"Sure, I'll go to Du's house in two days to help you test your voice, but I don't know if it will work."
"I know, I know." Mrs. Shen was very easy to talk to and didn't force herself at all.
Cheng Xue twirled the teacup, still looked at her with confusion and asked:
"Based on my estimate of Mr. Shen's future, he won't stay here for too long. When his term is over, he will be transferred back to Beijing. Even if he doesn't return to Beijing, he will go to another place to be the governor of a state. You are so willing to do so. Marry your daughter away?"
Mrs. Shen smiled bitterly and nodded, looking helpless.
"Marrying far away is of secondary importance. I just want her to have a clean back home. I'm not afraid of your jokes. This child has been spoiled by us and is not tolerated at all. But don't worry, she is not arrogant. Quite unwilling..."
"I know that if she has that kind of personality, Tiantian won't play with her." Cheng Xue interrupted her with a smile.
Li Tian and Li Yue both have their own rules for making friends. At least the little girl knows what she wants and what she doesn't want. If Shen Xinyi is really a coquettish and willful young lady, the little girl can't play with her.
When Mrs. Shen heard this, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"In this case, I will wait for news from Mrs. Li when I go home. If they are willing, we can get engaged first. Anyway, Mrs. Du is not very old, so two years will be just right for her to get married. I want to get married before I wait for the master to leave. They have a wedding ceremony."
After hearing this, Cheng Xue always felt that there was something wrong, so she corrected her with a smile:
"Mrs. Shen, we haven't settled this matter yet. You want to get engaged now, but it's still a little early to get married. Although Pingren is not too old, he is already weak after the New Year. With such a big difference, I guess the child will not agree."
"...That's it. That's okay. Just ask for help. I don't insist on success or failure."
"Okay." Cheng Xue nodded in agreement, her words were enough.
After sending Mrs. Shen away, she worriedly asked Bai Wei to send someone to check the Shen family.
It is reasonable to get engaged to a girl who has not yet had haircuts. This operation is normal in a farm family. But it is not normal in the Shen family, and Mrs. Shen just brought up the matter of getting married.
Although getting married is a matter between Shen and Du, as the middleman, she has a heavy responsibility and must not act hastily.
"Mom, why do I think there is something wrong with the Shen family?"
Li Tian came out of Nuan Pavilion, holding paper, pen and calculated account books in his hands.
Cheng Xue waved to her, waited for someone to come up to her, and said:
"I feel the same way, but the specific situation is not clear yet. It still depends on Bai Wei's investigation."
"If there are no problems in the Shen family, sister Shen and brother Du are a good match. But if there is a problem, my mother will not be able to deal with it. The Du family has no foundation in the north."
"Don't worry, I know."
Even a child could see it, how could she not know?
This matter will definitely not be dealt with until the truth comes back. As for other matters, we will discuss it at that time.
On the morning of the eighth day of the twelfth lunar month, Li Hui brought Li Qingchun to the main courtyard.
At that time, Cheng Xue was discussing the dishes for the New Year's Eve dinner with Li Tian. When they saw the visitor, the mother and daughter were startled and couldn't believe it.
"This is Tiantian, she has grown into a big girl. If I met her outside, I wouldn't dare to recognize her."
Li Tian stood up, saluted sideways and said:
"My niece has met the patriarch."
"Oh, come on, get up, it's really getting bigger and more fluid."
As Li Qingchun spoke, he took out two purses he had prepared in advance and stuffed them both into her.
"The jewelry is yours, and the silver is Sidan's. Tangtang and Tiedan have both gone out, so I'll give you two a little more. She's so beautiful. She looks like your mother, and her chin is like your father. You're so lucky."
Li Tian was embarrassed by the praise and hurriedly collected the things and thanked her.
Cheng Xue invited Li Qingchun to sit down, pushed him a cup of tea, and said:
"Brother Qingchun, drink some water. Why don't you come over? You can stay a few more days this time and have a nice stroll."
Facing the host’s warm invitation, Li Qingchun helplessly shook his head and said:
"I'm afraid I will let down the kindness of my siblings. I plan to get up early and go back tomorrow. Now the children have settled down and there are a lot of things waiting to be dealt with at home."
What's more important is that the clan's accounts haven't been sorted out yet. Although Li Hui hasn't looked at them in the past two years, he has always maintained the habit of keeping accounts and collecting accounts. If it hadn't been for Li Hui back then, he wouldn't have been able to sit down.
In this position of clan leader, with the help of Li Hui and others, his family has lived very well over the years. The clan is obviously different from before, and he must work hard.
It was expected that he would leave in a hurry, so Cheng Xue was not too surprised.
"Okay, brother Qingchun will come again when we have the opportunity. Anyway, we can't leave for a while. I have prepared things for home. Please bring them back this time."
He brought a lot of things with him when he came, and he will definitely bring back some New Year gifts when he leaves.
Li Qingchun nodded when he heard this. He had just rejected someone's offer to stay. It would be foolish to reject the New Year's gift again.
After drinking a cup of tea, Cheng Xue suggested taking Li Qingchun around the back house.
Although there is nothing to see in winter, the pavilion and rockery cannot be seen in the village, so it is a good time to chat about village affairs.
"...I want to repair the ancestral hall next year. But you probably won't be able to go back here, so I'm thinking of waiting. You should be able to go back when your term is over, and I'll repair the ancestral hall before you go back."
"Don't wait for me, brother Qingchun, you should repair it, repair yours. As for the incense, I won't do it. You can do it for me. We will pay for the repair of the ancestral hall..."
"No, no, no, we don't need you, our clan's accounts are enough." Li Qingchun shook his head hurriedly.
He knew in his heart that he didn't have deep feelings for the Li family, and it could even be said that he hated them. But it was not easy for him to do this first, and he must not make any more demands.
"Huizi, I know your thoughts best. If you don't want to wear this incense, then I won't force you, brother. I definitely can't let you spend any more money to repair the ancestral hall. The share you gave is enough for the clan. You can't
I want yours again."
Seeing what he said sincerely, Cheng Yao helped to persuade him:
"Master, since Brother Qingchun doesn't need it, don't force yourself on others. After all, Brother Qingchun is doing it for your own good. Otherwise, who would think it's too much money?"
Li Qingchun shook his head in shame and did not dare to say a word.
Of course he doesn't mind the money, but the punishment of Li Fang and his son is still fresh in his mind, and he is the most shameless person who counts the money in other people's pockets. If you can, make it yourself. If you really encounter a big problem, you will ask for help, but that's just an excuse.
Not to.
We ate at the house that night, authentic northern dishes, including stewed mutton and beef.
"It's really thanks to you two that since you came to the north, our village has eaten beef a lot more often."
"It's not easy to like to eat. There are a lot of cattle and sheep here. I've prepared some for you this time. I'll wait for more dried vegetables and other things after next autumn's harvest. Beiqi will be happy to replace them."
"Okay, okay, I'll remember this, and I'll let them do it when I get back."