At night, Qingshui Lane, Songjiang Fucheng, Han Mansion.
There was a soft knock on the red door, and Zheng Haizhu returned to Han Ximeng's yard calmly.
Han Ximeng, who was arranging embroidery thread in the hall, immediately called his mother-in-law to bring a bowl of mung bean and lotus seed soup to Zheng Haizhu, and asked with concern: "Second uncle and second aunt, I didn't punish you much, did I?"
Zheng Haizhu sat down on the wooden stool that belonged to her at the bottom of the round table and smiled: "Don't worry, it's okay. The second mistress spoke first and scolded me. Then the second master said that he and the Dong family would be together in the evening. When the Second Master, Huang Daguanren, and Young Master Gu accompanied General Ma to a banquet at Wenzhe Academy, General Ma and Huang Daguanren kept praising us that we were not like weak women. General Ma also said that I saved his life with the porcelain thunder... …”
When Han Ximeng heard this, he interrupted Zheng Haizhu with a smile: "Let me guess, the second uncle's last sentence, is it that Ah Zhu has also given our Han family a lot of face? Is the great contribution worth the small fault?"
Zheng Haizhu nodded: "That's exactly what the second master said. Then the second grandma hurriedly said that the reward under the national law is the reward under the national law, and family rules cannot be treated as child's play. Let Lao Peng inform the accountant that he will deduct three months of my salary." wages.”
Han Ximeng curled his lips and said dissatisfied: "Then it's better to be punished."
Zheng Haizhu hurriedly explained to her: "Miss, the second grandma is in charge of the back house, so of course it should be dealt with in this way. After all, Shoukuan and I secretly accompany you out. If we just let the matter go, what will the other servants in the house think?"
Han Ximeng said "Oh", pushed the soft cake and mung bean soup brought by his mother-in-law in front of Zheng Haizhu, and murmured: "That's true, the second aunt is the matron of the house, and she has always treated me as her own daughter. If you don't punish you this time, Third Aunt and Aunt Lu will both murmur. Alas, mothers-in-law will be in trouble if they are too busy. "
Zheng Haizhu thought to himself, isn't this the situation that was common before small families became the mainstream in civil society, and deep houses and large courtyards were common.
When she came north to look for the Han Mansion, she had already prepared herself mentally, and she might have to face her most annoying house-fighting plot.
However, it is fair to say that the Han family, which has entered the gentry circle of Songjiang Prefecture, has a much simpler inner-house relationship than other large families.
In this branch of the Han family, Han Ximeng's father's generation consisted of three brothers.
Dafang and his wife died of illness early, leaving only one daughter, Han Ximeng.
Han Zhongwen, the second wife, passed the imperial examination at a very young age, but he failed to pass the imperial examination twice later.
Because the business trend of literati in the south of the Yangtze River was on the rise, Han Zhongwen had no intention of pursuing an official career. Instead, he married the daughter of the Qian family in Jiading County. He used the assets and connections accumulated by the Han family's ancestors and combined the Qian family's cotton planting and textile skills to start a business. Got into the cotton business. Qian's natal family was a well-known big landowner, but it was a pity that she had no children after her marriage. Han Zhongwen took the daughter of a scholar in the city, Lu, as his concubine, and gave birth to a son, Han Xisheng, who is twelve years old this year.
The third wife, Han Zhongyu, was married to the Yang family and had a daughter, Han Xiying, who had just turned hair this year. The third eldest brother, Han Zhongyu, also passed the imperial examination. The second brother Han Zhongwen wanted to run his own business and accumulate family wealth, so that his younger brother could continue to take the imperial examination and get an official position. Unexpectedly, a few years ago, Han Zhongyu made friends with a foreign missionary who came to Songjiang and insisted on following that man to preach in Yingtian Mansion. Han Zhongwen tried hard to persuade him to no avail, and he had to face his crying sister-in-law Yang. He was so angry that he couldn't eat for several days. In the end, he had no choice but to let Han Zhongyu, who was only in his thirties, become a monk. Usually, when traveling, there is no trace.
The relationship between Han Ximeng and his younger brothers and sisters seems to be quite harmonious. His younger sister Han Xiying especially likes to follow her elder sister to figure out embroidery.
However, although the two adult women in the family do not cause trouble, they are not always peaceful.
The second concubine's aunt, Lu, was gentle and gentle when she first entered the house. After giving birth to her son, she positioned herself as a great contributor to the Han family and gradually started to act like a mistress in the house.
Sanfang Yang was originally the daughter of a Huizhou merchant. Her uncle met Han Zhongwen because of business, so he married her to Han Zhongyu. When the couple got married, they bumped into each other and often had quarrels. Han Zhongyu became a "foreign monk" in the eyes of his neighbors. After leaving home to preach, Yang became more resentful towards women, and spoke with a gun and a stick to his sister-in-law Qian. If it weren't for the fact that her daughter Han Xiying was well-behaved and coaxing at a young age, and was good at mediating the conflicts between her second aunt and her own mother, Mrs. Qian's scalp would go numb when she saw this sister-in-law.
After Zheng Haizhu was left by Han Ximeng in the Han Mansion because of his knowledge of dyeing and velvet techniques, he soon realized that the second wife Qian's grandmother was not so easy to handle.
At this moment, Han Ximeng looked at Zheng Haizhu eating snacks and said sincerely: "Azhu, what I like most about you is that you don't like to stir up trouble, and you don't just follow my words, but you always take me to look deeper. Going up a level is really good for me.”
Zheng Haizhu swallowed a mouthful of lotus seed soup and said with a smile: "If I am good to you, how can I dare to compare with Young Master Gu. After that little man named Weng made such nonsense today, Young Master Gu insisted on driving you and me back to Han Mansion in person. He still insists on stopping and accompanying you to do some shopping at some of the busiest clothing and cosmetics shops. I wish the whole city could see how he dotes on you. That’s how he truly protects you."
Han Ximeng's face suddenly showed sweetness, he also grabbed a piece of snow-white soft cake, and said while eating: "Well, it turns out that we have just made an engagement, and we are not a married couple. Today, it is so unconventional to walk around in such a ostentatious manner. I understand, he is It’s for the sergeants and common people in the city. I’ve secretly liked him since I was a child, and today I’m even more relieved that he won’t want me anymore just because I was kidnapped by bandits.”
"Hey, Mr. Gu, how could he not want you? You didn't see the look in his eyes when he helped you out of the car. I was thinking that I shouldn't have been in the car at that time, I should have been under the car."
"Azhu!" Han Ximeng scolded her, and saw the mother-in-law and maid leaving the hall and going to the room to light incense and make the bed, so he also said to Zheng Haizhu in a joking and teasing tone, "I was just riding with Mr. Gu, you But we are on the same horse as that Lord Jinyiwei. Azhu, I feel that the way General Ma looks at you is not quite right."
This time, Zheng Haizhu didn't say anything immediately.
Her soul is more mature than the body she lives in in this life. How could she not feel that Ma Xianglin treats her a little more than a distinguished military general and an ordinary civilian girl. He looked at himself several times today, with eyes that were more concerned than reassured and more appreciative than kind.
But maybe, this Qin Liangyu's son is just a good-natured man with an upright upbringing, so he is determined to protect the safety of his accidental savior, which is regarded as returning the favor, rather than having any further expectations for the fate of a chance encounter. .
If I remember correctly, in history, Ma Xianglin, a famous general known as "Zhao Zilong of the Sichuan Army", married the daughter of a high-ranking civil servant, and had a deep relationship with Mrs. Ma. The invasion of the Jin army.
Since Ma Xianglin already has a very good life script, his main plan at the moment is how to start a business in Jiangnan in the Ming Dynasty. Why should he have a sudden change of style and become obsessed with a Ming Dynasty Zhao Zilong?