Last time, I talked about Gu Chong and his wife talking about Xie Kai's experience, and said that they only fell asleep in the middle of the night, and there was nothing else to say all night. But said that Xie Kai said that he quit his uncle and aunt, and returned to the guest room in the east wing of the back porch. I took a volume of Wuchen's annotations "Anthology" on the shelf, turned two pages at random, my heart was tasteless, and I walked out of the inner room, but I heard two small men squatting under the porch peeling chestnuts and laughing. Xie Kai beckoned to the pearl on the couch outside, and pointed out the window.

This pearl was originally the granddaughter of Mrs. Fan's grandmother, Mama Rui, who had been in Mrs. Fan's room since she was a child, although she was only fifteen or sixteen years old, she was the most well-behaved and thoughtful person, so Mrs. Fan specially sent her to serve Xie Kai. When she saw Xie Kai reading a book first, she sat on the couch outside and tied the silk thread. At this moment, I heard the sound of footsteps, raised my head early, waited to see his movements, and understood at that time, walked out and smiled at the two of them: "Shun'er, Ping'er, you two are also rude! Why don't you come in and talk back?"

The two of them hurriedly got up and asked, "What did the young master tell us to do?" while saying to the pearl: "What did Senior Sister Rui say? Could it be that Young Master Xie didn't speak, and we dared to go into the house to talk about it?"

This sentence reminded Pearl, and she hurriedly called a little girl to buckle her and said, "Go and get a fruit plate, or get a box of eight treasures in the kitchen, and send it here immediately." ”

Xie Kai heard it and hurriedly said, "Don't bother, I think it's good to eat these chestnuts." ”

Pearl smiled: "How can they give the things they eat casually to the master?" urged Kou'er to go quickly. While cleaning up the table roughly, let Xie Kai sit down at the table, take two small pedals, and put a pestle in front of Shun'er and Ping'er. The two of them sat down on the pedal and put the chestnuts from their sleeves on the pestles.

For a while, the buckle also took something back, but it was a four-layer octagonal suitcase, and said: "The big kitchen outside has been locked." The small kitchen said that only some candied fruit was prepared in the evening, which was originally a snack for the three girls. Aunt Xia now has a few dried fruits, and asks the young master to ask if it suits his taste. If it's not good, she thinks of preparing other ones and sending them up, but it will take some time, so please take care of the young master. ”

She said as she took out the box one by one and put it on the table. But it is two plates of plums, two olives, a plate of rock sugar hawthorn, a plate of golden silk kumquat, a plate of golden silk dates, and a plate of nine kinds of tangerine peel, all of which are served in small white porcelain plates the size of a tea cup; a plate of pine nuts, a plate of walnut kernels, a plate of watermelon seed kernels, and a plate of sunflower seed kernels, which are served in small celadon plates; and a square black lacquer safflower painted gold box, which is divided into four compartments containing the whole shell of walnuts, pecans, chestnuts, and peanuts. Pearl put the dried fruit box in it, surrounded by twelve saucers, and took out a thin and flat old plum chisel flower silver plate from the lid of the box, a pair of gourd-headed flat square silver chopsticks, a plum blossom branch thin-handled silver spoon, and a gourd-headed silver toothpick, and placed them in front of Xie Kai, so that Xie Kai was invited to eat.

Xie Kai couldn't help but laugh when he saw her formation: "I said it was casual. It's so rich, it's like a feast. It's hard to cook. ”

Pearl said with a smile: "Young Master Cousin has always come rarely, how can it be blamed that Aunt Xia stammered? I'm afraid that it only took a while to turn the kitchen upside down, and collect everything that could be found and send it up." ”

Xie Kai smiled and nodded, looked at it on the table, pointed to the two plates of plum olives and asked, "What are these flavors?"

Pearl replied, "These two are one sweet and one salty. Sweet is honey-stained. The salty plums were salted, and they were very salty and sour. The olives are made with more than a dozen kinds of herbs, and the taste is rushing and a little spicy, but it is the best for those who have eaten wine and meat and have to be awake and restrained. ”

Xie Kai smiled: "I've had a few drinks tonight, and it's hard to bother with her." Then he asked, "Are chestnuts fried in sugar?" Pearl smiled and nodded, took a few of them, and peeled them for him one by one.

Xie Kai ate two chestnuts, and a few olives and hawthorns, but the others did not move. glanced at the looks of the two little guys underground, picked up the plums, dates, walnuts and melon seeds, and pushed the dishes to them. Pearl hurriedly reached out and took it and rested it on the pestle. The two little ones also stood up, and after thanking them seriously, they sat down and picked their favorite ones to eat.

Xie Kai picked up the tea, took a sip, and then asked the two little servants Shun'er and Ping'er with a smile: "I heard what you said just now, but what is the news?"

The two glanced at each other, and saw the younger Ping'er stand up with a smile - both of them were originally twelve or thirteen years old, but there was a difference in appearance between the first birthday and the last birthday. Na Shun'er is the son of the Gu family, honest and loyal, obedient and hard-working, but he has a dull temperament and doesn't like to talk much. It was bought by Gu Chong's family after they arrived in Changzhou, and he was the most agile monkey, and he was diligent and quick on weekdays, and he could speak and answer with one mouth, which was very pleasing to the upper and lower levels; he was a native of Changzhou, and he was used to wandering around the streets and alleys since he was a child, so Fan asked him to talk to Xie Kai, and he was good at leading the way to reply on weekdays - seeing him ask at this moment, this Ping'er stood up and replied: "If you go back to your father, there is no news." It's just that I heard the chief steward calling all the way under the root of the kitchen porch, saying that he would pick up the jars of wine that the old man had buried under the roots of the plum tree in the backyard a few years ago, and send it home to the uncle of the Zhang family early tomorrow morning; I told Brother Shun'er that the prefect Jiang sent this wine, naturally in front of Zhang's house, and there was a joke in the house at that time that he should have put two jars directly in front of the door, and it also saved him from ordering someone to send it in the future. Isn't it the right time today?"

Xie Kai's expression moved when he heard this, and he asked with a smile: "It turns out that my uncle and Uncle Zhang are so good?"

Na Ping'er smiled and said: "Young Master Don't believe it, but just ask which one in this Yanling City at will, and they all know that our master and the uncle of the Zhang family are the best." Whether it is the poetry club, the book club, the Qinqi collection, or the Tianning Temple to talk about the Buddha's teachings, the White Dragon View in the Taoist lectures, or the outside of the city, the canal side of the tour, the Guandi Temple next to the lamp market night market, the master is the same as the Zhang family uncle. On weekdays, the two families move around a lot, and they have to walk with each other five or six, seven or eight times a month. When the master or the uncle of the Zhang family is interested, there are also people who come over for three or five days in a row. In the summer and winter months, it is not uncommon for the master to invite the uncle of the Zhang family to live in the village outside the city, or the uncle of the Zhang family invited the master to go to his manor, and it is not uncommon for ten days and half a month to be in one place for the whole month. If you get rare things, eat, play, and appreciate, you must share half of what you can share, and the same is true for Uncle Zhang's side. Even the subordinates used in the house are the same. The master of the class who is now in charge of our house is the best at making all kinds of vegetables and medicinal food, that is, the uncle of the Zhang family heard that his wife uses half a fast every day, and the third girl was raised with medicine, so he specially selected a good chef raised by his family, and the family sent it over with the deed. The old man admitted that he couldn't do it, but it happened that the nephew of the manager of Yin in his house begged our wife to accompany Sister Zhou, and the old lady asked more to accompany the room. Our wife and the grandmother of the Zhang family are good, they often move around, they are very close to each other, and they got married last year, and the three girls rushed to look at the grandmother and called the aunt, according to the habits and rules of Changzhou, it is already a family. There are so many things to say, but the young master doesn't even know it!"

Xie Kai listened to this little guy's words, Fang Xiao's previous words about Gu Chong's "knowing friendship is not rebellious" are true, not only is it true, but it is really different from other people's friends. In this way, it is no wonder that Zhang Hui casually asked, "Why don't you go to your uncle's house", these words turned out to be well known. This time, he persuaded himself to come here, thinking that he also had some intentions, and he did not say anything about the etiquette here for himself, and he did not let him rashly go to his house to collide with people. I also want to go back to everyone's background, although he is studious and humble, and he has nothing to show off, but his words and actions in the academy naturally bring out a sense of arrogance, and he often says that he is different from those poor and poor children. It's just that he is used to being proud on weekdays, but the gentry and eunuchs in the Jiangnan realm all respect their own families, and ordinary people are intimidated by the court, so they have never befriended people and only cared about their family background and their background; I just complained that he couldn't treat each other wholeheartedly, and he didn't know and believe in himself, but when he thought about it at this moment, it was his own clumsy and dull eyes, and his arrogance and rudeness came first-he was stunned for a long time, Xie Kai smiled and said: "You are at home, what you have seen and heard, and you know it very carefully. ”

Na Ping'er didn't know that he had a lot of thoughts in his heart for a while, and when he heard this, he just regarded it as a sincere compliment, and immediately got satisfied, and said with a smile: "It's the young master's words." We are at home every day, and there are few people who go out, but the old lady does not need people in her daily life? Uncle Zhang and grandmother often come and go, we see each other from time to time, so we naturally know. He is really a noble and good person like an old lady, with a handsome appearance, a refreshing word and deed, and a generous and generous ......"

Without saying a word, Pearl and Shun'er next to him pushed him together, and said with a smile: "This kid is crazy without rules! Where can anyone talk about other people's wives and grandfathers like this!"

Xie Kai waved his hand and smiled: "I'm still teasing, don't blame him." He chose three or five big ones from the chestnuts to join him, because he asked the two and said, "I have been classmates with the young master of the Zhang family for three or four years, and the academy was the best, but when I came back to Changzhou for the first time, I wanted to bow to his parents, and I was worried about it." Now I heard that my uncle and the uncle of the Zhang family knew each other twice, so it was good, and the elders led and taught everything, which also saved me from making mistakes when I was young and ignorant. ”

Pearl and the two of them immediately laughed when they heard this: "Who is the young master? ”

Xie Kai shook his head with a smile and said, "I came by boat with the young master of the Zhang family in the morning, and he had to take a car to give me a ride." If I knew that there were these exchanges, I should have invited him into the house to sit down. I'm always embarrassed to miss it like this now. ”

Pearl said: "Since the young master of the table is good with the young master of the Zhang family, these thoughts will not be in his heart." The young master doesn't need to worry too much. When his uncle's birthday is finished in the past two days, he has time, and the young master invites the family to play for a few days, is it not better than sitting and thanking in a hurry? ”

Xie Kai clapped his hands and smiled: "You have a good idea, just listen to you." While speaking, he thought about the belly sutra and said: "This is the first time I have come back to Changzhou, and the elders everywhere will knock and say goodbye." It is time to take advantage of the warm and sunny spring to visit and take a look at the places of interest inside and outside Yanling City. At that time, I will have to bother Zhang Huaiying. No matter how good his uncle is with his father, the number of people who will go to his house with him will only be more, not less. So he turned his head to the two boys and said, "You two know the Zhang family, and you often come and go, and you know the rules of action, so you must remind and guide me in time in the future." ”

Pearl, Shun'er, and Ping'er hurriedly stood up together and said, "It's all a matter within the scope of the matter, and I can't afford to say the word 'pointing' to the young master." ”

Xie Kai smiled and waved his hand, asked the three of them to sit down, and let them eat snacks freely. Then slowly ask the people in the Gu Mansion, each person's preferences, responsibilities, and the situation on weekdays. He also asked about the things that Mrs. Fan sent to Pan Hua's family in the afternoon, the placement of clothes and books, and the money for gifts. Pearl replied one by one, saying that the old man and several stewards of the family were supposed to come to salute in person, but the old lady in the room stayed for dinner, and the hour was late, so she didn't dare to disturb, and made an appointment to kowtow tomorrow to thank you. Turning their words to Xie Kai, he said: "A few of them said that they would be rewarded by the master for their rewards, and they couldn't afford to ask the master." Whenever there is anything, the master just commands, and the little ones are always filial. ”

Xie Kai said with a smile: "I'm here, everything must be bothered by you, just don't hate me." ”

Pearl smiled when she heard this: "This is the duty of our subordinates, and it is also a part of the old man's wife and Jinling City." We served well, and at that time, the young master went back to bring a letter and say a word over there, which was very sincere. Xie Kai smiled and nodded.

After gossiping for a while, I heard the bell ring nine times outside. Pearl hurriedly got up and said, "But I forgot the hour." The young master sat on the boat for two days in a row, and now he arrived at the realm, and he was happy to see the old lady again, and his spirit was uplifted, but his body was already tired. I drank a little more wine in the evening, and after talking for half a day, I couldn't stay up anymore. "Then I asked Xie Kai to wash and settle. On the one hand, he asked Kou'er to clean up the table and carry the food box back, and called the two little maids to pass on to Xu's mother and let the hot water and the soup woman come in.

When the things are delivered, Pearl first carefully irons the bed with a soup woman, and warms the bed, and then serves Xie Kai to rinse his mouth, then changes his clothes, cleans his face, and drinks a cup of tea to nourish his qi and calm his mind in his small clothes, and then goes to bed and sleeps. Pearl got down from the cotton tent and curtain, and sat down on the outer stool, and after a while, she could hear the sound of a thin snort inside. Pearl Fang went out of the back room, and went to the inside and outside of the room to check again, and then ordered everyone to rest in peace and not mention it.