There is a huge canna planted outside the study of Xiao Erye in the front yard, at this time in previous years, the buds are going to emerge a few, this year is a cold year, it is almost May, it is still warm and cold, and the canna is only as tall as a person's calf.

At this moment, the lattice window of the study was wide open, and Xiao Erye was squinting his eyes on the soft couch, smoking dry cigarettes, swallowing clouds and spitting fog. I don't know how long I've been smoking, but with the window open, the whole study is still covered in white smoke.

In the past few days, this master quickly lost weight, and his cheeks, which were slightly round in the past, were sunken, a little less elegant and a little more aggressive.

The beard on the sideburns and chin has not been tidied up for a few days, and the black and linen are more serious than before, and the robe on the body is also wrinkled, and the whole person is faintly tired from overdraft.

"Master, the leather clam is back. ”

The little servant was outside the study, knocked lightly on the door, and reported it.

"Come in. ”

Second Master Xiao's voice couldn't hear joy or anger, but Dara's eyebrows and eyes slightly revealed his frustration at the moment.

He sent out to look for the old man who had gone out of the mansion back then, and he had come back one after another.

The reports to him were almost always the same.

Either the old man has passed away, and the family has lived in poverty, or the house has been empty, and I don't know where to move.

These old people were released intermittently in those years, although they are the old people of the Xiao family, but they are not very old, as of this year, the big ones are only sixty or seventy, and the small ones are only forty or fifty.

"Second Master!"

Skin Clam is his most trusted subordinate, and the one who goes to check is the most critical person.

The wind and dust were blowing, apparently rushing all the way back.

"How?"

Second Master Xiao's eyelids were slightly raised, and he asked indifferently, but there was still a trace of hope in his heart.

"Mrs. Rong's family moved away, and the villagers don't know where they have moved. ”

The dry tobacco pouch in his hand was almost broken, and Second Master Xiao took a hard breath with this force, and the thick white smoke came out, and the light in the room seemed to be a little dimmed.

"I heard that Mrs. Rong's son is a good gambler, so I went to the casinos in several nearby towns to go to the drill, it was a coincidence, I didn't have any hope, just to try my luck, who knew that it really happened. ”

As soon as the leather clam finished speaking, the smoke in Xiao Erye's mouth was swallowed, and it came out of his nose unconsciously.

Got it!?

"Mrs. Rong is still alive?"

Leather Clam shook his head, "The person is gone." ”

Mrs. Rong is only in her early fifties, so she is gone?

All of them are like this, as if they are hiding some secret.

Leather Clam stepped forward and said lightly: "However, my subordinates have discovered a strange thing. ”

"Mrs. Rong went out of the house because of her daughter-in-law's accident and the reason that the beauties in the family took care of her, and Mrs. Xiao didn't ask her to redeem her silver, but also gave her a little entanglement. ”

Mrs. Rong was Mrs. Xiao's nurse when she was a child, and she served her all the way to grow up, get married, give birth to children, serve confinement children, and take care of children.

When she left, Mrs. Xiao made a lot of convenience for her.

It's just that in the end, the Xiao family's big house itself has a weak foundation, and there are not many silver subsidies for her.

"The people in the house said that the eldest lady was kind-hearted and gave Mrs. Rong twenty taels of silver, but in fact, the real silver did not exceed ten taels. But now her son is idle all day long, but there has never been a shortage of money, not only built a small courtyard with two entrances, but even had spare money to marry a three-room aunt. ”

But a farmer who has no income, but no money?

"What is the background of my aunt?"

Could it be that you eat soft rice?

"The subordinates investigated, these three aunts are all girls from the Qinglou in the town, and the redemption fee was paid by this Rong Gongzi. ”

And the money to redeem the girl?

Xiao Erye's eyes were gloomy and could drip water, but the corners of his mouth were slightly hooked, like a smile, but even more ruthless.

Think you'll be fine if you change your life in a different town?

It's not that he's been found yet.

"What about others?"

Pi Ziclam said softly: "My subordinates gave the gambling house some silver, and asked them to make a game, so that Rong Gongzi owed the gambling house five thousand taels of silver, and now this son is locked up in the gambling house." Master, do you think I brought him here, or did you go over and interrogate him?"

The matter of Second Master Xiao's poisoning is tightly covered, not to mention the little maids in the family, even Uncle Xiao and Mrs. Xiao don't know.

Skin clams don't know either.

But after being a subordinate to Second Master Xiao for many years, he smelled a trace of something unusual.

Second Master Xiao suddenly wanted to investigate Mrs. Xiao's nurse, hehe, what else could there be in the Xiao family except for fighting for power and profit?

Since it is a key person certificate, you can't rashly bring it home, after all, the enemy situation at home is not very clear.

"I'm going on my own, and I just happen to have a deal to talk about. ”

The clam bowed down and said, "What is waiting to go? I'll prepare right away?"

Before Second Master Xiao was about to respond, he heard the voice of the little guy outside the door.

"Second master, the old lady said that she was sick, and asked the second lady and Aunt Zhang to stay in Songbai Courtyard to serve the sick. ”

Mother is sick?

Thinking of the familiar jujube red brocade box in Wei Wangchu's medicine box, Xiao Erye looked up at the sky, it was already the setting sun, and it would be dark in a few hours.

"I'll leave early tomorrow morning. ”

"Yes. The clam replied.

"Let's go see the old lady. ”

Xiao Erye threw down the dry tobacco pouch in his hand before he was about to move, and suddenly remembered, and couldn't help but reach out and touch the beard on his face.

"Call someone to wash up. ”

After washing his face, shaving his beard, and changing into clean clothes, Xiao Erye finally became a Confucian merchant in Su Ri again, just a direct embellishment of the previous fit, and now he has wandered around, as if he was wearing someone else's clothes.

Hum!

With a chuckle, Second Master Xiao went out and went straight to Songbai Courtyard.

"Mother, what's wrong with you?"

In the end, it is the mother-in-law, and the concern on Xiao Erye's face does not seem to be fake.

Old Madam Xiao's heart was slightly smooth.

"It's already much better, the second daughter-in-law and Aunt Zhang have worked hard these days, one of them is spicy and refreshing, the other is gentle and small-minded, and they don't dislike my old woman for a lot of things, but they are more intimate than the people here me. ”

Second Master Xiao naturally knew that Second Mrs. Xiao had moved to Songbai Courtyard, but she didn't expect that she would still take Zhang Zhao'er with her, but she couldn't guess what medicine was sold in this slut's throat.

More than ten years ago, Hongxing went out of the wall, and pretended to be in love with him, and he couldn't wait to kill her with a sword immediately!

I hid in this pine and cypress courtyard, and I don't know if I said anything to my mother.

bowed slightly, "My mother thinks they are easy to use, so I asked them to stay in Songbai Courtyard to serve, that is, not to serve the sick, and it is natural for the daughter-in-law to serve her mother-in-law." ”

"Well, if you have this heart, I will be content. ”

Old Madam Xiao smiled with a wrinkled face, "It's just, you, in the end, there is still a lack of queen, it is better to take advantage of Dr. Wei's presence, you husband and wife go to him to have a look, although the two of you have seen a lot of doctors over the years, but Dr. Wei's reputation is better than that of the imperial doctor, let him see, maybe the two of you can conceive a sister-in-law this year." ”

Xiao Erye listened quietly, and he was obviously sad to death in his heart, but he nodded with a faint smile on his face.

My son made a note of it, and went to Dr. Wei to see it when he had time. ”

After speaking, he turned his head and looked at his mother: "Mother, you are not feeling well, have you seen Dr. Wei?"

Old Madam Xiao waved her hand, "I've been sick for many years, and I took the medicine you bought for me last time when you went to the capital, so I don't have to trouble Dr. Wei." ”

Second Master Xiao couldn't help but flash the brown-red brocade box in his mind.

"Mother's body is important, Dr. Wei's medical skills are comparable to that of the imperial doctor, let him see, we can rest assured. ”

The old lady nodded, "Okay, my mother promised you, I will go to him if I have a free time, and you also promised my mother that I will go to Dr. Wei to see, you are still young, and if you want a handle, you must work hard." ”

Second Master Xiao responded with a smile.

Old Madam Xiao said again: "However, giving birth to a boy and a girl is all up to heaven's will, and you don't have to be pressured." ”

Second Master Xiao naturally smiled and said yes, and the mother and son gossiped a few more words, just talking about the Xiao family's Zhuangzi.

As soon as he came out of the Songbai Courtyard, the smile on Xiao Erye's face quickly faded.

"Second master, Lu Ye from Huayao Town has an appointment with you for tomorrow's lunch, and you go to Qingzhen early in the morning, I'm afraid you won't be able to catch up. ”

The leather clam had been cleaned up, standing at the door of the study clean and refreshing, and said tentatively: "Do you want to ask the second young master to run for you?" Lu Ye is also familiar with him. ”

In the past few years, Xiao Wu has gradually gained the momentum of being in charge of himself, and many Xiao Erye can't get rid of his entertainment, so he asked Xiao Wu to go for him.

Second Master Xiao refused without thinking about it, "No need, we will send it now, and we should be able to catch up at noon tomorrow." ”

"Yes, my subordinates will prepare. ”

The leather clam went down, and Second Master Xiao frowned and sat down on the chair.

Why did his mother lie to him?

Old Madam Xiao let out a long sigh, "You're right, Quan Er really wants to save face, thanks to me pretending not to know about his condition." ”

Mama Dong took the dishes from the maid's hand, put them on the table, and said softly: "It's still the old lady who is wise, and the old slave just said a little more." In the end, the old lady still understands the second master and doesn't want others to know that he can't have children. ”

"Alas, in this way, Xiang'er is not Quan'er's daughter, and I don't know how Quan'er is sad. ”

Old Madam Xiao put on a vicious expression, "The second daughter-in-law, who doesn't abide by women's morals, can even hook up with her eldest uncle, if it weren't for her own brother, she would be a parent official in Qingtian Town, and a bowl of medicine would have killed him!"

Mama Dong was silent.

"Miao'er and Xiang'er still have to say goodbye, she is a mother, and she can't die, so she doesn't have to let the children in the family still have to keep filial piety, delaying their marriage. ”

The old lady picked up a glass of old wine on the side and drank it.

"**My Xiao family, it's not a pity to die with a thousand cuts! Let her live a few more years, live one more year and suffer a year of sin. ”

Mama Dong poured her a full glass of wine again.

"The old lady's poison envoy is superb, and the second lady falls into your hands, that is her bad luck.

Old Madam Xiao was noncommittal, turned her head to look at her and asked, "Has Zhang Zhao'er recruited it?"

Mama Dong shook her head, "The punishment is also on the line, but it's useless, this person is determined, and the mandala can't confuse her." ”

Hehe.

Old Madam Xiao sneered, over the years, Zhang Zhao'er was the first person who could make Mama Dong shake her head and say that it was difficult.

"It's just that the second master and the third miss were stunned on the same day, and it happened that she had seen the third miss the night before and the second master the next morning, which was a bit too much of a coincidence. ”