It's early spring in February, and an inexplicable late-spring cold has hit. The dense cold air is like a glass cover covering the sky over the capital. The sun is still shining brightly, but the chill is still seeping up from the soles of the feet.?ranwe?n?.
?r?a?n?w?ena` Grandma He stood at the door and looked at the sky, stamped her feet to shake off the cold, and told her mother-in-law to burn the ground dragon quickly, "Brothers and sisters, we will burn two more smokers in the house.
The girls are all watching, be careful if you catch a cold." After thinking about it, he added another instruction, "It's the same over there, don't let the cold catch you and make you sick again."
The old lady agreed with a smile, and praised the mistress's kindness a few more times. Just as she went down, a daughter-in-law dressed in a tighter outfit than a Jia rushed to the corridor happily, smiled and said back into the house: "Go back to grandma, from the stable."
Uncle An came back early and said that he has arrived at the gate of the city and is just waiting to unload a few carts of medicine into the shop before returning."
Grandma He's face showed joy: "I went back quickly after traveling this time. Go and tell my brothers and sisters that daddy is coming back. Quickly take out the calligraphy and painting that I practiced in the past and let the master see it and be happy."
"
The daughter-in-law was very smart and responded with a smile.
The man who had traveled far away was about to come back, so Grandma He was busy for a while. She first prepared several large buckets of hot water, medicinal herbs to relieve fatigue for bathing, clean underwear and robes, and heated the kang bed, thinking about this moment.
He must have not had lunch yet, so he asked the kitchen to prepare some dishes that men like to eat. When the children arrived, he asked them to wait on the kang in the back room...
After working together for a long time, it was already evening, and a sweaty old lady rushed out the door. Her face was angry and contemptuous, and she said: "Grandma, the master is back, but the non-stop trouble has started again!
I asked a little girl to block the door. As soon as she saw the master, she cried and howled to come and see, saying that Aunt Cao was about to die of illness!"
This was not the first time this kind of trick had been played over there. Grandma He didn't bother to pay attention to it, and her husband didn't want to see him anyway. But now she saw a pair of children eagerly waiting for their father to come back, and she couldn't help but feel angry in her heart.
Grandma He's natal family is from the military. She has been exposed to the influence of her father and brother since she was a child, and she has developed a temper as fierce as a sword. Without saying a word, she turned around and strode out the door. When she stepped out of the threshold, she shook her head vigorously.
The thick quilted brocade curtain was thrown on the door frame with a deep 'bang'.
He's house was small and exquisite, and we were only halfway inside. In just a few steps, Grandma He walked to the small courtyard in the west wing. Without waiting for the maid in the courtyard to report, she strode into the house and just opened the curtain of the back room.
Halfway through, I saw a woman dressed in plain clothes leaning on the bed, her chest half-open, revealing her semi-circular pink breasts, lined with a gleaming red bellyband.
Aunt Cao described Chu Chu, with messy temples. She stroked her breasts with one hand and held the man beside the bed tightly with the other hand. She said sadly: "Cousin, cousin, you are so cruel. You haven't come to see me these days."
One glance..."
The man was travel-stained and his voice sounded tired: "I went out to do some shopping, how could I come to see you?"
Aunt Cao stared at the man with tearful eyes, and her voice became softer and softer: "Before, if I hadn't been so shameless, my cousin wouldn't even want to look at me! Even if I died, no one would know.
!”
The man put his hand on her pulse and said absently: "There is nothing wrong with you. You are a little depressed. Just prescribe some medicine to relieve your pain." He has heard so many things about death over the years that he has become numb.
Aunt Cao secretly resented that it would be fine if he was just an ordinary man, but he was a first-class doctor. She couldn't pretend to be sick even if she wanted to. Seeing that the man was about to get up and leave, she quickly grabbed the man's sleeve and cried: "Excuse me."
Brother, have mercy on me!"
Then half of her body hung on the man's body, Qi Qi tactfully said: "...Since my aunt passed away years ago, my cousin doesn't like to see me anymore. I know I'm wrong. I've been a drag on my cousin over the years. I either take medicine or take supplements.
, I have already disliked me when I think about it. But I can’t stop feeling this way. I only hope to be with my cousin for a long time, and my sister doesn’t allow me to step into her place..."
Grandma He couldn't listen any more, so she pulled the curtain with force, rushed in, dragged Aunt Cao away from the man, slapped her to the ground, and cursed: "Bitch! Do you want to show your face? With your clothes open.
, with your breasts exposed, and your mother-in-law passed away only a few months ago?! My husband is still keeping his filial piety, and you just come to seduce men like this! The famine is so severe, I will go outside to find some strong men with long hands and big feet.
Han Lai, let me remove the fire for you! Why bother your husband and be unfilial!"
Aunt Cao has always been afraid of this powerful mistress, especially after her aunt's death. She has experienced the misfortune of the mistress's mother. Her face turned red, and she lay on the ground crying: "...what did grandma say...
Why does it sound so ugly! I...I can’t live anymore..."
Grandma He didn't have the slightest pity for her, so she immediately spat on her and said scornfully: "It would be better if you died as soon as possible! I'm afraid that if you don't want to die, you will be looking for opportunities to harm others! My mother-in-law treats you so kindly, but
You are so shameless, what did you do while your mother-in-law was seriously ill?! You still had the nerve to lick your face and cry! You actually drugged your husband and asked an unclean little girl to crawl onto the kang, trying to get a bastard out of you.
You have come into the house and caused trouble! My mother-in-law could have delayed it for half a year, but she made you so angry that she was gone even after a year!"
Aunt Cao covered her face and just kept crying: "If grandma hates me, I will obey even if she beats or scolds me, just don't accuse me wrongly! I also think about the He family. My cousin only has one daughter so far, so why don't we accept more concubines?"
, Spread the branches and leaves! I am useless myself, so I look for someone who is good at raising children. Who knows that girl has ulterior motives, and I don’t know either..."
Grandma He was so angry that she kicked Mrs. Cao half over and cursed: "Bah, who are you trying to coax? If my mother-in-law hadn't been on guard in advance, I would have let you succeed. Just for this, I
Even if you were chopped up alive, no one would stand up for you! A dirty thing like you would be dirty even if you step on my land!"
Ms. Cao was pinched so hard by her mistress that she wanted to throw herself at the man's feet, but was kicked over by Grandma He again. Ms. Cao rolled on the ground and cried, "Cousin, just watch me get beaten like this."
Cursing?"
The man stood by the door, his expression still calm, as if the scuffle between the two women in front of him had nothing to do with him, "She is the mistress, and you are the concubine. She wants to teach you, so just bear with it."
.......I'm tired, so I'm going back first."
After saying that, he turned around and left the house.
Grandma He was so proud that she loudly called her mother-in-law and the maids outside to come in. Seeing that no one could help her, Mrs. Cao panicked for a moment. She knelt beside her mistress and was about to beg, but she saw the two women crossing their arms.
A little maid came in with her face swollen and bleeding from the palm to her cheeks. She lost her voice and said, "Qiu'er, why did they beat you like this?!"
This is the only confidant maid left in the Cao family. She was the one who just went to block the man at the door.
Grandma He kicked Mrs. Cao away, walked to the window and sat down. She looked around at the servants in the room and said slowly: "I said it years ago, I don't have sand in my eyes. Don't look at anyone."
It's so cheap..." She pointed at Qiu'er who was limp on the ground and said in a cold voice, "...I just want a few pieces of silver and I have to go against me! Someone, since this girl is good with Aunt Cao, give her
Send the body deed to the Cao family!"
Qiu'er suddenly started to tremble all over. She had been with Aunt Cao for so long. How could she not know the situation of the Cao family? It was so poor that even the Cao family's daughter-in-law had to do the daily cooking by herself. She didn't have enough to eat or clothes to keep warm. There were so many men in the Cao family.
With all the five poisons, wouldn't it be like a sheep falling into a tiger's mouth when he goes to an innocent girl's house? I'm afraid that once he gets tired of being played with, he will be sold into a kiln!
She was so frightened that she wanted to beg for mercy, but found that she was shaking so hard that she couldn't even speak, and was immediately dragged out by the two mothers-in-law.
The servants and women around were silent, not even daring to make a sound.
"Come up here!" Grandma He shouted majestically, and the two daughters-in-law restrained Mrs. Cao's arms and dragged her forward.
Grandma He rolled up her sleeves twice, raised her thick palms high, and heard the sound of flesh being slapped. Ms. Cao was slapped in the face more than a dozen times, both front and back, until her face was slapped with a cleft lip, and she could not speak clearly.
Qingdi begged for mercy again and again.
"...I thought you were a good person at the beginning. Our young lady suffered a disaster and was demoted, and she suffered enough in that remote country. I still want to treat you well, eat well, drink well, and be polite..." Grandma He gave a hearty slap.
He slowly put down his sleeves and sarcastically said, "Who knew you were greedy? You are just a shameless person. You are so shameless! That little girl crawled onto the kang only seven or eight days ago. Why did the doctor tell you that you are two months pregnant?"
?”
Aunt He intended to humiliate the Cao family in front of everyone, and she became more and more rude: "Huh, don't pretend to be stupid. My husband and I have already found out. That bitch goes to the Cao family every day to deliver news and things to you, and
You brothers are hooking up. No matter whose bastard they are, they are all named Cao. Haha, your Cao family has a good idea, but you actually want to plot the He family's property like this! I tell you, it's a dream
!My mother-in-law has noticed it a long time ago and is just waiting for you to seek death!"
The old lady of the He family knew that the Cao family couldn't wait for something to happen when her daughter-in-law showed signs of exhaustion, so she asked her grandson's daughter-in-law to wait and see, so that she could both take the stolen goods and take precautions against the unreasonable suggestions made by her daughter-in-law before she died.
requirements.
As a result, before He died, he only had enough strength to plead for his niece, and could not say anything else. Thinking of her shrewd and transparent grandmother, Grandma He felt both grateful and admired.
After the plot was exposed, Ms. Cao was quiet for a while, hiding and not daring to see anyone. Unexpectedly, she returned to her old ways only a few months later. Grandma He held back her breath and waited for today's excuse to deal with her!
"Please stay with me honestly. My mother-in-law asked me to take good care of you before she died! My husband and I have both remembered this and will not deprive you of food and clothing. But if you dare to mess up your mind again, there will be many nunneries outside the city.
Now that you have gone, there are many powerful hosts, and I have plenty of ways to deal with you!"
After a while of threats and scolding, Grandma He felt much more comfortable. After throwing the crying Mrs. Cao on the bed, she assigned two more "useful" maids and several other "knowing the rules" maids.
Satisfied, I returned to my room and saw that my husband had finished bathing and was sitting on the kang, joking with his children. He was childish and naughty. He held up a big crooked letter and insisted that his father say yes. He even climbed up to his father's shoulder to play happily.
The eldest daughter, Jing, sat with her little feet raised by the kang and asked her father questions and answers about the "Huangdi Neijing" he had just finished reading. The father, holding his squirming son in his arms, looked at his daughter with pride in his eyes.
Grandma He's heart was filled with warmth and joy.
"Okay, you two monkeys haven't come down yet!" Grandma He said with an angry smile, "Your father hasn't eaten yet!"
As soon as she got close to the Kang, the baby had already climbed onto her body along the vines, and said with a sweet voice: "Mom, my sister and I will eat with daddy, and I will pour wine for daddy's dish."
"Bah, with you here, how can you still eat in peace?...Okay, Sister Shu, please take your little monkey brother back!"
Sister Shu turned around and covered her mouth and chuckled, then pinched her brother's ears and dragged him away.
The couple looked at their son and daughter going out with smiles, and then Grandma He hurriedly put the dishes on the table for Granny Luo, while she personally carried the boiled rice wine and poured a glass for her husband.
"Ms. sir, can you be a layman this time?" Grandma He had just eaten some snacks, so she didn't need to eat. She just sat across from him to keep company with her. "Doctor Huang from the Security Hall has been here twice and said that there is a party that I want to work with.
Xianggong thought about it together. Someone came from Yan Guogong's house and said that the pills Xianggong gave him last time were very good. I liked it very much and asked him to prescribe a few more pills. If Xianggong feels better, he should often ask Xianggong to check his pulse in the future. Oh.
, and Dr. Lin from Shuanghua Hutong. He has decided to retire and asked his husband to think again. Doesn’t he really need to recommend him to the hospital? Although there are many twists and turns in the hospital, there are also many lost ancient medical prescription books.
, If your husband doesn’t want to go in, you can put up a sign first..."
Grandma He is a very good director. She can manage almost half of the family whether it is housekeeping internally or socializing externally.
Doctor He took a sip of wine and put it down, and said with sincere gratitude: "I have worked hard for you these days. You have to take care of yourself inside and outside. You must also take care of yourself. This time I brought some donkey-hide gelatin and bird's nests into the house. It's
Give yourself something to eat and don’t give it away to anyone else.”
Grandma He laughed: "My husband and I are so grateful. I am in good health."
Doctor He smiled slightly, said nothing more, and lowered his head to eat.
Dr. He is only in his early teens now. He has handsome features and has always been indifferent. Time has not left many traces on his face, but his eyes are old, always looking tired and dull.
Grandma He looked at her husband for a while and suddenly remembered what happened many years ago. She and her husband were already quite old when they got married.
Grandma He's father was a low-ranking military attache stationed in Beijing. When she grew up, he arranged a well-matched marriage for Grandma He. The other family had been neighbors and colleagues for many years, so they were truly well-connected.
I don’t know what happened next, whether it was good or bad.
Starting from the late years of the late Emperor Renzong, several princes and vassals successively conspired against each other. When he ascended the throne today, they then put down the rebellion. A few years later, they rebelled again, and then put down the rebellion again. There was chaos inside and outside the capital.
Grandma He's father and brother have repeatedly made meritorious deeds in this series of events. They have done the right things and are on the right team. In a few years, she has been promoted rapidly. She has also grown from an inconspicuous daughter of a low-level military officer to a prestigious five-year-old.
The daughter of the deputy commander of the city's army, Masinanmen, and her brothers all had good futures - but her fiancé died in the war.
This delay lasted until she was in her twenties, until the He family came to propose marriage.
The husband-in-law is a good man, he has acquired good medical skills at a young age, and the He family is also a famous family. Although it has long been heard that Dr. He has a cousin as a concubine (the Cao family has had several quarrels), but Grandma He has passed away long ago.
It’s the age to be picky, so my parents agreed.
Life after marriage is not difficult, and Aunt Cao is not difficult to deal with. What is especially important is that Mrs. He, the top leader of the He family, is still energetic and has a loud voice. She has set an iron rule early on - daughter-in-law He and Cao
One of her family members must accompany her to live in her hometown of Baishitan.
Without mother-in-law to support her, the tough Grandma He could handle the concubines and serve the Cao family more than enough. But without the Cao family, it would be useless for Mother-in-law He to sigh. She only went back to Baishitan every year to celebrate the New Year, and both Cao and her mother-in-law hated each other.
Fortunately, my husband is a sensible person, and he treats his mother in a perfunctory manner. He is not as sympathetic to Cao's cousin as rumored, but for his mother's sake, he goes to sit in Cao's house from time to time.
As time went by, Grandma He even felt that her husband actually hated the Cao family deep down - in order to provoke the couple, Cao even revealed that her husband had a good marriage at first.
Mrs. Cao was wrong, Grandma He didn't care at all, she had already made the engagement herself; and knowing that this was a better thing, she became more and more sure that her husband actually hated Mr. Cao in his heart, so she started to deal with Mr. Cao even more mercilessly.
feelings.
She had been scolded and beaten when she was young. She had grown up in the market, and there were only two rough servants in the family. Sometimes she had to go shopping with her mother on the streets. She could scold many unpleasant words with her mouth. Where is Cao's family?
is an opponent.
What's more, as long as he has a good reputation as a teacher, no matter how he treats his concubines, Mrs. He agrees with it. He can only wipe her tears aside and dare not say anything.
Only then did Grandma He understand why Mrs. He wanted to hire her as her granddaughter-in-law. Faced with such a shameless cousin and concubine, such a Cao family who is like candy, and such an unattractive and unreliable mother-in-law - if
When a young lady with an upright posture, timid or dignified person comes in, she is afraid that not only will the family be in chaos, but the couple will also fall out.
Only my own family is like this. Not only is my family status decent, my in-laws can give my son-in-law a certain amount of support, but I am also rough and strong in nature. I can take care of my concubines at the front, run around my mother-in-law at the back, and still act like a loving couple with my husband when I turn around.
Years ago, Grandma He's mother-in-law, who always said she was going to die but never died, finally died.
With the help of Onion, she acted as a dutiful wife in front of others, and cried so much that it was very touching - in fact, only a ghost can be sad. If it weren't for such a confused mother, with He Dahe's person and talent, she would have been able to do it long ago.
After marrying a noble girl and revitalizing his small family, will it be his turn?
The husband-in-law didn't seem too sad about the death of his widowed mother.
Grandma He can understand that after so many years, the sadness has long been used up. As for Mrs. Cao... she will hold it in her palm from now on. If Mrs. Cao is honest, she will not be embarrassed. If she dares to make trouble, hum...
…
Thinking of this, Grandma He was in a good mood. While helping her husband prepare the dishes with a smile, she occasionally talked about recent experiences in the capital.
"...Spring will begin next month, and there will be several happy events in the capital. The most important one is that the eldest daughter of the Ningyuan Marquis Mansion will leave the cabinet..." Before she could finish her words, Doctor He suddenly interjected, "Isn't the eldest daughter of the Gu family...
You just came out of the cabinet two years ago, why is there another big girl?"
Grandma He was a little surprised that her husband was slow-tempered by nature, to put it mildly, he was nagging, and he would actually interrupt others when they were talking.
She smiled and said: "My lord, I don't know, the one who came out of the palace two years ago was Gu Hou's biological daughter, and now the girl who is going to leave the palace is the daughter of Gu Hou's deceased brother. Speaking of which, she is also the daughter of the marquis. This Miss Gu is betrothed to.
He is the master of the Yongchang Hou Mansion, he is really a perfect match, rich and powerful!"
Doctor He held chopsticks for a moment and then nodded.
Grandma He then said with a smile: "Hasn't our family always provided medicine to the Liang family? This time we have to give a good gift. Oh, Mrs. Liang is the best at it. She personally begged the widowed eldest lady of the Gu family.
Come to this marriage. Mr. Liang Hou is an honest man and will not cause trouble. The Liang family has become more and more prosperous in recent years. Mrs. Liang Hou is so kind. She almost cried when she told me the difficulties several times.
Haha, this is great, I have joined the Gu family..."
She was so happy that she didn't notice that Doctor He opposite was slightly unhappy. She just heard him say: "If the Liang family has such thoughts, wouldn't the Gu family be dragged into trouble?"
Grandma He was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said: "What did my husband say? If it wasn't for a good marriage, how could Marquis Gu agree? That Liang Shihao is not as honest as his parents at all, he is a promising person. But..."
She paused, lowered her voice and said, "According to me, it would be better to arrange the marriage with Miss Gu two years ago."
Doctor He raised his head and said hesitantly: "One is a hereditary marquis, and the other is a new scholar. Although they are new nobles, they are a bit weak after all." After a pause, he added, "But Miss Gu is a concubine, so she is a commoner."
about there."
Grandma He said with a smile: "My husband, I don't understand. Although the Liang family has a title, most of it has been empty in recent years. The family has a large population, five houses and six sisters-in-law. Moreover, the brothers are not getting along and there are disputes between the legitimate concubines and concubines.
The weather was rough at both ends, and Mrs. Liang Hou's hair was almost turning gray. Look, the girls from the Gu family came in, and some of them were very busy. The Chang family was different. Chang died young, and there was only a grandmother and a married sister in the family.
When the eldest lady enters the house, she becomes the head grandmother. Over the years, Mr. Chang has had a prosperous official career and the female family members have socialized with each other. Who dares to look down on Gu Hou’s eldest daughter?!...Tsk, tsk, tsk, everyone said that Mrs. Gu Hou loves this concubine. Let me start.
I still don’t believe it, but now it looks like it’s true, it’s rare, rare.”
Doctor He was silent for a moment, then picked up his chopsticks again and slowly fiddled with the dishes in the bowl.
"Marquis Gu is out guarding the border. Mrs. Gu is a widow. What should we do about this marriage?... Mrs. Gu Hou came back from the south two years ago and arranged the marriage herself."
Seeing that her husband, who had always been taciturn, was interested in this matter, Grandma He became more enthusiastic and talked about everything she knew.
"Now that Mrs. Hou is not here, the two brothers Gu Xiaoshi will marry their cousin on behalf of their father. Tsk tsk, my husband didn't see it, so Gu Xiaoshi just paid it back. He is already full of grandeur at a young age. How old is Gu Ergong?
He was really just like the one in the painting. He didn’t ride in a car that day, but drove his horse through the Victory Gate. The eldest daughter and the younger daughter-in-law greeted the sachet, handkerchief and other items nearby like crazy! It was said that Mrs. Gu Hou was a first-class person back then.
The beauty of the first generation, Gu Ergong Xiaomu, is so handsome and delicate. I don’t know which girl is so lucky to be a husband. I am afraid that she will wake up laughing in the middle of the night even if she sleeps next to the pillow. I heard that Shen
The uncle and the British father-in-law are very fond of the Gu brothers and want to find a son-in-law for each other..."
…
After dinner, after drinking tea, Grandma He sat on the Kang table and did needlework. Doctor He stood quietly in front of the window. After a while, he suddenly said: "It's snowing." Then he opened the door and went out.
There is an old plum tree in the courtyard. The yellow plum blossoms on the branches are soft and trembling, and the snowflakes are floating in fine pieces from the sky. Doctor He stood under the tree with his back to the door, looking up at the snow-covered plum petals.
Grandma He pushed open the sewing cage and slowly stood by the door to enjoy the snow. Under the soft moonlight, the thin snow petals reflected silver fluorescence in the air, hazy like a veil.
She stood in a daze for a while, and in a daze, she remembered that that year, it was also such a night when the snow was falling and the moon was bright. A handsome and heroic young man was lying on the wall, looking at herself dreamily. She was also standing in the old plum tree of her house like this.
Down, looking up at each other.
The young man's eyebrows were so thick and straight, and his eyes were so fiery. There was only her own reflection in the bright and dark eyes. She was unaware of the cold snowflakes falling on her face. Her heart had been burned by the young man's fiery gaze.
The fire is so hot that it feels like it can melt all the snowflakes in the world.
Childhood sweethearts, childhood sweethearts, finally got their parents to settle down together, what a happy day...
"...Early tomorrow morning, I will set off with my father and brothers. When I come back, we will hold a happy event. From now on, we...we...will never be separated. Even if we lose all our teeth and turn our hair white, we will always be together."
Together!"
"Sister, I, I... only have you in my heart... I have always only had you."
"Don't worry, I will come back safely. For you, I will come back safely."
——The words are still in my ears, the person in the spring boudoir dream has become a cold corpse in the grave, there is no such fiery eyes, no such hearty laughter, no such fiery and strong arms...
Suddenly there was a dampness in her eyes, and Grandma He quickly lowered her head to wipe it away.
It took her many, many years to slowly get over her sadness. She had rejected many of the marriages her father and brother had proposed. She had missed the opportunity to reach her prime age and a better marriage, but she never regretted it.
Suddenly one day, she looked at her nieces and nephews playing in the courtyard and realized that she still wanted a family and the happiness of having children around her knees. She also wanted to stop causing trouble to her parents, brothers and sisters-in-law, so she agreed.
Get married.
Her husband is a good man, although he doesn't love her - she knows this very well, but she is very satisfied if she and her children are considerate and gentle, the couple treat each other with respect and respect each other, and live a prosperous, peaceful and busy life.
A woman who has ever had such sincere love in this life is worthy of her life and her time in this world is not in vain.
Grandma He concentrated slightly and looked at her husband standing under the tree in the courtyard, feeling a sense of guilt and curiosity in her heart——
Did this calm and indifferent man ever have such a person in his heart that he would remember for the rest of his life?