It took nearly half a day to walk through the busy road in Yamama, and we arrived at Xiaoyu Village shortly after leaving the city gate. ( ·~ )
This villa is adjacent to the suburbs of Beijing, with rivers in front and mountains behind. It is in an excellent location. It was a dowry purchased by the Yongyi Hou Mansion for its only eldest daughter in the prosperous period. Later, Mrs. Sheng needed money for Sheng Hong's official career, and Zeng Dian sold it. Most of it fell off.
After the Sheng family's situation improved, it was difficult to redeem the land here, so Sheng Hong gave the old lady another farm elsewhere. However, the old lady was worried about it, so she always paid attention to find out which family was in urgent need of money. In a few years After coming down, the old lady bought back some fields one after another, totaling 580 acres.
Old Cui Tou was chosen as a dowry after thousands of choices. He was honest, hard-working, and good at cropping skills. Cui’s mother was his childhood sweetheart who was separated from him in childhood. The two reunited many years later. He let the old lady know and spent a lot of effort to talk to him. Money brought Cui's mother out of another family, and they got their wish, got married, and were even more grateful and loyal to the old lady.
Thanks to the sincerity of the old couple, Xiaoyu Manor seems to be doing better than other farms.
Minglan was wearing a curtain and hat, sitting in a sedan chair, slowly patrolling the village and tenants. She saw endless fields and ridges, with cattle and white dogs occasionally, and vegetables and grains hanging in abundance. Most of the farmers knew her, and when she saw Minglan's When the sedan came over, everyone put down their hoes and farm work, smiled, bowed or kowtowed, creating a prosperous pastoral scene.
Minglan felt quite satisfied.
"How are the crops now?" After returning to the house, Minglan sat at the head of the hall and asked carefully. Old Cui Tou smiled and squinted, bowed his head and said respectfully: "Everything is good. The weather is going well this year, which is about as good as last year." Collect more taxes; there was a severe drought in the past few years, and there was military turmoil in the Jianghuai area. The price of grain in Beijing soared. The old lady and the six... Oh, the old lady and my wife didn't even think about urging rents and taxes, but they were considerate of their daily lives. , please give me more comfort. They all said, there is no such kind and kind Lord outside as we have here!"
Minglan flipped through the field book on the table, raised her head and said with a smile: "Old Cui, the manager, is very articulate! He is so eloquent, it will definitely be interesting to ask the old lady to take a look."
Lao Cui's thick-haired and black face immediately turned red. He knew Minglan's ability, so he simply stopped pretending and spoke out what he was thinking. Minglan was shocked and whispered: "Want to buy land?"
Lao Cuitou nodded vigorously, with excitement on his face: "I don't know what's going on this time. There are several large tracts of land in the Baitong River area that are about to be sold. I explored carefully and found that the land is good. Anyway, these few villages There is some surplus in the farm, so why not expand it?"
Minglan thought for a moment and said briefly: "As usual, you write down all the details of how much land you want to buy, the owner of the land, and the price, and then ask someone to send it to me at Black Mountain Villa on the other side of the mountain. I'll check it out and tell you again."
Old Cui Tou immediately responded respectfully.
Seeing his overjoyed look, Minglan laughed in her heart. Probably the biggest hobby of the ancients was buying land.
"... Madam, I don't know that the old lady's village was originally twenty or thirty hectares in size! The whole mountain forest behind it also belongs to us!" Old Cui sighed with tears in his eyes, "If we can restore this place to its original state, The old lady's kindness is not in vain."
Minglan was silent for a while, and then advised in a low voice: "I know you have good intentions, but everything must be done according to reason. If you can buy good land, buy it, but don't use force, so as not to cause trouble."
Old Cui Tou bent down and smiled repeatedly, patting his chest and promising: "Even if I borrow the courage of the two young men, I wouldn't dare! The old lady's rules have never been clearly written in the deed over the years. Don't worry, Madam, I will never do anything.
Not wrong!”
At about 23:00 a.m., Minglan and his party left Xiaoyu Village and headed straight for Heishan Villa, taking a few more people with them. Although it was not very far, the road was not as good as in the city. It was bumpy and bumpy all the way until it got dark.
We arrived when we couldn't see the road clearly.
Xiaotao leaned on the car railing and looked into the distance, only to see the dark gate of the farm in front of her, with a few torches burning. Looking closer, she saw Danju, Quanzhu's wife, and a short, black man standing in front of them.
And stood, followed by a large group of people. ~
When the carriage arrived at the door, the short, dark man immediately knelt down and said loudly: "Little Balaofu, please say hello to Madam. Madam has worked hard on the journey. All the houses inside are ready. Let's go."
Waiting for Madam."
Xiaotao and Luzhi jumped out of the car, stood with hands folded, and winked at Danjue opposite, who nodded slightly.
Duanli's voice came from the carriage: "Steward Ba, please wake up soon. Thank you for your hard work. You are still waiting at the door in the dark. I came at the wrong time."
"What's going on!" Under the light of the torch, Balaofu said with a flattering look on his face, "Madam is a noble lady, so she can take the time to come and visit the village. That's our blessing. We can't wait for it!"
Minglan didn't say much, she just asked: "Is the master here?"
Balaofu stood up and replied: "The master sent someone to deliver the message in the afternoon and said he would arrive later."
"Okay, leave a few people at the door to wait for the master, we will go in first." Minglan was slightly relieved.
Balaofu responded loudly, and immediately opened the front door. The carriage slowly entered the village, followed by maids and servants.
The main room in the village was already brightly lit, and the tables and chairs inside had all been wiped clean, and the utensils were neatly placed in the large room. Minglan nodded slightly, turned around and entered the back room, and found that it had been tidied up. Commonly used
A palace lantern with ramrod horns was placed on the bedside table, and a warm porcelain tea set with sapphire and sunflower petals was placed on the pear wood round table. The fragrance of tea was still coming from the spout. Minglan held her breath and took a sniff. It was exactly what she loved to drink.
Golden Osmanthus Jasmine Tea.
Minglan sat down tiredly on the edge of the kang and laughed: "Our girl Danju is becoming more and more capable. She has been able to clean up so well in just half a day. Well, she has learned a lot and is ready to get married!"
Danju was not shy at all, and went over to untie Minglan with a straight face: "Please save it, you have been so tired all day long that your voice has changed, and you pretend I can't hear you! And this face
The dirt on your hair and your bun are messy. Fortunately, you didn’t get out of the car and let others see it! Wash it first and tell the Quanzhu family to tell it if you have anything to say.”
Qin Sang came in from the inner room and smiled warmly: "The hot water is ready. Madam, go and wash it. Fortunately, I brought two boxes of bath essence, otherwise I might not have enough."
Minglan was so tired that she had no energy at all, so she soaked in the big wooden barrel for a short hour. Danju kept heating the water until her muscles and bones were soft before she came out. She lay on the bed and murmured: "Sure enough,
You are too delicate to bear this little pain."
In the last year of her senior year, there was no running water in the ravine. Yao Yiyi had to go to the well to fetch water by herself. The rough well rope rubbed away scars on the palm of her hand that she used to hold the pen. Then the scars receded and formed a cocoon.
; I walk for five or six hours a day. When I take off my shoes at night, my feet are covered in blood bubbles. I soak them in cold water and it hurts my heart. In the past, the soles of my feet hurt when I wore high heels, but now I hurt my heels and calves when walking in sneakers.
My stomach was trembling like a string. When I was lying on the bed, my legs felt like they were not my own.
The urban girl was so tired that she fell asleep on the pillow, but she felt very at ease. She felt that she had helped people. She dreamed at night and thought, when the next class reunion is held, there will be a bunch of dead girls who can't even tell the difference between green onions and leeks.
Show off in front of you.
She, Yao Yiyi, can even pierce a fence!
But now, although she is surrounded by people and is being served by a lot of people, she no longer has the tired and satisfied joy she once had. Even though she is extremely tired, she is also full of thoughts and uneasiness. Today's court is not
Stable.
Official careers in ancient times were all bloody. She had seen officials who were escorted away from the capital in shackles, officials and their families who were confiscated and their families destroyed, girls in the boudoir who once had tea and laughed with each other, but in the blink of an eye, their father and brother were convicted and punished.
She joined the Jiaofangsi and even became a prostitute.
Every time she thinks of this, Minglan is extremely grateful to Dad Sheng. He has never been greedy for success, never speculated, nor squandered his family fortune. He is an upright official and a smooth man. No matter how many other shortcomings he has,
He always fulfilled the obligations of a traditional man and created a safe and prosperous living environment for his wife, children and children. ~
Speaking of the Sheng family, a few days ago, because the Dragon Boat Festival was approaching, when Minglan sent people to send gifts to her parents' home in advance, Xiao Tao found out that it was to talk about the marriage to Chang Feng. Sheng Hong had recently met with the Wang family.
In the middle of a quarrel.
Although Chang Feng is a concubine, he is good-looking, handsome, elegant, and well-spoken (resembling Sheng Hong in his youth, who fascinated the old lady of the Wang family at a glance). He is very lovable, and he is already a high-ranking official at a young age. His father and brother
Not to mention, most of the sisters' marriages were successful, and it was probably only a matter of time before Sheng Hong was named on the gold list. Therefore, as soon as Sheng Hong spread the word, many people responded.
However, Sheng Hong knew clearly what kind of person his son was, so he proposed that as long as the family background was in the past, the woman's character should be the first consideration, so as to find a daughter-in-law who is upright, capable, virtuous, and virtuous, and it is best to have a bit of sex.
strong.
"Brother Feng has such a temperament that he needs someone to help him get through life!" Sheng Hong said very implicitly, "He can not only hold up the scene for him (to withstand the bullying of his mean mother-in-law), but also suppress him.
It’s all nonsense (don’t let his romantic affairs delay the business)!”
Wang was dumbfounded, this request was too specific; she joked sarcastically: "Why don't you find a mother for Brother Feng!"
"I didn't expect you at all." Sheng Hong said angrily. Even if he dared to trust Wang's heart, he could not trust her vision.
——Minglan buried her face in the bed and laughed muffledly. She could almost imagine this scene.
But Sheng Hong couldn't go to see other people's daughters by himself, so he had to ask the old lady to help. The old lady had recently raised her great-grandson and teased her great-granddaughter. She lived a very harmonious life and didn't want to wade into troubled waters again. Now she is in harmony with Sheng Hong.
Hong is sharpening.
In fact, if Aunt Lin hadn't destroyed the Great Wall, Sheng Hong really loved Mo Lan and Chang Feng very much. As expected, she couldn't covet too much in life... When Dan Ju came in with dinner, she saw Ming Lan holding a baby in her arms.
Ben Zhan had fallen into a deep sleep, so he covered her with the blanket and gently stepped out.
At the end of Xu Shi, Gu Tingye and a group of personal guards galloped over. He saw a row of more than ten men in military uniforms who had just come down from the school parade ground. They were all riding fast horses, tall and burly, with military battle still remaining on their faces.
With the murderous intent in the battle, Balaofu became more honest, even his smiling face froze, he nodded and bowed all the way to welcome Gu Tingye into the manor, and went to the main house.
The servants in the village were busy leading the horses into the trough for the whole team of guards, and the remaining horse guards went to the side room that had been prepared to rest. As they walked, they saw Gongsun Meng and the Tu brothers walking towards them quickly.
"Thank you, brother!" Gongsun Meng shouted loudly. He put his arm around the shoulders of a young man in his twenties and said warmly, "You are here!" Xie Ang turned around and smiled, patting Gongsun Meng with his big hand.
He smiled and said, "Ah Meng!" He glanced at the two people behind him and said loudly, "Brother Tu, Brother Tu!"
Tu Long was a sturdy man in his thirties, with a scar extending diagonally from his forehead to the bridge of his nose. His smile was quite ferocious. He laughed and said, "Don't be happy! Little Ameng is not thinking about you, he is thinking about today."
The scenery on the school field.”
Hearing this, Ah Meng was really unhappy: "My uncle refused to let me go. I thought it was important to protect my wife, but my wife asked me to accompany a few little girls to escort her to the ceremony!"
"You, little one, were born amidst blessings and don't know how blessed they are!" Tu Hu smiled ruthlessly, "Your uncle is thinking about you. You should study hard and practice martial arts. Only then can you seriously take the martial arts exam! It's true that our brothers are as big as watermelons.
If you don’t know a lot of words, there is no hope!”
Although Gongsun Meng was not young, he was actually only fourteen years old. He had a young mind and quickly let go of his worries. He only pestered Xie Ang to ask questions.
"By the way, Brother Xie, it's so late, why do you have to rush back?"
Xie Ang smiled as he walked: "The governor is worried about this place. We don't know the details of this village."
"Stop covering up. With so many brothers protecting you, what's the point of worrying?" Tu Huping lowered his voice and grinned, "I'm afraid I can't bear to leave my wife!"
"How dare you talk nonsense about Mr. Gu." Tu Long immediately glared at his brother and cursed, "Is this still unclear? I asked Madam to sort out the affairs of the house, but I was afraid that Madam was young and lacked power, so I came to support her.
That’s it.”
"Where is the lack of power?!" Gongsun Meng screamed, "My wife is more ruthless than my uncle in teaching me to study, and I can't even say a word."
He recalled that one day, Minglan said with a smile: Pang Juan and Sun Bin were both disciples of Guigu. Pang Juan didn't like studying and ran away to become an official and lead the army. Sun Bin studied hard and worked hard every day.
He killed Pang Juan at once. Ah Meng, do you want to be Pang Juan or Sun Bin?
Ah Meng was stunned and couldn't help but ask: "Is it because Pang Juan couldn't beat Sun Bin because he didn't study hard?"
His old uncle was stroking his fingers and saying with a smile, "Yeah, yeah."
And yesterday, he muttered that he wanted to escort Gu Tingye or Minglan instead of escorting the luggage. Minglan still persuaded with a smile: "Ah Meng, do you think it is the object or the person that is more important?"
"It's the people who matter."
"Then do you think you are better at kung fu or the brothers from the Tu family are better at kung fu?"
"The two brothers from the Tu family are really outstanding."
Then Minglan stopped talking and just looked at herself with the expression of a five-year-old child, shaking her head with pity.
My old uncle continued to stroke his hair and still smiled and said, "Yes, yes."
Every time this happens, Gongsun Meng suddenly feels that he has become ten years younger out of thin air. He becomes depressed for no reason and shrinks to the wall in a daze. He needs to mourn for a long time before he can recover.
"It's better to have a wife!" Tu Hu sighed, "I remember that the house was in a mess at that time. We followed him around and went back to the back of our house in the outer courtyard. There was no one to provide food and clothing. I only knew how to do it.
Giving money will cost us brothers ten and a half days of food and shelter in a kiln..."
"Get the fuck out of here!" Tu Long interrupted displeasedly, "Is it my fault that I didn't marry a wife when you visited the kiln? You are getting more and more unruly when you are young. I will find a matchmaker to marry you when you get back!"
Find a powerful wife to take care of you!"
Tu Hu was in awe of his elder brother and did not dare to reply. He only whispered softly, "We are two eggs laid by the same mother."
…
"How is this going?!"
Minglan was helping Gu Tingye undress when she saw a shocking blood stain on the shoulder and arm of the brocade robe. She was shocked at that time.
Gu Tingye lowered his head and looked down, then recalled it, and said calmly: "Today is the first day, there is nothing important. We all had a few spear fights on a whim... Don't worry, everyone has removed the spear point.
" Seeing Minglan's frightened face, he added the second half.
"You!" Minglan was angry. She was gentle and quickly helped him take off his robe, "Who said you can't kill someone without a spear?!" How do you think the deadly scholar died?
"Huh……?"
The outer robe was taken off, but there was no blood on the snow-white satin lining underneath. Minglan lifted up his collar again and took off the clothes along half of his arms. Only the light was visible on his bare light brown skin.
There are strong muscles in the shoulders and arms, but there is no damage, only a faint bruise on the shoulder.
She didn't understand.
"That's right." Gu Tingye sighed softly, "I'll have to wrap the gun barrel with cloth in the future. I was so excited that I stopped using my strength and almost pierced the little brother's arm."
Minglan was stunned, laughing to herself inwardly. It turned out to be someone else's blood. She said oh, hugged the robe she had changed and handed it to Xiao Tao, then asked again: "Is the injury serious?"
"In the end, I lost some strength. Fortunately, it was just a flesh injury. I specially invited a good doctor from outside to take a look at him."
"That's good." Minglan nodded and came over with a smile to loosen the crown of his hair. "I think that little brother's kung fu is pretty good if he can force you to do your best."
"Well, he is young and promising, and his nature is open-minded. He is a material that can be built."
Gu Tingye was tall and sitting on the edge of the bed, he was only half a head lower than Minglan who was standing. He put his arms around her slender waist, put his cheek against the girl's soft chest, and listened quietly to her heartbeat.
Minglan smiled. In fact, he was only twenty-six years old this year, but he sounded old-fashioned. Just as he was about to make a joke, he saw a flash of silver in his thick black hair. If he looked closely, he saw that there were a few white hairs growing on his temples.
, you can’t see it when you comb your hair.
Somehow, Minglan suddenly softened her heart, lowered her head and kissed his temples softly.
Gu Tingye took advantage of the situation and pulled her to sit on his lap, with his chest against her cheek, and said slowly: "Don't be too cautious about buying land. There are many ways for the powerful in Beijing to make money. Ruolian
I don't dare to buy a few acres of land. I have spent all these years in vain. After you go back, ask Mr. Gongsun to send someone to find Lu Tongpan of Shuntian Prefecture and let him be an official. Just clear the deed and money.
The procedures are complete, so we have nothing to worry about."
"Yeah." Minglan responded softly, "Let's have some more late-night snacks, and I'll prepare a meal for you."
She stood up and was about to leave, but a big hand gently held her ear, and was pulled back to sit on his lap.
"I have something to ask you." I saw a hint of interest on Gu Tingye's lips, "Just now, do you think I was injured?"
Minglan laughed twice and nodded sheepishly.
"There are indeed blood stains on the robe," Gu Tingye frowned, with a subtle smile in his eyes, "but the material is intact and there are no holes. Didn't you notice?"
Minglan was stunned. How big the holes in the clothes would be from the wooden pole without the tip of the gun. She changed his clothes with her own hands, but she didn't notice at all in the process. She was relieved when she saw that his skin and flesh were intact.
"Why didn't you notice?" The man's low and pure voice seemed to be tempting her with some answer. He knew that she was brave and careful, and was not a panicked person.
"Yes, why?" Minglan blinked her big eyes and said in confusion, "I don't know either."
Gu Tingye stopped talking and just stared at her quietly. Minglan tried her best to pretend to be innocent, but under his eyes that were as scorching as the scorching sun, the blush on her cheeks inevitably rose, and she gradually couldn't support her expression.
When the man saw that her cheeks had turned into big red apples, the uncontrollable laughter vibrated from his chest. He hugged the girl's petite body and leaned back, and the two of them rolled onto the bed.
The girl covered her feverish face in annoyance, and was pressed heavily by the man. When she raised her head, she met a pair of deep, dark eyes. He held back his laughter and glared at her hard.
"cheat."
So he said.
Her hair was messy and she was laughing, as happy as a child who had figured out a trick.
The author has something to say:
Okay, that's it.
My eldest uncle passed away. My family is a relatively traditional family with a lot of rules. The whole family has been busy these days, including the cemetery and funerals. There will be a funeral tomorrow.