Xu Xuzhi

Chapter 46
Sure enough, Feng Jiu was here, scratching at her Xiaojin's abacus, and holding a pen to write down something in a small notebook after a while.Tai Shan was still lying on his stomach about a foot away from her, snoring lightly, and he didn't even wake up when Ning Zheng came in.

Feng Jiu was calculating the funds that should be invested in the next phase of the Ende Hall - Bao Buqu's [-] silver dollars had already arrived in the account. Unexpectedly, in the end, it was himself and Brother Bao who made the most of the investment.

This year's Chinese New Year, the hall has plenty of food and clothing, and Feng Jiu knocked out a sum of money from his father to buy a piano and a lot of sports equipment. The children all said that they had the best year in their lives. Feng Jiu thought about their childishness The happy face on the cute little face smiled again, each of them is only so old, and they still have "lifetime".

The second sister-in-law Yan Leling plays the piano very well. Now she often takes her two children to the courtyard to accompany them and teach them to sing.

Feng Jiu could accurately distinguish the sound of Ning Zheng's footsteps, and without raising his head, he greeted directly: "Are you back?"

Ning Zheng walked over with a "huh" and stood by the table watching her settle accounts, without saying a word for a long time.

Feng Jiu closed the account again, and after confirming that it was correct, he opened the drawer and locked the account book and small abacus in, and then stuffed the key into a small silk handbag that he often used, and hung it on the pea-green sunburst satin he was wearing. The Dongling stone plate on the lapel of the jacket is buttoned.

This set of movements can be called smooth and smooth, Ning Zheng stopped his outstretched hand, and then took it back: I wanted to take over the ledger to check it, but I didn't expect Feng Jiu to put it away so quickly.

Only then did she notice Ning Zheng's hand, and she raised her head and smiled at him: "Don't bother you, I've got it right now, if there's anything difficult, I'll ask you for help."

Ning Zheng stared deeply at Feng Jiu, and Feng Jiu also looked back at him calmly, waiting for him to speak.

Ning Zheng cleared his throat: "Jiu'er, this afternoon my nanny..."

"Oh, it's okay, I'm not angry at all."

Ning Zheng felt a little embarrassed, went over and picked Feng Jiu up, sat in her armchair, and put her on his lap again, Feng Jiu sat firmly and did not struggle as before.

Ning Zheng saw a smile on his face, "What you said...is it true?"

"Huh?" Feng Jiu didn't have much memory of what she said to Nanny Liu. To her, it was an extremely small matter, and it wasn't worth bothering to remember. The piece of "Sixteen Inlays" is very impressive.

"You said, if I accept the junior, you have to..."

"Oh, this..." Feng Jiu smiled, "I was just teasing her, seeing how aggressive the old man was, she kept saying 'since it's a woman', so I just said a few nonsense, don't take it seriously."

Upon hearing this, Ning Zheng's originally happy face slowly sank, "Why, that is to say, you don't object to me, Naxiao?"

His voice became low and cold - it's been more than half a year since we got married, is it all a waste of effort?
Feng Jiu was keenly aware of it.

She cunningly argued: "But I've said it all, the new youths who have returned from studying abroad, who would take a concubine? Even if I agree, you can't afford to lose that person."

Hearing this, Ning Zheng's heart, which had already become icy cold, slowly returned to some temperature, and his face also revealed a few traces of joy: "Naturally, this naturally, how could I do such a thing?" .”

Bong-gu makes an "uh-hum" and tries to wriggle away from him, thinking their conversation is over.

But Ning Zheng's hand still tightened, and he hugged her tightly, "My nanny is illiterate and has no education. If she speaks something that doesn't please you, I apologize to you on her behalf. Please bear with me."

"I'm--not angry, I know, she is sincerely doing it for you, but you just don't appreciate it." Fengjiu recalled embarrassingly recalling that the nanny said in a crying voice that if a man doesn't bring a woman with him, he can just find a woman. If there is one, what should I do if I get a dirty disease?If you don't find it, what should you do if you are suffocated?
Now that she thought about it, she realized that this might be a really big deal, after all, Melanie had mentioned her meaningfully.But she couldn't take the initiative to talk to Ning Zheng about this matter. Ning Zheng, who was already good at borrowing donkeys, couldn't take this opportunity to force herself to pay him for the bridal chamber?

But Ning Zheng has also stated to himself many times that he will not gossip outside.

Just trust him.

As for how to solve the young man's desire... Fengjiu thinks that he is ignorant, ignorant, and limited in ability.

She didn't want to surrender so early. Look at Zheng Li and Melanie. They have only graduated from high school for a few days, and they are both going to be mothers. The news of being pregnant for one and a half months, it is also said that besides the old doctor in Wufu and her own parents, Feng Jiu is the first relative and friend to know the good news, and even the child's father - her old Ji doesn't know yet, because she wants to Pick a good time to tell him.

This sentence deeply pleased Feng Jiu.

But she still couldn't bear to reveal anything to Ning Zheng—this news was obviously not good for her.

As for when he would get the news from Ji Songling, that was out of his control.

Feng Jiu suddenly realized that he was going to be a godmother soon, and he would be a godmother once or twice a year, so shouldn't he prepare some gifts for the little ones?

She secretly asked the second sister-in-law for advice. Sure enough, the second sister-in-law, who always only wore the beautiful sweaters she knitted, was also proficient in crochet skills. She enthusiastically taught Feng Jiu one of the easiest patterns to learn. Fengjiu is inexplicably grateful for the thoughtful second sister-in-law for her beautiful stitches - how can she tell at a glance that she is not good at learning these things?
Feng Jiu asked Qiu Sheng to buy all kinds of silk threads for herself, and patiently learned how to crochet, so that when she had already resumed her normal study schedule, she could make some handmade things for Zheng Li and Melanie's children. Craftsmanship is an expression of heart.She knew very well how Ning Zheng would react if he saw these baby items, so she always grasped the time accurately, and only worked when he was not at home.

This year, the beginning of spring is early, and the fourth day of the new year is the day.Fengjiu likes this solar term, not only because he can eat spring pancakes that are "thin as cicada wings, shaped like a full moon, and extremely soft and greasy", and "green strands of red silk, golden rooster and jade swallows" that can be wrapped in spring pancakes on the spring plate More importantly, this is an invitation letter to the spring that has left Fengtian for a long time.

Then, you need to be patient.

This year's luck is good, but within a month, the spring rain with knowledge and interest has come. It seems that it is also eager to go to the spring date, so taking advantage of the night, it returns quietly like silk, cotton, strands, and threads.

Fengtian City, which had been dry all winter, immediately became soft and moisturized, and a layer of green that seemed to be absent also began to slowly spread their curtains from south to north.

Finally, one day, a strong wind blew up, and the jasmine, peach, apricot, and lilac flowers in the handsome mansion began to bloom one after another. Feng Jiu pressed his forehead hair that was blown messy by the wind, and then suddenly realized, Although she can spend the long winter leisurely, but only with the raging spring breeze, she knows that she is so looking forward to the coming of spring.

Fengtian, the place outside the pass, is peaceful, but the inside of the pass has already turned to the sky.

On the day of the Gregorian New Year, the National Government of Guangzhou moved to Wuhan; in February, it formally took over the Jiujiang and Hankou British Concessions; in March, the National Revolutionary Army attacked foreign institutions in Nanjing and killed the American president of Jinling University. Then Britain and the United States retaliated and ordered warships to During the shelling of Nanjing City, various forces came forward to mediate one after another, and it took a long time for the disturbance to subside.

In April, Marshal Ning brazenly dispatched 25 soldiers and police to break into the Soviet embassy in Peiping, arrested a large number of revolutionaries, including a famous Peking University professor, and obtained a large number of Soviet-Russian documents intending to overthrow the Peking government. Without any public trial, [-] illegally arrested "red bandits" were shot and killed. This move caused an uproar across the country, and the image of the Ning army was severely damaged.

At the same time, the National Revolutionary Army has also stepped up its suppression of the "red bandits" in the control area: Although it is still tit-for-tat with the Ning Army militarily, the warlords of the North and the South maintain a high degree of agreement on this point.

However, the National Revolutionary Army has defeated the warlords of the land faction, the old enemy of the Ning army. The second Northern Expedition swearing-in meeting was held in Wuhan, and the Ning army is ready to fight.

Ning Zheng is busy with military affairs. Since the Spring Festival, he has led troops to Henan to prepare for the battle with the Northern Expeditionary Army. He is increasingly worried. He feels that his political differences with his father are getting bigger and bigger.

Within a month, news came that Old Commander Ning had ordered the killing of the Peking University professor; Ning Zheng was even more distressed after being shocked, because he knew very well that his father's actions were not only completely wrong, but would also nail him to death. The shame of history.

He was even more reluctant to fight against the Northern Expeditionary Army, and the reason was nothing more than "cannibalism of the same species made me unhappy."

At the same time, a surprising piece of news came: the Northern Expeditionary Army began to split, and the New Right led by Mr. Jiang established a government in Nanjing, which was in serious opposition to the leftist Wuhan government, and launched a cruel "party purge".

This gave the Ning army a chance to breathe. Originally, this was the best time to withdraw to the outside of the pass, but the determined old commander refused to listen to his persuasion, and remained stationed in Beiping, preparing to fight the Northern Expedition to the end.

Feng Jiu lived a leisurely life in the handsome mansion, and she hadn't seen her husband for more than two months.

Feng Jiu, who has always been very concerned about the domestic political situation, naturally knows that Bo Yun is treacherous. She is very disappointed with the old man's behavior, but there is nothing she can do about it.

In the blink of an eye, it was May, and Ning Zheng called and said that he would return to Fengtian the night before his birthday.

The seventeenth day of the fourth lunar month is Ning Zheng's 23rd birthday.

Feng Jiu had inquired about the way the Ning family celebrated their birthday early on, and except for a few details that were missing from his own, everything else was pretty much the same.

The Ning family’s children’s birthday celebration is also simple, that is, a bowl of longevity noodles in the morning, and the kitchen will add two dishes in the evening, and it will be over. Four dishes are not allowed: look at the old man’s regulations on the children’s clothing and the food expenses in each room. You'll know soon; if grown-up children want to celebrate in other ways, the mansion won't care.

Even if Ning Zheng became an admiral, there would be no change in the Ning Mansion.

Early the next morning, Feng Jiu was woken up by the small alarm clock next to her ear. She quickly pressed it down, and pulled herself out from the sleeping Ning Zheng—he looked exhausted last night. After taking a bath, He just hugged Feng Jiu in his arms and kissed him, and soon fell asleep.

Feng Jiu washed up briefly, then went downstairs wearing an eggplant purple cashmere thin cardigan, and said hello to Wu Ma who got up earlier in the small kitchen on the west side.

Wu Ma, who always goes to bed early and gets up early, has just rolled out a pair of hand-rolled noodles, and said that the water is boiling, and it can be served; while Feng Jiu was cooking the noodles, she carefully picked two red-skinned eggs, boiled them in water, put them in Put it in cold water for a while, so that the skin can be completely peeled.

After the noodles were cooked, Fengjiu mixed them with soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil, then took a cucumber and shredded it and spread it on the noodles. Of the two eggs, the one with no scratches on its shell put the noodle bowl and eggs on a red lacquered tray, took a pair of ivory chopsticks casually, told Mama Wu, and carried it steadily upstairs went.

Looking at the back of Pingting, a girl who grew up from a young age, Mama Wu couldn't help thinking gratifiedly that when she was old enough, she knew that she would get up early to celebrate her husband's birthday; It was difficult to wake her up to eat noodles, but now she is really sensible.

Ning Zheng also woke up at the same time, seeing that Feng Jiu in his arms was gone, he was a little puzzled: since getting married, Feng Jiu has woken up half an hour later than himself almost every day.

He was putting on his clothes after washing, and was about to go downstairs to look around, when he heard footsteps, when he looked up, he saw Feng Jiu coming in with a tray, put it on the bedside table, and pulled him to sit On the bed, he said with a smile: "In my family, no, when my mother's birthday is celebrated, everyone eats 'Get out of luck'."

Feng Jiu picked up the red-skinned egg on the tray and held it up in front of Ning Zheng's eyes, and said solemnly: "As long as you celebrate your birthday, you should roll this egg twice from head to toe, and it will cover you for a whole year." Poison free, body as light as a swallow, and everything goes smoothly.”

As she spoke, she took the egg from the top of Ning Zheng's head, forehead, nose, mouth, neck, shoulders, arms, chest... Rolling down all the way, she still chanted: "Healthy body, long life, virtue and energy , Every battle must be won..." Deliberately ignoring some important parts, he rolled all the way to his legs, not even letting go of his heels, saying that he could not leave an "Achilles heel".

Ning Zheng watched and listened with interest, feeling the tingling sensation caused by the egg rolling around her body, and suddenly stood up.

Feng Jiu was taken aback, and Ning Zheng said: "If I sit down, won't I not be able to roll behind? Also... What if I get shot and die on the battlefield? Don't favor one person over another, don't fall behind, come... "

Feng Jiu blushed early, threw the egg on the quilt in anger, took two steps back carefully, raised his chin, crossed his arms and said contemptuously: "Your skin is so thick, let alone bullets, the shells are useless. "

Ning Zheng laughed loudly, came over and hugged her, begged her kindly, and tortured her.

Fengjiu can't, after all, he is the birthday star today, so let's go along, after all, he just rolled over the butt that he just missed, and ignored his more excessive demands, cracked open the egg, peeled off the skin, put it into the noodle bowl, Let him eat them all and leave nothing behind.

This novel ritual made Ning Zheng very excited. "Huluhulu" finished the bowl of longevity noodles in less than a minute, put the bowl on the bedside table, and hugged Fengjiu in his arms, exhaling hot air Asked: "When we have sons and daughters, will their mothers remember to give them luck on the morning of their birthdays?"

Seeing that Ning Zheng was so happy with his actions, Feng Jiu was also a little proud; as for his question, it was really difficult to answer after thinking about it, such as whether he could give birth?Can a son be born?This matter is too complicated, so I don't get into it.

Later, servants from Xiaohonglou, Daqinglou and other places in the mansion came to kowtow to Ning Zheng and said some blessings; except for not allowing kowtow, Ning Zheng accepted the auspicious words with a smile, and of course there was no big reward. Sprinkle less.

In the evening, Ning Zheng, who had to go to the military headquarters even though it was his birthday, came back, only to find that Feng Jiu had prepared another chiffon cream cake for himself.He remembered that this was what Feng Jiu learned from an American female teacher when they went to the Pride couple's house together last year.They didn't blow out candles to make a wish, because Fengjiu simply wanted Ning Zheng to try his handicrafts, but Ning Zheng felt in a daze, thinking that this was another Western-style birthday in the United States Woolen cloth.

He didn't dare to be sloppy, tasted it, and it tasted very good: this is a three-layer cream cake with fillings, the chiffon cake is light and soft, and the amount of sugar in the cream and cake body is very restrained - because Feng Jiu thought about it , decided to halve the amount of sugar in the original recipe, so it didn’t taste like the horrible feeling of being killed anytime, anywhere when eating desserts in the United States; the cream was also well whipped, neither soft nor hard, and the top There are more than a dozen large and small decorated seashells in the circle, and the bright red canned strawberries mixed in it make this cake look fresh and attractive.

Ning Zheng was a little puzzled, "As far as I know, it takes a lot of effort to whip egg whites and cream. How do you do it?"

Feng Jiu said embarrassingly: "I whipped the egg whites myself, and my shoulders were sore after beating, so I asked Mi Stewin from our Western Kitchen to help with the cream."

Feng Jiu went to the western kitchen this morning and asked Mr. Wen, the chef who had studied western food in Shanghai, to help him;

He was not so proud of being in the Shuai Mansion, because the guests who came and went still chose a lot of meals, and he didn't have much use as a western chef, but because of the generous salary and good working environment, he still stayed.

The third young lady took a fancy to his large inlaid oven, his professional knowledge, and of course his strength, and he didn't know that there was a new type of cake like "Chiffon", so it was very itchy to hear it Unbearable, she hit it off with Feng Jiu and cooperated seamlessly. Unexpectedly, the third young lady is very talented, and she made a perfect eight-inch chiffon cake for the first time, without cracking or bending the waist.

You know, chiffon cake has a Chinese homophonic name called "qi crazy", and some people say that it can only be successful if you "do it seven times", which shows how difficult it is - Fengjiu is not very good for female workers such as weaving, but The talent in cooking is really outstanding.

Feng Jiu put the cake in a small wooden refrigerator in the living room, for fear that the natural cream would melt.

At this time, the refrigerator with electricity has not yet entered Fengtian.This small refrigerator has ice cubes on the upper layer and food on the lower layer, and the freshness preservation effect is not bad.

Ning Zheng felt warm in her heart. Although she knew that Feng Jiu was making chiffon for her addiction to pastries, after all, she was willing to share the first finished cake with herself instead of others, which made people very touched.

...But Fengjiu felt that he couldn't find someone reliable to taste it. For example, Wu Ma didn't like pastry at all, and Qiu Sheng didn't know much about pastry.She always felt that she had lost all the face she had never lost in her life with Ning Zheng: Didn't she get the bad habit of yelling and beating others after getting to know him?Wouldn't it be good to let him be his guinea pig?
But Feng Jiu didn't realize that Mistwein was actually a ready-made candidate and a professional, why couldn't he?

At night, Ning Zheng played tricks on Feng Jiu again, and said vaguely: "When will you give yourself to me? You know that this is what I want most."

Feng Jiu struggled to survive, "Give me some more time... I still have to go to college." Flat-out refusal is not enough, and Feng Jiu has become more and more familiar with the word "delay".

Ning Zheng regretted that he promised too happily on the wedding night, but he couldn't break the precept, so he could only surrender.

But in the past 23 years, this different birthday has been engraved in Ning Zheng's heart.Feng Jiu may not feel that she is the type of person who is willing to take care of people who are close to her. Now, she has unknowingly included Ning Zheng in this category, and Ning Zheng can see it very clearly.

A person, no matter how powerful he is, always hopes that someone can put himself in his heart, right?Of course, this person must be someone he cares about and likes, so more and more hopes are born in his heart.

(End of this chapter)