The days soon came to December, the 30th year of Kangxi's reign, and ushered in the New Year's Eve of the first year after Jinxi's marriage.
Since the first day of the twelfth lunar month, Nansu Institute has entered into a countdown to welcoming the New Year. It is not that Jinxi is looking forward to the New Year, but looking forward to the trip to Jiangnan after the New Year.
Sweeping dust, posting blessings, making new clothes, preparing new year's goods... Jinxi and her large group of maids and women were very busy.
Finally, she got an opportunity. On the seventh day of December, the day before the Laba Festival, Jinxi returned to her parents' home with a carriage of New Year's goods, and happened to meet Matchmaker Liu who came to meet her.
"Your two brothers are really old. You, Ama, want them to settle down after the new year." After seeing off Matchmaker Liu, Minrong saw the curiosity in her daughter's eyes and explained softly.
"What do brothers say? Do you have a girl you like in your heart?" Jin Xi sat cross-legged on the hot kang, chewing melon seeds in her mouth, and there was a bit of eagerness in her eyes.
"You also know their temperament. Even if you did, you wouldn't necessarily tell my stepmother, let alone discuss it with your Ama... You came back just in time, otherwise, I will go check on you for my mother later.
What do the two brothers mean?" Minrong sighed with emotion.
Although brothers Qi Ke and Qi Chen have always been respectful and polite to her, after all, they are not her biological children, nor have they been raised since childhood. It is inevitable that there is a gap between them. For example, they will never confide their innermost thoughts to her stepmother.
.
Fei Yanggu has an upright temperament. Even if he often goes in and out with Qi Ke and Qi Chen, he will not notice any abnormalities or changes between them. Especially when the brothers are over 18 years old and have moved out of the inner courtyard.
, after living in the front yard, the interactions with the female family members of the mansion became less and less.
It was better when Jinxi was there. On small holidays and small days, they would be invited to sit in the small building, and they would gather together to drink tea and chat about home affairs. After Jinxi got married, the female relatives in the inner courtyard could not even see them.
Not to mention knowing whether they have a crush or not.
"Well, let's wait until the brothers come back. I'll go take a look." Jin Xi nodded. Speaking of which, the two brothers Qi Ke and Qi Chen are indeed not young. They are twenty years old. In the Qing Dynasty, they were considered late marriages.
.If she hadn’t been married first by Kangxi, and they insisted on letting her get married first, they probably wouldn’t have delayed it until now. Thinking about it, Jinxi felt that she really had to bear some responsibility for the marriage of the two brothers.
responsibility.
At that moment, he stopped knocking melon seeds, wiped his hands, jumped off the chair, and said to Minrong: "Looking at the time, it should be back soon, right? I'll go to the front yard and have a look."
"Why are you in such a hurry? Aren't you going to stay for lunch?" Minrong saw that she was ready for the wind and rain, and she immediately felt dumbfounded. If she knew that her daughter had already taken the marriage of the two brothers into her own hands, how could she not have done it?
Even more speechless.
"If we don't have lunch, why don't we have our fourth brother with us? We have to go back to the palace with him after lunch, so there's no time to talk." Jinxi straightened her clothes and said to Minrong. She was waiting outside the house with joy.
Zhu and Jiangrui walked quickly to the front courtyard where the brothers lived.
"This child! She's already married, and she still behaves so casually..." Minrong looked at Jinxi's figure disappearing at the gate of Liutangyuan, and sighed with a smile: "Fortunately, Fourth Brother is willing to tolerate her. What if?
If it were any other man, he wouldn't be able to..."
"Didn't the abbot of Futa Temple also say that? Ge Ge has a noble fortune and is destined to be blessed throughout his life. Fu Jin should rest assured." Xia Er, who has been promoted to steward, helped Min Rong back to the back room and persuaded with a smile.
"Yes, I hope I can fulfill the abbot's auspicious words." Minrong nodded with a smile. Having a happy child is the greatest pride and satisfaction of a parent.
……………………
When Jinxi walked to the front courtyard, she happened to meet Qi Ke, who had just returned from the Ministry of Etiquette for a lunch break. "Brother!" She ran forward with a smile, "Long time no see, brother!"
"Xi'er?" Qi Ke looked at the step-sister who was getting more and more provocative in front of him in surprise, "Why are you here today? Is there something wrong?" He looked behind her, but he didn't see the fourth brother who had always been by her side, so he felt a little uncomfortable.
untie.
"Can't you come back to see your eldest brother if you have nothing to do? By the way, where is your second brother? The Ministry of War should be free these days, right?" She looked around and saw no sign of Qi Chen, who usually came in and out together almost every day.
The two brothers ran into her returning to her parents' home, but they didn't show up together?
"Uh...your second brother..." Qi Ke paused, not knowing how to explain, then he smiled and pulled Jinxi into the courtyard, intending to skip this topic, "Here, let the eldest brother take a good look, married Si'a
After brother, are you more beautiful?!"
There's a problem! Jin Xi thought to herself. As she followed Qi Ke into the house, she chatted with a smile: "When I first came here, I met Matchmaker Liu, who said she was here to be a matchmaker for the eldest and second brothers. I had nothing to do. I took a look.
The portraits of girls she brought today are really good... Huh? Brother, what's wrong with you?"
"No..." Qi Ke, who was a little distracted after hearing Jin Xi's words, hurriedly came back to his senses and said: "Why don't you inform us in advance when you come back, so that your brothers can pick you up outside the palace gate..."
"Don't change the subject, brother. We have been brothers and sisters for so many years, and I still don't know what your temperaments are?! Honestly, brother, do you have someone you like?"
"Xi'er!" Qi Ke was stunned on the spot. His right hand subconsciously reached up to his cheek, trying to feel if it was hot...
"Brother, you and your second brother are already twenty. Amma and Er Niang have not pressed you for so many years. Don't they also hope that you can choose a wife for yourself? You also know that they will never take your marriage seriously.
Come to consolidate the glory of Uranala Mansion...but I haven't seen any action from you yet.
, so I am anxious to find some girls for you. Of course, the ones they picked out are not counted. In the final analysis, it depends on what you think... Brother, if you and your second brother really like someone, why not find Amma and E Niang?
Tell me, which family is the girl from? So that they can come to propose marriage as soon as possible..."
"Sister..." Qi Ke looked embarrassed and hesitated to speak. When he saw Jin Xi looking at him firmly, as if he would never give up until he heard a reasonable explanation from him, he sighed deeply.
"How could we not know Ama's intentions? It's just that...the girl Qi Chen and I like is not from a prominent family in the capital...if...it will definitely make Ama lose face..."
"Tell me and listen, maybe things are not as complicated as you and your second brother think?" Jin Xi wanted to blurt out: What's the matter! But when you think about it, this is the Qing Dynasty with strict regulations, not love first, human rights and freedom.
In the 21st century, I had to stop the persuasion that slipped out of my mouth and use a more euphemistic term.
Qi Ke listened to Jin Xi's advice, walked a few steps, and after hesitating for a long time, he finally mustered up the courage to tell the whole story...
It turned out that Qi Ke fell in love with a woman who came from a poor family. She was seventeen years old this year. All her elders were dead and she had a younger brother who was under ten years old. Three years ago, she was almost raped by a gangster while selling herbs and nuts on the street.
After teasing and blackmailing, he happened to meet Qi Ke and rescued her. Afterwards, Qi Ke sent her home with a sprained ankle and learned about the situation at her home. He was moved by her strength and forbearance. After that, Qi Ke fell in love with her three times.
from time to time
I came to visit my brother and sister, and I wanted to help them, but unexpectedly, the girl refused to accept his money. In desperation, I had to give up. In my spare time, I would go to her house to help her sort herbs, select nuts, clean and teach her.
The younger brother practices calligraphy... Over and over again, the love between the two gradually grows. Before Jinxi prepares to marry, Qi Ke has also made his feelings clear, but he is afraid of being opposed by his family and cutting off his contacts with her, so he suppresses it.
Didn't say.
As for Qi Chen, Qi Ke only revealed: "As for your second brother, the other person's identity is too... If we are together... I'm afraid it will be several times more difficult than mine..." After that, he refused to live or die any more.
Said.
After hearing this, Jin Xi pondered for a while and shook his head.
Qi Ke saw this and smiled bitterly: "I know this is difficult for Amma and Fujin to accept... so..."
"So you plan to cut off the contact with the other party, obey the wishes of your family, marry a well-matched girl, and live the rest of your life with regrets?" Jinxi continued what Qi Ke had not finished angrily, "Brother, eldest brother, you used to
Where is the determination and confidence when taking the imperial examination?
Did you go there? When you did this, did you ever think about the other person? You just felt sorry that you were thinking about another woman, but you had to marry and have children with another woman of the same family, but what about that girl? She looked at the man she loved.
How uncomfortable would it be to marry another woman?"
"Xi'er..." Qi Ke looked at Jin Xi with a painful look on his face, "I have thought of countless ways, but none of them work..."
"You missed the most important solution, which is to ask Amma and E Niang for help. Don't you believe that they will stand on your side and agree to your marriage, and then the matchmaker will welcome her into the house?"
"No...Ama is now a first-class official...how can I..."
"Amma is Amma. Every step he takes is achieved through his own hard work and hard work. Has he ever received any help from the Eniang family? No! Not only no, he has also helped Eniang settle a lot of things.
Disputes. You are only twenty years old now. As long as you behave uprightly and sit upright, you will be able to do whatever you want.
If you work hard and win, I believe that in twenty years, you will never be worse off than Ama. With or without the help of your wife and family, it will make no difference to our family. Of course, if you also despise the other party in your heart
If your background is afraid of affecting your career in the future, then that is a different matter."
"How could I..." Qi Ke was about to retort, but he saw that the door of the study was already crowded with a group of listeners. Fei Yanggu, Yinzhen, and Qi Chen were all standing at the door, each looking at them thoughtfully.
Brother and sister, Qi Ke's cheeks suddenly turned red, and they were stunned in place as if they had been exposed to a huge secret...
On the other side, Jin Xi talked a lot and took a big sip of tea. Seeing that Qi Ke didn't continue to say anything, he was about to raise his head to remind him, but when he saw this fight, he couldn't help but pat his forehead and sighed to himself: Oh, this time
There is no need for her to continue lobbying...(To be continued)