No matter how noble the Gu family is, dying in the first month is always a depressing event. Therefore, everyone advised the fifth old man to wait until the first month before the funeral. Anyway, it is freezing now and dripping water turns to ice, so there is no fear of the corpse energy dissipating. [Ye*] [*] But
The fifth old man insisted on settling the matter as soon as possible and asked Ci Tingdi to hurry up and make everything simple. The funeral would be held in ten days.
The mourning hall was deserted. Only the clan members and one or two families with whom they had always been friends came to pay their respects. After sitting for a while, they left. Except for the fourth old man who was unwell and did not come, the fourth old lady had to stay and serve. The rest
All the people in the third room were sitting with me.
The fifth old lady cried so hard that she almost fainted. She jumped up and cursed Tingdi and his wife, pointing out that they were unfilial. Tingyang was in trouble all the time during his lifetime, and he was not well taken care of after his death, which made him feel uneasy when he left.
Mr. and Mrs. Tingdi blushed when they were scolded. Mrs. Di Er was used to her mother-in-law's unreasonable troubles, but she could tolerate it. However, Mr. Di Er was indignant and was scolded so hard that he knelt down in front of the fifth old lady with a pop.
The neck is so swollen.
"...Mom doesn't know how expensive firewood and rice are when you are not a householder. My eldest brother can pay for my father, my mother, all the aunts, and us housekeepers! Is he studying and taking exams, or is he doing business to make money?! There is an old man in the family!
A small family of more than a dozen people, see doctors and medicines, eat and dress... all the people who want to build a farm are here. Sister Ting Ling and her eldest nephew (Gu Tingyang's concubine) are already discussing marriage. Where are the dowry and betrothal gifts? Where are the remaining few?
The small ones look like they are getting bigger, and none of these are free of charge!"
The more Ting Di talked about it, the angrier he became. Normally, the fifth old lady always had a preference for the elder. When they lived together in the Hou Mansion, everything was taken care of by the elder. He didn't bother to care about it. Now that the mansion is divided, even a single thread has to be paid for by himself.
How could he not be angry?
"My eldest brother spends all his time playing games, visiting kilns, and spending a lot of money outside. Up to now, the debts he owes outside have not been paid off. Could it be that our whole family goes to drink the northwest wind and just stick to the eldest brother and have fun alone?
?!" Ting Di kowtowed several times and banged her forehead on the green brick, "If mother still feels that my son is not good, then ask the family to beat him to death!"
The conversation was so urgent and fast that the fifth old lady was stunned. She looked at it tremblingly and was speechless for a long time. The lady sat on the table and slowly stirred the tea leaves with the lid of the bowl.
, remained calm, and everyone around looked at each other in confusion. Some didn't want to take care of it, and some couldn't. Finally, the good old man Gu Tingxuan went over and pulled Ting Di up and said a few words to smooth things over.
The fifth old lady was still angry. When she thought of the tragic death of her beloved, tears rolled down her cheeks. She neither dared to blame her husband nor could she scold her again, so she could only find someone else to vent her anger on. She got up and rushed to her eldest daughter-in-law, crying.
He scolded: "It's all because of you, you loser! My son is doing well, but you are useless. You can't win over a man, so he has no choice but to go outside and cause trouble! I shouldn't have welcomed you in in the first place..."
Mrs. Yang's whole body was covered with cloth, and she became more and more sallow and skinny. Her wrinkled cheeks looked like withered bodies. No matter how much her mother-in-law insulted her, she just lowered her head numbly and refrained from making a sound. Kneeling in the middle of the mourning hall was her mother-in-law.
Gu Shixun, a teenage boy wearing sackcloth and mourning, lowered his eyelids and said nothing.
Mrs. Xuan came close to Minglan's ear and whispered softly: "If you ask me, brother Xun is better off not having this father! If he is named on the gold medal list in the future, having such a father who spends all day and night outside is embarrassing, tsk tsk...
…You say that’s not true?”
Minglan already disliked Tingyang as a person, so she felt the same after hearing this, and nodded without thinking. Then she remembered that this was his funeral, and quickly shook her head. Mrs. Xuan couldn't help laughing, lowered her head to cover the corners of her mouth, "My silly sister
Yo."
The fifth old lady cried and cursed at the top of her lungs, and kept pushing and twisting the eldest lady. Seeing the commotion, all the female relatives couldn't sit still, and thought about trying to persuade them. At this time, they sat still like a wooden statue.
The fifth old lady seemed to have woken up from a dream. He suddenly stood up and walked over, grabbed the fifth old lady and slapped her in the face.
The loud clapping sound was like a muffled thunder in the mourning hall, and everyone in the venue was stunned.
"You have the nerve to cry after raising such a bad character that is worse than a beast?!" The fifth old man seemed to have changed. He no longer had his usual elegant demeanor. His eyes were red, his body was stooped, and he squeezed out the words coldly between his teeth.
Come on, "I'll divorce you!"
The fifth old lady was staggered, but thanks to the support of her daughter-in-law beside her, she was so frightened that she forgot to cry and froze on the spot. (·~) The wife was the first to stop and shouted: "Daughter-in-law Di, I'm still not helping you.
Mother-in-law, go back and rest!"
Only then did Mrs. Di Er react and quickly pulled Mrs. Fifth out with some help. Mr. Di Er also quickly helped his father sit down. Mrs. Di just said: "Uncle Wu, I'm not talking about you as a sister-in-law.
We don’t want to beat and scold our wives. Now that our children are so old, where can you tell your younger siblings to put their faces..."
The fifth old man interrupted solemnly: "Brothers can take care of their own affairs. Now that we have separated, my sister-in-law should not worry about all these things."
The madam's expression changed instantly, and she sneered: "It's true that I'm too busy. If I wasn't afraid of making your brother angry, I wouldn't bother to stop them one by one." This was a pun, and a flash of pain flashed across the face of the fifth old lady.
He said hoarsely: "Thank you, sister-in-law."
Everyone can tell that these words are not literal.
Mrs. Xuan didn't know what she thought of, and her expression was not very good. She took Minglan to the corner and whispered: "...I can't blame Uncle Wu for being angry. It's obviously a big scar. If the pus and blood are squeezed out, it may be cured. I don't know if it's covered up.
Tucked in, it rotted into the bones day by day, and it became irreversible. Alas, my second uncle also refused to change his nature, so he got into trouble again."
Minglan hurriedly asked what was going on, and Mrs. Xuan said: "The letters that have just arrived in the past few days have all been exiled to far away places, and there are people waiting on them, so they are still restless. Seeing that the border trade is booming, he actually wants to do business. I don't know.
There was a dispute and someone was killed."
"Why don't I know this at all?" Minglan was stunned.
Mrs. Xuan quickly said: "Brother Xuan of yours also hesitated for two days before telling Mr. Hou. This person who is so far away has actually been convicted over there. For the sake of the Hou Mansion, it's just someone else, but...
It’s going to take a few more years.”
Minglan was quiet for a moment and said, "I'm sorry for Sister-in-law Bing. I'm afraid the family reunion will be delayed again."
"Who says it's not the case? She has been crying non-stop these past few days, and her father has also become ill." Mrs. Xuan sighed. In fact, deep down in her heart, she wished that Ting Bing would come back later, and she had a vague thought of being unfilial.
It would be best to wait until the Fourth Old Master passes away before calling Ting Bing back. The eldest brother can control his younger brother, but he can't resist being instigated by his confused old father. This is the only thing that no one can say.
Mrs. Xuan glanced at the concubine in the hall and lowered her voice: "If someone hadn't been 'kindly' doing this for many years, my second brother might not be so ignorant and dishonest even though he was guilty. Alas, that's all, just eat more
A few years of sin are already good."
Minglan comforted her a few words, thinking that the two cases were different. Tingyang got into trouble because he hid it from the fifth old master; while Ting Bing got into trouble because the fourth old master took the initiative to ask the wife for help.
At this time, the fuss ended unhappily, and the wife led her daughter-in-law to leave early. In the next few days, she excused herself because she felt unwell and refused to come back. Ting Wei was not aware of the embarrassment, and still smiled brightly, and took Ting Di and his wife to the hall.
The elder brother and the cousin-in-law said, "If you need help, you must ask for help." But Tingxuan was restless. Both sides kept saying good things, hoping that the whole family would be harmonious.
Gu Tingye looked on coldly and didn't say a word, but he came every day. He sat there for a short while and then took Minglan away.
The first lunar month came out a few days after the funeral. After Yu Mansion celebrated the New Year's Day for family reunion, Elder Yu Ge immediately sent his two pairs of daughters-in-law (bringing red silk ribbons) back to their hometown in Dengzhou, while he and his wife went to work in other places with their elders.
Before leaving, Mrs. Yu Si came to see Minglan again and chatted about some trivial matters. In just a few months, Mr. Yu Ge quickly found a foreign appointment for the chief by relying on his old connections and kindness.
After settling the dispute with the natal family of the former Mrs. Yu, we quickly found a candidate for the next Mrs. Yu.
Minglan admired him very much. Mr. Yu Ge was as agile as before.
"She is the niece of Chief Hong of Qin Tian Jian." The fourth wife narrated very calmly, "...she became a widow just after she got married. Her husband's family couldn't accommodate her, so she had to return to her parents' home. She was a long-term lover, and she stayed with her all her life.
I refused to remarry for seven or eight years. When I saw that my old father was getting worse, I relaxed. ~My father said that the most important thing is to marry a virtuous wife and good moral character."
At this age, he is only an eighth-level registrar, and his official career may not be very smooth. However, the Hong family in Yuzhou is a well-known family, and the two families are well matched. The Yu family is not a glorious thing to divorce their wives and remarry, so they plan to go to other places to do it.
The marriage is about to happen; and since Miss Hong has been able to withstand her family's efforts to persuade her to get married for seven or eight years, she must have had a very determined idea, and it is just right to control the unruly Mr. Yu.
Minglan couldn't help but secretly envy this kind of man who could guide the country and the country when he went to court, and could take care of trivial matters when he returned home. He was omnipotent and affectionate. Where did he find this kind of man? Mrs. Yu had accumulated the character of several generations.
ah.
The ice and snow have melted away, the spring is getting better, the moist branches are blooming with early spring flower buds, and Minglan suddenly welcomes invitations like snowflakes. Some are enjoying spring plum blossoms, some are celebrating birthdays and listening to operas, some are having full-moon wine and first-year banquets, zero
Scattered, there were even some poetry clubs - of course she was grateful for this. Minglan calculated with a pen, if she went everywhere, probably the top courtesan would not be as busy as her.
Making friends with housewives is also a science. You need guidance on which ones you should reject, which ones you should reject, and how to deal with them.
Gu Tingye touched Minglan's face lovingly: "If you like it, go." This is the nonsense of a man who doesn't understand the inner world.
Mrs. Sheng frowned and said coldly: "If you don't like it, don't even go!" This is her personal experience of being a widow for half her life and despising human kindness.
Shaw's professional field is how to care for people who are bedridden for a long time, but he has no idea about other things.
It was difficult for Wang to ask, as Hualan's social circle was different. Minglan sighed and had to find another helper, so she carried a big bag and a small bag and went to visit Xiao Shen and her sister-in-law, Piece.
The latter is the point.
Little Shen was in a panic when she saw Minglan's mother coming to visit. She was naturally happy. Seeing that Minglan was wondering why her popularity suddenly became so much better, she said without covering her face: "You are stupid. At that time, you
What's the situation like at home? I just want to invite you, but it's not easy to leave your wife behind; I'm here to invite your wife, but you don't want to go. It's so easy for you two to go together, either your wife is acting alone, or
You have a wooden look on your face, and you are guarded like barbs all over your body, as if there is a trap ahead for you to step on. What master would be happy to do that?"
Minglan suddenly understood, and in order to thank Xiao Shen for clearing up her doubts, she put her chubby baby on the kang and rolled it around. She said generously, "Play with me as you like," and then ran to ask Mrs. Zheng for advice. Mrs. Zheng always
Although Ri is not very talkative, he has been in this powerful circle for more than ten years and speaks in an orderly and orderly way, which is beyond the reach of Xiao Shen's Bagua skills.
Which families have an upright family tradition and are worth making friends with; which families are well-educated and should not be neglected; which families are embroidered pillows and have a lot of troubles, so you only need to deal with them a few times; and which families have feuds within their families, you should be careful about.
Taboo... So, Minglan just wished she didn't have four ears, and was too embarrassed to take out her notebook to write.
After some comparison and calculation, Minglan only chose a few families to go to. The remaining families only gave detailed instructions on giving gifts and asked the steward to be polite. My family has been busy recently. I hope you can forgive me for the death of a cousin and the death of a cousin.
The sentence was extended, and the two cousins-in-law were crying, sick, and in a mess. This was a good excuse.
Mrs. Gu Hou, who was only 18 years old, walked slowly and unhurriedly to the crowd, which made the eyes of all the noble family members shine. She was as delicate and clear as a magnolia, and she turned out to be a rare beauty. Everyone thought about what was said about Gu Hou in the outside world.
The rumors about the couple are quite reasonable.
Sometimes Gu Tingye would accompany her to a banquet. If it was just a gathering of women's families, he would come to pick her up whenever he had time. Minglan jumped on the carriage, and the first thing he asked was mostly: "Is anyone bullying you?"
Minglan smiled and said: "My husband is so famous, who can be bold enough to be ambitious?"
It is worth mentioning that the British Duke-in-law, no matter where she is or who she is, whenever she is there, she will always take Minglan to chat and laugh with her, and will take her to meet people everywhere in a considerate and warm manner, taking great care of her. The Duke-in-law's farewell
Minglan didn't dare not understand the meaningful look in her eyes. She didn't delay it anymore and went to visit Mrs. Zhang, the uncle's wife, who was raising a baby at home the next day.
When I saw this, I was shocked.
Mrs. Zhang held her huge belly and struggled to get up to greet the guests. Minglan looked at Mrs. Zhang with fear and trembling. A pregnant woman who was not far away from giving birth was actually skinny and skinny! She wanted to give some advice, but she didn't know where to start.
Speaking of which, as soon as he said a few words "take care of the children", Mr. Zhang avoided the topic.
"These two plum trees have a stubborn temper. They are well fed with water and fertilizer, but they don't bloom. Years ago, the gardener got annoyed and ignored them. Now they bloom on their own. Look, they are so beautiful, like the western mountains.
The clouds on the edge of the Changchun cliff are covered with a layer of mist, which is so beautiful that it makes my heart ache, as if if you blink, it will disappear."
Mrs. Zhang turned her face slightly, with her neck bent and looking out the window. Her complexion was yellow and had many spots. Her fragile and thin skin covered her protruding cheekbones, and two lumps appeared on her cheeks as if she was drunk.
Normal flushing.
With these vague words, Minglan wanted to bring her sister-in-law Tingcan over and ask her to see what is the arrogance of a young lady and what is the arrogance of a talented woman. Mrs. Zhang seemed to not care about anything and only cared about herself.
sick and weak.
Minglan was silent for a while. The two of them were not very familiar with each other, and the other party deliberately avoided them, so it was even more difficult for them to start talking.
"After all, people are neither flowers nor mist. They have parents and children, and they have innocent children. How can they be like flower dew or morning mist? It's gone without any worries. My sister is a smart person. She doesn't think about it at all, but she also thinks about it.
My parents raised me with love." Minglan held Ms. Zhang's hand and spoke sincerely. Ms. Zhang couldn't help but move slightly and whispered: "I just remember the kindness of my parents in raising me, so..."
Before he finished speaking, a high-pitched scream sounded outside the house.
——"You slaves, why didn't you tell me that Madam Gu Hou is here?"
Hearing this voice, Mrs. Zhang's expression slowly turned cold again, she broke away from Minglan's hand and leaned back against the pillow.
The person who came in was a petite and exquisite girl with overly colorful makeup and a sweet smile. Minglan had seen little Zou several times, and every time she was dazzled by the splendor of her body. Dressed like a mature and beautiful woman,
In fact, she is only seventeen or eighteen years old.
Mrs. Zhang said calmly: "I told you earlier that you should not come to my courtyard."
Little Zou immediately burst into tears and said, "I really don't know what I did wrong to make my sister hate me so much. I should serve my sister as I should, so how could I not come?" Wiping the corners of her eyes, she turned towards Minglan again,
Chu Chu smiled with tears in her eyes, "It's a joke to Sister Sheng."
Faced with this scene, Minglan didn't know how others were doing it, but with Aunt Lin's pearls in front of her, little Zou's pretentiousness was really not enough to watch. Minglan smiled and said, "I was just planning to leave."
Little Zou quickly said: "Sister, she is heavy and can't bear the fatigue. Why don't you, Sister Sheng, come and sit with me?"
Minglan could clearly see the sarcasm in Zhang's eyes - Mrs. Gu Hou, a dignified and high-ranking lady, went to a concubine's room to have tea and talk. If this matter spread, Minglan would not have to go out in the future.
"I just dropped by. I have something to do at home." Minglan politely refused. Little Zou had no choice but to insist on sending Minglan out. As the two of them walked, she kept talking, chattering all by herself.
She boasted about how well Uncle Shen Guo treated her, and then suddenly hinted whether Minglan looked down on her and why she refused to sit in her room.
Minglan suddenly stood up and looked at little Zou firmly: "When I was a child, my husband once told me a story. I wonder if my sister would like to hear it?" Little Zou was stunned: "...
…Sister, please tell me.”
"A long, long time ago, there were two virtuous princesses who were betrothed to the princes-in-law of two brothers from aristocratic families. However, the two princes-in-law did not like the princess and only favored the concubine. Because the princess was kind, she concealed the neglect of the prince-in-law at every turn.
Over the past few years, one of the concubines became more and more arrogant and arrogant, dominating the concubine and not allowing him to leave. The princess tried to summon the concubine, but she would play all sorts of tricks to the death. With the connivance of the concubine, the concubine became arrogant and proud, and the princess
But she was lonely and sickly. The other concubine was just the opposite. No matter how much the concubine loved her, she never dared to take a step beyond her. She served the princess submissively and often persuaded the concubine to see the princess. The two concubines sometimes met, and the one in front was very beautiful.
They cheered in front and supported each other, and laughed at the stupid one behind them."
Little Zou was stunned when she heard this. Minglan took a breath and continued to narrate: "Later, the princess in front was so sad that she died in depression. When the princess's wet nurse entered the palace to thank her, she vomited all the reasons. The emperor
After some interrogation, he was so furious that he excommunicated the consort and sent him into exile for three thousand miles with no chance of return for the rest of his life. But the concubine..."
Minglan looked at little Zou's slightly pale face and said, "She was cut into pieces with a thousand cuts and executed by Ling Chi. All the children she gave birth to were also demoted to palace slaves and allowed to be trampled on and humiliated by others."
"Then, who else is there?" Minglan's story-telling skills were good, and little Zou couldn't help but ask.
"The other one was blessed. The princess felt that she was kind-hearted and amiable. Although she was not on good terms with her consort, she treated her like a sister and all her children as relatives. Later, when her son became successful in studying, the princess went to ask for the emperor's favor in person.
Yin. Later, both the princess and the consort passed away, and the children were extremely filial to their biological mother. The concubine enjoyed all the blessings in the world and lived to be more than eighty years old before she died."
After telling the story, little Zou bit her lip: "Although her Zhang family is famous, she is not a princess. Besides, there is a queen and sister Qingping (little Shen), I am not afraid..."
Minglan sighed: "Every time Qingping talks about your sister to me, she always bursts into tears and chokes up and can't speak. That's why I have to say these words today. Now, I only hope that Zhang's sister can give birth to the baby smoothly, otherwise
, if the Zhang family has to explain, who will do this to vent their anger?... It won't be Uncle Guo." Let alone the Queen and Xiao Shen.
Little Zou's face turned a few times, and she sneered a few times: "It seems that my sister is on the other side of the Zhang family. The British government is very powerful, and no one is afraid of it. But I am not that lowly concubine.
I have a duty to let others rub me!"
Minglan looked at her quietly for a while and then said: "Qingping said, your health has not been good, you should take care of yourself early, otherwise, if you fall ill for a long time, it will be difficult to cure. Also, don't rub it
Having so many fans is not good for you."
Little Zou stood there stunned, his lips moved a few times, but in the end he said nothing.
After leaving the uncle's house, she met Gu Tingye who came to pick her up halfway. The couple were sitting in a carriage. Minglan said first, "No one will bully me. Don't worry, Lord Marquis."
Seeing her gloomy look, Gu Tingye frowned slightly and said, "What's wrong?"
Although the fate of the two concubines was very different, on the other hand, it can't be said that the concubine in the front was sincere in treating her husband-in-law and did not allow others to take away any of it, but the concubine in the back was just pretending. For her own safety, she would rather call him
The one you love goes to get close to the princess.
Stupidity and cleverness, sincerity and hypocrisy, sometimes, it is really difficult to distinguish.
Minglan was silent for a while and then said: "It's nothing."
After thinking for a while, I made up another sentence, "My uncle, Mrs. Guo, is not very well, so I am a little worried."
Gu Tingye stared at her, deeply and for a long time, as if he wanted to look deep into her heart and explore something.
They were very happy, very happy, talked about everything, and had the same temperament. This was all true; but there was still a layer of silence between them, a small, secret forbidden area, hidden in his beloved daughter's body.
Bottom of my heart.
The author has something to say:
In the next chapter, two more half lunch boxes will be distributed.
Don't be too verbose, it's just a matter of daily routine.
In addition, I was just watching the excitement, not taking any side at all. Hehe was giggling. He was inexplicably called an Internet mob and a beast. He was so angry that he didn't know how to retaliate. Fortunately, there were experts who spoke up and spoke out. The following two posts are very touching.