in spring

Chapter 14
When Lu Yougui came home for dinner that night, Chunying didn't wait for her mother to speak, and said all Aunt Lu's words today, and then said with a hint of urgency and desire: "Father, why don't you try it? It's done, we can go out in a fair manner in the future!"

Lu's mother refilled her husband's meal and scolded: "Look at how happy you are! Why don't you bring wine to your father?!" It is already a habit for Lu Yougui to drink two glasses every night when he eats. Even though Chunying was impatient, she obediently went to get the wine and ran back quickly.

Mother Lu gave her an annoyed look, and then she said to her husband: "Although you intend to make me refuse, but I heard from Ziyu that it is the best job, and he and his wife are getting close to us again. Are you really Don't want to try?" Chunying was taken aback, and the movements of her hands slowed down.

Lu Yougui ate the food in suspense: "What to try? What can I try? Such a good job, how can it be my turn?" Then he raised his eyes at his daughter: "Pour wine." Chunying quickly followed suit.

"That's not what you said." Lu's mother was a little disapproving, "If it was someone else, I wouldn't believe it, but Ziyu would not lie to me. Besides, they proposed it themselves. With Lu's family as the guarantee, you are afraid The errand can't reach you?"

Chunying also said: "Yes, yes, Dad, this is a rare and good opportunity. If you miss it, I don't know when you will be able to get ahead!"

"What's the matter?" Lu Yougui raised his chopsticks and tapped his daughter, "You really take this job so well? Since it's good, everyone else is going to be blind? The Lu family has brothers and nephews, and only he, Lu The whole family has lost their nationality, why didn't he look for his own family members, but came to me instead?"

Mother Lu hurriedly said, "Ziyu won't harm me."

"I didn't say she harmed you." Lu Yougui swallowed a piece of braised pork and squinted his eyes, "It's just that there are some things you don't know, if you jump headfirst, if you don't keep it clean, your body will be smashed to pieces and you won't be able to turn over again." He poured himself a drink, very happy, and suddenly saw the astonishment on the faces of his wife and daughter, and then smiled: "What? Are you scared? It's nothing, I'm just talking."

"Okay, why do you say that?" Lu's mother carefully asked, "Is there... There are some rumors in the house?" She turned her head and chased her daughter: "Go and feed your brother, these words are not what you should listen to."

Chunying is not willing to leave: "It's been less than an hour since he was fed, and he's not hungry yet."

Lu Yougui smiled: "It's okay. Sooner or later, she will go to work in the mansion. It's okay to let her know some things, just be careful not to talk about it outside. Anyway, the people below know all about these things."

He drank another glass of wine, and then slowly said: "Including the Lu family, I heard that five or six families will be released this time, and there are four to fifty people, men, women, and children, which is more than the number of people released in the past three years." And most of these people are in charge of important properties in the mansion, whether they are big farms or big shops, but the most respectable Wang family, no one is among them this time, why do you think it is?"

Lu's mother opened her mouth wide: "I guessed so! Is it because Master Hou wants to make them..." She raised her eyebrows, and before she could finish the following, Chunying already understood: "Then Aunt Lu and the others are not very Danger?"

Lu Yougui smiled: "That's a mistake. Although these families are in charge of important properties, there are quite a few clansmen, and they have always been loyal. If we deal with them, won't it make others feel cold?" He lowered his voice He raised his voice: "It's because the second bedroom in the north sent a letter back. The second master's family will come back in autumn."

Second Master?Who is this?
Chunying was about to ask, but Lu's mother spoke up first: "What does the second master's return have to do with this matter?"

"Have you forgotten? Ever since the Marquis Mansion became a noble, only the old Marquis has had direct brothers in his generation. The old Marquis has treated the second old man very well. He never wants to separate the family. When the second old man gets married, He also specially invited the elders of the family to testify, and transferred several Zhuangzi shops to the brother's name. The second old man refused to accept it, and it took half a day before he accepted it. Ever since the old Hou Ye and the second old master went there one after another, and the second old master went to the north to be an official, and he hasn't come back for more than ten years, everyone in the mansion has completely forgotten that [-]% of the family property of the Hou mansion used to belong to the second house."

Lu's mother opened her eyes wide and was speechless for a long time.Chunying thought for a while, and guessed it: "Could it be that Lord Hou wanted to change the person in charge before the second master's family came back, and then he would not accept it?! But didn't there be a contract back then? The elders of the clan also You know?" She rolled her eyes, "Or... he wants to bribe those stewards?"

"Of course not." Lu Yougui smiled, "They are old people who have lived for several lifetimes, and they have been experienced in the hands of the old master. There are also people from the second house, such as the old Xu's family. The second house stays to look at the house. Yes, even the old lady is hard to control, how can I buy it? But you guessed one sentence, our people are saying that Master Hou must want to change the person in charge, so as to hide something. The second room has not been in Beijing for many years, how do you know all these things?" After a pause, he added, "But... maybe this is not what Lord Hou meant, and we can't say for sure."

Chunying was a little confused when she heard that, Mother Lu only thought about her friend's safety: "According to what you said, Ziyu and his wife are going to suffer this time?"

Lu Yougui smiled and said: "No. The other families are trying to keep their jobs, but the Lu family has no such worries. His family has lived in the West Mountain Zhuangzi for several generations, no matter how honest they are, they have accumulated a lot of family What is lacking now is a free body? I remember that Emperor Taizong once promulgated a new law, slaves and prostitutes are originally lowly, and if the servants are of good character and have a skill, or the slaves are released by the owner as a citizen , after being registered by the government, the descendants can take the imperial examination and be an official, but the official position is not allowed to exceed the fourth rank, and the father and grandfather cannot be posthumously. I heard that Lu Dazu had an uncle who was smart since he was a child. It turned out that a scholar came back from the exam! It was only in the provincial exam that his background hindered the examiner's eyes, so he didn't pass the exam. Even so, it was a rare honor! I think Lu and his wife probably wanted to let his son Go and try it."

Mother Lu recalled her friend's words, and remembered that she mentioned that her son was studying in the school in Zhuangshang, and was often praised by her husband, and she knew it well: "So it's like this...they only had a son after more than ten years of marriage, so it's a treasure Like, it's no wonder that they think about their children in everything. So...they will never disobey Master Hou's orders, as long as they follow their wishes, Master Hou will not embarrass their family?"

"That's right, but their family has been in the village for a long time, and there are people from the clan, I'm afraid there are some things that are not easy for outsiders to know. They asked us to cover it for them." Lu Yougui drank There was still wine in the glass, and he smacked his lips, "But they have good calculations, so others are fools? Who would let go of such a big golden mountain? Even if the Lu family intends to recommend us, the result is hard to say. If others don't know, it's fine. Once people know about it, we will also grab the job, and we don’t know what will happen.”

Tonight, he drank a few more drinks on a whim, and now he is a little drunk: "I am working safely now, why bother to take the risk? If I don't get the job in the end, I will be stabbed in the back and put a knife on my head." I lost my current errand, but I don’t regret taking the medicine..."

Seeing his drowsy appearance, Lu's mother hurriedly supported him, and scolded her daughter: "It's you, what are you doing pouring so much wine?!" After that, she helped her husband back to the kang to sleep, and took off his clothes. He took off his coat, pulled off the quilt, and heated up the kang hole.

Chunying sat back in her original position in a daze, looking at the food on the table, she suddenly lost her appetite.

Although his father said so much, he didn't want to try. The most important reason was probably that he was worried that he would lose his current job.But not taking risks means not changing. How else can she get the family out of slavery?

If it was her, with such an opportunity, no matter how many shady scenes were involved, she would give it a try no matter what because she had the opportunity to be free.Anyway, he is already a child of the family, even if he really loses his job, he will not starve to death.

But now the key is that her father refuses, so she has nothing to do.If the cow doesn't drink water, how can the cow's head be lowered?
She sat there blankly, resting her chin on her hand, with a depressed expression on her face.

Lu's mother turned around thoughtfully, seeing her like this, she frowned and said, "You seem to always think about getting out of your country recently, but I've never seen you so concerned about it before."

After many days of testing, Chunying is quite calm in the face of this situation: "Just because our family is someone else's slave, my sister can only see her a few times a year. If it is a commoner, how can it be like this?"

Mother Lu's eyes turned red when she heard this: "This is our fate! Why wasn't it like this when your mother and I were young? Our family is already a good one. Some of our relatives are all away from home, and we won't see each other for two or three years." On the one hand, haven’t you boiled it out yet?”

"But if we quit our citizenship, will we be able to reunite as a family?" Chunying held her mother's arm, "My brother won't have to wait on others when he grows up. Mom, can you persuade daddy? Dad always listens to you very much." .”

Lu's mother sighed: "If it's other things, he will listen to it, but it's hard to say about this matter. You don't know, your old Lu family was no worse than the Lu family. The several large grain stores in Tongzhou of the Hou Mansion can earn half of the warehouse in the mansion every year! But because there is too much oil and water, some people are jealous and say so many bad things about your great-grandpa behind their backs. Your great-grandfather was pulled from the position of steward, and all the family property was confiscated. Your great-grandfather died of illness, and your grandfather also lost his job. Your father was also rich when he was a child, but later... he was really scared."

Chunying opened her mouth and was silent for a while, before she said: "Then you can't just work on the gate for the rest of your life? Didn't Aunt Lu say that there is a chance to be promoted to a manager? If this time's errand is not good, what about other errands? Even if it's an errand with little oil and water, as long as Dad does his job honestly, he will always have a chance to succeed, right? Maybe Master Hou will let our family go out when he sees that he is honest and loyal."

Mother Lu shook her head and got up to clean up the dishes. Although Chunying was not reconciled, she could only help from the sidelines. Suddenly, she heard her mother complaining in a low voice: "One day, I only have hot food at night, but I just focus on drinking. See Do you want to say tomorrow that the dry food is hard and cold!"

A thought flashed through Chunying's mind, and she looked up at her mother: "Mother, father can only eat dry food at noon, it's too pitiful, how about... I give him meals every day?"

(The road ahead...is still at a loss...)
(End of this chapter)