The couple couldn't sleep together. Not only did Li Shu feel like she didn't have a caring person around her, Zheng Hao also felt that she was alone. When they first separated, Zheng Hao couldn't think much about it because he was sad. Now that the couple had finished talking, He couldn't bear to be separated again.
"Shu'er, I can't bear to leave. I really want to transform into this jade pendant on your chest, so that I can stay with you."
Zheng Hao acted coquettishly and couldn't bear to let go.
Li Shu smiled and said, "No wonder people say that you scholars are so frivolous. You say such sweet words just by opening your mouth."
Zheng Hao swore: "I didn't say sweet words, I was clearly telling the truth."
Seeing that Zheng Hao's eyes were turning blue, Li Shu relented again: "It's better to go back and rest early. When we get to our hometown, there are many people to deal with. I grew up in a family with such a large number of people since I was a child, and there are a lot of social activities."
When Zheng Hao saw Li Shu looking so well-known, he couldn't help but hug her. He felt more and more that her appearance and movements were all to his liking. In fact, he sometimes relies on her a lot. Although she is fragile, she is very strong. All big things are trivial to her.
But no matter how reluctant they were, the couple lived in separate rooms, and Lishu couldn't sleep in a strange place. Half asleep and half awake, it was already dawn, Qi Ge'er and Shu Ge'er were still sleeping. Li Shu leaned over and kissed her two sons, and asked the wet nurse to come in and wake them up quickly.
Mrs. Zheng felt very sorry for her two grandsons: "What are you doing up so early? Even you have to sleep a little longer."
"Anyway, we have to travel today, so there is no need to rest. Mother, how is your health? Can you still withstand it?" Lishu asked with concern.
Although Mrs. Zheng was a little tired, she had nothing serious to do. For a moment, she said that Mrs. Zhu was coming to visit.
This Mrs. Zhu is said to be from the Hongnong Yang family. She is obviously not as beautiful as Yang Guifei, who is also from the Hongnong Yang family. Instead, she has thick hands and feet, a huge frame, an average appearance, and two vertical lines between her eyebrows. It should be because he often frowns and gets angry.
"Oh, your sister is Mrs. Ju Er, she is extremely capable." Mrs. Zheng quickly figured out Mrs. Zhu's background.
But I still find it very strange, knowing that Mrs. Gu's natal family once held an official position at Da Sikong, that is, the Minister of the Ministry of Industry. With such an identity, how could she marry her daughter to the unknown Zhu family.
Even Mrs. Gu's second wife married in line with the marriage of children of aristocratic families. The Yang family of Hongnong married the Zheng family of Xingyang, and the third uncle of the Zheng family was also the governor of Hangzhou at that time.
Mrs. Zhu smiled and said: "My sister has been smarter and more capable than me since she was a child. I can't compare with her. I didn't expect that my master would be sent to Xingzhou as a colleague this time. We will all be in-laws in the future and we will have to take more care of her."
"That's natural." Mrs. Zheng was very kind to others and never felt proud of her status.
Madam Zhu sat for a while and saw that although Lishu was young, she was described as graceful and graceful, and her bearing was extraordinary. Then she realized that her mother-in-law was playing the role of Jinghu Liu family.
When her husband just became a Jinshi, her mother-in-law had the foresight to let her be the direct descendant of the Liu family in Jinghu. At that time, the Liu family was very prosperous. Not only did their family share the same hometown as Shoukui, Liu Dongye was also the governor of the left and the commander of the Jinyi Guards. Her parents thought that Mrs. Zhu was from a famous family and had a cousin who was the governor of the left. At that time, Prince Wuyang was begging to marry Miss Zhu, so they could betrothed her to her with confidence.
It was only after they got married that she realized that her mother-in-law never came back to her mother-in-law.
She's from home, and she doesn't even have any contact with her natal family. It is said that the mother-in-law considered herself a widow and did not like to interact with outsiders.
When Mrs. Zhu went back, she saw a young woman with a charming melon-seed face waiting here, and said angrily: "Aunt Dong, what are you doing here?"
"It's okay, how dare I disturb the madam? I'm just going to leave in a while. The master asked me to go to the madam to get a belt."
Aunt Dong looked a little aggrieved.
Mrs. Zhu questioned Aunt Dong for a long time. Aunt Dong cried so hard that the pear blossoms were raining. In this way, Zhu Tongzhi tried to comfort her again.
This Aunt Dong is Mother Dong's old daughter. She was originally arranged to do some cleaning work in Zhu Tongzhi's outer courtyard instead of being a maid. In the future, she asked the old lady to let her go out to get married, but she only wanted to be a concubine. Marry a small businessman. The businessman is away from home for most of the year. He values profits over separation. How can he be an official and a concubine to serve the powerful?
Because of this, Dong's mother wants to sever ties with her daughter.
Of course, the most angry person was Mrs. Zhu. When she first got married, she saw that Aunt Dong was the daughter of Mother Dong. She was bright and well-behaved, quick in doing things, and relied on her as a confidant. Unexpectedly, she turned against her, and the two were in the same position. Water and fire.
Aunt Dong didn't ask Mrs. Zhu to think highly of her. She gave birth to two sons. Although their knowledge was not very good, they were still smart and smart. She was favored, so why worry about having no future?
However, after Zhu Tongzhi left, the tenderness of Chu Chu was gone.
Two little girls came in from the outside and said, "The Zheng family has already set off on their journey just now. How come they are such a wealthy family? I know everything today."
"That's right. It turns out that the old lady is a fake. I secretly met with the Miss Liu family. Even the white linen dress worn by Shouxiao was made of high-quality snow satin and was made very well. She is generous and very elegant." Aunt Dong also followed Zhu Tongzhi. Her red sleeves were fragrant and her eyes and ears were stained. She often stayed in official houses and was very knowledgeable.
A girl said: "Of course, this Grandma Zheng is young and is the wife of a bachelor. The servants say that the bachelor will be the prime minister in the future."
Aunt Dong smiled and said: "Then she is like a pear blossom crushing a begonia?"
"No way, Master Zheng is only in his early thirties, very young. I have never seen such a good-looking man before." The maid's face turned red.
Aunt Dong thought for a while and then said: "I heard that the eldest girl is planning to marry to Wuyang Hou Mansion?"
The maid shook her head: "I have heard from you that the old lady wants to marry the eldest daughter to Wuyang Hou Mansion, but she is not willing."
"It would be great if I could marry into the Wuyang Hou Mansion. It is the Hou Mansion after all." Aunt Dong murmured.
The maid said: "Auntie, this has nothing to do with us. Anyway, the eldest girl is the madam's daughter. The eldest girl usually has no respect for you at all."
Aunt Dong reacted quickly and didn't say much.
The maid thought so. The eldest girl and Aunt Dong's second son were born in the same year, month and day. Is Aunt Dong thinking about her son's marriage? This is unknown.
Li Shu paid no attention to what was going on in Zhu Tongzhi's backyard. She was already on the road with Zheng Hao. Zheng Hao was riding a horse in front. Li Shu would occasionally open the curtain and look forward. Every time she saw Zheng Hao's figure, she Everyone feels at ease.
After a day and a half, the Zheng family and his party had arrived home.
Li Shu said to Brother Qi: "There will be a lot of people later. You have to hold your brother close and protect him."
Good brother, do you know? ()”
≈ldo;?[(()”
Brother Qi made a face.
Li Shu poked Brother Shu on the forehead: "Put on your hat and listen to brother, do you understand?"
Brother Shu acted coquettishly, but in the end, Brother Qi held his hand and entered.
The door of Zheng's house opened, and there were many people standing inside. When Zheng Botang (Eunuch Lishu) came forward, they all knelt down and cried heartbrokenly. Lishu immediately burst into tears, and everyone turned around to avoid being scared by Lishu. Zheng Hao was shocked.
You must know that Li Shu rarely cries. She has a very strong character, but she always cries and lets her laugh at jokes. I didn't expect her tears to come at any time.
Mrs. Tan also took out a handkerchief that had been prepared for a long time. This handkerchief had already been stained with spicy food, and tears immediately welled up in her eyes.
In fact, after these few months, the saddest time for the Zheng family has passed, and it is difficult to cry again.
Zheng Botang also wiped away his tears, but seeing that Mrs. Zheng was weak, she might not be able to organize a funeral. It was very likely that Mrs. Zheng would have to hold one funeral and then another.
But the daughter-in-law is still very young after all. Although she has been a housekeeper for two years, she has never organized a wedding or funeral. The clan wife must do everything perfectly for the first time. Otherwise, how will she convince the public in the future? Therefore, he said: "Let Mrs. Ju Er from the third room help with the funeral arrangements. Brother Hao's daughter-in-law is still young, so learn more from your aunt."
This result is not surprising at all. Lishu has never been to Xingyang and does not understand the ancient etiquette of the Zheng family. If she takes over rashly, it will be a joke.
She said very respectfully: "Yes, my daughter-in-law will definitely learn from her aunt."
After entering the main entrance, Lishu felt how big the Zheng family was in Xingyang. Their house in the capital was already very big, and looking around here, the endless rows of houses and mansions, and the high hanging lintels highlighted the Zheng family's Extraordinary.
Li Shu was okay and her expression was well controlled, but Tan was amazed all the way.
The clan's house was located in the five-entry mansion on the central axis. Lishu helped Mrs. Zheng come in. Mrs. Zheng sighed: "Since I went to Beijing more than ten years ago, my family has never come back. I didn't expect to come back again because of your grandmother." 's funeral."
Li Shu quickly comforted her and said, "Mom, I heard from the uncle that the auspicious point has been installed at home. If she can return to her hometown, she will feel at ease."
"That's exactly what happened. Now that I'm back, I feel relieved." After Mrs. Zheng sat down, she felt very tired.
After a tiring journey and a long journey, Mrs. Zheng did not get seriously ill. Fortunately, Lishu asked the doctor to accompany her. In this way, Li Shu had no choice but to say to Mrs. Zheng's eldest maid: "You should pay more attention to your wife on weekdays. Don't let her be sad or happy. This will make it difficult to maintain your health."
Shengxin used the ear-picking hairpin on her head to add some peppermint oil, and expertly rubbed Mrs. Zheng's temples, while rubbing her temples, she said: "Grandma, you don't know, I have persuaded you several times, and my wife is very filial to the old lady. We can't stop it."
She was really good at talking. Li Shu glanced at Cheng Xin and praised Mrs. Zheng a few more times.
Mrs. Zheng knows that her daughter-in-law is quite aggressive. It is said that others like to pray to Buddha at home. Even if she does not like to pray to Buddha, she must act indifferent to fame and fortune. Her daughter-in-law loves to embroider Sun Wukong with her grandchildren. Qi Geer once Tell her that her mother only worships one Buddha, and that is the Buddha of Victory and Victory.
The victorious Buddha is Sun Wukong!
Sun Wukong is the most famous
()'s play is to cause havoc in heaven.
Thinking of this, Mrs. Zheng couldn't help but say: "Brother Hao, as the eldest son and legitimate grandson, has to observe filial piety for three years. When he comes back in the future, he will always go to Beijing. Most of the people in this hometown are still running the family affairs, and the clan affairs are complicated and complicated. You don’t have to worry too much, just cultivate your body.”
Li Shu heard the voice-over. Although she was assisting Mrs. Gu Er in housekeeping, it was best not to speak. Anyway, even if you are in charge now, if you go to Beijing in a few years, your hometown will still be out of reach. What will happen then will be the same. Why bother being in charge now?
A housekeeper wants to offend others, but what good does offending others do to a new patriarchal wife?
Now is the time to build your reputation.
How could Li Shu not understand this truth? She believed it deeply and did not refute it.
Just when Li Shu was about to say goodbye and go to Zheng Hao's yard, someone outside sent a message: "Madam, Mrs. Ju Er is here."
Just yesterday, Li Shu and Zheng Hao inquired about Mrs. Gu's second wife. She was the eldest daughter-in-law of the third family. She was born in the Yang family of Hongnong. Her father once served as minister of the Ministry of Industry. She also had a very good relationship with Zheng Ju and her husband. They have two daughters and one son, one of whom is already married. The other daughter is only six years old this year and is the eldest daughter of the couple. The son also got married last year. At that time, Li Shu gave him generous gifts.
The Yang family is good at everything, except for one thing. Although Zheng Ju comes from a family of officials and is talented, his talents are mediocre. He didn't even pass the exam for scholar. It's rare that Enyin became a bookkeeper. He couldn't settle things in office. He was so idle at home. Drinking and having fun.
But unlike her husband, who has mediocre talents, Yang is said to be very smart and capable.
Lo and behold, she comes in.
What caught the eye was a beautiful middle-aged woman. She was about forty years old. She was also dressed in plain clothes. At this age, she still had a face like a full moon, eyebrows like distant mountains, a cherry mouth, and a green willow waist. During this time, he has the first-class shrewdness of being a family member.
Behind Yang, two rough ladies were brought over to carry the box. She felt blessed first, and cried for a while, thinking about the various benefits of Mrs. Zheng.
"Don't cry yet. Let me introduce you to Brother Hao's daughter-in-law and Brother Qing's daughter-in-law. They were both married in Beijing. I'm afraid you don't recognize them yet." Mrs. Zheng also had a headache from her crying and introduced with a smile. Two daughters-in-law.
Lishu and Tan both stepped forward and saluted, but Yang avoided the ceremony and was not greeted.
Lishu thought, no matter what, this person was polite and considerate, much better than her sister, Mrs. Zhu.
After finishing the gossip, Mrs. Yang couldn't help but said: "I came here with the account books and asked my sister-in-law to check them. In the past few years, since my father-in-law passed away, I have been in charge of the family, but I have never been as good as my sister-in-law. Just when my sister-in-law came back, I also The property has returned to its original owner.”
Mrs. Zheng said: "Brothers and sisters, what are you talking about? I don't take care of things much now. You are at home and taking care of the family affairs for us. I am very grateful."
"Sister-in-law, you'd better take a look at the account books first."
"No need."
Mrs. Zheng resolutely refused to look, but Mrs. Yang refused. She looked fair and strict and insisted on letting Mrs. Zheng look at her. Mrs. Zheng had no choice but to say: "Now I don't care about anything anymore. All the big and small things at home are left to Brother Hao's daughter-in-law."
Only then did Yang's eyes turn to Li Shu, and she saw that this girl's eyes were good at looking at her, her eyes were moving, she was such a fairy-like girl. There was some surprise on her face that she was now Li Shu's housekeeper, but she still had someone unpack the box and deliver it to Li Shu.
Li Shu said quickly: "Aunt, I don't need to read it. My wife believes in you, and so do I."
"Since ancient times, brothers have to settle accounts with Su Ming. Brother Hao's daughter-in-law, I'm honestly not afraid of your jokes. I'll feel at ease after you check it out." Take a look at Yang's picture quickly. I am completely fair and impartial.
But Li Shu also knew that there was probably nothing that could be found out about the accounts that could be brought to the table.
She browsed through it briefly and found that Mrs. Tan personally poured tea for Lishu. She had a good relationship with Lishu's sister-in-law. This time she came back to deal with the Wang family and needed Lishu's help, so naturally she was more attentive.
This subtle move caught Yang's eye, and she lowered her head and ate another cup of tea.
Li Shu looked at it casually, then put down the account book and said, "I trust my aunt very much. My father-in-law also said that you are capable and the best in the clan. Please let me learn from you more."
Yang laughed again: "My nephew-in-law is young and the daughter of a prominent official. She has already taken charge of the family business, so why do you need me to teach you? What you said is really embarrassing me."
On that day, the Yang family prepared a plain banquet to welcome their guests back from Beijing. The guests and hosts enjoyed themselves and washed away their fatigue.
Lishu had to have her house taken care of first. During this period, Ms. Yang was considered very attentive and sent someone to clean, repair and paint the tiles. Whenever Lishu had any questions, she would immediately send someone to solve the problem.
Even Mrs. Rong Er, who returned to Xingyang first, said of her: "She is a neat person, which is why the clan affairs were entrusted to her at that time."
There were no bad people in the world with Mrs. Rong Er, and Li Shu knew that asking her would be in vain. However, Li Shu sent Zhulan out to investigate, and then said: "Mrs. Ju's second wife is not without criticism in the clan, but she has accumulated so much prestige that no one dares to say anything bad about her."
But Zhulan also advised Lishu: "Actually, my wife is right. You will only return to Beijing in a year and a half. It doesn't matter what she does with these things."
Li Shu nodded: "I thought so too, but no matter what, it's better to know yourself and your enemy. I looked through the account book she showed me, and it seemed that there were no flaws at all. In fact, it was precisely because it was so perfect that I suspected there was a problem. Everyone has managed a house, and the price situation is different every year, but she has completely balanced every item."
"When the water is clear, there will be no fishing." Zhulan had no choice but to advise.
Although Li Shu is the wife of the clan, her mother-in-law does not support her in taking care of clan affairs. Her father-in-law also thinks that she is too young and is afraid that something will go wrong and it will not end well. No matter what, Yang was always available to their room, treated her with respect, and did not look down on her because of her young age, which was quite good.
I know nothing about this place now, and I am not familiar with the place. If I confront someone who has been managing family affairs for more than ten years, I will be completely defeated. Even Zheng Hao may not be able to speak for me.
With this in mind, Lishu followed Mrs. Yang to take care of Mrs. Zheng's funeral. She didn't show any signs of it and just went to order a crotch.
Soon a group of people sent Mrs. Zheng off to the funeral. On the day of the funeral, the female relatives sent off Mrs. Zheng and went back first. Yang and Lishu left some finishing matters and needed to stay temporarily at Qingyang Temple, the home of the Zheng family. .
Qingyang Temple was originally used by the unmarried or widowed women of the Zheng family to practice Taoism. Later, some lonely women from nearby came to visit. After Lishu applied a hot handkerchief to her face, she was having a meal with the Yang family.
Yang also pointed to the mushroom noodles in front of the table and said: "Try it, this noodles is very strong, even we often
Come here often. "
Li Shu smiled and said: "Okay, looking at the yellow color makes me excited."
While the two were eating noodles, Ms. Yang also told the Lishu tribe which households were really in difficulty and which households were pretending to be poor. When they were talking about getting better, they heard someone coming from outside and saying, "It's not good, Second Mrs. , a group of tenants didn’t know how they heard you were here, so they came up and surrounded you. We sent some grain to them, but they started to make a fuss."
Lishu knew that there was a drought in Henan this year, and people often starved to death on the road. It was probably these people.
Yang snorted coldly: "I am giving porridge twice a month this year, but our Zheng family is not a government official after all, and there are still people in our family who cannot afford to eat."
This is true, Li Shu thought to herself.
After a while, the steward outside sent word that the troublemakers had been arrested and would be sent to the government for punishment. Yang took Lishu's hand and said: "My nephew and wife, don't blame me for being cruel. As the saying goes, there is no thunderbolt, and it does not show the heart of a Bodhisattva. Although our Zheng family is a family of officials, we cannot make this hole, otherwise, the refugees will When the time comes, if you make a fuss, you will be fed up with your appetite."
Li Shu was silent, she knew that starting from the Zheng family itself, this was the right thing to do.
But I didn't expect that someone suddenly shouted outside: "Mrs. Zheng Er, you are also a person with parents and children. You bought all our fields. You tricked us into selling them to you at a low price. I didn't expect that when our fields were sold, the river there So the road was changed, and the dry fields turned into paddy fields. Now my two daughters have starved to death. Oh my God, God..."
After hearing this, Lishu immediately looked at Yang, who said angrily: "If you haven't shut their mouths yet, these unscrupulous people sold their fields to us, and now they don't admit it."
There were babies crying and children crying outside. Lishu originally did not want to conflict with the Yang family on this matter. After all, if this was really the case, these people would not be able to win even if they sued.
But everyone has compassion. Now that the Zheng family has returned from Beijing, they all know that Mr. Zhu is Yang's brother-in-law. These victims are already hungry and almost die from dozens of boards.
While Lishu was thinking, Yang was about to go out to deal with it in person, but was stopped by Lishu: "Aunt, you have to be merciful and merciful. I heard many of their voices and they are still young children. Please spare them for once."
Yang was instantly displeased: "My nephew and daughter-in-law, you are still young, so this is too unkind to a woman. Wait until I get out——"
"Auntie, please let them go for my sake and just drive them away." Li Shu stopped her with a smile. Zhu Lan, who was standing aside, knew that the girl was extremely upright. She often said that she was not a good person. But he is a compassionate person, but it is obviously not a good way to confront Yang like this.
Yang was also stunned. She didn't expect that she would be stopped at the door and couldn't go out. Does she think Brother Hao’s daughter-in-law is crazy? Are you at loggerheads with yourself because of a few unruly people? Since ancient times, relatives have been hiding from each other, so one's family should help one's own family, right? !
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