In the middle of winter, everyone put on new coats. Mrs. Xu arranged for a tailor to come to her home and use fashionable fabrics. One person made four sets of clothes, two sets of brocade robes with red sleeves all over the ground, and two sets of colorful clothes. Li Shu flipped through the coats on the tray, and what she got was a big red engraved peony flower sleeves jacket, a bright red multicolored brocade sleeves jacket, and the last one with rose red 10,000-character flowing clouds Small coats with flowers and a set of embroidery patches in the color of leaves are everywhere in Jinluo Er.
Mrs. Liu also gave her and Lirou a cloak and a cloak. What Lishu got here was a silver fox light fur cloak and a gold and red feather satin cloak.
Life is much better than in Jiujiang. Everyone else in the second house is very happy, but Mrs. Fu thinks it is too luxurious.
"I observe secretly on weekdays that our family does not have much income, but now it is so extravagant. It is not very good."
She doesn't like luxury and frugality, and she doesn't wear jewelry unless she goes out, because the situation at home is obviously worse than she thought. Especially when she was in Jiujiang, the thousand taels she went to pay for her son's funeral was said to have been given to her by Liu Chengxu, who sold paintings and antiques at home.
Lijia also frowned: "Now our family is not what it used to be. It has been like this for a long time. But everyone doesn't take it seriously, but I don't like to wear these."
Especially when Mrs. Fu takes tonics. Those tonic medicines consume a lot of medicinal materials. She also has favors in Beijing and manages everything. Even Mr. Fu feels that the money is not enough.
Mrs. Fu wondered again whether Mrs. Fu was instigating Liu Chengxu's corruption, or else why the New Year's gift sent back to her this time was thicker than what she had received in previous years. She knew in her heart that because Mrs. Fu won the Rao Mama incident this time, she followed Liu Chengxu in foreign affairs and wanted to suppress her. However, in order to suppress her, there was a possibility of corruption, which would not be good.
But she really can't say anything now. If she talks too much, Liu Chengxu may not listen to her.
Therefore, when Mr. Fu was at Mrs. Liu's place, Mrs. Liu praised Mr. Fu in front of everyone: "Look at this Nanhong bracelet. This Nanhong is very rare. The color of Nanhong is bright and noble. The flame pattern is gorgeous and only comes from Yunnan. It was the third wife who got it by chance. She thought very carefully."
Mrs. Liu got a southern red necklace, Mrs. Xu and Mrs. Fu got a southern red bracelet, and the girls all got a southern red ring. It was exquisite and elegant, but it didn't look like the usual style.
Lishu's mother-in-law told her that this time she used the stones collected in Jiujiang to replace them with Nanhong. In fact, it didn't cost much money.
This was the first time that Li Shu knew that being educated could really make money, and even make a lot of money. Obviously, her grandmother and the others were very happy to receive the gift. Other New Year gifts include Kaifeng Bian embroidery, ten sets of Jun porcelain, and food items such as jujubes and dried apricots.
Mom said it cost a lot of money, but she and her father invested a few cents in local stocks, so they still made some profits. Lishu knew that the official's income was tacitly agreed. As long as he did not exploit the local area at will and did not accept bribes, he was considered clean.
Seeing that her grandmother clearly felt that the gift given by little Fu was what she wanted, Lishu glanced at Fu and felt that Fu's face looked ugly.
First, it was Xiao Fu who gained face with this trick, and then Aunt Su’s brothers heard that they had made a fortune in the south and they also showed filial piety. Liwan was actually very generous, and she gave her a pair of golden lantern-shaped earrings. There is also a pair of combs with jade flowers and birds.
"Why are you so embarrassed to ask the second sister to deliver it in person?" Li Shu quickly stood up.
Liwan felt quite proud: "It's not worth mentioning. My aunt's brother brought it from the south. She just did some small business. Remembering dad's kindness, she brought some things to thank her. I think With the exquisite things you like the most, I specially selected them for you."
To be honest, Li Wan and Li Jia seemed to be on the same road. They were cautious and had a peaceful personality. They didn't show their annoyance or joy to anyone. But there is a difference. Lijia only cares about her reputation and pretends to be deaf and mute when encountering real problems. She has tried to shirk the situation several times, but Liwan usually doesn't show off and waits for the opportunity to act.
Li Shu smiled and said: "Thank you, second sister, for remembering my preferences. Come, have a cup of tea at my place before you go. We can just talk."
"No, no, no, I have to go to the fourth sister's place." Liwan smiled. She also knew that this time, Mrs. Fu probably didn't leave much money to buy new year's gifts. The third wife is not as rich as the second wife. Although her family background is , but it's the same as nothing, but she is her father's beloved, and she has the status of a decent lady. She is not as good as her aunt, and she cannot be offended.
But seeing Li Wan go out, Li Shu thought to herself that Liu Su was serving Li Rou. If she had seen this scene, she would not know how to hate her in her heart.
Shaking her head, Li Shu asked someone to put away the things Liwan had sent. She also asked someone to place a few charcoal basins on the desk and write a few pages in small regular script and a few pages in running script.
I rubbed my hands, rested for a moment, and then learned needlework from Mother Hu.
Mother Hu is convinced by her daughter. She regards daily homework and nvhong as must-learn, but studies are the most important, nvhong assists. Aunt Zhu also often comes over to teach the rules for at least half an hour. , now Grandma Zhu will teach her how to pour tea. Pouring tea may seem easy, but it is actually very difficult, especially if you have to learn how to make some tea.
After learning how to serve tea, you need to start learning how to identify clothing. For example, there are clear regulations on the clothing of gentry, concubines, wives and concubines, "red, crow, and yellow are not allowed." Skills are not related to actors, and they are only allowed to wear soap, white clothes, iron, and horn belts, but not purple." "The humble who promotes excellence cannot be as beautiful as the noble."
The girl is also very clever, so Aunt Zhu only knows a few things in the palace, while she follows the old lady, often observing people who come, and learning the rules of officialdom.
Lishu's birthday was in the twelfth lunar month, so Mrs. Tai said on that day, "How about you stay at home today and rest for a while, so that we can celebrate your birthday."
"No need, grandma. Didn't you ask the kitchen to make longevity noodles for me this morning? I've already eaten it. Since I'm studying now, I have to be a good student so that I can live up to my husband's expectations. After that In a few days, when the girls' school closes, my granddaughter will come to stay with you."
This is also a habit that Lishu has always developed. She feels that people always like to slack off. If they want to study, they should study hard and not think about anything else.
Mrs. Liu had no choice but to nod when she heard what she said.
However, everyone in the Liu family put on new clothes, and Li Shu also wore a hood on her head. When she took it off, there was a circle of sweat on her forehead. Lu Jingyi quickly took out a handkerchief to wipe her sweat: "You are sweating too much. What's wrong today?"
"Thank you sister Jingyi." Li Shu smiled and talked about the clothes making at home, and explained: "Today I am wearing new coats, so they are warm and tight, but aren't they very hot?"
Lu Jingyi looked at the new clothes she was wearing, and then lightly sniffed her own clothes that smelled like mothballs, feeling a little melancholy again. She is not sad about things outside her body, but that they all have homes, but she has no home.
Every time her cousin made a noise, she always knew how to ask her family members to support her, but she couldn't.
At first, she complained, but then she remembered that she was lucky to have the Zeng family to shelter her from wind and rain, and she was better than many people.
After Mr. Gong came in, everyone listened carefully to what he said. Lishu knew that Mr. Gong would only teach them for three years, so she wanted to teach them all the lessons, so every time he came over, Lishu memorized them in advance. I understand that I still have a few months to finish reading the Four Books, and then I will start to study "Zhongzhong of Poetry and Meaning" and "Illustrated Commentary on Book of Books".
Perhaps Mr. Gong's words were getting harder and harder. Before listening for an hour, Li Shu found that Yingdan had already dozed off. Li Rou was holding her head, and Li Wan even put her hand under the desk to rub her skin. Li Shu shook her head. , and continued to listen to Mr. Gong.
Zhong Yunran's seat seemed to be vacant. When they heard that she was ill, no one asked to visit her. Li Shu and Zhong Yunran's relationship was average, so they didn't ask any more questions.
Lu Jingyi knew the reason: "I heard that her father was finally sentenced. Although he was not guilty, he could not be an official. There was no personal visit from her maternal grandfather's family. She and I have always been in the same boat, so we went to visit Once, I saw that she kept coughing, and I think she will be better after this winter."
Li Shu thought back to when she first met Zhong Yunran, she looked extremely gorgeous, much more elegant than Lu Jingyi. According to common sense, her father should be very happy to be alive, but she was so ill. Although Lu Jingyi said it in a vague way, Li Shu understood it quickly. Zhong Yunran's father has lost his official status, and she is no longer an official lady.
Miss Zhong has a very worried personality and must understand everything. Naturally, she knows that it will not be easy for her to get married in the future.
Lu Jingyi, on the other hand, was really unfazed by favors and humiliations, and her character Pin Lishu really liked her.
When she interacts with people, she won't get to know them well at the beginning, but after getting along for a while, she will gradually become familiar with them.
Lishu and Lijia's birthdays are very close. Lishu's birthday was deliberately kept low-key. Mrs. Liu thought she was very independent and didn't bother to care about her. However, Lijia had a birthday gift from the Fu family early in the morning. The gift of the carriage comes over.
Mrs. Fu also found a table in the kitchen for her daughter. Lishu went to present a pair of pouches she had made, ate a meal, and then came back.
Now she finally understands the reason why Mrs. Fu never told her to go to Fu's house, as if she didn't even have a natal family at all. As soon as Mrs. Fu came back, she felt that she had no chance.
Because she had no one to support her, and her husband who liked her pushed her away. She was hopeless. If it weren't for herself, she would have been desperate. Even when she once had confidence in her previous life, she almost died from a miscarriage caused by the people around Fu and Aunt Su. In order to hold on for her last breath, she found a husband for her who she thought was the best in the world.
It's a pity that life has always been difficult.
Li Shu didn't want to say anything other than sighing. Fortunately, she had the opportunity to start over in this life. She was glad. She was really glad. They can all live again. She actually has no regrets, but she wants her mother to live a better life than anyone else.
The girls' school was closed a few years ago, and Lishu was the last girl who persisted. When she returned home, she and Lirou accompanied Mrs. Liu in the morning to pay their respects.
Fortunately, she didn't need to get up as early as before when she was studying. When she came over, Mrs. Liu said to Wei's mother: "Bring them a bowl of meat porridge. It's best to add some seafood to make it fresh."
"Don't worry, everyone in the kitchen knows this." Mother Wei gestured to a little maid.
The little girl went to the kitchen. Li Shu glanced at Lirou. Lirou's face seemed to be much rounder. It seemed that her grandmother's life was indeed better here. She still remembered that when she was in Jiujiang, she was covered with prickly heat. At that time, Lirou It was so thin and frail that only a big head was left.
Lishu looked at Mrs. Liu again, and naturally she couldn't stay silent: "Grandma, I heard that my grandfather often has banquets these days. I followed Aunt Zhu and learned how to make sobering tea. I'll let you have a look later to see if I can join my grandfather. mouth."
"That's OK." Mrs. Liu said lightly.
Li Shu was not discouraged and continued: "Grandma, let me pour you a cup of tea now. My fourth sister also borrowed flowers to offer to the Buddha." She went to the tea room first, where there were all the tea sets and tea leaves. I think Mrs. Liu seems to have a poor appetite, probably because she has a lot of banquets every day at the end of the year, and she is probably anorexic, so just make a cup of "Fu Ren Bubble Tea" with her grandmother.
This Fulen tea is brewed with olives. Olives can clear the lungs, soothe the throat, and promote fluid production. They are most suitable for Mrs. Liu.
Then there is Lirou. She is still young and is not used to drinking bitter tea. She seems to like eating meat on weekdays. She likes all kinds of meat. For tea, make a cup of hazelnut pine tea. Use hazelnuts and pine nuts to make tea. Hazelnuts Also known as mountain chestnut, it is shaped like a chestnut, has a hard shell, and has a fat, white and round kernel. It has an aroma, is flat in nature, sweet in taste, and rich in oil, which should suit her taste.
Soon she made the tea. Mrs. Liu put a teaspoon of golden apricot leaves in the teacup, and a teaspoon of ginkgo leaves in Lirou's teacup. Soon she had someone bring it over. When she went in, she was listening to the tea inside. Laughing, I don’t know what joke Lirou said.
Li Shu was not jealous at all. Although her relationship with Lirou was not very good, she had to admit that she was very likable, often naive, cute and without any lethality.
Grandma doesn't like Lijia being too thoughtful, nor does she like Liwan's smoothness. She probably doesn't like her own unruliness, so Lirou is right for her.
"Grandma, Fourth Sister, you guys have a try." Li Shu asked Shui Zhi and Shui Yun to send them over.
Mrs. Liu opened the tea lid and took a sip, "This is Furen's tea."
Li Shu nodded: "Grandma really knows everything. There are olives in this, which can clear the lungs, soothe the throat, and promote fluid production. I think grandma often goes out for banquets these days. There are not many fruits and vegetables at home in winter, so I am afraid that the dishes will be easy to get tired of, so I Spice up your appetite with this olive.”
Mother Wei saw that Mrs. Liu was only going to take a mouthful at first to show her face. Unexpectedly, after taking the first sip, she actually drank about half a cup. Although her expression was indifferent, this was already a big breakthrough.
When he saw Lirou again, he liked her very much and thanked Lishu.
Lishu said: "What's the point? We work harder in school, but we are more comfortable at home. You don't need to treat me as the class leader, just as your sister."
Mrs. Liu's family has always believed that a girl's lack of talent is a virtue, and only allows her daughter's family to be literate and not learn much. Therefore, she never asked more questions. Unexpectedly, Li Shu was already the head of the class.
"Third girl, are you a class principal? You are not very old!"
Li Shu nodded: "I didn't expect that either. It was originally my eldest sister. Later, I was barely able to get into the job because of The Analects of Confucius, The Classic of Filial Piety and Mencius. As for my homework, I was lucky enough to get first place several times. I'm not talented. That’s why Mr. Gong asked me to be the section chief.”
In other words, the seven-year-old Lishu had already surpassed Lijia, who was three years older than her, and Lijia had studied in a girls' school for several more years than she did, which surprised Mrs. Liu.
She is different from other old ladies. When she married Liu Dongye, Liu Dongye did not take the imperial examination like his father and ancestors, but he was awarded the title of Jinyiwei, and finally became a Jirenchen. She appreciates talents the most. Mother Wei was a An insignificant little girl, she was transferred to her side to become the most responsible mother.
Just like how she can arrange Liusu to serve around her, the same goes for her. She doesn't like the stupid ones who look honest. In fact, she prefers the smart ones.
"Okay, okay, you deserve to be so diligent." Mrs. Liu was very happy.
Li Shu smiled and shook her head: "I was afraid that Mu Xiu would be destroyed by Lin Feng, so I wanted to refuse. However, I think there are brave men in the world.
Although I was frightened and frightened, since my husband trusted me, why should I refuse again and again. "
Mrs. Liu praised it very much: "It's true. When I was young, I came in as a housekeeper. At that time, I hadn't given birth to your uncle yet, and people hadn't figured it out yet. I had to attend to the funeral of the elders in the clan. I didn't have any clue. No. But, your eldest great-aunt was suffering from foot disease, and your second great-aunt didn’t dare to do it. I was the same way, so I managed to do it reluctantly.”
"Grandma is really humble. No matter how reluctant she is, I think she must have done it so well that everyone in the clan has nothing to say. Dad must be like you. My mother and I once followed dad to handle a case, which was the case of many missing nuns and many people. They were all afraid, but my father was not afraid. Later, the case was solved, and many people praised my father for his greatness. It turned out that he inherited it from his grandmother." Li Shu looked at Mrs. Liu with admiration.
At this time, the meat porridge was delivered, and Mrs. Liu said to Li Shu: "You guys drink the porridge first."
On the table were yellow duck eggs, pickled cucumbers mixed with dried shrimps, a plate of marinated duck, and a plate of black-bone chicken. There are two more kinds of noodles, one is two cages of yellow sprouts and leek meat buns, and the other is jade bean cake.
This was much more delicious than eating in a hurry in the morning. Lishu didn't eat or sleep, and drank a total of two bowls of meat porridge, two meat buns, and two salted duck eggs with vegetables.
Liusu was waiting for the fourth girl to eat. The fourth girl was never picky about anything. Although she was young, she knew what she was doing. Liusu felt that this fourth girl must look special. But this is different from the third girl. She originally thought that the third girl was similar to Aunt Ding, with a strong and upright temperament and a straight path, but later she found that this was not the case either.
The third girl, Li Shu, is not like that. She is not tactful, but she is courageous, perseverant, and very perseverant. She is not the kind of person who is really picky. In short, she is a person who cannot be ignored.
In this world, there are people who seek fame and profit, but there are always people who want to do something. The third girl is probably this kind of person.
This kind of person is capable of doing anything, smart and capable, and will never be ignored in the future. Liusu really felt that she had made a mistake. She could only be a quail to the fourth girl. The fifth girl was often rude to the fourth girl, and the fourth girl always swallowed her anger and had no temper.
She had already thought of a plan and was sure of winning, but who knew that after receiving the gift from the second girl, the fifth girl actually acted like a stick and said good things about the second girl, ruining all her plans.
It was really difficult to deal with Aunt Su, especially this time when she met Aunt Su's brother. That man actually lived a very good life. He made a lot of money in business, and he was also very good at being a good person. He paid filial piety to everyone from top to bottom. all over.
Liusu felt that her own strength was too weak, and she had to rely on someone stronger to gain strength.
The fourth girl is too timid, and she can't squeeze in the third girl's place. Besides, the third girl is too young, so it seems that only one person can help her. She will not give up avenging her sister, and she is not afraid of anything. But before that, she had to make good friends with the third girl.
After Lishu finished her breakfast, she returned to her room and heard Xue say in her ear: "Girl, Liusu told me that last time she seemed to have seen the person who cut the girl's strings, it was Miss Wu."
"Oh, it's been several months, why are you saying it now?" Lishu wasn't too surprised by the result.
Ting Xue said: "She said she was timid, but when she saw what the girl said about the brave man today, she felt that she could no longer hide it."
"Bring me two hundred dollars and a box of snacks to reward her. Just say that I remember her affection. If there is anything related to me in the future, please let her know." Lishu said with a smile.
Tingxue immediately took the reward and snacks and went out. The reward was not much, but the snacks were very expensive, and even those with money might not be able to buy them. This was made by the Zeng family's chef who specializes in making snacks. The girl was reluctant to eat it herself, but it was given to her.
It was not unusual for Liusu to see reward money here. When he opened the snack box, it turned out to be butter-stuffed snails. This third girl was really generous.
But they don’t understand: “Why don’t you give me more reward money?”
"Well, Liusu is a high-spirited person. If you give her a reward, even if you give her ten taels of silver, she may not take it seriously. But this butter-filled snail is not easy to make, but it is rare. Giving her something rare is a token of appreciation. I value her." Li Shu smiled.
Tingxue and Siyu both looked at Li Shu: "Now that you know it was the fifth girl who cut your strings, what are you going to do?"
Li Shu said: "I don't want to say that she is young, so I have to let her go. However, if I deal with her in a big way, her uncle and aunt are standing behind her, and my parents are not around, but no one will give me anything. Support me. By the way, what does she like best?"
Tingxue thought for a while: "I heard that the fifth girl likes pot throwing the most."
"Oh, the time I met her, Mr. Gong was giving a lecture in the front, and she and Yingxiu were playing Shuanglu in the back. Did I think she liked this? It turned out to be a pot throw. That's a good relationship. From now on, I will practice the accuracy of the pot throw. "Lishu is actually being modest. In her previous life, she was very good at playing Shuanglu Mo cards and throwing pots. However, these lives were gone as Wusun passed away.
Siyu understood: "My slave, go and bring a silver pot now."
Li Shu smiled: "What's the rush? Take a few hundred dollars and go to the kitchen and ask them to add garlic-roasted lychee meat and a milk fan to us. You guys are busy with me, so you have to have a good meal. Once you're full, Only then do you have strength.":,,
