It was already March in Yangchun. After the young Fu family received the imperial decree, the eldest son of the family had another happy event. The eldest uncle's beloved concubine, Aunt Hu, gave birth to a son. Although he was weak, for the eldest uncle, he finally had a son. I heard that the eldest daughter-in-law, Aunt Zhou, is also pregnant and will give birth to a child soon, but it is not clear whether it will be a son or a daughter.
These are not things that Lishu needs to worry about. Since the new year, the girls no longer have to take care of the house. Little Fu takes care of everything.
Especially after Mrs. Fu left, little Mrs. Fu was completely justified. There was no second mistress in the second house. She accepted the one who had taken refuge in her, and was sent away knowing that it was Fu's people who wanted to cause trouble.
Lishu's popularity also suddenly improved. The sisters in the second room were very friendly to her. When Mrs. Fu mentioned this to her, Lishu smiled and said, "Mom, we can't get carried away just because others are nice. They didn't do it before." To get close to me, they probably feel that my status is not above or below them, and they feel that I am superior to them. In short, they feel that I am not worthy. Now I see that you have become the mistress of the second house, so I show your kindness to me. These people are very good at adding icing on the cake and providing help in the snow. Not necessarily, so even if they are sisters, I won’t believe them at all.”
Little Fu said: "You think more clearly than I do. I am easily confused. I am easily moved when others show kindness to me."
"Mom, I just know one sentence, how to repay kindness? Repay kindness with kindness, repay kindness with kindness." Lishu knew that Mrs. Fu was soft-hearted after all, especially when her life was better, some hatred gradually faded away.
For example, Mrs. Fu was obviously exposed by the Fu family and had no shame to stay in the Liu family, but she still planned to ask her mother to do her best for Lijia. However, she did not expect that her mother had known about it for a long time. Not only did she know, but she also held back and did not expose her. More than ten times taller than her.
Little Fu said: "Yes, I understand. The top priority now is your eldest sister's marriage. She will be fourteen years old this year. The marriage has not been decided yet, so we can't delay your future, right?"
"Then are you looking for a matchmaker to come to your door or what?" Li Shu looked at Little Fu.
But little Fu shook his head: "I don't care about this, let your father and grandmother worry about it."
Li Shu smiled and said, "You are right to do this."
Sometimes Mrs. Fu feels that her daughter is really precocious and not like a ten-year-old child. However, her daughter will turn eleven again in half a year.
When Li Shu came out of Xiaofu's place, she happened to meet Li Rou who was coming back from outside. She asked casually, but she heard the news that Gu Xue'e, the wife of the Marquis of Guangyang, was missing.
"I remember she got married less than a year ago." After all, it was a living life.
Lirou said painfully: "Yes, I heard that her life was not very good, but I didn't expect that she was dead. Uncle Gu and Aunt Gu didn't dare to say anything. If I had known about it, I should have gone to see her more."
Li Shu knew clearly that Li Rou and Gu Xue'e had a very good relationship, so she comforted her with a few words. Li Rou really didn't want to say too much, so she left first.
Looking at her back, Li Shu thought that if Lirou suffered so much for Gu Xue'e, why did she marry Cen Shifang later?
This is very confusing.
When my aunt came back, she made the reason very clear: "Everyone was looking forward to her death, and Cen Shifang didn't like her either. The two of them often quarreled. I didn't expect that she would leave so soon. She had an emergency. We Everyone has heard that they will probably renew their relationship immediately, and it will be the cousin of the Cen family."
The adults would not say these words in front of the girls, so as soon as Lishu and the others came in, her aunt stopped talking.
It’s just that Li Shu has heard it, and she thinks that Liwan at home is not in the same situation. Zeng Yunxi has a girl Zhong Yunran whom he likes very much, but it is difficult for them to ask Liwan, and there is no possibility that both parties will break up the marriage. Even Zeng Yunxi He often came to Liu's house.
Liwan was raising her eyes when she saw Lishu glance at her. There seemed to be something in Lishu's eyes, and Liwan understood immediately. Of course she knew Zhong Yunran and had studied together. Zhong Yunran was prettier than her and was better at reading than she was, but if she wanted to blame it, it was her own poor family background.
If his family background is not good, Zhong Yunran will not be able to attract the attention of his second wife.
There may be people in this world who do not look at family background but only talent, but such people are not the second daughter of the Zeng family. The second daughter of the Zeng family is the one who most needs to marry the rich and powerful. What is better than the Liu family? Her grandfather was the Governor of the Left, her uncle was also the commander of the Jinyi Guards, and her father was the Shaoqing of Dali Temple. Even her grandfather had joined the cabinet. How could Zhong Yunran compare?
She had seen Gu Xue'e, who was so weak and crying all the time, otherwise she wouldn't be friends with Lirou. The friends Lirou made always had one or another fatal flaw, and they were not as good as her.
But she is different. Just as Aunt Su told her, if Aunt Su had accepted her fate honestly and wholeheartedly, she would be like those older embroidery girls now. She would have been blind and heart-failed, and she would have been a servant all her life. Although my aunt died in an unseemly manner, she was already half a master, with maids to serve her, and a lot of money every month. Her sons and daughters are all young masters and ladies of the Liu family, rather than just randomly matching up with a servant and giving birth to a litter of slaves. .
Both are concubines, but she is different from Lirou. Lirou seems to be carefree and has no desires. In fact, she is the most vain and powerful in the family. She prefers a safe and prosperous life. The more talented she is, the better.
The money of the second wife of the Zeng family cannot be measured, and the third son of the Zeng family is a suave man. Although he has no fame or fame, he is not realistic at all.
Just like the Zheng family who married Li Shu sent them exquisite and beautiful accessories and expensive books. Li Shu was very happy because Li Wan knew that Li Shu seemed to be perfect in everything, but in fact she didn't think much of it. For things like money, I pay more attention to whether I can get along with people or not.
But she is different. She values the Zeng family's generosity more. There is no way to sell the Zheng family's belongings with signs, and those books cannot be eaten or drunk. They might as well be given real money and some ginseng and fox fur. Affordable.
Therefore, you always ask a man to give you whatever he wants, as long as he comes back with money. How dare those cousins and cousins, who are so arrogant, really dare to break into the house? These unidentified concubines dare to challenge their real wives.
She didn't care at all about the things that Gu Xue'e encountered.
Li Shu took another sip of fragrant tea and heard her aunt talk about her uncle being promoted to lecturer at the Hanlin Academy. She quickly congratulated her, "Congratulations, aunt."
Master Liwanxin is just a sixth-grade official, so there is nothing to congratulate, but Li Shu knows very well that in the officialdom, sometimes it is not all about grade. It is true that the rank of the minister is not high, but the so-called bachelor is only fifth grade. Who dares to say that the rank of the bachelor is low.
The aunt said to Li Shu: "I forgot to mention you. I heard that you all help your mother take care of the house and manage it very well. During the Chinese New Year, I wanted to invite you to stay at home for a few days, but you also said that you would do night patrols. .”
"My niece is not very capable, so she has to work harder and be more diligent. She is afraid of something happening and is very worried." Li Shu smiled.
The aunt looked at Lishu and said it was a pity. If she had known that little Fu would still have this day, she would have chosen Lishu as her eldest son's wife. Of course, little Fu was also a capable person, so she actually let Li Shu and Zheng Hao formed a pair, they were really sharp and quick, they were fast and ruthless.
Of course, she looked at Lirou again. She was still very satisfied with Lirou. Although she is a concubine, she is well-behaved and sensible, and behaves generously. She is not a petty person and has a docile temper.
When Lijia's marriage is settled, she will come to talk about Lirou.
After the aunt came to talk for a while, people from the Duke of Lu's palace came to look for her, so the aunt had to take the first step. Mrs. Liu said to Li Shu and the others, "You can stay and have dinner with me today."
"Yes." the sisters replied.
Mrs. Liu's food here is the most exquisite and delicious. Mrs. Liu enjoys it very much. After dinner, she said she would go to the lake before the Dragon Boat Festival. Li Shu said happily: "It's true that my grandmother is a good person. I begged my mother, but my mother always refused."
"Grandma, where are you going to swim in the lake?" Li Zhen asked impatiently.
Although Li Zhen had a younger brother, it was Aunt Hu's son. Mrs. Xu had to maintain the dignity of being a big woman on the surface, and lost her temper in private. Her father was preoccupied with her brother and Aunt Hu. Li Zhen was very upset. I heard that she had a younger brother. I'm very happy to be able to go out and play.
Mrs. Liu smiled and said: "We are going to Jinmingchi. It is spring and the weather is neither hot nor cold. Your second aunt has someone cut new clothes for you. Let's go to the lake together."
Li Shu glanced at Li Jia and thought that this was probably all for her.
It was hard for Mrs. Fu to take care of Lijia's marriage. Fortunately, she knew that Lijia and Fu Minglun had said that they had only kissed each other, so Liu Chengxu and Mrs. Liu wanted to arrange the marriage for Lijia as soon as possible to prevent others from talking about it.
The spring breeze was blowing on the Jinming Pond, which was very warm. Many dignitaries were playing here. The weeping willows on the street fell down. It was a pity that Lishu's mother didn't come out today. She loved willows the most. But she asked the maid next to her to break a willow branch and give it to her mother when she returned.
"Why did my sister pick this?" Lijia didn't understand.
Li Shu covered her mouth and said with a smile: "Sister is usually very knowledgeable, so why don't you understand this?" It is recorded in "Essential Art of Qi Min" that hanging willow branches on the door will prevent all ghosts from entering the house. Now that the Dragon Boat Festival is coming, use this It’s good for warding off evil spirits.”
Lijia suddenly understood and added: "I have only read the poem "Baopuzi" written by Ge Hong of the Jin Dynasty, which says, 'Hibiscus willows are better when they are cut off, they are better when they are planted upside down, and they are still alive when they are planted horizontally'."
This means that a willow tree can come back to life after being broken, which is in line with Lijia's state of mind. Lishu thought that Lijia in her previous life had never been engaged when she was eighteen years old, but Mrs. Fu was still a wife in her previous life and was very sick. Exposing the Fu family's hypocrisy and asking her to prepare in advance is also in line with the principle of breaking the willow.
"Sister, you don't move around much on weekdays. Today when you come out, you happen to encounter a broken willow tree. This is also fate. I will borrow flowers to offer to Buddha. I wish you can be like this willow branch. As the saying goes, the past is full of troubles and the road ahead is long and bright. ." Lishu gave her a willow branch.
Lijia took it and smiled.
Liwan said impatiently: "It's so easy to get out, but you two started to get into trouble again. Are you just angry with me?"
"Okay, okay, eldest sister, second sister, let's catch up quickly. Grandma is walking faster than us." Lishu held their hands and ran to Mrs. Liu together.
Coincidentally, I met Mrs. Zeng San, an acquaintance here. Mr. Zeng Si is twelve years old this year and has passed the Shuntian Prefecture County Examination. Although he has not passed the hospital examination, he is now a little boy.
"Aunt." Mrs. Zeng San hurriedly came forward to say hello.
Mrs. Liu said: "So it's you. Are you also here to play in Jinmingchi? Do you want to come with us?"
Mrs. Zeng San smiled and said: "That's a good relationship. Thank you aunt. Yes, my mother's family is also here, so why don't I introduce it to you. My mother and sister-in-law have been friends with you for a long time."
Mrs. Liu, who never likes to trouble others, actually quickly agreed and said: "Let's go, nephew-in-law."
Mrs. Zeng San’s maiden name is Song. I heard Zhong Yunran mention it. Although the Song family officials were very successful, they were also very snobbish. It seems that Zhong Yunran’s mother was a concubine. She married a man who had no hope of a career and was looked down upon. He was even rejected. Don't go. If Zhong Yunran's biological mother had not had a good relationship with Mrs. Zeng Dan, her first sister, Mrs. Zeng San would not have adopted Zhong Yunran.
In the midst of random thoughts, she soon arrived on a boat. Mrs. Zeng San smiled and said, "We are all from the same family, so don't be formal."
Li Shu and other sisters took off their curtains and hats and went in. The Song family was full of people inside. Mrs. Song came to welcome her: "My dear sister-in-law, you are always so nice."
Mrs. Song has gray hair, is short and dapper, her brown mud-gold horse-faced skirt is dragging on the ground, and her face is full of affection.
Mrs. Liu smiled and said: "I saw you many years ago, and you are still as energetic as ever. You have not changed at all. You also brought your children and grandchildren here, and I also brought some of my little granddaughters out to play. It happened that On."
Mrs. Song glanced over, as if she was examining them. Lishu didn't like this look, as if she was picking out goods. At the same time, while the two old ladies were talking, Mrs. Zeng San stepped forward with a smile to introduce them.
"Mom, these are the five girls from the Liu family. This is the eldest girl Lijia..." She introduced them one by one.
Mrs. Song said to a middle-aged woman: "We didn't bring anything with us when we came out. They just gave me a few fans. I'm old and don't need such fancy things, so I just gave them to the Liu family." A girl is making a gift."
At this time, I saw five sandalwood fans brought by the Song family on a tray. This sandalwood fan is a specialty of Suzhou and is extremely fragrant. If you fan it slightly, the fragrance will spread everywhere. It is said that it can dispel the heat and clear the mind in the hot summer. If placed with clothes, it can make the clothes fragrant and repel insects. It can be stored for eighteen years.
The one Li Shu got had gilded begonia flowers on it, which was very gorgeous.
While Lishu was playing, the younger generation of the Song family also paid their respects to Mrs. Liu. There were not many heirs in the Song family. The two young men kneeling now were one in his twenties, with a bronze complexion and a tall figure. , behaved calmly, and the other was sixteen or seventeen years old, with a high-spirited look on his face.
Mrs. Liu's own grandson is not very old, and she has never been fond of Shujing and Shuyi. Shurui is smart and smart, and he is also a child. Therefore, Mrs. Liu is full of praise for these two young masters of the Song family, and she also One person was given a pair of jade pendants.
"This is the eldest girl in your family. She was born well. She looks blessed at first sight. She is a blessed child." Mrs. Song pulled Lijia aside and rubbed her hands. She seemed to like Lijia very much. .
Mrs. Liu also answered: "When my eldest granddaughter was born, a full moon happened to come out in the sky. I was sick a few days ago and this child served me with soup and medicine. He was very filial."
At this time, Li Shu had already figured out the secret. They were just here to see each other. They were just pretending to meet by chance. If it didn't work out in the future, there wouldn't be any dissatisfaction.
Just when she was thinking this, Li Shu noticed a line of sight looking towards her. She raised her eyes and saw that it was the second young master of Song Dynasty, the one with high spirits.
He saw Lishu looking over with surprise on her face, and Lishu turned her face away.
The two old ladies chatted for a while about a cup of tea before Mrs. Liu stood up and said, "I've bothered you for so long, so we'll go over there first."
"Dalang, please send Mrs. Liu off." Mrs. Song asked the older young man to go over.
Not to mention Lishu, other people also noticed the clues, and Lijia's face turned red. Lishu thought that Lijia would resist, at least feeling sad privately, or even showing a calm expression on her face. Unexpectedly, she was so open-minded, and Lishu felt relieved.
The scenery on Jinming Pond was just right. Sisters such as Lirou and Lizhen were playing with jujube mills. Liwanzheng and Lijia were whispering, and Lishu said, "Grandma, let me play a song. Let's enjoy the scenery with the mountains and flowing water."
Mrs. Liu nodded.
Although she was housekeeper every day, she would always find an hour to practice piano and an hour to read.
The sky was getting warm, and when Lishu was playing, the wild ducks in the lake and the swallows flying by were all hovering in the lake. Lishu could think of many things every time she played the piano.
Mrs. Liu's choice of marriage is different from ordinary people's. She doesn't look at how the person is, but whether her family background is suitable for him. Just like when she chose her daughter-in-law, she had a clear goal. She had a background that matched the original Mrs. Xu, and she wanted the daughter-in-law she married to her second son to have more children. Like Liwan marrying Mr. Zeng, she doesn't think Zeng Yunxi has anyone he likes, as long as the two families can get married.
As for Lijia, Mrs. Liu would not see the Song family as being snobbish and merciless towards her granddaughter Zhong Yunran. All she thought about was Song Dalang's father, Admiral Cangchang, the second-rank Minister of Household Affairs, also known as Cangchang Minister. .
Li Shu also knew why a high-ranking official of the second rank of the Song family wanted to marry the Liu family, but she didn't know how to persuade him.
The guqin was playing melodiously, and the Song family gathered together to talk. Mrs. Song said: "I took a quick look at it. Among the girls in the Liu family, the most beautiful one is the third girl. Unfortunately, she looks like a Xi Tzu. It’s not necessarily a good thing that this girl’s family is too pretty.”
Mrs. Zeng San said: "Mother, the third girl has already been engaged, and she is still engaged to the eldest son of Mr. Zhan Shi Zheng of Zhan Shi Mansion."
"I know, I remember. What do you think of Miss Liu? I always feel that her mother has become a monk, and such a girl may not be good. And this girl..." Mrs. Song always has to be a bit picky.
Mrs. Song was very satisfied, because the old lady wanted her son to marry the young lady from the Duke's Palace. The family was indeed very high, but the girl was very unruly. Even though she was from a Duke's Palace, she didn't look very wealthy.
So she said: "Didn't Mrs. Fu say at the beginning that she regarded her granddaughter as a treasure? If it weren't for their incompatibility, she would definitely marry her granddaughter."
Mrs. Song wanted to say something else, but Mrs. Zeng San said: "Her mother said before the Qing Dynasty that she would give all the dowry to her. The Liu family's family tradition is still very good."
"You are doing it for your husband-in-law, right? What did Mr. Fu Ge promise to your family?" Mrs. Song saw through it at a glance.
Mrs. Zeng San was not embarrassed when she was exposed. Instead, she said openly: "Don't you want help from the Fu family and the Liu family? Miss Liu's father is currently the young minister of Dali Temple. He was promoted very quickly. Their family is still harmonious." If the Zheng family gets married, the nephew will also have help in the future. Think about it, Liu Chengxu's son is still young, if he doesn't help his son-in-law, who will he help? "
And Mrs. Zeng San knew that the so-called suspect was the buyer, so the marriage was all over the place.
Lijia's marriage was quickly decided. Although it was Mrs. Liu who took the initiative, it was Mr. Fu who made all subsequent contacts.
"Mom, what do you think of the Song family?" Li Shu always felt that it was not a good thing for Mrs. Liu to only look at status.
Little Fu smiled and said: "Your grandmother likes it, of course it's good."
"The Minister of Cangchang is a second-grade official. Looking at Mrs. Zeng San, her eyes are sky-high. How could the Song family agree to marry our family?" Lishu asked.
Young Mrs. Fu looked around and then told her daughter: "Of course the Fu family helped. The Fu family feels guilty and needs to make up for it. Where is your grandmother? She is doing it for the family. Now the Song family is working as a minister in the warehouse. There is a lot of money in the warehouse. Mrs. Song has several sons, all of whom are married to rich families. I heard that there are always disagreements in their families. They are always fighting and disobeying anyone. That Mr. Song, do you know why he has not decided yet at the age of twenty? Honey, we were originally talking about a marriage, but my family ruined it."
Li Shu frowned: "So the water in the Song family is very deep."
Little Fu nodded: "That's right, but your father has inquired about this Song Dalang. He is pretty good, although he has no fame. But his father can be kind to officials of the first and sixth grades. As you know, there are rules for selecting officials. The son of an official must pass the test and then be promoted to an official, and the qualified candidate must be promoted from the imperial examination and then be appointed to the official position. That is to say, if he is born in the imperial examination, all the scholars will be appointed to high officials, and if he is born in the imperial examination, he will be appointed as an assistant officer or an official."
Lishu said: "I have also heard that the chiefs of the six departments of the capital, Zhongshu, Xingren, commentators and doctors, the foreign officials who know the prefectures and the officials who know the counties are selected by Jinshi, while the leaders of the five and six departments of the capital, and the general affairs department , Taichang Guanglu Temple, and Zhanshi Mansion belong to the officials, and they are selected by Guan Yinsheng."
"My son is smart, that's what he is. Song Dalang has a good future, good abilities, and a good family background, so how can I object? Who would care if her mother-in-law is partial or snobbish? Is it difficult to deal with at home? ?" How could Mr. Fu get involved in Lijia's marriage?
She said to her daughter: "This is why marriage cannot be entirely decided by men. Men don't know how women live. No matter how good a husband is, it would be terrible to have a difficult mother-in-law."
Li Shu nodded in understanding.
Little Fu hugged her daughter and said, "Little girl, if your eldest sister can earn her fortune, it will be her fault. As for you, Mr. Zheng will take the imperial examination and become an official in the future. He has a bright future. He has good conduct and has no childhood sweethearts. Mrs. Zheng She also understands justice and is definitely not a bad mother-in-law. She wants to give my daughter the best in the world.":,,
