in spring

Chapter 158 Finally succeeded once

Chunying vigorously kneaded the glutinous rice dough in her hands, and after kneading well, she put it into a bamboo steamer and put it on the pot to steam.She turned her head and smiled at her mother: "I knew that there must be glutinous rice flour and sweet-scented osmanthus at home. My mother likes to eat this most. I make it several times every autumn. We have sweet-scented osmanthus in the yard, which is the same as the house. Yes, mother will never let it go."

Mother Lu leaned against the kitchen door and sneered: "You didn't say hello beforehand, so you're not afraid that I'll finish eating the sweet-scented osmanthus?! This time it's your luck, I just made a can yesterday, otherwise you'd have to eat Northwest Wind Let's go!" She weighed the string of money in her hand: "My aunt's daughter is generous, but it's just a little rice flour and condiments, a dozen or so including firewood, how much is it worth? She gave a string, but it was a loss."

Chunying smiled disapprovingly: "Just treat it as borrowing the hard work of Xie Yin and me from our kitchen. She is very rich. What is this string of money?"

"Are you serious?" Lu's mother was a little surprised, "I heard from other people in the house that Miss Biao obeyed the aunt's will and handed over all the Huo family's property to the court. Now that she has no money, she can only Sojourn in the Marquis Mansion, relying on the old lady to live, in fact, she is already poor, and she can’t even afford the money to repair the ancestral house! But some people say this is nonsense, you wait by her side, and you see that she is very rich ?!"

Not long after Chunying came back from the Huo Mansion, she only heard some rumors, how could she know so much?She had no choice but to say: "I don't know about the industry. I heard that the fleet seems to be handed over." She was worried for a while, fearing that Hu Fei would lose a good chance to turn around, but then she thought that the prosperous place in the south of the Yangtze River Well, with Hu Fei's mind, he should be able to find another way out, so she was worried that she couldn't come, so she let this matter go.

She went on to say: "Except for a few places that were entrusted to the Marquis Mansion, the rest of the property was sold. There is a lot of money. The housekeeper sends money and things every month. I still receive double monthly money." The girl Yueyin in Huo's house was originally more than that in Hou's house, but now she has a lot of money. I think Miss Biao's daily expenses are not bad, but she is in Xiaozhong, and she is frugal in everything. Besides Well, she lives with the old lady now, so don't show off too much." After a pause, he added in a low voice: "I think others treat her a lot colder, maybe it's a misunderstanding, mother, don't be confused and offend people for nothing. "

"Understood." Lu's mother nodded knowingly, "I will order a gift later, and you will bring it with you when you go back, and say it is for Aunt Qing. We are not in a hurry to curry favor with them, but we are not far away from them. Your Aunt Qing It's a concubine, and the young lady didn't come out of her belly. The old lady cared about her granddaughter, but she couldn't take care of her. I'm afraid there aren't all the things under the big festival. Let's send them away, and your aunt Qing will take care of us .”

Chunying said hello.Miss Biao is very close to Concubine Qing, not at all like the situation when Concubine Daughter and Concubine of another family get along, as long as Concubine Qing has a good impression of their Lu family, Miss Biao will naturally not hate the Lu family.

There was the sound of the door opening outside, and Chunying knew that her father had come back, so she hurriedly said to her mother, "Mom, help me watch the fire, I have something to discuss with my father." After finishing speaking, she ran out of the kitchen.

Lu Yougui just drank two glasses of wine, his face was flushed, and he was very pleasantly surprised to see his daughter. Chunying washed his face with a hot towel, then sat beside him and said, "Father, I am back today because I have something to do." I discussed it with you." After hesitating for a moment, he decided to get straight to the point, "Did someone mention your sister's marriage to you?"

"Oh? You heard about it?" Lu Yougui smiled and said, "That's what happened. Two or three families came to propose marriage. Your sister is almost old. After a few more years, you won't be able to find her." There are candidates of a similar age, so I am discussing with your mother, looking for an opportunity, and asking for grace when the old lady is happy!"

"Isn't it?" Mother Lu came out of the kitchen and smiled when she heard the words, "It's just in time for you to come, let's say hello to your sister and see what she thinks. Your father and I have taken a fancy to Steward Mu The two sons of the family, one nineteen and one sixteen, are both good, no matter which one you match, your sister will not lose." After finishing speaking, he turned back.

The alarm bells in Chunying's heart rang loudly: "You have already made up your mind, haven't you?!"

"How can it be? I still have to wait for the old lady to nod. Besides, I haven't asked your sister's meaning yet." Lu Yougui lay comfortably on the bamboo chair and said with a smile, "I asked. The older one is Mu Xi, who helps his father manage Shunyi Zhuangzi. He is very honest and doesn't flirt with others, but looks more ordinary; the younger one is Mu Chen. Although he is younger than Qiuyu, he is handsome and handsome Clever, with a sweet mouth, he is now working as a clerk in a silk shop, I think he will have a bright future! The wood steward didn't have much contact with him before, but now that I know him well, I find that he is very righteous and gets along very well with me. I will never let your sister be wronged." In private, he even thought that if he married Qiuyu to Mu Xi, and if Mu Chen hadn't married in two years, then he would marry Chunying. .

Chun Ying was about to refute immediately, but when she thought of her past failures, she reluctantly resisted the urge to organize the sentences in her mind, and said, "It sounds like an excellent marriage..."

Before she finished speaking, Lu's mother came out of the kitchen again: "Of course it's very good! Butler Mu is not an ordinary person. He has been serving Lord Hou since he was a child. What happened? His wife is the second house manager Xu My daughter, the husband and wife are very respectable. If your elder sister marries, she will immediately be promoted to housekeeper, and in the future, no matter whether she is in charge of the big farm or the shop, she will be ten times better than my mother!"

Chunying paused, and said: "The conditions of the Mu family are of course very good. If before the change, Dad was still working at the gate, or working with Xiao Chen, this marriage could not be better...

Lu's mother interrupted: "Then it's not our family's turn to marry."

"Yes, then our family is too far away from them, and it's not our turn to marry, but now people are willing to mention it, which proves that our family is not what it used to be. Our Lu family is not bad now? Dad is also in charge! Why do we Don’t want to take a long view? Put your eyes on a higher level?”

"You mean..." Lu Yougui hesitated, "Marry the Wang family? Or climb up to the master?! Not good, among the young masters in the mansion, the first young master is from a low background and is not liked by the old lady. The second young master's character Not good, the third young master is too young, besides, there are enough girls in his own nursery waiting to be young girls, there is no need to ask your sister to fight for one too!"

Chunying said: "When did I say that I was a concubine?! Dad thinks that my sister has only these ways out?!" She leaned closer to her father, and said seriously: "Didn't Dad think about... finding a good family outside?! "

Lu Yougui immediately straightened up: "Outside?! You mean... ordinary people?!"

"As long as they are good-natured and promising." Chunying said, "Dad, think about it, if you want to live a prosperous life, you don't have to stay in the mansion. Dad is already in charge, so naturally you don't have to worry about money. , my sister and I, and my younger brother, we don’t have to worry about food and clothing. Dad should think about it and go further. I know you and mother don’t like to hear me talk about quitting citizenship, but if my sister can marry outside, Wouldn't it be better to be a young mistress of a wealthy family than to stay in the mansion and listen to orders? In the future, after giving birth to a child, you can also go to school and become an official... Wouldn't it be more dignified for father and mother?!"

Lu Yougui remained silent, but there seemed to be some emotion in his expression.

Lu's mother was dumbfounded a long time ago, and she didn't even know that the water in the pot was boiled dry. It was Chunying who found out, and hurried to turn off the fire, and then rescued the steamed cake, and hurriedly put it on the desk to dry , and when she ran back to the house, Mother Lu grabbed her and asked, "Can it really happen?! Such a good thing...why does it sound like a dream?!"

Chunying smiled: "How could it be a dream? Our family didn't have that kind of blessing before, but now my father is a serious manager. Mother, have you forgotten? In the past, Manager Liu in our courtyard was just a small buyer. , and also intends to find a decent husband’s family for his daughter. I don’t know how many times my father is stronger than him now, is my sister not as good as Liu Xi’er?! Nanqi, who was working with me, was the granddaughter of Director Wang, and she has also arrived The age of marriage, but I have never heard of her being married. People say that the Wang family wants to marry her to a wealthy family outside the mansion to be a decent young mistress! The Wang family is so rich, what are they planning? Isn't it just for future generations, Guangyao The lintel? Mother, think about Aunt Lu, what is she trying to get her son to go to school?!"

Lu's mother was already moved, and immediately said to her husband: "Chun'er is right this time. Qiuyu married someone in the mansion, and it was her job to serve them! The Wang family is so powerful and powerful, and the children have to go to the mansion to serve them." What about my little master, if my future grandson can go to school, become a scholar, and be a juror! What should I do with the Tumu family’s money? Even if I use my private house to pay for his school, I am willing!"

Chunying quickly added to the flames: "Isn't it? Even if the child can't be an official in the future, he can buy a small village to be a landlord, and he can live comfortably. Maybe when the parents are old, he will take you to live there in a filial manner. Woolen cloth!"

Lu Yougui smiled, and knocked on Chunying's forehead: "Ghost spirit! Can you coax people now?"

"Where is it?! I definitely didn't coax you!" Chun Ying shot a sincere gaze, "My sister said that she didn't want to be a concubine, but the servants in the mansion are about the same age, and she doesn't pay much attention to them. Dad, think about it, other managers who have children of the right age are probably married to outsiders? The Mu family is certainly very good, but the flowers are not popular in a hundred days. Who knows if his family will decline? If something happens to his family, it will cause trouble. Didn’t our family harm my sister and ourselves? Marriage to someone outside the house, even if you offend someone in the house and lose your job, there is still a way out!"

This sentence hit Lu Yougui's mind, he smiled slightly, turned to his wife and said: "Speaking of people outside the house... When Grandma Qi went to the shop to buy clothes, did she mention that she has a brother?" ?”

Lu's mother immediately remembered: "Yes, yes, I thought that her family was not going well, and she would go to the mansion every now and then to play the autumn wind, so I didn't pay much attention to her. Her brother... I'm afraid it's not good. ?”

Chunying remembered the "grandmother from afar" that Qiuyu had mentioned, and hurriedly asked, "But the young lady of our family? What kind of person is her brother?"

"I don't know. Wait for me to find out."

Lu's mother disagreed: "No, no, if his family is better off, why bother to make fun of the old lady every day? I have heard that Grandma Qi's natal family is outside the city, and it is only better than ordinary farmers. I have saved the life of Young Master Qi, so we got married. Since I hope that Qiuyu will marry a good family, so that her children can have a good future, I should look for someone who is educated. I think Dongshi’s Mao Xiucai is good."

This time it was Lu Yougui's turn to shake his head: "That guy Mao Yujia, he has only read a few years of dead books and can recognize a few words. It doesn't matter to teach elementary school students, but it is impossible to get in the exam. Besides, he is usually the most noble, How could he marry someone like us? Besides, he is ten years older than Qiuyu."

Seeing that her parents were about to argue, Chunying hurriedly said: "Don't be in a hurry, don't be in a hurry, as long as parents have made up their minds, just ask slowly. It must be a person with good character and promise That kind of thing, if you don’t think our family is a slave, after you inquire, tell your sister, and try to get her to take a peek. But at Mu’s place, dad still has to think of a way to push it away, don’t offend people."

Mother Lu slapped her thigh: "What's so difficult?! The Mu family believes in ghosts and gods the most, so they took your sister's horoscope and asked the husband to tell him that if the two horoscopes don't match, it's over? Leave it to me, there's no need You worry!"

Chunying secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and her mood became happier.I finally persuaded my parents to find a commoner family for my sister. There are still many years to come, let her plan slowly.

After making the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in a hurry, she found a basket and put it away, then handed a note to her father: "Father is now in the silk business, if you need to find a place to buy goods, there are a few people here, all merchants from other places, who come to the capital every year I live in the Liuyuan Inn near Tonghui Bridge. Their silk and satin materials are good, and the price is fair. If I go to them, I will report Brother Hu Fei’s name, or my name, and they will recognize them. Then he looked at his younger brother playing on the kang: "Xiaohu really should learn something, even if it's the three-character scripture or counting. I know dad is very busy, but for the future, it's better not to ignore these things." He paused, afraid that his father would not listen, and added another sentence: "Our family is different now, and we can no longer be as muddle-headed as before. When Xiaohu grows up, he will take over from Dad, right?"

As soon as she said this, Lu's mother was very happy: "That's right! His father, will you teach your son to count tonight? When he is older next year, teach him to use the abacus!"

Lu Yougui thought for a while, then agreed.Chunying's mood seemed to be floating in the sky, holding the sweet-scented osmanthus cake in one hand and the gift for Aunt Qing in the other, happily leaving home and returning to the garden.

She tried hard to persuade her for several years, and finally succeeded once.Is there anything more pleasing than this?
When passing by Zhou Nian's yard, she wanted to stop by to see him, but seeing the lock on the door, she knew that he was still in the study outside, looked up inside the wall, the branches of jujube trees were already covered with fruit.Thinking of the last time I came back, the jujube flower hadn't even seen a shadow yet, but now it has blossomed and bore fruit.

Sometimes, things in this world tend to surprise people inadvertently, don't they?Had she been too impatient before?In fact, as long as you find the right method, many things will become easier.

Chunying looked up at the jujube trees on the other side of the wall, feeling that the autumn sun was extraordinarily warm.

(End of this chapter)