The Road to Doting Wife

Chapter 3 Orchid
Aju's aunt, Xiaoliu, married Zhou Pei, a well-known merchant in Xixing Town, Wanlong County.

The Zhou family is famous for growing orchids. Zhou Pei learned how to grow orchids from his father since he was a child. He is partial and has a business mind. He opened a shop under the name "Pin Lan Ju". In addition to orchid bonsai, it only sells calligraphy, paintings and porcelain. There are three kinds of embroidery, each of which is related to orchids.The characters are Yonglan, and the paintings are orchid pictures. Of course, there are orchid patterns on porcelain and embroidery.

Those high-ranking officials and wealthy children who come here for fame are used to being arty, so they will more or less choose a few items to take home, not to mention that the items in Pinlanjuli are all first-class goods, and the calligraphy and paintings are also from the hands of talented people in this dynasty. Made-to-order by famous kilns, the embroidery products come from well-known embroidery workshops, which are worth collecting.

There is also a shop opposite Zhou's Pinlanju, most of which are imitations, for ordinary people to choose to decorate their rooms.

Xiaoliu family came out from there back then, and met Zhou Pei who came out of Pinlanju, the two men were talented and beautiful, they fell in love at first sight, they got married soon, and gave birth to a delicate and elegant son, who is Ah Ju's younger brother Zhou Lansheng, ten years old this year.

As soon as Lin Xian's family appeared on the street, the concierge of the Zhou family saw them and immediately sent someone in to inform the young master and wife.

Soon Zhou Pei and his wife led Zhou Lansheng out to welcome them.

The donkey cart passed by Pinlanju and stopped in front of the main gate of Zhou's house. Lin Xian jumped out of the cart with a smile and said hello to Zhou Pei: "How is my son-in-law?" , now wearing a green shirt, he immediately turned into a gentle and elegant teacher in a private school, and even the movement of jumping into a donkey cart is not coquettish.

Zhou Pei is also modest and polite, calling Lin Xian's brother-in-law.

"Brother-in-law seems to have sunburned again these two days." Mrs. Xiao Liu teased Lin Xian with a smile. Lin Xian nodded slightly. Then Mrs. Xiao Liu leaned in front of the two nieces, touched each of their shoulders with one hand, and said to the elder sister enviously: " Sister, Aju and Azhu look better the longer they grow, every time I look at them, I want to have a daughter too."

"Shut up, you're too old to be ashamed!" Mrs. Liu reprimanded in a low voice, and gave her a hard look.

Koyanagi pouted unhappily.

Sister Aju took it for granted, pursed her lips and snickered.

Next to him, Lin Chongjiu had already talked with Zhou Lansheng.

After everyone exchanged greetings, they went in to say hello to Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Zhou.The two old people were very kind. After asking for peace, Mr. Zhou took Zhou Peilinxian to play chess, and Mrs. Zhou called the women and children to drink tea in the backyard.

Half an hour before lunch, Mrs. Zhou was afraid that the children would be bored in the room, so she lovingly said to Sister Aju: "We have a new batch of goods in our shop, and some orchid embroidery patterns are very unique. , you go and have a look. Lan Sheng Xiaojiu, you go with your sisters."

Aju smiled and gave a blessing, Lin Zhu said sweetly: "Thank you, old lady, then let's go, later Azhu learned to embroider orchid handkerchiefs for you."

"Okay, I remember. If you don't send me off, I'll ask Lan Sheng to ask for it at your house!" Mrs. Zhou said with a smile.The two sisters are as beautiful as flower buds. Not only does the daughter-in-law like it, but she also loves it. She always hopes that they will often come to play at home and play jokes with her.

"Don't worry, old lady, A Zhu Wang can only forget his aunt's share, and you are absolutely indispensable!" Lin Zhu promised with a smile, lively and playful.

"Stinky girl, you dare to say that in front of me!" Xiao Liushi pretended to be angry and wanted to go over and pinch her.

Lin Zhu hid behind Aju with a smile, Aju looked at Mrs. Zhou, saw Mrs. Zhou nod her head, and then led her sisters and brothers out.

The back door of Pinlan House leads directly to the front yard of the Zhou family, this time Ah Ju and the others don't need to go around the front door, they just go in from there.

There are three shopfronts in Pinlanju, which are used as the living room, study room, and bedroom respectively. The tables, chairs, calligraphy, paintings, porcelain screens, etc. are completely furnished according to the real appearance in life.Outsiders come in more like guests, sitting on a chair, and a maid comes forward to pour tea, that person may have fallen in love with this tea set and ordered someone to wrap it up.

It was almost noon, and there were not many customers in the shop, so Mrs. Zhou was relieved that they would come to play.

Ah Ju is the leader, so of course she has to look after a few younger ones. Among them, Zhou Lansheng is calm and sensible at a young age, and actively follows her. Lin Chongjiu is also very obedient, but the one who worries her the most is her younger sister Lin Zhu.Before entering the shop, Aju simply asked Lin Zhu: "Which side do you want to look at first?" After asking, everyone went together, so as not to wander around and run away with my sister.

Lin Zhu looked at the front doors, thought for a while and said, "Let's go to the living room first."

The siblings entered the shop on the far left together, and a maidservant in a white skirt saluted them, and then stood there quietly, waiting for a few people to summon them before going over.

Sister Aju has long been familiar with the rules here, and appreciates the furnishings inside alone.

Ah Ju really wanted to follow her younger sister and younger brothers at every step, but Lin Zhu liked calligraphy, painting and porcelain, and Lin Chongjiu was curious about everything but couldn't see it for long. She led Zhou Lansheng to wander around, and she herself liked the few pots of orchids displayed inside. , so that everyone can't get together at all.Through the tulle curtain, Ah Ju looked at the other two shops, and made sure that there were only a few of them here at this time, so she ignored it and went to see the orchids by herself.In fact, there is nothing to worry about, no matter how naughty my sister is, she will never go outside.

A pot of spider orchids was placed on the mahogany round stool, and six small white flowers bloomed among the green orchid leaves, elegant and fresh.

Ah Ju looked along the flowers in the room, and her eyes occasionally glanced at the calligraphy and paintings on the wall. She did not read as many books as her younger sister, and many literati did not know each other, but the calligraphy and paintings did have an unspeakable charm.She looked at it for a while and stopped for a while, and after admiring several pots of orchids in the living room, she suddenly found that besides the maids, there was only herself left here.

Ah Ju smiled, raised the curtain and walked to the study next door, and sure enough, she saw Lin Zhu standing in front of the bookshelf looking for something.

The sound of his younger brother's playfulness came from the next bedroom, and Ah Ju was a little worried, so he quickly scanned the orchids in the room, and went to the bedroom first.

"Xiao Jiu, you are not allowed to lie on the bed. If you are tired, go to sleep in the guest room of your aunt's house at noon." Going around the screen, Ah Ju helped her younger brother off the bed. Let's re-lay, and it's a joke that my brother is so ignorant of the rules.

"Sister, don't be angry, Xiao Jiu can just lie down for a while if you like, it's fine." Zhou Lansheng opened his mouth to rescue Lin Chongjiu, and sat down on the bed after speaking.Seeing Lin Chongjiu, he immediately lay down on the bed again. The kang at home is hard, and he likes to play on the bed.

Ah Ju didn't want to refute my younger brother's face, so she had to tell Lin Chongjiu: "Then just let you lie down for a while, and we will leave immediately."

"I know, I know, elder sister, go and see the flowers, my uncle said that there are new varieties here!" Lin Chongjiu hurried away.

Ah Ju's mind immediately shifted to the orchid.

She looked at her younger brother helplessly, and went around the screen to look at the flowers.

With a glance, I immediately found a new orchid.

Ah Ju was happy in her heart, and walked over with light steps.The pot of orchids was placed on the coffee table, with a chair on each side of the coffee table.Ah Ju looked at the location, and thought it would be more convenient to sit down and look at it, so she chose the one on the left, and turned her head to look at the orchid seriously.

She has fallen in love with orchids since her first visit to her aunt's house. After her aunt knew about it, she asked her uncle for an ancient book on orchid cultivation, "Lanhuilu". She also knows about a new breed almost immediately.As for the Cymbidium in front of me last year, my uncle mentioned that it was a new tribute from Jiangnan, and it was called Dayipin.

At that time, my uncle showed her and my aunt a picture of orchids, but I didn't expect my uncle to raise them so soon.

Looking at Hui Lan in front of him, Ah Ju unconsciously read out his uncle's evaluation of Da Yipin: "The five petals are divided into nests, the color is emerald green, and the petals are quite waxy..."

"Is this a first-class product?"

Mumbling to herself was suddenly interrupted by a cold voice, Aju was startled, and looked up, only to realize that there was a man in a fancy dress beside him at some point.She thought of avoiding it, but when she met the man's face, she froze there for some reason.

The man looked seventeen or eighteen years old, his fair face was handsome but cold, even the summer light coming in from the window could not soften the coldness that seemed to seep into his bones.And he was condescending, looking at her carefully with those long and narrow phoenix eyes, neither happy nor angry, calm and restrained, revealing his innate majesty invisibly.

Ah Ju quickly narrowed her eyes, feeling more nervous than ever, and even more frightened.

"It's the first grade." She lowered her head and answered, getting up to leave.There are maids serving here, if he wants to buy flowers, he can find them.

"How to grow this flower?" The man took the opportunity to sit where she was just sitting, and asked the Cymbidium.

Ah Ju had already turned her back to him at this time, and she couldn't see his expression, but she vaguely understood that this man was talking to her.Ah Ju looked at the maidservant who was closest to here, and winked at her, but that maidservant was also forced by the man's aura, so she blushed and bowed her head, motionless.Ah Ju frowned, and was about to call her over, but the man behind him urged him coldly and with some displeasure: "I'm asking you something."

After all, it was my aunt's shop, and the maid was not doing her job well, so Ah Ju had no choice but to turn around and prepare to deal with this guest for her aunt.Judging by his expensive clothes, it might be a big deal.

But Zhou Lansheng came around from behind the screen at this moment, and said to her with a smile: "Sister, take Xiao Jiu to find Second Sister first, and I will entertain Mr. Zhao." The ten-year-old child had a gentle smile and a calm demeanor, He walked to the coffee table without delay and introduced it to the man in the Chinese costume.

It turned out that my aunt knew this person...

Ah Ju's heart relaxed slightly, he didn't look at Mr. Zhao again, and quietly waved to his younger brother who was stunned by the screen.

Lin Chongjiu blinked, knowing that this was not the time to talk, so she obediently walked up to Eldest Sister and followed her out.After entering the study, Lin Chongjiu tugged at Ah Ju's sleeves immediately, and when Ah Ju lowered his head in doubt, he covered his mouth with one hand, and whispered in her ear mysteriously: "Sister, Mr. Zhao is the person we met the day before yesterday. .”

"Which one?" Ah Ju asked in a low voice, without the slightest impression.It stands to reason that if she had seen such a bearing and appearance before, it was impossible for her not to remember it.

"It's the one on the horse. There is a jade pendant on her body. Eldest sister forgot?" Lin Chongjiu asked incredulously.

Such a coincidence?
Ah Ju was a little surprised, and even more surprised that his younger brother had such a good eye and memory. He smiled and touched his head, and didn't mention it again. He walked to the bookshelf and said to his sister who was addicted to reading: "Let's go, Lan Sheng is greeting guests, let's go to the yard Wait for him, he will be back in a while."

"But I haven't finished it yet." Lin Zhu didn't want to leave.

"My uncle's study room has all the books here. You can borrow them from your aunt later." Aju grabbed the books and put them back on the bookshelf, and walked out holding her sister's wrist.

Lin Zhu had no choice but to follow her. When he was about to go out, he remembered something and looked back to the bedroom: "What guest? Why didn't I hear anything?"

Ah Ju smiled wryly in her heart, not to mention that her sister didn't hear it, she didn't even notice it while sitting inside, the man came in silently, like a ghost...

With this thought, and thinking of the man's cold eyes, Ah Ju couldn't help trembling, quickly dismissed those absurd thoughts, led her sister and brother outside, and stood under the shade of a tree to wait for Zhou Lansheng.

The scorching sun is in the sky, the branches are swaying with the wind, and the light and shadow are mottled.

The old locust tree behind the three of them was facing the back door of the shop in the living room. Waiting and waiting, Ah Ju caught a glimpse of Zhou Lansheng leading the master and servant of Mr. Zhao into the living room.When he was dazed, the man in Chinese clothes turned his head and looked over, Ah Ju's heart tightened, and just as he was about to avoid the side of the tree, the man had already withdrawn his gaze and walked away without squinting.

(End of this chapter)