"Hello mother-in-law!" Charlene greeted her grandmother, here she did not deny that she was a member of the Xia family, and deep down, she still regarded herself as a member of the Xia family.

"Yo, this is ...... Brought your boyfriend back?" The old grandmother's slightly cloudy gaze fell on Ye Huang, and said with a kind face.

Charlene glanced back at Ye Huang and explained, "It's just a friend." ”

"Oh, it's a friend, when are you going to bring your boyfriend back? The old woman asked.

"There's always a chance in the future. Charlene said, "Mother-in-law will come to talk to you later, I'll go in first." ”

"Go, go, go. The grandmother didn't let Charlene and her party buy tickets.

The four of them walked into the ancient street, Xia Lin and Wu Wenrou were familiar with the road, and Ye Huang looked around, his face full of curiosity.

Walking into the ancient street, bypassing two small alleys, the four of them walked to the ancestral house of the Xia family.

The ancestral house of the Xia family looks quite historical and age-sensitive, but from the two stone lions in front of the gate and the gilded courtyard gate, it is not difficult to see the glory of the Xia family here. Charlene walked to the courtyard gate, knocked on the heavy wooden door with the iron ring on the wooden door, and shouted, "Uncle Zhang!"

After a while, there was a "squeak" sound from the courtyard door, and an old man wearing a gray cotton jacket hanging a hookah opened the wooden door, and saw that the old man Charlene looked very surprised, and said: "Second Miss, why are you back, and you don't call to inform you, the family ...... There is nothing to prepare at home. ”

This old man, whom Xia Lin called Uncle Zhang, is the old housekeeper of the Xia family's ancestral house, and now stays here to take care of the Xia family's ancestral home.

"I'm here temporarily, so I don't have to prepare anything. Charlene said.

Uncle Zhang saw Ye Huang and his party behind Xia Lin, "Xiao Wu is also here, and there are two other ones who must also be your friends with Second Miss." ”

Wu Wenrou hurriedly stepped forward and asked, it was obvious that Wu Wenrou was not here for the first time, "Uncle Zhang, are you feeling okay lately?"

"It's an old bone, it doesn't matter if it's good or not, if you can take care of the house for a few years, you'll have to accompany the eldest master. "Uncle Zhang has served the Xia family since Xia Jiang's father's generation, and it has been almost forty years now, "Don't stand outside and talk, come in first." ”

After the courtyard door was opened, after Ye Huang and his party entered, Uncle Zhang also deliberately went into the house to bring firecrackers, and after a crackling sound, the courtyard door was closed. This is the custom of Yangliu Town, after the wanderer returns home, the sound of firecrackers to announce the neighbors, and even set up a banquet to invite the neighbors to have a meal together, but there are not many people who still live on this ancient street.

The smell of firecrackers reminded Ye Huang of the days on the mountain, and the tourists who came to worship every day would set off firecrackers, and the slight ** smell made him feel very comfortable.

Walking into the yard, there is an open vestibule, planted with two rows of peach trees, if you come here in spring, it will be full of colors, but the white branches of the peach trees in winter and some old yards look like there is an inexplicable sense of depression and dilapidation.

Following Uncle Zhang, everyone walked through the vestibule, in front of the ancestral hall of the Xia family, Uncle Zhang cautiously pushed open the door of the ancestral hall. In the ancestral hall, there are the spirit cards of the ancestors of the Xia family, there are fruits on the tribute table that were only replaced two days ago, and candles and tribute incense are also burning, it can be seen that this old housekeeper is doing his best to do these jobs every day.

"Second Miss, let's put incense on the elders first. ”

Uncle Zhang stood sideways by the door of the ancestral hall and invited Xia Lin in.

Xia Lin had announced that she would sever relations with the Xia family in Chongqing City, but when she returned here, looking at many names on the spirit card that she had never met but were extremely familiar, Xia Lin forgot her vow of never having contact with the Xia family at this moment, she walked into the ancestral hall, lit three incense sticks in front of the offering table, and respectfully paid homage to the ancestors of the Xia family.

"Why don't you go in and have a stick of incense. Uncle Zhang said to Ye Huang and the others: "Seeing Miss bring her friends home, the elders of the Xia family will also be happy." ”

Ye Huang and the three of them also walked into the ancestral hall with a sense of awe, lit the tribute incense, and inserted it on the incense burner.

After the visit, the four of them walked out of the ancestral hall, and Uncle Zhang closed the door of the ancestral hall again, and he asked, "The second lady came back this time, how many days do you want to stay here?" I didn't hear the old lady and the eldest lady say that they wanted to come back. ”

Charlene shook her head and said with a little embarrassment: "Sister, I'm afraid I won't come back recently, I won't spend the night here today, I'll go to my mother's grave later, and I'm going to leave today." ”

Uncle Zhang's face was full of loss, and he said regretfully: "Hey, that's it...... I also know that the lord and the eldest lady are busy, but I don't know when they will come back when they have time. ”

"When my mother dies, they'll be back. Xia Lin brought up this topic, she was not very willing to mention Xia Jiang, "Uncle Zhang, get ready, I'm going to see my mother in the back mountain." ”

"Okay, Second Miss, if you don't spend the night here, at least have dinner before leaving?" Uncle Zhang said: "Tomorrow is your birthday Second Miss, if the eldest Miss and the master can come back, how good it would be to have a lively time together, how good." ”

Xia Lin glanced back at Ye Huang and the others, Ye Huang could see the loneliness of the old man, he really hoped that Xia Lin could stay here for a few more days, Ye Huang hurriedly said: "It's okay to leave after dinner, you don't have to be in such a hurry." ”

"That's right, anyway, tomorrow is the weekend, let's not rush back, let's have dinner here and leave, Uncle Zhang's cooking is a must." Wu Wenrou also said.

The rest is only Jiang Han's opinion, for some reason after entering the ancient street, Jiang Han seemed a little absent-minded, and found that the eyes of the three fell on her, she reacted and said, "I, I'm not in a hurry, let's have dinner here." ”

Since everyone who passed through was willing to stay, Xia Lin naturally didn't want to waste Uncle Zhang's kindness, and said, "Okay, then let's have dinner here." ”

"Okay!" Uncle Zhang said with a smile: "Second Miss, you can go to visit Madame, I will go to the town to buy a fresh local chicken, and you will stew chicken soup at night." ”

Seeing the old man walking out of the yard with a somewhat clumsy but joyful figure, a trace of inexplicable bitterness flashed in Xia Lin's heart, thinking that if Uncle Zhang knew that he had broken off the relationship with the Xia family in a rebellious way, what kind of expression would this kind old man who had watched him grow up since he was a child?

Xia Lin held the incense and candles she had just bought, picked up a firewood knife in the corner of the courtyard and said, "My mother's grave is in the back mountain, and the mountain road is a little difficult to walk, if you feel troublesome, just wait for me here for a while." ”