Great Song Super Scholar

Chapter 117 Two Years Later, Early Spring
Time flies, two years have passed in a flash, and it is the Shangyuan Festival of the second year of Huangyou.

The Shangyuan Festival is a big festival, and the county schools have seven days off.

The Shangyuan Festival in Jiangwan Village has not changed much in peacetime, and the atmosphere of the New Year has not completely faded, but every household has hung up lanterns again.

On the morning of the fourteenth day of the first lunar month, Fan Ning, with the help of his servant Lao Yuan, hung two heavy red lanterns on the door.

"Little official, slow down, there is an iron hook on it!"

Fanning slowly hung the two lanterns on the hooks respectively, and lightly jumped off the high stool.

In two years, Fan Ning has grown half a head taller than his mother, about 1.6 meters 11. He just passed a few days before his birthday, and his real age is [-] years old.

The customs are different in different places, and the age calculation is not the same. According to the folk calculation in the Jiangnan area, Fan Ning should be 12 years old after his age.

In the past two years, the childishness on Fan Ning's face has also faded a lot, and the outline of a young man has begun to appear, with a straight nose, and bright and sharp eyes under two sword-shaped eyebrows.

His skin is still very fair. Compared with the country boys, he is simply an alternative. His skin color is like his mother's, and he will not turn dark easily no matter how exposed he is.

When Fan Ning reached the age of eleven or twelve, his appetite became very large, and he always seemed to be hungry.

"Little official, do you want to go to the county town to watch the lights tomorrow? I'll hire a boat first, and I'm afraid I'll be ordered if it's too late." Old Yuan asked with a smile on the side.

Lao Yuan is an old servant hired by Fan Ning's family. He is over fifty years old, and he is an honest man.

He started working as a domestic servant at the age of ten, worked for 40 years, and changed three employers, and his grandson was as old as Fanning.

However, his grandson is in poor health and needs to take medicine for many years to recuperate, which costs a lot. The summer before last, the old Yuan and his wife were introduced by acquaintances to Dr. Fan's family in Mudu Town as servants.

The old man is the housekeeper, and the old wife is the cook. The husband and wife can earn four pennies a month, and they live and eat at the master's house.

Fan Ning was a little embarrassed, he made an appointment with a few friends to watch the lantern tomorrow, but he didn't know if his parents wanted to go together.

He thought for a while and said, "Okay! Go book the boat first, and leave after breakfast tomorrow."

"I see, don't worry, little official!"

Old Yuan turned around and went to Zhang Shuigen's house to order a boat. Zhang Shuigen bought three more boats and hired two men to run the boats for him. The business was very good.

"Ning'er!"

Mother Zhang Sanniang's voice came from the inner house, "Come and play with my sister!"

"coming!"

Fan Ning walked quickly to the inner house. His mother Zhang Sanniang gave birth to a little girl as she wished two years ago. Her baby name is A Duo. Now she is one year and two months old and has just learned to walk. Fan Ning was stalked by her as soon as he got home.

Just as Fan Ning entered the inner courtyard, a girl dressed like a little sheep was stumbling towards him, with her arms open, her face seemed to be smiling.

"A pot!"

The little guy was still a little slurred in his speech, so Elder Brother called it Ah Guo.

Fan Ning picked her up, pointed at his face with a smile and said, "Give me a kiss!"

The little guy kissed his brother's face twice like a chicken pecking rice, and pointed out the door, like a general ordered, "Go and play!"

At this time, Zhang Sanniang came out of the room, wiped her apron with her hands, and said to Fan Ning, "It's very windy outside! Don't go out."

Fan Ning looked puzzled, "Mother, sister must go out, otherwise she will cry."

Zhang Sanniang glared at him, "Don't you think of a way?"

Fan Ning had no choice but to turn around and ask the little maid Amei, "How can I coax her not to go out?"

Ah Mei is from Jiangdun Village. She is the same age as Fan Ning. She has fair skin and looks very handsome. She has been working as a maid in Fan Ning's house for almost two years.

She covered her mouth and said with a smile: "Or riding a donkey, that's how Yuanwai coaxed her."

Fan Ning coaxed his sister with a smile and said, "Can I ride a donkey for you, brother?"

Hearing that he was going to ride a donkey, Ah Duo changed his mind and started pulling his brother's neck to 'drive!drive! ' shouted excitedly.

． ． ． ． ． ． ．

In the living room, while Zhang Sanniang was mending her son's clothes, she was listening to the hype-laden introduction of the matchmaker Xu.

"Miss Xu is 13 years old this year, one year older than your petty official. We are all from the village, and we all know that our mother-in-law loves her husband when she is older."

According to the customs in the countryside of Wuxian County, marriages are generally settled early. After the young man is 11 years old, and the little lady is ten years old, it can be said that the matchmaker will talk about marriage.

A few years after the marriage was established, when Shaolang was fifteen or sixteen years old and Xiaoniang was fourteen or fifteen years old, the two families could arrange marriage.

Especially for a good marriage, once the age is reached, matchmakers will flock to it, and it is not too much to say that they have broken the threshold.

Since last spring at Fanning's house, matchmakers from all walks of life began to come in an endless stream.

Zhang Sanniang was very interested at first, but there were too many matchmakers, and she was a little tired.

More importantly, Zhang Sanniang is no longer the ignorant village woman she used to be. She is Fan Yuanwai's wife and the mother of the county official.

Her son earns nearly a thousand coins a month as a commission for her wine money, which is stored in Zhu's silver shop. She controls the money. She also has servants and maids herself, and she is considered a famous family in ten miles and eight towns.

Last year, the county magistrate Gao inspected Mudu Town and came to Jiangwan Village to visit Fan Tiezhou and his wife.

With such conditions, how could Zhang Sanniang look up to ordinary village girls or Xiaojiabiyu?

But others don't know that Zhang Sanniang and her husband are extremely low-key and still live a thrifty life of housekeeping.

Who would have thought that such a sewing village woman would have more than ten thousand taels of silver in Zhu's silver shop, and also owned a famous store like Fan Ji Qishi Museum under her name.

So most of the people came here for Fanning's future, and they still regarded Fanning's family as a small family.

Zhang Sanniang bit off the end of the thread with her teeth, and said calmly: "Actually, age is not important, what is important is character, appearance and family background."

Matchmaker Xu patted her thigh, "That's right! Let me tell you, Xu Yuanwai's daughter's appearance is not as good as Xishi's, but she is not much inferior. She is also very famous in Yuexi Town. Her skin is soft and tender. Chunhua is not as delicate as hers, and those eyes are like two black grapes falling into mercury, black is black, white is white, big lady, I can't even describe it.

As for your character, you don't have to worry about it at all. You are gentle and virtuous. After passing through the door in the future, you are guaranteed to serve you comfortably as a mother-in-law.

As for the family property, Xu Yuanwai told me personally that as long as the marriage is completed, he will give his daughter [-] acres of land as a dowry, so that my uncle can study and take the imperial examination with peace of mind. "

If it was two years ago, Zhang Sanniang would really be tempted, but after experiencing too many matchmaker visits, Zhang Sanniang has already seen through the exaggeration of the matchmaker.

Once she went to Zhoudun Village with a matchmaker to visit Zhou Yuanwai’s wife and daughter. She saw the girl with her own eyes, and then she knew what it means to add one point to be too white, and to subtract one point to be too dark. yellow face.

As for today's matchmaker's description of the little lady's eyes, like two black grapes falling into mercury, black is black, white is white, isn't her father-in-law's eyes like this?Only the grapes are smaller.

More importantly, Zhang Sanniang knew that once her son was admitted to Jinshi, there would be many rich and wealthy people in the capital who would compete to marry his daughter to him. Rusty marriage arrangements for his son would only ruin his future.

Besides, Zhang Sanniang still misses that little lady Zhu from back then.

"Matchmaker Xu has worked hard, Amei, serve soup to Aunt Xu!"

Serving soup is an implicit way to see off guests, telling Matchmaker Xu that you should go.

Zhang Sanniang didn't have any embarrassment in contacting so many matchmakers, and when the time came, she kicked them out directly.

Seeing that Zhang Sanniang refused to agree, Matchmaker Xu had to get up angrily and said, "Miss, please think about it again! If you have an idea, just send me a message."

"I see, Mrs. Xu go slowly!"

The maid sent Aunt Xu away.

Not long after, Fanning walked into the room, "Mother, my sister is asleep."

"I'll go and see!" Zhang Sanniang hurriedly went to the next door to see her daughter.

Finally he put his sister to sleep, and Fanning was exhausted. He sat in front of the brazier and warmed his cold hands.

Not long after, Zhang Sanniang came back again and said to her son, "Next time, take off her coat and cover her with the quilt, otherwise she will catch a cold easily."

"I see!"

Fan Ning hesitated for a moment, then said to his mother, "Do you want to see the lantern tomorrow?"

Zhang Sanniang took another piece of clothing to mend, she sighed for a while and said: "Your sister is so young, how can I go out, let's talk about it after she is three years old!"

"I have made an appointment with some friends, so I will go alone and come back at night."

Zhang Sanniang has long been used to her son studying abroad. To her, his son is already a little eagle flying high, so she doesn't need to worry about it.

Now her whole energy has been involved by her daughter.

Fan Ning's family is now called Fan Yuan's family, and his father, Fan Tiezhou, has become more and more famous in the past two years.

Not only Mudu Town's ten miles and eight townships, but even Wu County is well-known. Last year, County Magistrate Gao sprained his foot and sent someone to invite him to treat him.

Fan Tiezhou opened a special clinic in Mudu Town last fall and hired two young doctors to sit in on it. Fan Tiezhou didn't need to do many simple bruises.

At this time, Zhang Sanniang thought of something, "By the way, last time Dad said that Zhou Yuanwai from Mudu Town wanted to ask you to give his son extra lessons. Look..."

Fan Ning shook his head and said, "Mom, I'm going to take the boy's exam this fall, so I don't have time to make up lessons for others!"

"That's right! If you don't tell me, I almost forgot. I'll tell your father later."

"Ning'er, have you still been in touch with Miss Zhu in the past two years?" Zhang Sanniang asked seemingly casually.

Zhu Pei's great-grandmother passed away peacefully in her sleep the summer before last. She was Concubine Zhu's mother. Her death had a great impact, and even the emperor sent someone to Pingjiang Mansion to express her condolences.

The old man was finally buried next to her husband's tomb in the ancestral land of Wujiang, and the entire Zhu family's funeral was busy for three months.

Zhu Yuanfu's three brothers immediately kept mourning for their mother in the old house in Wujiang. Even Zhu Pei's father, Ding You, resigned and returned to his hometown to honor his grandmother for two years.

Zhu Pei also had to go back to Wujiang and live with his parents. The Zhu family in Mudu Town was already an empty house with no owner to live in. Occasionally Zhu Yuanfu would come back to take care of some chores.

Fan Ning smiled, "Occasionally there are letters, and I haven't seen her for more than a year. She probably forgot about me!"

Zhang Sanniang snorted softly, "It's you who almost forgot about him."

"How can it be!"

Fan Ning scratched the back of his neck and said with a smile: "She is still the second owner of the Qishi Pavilion, I have not forgotten her, but the female college has changed a lot, I guess she has changed a lot now, I am afraid I will not recognize her when I meet her .”

"Women's eighteenth-year-old girl changes until she is fifteen or sixteen years old! At that time, the girl's changes are big. Now she is only slightly changed. If you still can't recognize her, it can only prove that you have forgotten her."

"Mother, I will never forget what she looks like."

Fan Ning smiled wryly in his heart, stood up and said, "Then I'll go back to my room to read."

"Go!"

Zhang Sanniang put down her sewing and said with a smile: "I'm going to see your sister too, the little guy likes to sleep on the quilt."

(End of this chapter)