Gu Chong nodded and sighed, "I naturally know who it is." And not only I know, but even you know that I have seen no less than three or four times a few years ago, and we all paid respects when we left the cabinet - it is the niece daughter of Mrs. Liu, the uncle of the Xie family, Miss Sun of the former military department member Liu Xun's family, and the sister-in-law of Liu Qing, who is now the garrison of Lanzhou, whose name is Wan'er. ”

Fan Shi was surprised: "It turned out to be her! When she was young, she had lived with Mrs. Liu in Xie's house for a few years. But it's just a mourning for her parents and grandparents, her brother is in the army again, she is young, there is no one to support her family, and the eldest wife of the Xie family is an aunt, so she can't rest assured, so she has been raised by her side for a few years. When she grows up, naturally her brother will take her back, discuss marriage, and there is nothing to say. I don't know what else to entangle with my nephew!"

Gu Chong smiled bitterly: "Where is there entanglement? It's just the foolish mind of Xie Kai, a stupid boy." ”

When Fan Shi heard this, he became curious and asked, "What is the mind of a nephew?" But what's going on, maybe the master will tell me?" he asked, and handed over a full cup of tea.

Gu Chong took the tea in his hand and said, "It's okay, it's okay to sue sù you know." At the beginning, the young lady of the Liu family, it was indeed because her parents died early and her grandmother died again, that she was received by her only aunt and the eldest wife of the Xie family: one was the friendship of her brother and sister; the second was her mother's favorite granddaughter, who was not at ease until she died, and took good care of her, that is, she did her filial piety with her mother; third, although she had a cousin Liu Qing, he was not from the same mother, and he joined the army early, and he couldn't see it in the northwest military camp for many years. When I first received the Xie family, I was only five or six years old, six or seven years old. The old lady of the Xie family is a lively person who loves her grandchildren the most, and she pities her for being less sluggish, so she asks her to follow her with her granddaughters, and her daily life and upbringing are the same. There is this Xie Kai, the grandson of the child, who is young, and has been raised in the old lady's room since he landed, and he loves him in a thousand ways, so he has been used to fighting with his sisters since he was a child. After this Miss Liu family came, she was naturally together. The two were of the same age, close and friendly, and their ears and temples were grinding until they were thirteen or fourteen years old. That Liu Wan'er is outstanding, talented and good-looking, and she is not worse than the girls in his family. And the nephew has a big heart, and gradually knows about the affairs of men and women, and as a result, the young man's mind is all devoted to this one. ”

Fan Shi listened and hurriedly asked, "My nephew is fond of that Liu Wan'er, can my aunt know?"

Gu Chong nodded and said, "How can I not know." Although the nephew is also knowledgeable and knowledgeable, he is young, what is in his heart, and how can he not bring it out between words and actions? Mrs. Gu consulted with the old lady and Mrs. Liu, and sent a letter to Lanzhou. Liu Qing personally took people to Nanjing, picked up his sister-in-law first, and the family settled in a rented house in Nanjing, and asked his uncle and aunt to be the masters of his sister-in-law. Uncle Xie listened to our aunt's suggestion, and made Liu Wan'er promise Chai Ming, the eldest son of Chai Chang of Yingtianfu. ”

Fan said, "Yes." I also remember it was the Chai family. That Chai Gongzi is a little older, but his background and family appearance are not good, he is still a jinshi in his own family, walking in the six yamen, and his future is not smooth. A group of our ladies talked about it inside, and said that the eldest wife of the Xie family was really generous, and the niece and daughter left by the brother and sister-in-law were not less attentive than their own children, and they found such a good son-in-law. ”

Gu Chong said: "Speaking of which, Uncle Xie has done a really good job in this matter. Let's talk about being older, Chai Ming was only twenty-three years old at the time, and the marriage was postponed because of filial piety for her grandmother. But in the end, it can't be considered small, so the Chai family urged the marriage period to be tight. It happened that Chai Chang's term was about to expire, and he already had a will to return to the six departments of the imperial court, so he wanted to combine the two cases of marrying a woman and returning to Beijing into one: Chai Ming went to Nanjing to marry, and after the wedding, he returned to Beijing with his father. Because the Liu family has no other close elders, the uncle of the Xie family and Mrs. Liu have brought the girl to the Xie family to live in the Xie family for these years, and they treat each other as if they were their own children, and the old lady has always been biased, so it is all about the bride and the wife of the Xie family. At that time, the Xie family was busy, and everyone came and went with joy, only the nephew was so sick that he couldn't get up when he heard the news, but in the end there was nothing to do. ”

When Fan heard this, he sighed and said, "Saying this, it's really the nephew's wishful thinking." But fortunately, Mrs. Gu saw the opportunity, otherwise she would have let the child's mind and temper, so she didn't know the ground, in case something happened, but the name of her life was over. After thinking about it for a while, he said: "I also remember that Miss Liu is indeed very handsome and handsome, and she has a clean air from a scholarly family, and she is a good girl who is innocent." The nephew has her in his heart, and his vision is not bad. ”

Gu Chong shook his head vigorously and said, "His vision here is not bad, but this is not bad, but it is not bad for other things." Speaking of which, the nephew can be regarded as a young man: not to mention that he has been with his sisters since he was a child, and he can make some extremely coquettish and gorgeous songs at the age of eleven or twelve, just when he was twelve years old, he and a few brothers in his family stole into the Qinhuai Fengyue Land, and he became the guest of the leader of the Qinglou with a flute song - fortunately, it is a young thing, and in the end he has a good fight with the brothers who went. At the age of thirteen or fourteen, he fell in love with Liyuan opera, so he collected hundreds of famous operas and song books. He also writes books and plays plays, and his voice and figure are sometimes stronger than those from serious academic backgrounds. When it comes to the children of the anointed stalk and the amorous people in Jinling City, who can not mention the name of the sixteen langs of the Xie family? But there is such a bustle outside, but when it comes to the real word 'love', there is no trace of the romantic gesture, and it is determined that it is the one who is except for the Liu family, and no one can look down on her as a jade girl and a fairy. used to laugh with the girl at home, and the cousins and sisters occasionally forgot when they got close, but after Miss Liu married into the Chai family, this kind of situation was no longer seen. The most terrible thing is that he is getting bigger, and the family has to start thinking about the matter of proposing relatives to him, but he seems to have made up his mind, but he just refuses; on weekdays, there are guests and friends at home, but whenever he encounters someone who really shows some meaning, he doesn't care about anything, or his words or deeds, he must dispel the ideas of others -- others don't care, and that year he actually collided with the old lady of the Linqing Palace. ”

Fan Shi was suddenly startled when he heard this, and hurriedly asked: "The old lady of the Linqing Palace? Could it be that five years ago, the aunt and wife of the Xie family came to the door in the middle of the night and asked the master to come over? The lord said at the time that the uncle of the Xie family was in some urgency in the court and wanted to go to the door of the Qing Palace, because we had some contacts with the old lady's family when we were in Mingzhou Mansion, and the aunt and aunt came to find it. It turned out to be for my nephew! Why did the master hide it from me?"

Gu Chong said: "I don't want you to be too careful? At that time, things were sudden, and it was such a reason, even if it was not easy for my own family to sù." What's more, I know that you are impatient with the things in the Jinling family. Although Mrs. Gu is the daughter who went out, she is also surnamed Gu in the end, and she was born to Mrs. Xian. If I don't bother you, I'll cook it alone. ”

Fan listened to her husband's words of protection, and she was both happy and emotional, but she couldn't help but say: "Having said that, I always feel that the master has underestimated me." ”

Gu Chong said with a smile: "If I can't even protect you, what kind of person am I? In the final analysis, it was I who caused you, followed me for thousands of miles, and suffered all my life. It's easy to settle down for a few days, how can I worry about the people in my family anymore? And I am the only one who has come forward in this matter. In the end, there is a difference between inside and outside, I go to talk and walk around, that is, the children's family is not compatible and collides with the elders, and there is a little more affection over there, if I bring you in, I am afraid that I will think about the things outside. ”

Fan nodded and said, "What the master said is reasonable. It's just that what is going on in this matter? With the old man coming forward to help speak, the other side of the Linqing Mansion won't say much. However, the nephew is afraid that it will be difficult. ”

Gu Chong said: "How is this not the case. Although everyone from the prince, the concubine to the palace said that they were not to blame, in the end it was a big turmoil, and the Xie family didn't know how much effort it took to get through the past, and the old lady was even more frightened and fell ill, and never got up again, and died after four or five months. Although he is also old, he has more or less illness on his body, and he has a momentary attack, but he can't get through it after all, and it's fate. It's just that there is a reason for it, and in the end, the nephew's accident can be regarded as the trigger. Just for the sake of face, there are not many words outside the family, and the nephew has been doting on the old lady since he was a child, and it is not an exaggeration to say that his whole life has been spent on him, how can he get by in his own heart? However, although the nephew admits the great sin of unfilial piety, outsiders no longer make those shapes, but he does not move in his heart. The old lady and aunt of the Xie family have been flogged several times, but they can't change it in the end; they hate it so much that they want to send it away from afar, and they really suffer a lot of hardship, and they are flesh and blood, and the uncles and old ladies at the top and the aunts and wives below can't give up. I couldn't do anything, so I used my idea to send my nephew to Mingyang Academy, worship under Cheng Yezhi, and study with Mr. Huang, Zhou, Qian, and Li. The first is that the man is doing business, the second is to divert his mind, and the third is to open his eyes and take a look at the real people who study and study. ”

Fan Shi suddenly said: "I see! I also explained that although Yang Academy is good, all the gentlemen who sit in the seats to teach are also great Confucians in the world, and their knowledge is first-class. But after all, the academy has created many students from the poor family, but there are few children and grandchildren like us. Why did the old man write to his aunt and ask him to send his nephew there? Why did the aunt of the Xie family really follow the old man and send his nephew there? I didn't know that there were these reasons in it!"

Gu Chong said: "Actually, at that time, I was thinking about how many really learned gentlemen there were in the academy, and there were a number of classmates of similar age, so that it was convenient to work hard in scriptures and classics and even scientific examinations, which is the right way to be a person in the world." And the company of classmates, or reading, or studying, opening eyes and increasing knowledge, in any case, is better than the quiet and empty Zen temple Taoism, and it is also in line with the nephew's temperament. Also, the academy is in Jinling City. Although after worshipping the teacher, you have to stay with your husband and stay in the academy, which is not far from home, if there is really something to do, or the elders and Mrs. Gu are worried about it, they can send a message at any time, bring it on the same day, and go back almost the same day. As for the nephew himself, firstly, he admired the name of the academy for a long time and was willing to study with a few gentlemen; secondly, he also avoided those things at home, especially those who proposed marriage, and shirked it with the words of 'meritorious deeds', which could be regarded as a famous teacher-a few times cheaper, so he was not dissatisfied, and let him go at that time. Later, the old lady of the Xie family died, and it was more reasonable to keep filial piety and study. In the past few years, my nephew has really learned a lot in the academy, not to mention the things in the books, how to deal with people and things, and to welcome and entertain guests are very different from before. Accumulation of thick and thin, modesty and retreat, isn't it even more the grace of the son of the family?"

When Fan Shi heard this, he couldn't help laughing: "Listening to what the master said, it really makes sense everywhere and benefits from all sides." It's just that the words 'accumulation, humility and retreat', why doesn't it sound like talking about a nephew, but like talking about the master himself?" Gu Chong also smiled.

Fan continued: "However, if the nephew can really be like the old man in terms of personality and knowledge, the aunt's wife and aunt's family will definitely be satisfied." It can be seen that the master is fulfilling him in the end. It's just that I just heard from the master, the nephew's thoughts about the girl of the Liu family, and the real reason for Mr. Bai's admission to the academy, these are all understood. But I still remember the previous time, the old man said that the nephew came here to discuss the matter of the family for him, but I was confused: the story of five or six years, seven or eight years ago, the nephew still had a pimple in his heart, and he couldn't let go of such a person, and he wouldn't avoid Jinling City far away from listening to some wind and grass. Besides, this family matter, which family is not the words of the matchmaker of the parents, there is no other reason in the world. And he avoided it, but only temporarily. To put it mildly, 'I can hide from the first year of junior high school, but I can't hide from the fifteenth'. After a while, the parents and elders agreed that they would not obey the order to go home and get married? It was not a child's home, and if they had such thoughts, it would be too ridiculous. ”

Gu Chong said: "What you said is not right, but I can't think of my nephew's thoughts. He went as he wished in the small things, and apart from this one, there was nothing that went wrong, but in this matter, although he exhausted his mental strength, he could not fulfill his wish after all, and it was like the so-called 'unwantedness' of Buddhism, so he was most impressed. He is also amorous by nature, and when he was a teenager, he was influenced by those lyrics and operas, and he valued the affection between men and women the most - he thought that he was destined to have no fate, and since he had a heart, he should learn the persistence of the tail and the pillar; since he had offended the nobles for this and disobeyed his relatives, he should concentrate on learning, and then make contributions and abandon all his own selfish feelings: so that the king and Qingqing are all right, so that they can live up to the word "faithfulness" in the life of the eldest husband, and they can barely face the ancestors of their relatives. He has such thoughts, and he has been willing to study hard all these years, but the knots in his heart about marriage are getting deeper and tighter. My aunt and I wrote several times, and when I talked about the situation, I was really worried about him. Mrs. Gu also begged me twice and three times to find an opportunity to explain him. It's just that we are not in Nanjing, and we can't reach it in the end. I don't know what kind of course he has in mind, so he hasn't really responded to it. Now it seems that the worries of my aunt and my aunt are really reasonable. If the book came to Nanjing two days later, and it really mentioned the matter of discussing relatives, it was the nephew who really had this idea, and hurried to Changzhou, it was to the head of the family to 'Mingzhi'. ”

Fan sighed when he heard this: "If that's the case, it's really hard for my aunt and aunt." After all, when getting married, husband and wife must be harmonious and happy with each other. The son of a nephew family, who is also well-read and knowledgeable, will never do anything that disobeys his parents and resists marriage. But I have always had such a thought in my heart, the couple can't respect the tacit understanding of small things, if one step wants to go wrong, and become an indifferent and extreme, stubborn first-class, this future will come to an end. ”

Gu Chong nodded and said, "Who said that this is not the case? The family is not in order, how can we talk about governing the country and leveling the world? Young people don't know how powerful, it's just a matter of thinking about it." But if those of us who are elders do not see, or if we see it, we do not know how to wake him up and turn him back to the right path, it is a great sin. As for the nephew, it is not whether he can or cannot, but whether he wants or not. If you can unravel this knot, you will naturally be good in the future; if you can't untie it, it will be a waste of good knowledge and talent, and it is unknown if you will lose yourself and your relatives in the future. ”

Hearing the last sentence, Fan's face couldn't help but change a few times, and after a while, he smiled and said, "What the master said is too scary." In the final analysis, the nephew is still a child, and his temper and heart are not determined. Since my aunt and aunt have entrusted you several times, and now that he has arrived in Changzhou again, my aunt will explain and teach well, and it will definitely be effective in a short time. ”

Gu Chong said with a smile: "What kind of 'medicine to get rid of the disease', you and I are an immortal, and I can make pills by spitting Xingzi? slept late, couldn't wake up tomorrow, Zhang Yangzhi took his kid to the door to deliver the post, and the family didn't get up yet, this is a big joke. - Hurry up and clean up, and go to sleep!"

Fan also laughed when he heard this, and said, "Who is the uncle of the Zhang family who is willing to make this joke? Saying that, the servant Gu rushed to the bed, and called the big maid who was waiting close to him to come in and freshen up herself, and then fell asleep peacefully.