Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 279
In a blink of an eye, it was the fifteenth day of the first lunar month.The sky was cloudless and blue.The snow on the road gradually melted, and it looked wet and muddy. Although the weather hadn't warmed up much, the strong wind blew past, and it was no longer as cold as winter.

The porridge shed diagonally across from Daotai Mansion will be closed after today.Although there are still some old and young women and children drinking porridge here, there is nothing to worry about.After the porridge shed here is closed, they can go to Puji Hall.

Maybe it's because of the above and below, since Cao Yong, the Daotai master, is "benevolent", the officials, businessmen and wealthy households in the city have done a lot of good deeds in the past few months in order to match their preferences.The rice grains at Pujitang are also much richer than in previous years, and sometimes they can occasionally eat white noodles.

After noon, a few boys who did odd jobs in the porridge shed brought firewood to prepare the rice water pot.I saw two and a half big girls coming out of Daotai Mansion, it was Wu En and Little Walnut who had been helping here these days.

They each carried a willow basket and walked towards the porridge shed with a smile.

"Little Walnut, what did you bring?" When the two approached, a daughter-in-law who stayed in the porridge shed to look after her asked curiously.

Little Walnut put the willow basket on the stove, and replied with a smile: "Sister-in-law Gao, it was sent by grandma. The Lantern Festival has just been wrapped in the kitchen. Grandma said, it's the festival today, let everyone eat it." One bite is good."

Sister-in-law Gao lifted the cloth covering the willow basket, saw the round glutinous rice balls underneath, and said with a smile: "It's so big, it's as big as a chicken, and it's the same for lunch in our house?"

Little Walnut replied: "It's just smaller than these. There are a few kinds of fine fillings from the upper room, and the rest are two kinds of fillings, sesame and bean paste."

Wu En looked at the two sheds on the left and right, and now there are 40 to 60 people waiting to drink porridge, and some people are rushing here.According to the usual number of people, there are five to sixty people.These two small willow baskets don't look big, but they contain more than 100 yuanxiao in total, almost enough to spread two for one person.

When the Lantern Festival at the porridge shed is out of the pot, the Lantern Festival in the kitchen of the Daotai Mansion is also boiling.Qian Kang's family asked someone to pack a food box, took two little girls, and brought a piece of lunch to the upper room.

Cao Yong has come back from Qianya and sat on the kang to coax Wu'er to talk.Thinking about the letter he received from his family yesterday, knowing that Zhao Jia would send someone to pick Wu'er up when the weather warmed up in March or April, he felt a little bit reluctant.

This cousin's life experience is pitiful, and Chu Yu loves her so much, it would be good if she stays in this mansion and takes care of her as a daughter.However, it was Li who personally mentioned it in a letter, so Cao Yong couldn't say anything.

Chu Yu took out a small box from the cabinet at the end of the kang. After opening it, on the flannel inside were a pair of small twisted silver bracelets with small bells, which looked very delicate.

Tomorrow's sixteenth is Wu'er's birthday. I think these are gifts for Wu'er.

Seeing the reluctance on Chuyu's face, Cao Yong persuaded: "It's always in March before you come here. If you really don't want to part with it, let's write to my mother and tell me about it!"

Chu Yu shook her head, and said: "Look at what my son-in-law said, Wu'er is not a kitten or puppy, it depends on how we are reluctant to part with it! Following the aunt's mother is considered serious. Even brothers and sisters need to be together to have a close relationship. Otherwise, I will be a third younger sister in the future, and I will always feel a little uncomfortable."

Cao Yong took the small bracelet and shook it in front of Wuer's eyes, only to hear the silver bell ringing, which was really crisp.

Wu'er waved his little hand, and with a "giggle" smile in his mouth, he came to grab the bracelet in Cao Yong's hand.

Cao Yong didn't give it to her, and when she wanted to grab it, he raised his arm and removed the bracelet.Seeing that Cao Yong kept refusing to give it to her, Wu'er became a little anxious, turned to look at Chu Yu, and called out: "Mom, mother!" With a grin, she was about to cry.

"Forehead..." Chu Yu blamed, took the bracelet from Cao Yong, then sat on the edge of the kang, and put it on Wu'er's wrist.

As Wu'er's little arms dangled back and forth, the silver bells rang all over the room, making her giggle non-stop with joy.

Cao Yong looked at it and said to Chu Yu: "I remember that she was not so troublesome in the past, but now she is a bit like Tao Xiaozi, and she loves to laugh so much."

Chu Yu stroked Wu'er's hair, looked at Cao Yong, and said in a low voice, "I heard from Er Niang that Chu Yu loved to laugh when she was young!"

After hearing this, Cao Yong said with a smile: "Could it be that this is the reason for 'near Zhuzhechi'? If you can really be blessed with your blessing, it is also Wuer's fortune."

Chu Yu just smiled, and said to Cao Yong: "The third sister gave this pair of bracelets with the annual gift years ago, specially for Wu'er's birthday. They look very delicate, so it can be seen that it took a lot of effort."

When Cao Yong heard Cao Yi was mentioned, he remembered the trip to the capital last year, paused, and asked: "The girl in the second younger brother's courtyard, the one who was sick a year ago, how is it now?"

Chu Yu sighed: "It's hard for her, it will be two months, although I can survive, but the body is almost ruined, and I need to take good care of it. Chu Yu still wants to have the same forehead, if Jiang Ning comes Pick up Wu'er, let Yuqin and the other four go back with them."

In fact, Cao Yong just wanted to mention Cao Yi, but when he thought of this girl, he felt a little annoyed, and changed his words again.

"How is that girl's character? She even mentioned Ping'er's matter in the second brother's letter. Did she intend to tell tales, or was she unintentional?" Cao Yong asked.

Chu Yu thought about it for a while, then shook her head: "Second brother is not here, and it's not yet time for her to climb high branches and fight martial arts, so it's hard to justify telling stories on purpose. I guess it's because I didn't intend to listen to Yulong and wanted to be here Sell ​​it in front of the second younger brother, so I can mention it in the letter! Looking at her daily actions, although she is a bit clever, not as loyal as Yulong, it is still her duty, and she has no evil deeds."

Cao Yong nodded: "It's good to do what you're supposed to do. 'Family and everything is going well'. I'm afraid that someone will make a fuss." Speaking of this, he said: "But you don't need to worry about this. If you want to go back to the south mansion, there is Second Aunt over there. Yes, not as kind as my mother. If this girl lives in peace, it will be fine, otherwise it will be no good to her. "

Outside Daotai Mansion, the last meal of porridge was served. Zhao An and Qian Kang brought a few servants to dismantle the stove here, and rolled up the curtains on the shed.

At this time, I saw a servant leading a young man walking over. Everyone looked familiar. It was Lin Si'er, a young man from a foreign country who had been eating porridge here.

According to his own story, he was an orphan, originally had an uncle, and the two of them went to Yizhou to seek refuge with relatives, but the relative did not vote, and the uncle died of illness.This winter, Lin Si'er ate porridge at the porridge shed in Daotai Mansion, and helped with some odd jobs, and got acquainted with the servants on duty here.
The porridge shed was about to be closed today, and Lin Si'er had nowhere to go, so he begged a servant he had made friends with in the past to lead him to the master in charge of the Daotai Mansion.

When he arrived in front of Zhao An and Qian Kang, he knelt down on both knees and said, "Master, Lin Si'er begged you, please take pity on the little one, and give him a job. The little one will receive the great favor of Daotai Mansion." , was not frozen to death and starved to death, and now I am willing to serve as a slave to repay the great favor of the Taiwan government." Having said this, he kowtowed.

Zhao An and Qian Kang looked at each other with satisfaction in their eyes.Zhao An made a serious face on purpose, and said: "You are more than ten years old, do you have any skills? In our mansion, servants who do not accept live deeds will sign death deeds at every turn. The descendants are all slaves of the Cao family, can you save it?"

Lin Si'er's face couldn't help being moved when he heard this, he clenched his fist vigorously, and then said in a low voice: "The villain is fifteen years old, I know these people, since I have received the grace of the Cao family's life, naturally I have no complaints if I give up my freedom .”

These words surprised both Zhao An and Qian Kang.Zhao An thought for a while and said: "Well, the rules in our mansion are stricter, and the housekeeper has the final say on whether to enter or not. You should get up first, the Lord knows about this matter, and ask the housekeeper later, and then give the housekeeper a call." You call back."

Lin Si'er kowtowed a few more times, then got up and went back to the ruined temple to resettle.

Looking at his back, Zhao An shook his head: "I'm confused now, if you sell your death contract to enter our house, what's the reason?"

Qian Kang said with a smile: "What are you worrying about those people? Not to mention that our mansion is not short of envoys, even if there is a real shortage, how many people in the two mansions of Jiangning and the capital want to go here? Hit the outside and enter!"

Zhao An also smiled and said: "That's right, but this time we two won. In the evening, go find the third and fourth son Ren to have a drink. The two of them dare to bet that this kid is from the mountain. He came here, really ignorant. Although he deliberately kept his voice dumb, he unintentionally brought out Guan Bai. If the prediction is correct, he is either a son of an official family or a member of Zhili, but he has fallen to Yizhou for some reason."

Having said that, I still asked people to follow Lin Si'er to see it.Although Lin Si'er is not very old, in the past two months, he has been watching the gate of Daotai Mansion frequently.If it hadn't been found out that he lived in a ruined temple, didn't talk to each other, and didn't have other secrets except to drink porridge, he would have been arrested and tortured long ago.

Talking and laughing, watching the other servants dismantling the porridge shed, tying up the wood and felt, Zhao An and Qian Kang went back home.

Lin Si'er returned to the dilapidated temple where he used to live, and took out a coarse cloth package after digging the incomplete mud tire. After looking at it for a few times, he shed tears and murmured: "Brother Ma, don't worry, Xiao Linzi will definitely take you with me." Go home." At this point, I couldn't tell whether it was joy or sadness, and I knocked on my chest vigorously, and there was a shrill cry from my mouth: "Ah..."

The person who came to check was taken aback, and quietly peeked at the entrance of the ruined temple, only to see the young man silenced, prostrate on the ground, shaking his body, sobbing softly.

*
The fifteenth day in the capital is lively, needless to say about lanterns and fireworks.The banquets in the palace are also available on the [-]th day, and this is also the case on the [-]th day.

Cao Jia's family was half a month away from filial piety, so they didn't go with them, and took their sons to eat in the mansion.

It was almost Haishi (nine o'clock in the evening) when Pingjun Wang Naersuda came back from the court, and he was supported by two eunuchs to the main room.

Cao Jiashi has already sent the prostitutes to settle down with the two younger brothers in their arms, and they are thinking about the gift list to Horqin.

After the first lunar month, I want to send people to Mongolia, send Baoya two midwives there, and send some tonics for food.Na Ersu returned to Beijing with his escort a few years ago, and told his wife about the situation of his sister, after all, he was a little worried.However, since it was her own idea, it's not good for a brother to force her, so he can only support her as best he can.

Seeing her husband was so drunk that he was walking staggeringly, Cao Jia said to the elderly eunuch: "Why is the prince so drunk? You are waiting in front of me, why don't you persuade me?"

The older eunuch was Wang Shan, the personal eunuch who had served Naersu since he was a child.

Seeing Fujin's questioning, Wang Shan replied: "Fujin, the slave has been persuading me. Earlier, the master didn't drink much. Later, the Seventeenth Master came and talked with the master. I don't know what to say. I'm happy to talk. Then we started to drink together. The master is better, but the Seventeenth Lord passed out drunk on the table!"

Cao Jia helped her husband onto the kang, and Wenqin and Nongshu helped him remove his clothes and boots.

Cao Jia took the towel again and helped Neersu wipe his face, but he grabbed him, and he murmured, "Yan'er...Yan'er..."

This is Cao Jia's boudoir name, Cao Jia couldn't get rid of it in front of the girl, and said angrily: "Master, what are you doing like this? Let go!"

Wenqin and Nongshu held back their smiles, and went out with a water basin.

Naersu didn't let go, but stretched out his other arm and embraced Cao Jiashi.

The husband and wife came face to face.Although he smelled of alcohol, his eyes were bright, staring straight at Cao Jiashi's face.

It wasn't until Cao Jia's face turned red that his eyes were sore, he grinned and said, "Not only the seventeenth master is blessed, but the master is also blessed...today the master is resting here..."

Cao Jia's face was reddened by his torment, but she still said: "Master, this concubine still has half a month's filial piety, you..."

As she was talking, her little mouth was blocked, but she couldn't say anything...
-
(End of this chapter)