Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 680 Turning point ([-])

Li Nai only stayed in the capital for three days, Gao Taijun urged him to leave.

Before leaving, Gao Taijun sent everyone around him away, leaving only Mrs. Li to talk in the room: "Although a married daughter is a daughter who splashes water, you must be conscientious in life. Your elder brother and sister-in-law used to be adopted You are raised like a daughter, you should remember this kindness."

Mrs. Li said with a smile: "Look at what my mother said, my daughter knows it. In a few days it will be my sister-in-law's birthday sacrifice. I have already sent people to give sesame oil to the temple to perform rituals for my sister-in-law."

Although the elder sister-in-law she was talking about was Li Xu's late wife and Li Nai's biological mother Han Shi.

Gao Taijun nodded, took Li Shi's hand and said: "Well done. Just don't just pay attention to those who have gone, and those who are still alive should be more careful. Although Nai'er didn't say anything else, he seemed to have something Difficulties. Brother Yong’s father’s relationship with your elder brother is not the same as before. Now that they have less contact with each other in the younger generation, the relationship will become even weaker. In the future, you will have to work harder on the relationship between the Cao and Li families. Relatives inside and outside, always support and take care of each other."

Mrs. Li nodded in agreement, thinking of something on her mind.

She hesitated for a moment, but still asked, "Did my mother marry my father, so she went there with me? My grandfather's relatives..."

Gao Taijun's face changed when he heard the words, he put Li's hand down, frowned and said, "Okay, why do you ask this? Didn't I say earlier that your grandfather's relatives are dead."

"Mother, my daughter also wants to be filial. It's the Ghost Festival, so it's better to burn cold clothes for grandma and the others." Seeing Gao Taijun's reaction like this, Mrs. Li said embarrassingly.

"Hmph. It's not your turn to worry about this." Gao Taijun snorted coldly and said, "If you are really filial, remember to help your mother's family more in the future and care about your nephews and grandchildren. Your brother is old, and in a few years, Your nephews and grandchildren are about to grow up. The Li family has been prosperous for decades, who knows what will happen in the future." At the end of the speech, there was already a hint of worry.

Gao Taijun had said these words in Li's ear many times, but none of them were as harsh as they are now.

Mrs. Li felt a little wronged in her heart, and said in a low voice: "Mother is not only thinking about my elder brother and nephews, but also about my uncle and grandson. The master is now sixty, and Yong'er is constantly suffering from serious and minor illnesses, which is also worrying." .”

"You..." Mrs. Gao couldn't help frowning when she heard the words: "Are you saying that the old lady is partial? Your brother lost his wife and his son, what kind of life is he living? What kind of life is the life of uncle and brother Yong? You It’s so honorable to be a wife, I forgot what my last name is.”

These words were so heartbreaking that Li's eyes were already red.

Although she wanted to defend herself, but thinking that Mrs. Gao was about to leave, mother and daughter were far away, and she didn't know when they would see each other again, so she swallowed all other words to her stomach.

After Gao Taijun finished speaking, he also felt bored, got up from the kang, and said: "It's getting late, let's go."

Chuyu and Zijing brought Tianyou and Hangsheng to wait in the hall.Xiangyu already held several purses in her hands, and looked at everyone reluctantly.

Surrounded by everyone, Gao Taijun led Xiangyu out of the second gate.

Outside the second gate, Li Shi and Chu Yu's carriage stopped.

Before getting into the carriage, he heard rustling footsteps, Zhao Jia brought his son and daughter-in-law to see him off.

After a short exchange of greetings, Cheng Yi was presented, Gao Taijun led Xiangyu into Li's carriage, Chuyu got into her own carriage, and followed Cao Yong to Tongzhou Wharf to see Gao Taijun off.

Originally, Mrs. Li wanted to see them off in person, but it happened that Changsheng was not comfortable for the past two days and couldn't do without others, so Chu Yu sent them off on her behalf.

Cao Yong said hello to the Yamen, and was ordered by his mother to go to Tongzhou to send his grandmother back home.

Because I came out early and the sun was rising, the weather didn't feel hot yet.

Cao Yong rode on the horse and walked side by side with Li Nai.

"Cousin, I have asked the housekeeper to ask if it is possible to sell a few pieces of land in Fangshan. It would be great if the hole in the household department can be repaired, so that father will be less worried." Li Nai sighed and said.

After hearing this, Cao Yong was not sure of Li Nai's route, so he thought about it and said, "Isn't the tomb of my cousin's family in Fangshan? How can I sell the fields over there?"

"I reserved two hectares of land for the slaves who looked at the graves to make incense. The rest should be sold, but this year there will be a lot of severe droughts in Gyeonggi, so I'm afraid they won't be able to sell at a high price." Li Nai looked at both sides of the road. crops, said.

"Is this what uncle means?" Cao Yong thought of the sale of real estate by the Cao family a few years ago.

Could it be that Li Xu really knew that he was afraid, and really started to take this shortfall seriously?
Li Nai shook his head and said: "Father doesn't know yet, I will discuss it with my father this time when I go back. I am a mediocre person, and it is already unfilial to not share my father's worries. How dare I have the audacity to worry about this family business."

Li Xu had only two sons, and the second son, Li Ding, died violently in the capital, leaving only a weak daughter; only the eldest son, Li Nai, was left with many granddaughters to continue his bloodline.

The Li family's family business will also fall on Li Nai in the future.

Cao's affairs have not finished worrying about, Cao Yong is really not interested in worrying about Li's affairs, so he changed the subject and talked about the local conditions and customs in the south.

When we arrived in Tongzhou, we sent Gao Taijun and Li Nai aboard. It was already noon and the weather was getting hotter.

Cao Yong asked someone to find a clean restaurant, took Chuyu there, went to the private room on the second floor, and ate some food.

Fearing that Chuyu would be exhausted and the weather was very hot, Cao Yong discussed with his wife whether he should rest in Tongzhou for half a day and return to the city tomorrow.

There are old and young children in the family, Chuyu is really worried and wants to go back sooner.

Seeing his wife like this, Cao Yong asked someone to set up a carriage.

Before he could go downstairs, Zheng Hu came up with a grin and said, "Master, Master, look who's coming!"

While speaking, he stepped aside, and a person came up the stairs.

I saw that man with a short beard, wearing a green silk gown, and fanning vigorously with a folding fan in his hand.

The moment he saw Cao Yong, the man hurriedly put away the folding fan in his hand, took two steps forward, knelt down on one knee, and said: "Young master, I really want to kill the villain..."

"Wulang?" Cao Yong couldn't help being moved, stepped forward to help the man, and said happily: "It's really you, didn't you write a letter a few days ago saying that you want to go to sea with a sea merchant, and thought you were traveling overseas? Are you free to come to the capital?"

The person who came was Cao Yong, who hadn't seen him for several years, the executor of Cao Yong's Guangzhou business, Wei Xin, the young master of the Wei family in Jiangning.Because his brother ranked fifth, he was nicknamed "Goro".

Wei Xin's face was also filled with the joy of reunion after a long absence, before he could answer, he heard someone say: "Greetings, my lord."

It was a woman's voice, with a bit of bluntness, resembling Wu En's accent when he just learned Chinese in his early years, only softer.

Cao Yong followed the voice and forgot, and saw a blond girl with blue eyes following behind Wei Xin.The girl was dressed in a Han Chinese dress, and she performed Wanfu in an orderly manner.

Although there are foreigners in the capital, they are all missionaries. Standing in front of me like this, a Caucasian girl is really eye-catching.

However, Cao Yong immediately retracted his gaze and looked at Wei Dao: "Wulang, who is this?"

Wei Xin said with a smile: "Young Master, I have married a wife, and the red envelope of the Young Master is indispensable." He pointed to the girl, and said, "This is the little one's daughter-in-law Ada who married last month. After reporting to my parents, I wrote a letter to the young master, never thought..." At the end, he smiled wryly and shook his head.

Chu Yu was originally in the private room. She saw her husband talking to someone at the door, but she didn't go in for a while, so she asked Xi Cai to come over and ask.

Only then did Cao Yong recover from his shock, and said to Wei Daoxin, "my wife is here, Wulang and his sister-in-law, come in and talk."

After hearing this, Wei Xin straightened his collar and took Ada's hand.

Seeing Zheng Hu, he said to Cao Yong: "Master, the carriage has been set up just now, this time..."

"Let the big guys have tea first, and we'll talk about it when the sun gets lighter." Cao Yong ordered, and brought Wei Xin and his wife into the house.

Chu Yu had already heard about it in the room, and she had already heard about Jiang Ning Wei Wulang from her husband.Even so, seeing the blond-haired and blue-eyed Ada was quite a surprise.Xi Yan, who was standing by, was already very surprised, and quickly covered her mouth with a handkerchief.

"Little Wei Xin and his wife, Ada, have met Grandma, please greet Grandma." Wei Xin already bowed to salute.

Chu Yu got up and said, "You don't need to be polite, Fifth Master Wei. I've heard you talk about Fifth Master earlier, but I didn't expect to see you today." While speaking, she looked at Ada, who had already untied the incense string of beeswax from her front. , handing it over with both hands, and said: "In a hurry, I didn't prepare any greetings. If sister Ada doesn't despise vulgarity, let's play with it."

Ada looked at the bracelet, then at Wei Xin, saw him nodding, then put away the bracelet, and said in a low voice, "Thank you."

"Sit down and talk, is this just getting off the boat?" Cao Yong greeted everyone to sit down, and ordered people to serve tea.

"Well, I was thinking of going directly to the city. I thought I would only see you in Rehe. I didn't expect to see a tiger outside, so I knew you had returned to Beijing." Wei Xin pulled Ada to sit, and then replied with a smile .

"It's time for dinner, or just order a few dishes, and you can use them first." Cao Yong said.

"That's okay. When I got off the boat, I ate bacon and snacks, and I'm not hungry right now. Seeing that the carriage outside has already been harnessed, let's talk as we go." Wei Xin said with a smile: "It's just too annoying. Hire a carriage again, and come out this time without bringing anything except money and two long-term attendants. I also thought that when I entered the city, I would go to the shop run by Miss Han to find some things for myself before I came here. Ladies playing."

"There are still a lot of things sent by people the year before last, and they are not outsiders, so there is no need to talk about those empty etiquette." Cao Yong said: "There is no need to look for a carriage. We sent my grandmother over just now. I used my mother's car and went back. It’s also empty, Fifth Sister-in-law’s use is cheap.”

Chu Yu was listening, and said with a smile, "You don't need to bother, just ride with me. It just so happens that I have a companion for talking on the road."

Sitting next to Wei Xin, Ada smiled when she saw Chu Yu's kindness. She looked at Chu Yu and said, "You look so good-looking, even better than the women in Guangzhou."

Seeing that she was impolite, Wei Xin hurriedly said in a low voice: "Don't be rude, grandma has a noble status, she is the granddaughter of His Majesty the Emperor, a true nobleman, so don't be rude."

"A real nobleman?" Hearing this, Ada couldn't help being awed, stood up, and greeted Chu Yu again.

It turns out that foreigners like to pay attention to their identity.Although Ada was born in a merchant, her ancestors also spent a lot of money to buy a title from the King of Portugal.

Her grandfather was a pirate in his early years, and after saving some money, he settled in Macau to do business.

In her father's generation, the business became more and more depressed due to poor management.Because I often go to Guangzhou, I also have some business contacts with Wei Xin.

Last year, I went to Luzon to do business, caught the sea wind, and sank two cargo ships.Ada's father almost went bankrupt, and Wei Xin just took two friends to Macau, and also visited an old friend's house, and met Ada.

Wei Xin has been in Guangzhou for more than ten years, the most important thing is money.

As a result, he took action to repay the debt of Ada's family, and married Ada into his hands.

Ada has already got into Chuyu's carriage, Cao Yong and Wei Xin ride side by side.

Hearing Ada's story, Cao Yong couldn't help laughing, and said: "What a Wei Wulang, he took advantage of the fire to rob this hand, and played it beautifully. Didn't you say that everyone in Franz believes in Catholicism? This foreign father-in-law didn't ask you, my son-in-law, to be baptized? "

Wei Xin said "haha" twice, and said: "At the beginning, they asked me to believe in their god. I don't even believe in the Jade Emperor, but I still believe in that foreign thing. I heard that if you believe in Catholicism, there is another rule that you can only marry one wife. In that case, what will my seven concubines in Guangzhou do? I am not used to their temper. I love to marry or not. If I marry, the 7 taels of silver will be my dowry; The rest of the big ships were paid for by me. In the end, I arranged for the girl to marry me obediently."

At the end, with a bit of complacency, he looked back at the carriage behind him and said to Cao Yong: "To be honest, in these years in Guangzhou, it's not that I have never touched Western women. Some businessmen brought foreign women with them. There are also many women, and there are some who actively want to be my lover. The smell of her body is smoky. I am rare because she doesn't have the smell of foreigners on her body, otherwise I wouldn't be willing to give up 7 taels Marry a daughter-in-law. Even if you pinch a gold man, the money will come out."

Cao Yong listened and nodded, and said: "It's a beautiful fetus, just like the one in the painting, and you have reached the age to marry a wife. Last time your elder brother wrote to me, he asked me to persuade you to get married as soon as possible."

Wei Xin hesitated for a moment, then asked: "My lord, don't you think Ida is ugly? I originally wanted to take her back to surprise my parents, but there was no joy, and my mother was scared and fell ill. , Dad also took a broom and kicked me out, and if I keep talking about this ghost daughter-in-law, he won't let me in the house."

Every family has scriptures that are difficult to recite. Cao Yong listened to his tone showing disappointment, and persuaded: "Always give the elders a period of time to adapt. If you are looking for an Oriental or Nanyang person, it is okay, at least it is black-haired. Black-eyed. This Westerner looks different from us, and there are very few people who come to the mainland. Everyone has seen it, and it’s not surprising that they are not used to it.”

Wei Xin was originally an open-minded person, so he felt a little embarrassed after he finished speaking, so he changed the subject and said, "My lord looks at Ada, does she look like a Western lady on the snuff bottle? At the beginning, I just looked at her, and I was fascinated by it at a glance. living?"

"Well, it kind of means that. If you put on a western skirt, it will be more similar." Cao Yong nodded.Said: "Your life is worth it. Oriental, Nanyang, and Western women all let you collect vases and put them at home."

Wei Xin raised his eyebrows and said, "Ada still has a younger sister, she is only fourteen this year, and she hasn't talked about her yet, how about I protect you as a matchmaker?"

After hearing this, Cao Yong quickly waved his hands and said: "Forget it, I don't dare to bother Wulang. Let others leave this beautiful fortune..."

"I didn't see it, the young master is still a dedicated person. In the early years, when he was a teenager, he thought about going to the Qinhuai River to meet the world..." Wei Xin lowered his volume and joked with a smile...

*
Cao Mansion, Orchid Courtyard, Shang Fang.

Cao Yi was sitting by the side of the kang, shaking the cart, and talking to Mrs. Li: "I heard that my grandmother is going back to the south. I thought it would take a few days, but I didn't expect to leave today."

"I was thinking about the old lady, and I was in a hurry. I wanted to leave the other day, and I just stayed for two more days." Li Shi said, with a look of disappointment on his face.

Cao Yi put down the rocking cart, took Li Shi's hand, and said, "Mother, don't be too sad. When the old lady's health is better, then I will bring grandma to Beijing."

Mrs. Li nodded with a smile, touched her temples, and said: "I heard that my wife's illness is cured, thank God. Even if you are young, you can't stand this. Headed by Bai Shanxiao, a daughter-in-law is a good student Serve your mother-in-law, but you must also take care of your body, otherwise you will make us worry about it, and filial piety is not filial. The ginseng you asked someone to send over has been used. If you don’t take care of your body now, you will regret it later."

Cao Yi put his arms around Li Shi's arm, leaned on her, and said, "It's still the mother who loves her daughter. She's been busy all day, remembering the days when she didn't leave the court, she's really in a honey pot."

Mrs. Li patted her on the shoulder and said, "Silly boy, my daughter is going to be someone else's wife when she grows up. Who wouldn't survive like this? The in-laws are kind and my uncle has a good temper. These days are already going well." It’s much more compliant than other families. It will be even more satisfying to add a little elder brother next year to give Shou’er more company. In the future, I will watch the child grow up and marry a wife.”

Hearing "marrying a daughter-in-law", Cao Yi thought of something, hesitated for a moment, and asked, "Mother, I heard that the second wife saw Yun Gege from the general's mansion? The clan Gege is too spoiled. The fourth brother has a gentle temper. , or choose a submissive and sensible girl, who is the right match."

After hearing this, Mrs. Li sighed, and said: "Who said it wasn't. I went to see it before, and it looked a little thinner, and I couldn't see any other problems. But Yun Gege is just old enough, and my brother and sister-in-law are so anxious to get married. Sister, it also makes people feel uneasy. It’s just that you know the temperament of the second wife, and you can’t listen to persuasion if you admit death. The son has already made a small decision, and now he is starting to live a big life.”

When Cao Yi heard this, he could only frown.

I really can't believe that Mrs. Zhao Jia chose his daughter-in-law. Cao Shuo's daughter-in-law Tianhui was chosen by Mrs. Zhao Jia himself. What happened?
It's rare for her daughter to come back. Li Shi couldn't bear her to worry about her mother's affairs, so she patted her hand and said: "Marriage is destined, and what happens in the future depends on each person's fate. Although the fourth child has a soft temper, but Dutiful and kind-hearted, he should be a blessed person."

Cao Yi nodded with a smile, and talked about homework with Mrs. Li...

*
There is another village in the shadow of the willow, asking for a monthly ticket and a recommendation ticket. . .

(End of this chapter)