Fortunately, Xiao An already understood something, so he stopped mentioning it when his mouth was covered, and just looked at Zhao Tingduo with guarded eyes.
The eldest brother went to his future sister-in-law's house to give gifts and did not come back. He is the man of the family and must protect his second sister!
So wherever Song Liyun went, he followed him with a small wooden stick, even if Abu came to coax him, it didn't work.
Zhao Tingduo felt a little embarrassed and embarrassed when she was stared at by Xiao Anqing.
This brother-in-law is difficult to deal with!
He no longer wanted to stay one more night in Baolinju.
Anyway, it was an urgent order. If I left overnight, I could arrive at the Zhenbei Army Camp earlier. I didn’t know what my elder brother wanted to do with me.
Just thinking of what Jiang Feng said, my heart sank.
Song Liyun didn't take a break either. First, he asked Yun Niang to make some dry food that was easy to bring with him, while he prepared some other things.
Put the pears wrapped in tissue paper, a few paper bags of dried meat in a brown leather backpack, and put the dry biscuits made by Yun Niang into it to quench your thirst and satisfy your hunger.
Zhao Tingduo and Abu left overnight.
Song Liyun didn't have time to be as affectionate as her little daughter, so she needed to start preparing the products for the exhibition in just a few days.
Because in Qili County, Tianxiang Tower once again caused an uproar by holding a "trade fair" with the support of the county government.
Every shop is asking each other what this "exhibition" means and why only those related to food can participate.
Cloth shops, silk and satin shops, and rouge shops also want to join in the fun.
The few people who were named early were even more confused and didn't know what to do.
One day passed, a shopkeeper and cook of a small restaurant came out of Tianxiang Tower in a daze. He said to Guan Laoliu who was walking beside him: "Lao Liu, pinch me quickly. Is this a dream? Tianxianglou is a roaster."
Did skewering really teach us?"
Guan Laoliu was blushing with excitement at this time. Hearing Fan Shao want to pinch him, he waved his hand and slapped him: "I want to wake you up!"
Hearing a "snap" sound, Fan Shao was beaten in a circle, his nosebleed splattered, his head was buzzing, but he chuckled and said: "Lao Liu, that slap of yours really hurts. It doesn't look like a dream."
!”
Guan Laoliu pinched his wrist and jumped on the spot: "Ouch, it hurts me so much! Fan Shao, your head is really an iron spoon."
"Grandma, Guan Laoliu, you are such a weakling. I asked you to hit me, but you really hit me!" Fan Shao finally woke up, feeling that half of his face was numb and painful, and he was so angry that he yelled at Guan Laoliu.
stand up.
Regardless of being scolded by Fan Shao, an old man laughed and ran away happily on the street!
There were other people who followed the two cooks out. There was no joy on their faces, and their brows were furrowed, as if they had encountered a huge problem.
The business at Jinxi Building is still good, but the number of customers has obviously dropped.
Many of them were drunkards wearing coarse jackets and linen clothes. A few people gathered together to eat some cheap dishes and drink a glass of half-price wine. They occupied a table for a long time and did not move. The waiters at Jinxi Tower were so anxious that they wanted to chase people away.
But these people were all idle men who usually walked around the streets. They had long legs, weak waists, and bad mouths. Jin Xilou didn’t want to mess with them.
The same is true for Zuichunlou and Heji Restaurant. There are even a group of beggars waiting for leftovers at the door.
Can't catch it, can't beat it!
Hecheng garrison!
Zhao Tingduo had finished his meal at this time and was sitting in the spacious and bright flower hall having tea.
Several maids quietly brought tea, soup and pastries, and then stood aside.
But his eyes kept glancing at the third young master sitting in the hall.
They are all newcomers and have not met Zhao Tingduo yet. Seeing that he has a handsome appearance and is close to the mistress, they must be relatives from somewhere in the house and maybe they can serve him closely.
Zhao Tingduo frowned slightly. He was used to this kind of gaze and was a little tired of it.
Fortunately, not long after, an old woman wearing an indigo gown came over with a smile: "Third Young Master, our uncle is back. Please go to the study room in the front yard."
Zhao Tingduo knew that his eldest brother had returned home, so he got up and followed his grandma to the front yard.
In the study room, Zhao Tinlei had changed into regular clothes and was sitting at the desk holding a stack of paper, lost in thought.
"Brother!" Zhao Tingduo said as he entered the room.
Only then did Zhao Tinglei come back to his senses. When he saw his third brother, his eyes suddenly lit up: "Third brother has grown strong again. Come on, no need to salute, come and talk to eldest brother!"
Zhao Tingduo sat down on the cushion in front of him: "Brother asked someone to bring me a letter, but what's the emergency?"
"Hey! Seeing that you still have such a hasty temper, we haven't seen each other for almost a year, why do you say these things when we meet?
When did you arrive in Hecheng today? Have you met your sister-in-law? Have you eaten? Is your mother in good health? "
At this time, Zhao Tinglei was no longer the cold general in the military camp, but an elder brother who cared deeply for his younger brother, saying things about the family and the family.
Zhao Tingduo smiled innocently, stopped asking why he came, and started chatting some gossip.
"I arrived in the afternoon and have already met my eldest sister-in-law and my nieces and nephews. I heard from my eldest sister-in-law that my eldest brother is going to send Ling Huan off, and Ling Yue will return to Beijing, leaving only Hongjie behind?"
The eldest brother Zhao Tinglei is a member of the Zhenbei Army, and now he is also a garrison in the city. He has been in Yunzhou for more than ten years, married a wife and had children. Now he has legitimate sons and daughters, as well as concubines and concubines.
Ling Huan and Ling Yue were the legitimate daughter and legitimate son, while Hongjie, who was left behind, was the concubine. He was now thirteen years old and was taken by his eldest brother to learn archery, horse riding and archery.
Mentioning his children, the smile on Zhao Tinlei's face gradually faded: "The prince has asked his father to mobilize troops to garrison in Weicheng, and I will stay in Hecheng. My aunt is old, and I want your sister-in-law to take her children back to Beijing to fulfill her filial piety."
Zhao Tingduo didn't seem to understand the meaning of Zhao Tinglei's words.
He remembered that he had just seen his sister-in-law He, whose eyes were red and swollen from crying, and his eyebrows furrowed: "Aren't there two brothers and two sisters-in-law in the Marquis Mansion in Beijing? Why do you want your sister-in-law to go back again and bring your children with you?
There is such a big Marquis mansion, what can the sister-in-law do? If there is a shortage of people to serve tea and water, just buy a few more slaves and servants."
The aunt Zhao Tinglei mentioned was not the mother of the two brothers, but the mother of his second brother Zhenbei Hou Shizi. It was unreasonable for a concubine's eldest daughter-in-law, who had been absent for many years, to return to the capital to fulfill her filial piety.
Zhao Tinlei waved his hand, obviously not wanting to continue discussing this issue.
Serving the mother-in-law is the filial duty that a daughter-in-law should fulfill. It has gone against the family rules that she has not been able to serve her mother-in-law closely in recent years.
Besides, after his wife left, there were still three concubines in the back house of the garrison mansion.
But Zhao Tingduo still clings to this issue and bites the wrong tooth: "My sister-in-law is gone, the family is broken, and the husband and wife are separated."
The Di people have no concubines, and there is no reason to forcefully separate couples.
Although he knew that the wives and concubines of the Wu Dynasty had different statuses, Zhao Tingduo still did not understand or accept it.
Zhao Tinglei looked at his third brother, who seemed to be ignorant of worldly affairs and had an innocent look on his face, and sighed: "You really don't understand? Why does mother want your sister-in-law to return to Beijing? This is the intention of the prince and father."
"Why did the prince want to break up your husband and wife?"