The wooden clappers of Xu Shi have just been struck, and lights are being lit one after another in the grand mansions of Quanzhou. An old woman with gray hair is sitting in the main hall of the west courtyard, with rosary beads wrapped around her hands, and her clothes are simple, in harmony with the wealth and elegance around her. Somewhat out of place, the person sitting at the bottom of the room was none other than the head of the Sheng Mansion, Sheng Hong.
"My ancestors have blessed me. My son got an excellent score in this performance appraisal. The promotion will be announced at the end of the month." At this early summer, Sheng Hong was wearing an ocher-colored thin silk summer shirt, and his words were very respectful.
"It's not in vain that you have endured all these years outside. It is the most difficult to move up from the sixth rank. After passing this level, you can be regarded as a middle-rank official. Where do you want to be promoted this time?" Sheng Sheng The old lady's tone was calm, without any fluctuation.
"Uncle Geng Shi has already sent a letter to inform you. He should be the governor of Dengzhou." Sheng Hong has always been cautious, but when he mentioned this, he couldn't help but smile.
"Then I really have to congratulate you, master. The post of governor of a state is usually held by people of fifth rank. You, a sixth-rank official, can be the governor of a state. Not only is it a tribute to your ancestors, but you also have to thank the people who helped you." Mrs. Sheng said. .
"That's natural. The gift list of several uncles and uncles in the capital has been drawn up. I'd like my mother to take a look at it." Sheng Hong took out a few pieces of plain paper from his sleeves and handed them to the maid standing beside him.
"The master has become more sophisticated in dealing with things over the years. Here is my idea. Remember one sentence: the friendship between gentlemen is as light as water. Money must be used properly, etiquette must be thorough, neither humble nor arrogant, and be close to each other. Those old men have been wallowing in official circles all their lives. All of them have sharp eyes and golden eyes. They have taken good care of you over the years. Of course, it is because of your father's affection when he was alive, and it is because of your own efforts that they are willing to help." Old Mrs. Sheng said a few words before she gasped. Mother Fang next to her immediately raised the tea cup to her mouth, and gently ran her hand along the old lady's back.
When Sheng Hong saw this, he looked panicked and said anxiously: "Mother, please take care of yourself. My son is here today because of his mother's upbringing. If it weren't for his mother's righteousness, his son would just be living in the countryside. You have to honor your mother."
Old Mrs. Sheng was silent and seemed to be lost in thought. After a while, she said: "I can't say it's righteous or unjust, but if you ruin the relationship with your father, it's better not to let his tomb be desolate a hundred years later. Fortunately... you finally made progress." ." The voice was weak and gradually became inaudible.
Sheng Hong did not dare to speak, and the hall was silent for a while. After a while, Sheng Hong said: "Mother is in the prime of spring and autumn, and her blessings will surely continue in the future. Please relax and take good care of her." As he said this, he looked around and frowned. : "Mom, this place is too plain, it doesn't look like a nunnery. Mother, listen to my son, ordinary old ladies also eat fast and pray to Buddha, but the decorations are also lively and lively. Why should mother suffer so much? If you let people When I saw it, I thought my son was unfilial."
Mrs. Sheng said: "Be lively in your heart. If people's hearts are desolate, no matter how lively they pretend to be, it will be nothing more than a decoration for the ears of the deaf."
Sheng Hong whispered: "It's all because the son is unfilial and can't control his wife."
Old Mrs. Sheng said: "I don't blame you, I know your filial piety, and there is no need to blame your wife. I am not her serious mother-in-law, so I have nothing to show off. I have been here to see you for three days, and she is tired and I am annoyed. You don’t have to worry about anyone saying you are unfilial. I had a good reputation in my early years and many people know my temper. It makes everyone feel better if I stay away from you."
Sheng Hong said anxiously: "What did my mother say? What does it mean that she is not a serious mother-in-law? My mother is the wife of my father who is married to a mediator. She is the legitimate mother of my son. She has the gift of reincarnation. Everything is the fault of her son and daughter-in-law." , mother, please don’t say that.”
Old Mrs. Sheng seemed a little impatient and waved her hand gently: "I don't care about these trivial matters, sir. I am about to be promoted, so I have to take care of them. You should know that Quanzhou has a lot of experienced people over the years. Before you go, But the etiquette has been fulfilled. We are all in the same officialdom. If you don't see me today, you won't see me tomorrow. Don't be cold-hearted to your colleagues. We must get together and part ways easily."
"What my mother said was that my son thought the same way. I recalled that when I first arrived in Quanzhou, I still felt that the climate in the Lingnan area was hot and the people were rough. Even if it was not a place outside of China, it was not civilized. I never imagined that the weather would be smooth and the people would be here. It is simple, and it is close to the coast, so it has the advantages of fishing, salt and shipping. Although it is not as rich as the south of the Yangtze River, the people have a lot of wealth. After living here for the past few years, my son is reluctant to part with it." Sheng Hong said with a smile.
Old Mrs. Sheng also smiled and said: "That's true, I have lived in the north all my life, and I don't want to go to the south of the Yangtze River, which is so beautiful. I didn't expect that I am used to living in Quanzhou. The mountains are high here and the emperor is far away, and the life is leisurely. Before leaving, I sold this big house and bought a small village with better scenery. It is not ostentatious and I will have a place to retire in the future."
"This is an excellent plan. My son thinks it's wonderful and will do it later." Sheng Hong said with a smile.
Old Mrs. Sheng's rules were very strict. After saying these words, the girls and women in the room didn't even make a sound. The mother and son talked for a while. Sheng Hong moved his lips several times to mention something, but he retracted it. The room became cold again. Old Mrs. Sheng glanced at him and gently stirred the tea leaves in the tea bowl. Fang's mother on the side was very eye-catching. She softly called the maids and women in the room to go out and personally rushed everyone to the second room. Go up, give some instructions to the first-class maids, and then go back to the main room to serve. Just when you hear Old Mrs. Sheng talking: "...You are finally willing to tell me. I thought you were going to hide it from me, an old woman, until you die." .”
Sheng Hong stood with his head lowered, a look of fear on his face: "I regret that I didn't listen to my mother's words at the beginning, which caused such disasters today. It's all because of my son's lack of virtue, which caused unrest in the family."
"Is the house just restless?" Mrs. Sheng raised her voice slightly, "I didn't expect you to be so dim. Do you know how big or small this matter is?"
Sheng Hong was taken aback, bowed and said, "Please give me some advice, mother."
Old Mrs. Sheng straightened up from the red sandalwood couch: "I don't care about things, and I don't want to be too talkative to annoy others. It has nothing to do with me whatever you like. I never care about the rights and wrongs in your room. But in the past few years, you have become more and more disrespectful. Go and ask around, who has the rules to treat a concubine like you do? Give her some dignity, give her a Zhuangzi shop, and now she has a son and a daughter, all she needs is a name. There is nothing worse than a decent daughter-in-law! If you don't distinguish between legitimate sons and daughters and mess up the rules, wouldn't it be a disaster for the family! Okay, okay, today finally caused a murder, one corpse and two people were bloody, so what do you do? explain!"
Sheng Hong looked ashamed and bowed repeatedly: "What my mother taught me was that it was all my son's fault. My son was confused and always thought that she was all alone to take care of me. It was really pitiful. She left the serious wife outside to do nothing, and would rather make a baby for me. , I couldn't help but feel a little pity in my heart, plus she came from the old lady's place, so she was more respectable than ordinary aunts, but I didn't think of loving her to harm her, which made her even more confused about whether to advance or retreat. My son really knew his mistake. "
When Mrs. Sheng heard the next few words, she sneered a few times and said nothing. She picked up the tea bowl and blew it gently. Seeing this, Mrs. Fang stepped forward and said, "I have a kind heart. How could I not know this?" After delaying for some years, if we don’t explain it clearly, everyone’s life will not go smoothly in the future. The old lady is the elder, so there are some things that are inconvenient to say. Today, I, the old lady, will ask you to make it clear to the master, and hope that the master will not blame you."
When Sheng Hong saw Fang's mother speaking, she hurriedly said, "What are you talking about, mother? She has devoted her whole life to the Sheng family over the years and served her with all her heart. She is like an elder to me, so feel free to say anything you want."
Fang's mother didn't dare to accept the courtesy, so she turned sideways and bowed, saying: "That old lady is chatty. Aunt Lin's mother and the old lady met in her boudoir. Speaking of which, they only met each other a few times, and they are no better than the other girls." Several sisters in the boudoir were close friends, but they had no contact with each other after they got married. I had been serving the old lady since I was a child, and this was clear to me. Later, her husband's family was found guilty of improper behavior. Although he did not have his family ransacked and beheaded, he was still involved in the family. In the decline of the old lady, Mrs. Lin's husband died of illness that year, and she had no children. She had no support for a while, and lived a miserable life with her daughter. Before she died, she went to the old lady, just asking the old lady to look after her former girlfriend. Because of her kindness, she took care of her daughter at least once or twice. Her relatives were all like wolves and tigers, and none of them harmed the girl. The old lady was a person who fasted and chanted Buddha's name, and she had the most kind heart, so she agreed and took Lin down. My aunt brought her into the house. During those years, our old lady treated her like her own daughter. We gave her top-notch food, clothing, and supplies. We also talked about buying her a dowry every day. A good mother-in-law."
Hearing this, Sheng Hong's face turned red and seemed shy. Fang's mother sighed, and then said: "Who would have thought that this Miss Lin is a person with big ideas. She has found several families and she has no idea." I was willing, but I had an affair with the master in private. The old lady didn't speak properly, so don't be surprised by the master. We, the old lady, were completely in the dark about this whole thing. Only when the wife came to the old lady crying angrily did the old lady know that she was The girls I raise around me are so unruly."
Sheng Hong was so ashamed that his face turned red and he could not speak.
Fang's mother said warmly: "Originally, the wife and the old lady were not like this. I think when the wife just came over, the mother-in-law and the daughter-in-law were very affectionate and warm. But when that happened, it seemed like our old lady went there specially. To wipe out Mrs. Lin’s reputation, you raised Miss Lin to find a wife for the master. Later, the master married Aunt Lin, and then Aunt Lin gave birth to children. She lived a more decent life than a serious wife. The wife could not help but blame her husband for all her grievances. As for my wife, I don’t have much contact with the old lady anymore. The old lady is really cool to the core.”
Sheng Hong made a puff, knelt down straight to Mrs. Sheng, and said with tears: "My son deserves to die. He has caused so much unhappiness to his mother, and made his mother feel aggrieved but she has nowhere to say anything. My son is unfilial. The son is unfilial."
After saying that, she kowtowed repeatedly. Mrs. Sheng closed her eyes and raised her hand to Fang's mother. Fang's mother quickly went to help Sheng Hong. Sheng Hong refused to get up and kept apologizing. Old Mrs. Sheng said: "Get up first." , even a grown man like you doesn’t know much about these internal affairs. Come on, mother and son can’t have an overnight feud.”
Sheng Hong just got up, but his forehead was already red and swollen. Old Mrs. Sheng sighed: "I also know that when you were a child, you and Aunt Chun depended on each other, and your life was not easy. I couldn't even take care of my son at that time, so I didn't You know that the unscrupulous behavior of the servants who bullied the superiors and concealed it from the subordinates has made you suffer. And now, your wife is not a generous person, so you are always afraid that Aunt Lin and Brother Feng will be wronged and be bullied by the servants. You are so idle that you give them real estate and fields, how could I not know your good intentions, so I closed my eyes and mouth, and pretended to be deaf and mute these past few years, just like a living dead."
Sheng Hong sobbed: "No matter how you relate to the old lady, it's because the son has no virtue. The mother's heart is like a mirror. Every sentence speaks to the son's heart. The son is just afraid of the wife... Only then did he spoil him too much and broke the rules. The son Ten thousand deaths.”
"Don't say that you are destined to die. If you die, who will we orphans and widowers rely on?" Old Mrs. Sheng motioned to Fang's mother to bring a chair to Sheng Hong, and helped Sheng Hong, who was still crying, to sit down.
After Fang's mother put a hot towel on Sheng Hong and washed his face for tea, Mrs. Sheng continued: "Not to mention the laws of nature and human relations, you
I don’t want to think about it. Now that you are just thirty years old, your official career has not been smooth sailing, but it has not had many twists and turns. How many of the few who were selected as Jinshi with you were as smooth as you, and how many of them are still dry. Kudu, there are people who are jealous of you and are waiting to find fault with you. It’s not impossible. Besides, Aunt Wei is not a maid bought by my family. She is also from a decent and good family. She was originally a farmer and educated in Jiangnan. She was originally If someone wants to be the wife of someone else's wife, if her family has not suffered a disaster, or she would not be a concubine no matter how poor she is, now she has died miserably within five years of entering the house. If someone is interested in this matter and instigates her natal family to cause trouble, she will participate in it. You are so incompetent in running the family that you waste care of people's lives, how can you still be promoted smoothly?"
Sheng Hong was shocked and sweating profusely: "Fortunately, the old lady understood and stabilized the Wei family in time, so my son has no worries."
"The Wei family is also kind. They didn't make much fuss after learning about Aunt Wei's death. They just wanted to take Aunt Wei's body back and bury it themselves, but I refused. The Wei family didn't even want the extra money I gave them. Just say that they have no shame in scooping up the money for their daughter's life, and they just ask me to take care of Ming Ming. I can't thank you enough. That family is in such a miserable state, and I feel sad when I see it."
Mrs. Sheng took out her handkerchief and wiped the corners of her eyes. Mother Fang personally brought the teapot from outside to refill the water, added water to the two porcelain embossed tea bowls, carefully closed the tea bowl lids, and sighed: " Aunt Wei was a kind person, and the girl she raised was pitiful. Ever since her aunt died, she had been burning for two days in a row. She was so confused that when she woke up, she had been in a daze and stupid state for the past few days. I didn't even say a word. That day I went to see her on the order of the old lady. I only saw women and maids laughing and playing around outside. There was no one waiting in the room. As soon as I entered, I saw the girl got out of bed and fell down on her own. Drink water! But a child of four or five years old, a little kid who can't even reach the table, is crawling on a small teacup, tiptoeing, holding a tea bowl and drinking water. It's really pitiful!" Fang's mother also wiped away tears.
Sheng Hong thought of Aunt Wei's tenderness and kindness in the past, and felt great pain in her heart. She said with shame: "I originally wanted to send her to my wife, but the girl has also been sick these days, and my wife's place is also in a mess. I looked over it. I'll send it to you in a few days when my wife is free."
Old Mrs. Sheng calmed down her breath and said slowly: "What's the time? It's clear whether the girl wants her to hold her or carry her on her back. There are as many maids and wives as you want at home. Someone will do everything you tell me, but it's just a little bit." It’s just a matter of putting some thought into it, but she refuses to take care of the girl, because she’s trying to spoil Qiao.”
Sheng Hong stood up cautiously, not daring to reply. Old Mrs. Sheng glanced at him, her voice a little cold: "You don't dare to say anything about her, and you can't say anything about her. It's just because you don't stand upright, and you are being robbed of everything by her." That's all. You broke the rules yourself first, doted on your aunt to no end, and behaved like the wife of the first wife. I can also think of what the wife said - what? When nothing happened, you would My aunt raised the child by herself, but after her death, my mother thought of her as the nominal aunt? This is why my wife is angry. I don’t care about the past. I only ask you a few words, and you answer honestly. "
Sheng Hong said hurriedly: "Mom, please speak. Don't say a few words, or there will be thousands of words, and I will answer them all."
"First of all, are you going to get rid of Aunt Wei's death and save her life? Or are you going to scoop someone up to save her life?" Old Mrs. Sheng stared at Sheng Hong closely.
"I have to make careful calculations. How can I tolerate such a sinister person in my family? She can harm Aunt Wei and my one-month-old flesh and blood today, and tomorrow she can attack other people. How can I tolerate this in my Sheng family?" Raise people!" Sheng Hong gritted his teeth and replied.
Mrs. Sheng's face turned pale, and she calmed down for a moment, then asked: "Okay, secondly, what are you going to do now that there is no distinction between the elder and the younger in the family?"
Sheng Hong took a long breath: "Mother Mingjian, when I came back and saw Aunt Wei's body covered in blood, as well as the child who was suffocated in her mother's womb, I felt so regretful that my servants dared to be so arrogant. Without strict rules, if the upper beam is not straight and the lower beam is crooked, the root of everything naturally comes from the top. I have made up my mind to clean up the family tradition."
"Okay, okay, it's good if you just have these two words." Old Mrs. Sheng's heart was slightly open. She knew what Sheng Hong was like, so she stopped talking and just nodded, "If you want to be an official for a long time, , If our Sheng family wants to continue to have descendants, we must strictly manage the family. We must know that disasters arise within the Xiaoqiang, and many aristocratic families often suffer from internal rot. We can learn from it."
"What mother is saying is that her son has been worried about his performance appraisal in the past few days. Now that he is so worried, he has made time to put things in order. Let's start with what happened on the day Aunt Wei gave birth." Sheng Hong's tone was calm. , he was obviously quite angry.
"No, we can't check it now." Unexpectedly, Mrs. Sheng rejected it. Sheng Hong was surprised: "Old lady, why is this? Do you want to condone these unruly slaves?"
Old Mrs. Sheng gave Sheng Hong a deep look: "You have been a Tongzhi in Quanzhou for several years. Everyone knows everything about it. The women in the family have always been in contact with each other. Many of the maids, women, servants and servants were bought locally. There are many things at home. How can others not know that even though you are on good terms with most of your colleagues, there are still some people who secretly hate you. You just killed your aunt on the front foot, and then you started to reorganize the servants on the back foot. This is not because there is no three hundred taels of silver in this place. Let's make it clear. Are others restless at home?"
Sheng Hong called the police and said: "Kui's mother reminded me that my son almost missed the mark. If he cleans up the house in Quanzhou, he will be selling people. I'm afraid the whole state will know about it. When we arrive in Shandong, the world will be different." , how do we punish those unruly slaves, and who outsider knows the inside story?"
"Exactly. So, not only can you not make any noise at the moment, but you also have to stabilize this big family and go to Dengzhou to take up your post calmly. When the decree comes down, you scoop up the official seal and our family settles down in Shandong. You can It won’t be too late to attack slowly.”
"The old lady clearly knows that my son has not spoken to his mother for many years. After saying this today, my heart feels enlightened. In the future, the housekeeper will have to rely more on the old lady to run the family. I have to let my wife come to the old lady for advice." That's right." Sheng Hong said sincerely.
"No, I'm already half dead. If the commotion hadn't been too big this time, I wouldn't have had to worry about it. From now on, everything will be as usual here. Just ask your wife to visit you three times a month. You can take care of your own affairs. , I have my own family and my own rules, I just quietly recite Buddha’s name and eat fast.”
Mrs. Sheng seemed a little tired. She leaned on the back of the soft couch, closed her eyes slightly, and her voice gradually became weaker. There was a copper unicorn incense burner placed on the sandalwood table in the corner of the room, and she was quietly blowing out cloud-like cigarettes.