The snow has been falling all day and is still falling sporadically at night. Looking down from the third floor of Wubao, I can see a thick layer of snow on the roof of the ancestral hall. In the circular courtyard, a snow-free strip has been cleared on the four floors of the southeast, northwest and northwest.
Small roads, four small roads intersect together when approaching the gate of Wubao——
Looking over the eaves of Wubao, the mountains and trees in the distance are all covered in white, and further up, there is the vast, infinite, deep night sky.
After dinner, Chen Caozhi took a leisurely stroll on the corridor for a while, and then went to his mother's room to talk. After returning home at noon, his fourth uncle came to talk to him for a long time, but he never had the chance to talk to his mother properly.
Chen's mother, Li, was weak and afraid of the cold, so she got into the big bed with four curtains early, covered with a thick quilt, half leaning and half lying down. The ribbon tied to the curtain hung down, and Run'er sat next to her grandmother and stretched out her hand.
Play with the ribbon by gently touching it.
Chen Caozhi and Zongzhi were sitting on the eaves of the box in front of the big bed. Yinggu, Xiaochan and Qingzhi were sitting on the side. A two-core copper ox lamp was placed on the low table in front of the bed. The light had a soft yellow glow and they were staring at the wick.
If you look at it for a long time, a rainbow-like halo will appear in front of your eyes——
Chen Caozhi told his mother about meeting his sister-in-law Ding Youwei at Ding's villa last night. Zongzhi and Run'er were so envious and said that they had not seen their mother for three months. Run'er asked: "Uncle Chou, mother."
Do you miss Runer and Brother?"
Chen Caozhi asked: "What do Runer think?"
Run'er immediately nodded and said: "I think about it, just like Run'er and brother think about their mother."
My sister said all the words, and Zongzhi nodded vigorously from the side.
Chen Cao said: "Your mother also sewed new clothes with her own hands and asked Uncle Chou to bring them. There are other gifts, but I can't give them to you now. I have to wait until the morning of the first day of the first lunar month, and you will get them as soon as you wake up."
See."
The two little guys clicked their lips slightly, looking very expectant, but no one made a fuss. They wanted to see the gifts now. Run'er asked Zongzhi: "There are only twenty-one days, isn't it, brother?"
Zongzhi responded: "Yes, we will see the gift that mother gave us soon."
Chen Cao said: "Uncle Chou also has a gift for you. You will see it when you wake up tomorrow morning."
The two children were very happy and shouted to go to bed, because the time to go to bed passed quickly. If they closed their eyes and opened them again, it would be tomorrow.
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, had something to say to Caozhi, so she asked Xiaochan and Qingzhi to take Zongzhi, while Run'er went to bed first, with only the old maid Yinggu still by her side.
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, said: "Chou'er, please tell mother about going to Wu County to study."
Chen Caozhi didn't want his mother to worry about him, so he only talked about studying, making friends, and becoming teachers. He didn't mention Chu Jian and his son. He also mentioned that the prefect Lu Na appreciated him——
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, was pleased and said: "Back then, your brother was also appreciated by Prefect Lu. At that time, Prefect Lu was both the distinguished commander of the state and the Zhongzheng of the state. He was really a rare virtuous man who did not look down on others because of his family status."
After talking for a while, Chen Caozhi knew that his mother always went to bed early and got up early, so he asked her to have a rest early. When he was about to leave, he heard his mother say: "Chou, wait a minute, mother has one more thing to ask you."
Chen Caozhi sat back on the eaves of the box in front of the bed and listened to his mother's questions.
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, took her son's hand, patted the back of it gently, and asked: "Chou'er, how old are you after the Chinese New Year?" Seeing her son's eyes wide open in shock, Mrs. Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, laughed.
He stood up, asked and answered: "Well, I am sixteen years old. This year is the year of Wuwu, and next year is the year of Jiwei. My son was born at the beginning of winter in the year of Jiachen. He will be sixteen next year. Mom, I think you are going to be here soon."
If you are as tall as your brother, you will still grow——"
When Chen Caozhi heard what his mother said to him, he vaguely guessed what his mother wanted to say. He couldn't help but feel a little anxious and said: "Yes, my son was born in Dongyue. He has only just turned fourteen, so he is still very young.
"
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, looked at her son with a smile and said: "You are not too young. You are the pillar of our Chen family in the west building. Chou'er, I want to ask you a question - have you met Feng Lingbo, the daughter of Feng County Prime Minister?
I heard that you met their family of three at the ferry on the day you went to Wujun. What do you think of Miss Feng?"
Chen Caozhi thought: "It's really because of this." He said: "Mom, I'm not a slut, how can I stare at this little lady!"
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, smiled and said: "It doesn't matter if you look at it. Mom knows that you have your own opinion, so Feng's wife, Mrs. Sun, revealed that she wanted to marry me, Mrs. Chen. I didn't agree immediately, saying that it was still too early to do so, and we would wait until next year to officially marry her."
It's not too late for Cheng Ding to discuss marriage again, and you have to go to the county to formally finalize the marriage next March, and I don't want you to be distracted."
Chen Caozhi said happily: "Mother is so kind. She has thought so well for you. I don't plan to think about marriage for the time being. Next year's appointment is the most important. Although I have all the regular attendants, and the prefect Lu appreciates me, there are also people who are jealous of the virtuous and capable and can't see it."
My son will stand out."
Chen's mother, Mrs. Li, stroked the back of her son's hand and said, "Mom, I know it's not easy for you. I even let you make your own decisions, but I think Feng Lingbo is really good. Although his appearance is not very good, he is also pretty and well-informed."
Li, she is a very smart girl." Seeing that Chen Caozhi remained silent, he added: "Don't forget to visit the Feng Mansion after the new year. We have family friendships and we must keep in touch with each other."
Chen Caozhi agreed, said goodbye to his mother, exited his mother's bedroom, and stood alone on the corridor for a while, feeling the warmth of Wubao's winter night.
About half of the more than 100 rooms in the circular Wubao are illuminated by lights. Under the lights, the Qiantang and Chen clan members are reading, gossiping, being prostitutes, and playing games...
Compared with the poor refugees, the Chen family in Qiantang is considered well-fed and has nearly 4,000 acres of farmland. In recent years, the Chen family's fields between Jiuyao Mountain and Yuhuang Mountain have had bumper harvests every year, and the saline-alkali fields that were originally low-grade have grown year by year.
The fertility has increased, and the Chen family members are smiling.
However, in the Eastern Jin Dynasty where annexation by wealthy noble families was common, the Chen family's land could be occupied by foreign surnames at any time. Last time, Master Lu wanted to suppress the Chen family by raising the level of the Chen family's land grant. If Ge Hong hadn't stepped forward, the Chen family in Qiantang would have
The situation will be extremely difficult.
Chen Caozhi thought, since he is living in this era and wants to live a stable life for himself, his family, and his tribe, he must obtain the status of a nobleman. As for other things about governing the country and bringing peace to the world, that is a thing for later. Now even his own tribe cannot guarantee to live and work in peace and contentment.
Not to mention anything else!
However, if you want to be promoted from a poor family to a noble family through legitimate channels, it is no different from a carp leaping over a dragon gate. How difficult it is to transform into a dragon and reach the sky!
Chen Caozhi did not want to marry the Feng family. In addition to not having any affection for the unfamiliar Feng Lingbo, the other reason was that he did not want to put another layer of shackles on himself. Last time, he told his mother that he wanted to marry a noble girl like his sister-in-law.
——
The status of a noble family, family status and family background are of course the key, but the status of in-laws is also very important. The poor family is against the poor family, and the noble family is against the noble family. If the poor family marries with the noble family, the status of the poor family will naturally be improved. This is also the reason why the Qiantang Chen family in this county
The most important reason among the poor families is that it is indeed a very high standard for the children of the Chen family to marry a girl from the Ding family.
Chen Caozhi asked himself in his heart: "Chen Caozhi, are you being snobbish?" Looking up at the night sky after the snow, the clouds had dispersed and there were cold stars twinkling. He replied: "Maybe I am snobbish, because I live in the human world.
, I can’t marry a girl from the Feng family just to show that I’m not snobbish. If that’s the case, why should I work so hard? I can just live in seclusion in a house, but Tao Yuanming’s seclusion is also very helpless!”
"Young Master, it's windy on the porch. Don't you feel cold after standing there for so long? Come in quickly."
Xiaochan held up a wild goose lantern, stood at the door of the study, and said calmly.
Chen Cao smiled, put aside those thoughts, followed Xiaochan into the study, and asked, "Why aren't Sister Xiaochan asleep yet?"
Xiao Chan said: "It's still early and I can't sleep. After I served Run'er and fell asleep, I came to the study to see if you have any instructions."
Chen Cao said: "I'm tired today and haven't stayed up all night to read. By the way, I also brought back small gifts for Sister Xiaochan and Sister Qingzhi. Can I give them to you tomorrow morning too?"
Xiaochan gave a cute smile: "Am I a child? Don't forget, little husband, I'm six years older than you." Then she smiled and said, "It's too late now, I'd better give it tomorrow, please.
Young Master, please rest early, the bed is already warm."
