in spring

Chapter 318 Going South and Going South
After staying for a while, the boat gradually slowed down, and after two quarters of an hour, it stopped at the edge of a small town.

Chunying knew that it was time to supply water, so she opened the window and looked outside, seeing that there were many people outside, but it was just an ordinary village and town—she had seen several on this journey—so she couldn’t bring it up. Interested in going shopping, I just closed the window, sat back on the bed, and continued to be in a daze.

thud thud thud, footsteps came hurriedly, someone opened the cabin door, but it was Mrs. He, with both hands full of things, excitedly came in and said: "Sister Chun, it's so lively outside, listen It is said that today the temple here will hold a grand consecration ceremony of the Buddha statue, so there will be a temple fair, and people from all over the world will come. Do you want to go ashore for a stroll, Miss Chun?"

Chunying smiled: "Go and play, I don't have much energy today." She has also participated in the temple fairs in the capital a few times, which are naturally much more lively than the temple fairs here, so she is not too interested.Glancing at the things in Aunt He's hand, she smiled again: "Why did you buy so many things?"

Aunt He was a little embarrassed: "Look at me, I have shallow eyelids, I'm really ignorant, I just saw something interesting, so I couldn't help but buy some. It's just windmills, sugar figurines, purses, and gadgets made of bamboo roots It’s nothing. It’s just that the people here are dishonest. When they saw that we were from other places, they raised the price several times. It’s worth a few hundred Wen, and I got it for only fifty Wen!”

When they landed the day before yesterday, Chunying gave her a hundred pennies as pocket money, but she did not expect that she was a good bargainer, so Dang even smiled and said, "That's really amazing. I knew you had such a good eloquence. Let you go shopping."

Mrs. He lowered her head and smiled, and put all the things on the table: "Sister Chun, come and have a look, do you like anything?" Chunying shook her head: "I already have it, you can play with it, or you can give some as gifts. other people."

The other people she refers to are Miss Huijun's dowry servants who are on the same boat.Although Liufang's family business is not prosperous, but because Miss Huijun is going to marry an official of the Hangzhou Shipping Department, and her in-law's family is a famous family in Suzhou, both the Hou Mansion and the Dong Mansion sent a lot of people and things over.Now the dowry servants, besides a girl whom she has been using since she was a child, also have a little girl and a family from the old lady of the Hou Mansion, and a family from the Dong Mansion.However, these are the children of the two families, Mrs. He felt a little uncomfortable when she heard it: "I... I don't understand the rules of the rich family... Once I see their style, I can't even speak... "

Chunying said disapprovingly: "What's the matter? Our family is just a small family, and we can't compare with those big families who pay attention to etiquette. Besides, I have taught you almost the same etiquette. In front of the young lady, it's fine to be a little more careful. If you make friends with others, it's better to relax, and you don't need to be restrained." They are all the same as servants, who is more noble than whom?She pointed to the things on the table: "Although they are all common things, how often do people who have been working in the mansion for many years go out and see these things? Most of them will find them fresh. You can just take them away and let go of your courage Talking and joking with them, just like at our house. This journey southward is all by water, and everyone is bored on the boat, talking and laughing together with a few people, it’s good to pass the time, isn’t it?”

Mrs. He just left, and after a while, she heard a woman talking and laughing from the cabin nearby.

Chunying was stunned for a while, then sighed, thinking that she should cheer up, so she got up and walked out.

The boat used to have two floors of cabins, and Miss Huijun, who lives in the sixth cabin, lives on the upper floor, and she has a gentle personality, so I'm afraid she is still in her own room in a daze at this moment.Chunying went to talk to her.

To be honest, ever since she heard that she was the lady of the sixth room, she had a subtle feeling in her heart.If she remembered correctly, when the third young master wanted to make friends with Hu Fei, he planned to betroth this young lady to him.If it weren't for Hu Fei's firm stand, things might have been different.Therefore, whenever Chunying thinks of this young lady, she feels uncomfortable, but she still maintains politeness on her face and smiles on her face. In fact, her heart has already started beating, wondering if the other party knows her relationship with Hu Fei.

Among the dowries, there is a family member who is the son of Dongfu's family. Although Chunying is not familiar with it, she has met it several times.The couple knew that Chunying came out from the old lady, and they were very respectful.Sometimes Chunying asked them to help with small things, but now she had doubts in her heart, so she simply asked the daughter-in-law to go to Huijun's personal girl to find out, and she was relieved to find out the news.

The people in the sixth room only knew that Master Hou sent someone to ask the young lady's age in order to arrange a marriage, but the young lady was worried about the weak brother, so she refused, saying that she would wait until the younger brother was older.At first, I was worried that the Hou Mansion would be angry, but the Hou Mansion had no further information since then. It was not until this spring that Lord Hou told his wife about the marriage, and it was only then that the people in the sixth room knew that Lord Hou was actually careful for their young lady. After paying attention to it for two years, I chose this young master. It's really well-intentioned!
Chunying sneered in her heart as she listened, feeling a little better towards Huijun in her heart.After all, the other party is getting married, so there is no need to worry about it.What's more, her husband's family is a prominent family in Suzhou, and her husband even works in the Shipping Department of Hangzhou City. For the sake of Hu Fei's future, it is very necessary to make some connections.Not to mention, if she went back to protect Hu Fei's family property, she would be in a lot of trouble if she didn't have a local backer.

Therefore, Chunying has always been attentive, polite, and seven-pointed, and comes to talk to Miss Huijun every day to calm her emotions and relieve her sadness of leaving her family and leaving home. The two gradually became acquainted .Chunying saw that this young lady was brought up by a widowed mother and had little contact with outsiders on weekdays. She was completely confused about the twists and turns inside the mansion gate, so she made up some common case stories as The anecdote is average, and I told Huijun.Although the latter had a simple mind, he was still quite clever. After listening to it a few times, he fell in love with it, knowing that it was Chunying teaching him, and he was very grateful in his heart.

She didn't think Chunying was big. After all, Chunying used to be her uncle's maid, so even her own mother had to talk to Chunying politely. The reason why the other party pointed her out like this was because of her uncle's instructions Bar?In addition, he became a little closer to the East Mansion.

It is summer now, the river is rising, the boat should have gone fast, but the rainy season has started again, and the group got stuck on the road several times, and when they finally arrived in Suzhou City, there were only seven days left before the wedding date It's time.

The young master Li Jing was anxious like an ant on a hot pot. While assigning his men and the people of the Nanyang fleet to carry the luggage and clean up the house, he asked someone to contact the man to ask about the wedding schedule. Lu Yougui also helped with the arrangements. .Chunying has no work to do, and Huijun is surrounded by a group of girls and daughters-in-law, so she stays at the residence honestly for the time being.

Seeing that everyone was in a hurry, she suddenly felt moved, and hurriedly asked Aunt He to invite her father over: "Father, go and tell the young master, we don't have many people, so in such a hurry, I'm afraid we may not be able to finish it on the right day. Four The young master Xu of the first room lives nearby, right? How about asking Mrs. Xu to send someone to help? Logically, the blood of the fourth and sixth rooms is even closer!"

Lu Yougui hurriedly went to talk to Li Jing, and Li Jing just woke up like a dream: "Why did I forget him?!" He hurriedly sent someone to invite Li Xu, and within half a day, Li Xu brought his wife together The son came over, followed by about twenty young and strong male and female servants, who only listened to the master's order, and quickly and well prepared everything.Li Jing was overjoyed, he hurriedly asked someone to prepare a table of noodles, invited Lu Yougui to accompany him, and invited Li Xu to have a drink.

Mrs. Xu is also in the room with Huijun at the moment, and Chunying is by her side. She introduces herself with a smile, and then asks: "I was lucky enough to meet grandma the year before last. I wonder if grandma still remembers it?"

Young Mistress Xu said with a faint smile: "Of course I remember." After eating the banquet and sending the bride back to the boudoir, she turned around and smiled at Chun Ying: "Miss, are you interested in having a cup of hot tea with me?"

"Stick what you want, don't dare to ask your ears."

Young Mistress Xu was stunned, and couldn't help laughing: "I knew that the girl must be extraordinary."

"It's just that I lost my schoolbag, how can I be extraordinary? Don't laugh at me, grandma." Chunying smiled and poured tea, and handed it to the other party. "I still have something to ask the young master and grandma."

Young Mistress Xu's expression became solemn: "Our husband and wife also happen to have something to discuss with you. We planned to tell you after returning to Beijing, but I didn't expect you to come!"

Chunying's heart trembled: "But... Something happened to Brother Xiao Fei's farm? Someone came to occupy it?" It's really unlucky that the Hu family was one step ahead!
Mrs. Xu was very surprised: "How do you know? But things are not too bad. Those people don't know the address of the farm, and they are still asking in the city. Wait a minute, it's up to our master to talk about it." Clear, I will ask him to come."

Chunying hurriedly stopped her and thought for a while: "It's not very convenient here, after all, it's the back house, and there's another bride here. Where is grandma's house, please? I said later that I want to go out for a stroll, so let's go to the house and continue talking. "

Mrs. Xu thought about it too, hurriedly said the address, and left a woman behind, who was supposed to help out, but actually kept it to show Chunying the way.After lunch, she soon followed her husband home.Chunying rested for a while, then told her father that she wanted to go out to play, and then brought Mrs. He and Mo Han to Master Xu's house and asked the matter clearly.

It turned out that the reason why the young master of the Hu family knew about his younger brother's property purchase in Jiangnan had something to do with Li Xu.

Young Master Fu, the eldest son of the fourth house, has a bad relationship with his wife, often quarrels, and has no interest in studying. selected.The family members felt that it was impossible to go on like this, so they planned to spend money to dredge him up and seek a foreign job.Sifang was not rich at first, so he entrusted it to the Hou's mansion to get a quota, but he couldn't get all the money together.The fourth wife knew that Li Xu had money, so she asked him to move home with his wife and children.Li Xu knew her plan, but she refused. The fourth wife was annoyed, thinking that besides the little things he had given him when the family was separated, he had taken over other properties, which were secretly bought by her husband's son before his death, but he Without telling the truth, another piece of family property was stolen... The Zhuangzi, shops and real estate under his name are the best proof!

Naturally, Li Xu wanted to defend himself. He only said that at least half of those properties belonged to his good friend Hu Fei.How can the fourth lady believe it?After more than a month of trouble, it stopped, but the wind spread more or less.

Li Xu and Hu Fei were classmates back then, and they also had contacts with each other. Naturally, the servants at home also knew each other. This is probably how the news leaked.At first, the Hu family only thought of it as a trivial matter, and occasionally brought it up for chatting. It was not until the family property was wiped out that they remembered it and became greedy.

Li Xu didn't know about this until a few days ago, when someone sent him a letter, he aroused his vigilance and sent someone to guard on the pier, and when the Hu family appeared, he would secretly post it.

Chunying hurriedly asked: "The messenger, but... the one in the palace?" Since Li Xu is Hu Fei's friend, he should know about Hu's internal supervisor, right?
Li Xu nodded: "The person who came was from the Yamen of the Western Affairs Department. He said that it was inconvenient for him to show up. He was afraid that there would be a big trouble, which would attract the censor, and would not look good in front of the Holy One. But he told us to rest assured that he would not Forgive that villain."

Listening to this, Chun Ying felt a little fond of this Hu neijian who knew how to repay her kindness.She lowered her head and thought for a while, then she raised her head and said with a smile: "At first I thought the matter was urgent, but I came to Jiangnan specially, but I didn't expect it to be much better than I imagined. Young Master Xu looked at it, that Hu Peng should not be able to make a fortune. "

Li Xu said: "That's not what I said. I... I'm just afraid that I have to go back to Beijing. Only my wife is here, so I may not be Hu Peng's opponent. So I am going to discuss with the girl, is there any good way to get him Send it away?"

Chunying was stunned, blinked, and smiled again: "Then...Young Master Xu, why don't you simply hand over Zhuangzi's shop to me? I'll deal with him!"

(End of this chapter)