The four little maids were all under ten years old, two were younger than Minglan, and two were older than Minglan. Their names were: Erya, Zhaodi, Xiaohua and Niuzi. Old Mrs. Sheng smiled and asked Minglan to give them a new one.
When it comes to naming, Minglan has experience, and it was she who named Xiaotao. Let’s just call these four “plum, lychee, loquat, and longan.” Okay, the fruits and vegetables of the same color are so neat.
Just as he was about to speak, Dan Jue beside him coughed slightly and said with a smile: "The two sisters next to the fourth girl are called Lu Zhong and Yunzai. I heard that they came from books. The strange Tao is nice and elegant."
Xiao Tao, standing next to Dan Ju, expressed her depression about her name with her eyes. Mrs. Sheng and Fang's mother also teased Minglan with half-smiling expressions, which made her unhappy. Isn't it Tang Shi? Who wouldn't?
I can?
In great embarrassment, Minglan immediately flipped through the book of poems and found a poem. Gao Chan, okay, is it as good as Li Bai? He is a poet, isn't he? Minglan stood in the middle with great momentum,
Pointing to the little girl: "Your name is Yancao." Pointing to the thin one: "Your name is Bisi." Pointing to the gentle and shy one: "Your name is Qin Sang." The last one called out boldly.
twigs.
Danju was the most considerate and immediately stepped forward to join in the fun: "The girl gave me a good name, it sounds nice and looks good, and the four of them are lovers, Xiaotao and I are red, thank you, girl, for complimenting us two stupid people like this."
.”
After saying that, he also brought Xiao Tao along to give Minglan a blessing. Minglan regained some self-esteem. Xiao Tao was also very happy and joined in cheering: "Yes, sister Danju and I can eat it, but they can't."
Minglan...
Old Mrs. Sheng immediately collapsed on the couch with laughter, happily watching the children playing around. The four girls who had just arrived covered their mouths and laughed softly. Mother Fang sat on the couch with a smile, and thought happily in her heart: Here we are.
Miss Six, this Ji'antang is really good now.
Old Mrs. Sheng is becoming more and more cheerful, perhaps because she feels at ease and her body is getting better. Sheng Hong is very happy and says that it was right to raise a child. The old lady now has the strength to take care of the housework. The personnel in the Sheng Mansion have almost changed.
Bai came back from seeing his relatives. Since Sheng Wei and Chang Wu still had to stay in the capital for business, Chang Bai went home first. There was also a skinny old gentleman on the same boat - Zhuang Ru.
A few years ago, Sheng Hong began to invite Mr. Zhuang to come to his house to teach students. He sent several cars of gifts and Chen Ken wrote more than a dozen letters. However, Mr. Zhuang’s teaching quality was well-known and his students’ success rate was high, which led to business
Very good, I have never been free. A few months ago, Mr. Zhuang passed his 70th birthday. He had too much fun at the banquet and drank two more drinks. Unfortunately, he caught wind and cold and lay in bed for more than a month. The doctor recommended that he go to a place with a humid climate.
The place to cook is good. Jiangnan is too far away, but Dengzhou is just right.
Mr. Zhuang felt the few pounds of old bones left in him and felt that his life was still important, so he accepted Sheng Hong's invitation and came back with Chang Bai who came to the capital. There was also a very energetic wife who came with them.
His daughter was married off to Jinzhong in his early years, and his son was working as a pawnbroker or bookkeeper in a county in the south. Sheng Hong specially set aside a small garden on the west side of the house and renovated it over the past few days for Mr. Zhuang and his wife to live in.
The old couple only had a few servants accompanying them, but there were twenty or thirty luggage boxes and cages, all of which were heavy. After listening to Bagua Xiaotao's report, Minglan sighed: It seems that tutoring was also very profitable in ancient times.
Please invite Mr. Zhuang. Sheng Hong originally wanted to study for his two eldest sons, but after Grandma Kong’s in-depth education, he felt that good teachers should not be wasted, so he respectfully discussed with Mr. Zhuang and added I made a quick move and included the three girls and the youngest brother Dong as auditors.
The day before school started, Sheng Hong and Wang called their children to come and give them instructions, starting with Changbai and Changfeng. As usual, Sheng Hong started with the topic of managing the world and benefiting the people, and ended with "Guangzong Yaozu", interspersed with two sentences about loyalty to the emperor and patriotism. The big boy bowed his head and said yes.
"Mr. Zhuang is very knowledgeable. Although he is a little older, he is famous for his quick thinking. He has been teaching and educating people for more than ten years. He knows the way to prepare for the imperial examination. You must ask for advice and don't slack off! Don't rely on your own acumen. Just because you have fame, you show off your arrogance. If you know this, I will break your bones immediately!"
This was Sheng Hong's concluding remarks, with harsh words of reprimand. According to the theory of Confucianism, a father should not look good on his son. It is best to spank him three times a day. However, this is not true for the daughters who will eventually become family members. Sheng Hong could still be kinder. When Sheng Hong turned to his three daughters, his face looked much better:
"Although girls do not need to learn a lot of knowledge, the most important thing is to be sensible when dealing with people. It is also good to know more principles, so as not to be laughed at in the future if you act like a family. I have made an agreement with Mr. Zhuang. From now on, you will I just go to the private school for three mornings, and I don’t have to go there in the afternoon when I’m talking about stereotyped essays and exam preparation methods.”
When Sheng Hong said these words, Mrs. Wang's face was a little shy. She was illiterate herself, and she didn't know anything about wet or dry things. It was fine when she was newlywed, but as time went by, Sheng Hong couldn't help but feel a little depressed. He boasted that He is romantic and elegant, so when he sighs at the moon, "The moon waxes and wanes," even if he doesn't expect his wife to immediately respond, "People have joys and sorrows," she still hopes that she will understand that her husband is lamenting the impermanence of the world, not that something is wrong. What are you talking about? 'Today is not the 15th day of the month, of course the moon will not be round'!
After a long time, Wang naturally knew that she was a bad person in this regard, so she later actively advocated for her daughter to study. Hua Lan was okay, but Ru Lan was completely like her temperament. She was quite clever in other aspects, but she only hated books. Ri □ Zhu Fang has learned a few words, but he is no match for Mo Lan, who recites poems and composes poems all day long. Thinking of this, Wang's expression narrowed and he said:
"Your father is right. He is not asking you to learn poetry, poetry and other frivolous things, but to learn some principles to be serious. In the future, you will be able to manage the house with dignity!" Mo Lan lowered his head, and Ru Lan breathed a sigh of relief. .
Sheng Hongjue's Wang family didn't say anything wrong, so he didn't say anything. Suddenly he remembered something and said: "In the future, when you go to school, you three should not wear those big gold locks." He turned to Wang family and said, "They are such scholars. I have always thought that gold and silver are the treasures of Ah Du, and the three pairs of gold locks given by my eldest brother are particularly shining and shining. It is fine when I go out to meet guests, and I can't help but show off when I meet my husband."
Mrs. Wang nodded and said: "Then I won't wear them." After thinking about it, she said to the girls: "You three sisters are meeting people together. It's not easy to dress up separately. Didn't the old lady wear three pairs of gold necklaces the day before yesterday? ?You put up your own jade locks, and you all said that jade is a gentleman in stone, and Mr. Zhuang will definitely like it."
Sheng Hong was very satisfied: "Madam is right, this is good;...but, will there be jade tomorrow?" He looked at Minglan with a somewhat apologetic look.
Mrs. Wang smiled and said: "My little girl's life with me is short, and I have neglected it. The old lady was so considerate that she dug out a piece of fine jade from her house and sent it to Cuibaozhai to ask the master to carve it by hand." "It looks great to me. The jade color is warm and moist, the texture is moist, and the workmanship is fine and beautiful. It looks better than those made by four or five girls. After all, I am an old lady, and what I scoop out is just average!"
Minglan lowered her head and sighed to herself: Woman, woman, if you don't hide some secrets in your words, will you die?
The mystery was not hidden deep and everyone understood it. The boys were okay. Ru Lan immediately shot two probing eyes. Mo Lan, who had his head lowered, also looked up at her. Sheng Hong knew what Wang meant, but he didn't She said with an animated look: "You are my aunt, you should worry more about the girls. Now you have to ask the old lady to make up for your negligence. It's really wrong." Seeing Wang biting her lips and looking dissatisfied, Sheng Hong added He finished: "It doesn't matter, since the girl is raised by the old lady anyway, she will have to work more."
The couple glanced back and forth for a while, then calmed down.
Minglan silently added to them——
Sheng Hong's subtext is: As the first wife, all the children are yours to take care of. Is it reasonable for you to favor one over the other?
Wang's inner thoughts are: Your baby didn't come from my belly, and you didn't raise it with me since childhood. Why do you want me to spend money and trouble? If you don't suffer for them, you are my holy mother; but you Mom can't help but imitate the same behavior.
Sheng Hong's closing statement: Forget it, you don't want to raise the child, just find its own mother. Minglan's biological mother is dead, so she can rely on her grandmother. Don't talk nonsense.
Finally, Sheng Hong said a few more words to Changdong. The child was only four or five years old. His biological mother, Aunt Xiang, was originally Wang's maid, and she still lives in the main house to make a living. The son is considered to be raised by his wife. This little boy Since they were always timid and timid, and they were neither legitimate nor favored, the Wang family did not bother mother and son, but just ignored them.
When she went out, Minglan saw Aunt Xiang waiting at the door of the room. She lowered her eyebrows and was respectful and low-key. When she saw Changdong coming out, she greeted him happily and gently led the little boy away. Minglan suddenly felt: Compared with the dead Aunt Wei, she is quite lucky.
…
After Hualan got married, Rulan moved into Wei Ruixuan. After Sheng Hong finished his lecture, Rulan returned to the boudoir with a sullen face, kicked over a marble-topped ebony Ruyi round mound, threw herself on the bed, and tore it apart with all her strength. There was a pillow covered with brocade satin. When Mrs. Wang came in from behind, she saw this scene and cursed: "Damn girl, why are you so crazy?!"
Ru Lan burst into tears and said loudly: "It's okay if the fourth sister snatched my jade lock. That's because Aunt Lin has the ability. Why is that little girl Minglan getting ahead of me? I'm not as good as a little woman." Raised!"
Mrs. Wang grabbed her daughter's arm, pulled her to sit on the edge of the bed, nodded her forehead and cursed: "Didn't your father make up another jade lock later? The jade color is only better than Mo Lan's, you don't Contentment! The one at Minglan was given to you by the old lady. If you don’t want to go to Ji’antang yourself, who’s to blame?”
Rulan said bitterly: "I am a direct descendant. No matter whether I go to please my grandmother or not, she regards me as the most important. Now I just taught Minglan to coax me for a few days, but I can't tell the difference between direct descendants and concubines, and she still treats me all day long." You talk about rules and etiquette, don’t laugh to death! A little girl who is a concubine is just a stutterer, and she is treated as a rich lady! I heard people say that in the outside world, the daughters of concubines are treated as maids, and they can be sold as they please. Fight, how can there be such an offering!"
Mrs. Wang was extremely angry. The lady from Liu Kun's family next to her smiled and handed over a cup of tea. While sending away a bunch of little girls, she cleaned up the mess on the floor and said, "Girl is young. I don't know. Only those merchants and farmers who don't know etiquette can do this."
Don't treat the daughter of a concubine as a human being. The more noble a family is, the more they treat the girl like a family member! You must know that the girl is a spoiled guest, and there is always uncertainty about her future marriage. When the wife was in her natal family, she had two distant wives.
Cousin, one is a concubine, and the other is a concubine. In that family, it is usually a young lady. When it comes to marriage, the concubine is married to a rich family, and the concubine is married to a poor scholar. But something unexpected happens, who knows that the high family
The big family later declined, but the poor scholar had a prosperous official career and a prosperous family business. The common man was also kind. Remembering his original affection, he always helped his mother's family and his sister's family. Later,
Even the eldest sister’s children were taken care of by her when they got married and got married.”
Rulan listened angrily and sneered: "Mama Liu, are you cursing me to be like that sister?"
Wang slapped Ru Lan on the back and scolded: "You heartless thing, Mother Liu is one of our own, and what she said was all thoughtful words. Mother Liu said that the bigger the family, the less allowed
People gossip, and girls are treated normally when they are not married; but you, who are always competing to be the best, are incompetent, and cannot please the old lady. If you can't imitate your elder sister, it's fine.
Learn from Minglan!"
Ru Lan was silent and thought of something, and said: "Didn't my mother say that the old lady had nothing to fawn over? Why is she now both gold and jade? She is so generous."
Mrs. Wang was also depressed: "There are three pounds of nails in a broken ship. I was confused. I thought she still had some coffins."
After thinking about it, he persuaded his daughter earnestly, saying: "You are too intolerant of a child. You can't tolerate your sixth sister who never quarrels with you. You don't have any skills. I'm afraid you will have to do it in the future."
You will suffer a lot. But in the final analysis, why do you have to fight with them? Just like your eldest sister, where is your identity? You will definitely marry better than them in the future and live a more comfortable life than them. What is the fuss about now? There is no need to offend your father.
If you don’t like it, even if you’re pretending, just pretend to be like sisters!”
Ru Lan seemed a little persuaded and nodded with difficulty.