Pawn Crossing the River

Qi Xuansu is going to his old father-in-law's house again.

To be fair, Qi Xuansu had a very good impression of his father-in-law. It was unknown what his abilities were, but his character was good. Zhang Yuelu is still more like his father at heart.

As for his mother-in-law, Qi Xuansu could understand her thoughts, but didn't agree with her.

As soon as he left Dazhen Mansion, Xiao Yin, who had never dared to breathe, was like a fish returning to the water and came to life again.

This is not an exaggeration, she was really not breathing, as if she was dead.

Tianshi glanced at her, and she wanted to smile, but her face froze.

In fact, Xiao Yin has also met Jiang Daren, and he is not so unbearable. When Jiang Daren calls him "little Taoist friend", she accepts it calmly. How come you are so virtuous after meeting the Heavenly Master? Even if the Heavenly Master is more powerful than Master Jiang Da, he still hasn't reached this level.

Qi Xuansu thought about it carefully and felt that it might be because Xiao Yin had heard too many operas, in which the thunder magic of the heavenly master was always used to subdue demons and catch ghosts. She was a little devil herself, so she naturally took part in it. In the end, she frightened herself to death.

Come down from Dazhen Mansion and walk towards Shangqing Town.

Many members of the Zhang family came and went along the way. After seeing the two of them, they greeted each other with complicated expressions.

Although the Zhang family is one of the top two Taoist families and has never lacked real people, such a young real person is still different. Age determines the future. It is foreseeable that the two of them will be one of the few people who truly control the future of the Taoist sect.

Real big shot.

It's just that many Zhang family members have difficulty turning around in a short period of time. They want to please and cling to them, but they can't let go of their arrogance.

Yesterday I looked down, today I have to look up.

Who would have thought that Qi Xuansu would rise so quickly. If this time was extended to twenty years, even ten years, it would not be so unacceptable.

Then he saw a little girl walking between the two of them, holding Qi Xuansu's right hand with one hand and Zhang Yuelu's left hand with the other, like a family of three.

This is even more surprising, and may even create an illusion. How long has it been since the two of them had a child?

Did you remember the wrong date? In fact, it has not just been three years, but ten years have passed, then everything becomes reasonable.

Soon, Qi Xuansu came to his father-in-law's house in Shangqing Town.

This is an old house. After hundreds of years of wind and rain, the doors and windows are somewhat rotten, and the paint has peeled off so much that the original appearance is no longer visible. However, the bricks and stones are still strong, with blue brick paving, a hall, and a front building. There is a cloister. The thick walls, carved doors and windows, green moss, and lush bamboos all make the painting style very unified, quiet and harmonious.

If a new layer of paint is applied to such an environment, it will destroy the harmony and become unsightly.

A concierge saw the two of them and hurriedly reported: "Gao Gong, the girl is back."

Taoism is very taboo about "master", so even in private, this more formal title is used.

Soon, Zhang Kuqi walked out of the room: "Qingxiao, Tianyuan, you are back."

Logically speaking, Zhang Kuqi can be called "Yuelu" and "Xuansu" directly, but it seems that as their status increases, even their parents and elders have to respect them, which is not easy to do.

In the past Confucian era, filial piety was the first priority. Even if you became the prime minister, you had to bow your head and kneel in front of your parents, because the rules and etiquette were on your head. If you didn't kneel, you would be criticized by thousands of people. There are no bad parents in the world, only children who make mistakes.

However, after Taoism replaced Confucianism, it proposed equality. Children are equal to their parents and are not vassals of their parents. This resulted in the imprint of Confucianism still being there, but less intense. At least the children had a basis for resistance, so the parents The relationship between children becomes delicate.

Qi Xuansu and Zhang Kuqi greeted each other very casually. It's the kind of casual place where you can sit and drink together.

After a while, Tantai Qiong came out.

Qi Xuansu also bowed, very politely, so that no one could make mistakes: "Hello, aunt."

Tantai Qiong nodded slightly and replied politely: "Hello, Mr. Qi, please sit in the living room."

There was coldness inside and outside the words.

Qi Xuansu didn't take it seriously. He walked through the moss-covered patio and came to the living room. He was not at all restrained, just like his own home.

After all, Qi Xuansu went to Nanyang alone, faced the great storms of Wang Jiaohe, Sun Heyu, and Chen Shuhua, and argued with the Taoist government at the Taoist government meeting to stabilize the situation without changing his color at all. There was no reason to arrive at his mother-in-law's house. Just tie up your hands and feet.

What are you afraid of? What's there to be afraid of?

Are you afraid that your mother-in-law will be dissatisfied with you? I'm not satisfied with you yet.

Qiniang taught Qi Xuansu not to always think about satisfying others, nor to please others, nor to take the initiative to lower oneself.

Some people, whether they are friends or couples, are quite reasonable to others, but they insist on keeping a low profile, as if there is something wrong in their bones, and they insist on letting others get used to some problems and promoting some trends. And proud of it.

As long as we all get along as equals, who should we show this to?

The living room is all Chinese-style furnishings, without any Western elements. After all, adding a set of Western sofas to such an antique compound becomes nondescript.

After sitting down, Tantai Qiong said: "I am a straightforward person. If anything I say offends you, please forgive me."

Qi Xuansu is no longer the young man he was. The experience of the past few years has allowed him to cope with it with ease. He said: "What is Haihan or not Haihan? I heard that Auntie is speaking harshly. Also, Auntie doesn't need to call me Qi Zhenren. You can still call me Its abbreviation is 'Tianyuan'."

Tantai Qiong didn't seem to hear it, and asked knowingly: "I wonder what is the purpose of Master Qi's visit this time?"

Qi Xuansu doesn't insist on calling him, you can call him Master Qi if you want. I won't suffer anyway. As for the yin and yang, how can you compare to Qiniang, no matter how yin and yang you are? I've long been used to it.

Qi Xuansu said calmly: "To be honest, I took the liberty to come here this time to discuss my marriage with Qing Xiao."

Tantai Qiong narrowed her eyes: "Marriage."

Qi Xuansu was keenly aware of the trap in this and immediately changed his words: "Strictly speaking, it is not a marriage, but becoming a Taoist couple, which is somewhat different from getting married. For example, the Taoist sect has banned the three matchmakers and six betrothals that were advocated in the past. , these are the dregs of Confucianism.”

Tantai Qiong couldn't help but feel a little depressed.

But she had forgotten who Qi Xuansu had been dealing with during this period, and how many people were waiting to catch him. If he hadn't been alert, he wouldn't be where he is now.

However, Tantai Yun would not give up easily: "The Taoist sect has indeed abolished the word of matchmaker, but what about the fate of the parents? Don't they care about it?"

Qi Xuansu said: "Of course we still need to seek the opinions of our parents and elders on this. After all, this is not just a matter for two people, but also a matter for two families."

Tantai Qiong immediately felt the difficulty of this kid Qi Xuansu. Parents are parents, and he wanted to add an elder behind him. This was because he was preparing to use Tianshi to suppress her.

Tantai Qiong changed her strategy: "Since it is the order of the parents, then it should be decided by their respective elders. The elder of Zhenren Qi will not be Zhenren Qi Jiao, right?"

"Of course not." Qi Xuansu smiled, "I have no father or mother. I am an orphan from the Wanxiang Dao Palace, so I can only come and talk in person. I hope my aunt will forgive me."

Tantai Qiong pretended to be surprised and said, "But I heard that Master Qi has a foster mother. Is it true or not?"

Qi Xuansu nodded and said, "There is indeed a foster mother."

"Why don't you see her coming? Do you look down on our small family?" Tantai Qiongtu asked.

Qi Xuansu was very calm: "That's not true. It's just that my adoptive mother is too busy on weekdays. She travels all over the world. Going to sea is just a common thing. Even I can't see her."

"Too busy to even take care of my son's marriage." Tantai Qiong said coldly.

Qi Xuansu smiled lightly and said: "There is always a difference between closeness and distance. After all, she is a foster mother, not a biological mother, so it is reasonable."

They, mother and son, were never afraid to say bad things about each other. Qiniang said with red lips and white teeth that Qi Xuansu had a daughter-in-law and had forgotten her mother. It was not a big problem for Qi Xuansu to say this now. Qiniang would definitely not care, but she would probably pretend. Zuo looked concerned and used this as an excuse to attack Qi Xuansu severely.

Tantai Qiong added: "But how did I hear that she went to see Master Cihang? She has time to meet Master Cihang, but she has no time to come to Yunjin Mountain? Isn't that too snobbish?"

"That's it." Of course Qi Xuansu couldn't say that Qiniang thought so, "My adoptive mother went to Yujing not specifically to meet Cihang, but to buy me a new house. After all, with my Li Yin could not afford to buy a house in Taishangfang in this life, but my adoptive mother was in business and had a lot of money, so she bought it on her behalf. It just so happened that I met Cihang in Yujing. . As for why I didn’t come to see my aunt, it was definitely not intentional, it was just that my aunt was not in Yujing.”

It was not Qi Xuansu's style to be defensive but not offensive. He then turned from defensive to offensive: "These are actually minutiae. The opinions of the elders are important, but the key thing is the person involved. Instead of worrying about my adoptive mother, why don't my mother-in-law ask Qing What does Xiao mean?”

Tantai Qiong's chest rose and fell, and she had the illusion that this was not a conversation with her future son-in-law, but a Taoist meeting. Qi Xuansu seemed to be playing the role of a conqueror on a battlefield without the smoke of gunpowder. General, you are at ease.

Yes, even Wang Jiaohe lost to him. How could she win?

Tantai Qiong couldn't fight head-on, so she had to give in and use her status as a mother to retreat. She didn't bother to ask Zhang Yuelu's opinion, but sighed: "It's weird to talk about having children." What's the use of a woman? She's pregnant for ten months, has to endure the pain of childbirth, and is raising a child. But as soon as the child grows up, it flies away and becomes someone else's family."

These words sounded familiar, Qiniang had also used this kind of method.

Zhang Yuelu wanted to speak, but Qi Xuansu raised his hand to stop him.

Qi Xuansu didn't want to intensify the conflict between their mother and daughter. Anyway, he was already a villain in Tantai Qiong's eyes, so he might as well be a villain to the end. Don’t worry if you have too many debts, don’t worry if you have too many lice, just let them be.

So Qi Xuansu said: "Auntie's words are wrong. Qingxiao belongs to no one. She is not yours or mine. She is only her own."

Tantai Qiong stood up suddenly, obviously very angry: "Since it is yours, why bother asking me?"

After that, she turned and left without looking back.

Qi Xuansu didn't have any trouble at all, but he still symbolically stood up and shouted twice towards Tantai Qiong's background: "Aunt, aunt..."