, it is natural for the ladies to play the piano well.
But the Zeng family would not prepare for the two cousin girls. Failure to do so would bring shame to the Zeng family, but spending hundreds of taels for them was unthinkable. The two cousins had no choice but to be "sensible" and express that they had something to do and take the first step.
She had been learning the piano for two hours. Lishu had a good memory and could quickly memorize the music scores. Moreover, she was very perceptive and could play the simplest piano with a little guidance. Mr. Shen was very happy and impressed her with admiration.
Compared with Lishu's success, Lijia and Liwan had studied at Jiujiang Women's School for several years. Although they were not very good at playing the piano, they still knew the basics, that is, they knew a little about fingering.
But Li Rou seems to have no talent. Although her attitude is quite correct, she does not have the talent to play music.
Not to mention that girl Zeng Si, who was impatient to read in the morning and even dozed off, which was even worse than Lirou. Lishu thought people were talented no matter what they did. This fourth girl was good at arithmetic, but not good at poetry, calligraphy, music, and painting. She had let down the three female gentlemen her father had hired with so much money.
Of course, Li Shu knew better. Li Rou worked hard to make friends with Zeng Yingdan yesterday, and the two of them looked very good today. However, Zeng Yingdan could hardly even sit down. I am afraid that she will not achieve much academic success in the future. It seems that Not even better than Lirou. When Lirou and she were together, they would always make Chu Gong stay away for a long time. Otherwise, she would talk nonsense, which would probably bring down Lirou.
Naturally, this was not something Li Shu thought about, because after the piano lessons were over, they had to go home from school.
At this time, Li Shu realized that the three female teachers did not come to teach one after another. Instead, after Mr. Gong finished speaking in the morning and after lunch, one female teacher would teach for two hours in the afternoon, and another female teacher would teach tomorrow. My husband is teaching me, it is said that I am learning calligraphy and painting, and the hours will be longer tomorrow.
As soon as she came out of the school, Li Shu seemed to have come to life. The ladies of the Zeng family were very polite and even sent someone to tell her that they had left food for the Liu girls to finish their meal before going back.
Before Lijia could speak, Lishu hurriedly said: "I've already been disturbed so much, how can I still eat? Besides, my grandmother asked me to go back earlier. Thank you for your kindness, Madam."
"Yeah, we're going back right now." Lijia made such a big fool of herself in the morning and was forced to stand for half an hour. I'm afraid everyone in the Zeng family knew about it, so how could she have the nerve to meet with them again.
The Zeng family did not try to persuade them to stay, and they obviously just said a few polite words. As for Li Zhen and Zeng Yingxiu's reluctance to leave, Li Rou and Zeng Yingdan were inseparable.
When they got home, they were all called over by the old lady. Mrs. Liu had to be strong all her life, so she finally sent her granddaughters over with her face licked, never expecting that they would all be punished on the first day.
"My old face is so shameful. What did I say yesterday to let you study hard? Who drove the bus today? And why did you come so late? I will be fined one month as a monthly penalty." Mrs. Liu said .
Lishu looked at her nose, nose and heart without making any comments at all. As a grandmother, she usually liked to interfere in all matters in the family. However, in her previous life, because the girls were all locked up in their own homes, even if they were too lazy, they would not be able to tell the story. Go outside, so in the previous life she was always afraid that the girl would learn too much and have other thoughts.
Personally speaking, she definitely doesn't like talented people and beautiful women, but Mrs. Liu cares too much about face and is too strong, so she hopes that her granddaughters can go to the Zeng family not only to be perfect, but also to have vague abilities that can surpass the Zeng family.
This is probably because she was once so famous. Her husband was the commander of the Royal Guards, the crown prince, and the governor of the left. Her eldest son was the top scholar in martial arts, and her second son was a Jinshi. If nothing happened to her grandfather, the Liu family would still be proud of the public ministers.
Originally, Lijia was the eldest at this time and regarded herself as the eldest sister. Now it was time to speak out, but Lishu found that Lijia had not said a word.
This gave Lishu a new understanding of Lijia, thinking that she was warm and considerate on the surface, and treated people kindly, but in fact she was careless about matters that didn't concern her.
Liwan usually likes to mediate the conflicts between sisters. However, she has always been respectful to Lijia and understands that Lijia is a sexist, so she remains silent.
And Li Shu is not stupid either. Lirou has always been timid to protect herself and will not say anything, while Zhen is a little guilty.
"If you fall asleep again tomorrow, arrive late, and are made to stand again, and everyone in the house knows about it, then don't bother with it." Mrs. Liu glanced at Li Zhen calmly.
Li Zhen was overjoyed. She really didn't want to study so far away. After all, she was still a child.
In fact, just ask someone to talk to Mrs. Xu. Mrs. Liu made such a big fuss just for her own face.
Back in the room, Mother Hu watched Lishu lie down after entering the door, and couldn't help but said: "Sister, I am really tired. We have all heard that the fifth girl fell asleep and asked you to stand still."
"Sir, he is stricter, but the more severe he is, the happier I am. I am most afraid of people who are just messing around. Since the old lady didn't mention the fifth sister by name, I won't say anything more. I hope she will have a longer memory. After all, she went to someone else's house to study, and it would not look good on her grandma if something like this happened." Although Lishu was angry when she was made to stand, she was no longer angry after that.
Besides, after this happened, she wouldn't have to wait around when she got up early to go to Zeng's house to study.
On the other hand, Mrs. Xu complained to Liu Chengzong: "Our Xu family is still the family of the prime minister. My sisters and my husband are all educated and literate. How can they be so strict?" She knew very well that her husband loved her daughter very much, and he was even worse than her. and.
Liu Chengzong said: "You can't harm her if you love her. Her sisters are all in school and doing well. It's not a good thing that you want her to come back. Besides..."
There was something unfinished in his words, so Mrs. Xu hurriedly asked, "Is there something wrong, sir?"
"Your Xu family has been in Nanjing since your grandfather became an official. Last time, your family was involved in several books. If you hadn't been accused of being your grandfather's student, our family would not have been able to excuse you. Our family also had an affair with Xian Shoukui. We have a close friendship with each other. We are both members of the Huguang Chengxuan Administration Bureau, and we are very close. But once he fell, your father and your uncles did not serve in official positions, and your Xu family is now just a country squire. Our family is now recovering, but the foundation is not complete. My younger brother is a promising person, but it’s a pity that he still has to pass the qualifications, and he is not from the Hanlin Academy. It will be great to be a ministry official in the future. The Zeng family is different. My uncles and cousins are all high-ranking officials. She is also very wealthy, and I am not greedy for wealth, but the old lady seems to have plans to marry the Zeng family." Liu Chengzong also hoped to settle his daughter's life earlier.
Mrs. Xu also thought about this yesterday, but she added: "There are four other girls in the second child's family? I don't mention the older ones, but the third girl, she looks weird at first glance. , since our daughter is the same age as her, I’m afraid we have no chance of winning.”
"No matter which one of our families is chosen, I agree, but it would be better if it is our daughter. Our Liu family is also an heir of poetry and calligraphy, and we are close relatives of the Zeng family. It is better than catching someone blind from the outside, from the third cousin's family. Yun Fang was raised at the knees of my aunt. I heard that it is rare to have a lot of talent at such a young age." Liu Chengzong told his wife about his plan.
Although the second wife of the Zeng family is wealthy, at the level of the Liu family, money is a trivial matter, and power is real. Besides, the Liu family is not short of money.
Mrs. Xu became interested as soon as she heard this: "In that case, I will let Li Zhen go to Zeng's house to study tomorrow."
Liu Chengzong nodded approvingly.
Talking about the adoption again, Mrs. Xu also told the old lady what she meant. Liu Chengzong said: "Last time you said you would help take care of Shurui, but you didn't discuss it with me. My brother was afraid that he would blame me. He is a heavyweight." A man who values love and righteousness, if you do this, how can I have the face to see him? Wait, when he comes back after the New Year, I will make amends with him and bring up the matter of adoption. It is just an adoption, no matter whether we are together again or not If I give birth to a child, I will definitely give him my worldly position.”
Mrs. Xu was unhappy, but she couldn't disobey her husband. She smiled and looked very happy.
Probably because of Liu Chengzong's words, Li Shu was surprised to see Li Zhen coming over with sleepy eyes the next day.
"Third sister." Li Zhen shouted.
Li Shu smiled and said, "Fifth sister is here."
Yesterday, Mother Hu was teaching her another way to tie knots. Lishu brought her own little dustpan and was dividing the threads. After a while, Lijia and Liwan came over. Liwan helped Lishu divide the threads. It's fun.
When we arrived at Zeng's house, she was no longer late. Li Shu didn't care why Li Zhen became like this. She only studied in school and didn't care about anything else.
After ten days of work and one day of rest, the Liu sisters all felt very tired and rested at home. Lishu combined work and rest and stayed in bed all day.
Going to school again the next day, Li Wan was talking to Li Shu about the shadow puppet show: "Really, I heard it from my wife. It happened to be our old man's birthday. Not to mention the stage show, there were several shadow puppet shows. There are some too.”
"The relationship is good, but what should we give to the old lady on his birthday?" Lishu was thinking about this.
Her mother is not around, and the maids around her are slaves after all, so it is difficult to make decisions. Although Aunt Zhu is knowledgeable, her eyes are too high, so she can't give away expensive things herself, and she can only make a few colors of needlework.
Sure enough, Li Wan said: "We are young, and we only do a few colors of needlework. I see that you also do lacerations, they are all the same."
Lijia also said to Lishu: "You haven't learned how to make a purse yet, so you might as well tie it up."
While they were talking, they saw Miss Zhong coming in crying. No one knew what they meant. She said to Lijia with tears in her eyes: "Cousin Liu family, you and I are classmates, and you are the most enthusiastic. I want to ask you to help me." Busy. My dad was framed by a traitor in Henan, and I heard he was sent to prison. Sister Jia, your dad is the censor of the Henan Province, please help my dad."
Lijia was stunned for a moment, then looked at Liwan and Lishu and said, "Look at this..."
Normally, Lijia should be the one to speak out. After all, she is the eldest sister, so it would be nice of her to divert the conflict immediately. Li Shu really felt that she behaved like an elder sister when she really wanted something good, so when something happened, she tried every means to avoid it and took care of herself.
Lishu was originally a very capable person, but now that Miss Zhong was like this, Lijia refused to come forward, and Liwan waited and watched, so she came out and said: "Sister Zhong, don't be sad. You need to know about this important matter in the court, we How do these children understand? You should go to an adult to solve this problem."
Zhong Yunran was living with her aunt, and Mr. Zeng San was serving as censor in Beijing. How could she come here and cry?
"Sister Zhong, you are the most understanding on weekdays. I heard you say a few days ago that your aunt treats you very well. But now, outsiders will say that she is not considerate."
Zhong Yunran came to her senses. If her father was really guilty, then she could only rely on her aunt. Now that she had revealed her family scandal, people who didn't know about it would probably have her aunt send her back to the Zhong family if they knew about it. go.
There is no one in the Zhong family anymore, and she has no one to seek refuge with when she returns home, let alone her maternal family. There are too many maternal family members, and the family seems to be prominent, but her mother is a concubine, and her aunts didn't treat her well when her mother was here. Well, let alone the future?
"Sister Lishu, thank you for your enlightenment. I understand."
Seeing that Zhong Yunran didn't force them to help anymore, Li Shu said: "We can understand my sister's mood after changing the place. Whenever there is a chance, we must give it a try."
Lishu couldn't help now. She didn't know whether Zhong Yunran's father was really wronged or was corrupt. She rushed to help others solve their problems. This was what good friends should do, but she didn't understand. It’s not easy to judge.
Seeing that Lishu was trying to persuade Zhong Yunran to do well, Lijia persuaded her earnestly: "Yes, I think so too. Come on, let me wipe your face with a handkerchief."
After finally persuading Zhong Yunran, they all read together again and played the piano for the rest of the day.
As usual, Lirou still played the piano as if she were playing cotton, but she was a little less interested. Then she saw Mr. Shen praising Lishu for her talent and hard work. He also thought that she had pulled Mrs. Zeng San down today by speaking out. After all, she felt uneasy. What to do with other people’s housework. But she knew that Li Shu had always been a bit competitive, but she made a random decision on such a big event today.
Little did she know that Li Shu said this in front of Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Liu: "She rushed towards the eldest sister like that. The eldest sister asked me and the second sister for our opinions. When I saw the second sister was speechless, I had to calm down first, otherwise, if she Kneel down or kowtow, what should we do? This girl is eager to save her father, so she naturally thinks that her father is a good official who was wronged, but the court has its own laws, and my father should not be disturbed by these interferences in how he should act. It interferes with the justice of the law. Although Confucianism has always respected the principle of hiding from relatives, how can the imperial censor, who patrols hunting on behalf of the emperor, show favoritism?"
Mr. Liu is the son of a famous official and loves collecting. He once worked in Jinyiwei. What Jinyiwei admired was not Bao Qingtian, but to get things done for the emperor. He was only loyal to the emperor and did not ask too many questions about right and wrong. He could be regarded as a civil servant. nemesis.
Therefore, he was noncommittal after hearing this, and if he didn't speak, Mrs. Liu didn't dare to speak either.
Lishu looked at Mrs. Liu and did not change her words.
After a while, Mrs. Liu said: "This child of yours is very much like your father. He is so strong-willed at such a young age. Maybe that child is just asking for help randomly, so you don't need to take it to heart."
Li Shu smiled and said: "Of course, I have to report this to the adults. How dare I do it on my own? Since my grandparents are here, my granddaughter will not play with the sword in front of the closed door. She still has to practice the piano today." , just resign first.”
…
Looking at her back, Mrs. Liu looked at her husband and said: "I don't know why, I feel that this child didn't show off at first when he came to me, but he has an extremely good memory and speaks truthfully, but he always shows that he is particularly smart and intelligent. And not two. As smooth and sophisticated as this girl is, she is quite strong-willed."
Even as a child, she has a lot of character and others don't dare to look down upon her.
From time to time, she heard the sound of a piano coming from the west. It seemed that she had not practiced a certain tune well, so she took the trouble to fiddle with it. Mrs. Liu couldn't help but nod: "The sound of the piano is quite pleasant."
"She has only been studying for ten days. She said that Mr. Shen likes her very much and says that she is extremely talented, but her talent does not come in vain. When she rests at night, she still has to memorize the music scores in bed. She has free time during the day. She just practices the piano and is very diligent. But in comparison, the fourth girl can't even finger her correctly now, can't understand the piano music, and her handwriting is crooked, but she is more well-behaved." Mrs. Liu didn't have anything special about the two granddaughters. Preference, impartiality.
Old Mrs. Liu said: "If her brother is like her, he won't have to worry." Talented and diligent, courageous to do things, and insightful, this character can lead to great things.
On the other side, Lijia was talking about this matter with Mrs. Fu: "That Miss Zhong ran towards me, and seemed to be trying to force me to submit. At that moment, the three girls were clever and talked about the third wife of the Zeng family, as if they wanted Miss Zhong to find her aunt. Go, wouldn't this harm her aunt, the third girl is too strong."
"I heard last time I went back that Ms. Zhong's father finally filled the gap, and it was Mr. Zeng San who came through the door." Mrs. Fu was also thoughtful, but she didn't want to get involved with such criminals. Although her family was pitiful, she could only sympathize with her in her heart.
However, she said to her daughter: "Your third sister is raised by the old lady. It's not my responsibility to discipline her, and I don't need to waste any words."
What's more, her relationship with Xiao Fu is quite awkward, and it's inconvenient for her to interfere in the affairs of the third girl.
Lijia nodded: "I thought so too, so I tried to persuade Miss Zhong a few more words today, and finally she didn't say anything more that made us scared."
"Yes, fortunately you are considerate. I am afraid that your grandparents will scold her. If you see her depressed tomorrow, just comfort her. After all, you are also the eldest sister. You should act like an eldest sister. Don't let it be because of me and you. Mother's grudges are taken out on her." Mrs. Fu taught earnestly.
Just when they thought Li Shu was in trouble, Magnolia came in and said: "Madam, eldest lady, the old man said that the third girl studied hard, and said that she was extremely talented, so he gave her a golden silk inlaid with ruby double dots. Cui Buyao, I don’t know where the old man got such a ruby as big as a pigeon egg.”
But Mrs. Fu knew very well: "The old man's father, Liu Tianshi, was the Minister of the Ministry of War. He was very good at making artillery. He once attacked the Rakshasa Kingdom, which was rich in gems."
Lijia looked at her mother, puzzled: "I don't believe that I am inferior to my third sister.":,,
