in spring

Chapter 337
Hu Fei and Chunying have both settled down after the Hu family's major issues are resolved. Now there are only three things left to do: the ceremony of Hu Fei's return to the family tree, the moving of Hu Fei's mother's grave, and the succession of incense by Zong Geer.The couple had discussed it, and felt that with the support of the new patriarch, they had already figured out how to deal with those dead-headed clan elders, and these few things were not difficult to handle.In a year, the opening of the ancestral hall can only be carried out on specific days, so Hu Fei plans to stay in Beijing for two more months. He must clean things up so as not to cause any trouble.

Chunying discussed with Hu Fei again, and took out a sum of money to buy [-] mu of land in the suburbs of Beijing, as a sacrifice field, and handed it over to Brother Zong to take care of it on weekdays.

On the one hand, although Brother Zong'er is a direct descendant, all the ancestral property was tossed away by Hu Peng, either confiscated by the government, or used to pay off debts, and some were swept away by Hu Peng's mother and son. It is a dilapidated house that has been in disrepair for a long time.Brother Zong is a child, not yet 16 years old, and has no property at all. How can he live?The sacrificial land not only provides for the expenses of offering sacrifices throughout the year, but the remaining money and food can also benefit him. Moreover, because it is a sacrificial land, members of the clan cannot take it for themselves. Even if Hu Peng returns to Beijing in the future, he will not be able to get it idea.Hu Fei also decided to buy a small yard for Brother Zong near the Hu family's ancestral house, as well as two storefronts. Whether it is for rent or for personal use, it will be an income.

On the other hand, Hu Fei made a great contribution to the Hu family by paying for the sacrifice land.After Hu Peng's toss, these clan elders are very clear about how important the sacrificial land is to a big and leafy family. Even if the family suffers another catastrophe in the future, the sacrificial land cannot be confiscated Yes, as long as the children in the clan don't die, they won't starve to death. If they want to study scientific research or start a small business, they have the capital to make a comeback.But how many people in the clan are willing to spend money to buy office property?It's rare that Hu Fei is willing to be taken advantage of. Who else would object to his re-entering the genealogy?Even, after going through such a stubble, Hu Fei's status in the clan has become detached.No matter how young he is, others dare not disrespect him.

Chunying discussed with Hu Fei all night before deciding on a plan, and she didn't go to sleep until the middle of the night.While lying on the bed, the two of them looked at each other and smiled when they thought about the future, and they fell asleep holding hands that night.

The next morning they got up early, the two had washed and washed, Chunying went to take care of her son, Hu Fei ordered someone to call Brother Zong over to have breakfast together, and then told him what the couple had discussed last night.

Brother Zong's expression was very complicated. He looked at Hu Fei, speechless for a long time, his eye circles gradually turned red, and he felt uncomfortable with sobs in his throat: "Second uncle... this... this is really..." He knew clearly He knows that whether he inherits his father's incense or returns to the family life, it doesn't mean anything. He still has to work hard to make a living and face the cold eyes of the people, and the second uncle handed over to him The sacrificial fields, houses and storefronts on the road gave him the guarantee of settling down in the future!With the sacrificial field, he has the right to speak in the clan, and others will not embarrass him easily, and the house, storefront...as long as he is not a prodigal, he will not have to worry about food and clothing in this life.If he strives a little bit, he can still earn a little money, and it is not hopeless to revitalize his family business in the future.

If, after yesterday's acquaintance, he still had some doubts about this uncle, but now he really believed that the other party was sincerely for his own good.He blushed, feeling ashamed and embarrassed, not knowing how to face his uncle.

Hu Fei's experience is not comparable to that of a young boy. He saw his thoughts at a glance, and didn't say much, just smiled lightly: "You have not been a stupid child since you were a child. Our Hu family is a generation of royal merchants. Your family has a long history of education, even if you can't make a fortune, you won't grow up to be a prodigal son, right? The ancestral house is too old to live in without renovation, and the place is too big. I don't feel relieved to live with you alone, but if you want to renovate, you can't live there. It’s too expensive. When I ask someone to tidy up the small yard, I’ll give you the deed. You can move there first, and if you want to add something, just tell your aunt.”

Brother Zong was almost sobbing, he only knew how to nod his head.

Hu Fei continued: "I happen to have two stores in my hand. Although they are not big, they are in good locations. I will give them to you, so I don't need to spend money to buy them. If you want to start your own business, why not Feel free to ask me, I will send someone to find the old shopkeepers who have been used at home later, and see if anyone is in good health, I will arrange to help you. They are all old people for several lifetimes. You are very familiar with their affairs, and you don’t have to worry about their character. If you don’t want to do business, you can rent the store to others and just collect the rent. But don’t let people deceive you. The annual rent is at least 30 taels!"

Brother Zong nodded while weeping: "Thank you...uncle..."

Chunying walked in with her son in her arms, and smiled when she saw this: "Why are you crying so early in the morning? We are all one family. If there is anything we can't think of, you can tell us if you think of it. By the way, after your mother returns to her mother's house , I don’t know what happened these years, do you want to send someone to deliver a letter? Now that you have your own property, it’s no problem to take her to live here. If she lives well in her mother’s house, you can be her aunt Speak."

Brother Zong raised his head suddenly, very excited: "Really?! Can I really bring my mother over?!"

"It's natural." Hu Fei immediately understood what his wife meant, and said with a smile, "everyone in the clan knew what happened back then, but because of your father's power, he didn't dare to speak up. The so-called filial piety comes first. , no matter whether your mother is divorced or not, she is still your biological mother, if you want to be filial to her, who can stop you?"

Brother Zong hurriedly got up and knelt beside him and kowtowed: "If I can bring my mother back and be filial every day, my nephew is willing to reduce his life! My nephew will always remember the great kindness of my uncle and aunt, and my nephew kowtows to his uncle and aunt." Already!"

Hu Fei hurriedly helped him up, Chunying said with a smile: "What about shortening your life, don't say a few words. You should live a long life! Only after you live a long life will someone take care of your mother, right?"

Brother Zong raised his sleeve embarrassingly and wiped his face, Hu Fei said: "Look, there are no rules to bring out these movements in a hurry! Change it soon, you can't do this in front of people in the future!" Brother Zong blushed Smiling, he answered "yes" in a low voice.

Chunying smiled and hugged her son to recognize her elder brother, but Dai's speech was still a little unclear, so she called "brother" "goose goose", and Hu Fei laughed: "Could it be that he ate the goose yesterday, so he believed that he came back yesterday?" My elder brother is a 'goose', that's great, but I have to change it! Goose can be eaten, but this elder brother can't!"

Chunying patted him with a smile, turned her head and said to Brother Zong: "Don't listen to your uncle, Brother Dai is still young, why is it strange that you can't speak clearly? He has already recognized you as brother, that's fine!"

Brother Zong looked at Brother Dai grinning happily at him, and liked it a little in his heart, and asked carefully, "Can I... hug him?" Chunying handed the child to him without saying a word: "He's heavy, the little fat pig!"

Brother Zong took Dai Geer carefully, and smelling the milky scent on his body, he suddenly had a strange feeling: So this is the younger brother?Both Hu Peng's step-wife and concubine had children, but he couldn't feel a sense of brotherhood with those three younger siblings.Now holding this little child, I feel soft in my heart: So I am an older brother...

Brother Dai yelled "goose", "goose", Hu Fei hugged him and said seriously: "It's 'brother'! This is not a goose! You can't eat it!" Brother Dai tilted his head and yelled "Daddy"!The end is correct and round.Hu Fei was happy, and no longer pursued the problem of his son's pronunciation of calling him brother, just coaxed his son to call him a few more times.After my son called him ten or twenty times, and his wife reminded me that there was a nephew nearby, I hurriedly taught Brother Dai to call him "brother".Brother Zong was laughing all the time, when Chunying asked him if he slept well last night, he found that he had let go a lot and was not as stiff as yesterday, so she nodded secretly in her heart.

After breakfast, Hu Fei was going to take Brother Zong into the inner city to find members of the Hu family. Chunying carried the child to her sister's house and entrusted Brother Dai to her to play with his cousins. Just now he went home and changed his clothes, took Xiao Xiang and Chang Ma, a woman who used to go out with her, and got into the carriage to head towards the Hou's residence.

Seeing that she was about to reach the gate of Qing Guohou's Mansion, Chunying suddenly changed her mind and told the driver to go to the back street first.Fan Xiru's post was to invite her to go yesterday, anyway, the date has been changed, and it's still early, so why don't you talk to Shi'er first, and ask about the current situation in the Hou's mansion.Relying on the railings alone, one knows limited things, so it is better to ask someone from the Wang family, the first family of the Hou family to have a child, to find out clearly, so as not to inadvertently commit taboos.

Shi'er happened to be at home.She is now fatter than before, and she looks round and beautiful, and she is wearing a new peach red Beijing satin jacket, which makes her complexion very good, and she looks more and more beautiful.Then look at the hairpins inlaid with gold and pearls, the distractions carved with white jade, and the bracelets twisted with silver threads on the head and hands, there are quite a few of them.Chunying came here suddenly, without any prior greetings. As soon as the mother-in-law knocked on the door, Shi'er came out dressed like this. It can be seen that she is wearing everyday clothes, and she is obviously living a very good life.

Seeing Chunying, Shi'er was overjoyed, took her by the hand and said non-stop: "I heard you were back a while ago, and I was just thinking about asking our guy to drive the car and take me to your sister's house to see you tomorrow." Let's see if I can bump into you, I didn't expect you to come here today! You little heartless, you have been away for a few years, and you don't know how to come back to see it! I really want to kill me!"

Chunying hurriedly apologized, then pursed her lips and smiled: "I see your complexion, I think you have had a good life these past few years, you may not have time to miss me!" Then she glanced at the child who was watching by the door behind her , and then looked at the other baby held by the nanny next to him, his eyes were full of jokes.

Shi'er blushed and pinched her face: "Damn girl! You know how to laugh at me! Where's your son?! Don't coax me, I know you gave birth to one too!"

Chunying smiled and said: "I'm going to the Marquis's Mansion today, what are you bringing him here for? Could it be that he was made to kowtow at such a young age? His aunt is bringing him!"

Shi'er understood, and hurriedly pulled her into the room: "Quick, tell me, how have you been these past few years?"

Chunying entered the room with a smile. First, she met her two children. Except for the son she had in her stomach when she left Beijing that year, it was a girl who was born last year. Both children were fat and healthy. It's just that the eldest son is a little shy, but his behavior is very well-behaved. If he is asked to call someone, he will call obediently, with very clear articulation.Chun Ying saw that she liked it, and hurriedly presented a meeting gift.

Shi'er hugged his son and said with a smile: "Don't look at his cute face, when he caught Zhou, this kid actually got an official seal! Everyone was shocked! Everyone who knew said it No way, smoke is going to rise from the ancestral grave of the old Mu family! My father-in-law hurriedly checked around and told people that it was not the official seal, but the seal of the old man in charge, so he got in the way. We talked in private, and we were sweating If you tell someone to report it to your wife, she will be in a good mood, and she will say that the child is ignorant, so she just took the seal because it is fun, and if she is in a bad mood, there may be another disturbance."

Chunying hurriedly asked: "So, the wife is up again?! Didn't it mean that the housekeeper is the third young lady?!"

Shi'er curled her lips and was about to speak, but suddenly remembered that her son and nanny were there, so she hurriedly handed over the two children to the latter and the girl, and let them go out. Chunying also asked Xiaoxiang and the mother-in-law to drink tea outside the door first. The man closed the door and went back to the kang before continuing to talk.

Shi'er said: "In the two years when the third young lady was married, she was really organized and had rules in everything. I heard from people of the older generation that it was the same when the previous wife was there. At that time, housework It’s all under the care of the third young mistress, the wife only cares about recuperating, and those who only know how to flatter can only put aside their small thoughts and work honestly. We are all applauding in private! It’s a pity that the good times don’t last long, the old lady is sick, and the third young mistress is sick. She wanted to serve the sick, but also to be a housekeeper. If she didn't take care of her for a while, the housekeepers in the yard started to make a fuss, and even the wife intervened, killing the child that Yan Zhi was pregnant with, but she blamed the third young lady for the crime. **Come on! The ancestral hall is about to open! The third young lady has no children herself, so her words in the ancestral hall are meaningless. Fortunately, the old lady stabilized the situation and drove out those restless fellows. It's just her After all, she was ill and couldn't hold on, and the wife somehow persuaded the patriarch's wife to support her, and finally regained some power. Now the third young mistress only takes care of housework, and if there is any important matter in the house, she still has to ask the wife what she means. The ghosts and goblins have risen again!"

Chunying shook her head when she heard this: "Although Rouge is a concubine, the child in her stomach is the third young master's child after all, the wife can even do this?!"

Ten'er sneered: "Rouge was given by the eldest aunt, and she has been standing by the third young lady's side all the time. My wife has always disliked her, so what's so special about her being able to do it? Besides, the people in the third young master's room, except for Rouge, It was all rewarded by the wife. The third young mistress originally had a dowry girl who wanted to show her face, but the wife found a mistake and beat her half to death. From my point of view, the third young master was selected as a scholar before, the wife felt that she had a good face, and the old lady was sick and couldn't take care of things. The Marquis was busy with government affairs, leaving early and returning late every day, so he didn't have time to take care of these things at all. No one can suppress my wife anymore. I am also glad that my father-in-law is a member of the Marquis, and he is also a big manager. He cannot be easily moved by the wife, and our business is doing well. Otherwise, if the wife orders, we will Can there be good fruit to eat?!"

Chunying hurriedly asked: "My wife has made such a fuss, did the third young master not do anything?!" If so, she would despise him. When she was young, she looked at him with some clever tricks, why is he so stupid now? to this point? !
Shi'er sighed: "Third young master is working very hard now. Three years ago he failed the exam, and he is planning to take the exam again next year. I heard that he reads books every day until midnight, and he has to go out to ask the teacher for advice during the day. Inner courtyard How much does he know about the matter? Besides, he and the third young mistress have always been indifferent, and there is absolutely no reason to offend the wife because of the third young mistress."

Reading is not an excuse, no matter how busy you are, don’t you even have the time to speak?Chunying didn't think so.I'm afraid it's more because he doesn't have too deep feelings for Fan Xiru?The wife married and came home, but made her suffer such grievances, is she still a man? !

Shi'er didn't know the slander in Chunying's heart, and said to herself: "If the house continues like this, I really don't know what it will be like. Didn't I hear that the rumors outside are quite tight now? I hope my wife will not break into anything. Misfortune will come." Sighing, lowering the voice, "We only mentioned it a few days ago when we were in charge, and next year will be the fiftieth birthday of Lord Hou! Then please go and ask for grace to let our family go out!"

Chunying was pleasantly surprised: "Really?!"

Shi'er nodded, and then lowered his voice: "My father-in-law's errands are handled by my uncle, and our family can go out of the house first. In the past few years, our husband and wife have saved some savings, and he knows a lot of people in business. If he goes out Yes, my father-in-law is willing to use the capital to open a store for us. Just like your family, it is now well-developed. It is better to continue to live in this mansion. I am worried. I don’t know when I will be dismissed. At least there is a way out. Walk."

Chunying hurriedly said: "If you need our help, just tell me. I can't guarantee anything else, but you can have as much cloth and satin as you want! I'll ask my father to give you a discount."

Ten'er smiled and shook her hand: "Then let's make a deal?!"

Chunying squeezed back, and smiled again: "When you go out, your child's education will have to be taken care of. You know, he is the one holding the official seal?!"

Shi'er understood, and the two looked at each other and smiled.

Then Chunying asked about the recent situation of other people in the Hou Mansion.For example, the eldest young master, although he bought an official position, but because of a chance, he was dispatched by a superior official, completed the errand, and was appreciated by a high-ranking official of the Ministry of Criminal Justice. The highest official position among the younger generation of the Li family.In addition, the eldest young mistress gave him another pair of children, and now he can be said to be proud of his spring breeze.When Chunying met her second uncle that day, she only heard that the young master had been promoted and added a family member, but she didn't know the details. Now that she heard about it, she was also happy for him.

The second young master let go of his job a few years ago, and it was Hou Ye who found it for him. The county magistrate of a small place near Jinan, Shandong, was afraid that he would not understand official duties, so Hou Ye specially put seven or eight senior teachers by his side. , As a result, he didn't have to do anything other than put on a show in the courtroom and stamp the paperwork, and he only knew how to entertain the concubines with his arms around them all day long.

Shi'er snickered and said, "He went back to Beijing last winter to report on his work, but he turned out to be as thin as a bamboo pole, and ran away as soon as the wind blew, probably because he was weak?"

Chunying pursed her lips and smiled, and asked again: "Is Second Young Mistress still there?"

"Yes, why aren't you here?" Shi'er raised his eyebrows, "Grand Master Liang is the important minister who was personally appointed by the late emperor! The emperor didn't kill him, but exiled his whole family, and only left the second young lady in Beijing. She was not allowed to see outsiders, nor did she She communicated with her family. Now the Second Young Mistress is just a living dead person, but she still can't die! I saw her once, and I thought she was pitiful, she was such a beauty back then, but now... tsk tsk." She shook her head and stopped talking.

Chunying wasn't very interested in the second young lady, so she asked someone else instead: "How about the two young ladies? And sister Shaoyao in the wife's room, and sisters in the old lady's room?"

"They're all married." Shi'er said, "Second Miss is married to a military officer, and the couple are straight-tempered. They quarrel every day, and if they quarrel, Second Miss will go back to her mother's house. She was scolded by the Marquis before restraining herself. Yes. The third lady married a Juren. The couple are friendly. I haven’t heard any bad news. Sister Shaoyao suffered a serious illness the year before last, so she was let out by her wife. Now she is also married. I heard that Life is pretty good. My husband's family is a farmer's family, and the family is not bad. The girls in the old lady's house have changed now. If you go back to the Hou's mansion, you have to be careful, there are many wives in it !"

Chunying was secretly taken aback, if so, no wonder Fan Xiru was so troubled...

Shi'er looked at her, and suddenly smiled: "There is another person, why don't you ask?"

Chunying was puzzled: "Who are you talking about?" Her heart moved: By the way, there is Zhou Nian!It's not easy for her to ask others about Zhou Nian's news, and she may not meet the third young master when she returns to the Hou's mansion, so she should ask Shi'er first.

Shi'er winked, "Who else? Of course it's our...Aunt Cui?!"

(Is today considered a big broadcast? The end of the day is getting closer...)
(End of this chapter)