"Dad, aren't we going home to celebrate the New Year this year?" Yu Qian asked his father Yu Xu.
"No. Father has already explained it to you. It takes almost twenty days to go back and forth from the capital to Hangzhou, and we can only spend a few days in our hometown. We will celebrate the New Year in the capital." Yu Xu explained. He asked again doubtfully:
"In previous years, our family spent the New Year in Beijing, and you didn't say anything. Why did you ask me several times this year if I would go home?"
"Dad, my son misses his grandmother." Yu Qian said very honestly. Because of what Yun said before about the discussion about whether the official's wife should follow the official's official career, most of the officials' wives in the imperial court changed to follow their husbands when they took office.
Yu Xu also brought his first wife to the capital from his hometown and asked his second brother and his wife to serve their parents. Therefore, Yu Qian did not have to miss his mother, but he had been raised by his grandmother for several years since he was a child, and he had a very good relationship with her for three or four consecutive years.
I haven’t seen him before and I miss him very much.
"There is nothing we can do about it. Although His Majesty is kind and gives all officials a twenty-five-day holiday during the New Year period, only Yingtian Prefecture, Zhenjiang Prefecture, Taiping Prefecture, Yangzhou Prefecture, Chuzhou Prefecture, and Hezhou Prefecture are close to the capital.
Officials in the government can go home to celebrate the New Year, but people from other places are still not allowed to go home, and we can't go home either. However, at the end of next year, we can ask His Majesty for a few more days of leave, so that our father and son can return to our hometown."
Xu said. Of course he misses his mother, but since he is an official and cannot take care of his mother at home, there is no other way.
"Then let's celebrate the New Year with my second cousin." After hearing his father's explanation, Yu Qian knew that he was telling the truth. Although he was still unhappy, he stopped talking about it and asked about other things.
"Of course." Yu Xu said with a smile: "Our Yu family only has our father, son and Jie'er in the capital, so of course we have to celebrate the New Year together."
"You have to tell your second cousin in advance, otherwise the Zhenguo Duke's mansion may not be able to arrange it," Yu Qian said again.
Yu Xu originally had a smile on his face, but when he heard these words, his face turned slightly gloomy, and he said: "Your second cousin is already twenty-one years old this year, and will be twenty-two years old after the new year, but he is still in Zheng Guogong's mansion.
It is nothing to work for the young master of the Chang family here. We should persuade him to leave the Duke of Zheng's house."
Yu Qian didn't say anything. His second cousin's family originally lived in Longtan Village, Jurong County, Yingtian Prefecture. It happened that Chang Mao's posthumous son Chang Jifeng was also hidden in Longtan Village at that time. The two were of the same age and played together since childhood, and they were very close. Later.
After Chang Sheng brought his nephew to the capital, he took him and several other children from Longtan Village to make his nephew happy. He was not counted as a servant, but just as his nephew's companion. To this day, Chang Jifeng and
Yu Jie was already over 20 years old, and Chang Jifeng had already gone out to work, but Yu Jie was still by his side, like an aide.
Of course, Yu Qian himself felt that it was inappropriate for his second cousin to continue working under Chang Jifeng, but Yu Jie himself felt that this was good. Others would not listen to their advice, so Yu Qian stopped. However, his father Yu Xu still survived.
Heart, persuade from time to time.
"Dad, although it's still early, it's snowing today, and I don't know how many farmers coming from outside the city to sell vegetables. We'd better go to the vegetable market to sell vegetables as soon as possible." Yu Qian changed the topic.
"That's what you said. Let's go to the vegetable market quickly." Yu Xu agreed. Although Yu Xu is now an official, he still doesn't pretend to be an official. He has no servants at home and his family members do all the housework. Today he
While his wife was cleaning the yard at home, he and his son went out to buy vegetables.
Having said this, Yu Xu and his son stopped talking about anything else and walked quickly to the vegetable market. After a while, they walked into the market and started to pick vegetables.
Yu Xu bought two kilograms of celery, one kilogram of cabbage and one kilogram of carrots. Thinking of entertaining relatives and friends during the New Year, he bought a few more vegetables and two kilograms of mutton, and turned around to go back. But then he suddenly heard his son Yu Qian say:
"Dad, look at the vegetable farmer's stall over there. That bag contains peanuts."
"Peanuts?" Yu Xu immediately walked over there. Peanuts are a new thing that was introduced from the Hanzhou continent a few years ago. They are very delicious when cooked. He once had dinner with His Majesty in the palace, so he had eaten them before.
Several times. Although the yield of peanuts is not low, there were not many seeds sent back from the Hanzhou mainland. It is still a very novel thing. He has never seen it in the vegetable market before.
Yu Xu walked to the stall, took out a handful from the bag and took a look. They were peanuts. He thought that these things were very suitable as a snack, so he bought all the peanuts in the bag.
But before he could say anything, he heard a woman's voice coming from next to him: "Dad, how much does this bag of peanuts cost? We want it."
"Don't you see that we already want this bag of peanuts?" Before Yu Xu could speak, Yu Qian said with some dissatisfaction: "We already have this bag of peanuts, why do you still want to buy it?"
Yu Xu turned around and saw a middle-aged woman who looked to be in her thirties and a girl of fourteen or fifteen years old standing aside. Yu Xu abided by etiquette and only glanced briefly before looking away.
But based on these few glances, I have noticed that although the clothes of these two women are not very gorgeous, they are definitely not something ordinary people can afford. They are better dressed than their father and son. I am a little confused: 'How can such people come out in person?
Shopping for groceries? And there are only two women, so the man of the house can trust them to go out alone?'
"You are so unreasonable," said the fourteen-year-old or fifteen-year-old girl: "You obviously just walked to the stall, not earlier than us, and didn't hear you say you bought this bag of peanuts. Why is this bag of peanuts so unreasonable?"
Has it become yours?"
Yu Qian's face turned red. He also ate peanuts in the palace and liked them very much, so he really wanted to buy this bag of peanuts, so he told a little lie. But when someone exposed it in front of him, he couldn't help but blush. But he was stubborn.
He rubbed his neck and said, "But we came first."
"We need to ask my husband the price first! If you come first, this bag of peanuts will be yours," the little girl said again.
Yu Qian was not good at arguing with others, not to mention that he was in the wrong in this matter, so he didn't know what to say. It was the middle-aged woman who smoothed things over: "Since both families want it, let's split it into two, and each family will get half.
"
"Thank you so much, madam." Yu Xu thanked her hurriedly.
The middle-aged woman was about to agree when she suddenly took a closer look at Yu Xu, thought for a moment and asked in a low voice: "Are you Yu Editor (as a teacher of Imperial City Academy, Yu Xu has the title of Editor of the Hanlin Academy)?
"
"May I ask who your lady is?" Yu Xu asked hurriedly. At the same time, he felt even more strange: "She recognizes me. She is probably the wife of an official I know and have met before, but why do I have no impression of her?"
"I don't dare to be called madam." The middle-aged woman bought the peanuts as quickly as possible and divided half of them with Yu Qian.
I was passing by the Prince of Zhou's Mansion once, and I happened to see him."
Of course, the middle-aged woman is Tang Jingyu's wife He Miao, and the little girl is Tang Sai'er. They received a letter from home a few days ago saying that Tang Jingyu would be back in Beijing in two days, so the mother and daughter came together with the wives and daughters of other guards
We were buying vegetables at the vegetable market. Tang Saier saw this bag of peanuts here with sharp eyes, so he came over with his mother to buy peanuts.
However, Yu Xu did not pay attention to the appearance of a servant on the road at that time, so he still did not figure out her specific identity. But it was not important. Yu Xu said a few words to her politely and left with his son.
, return home.
"I remembered, you are," but then Tang Sai'er suddenly looked at Yu Qian and said a few words loudly, and then as if something suddenly occurred to him, he hurriedly changed to whispering: "You are the second prince and the third prince.
companion reading."
"You are the Grand Duke, the friend in the Zhou Palace that the eldest lady sometimes talks about." Yu Qian also remembered who Tang Saier was at this time. Five years ago, Yun and his sons went out with Yu Qian and the crown prince Li of the Joseon Dynasty.
Picking out a few books in a bookstore, I happened to meet Tang Saier. Later, I met him a few times by coincidence, and Min'er sometimes talked about her, so I remembered her. He didn't look at Tang Saier carefully just now.
I didn't recognize his appearance, but after taking a few careful glances, I immediately recognized him.
Yu Xu hurriedly lowered his head and asked his son who they were, and Yu Qian hurriedly told his father. Yu Xu was a little surprised to hear that Tang Sai'er and Min'er were friends, but it had nothing to do with him, so he was just surprised.
"Will the eldest lady be going out to play in the palace these days?" Tang Sai'er asked, leaning next to Yu Qian.
"I don't know about that." Yu Qian, who was not a stranger to her since he had met her several times, replied, "How can I know the whereabouts of the eldest lady?"
"Hey." Tang Sai'er knew what he said made sense and could only sigh. She and Min'er hit it off immediately, not to mention she also knew that being a companion by Min'er's side for a few years would be good for her, so she was very willing to go to the palace as a companion.
Read. But His Majesty has always refused to agree in the past. This year he finally relaxed, but did not say anything again. She really wanted to ask.
"You don't have to sigh. Since I have agreed now, I will definitely let you enter the palace." Yu Qian advised. Yin Yun was obedient to Min'er, but this was the only thing he never agreed to. Brothers Wen Yuan and Wen Qi were also very fond of it.
It's strange that I mention it sometimes, but once Yu Qian heard it.
"This is the best." Tang Saier said, and then she realized that it was Yu Qian who said it, and Yu Qian had always been very old-fashioned in her impression. She glanced up and down and said with a smile: "You can still comfort people? Really.
Strange."
"By the way, you told a little lie just now. This is even more strange, you still lie. When I see the eldest lady next time, I will definitely tell the eldest lady these two things and ask the eldest lady to tell the two of you.
Master."
"You can't tell the eldest lady." Yu Qian immediately blushed and said. He comforted Tang Saier that it was okay for several princes to find out, but he didn't want them to know about lying.
"If you want me not to tell the eldest lady, that's fine. Just give me all the peanuts." Tang Saier teased him.
Yu Qian was holding a bag of peanuts in his hand. He lowered his head and thought for a while. He suddenly took out another bag, poured a third of the peanuts out and handed it to her. He said, "I will eat about 30% of this bag of peanuts after I buy them.
These are all for you."
"Then take the remaining peanuts back, will you still eat them?" Tang Saier was stunned for a moment and asked.
"I've given all mine to you. If there's anything left to eat, of course I won't eat it." Yu Qian replied.
Tang Saier was stunned again, looked at him a few more times, and saw that he was serious, and said hurriedly: "I was just joking with you, take the peanuts back quickly. Don't worry, I won't tell anyone about your lies."
Mademoiselle’s.”
"Really? Don't you want to tease me?" Yu Qian asked suspiciously.
"Take it back quickly, I'm definitely not teasing you." Tang Saier said hurriedly.
After receiving Tang Sai'er's assurance again and again, Yu Qian felt relieved and put the peanut back. At this time, Yu Xu and He Miao had finished their polite words and were about to take Yu Qian back. Yu Qian seemed to be familiar with Tang Sai'er again today.
Some, but also to say hello and farewell to Tang Saier.
But at this moment, more than a dozen Jinyiwei guards suddenly rushed in from outside the market, shouting loudly: "Where are the family members of the guards of Prince Zhou's palace?"