Reborn in the last years of Kangxi

Chapter 722 Talking about Chess
Xiaotangshan, the Cao Family Garden.

The place where Cao Yin and his wife lived was in the middle of the garden, a courtyard with two entrances.There are five halls in front, three cool rooms in the west of the hall, and a veranda in the east of the hall, and a pavilion in the southeast corner of the garden.

There are five main halls at the back, which are the living places of Cao Yin and his wife.There are three Baoshas in the west of the hall, which are used for the maids on duty and mother-in-law to rest; the three Baoshas in the east of the hall are empty and unoccupied.

After walking around the greenhouse with the children, Cao Yong and Chu Yu led everyone back to the yard.

Because today is the first day of coming to Tangquan Zhuangzi, Mrs. Li wants the big guys to have a reunion dinner.Wait until tomorrow, and eat in each courtyard.

Mrs. Li was in the west room with her family members, and Cao Yin and his son were eating in the east room with a few boys.

Today's dinner is rich and full of beautiful things, and the little guys don't even blink.Seeing that the table was full, Cao Yin wanted to put on a straight face and talk about "thriftiness" to his son; when he saw that there was something wrong with the dishes, he still closed his mouth.

Eight table side dishes, dried purslane in sesame oil, pickled mixed vegetables, pickled devil ginger, mixed with perilla leaves, jelly with tiger skin, fried small fish, shredded tripe in red oil, and sheep's feet in white water.

Eight dishes, Jiao Liu meatballs, vegetarian diced eggplant, braised garlic sprouts, diced green beans, stir-fried blood tofu, stir-fried lamb, roasted turtledove in sauce, braised hairtail in red, and fried shredded pork with pheasant neck.

Four bowls of vegetables, stewed loach, mutton balls, braised pheasant with mountain delicacies, and stewed pork ribs with dried beans and radish.Two pots, one pickled cabbage and white meat, and one sheep scorpion.

Cao Yong looked at it, but was slightly taken aback for a moment, a little stunned.Not to mention anything else, there are two small dishes of pickled mixed vegetables and pickled ghost ginger, which were common in his previous life.When I was young, there were these two kinds of pickles pickled by my mother at home.

The hot dishes are okay, the little ones probably recognize them, but the side dishes are all raw.

Although there is a rule of not talking when eating or sleeping, Tianyou looked at the food in his eyes, then at the rice in the bowl, and couldn't help asking Cao Yin in a low voice: "Grandfather, this rice tastes like chestnuts... "

Cao Yin looked at the rice in the bowl, it was reddish, and it was indeed fragrant.

Cao Yong was beside him and said: "Father, this is chestnut rice. Raw chestnuts are crushed and cooked together with millet. My son had it once when he came to Zhuangzi a few years ago. It was very delicious."

The room was full of delicious dishes, and several little guys were looking at Cao Yin in unison.

Seeing Cao Yin moving the chopsticks, the others picked up the chopsticks and started eating...

Maybe it's a novelty, maybe it's because I'm tired from playing in the vegetable shed in the afternoon, the little guys are flying with chopsticks, eating very sweet...

When encountering unfamiliar dishes, they put down their chopsticks and asked in low voices. After knowing the names, they were also full of curiosity, wondering if there were any in the conservatory.

Seeing the little guys getting more and more noisy, Cao Yin wanted to "cough" to make them quiet.However, seeing Cao Yin explaining this for a while and answering that for a while, Cao Yin smiled lightly and did not speak...

*
Westinghouse, the women's family is here.

Mrs. Li, Chuyu's mother-in-law and daughter-in-law all grew up in the house, and it was probably the first time they met these mountain and village food.Sisters Tian and Lianqiu had lived outside in the early years, so they probably knew each other.

When encountering their mother-in-law and daughter-in-law asking each other, it is inevitable that Tian and the others explain each other.Qiniang and Niuniu were also sitting, Niuniu listened with great interest, and Qiniang made supplements because Tian and Lianqiu sisters did not know each other.

Zijingyuan stood at the bottom of the head and served vegetables for everyone.

Mrs. Li told her to sit down, but she repeatedly said "I dare not", but still stood and waited.Li Shi really had no choice but to order her to go down for her own use.

Now, looking at these meals, they are carefully prepared, and the taste is extremely delicious, suitable for meat and vegetables, and there are two dishes that Li Shi and Cao Yin usually like to eat.

Mrs. Li couldn't help boasting to Chu Yu: "Amethyst is really good. No matter what she takes care of, it can make people worry-free. After all, it was trained by the old lady, who is both capable and caring."

Chu Yu nodded, and said, "Yes, ma'am. Apart from the master and wife, the only one who loves her son-in-law and daughter-in-law so much is Miss Zijing."

The admiration for Amethyst in these words is not one or two, but it is already regarded as an elder. Although Li knows that Amethyst is a good person, she still can't help but feel a little bit tasted.

No matter how capable and loyal she is, she cannot just stay in the mansion as an old maid.

It was the old lady who gave this girl to Cao Yong before she died.In the face of the old lady, Cao Yong had to give Amethyst a good place to live.

Although Zijing looks young, but counting her age, she is still in her thirties.

Now if you want to talk about marriage, it is not difficult to find a widower to do the continuation.After all, Amethyst looks decent, behaves like an amiable person, and if the Cao family buys a dowry, she can go out in style and become a grandmother.

Thinking of this, Li couldn't help thinking of being a matchmaker.

It's just that there are two children, Qiniang and Niuniu, at the dinner table, so it's inappropriate to talk about this, so she lowered her head, drank a couple of mouthfuls of soup, and began to think in her heart, to discuss it with her daughter-in-law when she has time later...

At this moment, Zijing did not go back to the house, but was invited to the front yard.

"Girl, the tenants of the four hectares of land this year have collected a total of 180 three shi of grain. Although we have a well here, the drought is severe, and the harvest is not as good as in previous years. It is only 120% perfect, so it is less than in previous years. Some. I respected the girl’s order and gave away 63 shi. Just in the north of the city, there were several monasteries in the north of the city who were preparing for Laba to start giving porridge, so they gave away [-] shi. The remaining [-] shi should continue to go to the temple or keep In the warehouse, I still need to ask the girl to come up with an idea." He Maocai said.

Zijing has long given up her desire to marry, so she seldom pays attention to money.Cao Yong gave her the four hectares of land, and the annual harvest is two hundred taels of silver.Her monthly money is given by her public office, and Chu Yu gets a share from her private house, which is four taels of silver every month.Coupled with the rewards from Orchid Garden and Wutong Garden during festivals, there is also a small 100 taels of silver throughout the year.

Zijing either subsidized Tianyou and Hang Seng's money, or made people donate it to various temples, and did not save it.

"I heard that some temples are not as good as they are. They withhold rice donated from outside and sell it privately. I only hope that these temples will be better. As long as half of the rice goes into the mouths of poor people, I will not be in vain. What a heart." Zijing touched a string of bodhi beads in the left bowl and said.

"That's right, the little old man is also worried about this, so he made a special trip to ask people to inquire about it, and he chose a few with a good reputation as the host. If there are any disadvantages, there is no other way." He Maocai sighed, and said: "The rest Grain, if the girl is unwilling to sell it for money, and wants to keep talking, the little old man has a foolish opinion."

Although Zijing didn't change her clothes or shave her hair, she had already started to be a vegetarian, and she had already returned to Buddhism in her heart.It's just that I am grateful for the kindness of the Cao family, and now I need to take care of Tianyou and Hang Seng's daily life, so I didn't escape into Buddhism.She has a compassionate heart and wants to do her best to do some good deeds.

He Maocai said that he had an idea, Zijing hurriedly said: "Since the old steward has an idea, please say so. I spend all day in the inner house, even if I have a heart, after all, my vision is narrow, I have more than enough heart but not enough strength, how can I catch up with the old steward who is knowledgeable?" wide?"

Everyone likes to listen to good words, even though He Maocai has lived most of his life, this is still the case.

Hearing Zijing's words, he felt very relieved, and said with a smile: "I dare not be a girl's compliment, but I dare not spoil the girl's kindness, so I asked people to inquire carefully. This year, there was a severe drought in spring and summer, and since winter, there has been another It snowed a few times. The prefectures and counties in Gyeonggi were afraid of freezing to death. From the beginning of this month, porridge sheds were set up in all prefectures and counties. In every township, people donated. According to the humble opinion of the little old man, instead of giving this food to the temple, It’s better to go to porridge sheds everywhere. Send two people to follow, but they will never have the guts to swallow up the food.”

Hearing this, Zijing nodded and said: "It's really a good idea to bother the old steward, so let's do it this way." Speaking of this, she thought for a while, and said: "It's just my private matter after all, and it's not for nothing The truth is. There is always some hard work to be paid, the old steward looked at the 20 taels of silver that was deposited with the old steward before."

"Hehe, there is no need for this. The uncle has already explained that the girl can use the grain or the manpower as she wants. Just because the girl said that she would give up the grain, the uncle asked Changping Zhuangzi not to sell the grain this year, and put it into the warehouse. If the girl is willing to give up, if she wants to give up again, she can use the rice in the warehouse." Thinking of Cao Yong's explanation, He Maocai felt that Cao Yong, the little master, was more appetizing.

He is the old servant of the Sun family who was married as a dowry, and he is different from the servants of the Cao family.He originally only recognized Sun Taijun in his heart, but now he only recognizes Cao Yong.

After all, the two generations of their father and son have managed Zhuangzi for more than 60 years. It is not the property of the Cao family, but the dowry of Sun Taijun.The rest of the Cao family, according to the rules, can't control them.

As Sun Taijun donated this field to Cao Yong, He Maocai's loyal object changed to Cao Yong.

In addition, Cao Yong has been relying on him wholeheartedly in these years, and he is very flattering. Even if the old man works hard, he feels that he is benefited.

Among the servants of Cao's family, Zijing, like He Maocai, is an old servant of the old lady, so He Maocai is also close to Zijing.Seeing Cao Yong's courteous treatment of Amethyst, he also felt relieved.

This is how everyone's sons and sisters should behave, adhering to the rules and etiquette.

Amethyst is not very old, but counting, in addition to serving the old lady, she can also be regarded as Cao Yong's nanny.Knowing how to respect the elderly is not in vain for Amethyst to take care of the housework and take care of the housework all these years.

Amethyst here, but dare not take Cao Yong's kindness for granted.

Her expression froze, she was grateful and ashamed at the same time, she just felt as if she had turned over a five-flavored bottle in her heart, everything was gone...

*
Before you know it, it's time to hold the lamp.

After dinner, Tian Shi, Lian Qiu and others took the children back to rest.Tianyou and Hang Seng lived with Zijing in the east wing of Cao Yong's yard, and they had already followed Zijing back to resettle.

The room fell silent, only the Cao family remained.

Cao Yong sat cross-legged on the Kang, playing chess with Cao Yin.On Chuyu's side, they are discussing with her mother-in-law about the pilgrimage tomorrow.Tomorrow is November [-]th, the birthday of Amitabha Buddha, and there are religious ceremonies in nearby temples.

The female family members are usually confined in the inner house, and it is rare for them to leave the house. Naturally, Mrs. Li would like to take them out to get some air.It's just that the outside of the city is not as crowded as the city, and there are more pilgrims, so we have to make arrangements in advance to avoid collisions.

On Chuyu's side, Zijing had already been appointed and the arrangements were made.

In addition to Cao's family, there is also a family member from Beizi's mansion who will go to pilgrimage tomorrow.That Mrs. Beizi was probably Chuyu's aunt, who also had contacts with the Cao family, and Li also recognized her.Therefore, in addition to the servants of Cao's mansion, Beizi's mansion guards will follow to guard tomorrow, so there will be no mistakes.

After hearing this, Mrs. Li was relieved.

Because of Zijing, she led her daughter-in-law to the east room to sit down, and said what was on her mind.

When Chu Yu heard this, she couldn't help being stunned, and said after a long while: "Madam is merciful, it is Miss Zijing's blessing to ask about this matter. Regarding her life's important events, the uncle and daughter-in-law also took care of her in the early years. Just look at her meaning. Get rid of this thought. I started to be a vegetarian a few years ago, and the uncle was afraid that she would not be able to bear it, and told her a few times before she changed her mind. On the first and fifteenth day of the new year, she is a vegetarian, and she is half a vegetarian on weekdays."

Mrs. Li couldn't help shaking her head when she heard this, and said: "As a woman, when it's time to get married, you should get married; when it's time to give birth, you should have children. Find an honest man and live a peaceful life. It's a blessing. Looking at her, she seems to be sensible, why are you so hard to see her?"

Chu Yu was afraid that Mrs. Li would be unhappy and had prejudices against Zijing, so she said: "I heard from the uncle that Zijing's sister suffered a big change when she was young, maybe because of this, she was afraid of going outside and would rather stay in the mansion for the rest of her life. "

Li Shi also knew about Zijing's background.

Among the maidservants of the Cao family, Sun Taijun was particularly fond of Amethyst, which also had something to do with it.Zijing was just a girl in her teens when her family changed.

From the eldest lady of the official family to the humble servant girl, if you change to someone else, you can't say that you will be sad, complain, or have a big change in temperament.

Amethyst is different, always smiling.Although her behavior is still so decent and her treatment of others is warm, she behaves like a real servant girl, no matter whether she intends to or not, she never shows the airs of a young lady.

Because of this forbearance and understanding, the old lady treats her differently and keeps her around.

Mrs. Li wanted to be a matchmaker only on a whim, and after hearing Chu Yu's words, she had no intention of forcing it.The mother-in-law and daughter-in-law chatted a few more gossips before returning to Westinghouse.

Westinghouse father and son are guarding the chessboard to fight.

It's just that one is a master of piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and the other is a half-tune who has learned shape but not god.Among them, high and low stand.

Baizi has fallen, and there is no possibility of turning defeat into victory.However, Cao Yong was still struggling and did not abandon his son to admit defeat.

It's not that he cares about winning or losing a game, but that this game of chess is meant to kill time with his old father and please him.

Now, Bai Zi's face is ruined, Cao Yin is stroking his beard, he can't hide his complacency, it seems that he is in a good mood.On Cao Yong's side, he couldn't be more happy to make his father happy for a while, so he fought hard.

Finally reached the desperate situation, Cao Yin raised his eyebrows, put the sunspots in his hands on the plate, and killed his son a big dragon.

Only then did Cao Yong put down the chess pieces in his hand and said, "My son has lost."

Cao Yin picked up the teacup, took a sip and said, "Do you know where I lose in size?"

Cao Yong said with a smile: "Father and son are not of the same weight. Naturally, the son is not as good at chess as the father, and it is normal to lose."

Cao Yin shook his head, with a smile on his face, looked at Cao Yong and said: "You lose because you don't have the heart to win. This chessboard is a place where players are talking, and the square inch is like a battlefield. If you don't have the heart to win, it is considered a chess skill Superb skills may not guarantee long-term victories; on the contrary, if you are mediocre, as long as you have a competitive heart, you can fight a lot."

This teaching has another profound meaning.

Cao Yong already realized something, stood up, bowed his head and said: "My son understands, thank you for your father's teaching."

Mrs. Li came in with her daughter-in-law, just in time to hear her husband training her son.She was confused by what she heard, but she loved her son dearly, and she was afraid that her husband would get angry and continue the training.

After all, in front of the wife, it is better to save some face for the son.

She was thinking about how to divert this conversation, when Cao Yin waved his hand and said: "After a busy day, you and your wife are also tired, go back early and rest."

Cao Yong agreed, and Chuyu and Chuyu said goodnight to their parents, and went back to the east courtyard together.

Cao Yin sat on the edge of the Kang, not saying a word, with a dignified expression, not knowing what he was thinking.

When Mrs. Li saw him, she thought he was worried about playing chess. Sitting on the edge of the kang, she softly persuaded: "The master has played chess all his life, and Yonger has only learned it for a few years? Besides, he did his homework in elementary school and went to Beijing when he grew up." There is no time for you to be leisurely when you are on an errand. If the master thinks that he is on an errand, it is a good time to have some free time this time, just teach him well."

Hearing this, Cao Yin forgot to take a look at Mrs. Li, saw her worried, and thought of her motherly kindness, he couldn't help but sighed.

Seeing her husband like this, Mrs. Li became more worried, hesitated for a while, and said: "Master, is this chess game so important? I think we are good in all aspects. Even if our chess skills are poor, it doesn't matter, right? "

Cao Yin shook his head, why not take it seriously?

This "playing chess" is also a big deal. If you don't know how to plan, don't have a long-term view, don't know how to make arrangements, and only care about immediate gains and losses, then you will be passive everywhere.

When it came time to decide a life-and-death situation, it was too late to regret.

Life is like a game of chess, it is not just about avoiding and forbearance, you can have a draw.There are too many times, you need to stand up and down to witness life and death.

It seems that I really should teach my son how to "play chess", Cao Yin said in his heart...

Seeing her husband's solemn expression, Mrs. Li murmured: "Master..."

I heard Cao Yin say: "Why don't you take it seriously? It is said that the waves behind the Yangtze River drive the waves ahead, and the blue is better than the blue. As my son, if it is too bad, I will lose face as an old man..."

*
East courtyard, upper room.

Thinking of his father's words, Cao Yong was a little out of his wits.Could it be that father can't see it?Want to flog flog yourself?

Chuyu went to the east room to watch Tianhui, saw her husband like this, and thought of what her father-in-law said, not as chaotic as her mother-in-law.

She thought about it for a while, then smiled and said: "My son-in-law, I see what the master means, he wants to give pointers to my son-in-law. In this way, if I play games with the master in the future, maybe my son-in-law will win one or two rounds."

Cao Yong glanced at his wife and said, "How come? This can't be learned in a day or two?"

"Master loves to play chess so much. When Master Zhiran is here, he can play chess for a while. Now only the son-in-law is with him. If the son-in-law always loses, it must be no fun for the master to win." Chu Yu said: "Maybe Because of this, the master is looking forward to the eunuch winning, and the eunuch said that is the reason?"

Cao Yong's heart was bright, what his father said was about chess, not chess.

Seeing his wife trying to explain himself, his heart warmed up, he nodded with a smile and said: "Yes. You are right. It seems that I should have a competitive heart, so that my father will not be so complacent, and I will kill a few rounds. good……"

*
The first six were saved, and I rolled gratefully. .Take a bow and thank you. .

(End of this chapter)