I opened a tea shop in Bianjing

Chapter 40
Mo Yunxiao stepped out of the sedan chair, looked up and saw the Zeng family's door plaque.She suddenly felt a little embarrassed.Although she knew that the former Mo Yunxiao would never have such emotions.She is an extremely confident person, so confident that she can calmly expose her weaknesses to anyone without feeling ashamed.

She looked back at Yunxiang, Yunxi, Zhang Yun'er and Li Xian'e behind her.Their clothes are shabby, their temples are scattered, and their faces are covered with plaster, making them extremely embarrassed.And so did she herself.

At this moment, the gate of Zeng Mansion opened, and Wei Wan took the lead to step out of the threshold and quickly walked down the stone steps.

"He Lu!" "Yu Ru!" The two women held hands tightly together. "He Lu, you have suffered!" Mrs. Wei choked up and said, then she turned and asked Grandma Kang who had brought Mo's family out of prison: "Why don't you change clothes with my sister?"

Grandma Kang was quite embarrassed, and said: "Ma'am, there are only men in prison, I'm afraid it's not right."

After thinking about it, Mrs. Wei made sense, so she said to Mo Yunxiao: "Pity my sister, come in quickly, I have prepared some shocking wine for you. Let us have a good drink today!"

Mo Yunxiao shook her head with a smile, and said, "I understand Yuru's intentions, but now is not the time."

Mrs. Wei glanced sideways at a coffin, and only then did she realize that Mo Chenglin was dead.Today's Mo family members are all Dai Xiao.She felt that she had lost her word, so she went to the coffin and saluted, and said to Zhang Yun'er beside her, "Second Grandma, let's do this funeral at my house."

"Oh! This is..." Zhang Yun'er had the same intention, and was about to say a few polite words before agreeing, but unexpectedly, Li Xian'er snatched her first: "This is not good."

Li Xian'e went up to meet Li, and said: "Our Mo family's funeral is held in Zeng's house, which will bring bad luck. Mrs. Wei treats us well, how can she bear to do harm?"

Mrs. Wei said with a smile: "I don't believe in whether it's bad luck or not. Now that the tea house is gone, the two grandmas and three younger sisters have nowhere to live, so how can we manage the funeral? Could it be that your old man can't be buried for a long time?" ?"

"This..." Li Xian'e was apprehensive, and asked again: "I wonder if Mr. Zeng knew about this?"

Mrs. Wei smiled and said, "My master entrusted me with this matter."

"Oh." Li Xian'er nodded again and again, pondered for a while, and then said: "We are all women and Taoists, and we have already lost our position when encountering such a catastrophe. We will do everything according to Madam Wei's instructions."

Mrs. Wei nodded, and invited the Mo family into the house. The coffin was also placed in the backyard. Afterwards, plain clothes and filial piety were prepared, and a mourning hall was set up in the lobby of the Zeng family.Mrs. Wei didn't think it was enough, so she invited [-] monks to recite the mantra of the past life in Daxiangguo Temple, and spent another [-] Guan of sesame oil money to reshape the golden body of the Bodhisattva in Daxiangguo Temple.

However, although the funeral was very lively in the mansion, very few people came to express their condolences.Those who came were all Zeng Bu's colleagues, but no friends from the Mo family in the past.

The reason is self-evident, now that the Mo family is suffering, no one wants to be implicated.But for Mo Yunxiao, this is a good thing.Anyway, she didn't know these people, and from then on, she could justifiably not associate with these people.

"Hmph! None of the friends that Da Lang usually makes come here at this time." Sitting on the chair, Zhang Yun'er said rather unfairly, "It's really heartbreaking."

At this moment, a family member came to report: "Sisters and brothers from the Song family in Fan Lou came to express their condolences."

"Oh?" Mo Yunxiao, who was kneeling before the coffin to see his father off, was taken aback, and quickly said, "Please come in quickly."

Song Wusao and Song Mingxuan came quickly.The eyes of the siblings were red and swollen, their faces were haggard, and they looked tired. Presumably they were also worried about the affairs of the Mo family.

Zhang Yun'er hurriedly stepped forward to greet her, and said, "Oh, it's our relative after all. If no one else came, the Song family's sister-in-law and Jia Xing still came."

Song Wusao looked at Mo Yunxiao, who was kneeling, and Yunxiang and Yunxi, who were sitting on both sides crying, also made a calculation, and hurriedly held Zhang Yuner's somewhat cold hand, and said, "I'm sorry to make Second Grandma sad. It's a disaster every day." Fu, unpredictable."

Mrs. Wei saw Song Mingxuan at a glance, walked over and said, "You are Song Mingxuan?"

"It's the late birth." He replied.

Mrs. Wei sized him up and said with a sneer, "He is indeed a good-looking talent. He really has the guts to resign our Helu marriage."

Song Mingxuan was inexplicably embarrassed, so he could only bow his head and say, "I'm ashamed. I'm not lucky to be born late, and I don't deserve lotus dew."

"Hmph! It's a good fortune." Mrs. Wei said: "Then you know that since you divorced, He Lu's temperament has changed drastically, and she has become thinner and thinner? Where is her heroic spirit in the past?"

Song Mingxuan glanced at Mo Yunxiao, and Mo Yunxiao also looked at him eagerly.His heart trembled, he quickly looked away, and said: "Madam Wei, I know I'm sorry for He Lu, so I also held a banquet with sister in Fan Lou, and solemnly apologized to He Lu."

"Hmph!" Madam Wei turned around, sat back and said, "So you're going to stay out of it?"

"No, no, no! I will try my best to make up for it." He explained hastily, very hastily.

Song Wusao hurriedly went up to help her younger brother out of the siege, and said with a smile: "Mrs. Wei, our Jiaxing is indeed not worthy of such a good child as Helu. I also asked Jiaxing to swear that in the future, I will treat Helu as my own sister and take good care of her." .As an elder sister, I can relax a little bit."

Mrs. Wei glanced sideways at Mo Yunxiao, seeing that she was still looking at Song Mingxuan in a trance, and sighed, "What a good girl I am, I will suffer one after another. Alas, Song Mingxuan said that his fate is not good, in my opinion , his fate is much thicker than that of He Lu."

Fifth Aunt Song smiled awkwardly, and said: "It's an old saying, if you survive a catastrophe, you will have future blessings. He Lu is kind-hearted, and she is easy to fight against injustice, and she will surely have the protection of gods and Buddhas."

After she finished speaking, she quickly ordered Song Mingxuan: "Aren't you going to kowtow to your Uncle Mo?"

"Yes." Song Mingxuan replied, then went to the mourning hall, knelt down, solemnly kowtowed three times, and said, "Uncle Mo, Jiaxing has come to see you." '

Mo Yunxiao knelt diagonally across from him and looked at him.She was looking at him too, with tears in her eyes.

When Song Mingxuan raised his head, he happened to meet Mo Yunxiao's eyes, feeling infinite regret in his heart.

"He Lu, I..." Song Mingxuan didn't know what to say, so he could only say a scene at the funeral: "I made you sad."

"No, you didn't make me sad." Mo Yunxiao said with tears in her eyes, "I made myself sad."

"Daddy! Daddy!" Several howls came from outside the door, and everyone looked around, and it turned out that it was Mo Yunze who broke in.The servant at the door didn't recognize him, so he tried his best to stop him.

Mrs. Wei recognized him at a glance, Gao Sheng shouted: "This is a small official from the Mo family, don't be negligent."

When the servant heard this, he stopped the tearing, and hurried to salute.But Mo Yunze couldn't care less about them, he rushed in, knelt down in front of his father's mourning hall, and let out a mournful voice: "Daddy! The unfilial son Shiyu is back!"

He knelt down on the ground, constantly beating the ground with his fists, and the sound of crying was sobbing, which made people sad.

Li Xian'er wiped away her tears with a handkerchief, and said, "Yunxiang, Yunxi, go and help Shiyu up."

So the two girls got up and held Mo Yunze's arms from both sides.Yunxi said: "Brother, don't be too sad and hurt yourself."

Mo Yunze burst into tears, choked up and said: "I was studying in Taixue, and suddenly I was imprisoned, saying that my father was a fugitive. When I return today, unexpectedly, my father has passed away. How can I not be sad ah!"

Zhang Yun'er was also sad when she heard the words, and hurriedly said: "Your father should be relieved to see that you have returned safely. You should get up and rest."

Only then did he stand up with the support of Yunxiang and Yuxi.Mrs. Wei had already added a seat for him, allowing him to sit down and relax.

The funeral was held with great fanfare.Zeng Bu and his wife specially bought a piece of land with excellent geomantic omen in a cemetery outside the city, and buried Mo Chenglin.

However, although Mo Chenglin was buried, the children of the Mo family still had to keep their filial piety.Especially it had a huge impact on Mo Yunze, because of his filial piety, he will not be able to participate in next year's big exam.

For this reason, Mrs. Wei comforted him a lot. "Today's officialdom is dominated by Xiaoxiao, which is no different from before."

At the dinner table that day, Zeng Bu still held his hand and said: "The old man is struggling to maintain himself, and he is in a state of anxiety all day long. Shi Yu, you are still young. If our officials are wise, it will be cloudy after three years." It’s not too late for you to apply for the exam again.”

Mo Yunze forced a smile, and said, "Thank you, Privy Councilor Zeng, for your explanation. Shi Yu will remember it."

Zhang Yun'er sighed, and said: "If you want me to say, there is no need to take any imperial examinations. Shi Yu, isn't it the people in the government who killed your father? You still want to work with them?"

Li Xian'e coughed hurriedly, reminding her not to talk nonsense.

Zhang Yun'er glanced at Zeng Bu and Mrs. Wei, and quickly apologized with a smile: "Oh, I'm a woman, I can't speak, I offended Master Zeng, slap me! slap me!"

As she spoke, she patted her mouth lightly with her hands. "Mom!" Mo Yunxiang was a little embarrassed, and hurriedly pulled her away.Li Xian'er also felt that her skin was burning hot, and cast a rather contemptuous look at Zhang Yun'er.

Zeng Bu smiled lightly and said, "Second Grandma is not wrong, but the affairs in the officialdom are intricate and difficult to judge. Let's not talk about these today." After he finished speaking, he turned his head and turned to the servant beside him. Whispered a few words.The servant responded and turned away.

Zeng Bu also said: "A few days ago, the government gave me a painting. Our young official is good at calligraphy, painting, poetry, and Cuju tea art. It is rare for everyone to gather together today. Let's enjoy it together How about it?"

Li Xian'e said with a smile: "We are all grassroots people, but we can also see official ink treasures. What a blessing. It's just that I only know how to eat fast and chant Buddha for the rest of my life, but I am not very proficient in calligraphy and painting. Our family The few children don’t have that knowledge, I’m afraid they don’t know the official’s wonderful pen, and it’s ridiculous.”

"The third grandma is humble." Mrs. Wei said with a smile: "I don't know anything about calligraphy and painting, and neither does my master. Let's just take a look, and take it as a boredom."

While speaking, the servant had already fetched the painting tube, and carefully took out the painting. When the scroll was unfolded, there was a sound of "wow", and the long scroll fell to the ground.

Everyone looked around and saw that the painting was very elegant.Waterfalls rush down from the high mountains, surrounded by mist, gurgling streams, and raised strange rocks.A young scholar was sitting on a high stone in Panxi, playing the piano with both hands, with a very happy expression.

"A good painting is indeed a good painting." Mo Yunze couldn't help admiring: "The officials are indeed talented and very good at this."

Mo Yunxiang and Zhang Yuner went in without knowing it, took a second look and then continued to eat without discussing it.And Mo Yunxi frowned and looked at it, as if he found the painting very incomprehensible.

Zeng Bu glanced at Mo Yunze and said with a smile, "That's right. The official is smart and can learn everything quickly. If the official can concentrate on state affairs, it must be a blessing to the common people. If he is addicted to painting and calligraphy, I'm afraid..."

He didn't go on, but everyone understood what he meant.Mrs. Wei saw that her husband was worried, so she poured him a glass of wine and said with a smile: "So the master should always persuade and assist the officials to follow the path of the sage."

Zeng Bu smiled and said, "Not bad." After that, they had a drink with each other.

Mrs. Wei looked back and saw Mo Yunxiao staring blankly at the painting, so she asked, "He Lu, can you see what's so good about this painting?"

Mo Yunxiao smiled and said: "This painting is based on the brushwork, and the outline of the strokes has the foundation of Mi Fu's calligraphy. Well, it is indeed a good painting. However, it seems that it is not finished. The side of the piano player seems quite empty. What's the point?"

When everyone heard this, they were a little surprised.

Li Xian'e asked: "He Lu, I don't see you studying this way, how come you know something?"

"I don't want to delve into it, it's just that the third grandma doesn't know." As she said this, Li Xian'e lowered her head a little ashamedly.

Zeng Bu said with a smile: "The official gifted me this painting, which also created a problem for me. He asked me to complete this painting. I wonder what Miss Mo's opinion is?"

Mo Yunxiaoli sat up, walked to the painting, looked at it carefully, and asked Zeng Bu: "What do you think, master?"

Zeng Bu stroked his beard and laughed, and said: "If I have a wonderful method, how can I ask the girl for advice? But the officials have a few ingenious ideas, one is called strange rocks, and the other is called flowers and plants."

Mo Yunxiao shook his head, pointed to the strange rock in the painting, and said: "The official stone is taken from Mi Fu's brushwork. Mi Fu is famous for painting strange rocks, but the center of this painting is not the strange rock, but the playing piano. Scholar. If this handsome scholar was surrounded by strange rocks, it would be nondescript."

Zeng Bu's face changed slightly when he heard the words "nondescript".

Mo Yunxiao didn't notice it, and continued: "If flowers and plants are added, they must also be withered flowers and withered grass, otherwise it will not match the atmosphere of the whole painting. However, if it is withered flowers and withered weeds, you must pay attention to the coloring. Too bright will be vulgar, too light and There is no interest in life, so it is not the best policy."

Zeng Bu was secretly surprised, thinking: "Young talents from the official family also think that strange rocks and flowers are bad, but they didn't explain what's wrong. But Mo Yunxiao's talk made people suddenly feel enlightened."

"He Lu, in your opinion, what should we do?" Mrs. Wei asked loudly.

Mo Yunxiao looked at the painting and pondered for a long time, then suddenly her eyes lit up, she turned to Zeng Bu and his wife and said, "Master Zeng, Yuru, my little sister dares to borrow the Four Treasures of the Study, I wonder if it's okay?"

Everyone was taken aback, especially Zeng Bu and his wife.The two stood up together and looked at each other. "Miss Mo, do you want to add ink to this painting?" Zeng Bu asked in disbelief.

Mo Yunxi nodded and said, "That's right. I have an idea, and I can complete this painting."

Zhang Yun'er hurriedly said: "Helu! This is not good. This painting was made by the officials, how can we ordinary people change it at will. If the painting is poor, the officials will be furious, and our family may be destroyed again!"

But Zeng Bu raised his hand and said, "That's all right."If Miss Mo is really not good at mending, the old man can pick it up on her shoulders.The officials think that I am the elder of the three dynasties, so there is no reason to blame me.It's just...you need to be careful! '

When he said this, he agreed.So Mrs. Wei ordered her servants: "Go and get the four treasures of the study. I will grind the lotus dew myself."

(End of this chapter)