The snowdrifts under the roots of the trees in the courtyard outside the window are white, the candles in the house are shining, and the snow inside and outside is shining, which adds a different kind of charming style to the house.

The green clay incense in the Boshan furnace is swirling.

In the high-necked and thin-waisted glass bottle, on a thick and hard plum branch, clusters of plum blossoms are blooming.

The eldest lady Chen sat peacefully on the chair at the top, with a gentle and affectionate smile on her face, while talking, she looked at the opposite side with love in her eyes, and a teenager sat on the beautiful hollow embroidery stool opposite.

The boy is Bai Ziqi.

The house was hot, and he had widened his cotton robe before eating, and now he was dressed in a dark fine silk dress, which made his eyebrows more and more prominent, his facial features handsome, and his expression was radiant.

Bai Ziqi is the biological son of Chen's sister, who has been smart and clever since he was a child, and likes to visit his aunt and uncle in Lingzhou Mansion when he has time, which is deeply favored by Chen.

On the opposite side of the big kang, the haired black crows and crows crowded a group of girls, and the little sisters of the Liu family all came, gathered together to talk and laugh, talk about the female training girls who are studying today, discuss the embroidery styles that have become popular in Lingzhou Mansion recently, and evaluate the new clothes and styles on the street outside.

Tonight, these sisters seemed absent-minded one by one, and even a little distracted. While talking to each other idly, they kept staring at the beautiful young man in the dark clothes underground.

Pian young man, tall and tall, good-looking, polite when he speaks, seems to be full of knowledge, and most importantly, this cousin of the Bai family also has a special identity.

His grandfather was a military general who followed the founding emperor to fight the world, and after the world was calmed, General Bai Lao judged the situation, and took the initiative to hand over the military power and leave the dynasty to return to his hometown for retirement. This trick is in the hands of the Son of Heaven, the so-called meritorious master is talking about such a founding father, the so-called cunning rabbit is cooking as a lackey, and it is also said that such a power big man will get the end if he is not careful, the old general Bai is low-key and wise, and the Son of Heaven is also extraordinarily compassionate, and he is named a first-class earl, quasi-hereditary, and he is allowed to return to his hometown and retire for the rest of his life.

In Bai Ziqi's father's generation, he did not go out of office, only relied on his ancestors to shelter him, he ate and drank well all day long, and his wife and concubines lived more freely than the gods.

When he came to Bai Ziqi, even if his family background was not as rich as his ancestors, he was a big family after all, even if he didn't do anything, he could live a comfortable life just by relying on the rewarded granges, and there was a hereditary uncle who was already waiting for him, the eldest son of the main house, to inherit it.

It's just that this Bai Ziqi is a young and intelligent young man, likes to be motivated, is familiar with the Four Books and Five Classics at a young age, pretends to be a belly of knowledge of governing the country, and won the show in the hospital examination a few years ago, and is now waiting to participate in the township examination. After all, Old Man Bai is a military general, and he still has a good impression of studying and becoming a scholar, so he does not very hinder his grandson's self-motivation.

Liu Ying is the most outstanding of the sisters tonight, she has already changed out of her bloated cotton jacket, single wearing a water-red nine-purple silk jacket, with a light red pleated skirt underneath, and the embroidered satin shoes on her feet are the colorful embroidery of flying butterflies that has just been completed in the embroidery room, I don't know if it is the new clothes, or she is really happy in her heart, there are two red halos flying on her full cheeks, her eyes are flowing, and she is full of light, although she is laughing in the face of her sisters and sisters, in fact, her eyes can't be glued to her white cousin all the time.

Eighth Miss Liu Xue was innocent, running around on the ground from time to time, pulling her sister's back shirt, pulling her cousin's hand, touching the fragrant purse hanging from her cousin's waist, and rubbing her mother's leg to be coquettish.

The third lady Liu Mei and the sixth miss Liu Shen are the sisters of the sixth aunt Taisheng, although they are both siblings, the elder sister Liu Mei is calm and upright, and her speech is slow, sitting there only smiling and listening to everyone's words, and rarely interjecting; But Liu Ying relied on the fact that she was born to a big wife, and she didn't want to look at Liu Shen squarely.

Usually Liu Shen swallows his anger and begs for being obedient, but the angry thing is that tonight this Liu Shen actually dared to come against Liu Ying, knowing that Liu Ying likes Bai Gongzi, Liu Shen is not interested, and looks at Bai Ziqi and smiles, that Bai Ziqi is talking about things in the school, and she doesn't know what to do with her as a girl, she can giggle and laugh shyly, as if Young Master Bai is talking to her alone.

This qiē Liu Ying saw it in his eyes, was angry in his heart, and hated it so much that the roots of his teeth itched.

What's worse is that the white cousin seems to like to make this Liu Shen happy the most, and sometimes when he is talking, he will turn his face and look at Liu Shen with a smile.

Liu Ying was about to collapse, how could she tolerate a sister who was out of her house, who usually followed her ass as a follower, and seduced Cousin Bai in front of her own eyebrows.

It's tolerable, it's unbearable!

Twelve, thirteen or fourteen-year-old girl, she is an age that does not know the taste of sorrow, but she pretends to be someone else in her heart, so her heart is overlapping and she can't talk about it and can't let go freely, the arrival of Cousin Bai, Liu Ying's heart is really happy and painful.

Everyone has their own thoughts, don't look at sitting on the same kang, but the demeanor and thoughts are different.

Only Liu Yan has been watching coldly, she leaned on a large round soft pillow, her eyes looked at everyone lazily, no one looked at her, her eyes were empty, and her heart was also empty.

Just now, the eldest lady told her, saying that her father would go out this time to settle the matter, and after the New Year, he would marry her to Yang Hanlin Mansion in Lingzhou and fill the house for a fifty-year-old man.

Although this family affair was revealed as early as last year, everyone quietly discussed it in private, Liu Yan still had a little fantasy in his heart, his father would not marry his delicate relatives to a bad old man, the rumors are not credible, as long as the father and the eldest wife did not speak, no matter how much others guessed, it was just groundless, and it didn't matter.

However, the day has finally come.

The eldest lady, the woman she called her mother, when she officially informed her of this family affair with a straight face, Liu Yan knew that there was no room for maneuver.

Her first feeling was despair.

What else does it mean to be alive?

The age of fourteen or fifteen years is the age when flowers are budding, and the cardamom girl is a good year of Sichun's affection, who wants to entrust his delicate body and long life to an old man who is already fifty years old?

What's more, he already has a group of wives and concubines, and his grandson is the same age as her, she can be his granddaughter-in-law.

Young Toshihiko, that girl doesn't love?

In fact, she had someone in her heart very early, and this person was Bai Ziqi who was now sitting in the same room.

She remembered the first time she saw him, her nine-year-old daughter's house, with pigtails and big fat clothes, without a city, stupidly fluttering butterflies under the peach tree in the yard. Running and chasing, following the butterfly, he actually crashed into the arms of a strange boy.

She had a deer in her heart, and for the first time she had the shyness of a girl.

He didn't get angry, looked at her and smiled, and asked her if she was touched?

Such a young man, how can he not be tempting.

Now that he was in front of him, his smile, his cheeks, his hands, his feet, his eyes, and his faint smile all penetrated into her heart so clearly.

She secretly collected every trace of his reaction like a spring petal, buried it deeply, and kept it as her secret for the rest of her life.

However, his gaze has never stayed on himself, the daughter of the Liu family, he doesn't seem to have seen anyone in particular, poor Liu Ying, who is smart and amorous, and looks good in front of her, but he can't see that in fact, this cousin doesn't have her in his heart at all.

Chen looked at his nephew with love and disgust: "I just miss my aunt, and I should wait for the snow road to open before coming, this snow seals the door, you run so far to rush over, in case you bump along the way, how can your aunt feel at ease?"

Bai Ziqi smiled, "Auntie, don't worry, the carriage is not easy to walk, but it is okay to ride a horse, but the road is bumpy on horseback, and now the bones hurt all over my body." ”

Bai Xue listened and ran over, tiptoed, raised a pair of pink fists and pounded her cousin, "Does it still hurt now?" ”

She is cute and delicate, which makes a room full of people laugh.

The hearts of the girls on the kang are fluttering and fluttering, I really want to become the eighth sister immediately, I really want the fist that hit Cousin Bai is my own.

Chen asked his nephew about his recent schoolwork, and he answered unhurriedly, his demeanor was calm and steady, and he seemed to be more and more elegant and handsome.

Chen nodded vigorously after hearing this, sighed at his nephew's intelligence, and envied his sister's good life, giving birth to such a good child, but unfortunately he was so old, but he was still lonely under his knees. Brother Qi, you don't know, outsiders look at your aunt in Liufu is the eldest lady of the main house, living a comfortable and comfortable life, in fact, how much suffering there is only the aunt herself knows, the aunt's biggest wish over the years is to look forward to the lord can have a prosperous heir, the Liu family Ding is prosperous, but it is difficult to fulfill the wish, before and after marrying into the eighth aunt's wife, but unfortunately the sisters are as miserable as me, one by one has the life of being pregnant with a male fetus, and there is no life to be born by the side, these years in order to have a smart and healthy brother like you, my uncle and I are really boiled white。 Fortunately, God has eyes, Liufu Hongfu, this morning, Aunt Jiu gave birth to a little brother safely. ”

After saying this, she sobbed softly.

Bai Ziqi looked at her aunt suspiciously, and said in her heart that since she has been born, Liufu's long-cherished wish for many years has been fulfilled, why are you unhappy?

Naturally, this cannot be asked.

Chen suddenly laughed again, "I am overjoyed, and I am so happy that I cry because my lord's wish has been fulfilled for many years." There is also a happy event, Brother Qi, you can guess it and see what it is?"

Bai Ziqi smiled and lowered his head in contemplation, raised his head, "My nephew guessed that Brother Wan'er's illness had improved." ”

Chen's expression darkened, "The master recently took Brother Wan out to seek medical treatment, but unfortunately he still ran in vain, and countless famous doctors have said that this child is a scab brought by the womb, but I am afraid that it will be incurable." Alas, Brother Wan, this child, it's hard to say what his fate will be in the future. ”

Bai Ziqi heard her sigh strangely, so she had to divert the topic, "So I didn't see Brother Wan'er this time?"

Chen suddenly spewed a chuckle from her nose, obviously there was something uncontrollable anger that she couldn't control before she lost her temper, but after all, she was old and sophisticated, and she adjusted her feelings as soon as she coughed, and smiled faintly, "On the way back from seeking medical treatment, the snow road was slippery, and I was stranded at the inn along the way, and your uncle-in-law couldn't rest assured that Mrs. Jiu was not relieved, and he rushed back first on horseback alone." ”

The tone was light, the expression was equally light, and the face was lonely.

Bai Ziqi observed the words, and when she saw that her aunt was unhappy about Liu Wan, she hurriedly changed the topic: "What kind of happy event will there be in the house, my nephew is stupid, and I can't guess it." ”

Chen smiled and glanced lightly at the kang.

Liu Ying was the fastest, and she had already eaten a low laugh, but her voice was crisp, deliberately so that everyone could hear it, "Cousin, you are happy to hear it, it is a happy event for Liu Yan's sister, she is going to marry into Hanlin Mansion as an aunt's wife, hehe, my sister is overjoyed, as soon as Ming'er enters the door, someone will follow and shout grandma, then Yang Hanlin's grandsons are twelve years old!"

She was the only one in the room laughing, and Liu Shen also responded dryly.

Everyone knows how unsatisfactory this family affair is, and for this reason, Liu Yan has long been depressed. Now it sounds like a happy word, what someone calls grandma when you enter the door, it is clearly sarcastic in your ears, and the words are harsh.

The rabbit died and the fox was sad, and the rest of the sisters would inevitably face such a fate one day, so in the face of Liu Yan's sad face, who of them could be happy?

The third lady Liu Mei has also been engaged to a family affair a long time ago, fortunately she is lucky, her husband is only thirty years old, he is a member of the Lingzhou Mansion, he has just died of his wife, with the prestige of Liufu, even if she is a concubine, it is estimated that she will still be corrected when she marries.

Bai Ziqi quietly observed everyone's expressions, combined with Liu Ying's words, he suddenly understood what was going on, he suddenly stood up, hugged his fists, and bowed down respectfully in the direction of Liu Yan, "Fourth cousin, it's too late for me to know." ”

His demeanor was respectful, and his tone was stern.

What does this mean?

Maybe to others, it is nothing more than that he knew about this relatively late.

But in Liu Yan's ears, word by word, there was clearly another meaning, she bowed her head slightly and returned the salute, and the tears came down as soon as she bowed her head. She didn't dare to raise her hand to wipe it, and she didn't dare to raise her head, for fear that others would laugh when they saw it.