It was already August when Lirou and Lizhen came back. Autumn tigers were afraid of people. They went to school for a few days, and the girls' school asked them to rest for a month before coming back to study. That is to say, Lirou and Lizhen have been playing in Zhuangzi for almost two months, and now they have not read for three or two days, so they have to go back to rest.
Only Youlizhen really felt that she was lucky, and she immediately put her hands on her hands and smiled: "This is great, oops, I'm sweating profusely, but my mother insists on me coming over."
"Just be patient for a few days and you'll be fine." Lijia smiled.
Li Zhen hugged Li Jia and was very close to her. Li Jia also rubbed her hair. The two looked closer than sisters.
It happened that Mrs. Zeng Er had someone bring hot tea and snacks over, and the sisters said their farewells. Lishu ate the tea and felt that it was exquisite, but not sweet, which was just right for the taste of the girl's family.
Just after eating, Mrs. Zeng Er came over in person.
As usual, Li Rou felt that she was closest to Mrs. Zeng Er. When everyone was chatting, she still winked with Zeng Yingdan as usual.
At this time, Lu Jingyi and Zhong Yunran were sitting with the girls from the Zeng family, and the girls from the Liu family were sitting together again. Li Shu looked at Mrs. Zeng and felt that she seemed to be a little rounder.
On such an occasion, Lijia was there, and she knew how to deal with these ladies, so she didn't stay silent. However, Mrs. Zeng Er looked at Li Shu and said, "I heard that Miss Liu San can write well and play the piano well. My Yingdan is about the same age as you, not as old as you."
"Why did the second wife say this? On the contrary, I envy the fourth sister of the Zeng family. She has a free and easy spirit in her body, and she is looking forward to life. If it were not for your family, I would not be able to get to know such a beautiful woman! On the contrary, I, My grandmother and mother often say that I am not good enough and that I should learn more from the broad-minded attitude of Sister Zeng." Lishu quickly humbled herself and praised Zeng Yingdan again.
In any case, they were studying at the Zeng family, and the female gentlemen hired by the Zeng family were very well-established, and she benefited a lot, for which she was grateful.
Lijia lowered her eyes and thought it was funny, what with her free and easy spirit and bright moonlight scenery, that Zeng Siniang was a completely reckless man, with a bad temper, rude personality, and regarded wealth as his life. Fortunately, the third sister told lies with her eyes open, which is quite understandable. You can't speak ill of someone's daughter in front of her mother, right?
But I always feel that the third sister is very narrow-minded.
Sure enough, Mrs. Zeng Er was very happy when she heard this. She even pulled Li Shu and said, "You kid is really good at talking. It's no wonder that others say good things about you."
Li Shu had never seen Mrs. Zeng Er so close to her. She had never met a few people, so why did others say good things about her, so she was modest again. Zeng Yingdan was as puzzled as Li Rou. , she asked about it only after all the Liu sisters had gone out.
"Mom, why are you so nice to that person today? Didn't you say that she shows off her talents, behaves frivolously, talks about poems and books, and is arrogant? This is not what a girl should do. Let me spend more time with the eldest daughter of the Liu family. The fourth girl studied, why did she turn around again now?"
In the upbringing that Zeng Yingdan received when she was a child, it was enough for a girl to recognize a ledger and read a few books just to have something in common with her future husband. Because although her mother was an official's daughter, she didn't recognize anything other than the words on the account book, so in order to make up for her regret, she hoped that she could be knowledgeable and sensible.
But this does not mean that my mother likes her to be that kind of so-called talented woman who thinks she is aloof, because my mother once said that mothers-in-law do not like this kind of women who are full of poems and books. They think she is too romantic and not the way to run a family.
Mrs. Zeng Er put it another way. She said: "I used to have some prejudices. These days I observe her, I know ten things after hearing something, and she is focused on studying. After only one and a half years of learning, she can play the piano well, although she I sometimes don't understand the words he often says, but they are all good words. He is not the aloof and conceited person I have seen, but is humble and polite."
Her husband was engaged in a big business, and she often had contact with the wives of officials, merchants, gentry and other families. She had met countless people and could tell what others were thinking with just one glance. The eldest Lijia girl looked steady and dignified, taciturn and carefree. But the more such a person is, the more utilitarian he is. The second girl, Liwan, is a silent figure, but she is a master at assessing situations. She clearly knows that Lijia and Lishu are not dealing with each other because of their respective mothers, but she still wanders around, so she is considered a figure.
Originally, Mrs. Zeng was very fond of Lirou, the fourth girl of the Liu family. She was reserved but not exposed, bright but not dazzling, dormant in forbearance, neither happy with things nor sad with herself, and was ready to go.
Therefore, she was very happy to see her daughter and Li Rou learn more together, and to prevent her daughter from acting like a firecracker.
Mrs. Zeng's second wife had a very complicated view of Li Shu. She had a cousin who was also a wealthy official at that time. She was talented and proficient in music, calligraphy, painting, poetry and poetry. Compared with her cousin, she was an ugly duckling.
But it was this cousin who only knew how to study high and mighty, but was not good at general affairs at all, and did not know how to deal with the relationship in the huge husband's family. She only liked the fact that she had always been sad, and even had a bad temper even though she could not give birth to a child. Not to mention the husband, he couldn't even win over the servants who were accompanying him as a dowry. His life was a mess and he offended everyone everywhere. The cousin's mother-in-law didn't recognize her, and would rather associate with herself than with her.
Therefore, Mrs. Zeng Er dislikes these talented women very much. They are at most beautiful decorations. As they get older, these decorations become useless, but they still occupy a position. Whoever marries such a woman will be A lifetime of bad luck.
Therefore, she admitted that she was indeed biased against the little girl Li Shu, but she gradually realized that this was not the case, especially after they moved to the Peony Garden, this girl really impressed her.
She has always been reading all the time, and she is very perseverant. Her daughter’s handwriting is like a dog crawling, and she is still learning some horizontal strokes. She is already writing in running script and small regular script. I heard that in the second half of the year, Gong The teacher wants to teach "Zhongzhong of Poetry and Meaning" and "Illustrated Commentary on the Book of Books", which means that he must start to learn passages about rituals and daily vocabulary, and start to learn pairs and sentences, and then poetry. My daughter can even memorize the Analects without hesitation, and Liu Lishu can already write short articles.
That's all, she doesn't treat others as kindly as Li Rou, but she has her own rules. And when talking to people, he is very lively and appears to be particularly smart and intelligent. If Lirou is a pearl hidden in a casket that needs to be discovered, then Lishu is definitely a pearl that shines brightly no matter where it is.
Zeng Yingdan didn't expect her mother to suddenly treat Li Shu like this. She quickly said: "She didn't show any kindness at all, and she even let me be slapped by Mr. Gong. Of course, I'm not as confused as sister Li Shu, but this is Doesn’t it mean that she is too indifferent? My parents often taught me that the third brother in our family is not as good at studying as the fourth brother, but studying is just to make friends and make way for one more road. From this point of view, is she too——"
"Then what should we do? She protected you, and then made various accommodations for you. When your husband comes to check, she will be punished. If she wants to do her own thing in her position, will she make a report when she is not the section chief?" Mrs. Zeng Er asked.
Zeng Yingdan thought for a while and shook her head: "She wouldn't be like this when she wasn't the section principal. Even when she became the section principal, if we asked her for endorsement, she would be like this if there were still homework that we didn't hand over to her. But, you don't know. , just because of this, I heard that all the Liu sisters hate her."
Mrs. Zeng Er waved her hand: "You have been in charge of the house for three years because cats hate dogs. You are afraid that others will hate you. Why don't you do it? You would rather offend people than get things done without showing favoritism. This is a good thing. Besides, you It is said that all the Liu sisters hate her, but I don’t think so. You may not know that she was raised under the knee of their wife, and their old master and wife are very fond of her."
Zeng Yingdan said: "Mother, isn't Lirou also raised under the lap of the Dowager?"
"There is a difference between raising and raising. Your great-aunt only asked her servants to take more care of Lirou, but she paid great attention to Lishu. I heard that Mr. Liu was planning to invite the guqin master Yan Tianchi to teach her. It is said that she was given as a gift I bought several famous paintings before settling on this matter. Fortunately, Master Yan is in Beijing, otherwise it would be difficult to find someone." Mrs. Zeng Er said.
Zeng Yingdan was in disbelief: "Really? Mother, this guqin master is still an official."
Mrs. Zeng Er nodded: "Not only that, Master Yan's father was once the prime minister and worked with Mr. Liu in the dynasty. If it weren't for his face, he wouldn't be able to invite this person. So I say Li Shu is exceptionally talented, and Being able to be cultivated by the Liu family is not as simple as you think."
Zeng Yingdan was not convinced: "I still think Lirou is very good."
"She is very good, but she has to stand out. Only when others cannot do it can she pick up the slack. She is always waiting for others to make mistakes so that she can show up in front of everyone. Do you think it is possible? Girls from the Liu family, I It's bad luck if you didn't see it." Mrs. Zeng Er also had her own insights.
In this way, Zeng Yingdan had to be convinced.
Mrs. Zeng Er waited for her daughter to go out, then she said to her mother beside her: "This child has a reckless temperament and a carefree attitude. He doesn't look like his daughter's family at all."
"Madam, how old are you? The most important thing now is our third son."
"Zhong Yunran is only a teenager and not very old. As long as I say I won't marry, what can she do? I thought she was fine before, but I didn't expect her to be so scheming. She really wants to eat swan meat." Mrs. Zeng Er was angry. Very.
The servant hurriedly said: "You are right, what kind of status does she have, and she dares to cling to our young master."
Mrs. Zeng Er said: "I have a quarrel in my heart. Our family and the Liu family are old relatives. Originally, the marriage between the two families was normal. I originally thought that the fourth girl was very good and had a good life, and she was raised by the old lady. Of course it's very good there. I don't pick the right ones, just the girls are good, and now it seems that the second girl is even better."
The servant was surprised: "I see, Second Madam, don't you like that girl Li Shu very much?"
"Hey, just because I like her, I have to be knowledgeable. She is a direct daughter of the Liu family. She is so smart, and the family expects so much from her. The fourth brother from the third family is pretty much the same, so this self-knowledge is still It’s okay.” Mrs. Zeng Er said.
However, it was said that in the middle of half a month after returning home, Lishu, led by Mrs. Liu and her uncle, met with Yan Tianchi, a guqin master invited by Mr. Liu for her, and formally became her disciple.
However, this Mr. Yan was a court official and was waiting for appointment in Panhuan Jingzhong, so he could not teach for a long time. He gave her a book of piano music as a gift. It is said that the Qinchuan School was founded by masters of piano arts who inherited the essence from famous teachers and combined the strengths of hundreds of families. The style of piano music is "clear, subtle, light and distant".
Li Shu thanked her: "Disciple, thank you sir."
Mr. Yan pinched his beard and smiled, seeing that the girl's eyes were piercing and her hair was as black as jet. Whenever she stared, the brilliance was overflowing and reflected around her. Therefore, he said: "I accepted you because I saw that you are so diligent in studying. You can already play "High Mountains and Flowing Waters" at the age of seven. You are familiar with the fingering and have a peaceful mind. It's just the way of the guqin. Being able to play doesn't mean anything. You need to work hard. But it can only be achieved by the harmony between nature and man."
Li Shu hurriedly said: "Disciple, I would like to follow your teacher's orders. At this time, you should focus on cultivating your mind, and you will definitely live up to your teacher."
Mr. Yan nodded: "Okay, that's very good. There are often people who can play the piano but don't know the meaning of the music. In this case, he is just a craftsman who can play the piano."
Li Shu respectfully listened to her teacher's lesson again, and felt that what Mr. Yan said was quite right. People who only pay attention to skills are destined to not go far. Just like writing an article, if you can't write it down, it's destined to be just a bookcase with two legs.
…
This Mr. Yan came to visit three or two times a decade. It was said that he himself was likely to go to Shandong to be the prefect and a parent official. Although Lishu could only say a few words, she often benefited a lot.
After the Mid-Autumn Festival, Mr. Yan had already left for his post, and Lishu rested for three or two days before returning to her usual schedule.
After getting up early to greet her grandmother, Mrs. Liu saw that her black hair was as silky as satin, and she immediately held her hair with her hands and said, "Good boy, you have done such a good job with your hair."
"It just grows too fast, otherwise why would it be called Three Thousand Troubles Silk? I wish it were a little less so that I don't have to comb my hair so tightly to prevent it from falling off." Lishu also has her own troubles.
Mother Wei said angrily: "Sister, it's just a child's words. This hair is black, long, and as smooth as satin, which is what every woman dreams of. When you grow up, I don't know how many people will envy you."
Of course Li Shu knew how good her hair was. Even for someone in her thirties, she had a staggering amount of hair. It was just that it turned much whiter when she was exiled. In her previous life, she often felt that she had this appearance, so everything else was taken away by God.
Just as the grandfather and grandson were saying this, Lijia and Lirou came in together. Lishu stood up and said a few words to them. Lijia said that Liwan didn’t know if she ate crabs last night and woke up with diarrhea this morning.
"You children have weak spleens and stomachs, so you should eat less." Mrs. Liu said.
Li Shu and others quickly said yes, and the wife added: "You are young, so don't be greedy. The Zeng family has sent many more, and there is always enough for you to eat."
No one knew how the Zeng family could send so much. A few months later, Liu Chengxu received a letter and agreed with Mrs. Liu's statement and betrothed Liwan to Zeng Yunxi, the third son of the Zeng family.
Because they were worried that Lijia had not yet been engaged, although the two parties had not officially settled down, they had exchanged tokens. As for Miss Zhong Yun Ran Zhong, no one seemed to take her seriously.
Even if Mrs. Liu knew about it, she wouldn't think anything of it. The most important thing is that the two families are of the same age and appearance, and the marriage alliance will last forever. In her opinion, Liwan was not outstanding among the sisters, and she was a commoner, so it was just right for her to marry into the second wife of the Zeng family. The second wife's money was immeasurable, and she only had an only son, so nothing was not his.
The second wife of the Zeng family was also very satisfied. Although the second sister of the Liu family was a concubine, she had two brothers. Her father had a good career in officialdom, and she herself was also the daughter of an official family.
Both parties are very satisfied, but the identity of the man and woman is unknown.
It was already the middle of winter. After Li Shu took off her cloak, Zeng Yingxiu and Lu Jingyi came forward and said, "I knew you were coming today, but your second sister probably won't come."
Lishu smiled and said: "That's the case, I'm afraid you will make fun of me. My eldest sister is not here either. During the recent Chinese New Year, the family has been busy, so she has been helping our wives. It's just us little ones." Nothing to do, but I want to come and study."
This time Zhong Yunran was no longer seen in the seat. No one mentioned her, as if she had never been there. Li Shu lowered her eyes. She knew that since the Zeng family had agreed to marry the Liu family, there would be no hidden dangers. Appeared.
Many things are different in this life. In my previous life, I didn't come to Zeng's family to study in a girls' school. Not long after everyone stayed in Beijing, they went abroad with their father, and my father's career trajectory in this life is also different.
Now that Liwan was the first to get married, Lishu suddenly felt that time passed quickly. She might have been practicing piano too hard this year. In the blink of an eye, she was eight years old.
The snow fell, Lishu stretched out her hand to catch a snowflake, and tightened her collar. The wind was very strong.
In the last class of this year, Mr. Gong praised Li Shu emphatically: "Your article is already good, both poetry and prose are excellent, but you still have to work harder when studying the Book of Songs next year."
They were also studying. Because Li Zhen and Li Rou were absent from class, they became more and more like listening to heavenly books. Li Rou was a little better and tried to keep up. Strangely enough, Li Rou was not good at poetry, calligraphy, or even playing the piano. She had no talent at all. .
When saying goodbye, Li Shu endured it for a moment and asked Lu Jingyi: "Sister Zhong, is she okay?"
Lu Jingyi said: "She has to be good if she is not good, so what else can she do! Her maternal grandfather's family never treated her like that. Fortunately, the third wife treated her well, and she did not dare to go out of her way. Don't worry, I usually look on with a cold eye. Although the third wife is a bit arrogant and snobbish, she is also a protective person, so maybe it is a blessing in disguise."
Of course, Li Shu heard what Lu Jingyi said. The most fearful thing for girls like them who depend on others is that no one will worry about their life-long affairs. As long as there are people to take care of them and have a destination, it will be a good thing.
"Sister Lu, don't worry. I'm not worried about her, but you. I take your matters to heart. It's not convenient for me to tell my grandmother now, but my mother is very good and loves me. When she comes back, I will I'll tell her." Li Shu also wanted to help Lu Jingyi. She was also a teenager. For her, it would be bad to have a good home and a stable heart, otherwise it would be bad to remain suspended.
Lu Jingyi held Li Shu's hand gratefully: "Good sister, my friendship with you is not in vain, but you must never force anything."
"Well, I remember what Sister Lu said." Li Shu shook her hand in return.
After returning home, Li Shu went to Mrs. Fu's place to see Li Wan again. Li Wan blushed slightly when she saw her coming in. Li Shu said, "Second sister, don't worry, I'm not here to make fun of you."
"Little Hoof, I don't understand what you are saying." Liwan had met Zeng Yunxi before, and she had also seen the wealth of the Zeng family's second bedroom. She hated the life in Jiujiang very much. The cramped house, so little monthly money, and even now she had to work with Li Jia doing needlework until midnight, it became more and more boring.
Li Shu smiled and said: "Second sister, I came here today and saw the rouge and gouache shop selling rose water, so I asked someone to buy a bottle and give it to my sister."
There is no girl who doesn’t like beauty. Rose water smells great when applied on the body. If Lishu hadn’t been able to go out, she would have had to ask someone to buy it and have to wait for a long time.
Liwan smiled and took it: "I just happened to put her in that little glass bottle."
"Well, what sister said is that it should be packed in glass bottles." Li Shu said.
…
After coming out of Liwan's place, Lishu took a look at Liusu. She had grown a lot taller, and she was becoming more and more beautiful. Liusu also saw Li Shu, nodded and smiled, and then squinted at Liwan.
I really didn't expect that she didn't do anything to Aunt Su, and now there is another happy event. Aunt Su's daughter married into the Zeng family. Liusu had once inquired about the fact that the second wife of the Zeng family was extremely wealthy and had some contacts with the sea. The other two masters of the Zeng family had very high official positions. She did not expect that Aunt Su's group would get better and better, so she had to make plans in advance.
After Lishu's birthday, it was Lijia's birthday. Last year, the Fu family sent generous gifts, and this year it is still the case.
Lijia's face did not have the same overflowing happiness as before. Lishu actually didn't know why the Fu family didn't settle down with Fu Minglun and Lijia. Fu Minglun is Fu's direct nephew. He is very close to Fu on weekdays. He and Li Jia are also direct cousins. Why not make a decision quickly?
But these things are not something Li Shu can worry about. In her previous life, Li Jia didn't even get engaged until she was eighteen years old, let alone this life.
After Lijia's birthday party was over, Lishu and Lirou went back to the house together. Because the snow was too slippery, Lirou almost slipped and fell. Lishu pulled her up and she thanked her repeatedly.
Li Shu smiled and said: "It's just a trivial matter, it doesn't matter." She didn't care about this, but seeing that Lirou was distracted, she asked: "What's wrong with you? Why are you so absent-minded?"
Li Rou never told others about her own affairs. She could hide things in her heart, and she was vaguely on Li Jia's side, so she did not choose to tell Li Shu.
It didn't matter if she didn't say it, because Li Shu soon knew that it was Li Zhen's big mouth who said it.
As soon as she came to her grandmother in the morning, Li Zhen said: "Now there is a good show to watch. The Gu family sister has not yet settled down. The family where she is getting engaged heard that there is also a cousin who is a childhood sweetheart. She came to the door in broad daylight. Beijing." It’s spread all over here.”
Although the third son of the Zeng family had Zhong Yunran, everything was like a storm in a teapot. Mrs. Zeng’s second wife and Mrs. Zeng’s third wife quickly took control of the situation. The Liu family would never even see Zhong Yunran again. The Gu family——
Li Shu couldn't help but ask, "How come I haven't heard of this Gu family?"
Lizhen said sarcastically: "Third sister has been deaf to what is going on outside the window all day long, and only reads the books of sages. Sister Gu is the granddaughter of the former crown prince Taifu Gu Taifu. This year we accompanied my grandmother to stay in Zhuangzi for a short stay, and they came to hide with us. Yu recognizes it, of course you haven’t heard of it.”
Her words were very angry, and Li Shu said unkindly: "It's really funny. I've never been there, so what's the point of asking. You have to ask if you don't know. If you know, I definitely won't ask."
Li Rou was afraid that they would quarrel, so she quickly explained: "Third sister, this sister Gu is destined to be a child of the Hou Cen family in Guangyang. This marriage was originally a finger-to-tip marriage. Sister Gu has been working abroad with her parents. This I just got engaged when I came back this time, and this matter has never happened before."
"Oh? The Cen family." Li Shu remembered that in her previous life, she asked the minister of Dali Temple to investigate the case. The minister of Dali Temple was the Cen family. She didn't know if they were the same family. But she remembered that when she returned to Qi in her previous life, she saw Li Rou at a banquet, as if she was the Marquis of Guangyang.
At this time, Li Zhen lost her temper and immediately started gossiping: "This Cen Shifang is really a bastard."
"Yes, I have a very good relationship with Sister Gu. I have to persuade her to relax no matter what." Lirou was very worried.
Li Shu was shocked. In her previous life, the Marquis of Guangyang was named Cen Shifang. Then...
How did Lirou marry Cen Shifang, the husband of a close friend of hers and her childhood sweetheart's cousin? How could she marry such a person? :,,
