Daming Yinghua

Chapter 97
Seeing Shen's displeasure on her face, Han Xiying became even more energetic, from the sultry little peacock a moment ago, to a chirping old crow.

"Grandma, ever since I found out that grandma's ancestor was an anti-Japanese hero, I became more and more worried that my sister was so obsessed with Japanese embroidery, she didn't know how to restrain herself after marrying Gu Erge, and would offend grandma. I took advantage of that. Girl Zheng from Japanese painting wanted to persuade my sister when she was on an errand in the south. I never thought that my sister would be furious and throw a dozen embroidery frames in front of me, scolding me for being a frog in a well and not being able to distinguish between beauty and ugliness. Although I was anxious at the time, I still looked at it. After clearing a few, there is the strange mountain like a chimney, the woman with a wooden comb in her forehead, and the most terrifying thing is that there are all kinds of cats, just like the ones embroidered by Ah Zhen and the others in the tailor shop today. Same."

Shen frowned and listened, and interjected: "Aren't there many cats in Suzhou embroidery?"

Han Xiying said exaggeratedly: "Where is that kind of cute Su embroidery cat! The cat embroidered by my eldest sister has a cat's head, but a human body covered in smoke and mist, holding a ghostly fire, no different from goblins and ghosts To."

At this time, Han Xiying turned black and white without any hesitation.

In fact, the eldest sister Han Ximeng neither "threw" nor "rebuked" at that time, but told her sister calmly that the cats in the paintings of the Ukiyo painters of the Japanese country looked a bit strange and strange, just like in the Shan Hai Jing of our Han people. , Birds, beasts, fish and insects will also grow human heads, human hands, and human legs, and have the magic power of gods and demons.

It is just a custom that the people of a country like, so there is no need to panic.

But Han Xiying's whole body was burned by the flames of jealousy that confused the scorching righteousness, and she didn't think she was fabricating anything.

She just kept trying to escalate her sensational remarks in order to increase Shen's attention.

Shen's eyes, which were always full of kindness, gradually lost their tranquility.

She said worriedly: "Aying, your eldest sister, a good lady, how can you think about these ghostly embroidery, but you are bewitched by the people in her room?"

The person in the room naturally refers to Zheng Haizhu.

Han Xiying adjusted to a self-consciously unlucky tone at the right time: "Grandma is right, I thought that Zheng's name was a little weird early in the morning."

Shen nodded and said: "Accordingly, she is a young single woman. Since the elders in the clan have agreed to get married, she should happily marry into her in-law's family, and she will have support for the rest of her life. But she has to obey some self-composed disobedience. It is a custom of human relations to bring a half-old nephew out to roam around. She is from Fujian, and Fuzhou and Guangzhou are not far away. She insisted on trekking to come to our Songjiang, and even plunged into your Han's house. Look at those who have something to do with her The people and things about her are also strange. Could it be that she is a witch?"

Han Xiying rolled her eyes and said in horror: "Grandma said this. I remembered that Mr. Lu just now surprised me at first glance. How can a man be whiter than our women. Now that I think about it, he will It's not that the surname Zheng used witchcraft to charm him into the school, just to use magic to absorb his Yuanyang, so that Mr. Lu's complexion is pale and pale."

With a "click", the string of Buddha beads coiled in Shen's hand fell to his feet.

The middle-aged woman was chanting Buddha's name while stroking her front, and said in a trembling voice, "Aying, Aying, it's a bright day, hey, ma'am, I feel chills in my heart."

Han Xiying hurriedly picked up the string of Buddhist beads, let Shen hold it, sat beside her, and patted her on the back.

Shen rolled the beads for two rounds, took a few deep breaths, and gradually calmed down.

She sighed and said, "It's just that the old lady in our family thinks highly of that surnamed Zheng."

Han Xiying volunteered and said: "Grandma is the head of the house, so naturally she doesn't want my sister to bring that Zheng into the Gu family. I'd better report it to my second uncle and aunt, and say that she hangs out with men in the school, but she doesn't want to marry her." Avoid grandma and me, with such a character, it is better to break away from the Han family early."

However, Shen continued to sigh: "Your eldest sister has already fallen under her spell, I'm afraid that even if she doesn't enter Gu's mansion to serve your elder sister after marriage, your elder sister will still go out briskly, make friends with her, and make troubles." It's a thing of gods or ghosts. Alas, my uncle and I have no children in this house, and we always regard our nephew Shouqian as the eldest grandson of the Gu family. This is really, really..."

Shen turned her face, Qi Ran stared at Han Xiying sincerely and said: "Ah Ying, today my lady has a heart-to-heart word with you, my wife and I are so close, I wish it was you who married Shouqian This is a good girl who is well-behaved, smart, sensible and caring."

Han Xiying's eyes lit up immediately.

Immediately, he felt that his joy was too ostentatious, so he hurriedly changed into a speechless expression of looking at his nose and nose, and twisted the handkerchief with his hands, pretending to be shy.

Shen took her mother's comforting tone to her daughter, and asked in a low voice: "Do you also have Ah Qian in your heart?"

Han Xiying bit her mouth and let out a "huh" like a mosquito.

Shen was silent for a long time, and then said again: "Ma'am, I understand. Good boy, you are alone at home, so don't be in a hurry to stand out. When you see something out of the ordinary, make a note of it in your heart, and come and tell Madam. All right. Let me think of something."

When Han Xiying heard the words, bursts of gratitude came to her heart again.

My own mother, Yang Shi, now sees the second house uncle and sister-in-law Han Ximeng become more and more hostile to the first house, but she is incompetent. She only knows how to vent her anger on her daughter, and often scolds her for being brave and foolish, and can't deal with the dead girl surnamed Zheng. , to avenge my uncle.

On the contrary, Shen Shi, who has no blood relationship, is full of worries about her situation.

So she put on an appearance of being willing to be the king's pioneer, and said earnestly: "I listen to Madam. By the way, today's A Zhen was originally introduced to Songjiang weavers by my mother from Huizhou. Do I have any questions?" I will also give her the dress I wear. She has always been grateful to me. Because she is also good at embroidery, this time the second uncle married the tailor shop to the eldest sister, so she will also be assigned to her. Today she looks not very good, look back I'll go ask her."

Shen agreed: "You are such a kind-hearted child. If Azhen is in any pain, let me know."

"Grandma, the first few households are all silkworm farmers who have been harvesting cocoons in my family. Grandma should go and have a look." Outside the sedan chair, Shen's personal maid, Cui Liu, reported softly.

Shen opened the sedan chair curtain and said: "Dafen will accompany me, Cui Liu, follow the sedan chair and send Third Miss back to the Han Mansion."

Cui Liu and another maid named "Da Fen" responded.

Han Xiying said curiously: "I heard that the silkworm house smells very strong, so it's good for Grandma to ask a woman in charge to go and see it, why don't you go there yourself."

Mrs. Shen shook her head: "Your second uncle is in the business of cotton cloth, so of course he only has cotton in his eyes. But like your eldest sister, who spends all day in the embroidery frame, she can't do without silk thread for a moment, and she doesn't know about the silkworm incident in the three counties this year, which is very abnormal. Is it?"

……

"Is the silkworm thing abnormal?"

In the Han Mansion, Han Ximeng's boudoir, Zheng Haizhu, who came back late, had a quick bowl of wontons, and heard the eldest lady talk about this incident.

Han Ximeng was unfolding the long embroidery scroll that was about to be sent out under the lamp, and while looking at it, he said: "You have gone to Yuegang, and I have lost a good helper, and I have spent all day on this embroidery, like a hermit in the mountains who doesn't know where he is. Fengyun. Today, I accompanied my aunt to pay respects to the Buddha, and met Miao Atai in the temple. She said that recently, in many silkworm households, silkworms do not spin silk after clustering."

Clustering is an important link in silkworm rearing.

After the silkworms are mature, the silkworm households will use materials such as straw and wheat stalks to fold them into partitions, allowing the silkworms to weave silk and cocoon inside. This is the "upper cluster".

In Susonghangjiahu area where sericulture is thriving, April, May, and June are rainy, often the wettest season of the year.When silkworms spin silk, although they are afraid of light and prefer shade, if the clusters are moldy, it will definitely not work.Therefore, the silkworm farmers will set up a small charcoal basin under the layers of bamboo plaques where the clusters are placed to keep the clusters relatively dry.

This kind of bamboo plaque in the silkworm room is called "foil", and the act of warming the fire on a rainy day is called "moxibustion foil".

Zheng Haizhu then asked Han Ximeng, "Is it possible that the moxibustion foil was improper, and the charcoal gas was released, which made the silkworm stiff?"

Han Ximeng shook his head: "There are [-] or [-] silkworm households involved in the accident. They have raised silkworms for generations. How could they be so careless? Even if there are some children and grandchildren who neglect their duties and do nothing, it's not like every family, right?"

Zheng Haizhu asked again: "Then, could there be something wrong with the mulberry leaves?"

(End of this chapter)