Lei Yiming lived in Tianjin for a long time.

In the blink of an eye, on August 15, he was not very enthusiastic about any festival, and he couldn't even remember it, but this year, perhaps because his surroundings were too lonely, he was obsessed with this festival. On the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival, he didn't say anything about the festival, but he recruited a few big girls who sang songs and sang operas to come home, and the blowing and singing were lively until the middle of the night. In the midst of such a bustle, he was very drunk, but he did not have any special interest in the girls. Bai Xuefeng was guarding on the side, thinking that he had slept alone for a few months, but today he saw such a group of warblers and Yanyan, he had to play some tricks, who knew that he sat very firmly, the big girls came innocently, sang for half a night, and left together innocently, and none of them were left by him to become women.

In the early hours of the morning, he was so drunk that he fell asleep, and he slept as if he were dead, until noon the next day, when he opened his eyes again. Bai Xuefeng came over and asked him, "Dashuai, did you sleep well this time?"

He nodded, but the person hadn't woken up yet, and muttered vaguely, "I slept well this time." ”

"You didn't have nightmares?"

He changed his head from nodding to shaking his head: "No." ”

Bai Xuefeng didn't ask any more questions, and went to arrange for him to wash and change clothes. And he had a rare good night's sleep, and after a bath, and finally sat in the dining room with a new look, his face had a little good color that he had not seen for a long time. Picking up a glass of hot milk, he picked up the newspaper in his hand as he drank it—he didn't read it after a few glances, the words were too small and the numbers were too long, and he often felt dizzy

Feel. His mother-in-law once commented on this: "This shows that my son is born to only do big things." ”

He still trusts his mother-in-law, and his mother-in-law's comment on him is also very pleasing to the ear, so he was obedient for two days in a row, so that his mother-in-law also spent two days to stop the days.

After raising his glass and drinking the last drop of milk, he picked up his knife and fork and began to cut the ham and omelette on the plate. The second aunt gave birth to Lei Yifei, a little brute, for him and his mother, it is simply a crime that cannot be punished - if the second aunt gives birth to a girl, the sin may be a little smaller. His mother didn't spare the second aunt, just as he didn't spare Lei Yifei, and then the second aunt was so scared that she didn't dare to go out of the house, avoiding cats and mice, it was very fun, he thought about it now, and he couldn't help but smile.

Slowly eating up a plate of ham and omelette, he picked up his hot coffee. His mind jumped from the second aunt to the fifth cousin, and he stopped at the fifth cousin like a dragonfly, and then flew to Ye Chunhao - in a sense, they were all his "sisters". Lowering his eyes and staring at the coffee in the cup, he licked his lips, suddenly blushed a little, and secretly thought to himself, "Otherwise, I'll go home and see her?"

Ye Chunhao's sin seemed to have suddenly been lightened a little, and he could also give her a chance to mend her ways. If she can change her mind sincerely, then she is still qualified to continue to be his wife. He even thought that if she changed her mind and was willing to live a good life with him again, then the husband and wife would be of the same heart, their profits and money, and they would do anything

Smoothly, the two of them shared the same bed at night, and the ghost of Lei Yifei would naturally disappear.

Thinking of this, he couldn't sit still, put down the cup and stood up, he looked down at the empty plate and empty cup on the table, his face was flat, but there was a helpless smile on the corner of his mouth, and he said to himself in his heart: "This woman is really hateful, and she is angry with me for three days." I have never been so soft to my mother, and if I am so used to her, I really want to become her filial son and grandson. ”

Pulling out the chair sideways, he stepped out of his steps, and just after a few steps, he looked up, but saw Bai Xuefeng entering. Bai Xuefeng saw that he was leaving, so he said with a smile: "Dashuai, Senior Commander Chen is here, where did you see him?"

As soon as Lei Yiming heard that Chen Yunji was coming, he immediately replied, "Take him to the living room." ”

In the small living room, Lei Yiming saw Chen Yunji.

He thought that the news that Chen Yunji could bring to him was nothing more than two things, either he found Zhang Jiatian, or he didn't find Zhang Jiatian, and there would be no third trick. However, Chen Yunji opened his mouth, but what he said was not entirely what he expected.

Chen Yunji said: "Dashuai, I have found Zhang Jiatian." ”

He nodded, waiting for his next step. So Chen Yunji continued: "He occupied a place in Chahar, and looking at that meaning, it seems that he is going to stay for a long time. ”

When Lei Yiming heard this, he raised his head: "Isn't there only a few hundred people left in his hands? With such a small number of men, he still plans to be the king of Chahar Mountain?"

Chen Yunji replied: "According to our investigation, he has been recruiting troops in the past few months, and the team should be more than a few hundred people. And he

Mixed up with a local military leader surnamed Cao, the two sides now seem to be in a joint relationship. ”

Lei Yiming was silent for a moment - he believed what Chen Yunji had reported. Zhang Jiatian is indeed good at "mixing", from a small errand who watches the gate to a military assistant in a province, he has soared to 90,000 miles, and even almost became his godfather at one point. A young man in his twenties volunteered to recognize a man in his thirties as a godfather, Lei Yiming now looks back, he feels that he was blind at the beginning, and he didn't even see that this is a talent who can bend and stretch.

He can't let this talent grow and grow, otherwise sooner or later, the talent will lead troops into his home. Raising his eyes to look at Chen Yunji, he said: "You go to transfer troops now, since you know his whereabouts, you must not let him go again." ”

Chen Yunji stood upright: "Yes! I will definitely come back with Zhang Jiatian's head to see the handsome man this time!"

Lei Yiming sneered: "It's up to you?"

Then he stood up: "I can't believe you, I'll go myself this time." ”

Bai Xuefeng was startled when he heard that Lei Yiming was going to "drive the expedition". When others learned about this, they also jumped together with Bai Xuefeng. Everyone knows that Lei Yiming is greedy for life, afraid of death, and loves to enjoy, especially in recent years, he is simply "strategizing" and does not go to the front line at all. To have such a person personally put on the battlefield shows how terrifying the enemy is—but the problem is that the enemy really doesn't look terrifying at all. Zhang Jiatian's men survived to 1,800 people, and they had retreated to a poor place where birds don't

People always feel that he is now similar to a bandit, and it is not easy to survive in that place.

Bai Xuefeng was very concerned about Lei Yiming's personal safety, because if Lei Yiming unfortunately died on the front line, he would definitely lose his job. secretly went to Lin Zifeng, he hoped that Lin Zifeng could come to persuade Lei Yiming, but Lin Zifeng refused to persuade - since he lost his mother and sister, others felt that he was a little colder than before, and he didn't pay much attention to people and things.

"Zifeng" refused to go out, and the rest of the people didn't have the weight of Zifeng when they spoke, so they couldn't count on it, so Bai Xuefeng had no choice, so he had to pack up and prepare to set off with the army, but Lei Yiming told him: "You don't have to follow me, you go back to your home in Beijing." ”

"You're telling me to go back to the house, but there's nothing to see at home, so you might as well let me follow you." It's getting colder and colder, and you don't have a reliable person around to take care of you, not to mention anything else, just freezing is enough for you to see. ”

"Isn't there someone else in the family?"

"You say Mrs., but Mrs. She can't lose it, and she still needs me to watch it?"

Lei Yiming glared at him: "If you want to stay, you can stay, where is there so much nonsense?"

Then he turned around to leave, but Bai Xuefeng followed him step by step, and said in a rambling voice: "Dashuai, don't be too long-winded with me, if you set off when the weather is hot, I will definitely not follow you so deadly." But now the weather is as cold as a day, and your body is very afraid of cold, I am really ...... What a ......."

He was incoherent and bitter, as if he was Lei Yiming's wife, and Lei Yiming was

His old son, he had to follow him every step of the way, otherwise he would die of grief on the spot. Lei Yiming listened to his words, a little numb, but also a little moved, and replied impatiently: "Okay, okay, just take you! Why do I have to get sick as soon as it's cold? Can't you hope that I will be better?"

Bai Xuefeng smiled and secretly breathed a sigh of relief-it's not that the errand of housekeeping can't be done, but it is clear about the occasion. Last time, he stayed at home to take care of his family, but Lin Shengnan had a difficult birth, which scared him away with half his life. This home is even more lively, and a big prison is set up, and his wife is locked up in it. Whose responsibility is it if his wife dies in prison while he is looking for his house?

He can't afford these responsibilities, so he has to keep up with Lei Yiming. Running on the battlefield is a little harder, but the heart is relaxed, and it is better than being frightened in Beijing. Besides, he is the person next to the big handsome, with the strength of the big handsome, even if he suffers a big defeat, as long as he follows the big handsome, he will definitely be able to escape home with all his tails.

A day later, Lei Yiming left Tianjin and went to Baoding Daying.

He took two guard regiments with him in Baoding, and then got on the train to the west. When the train reached the end of the track, he got off the train, made peace with Chen Yunji, and turned north. Chen Yunji felt that he was really making a fuss, but he didn't dare to put forward an opinion, but Lei Duli asked him: "What is the name of the person who united with Zhang Jiatian?"

Chen Yunji replied: "That person's name is Cao Zhengxiong. ”

Lei Yiming thought about it for a long time, and finally decided to do it

I had never heard of this person, so I asked again: "What is Cao Zhengxiong's background?"

Chen Yunji shook his head this time: "He has no background, and he seems to have a bit of a kinship with Chahar's capital back then, so he got a letter of appointment from the division commander." He didn't do anything big, and I didn't even know there was such a person in Chahar. ”

When Lei Yiming heard this, he nodded: "Then it seems that this person is not to be afraid, we should solve it quickly, it shouldn't be a problem." ”

The past of the Lei family

In the winter of the twenty-sixth year of Guangxu, Beijing Lei House.

Yan Qingzhang took his mother's hand and stood at the door of the Lei Mansion and waited, but he didn't wait long, and a messenger ran out of the door, and he was very kind to the two of them, and said with a smile: "Please come in, you are the first to come back, we really don't know each other, which made you wait at the door for a long time, please forgive me." Then he smiled at Yan Qingzhang extraordinarily: "Brother looks really good, and he is a little talent at a glance." ”

Yan Qingzhang was only seven years old this year, and he had never seen much of the world before, but after listening to the other party's words, he was so frightened that he hid beside his mother again. His mother smiled shyly a few times, and wrapped him in like a small object.

As soon as Yan Qingzhang entered the gate of the Lei family, he felt bad, what was wrong, he couldn't say it, and he didn't dare to say it, because the Lei family has a high-rise compound, with male and female servants, and they are more than 10,000 times smarter than their own family everywhere, and the Lei family can afford to invite three old gentlemen to teach their children to read - the reason why my mother brought herself over today is not so that she can also enter the Lei family's study and read books that don't cost money for a few days?

So he didn't dare to make a fuss about going home, for fear that he would embarrass his mother. The mother and the eldest grandmother of this family have no serious relationship, and they have to talk about it for a few hours before his mother can reluctantly call the eldest grandmother a cousin. Niang is usually a face-saving person, and the reason why he is not so face-saving today is all for his future-this, he also understands.

In a daze, he entered a large, warm room, and the people in the room were all dressed plainly

Thin silk and satin, he looked up behind his mother's skirt, and saw a large Arhat bed in front of him, covered with shiny silk satin, a beautiful woman with eyebrows and eyes sitting in the center of the big bed, and a boy standing on the ground beside him.

The beauty has a dignified melon seed face, big eyes, watery black and white eyes, two eyebrows hanging up in pitch black, a high nose bridge, thin and pale lips, and an abstract cherry mouth painted with rouge. She is really beautiful, but she is so beautiful that it makes people's hearts beat, Yan Qingzhang only glanced at her, and her little heart trembled in her cavity. His mother opened her mouth to greet the beauty, and he could hear it, and his mother's voice trembled a little.

He didn't hear what his mother said, but at last the beauty opened her mouth, and her voice was delicate: "Bring the child to me, and I'll see." ”

A big girl came up and took his little hand and led him to the arhat's bed. He smelled an extremely strong aroma, and at the same time he was more and more afraid to look up, so he could only slant his gaze to the side, only to see the boy next to him was fiddling with an embroidered purse with his head down—the boy also had thick eyebrows, big eyes, and a high nose bridge, which was exactly the same style as the big beauty in front of him.

The beauty looked him up and down, and then instructed the big girl to take his hand to see if his fingernails were dirty. After making sure that he was really a neat and good boy, the beauty opened her mouth: "Then stay, just to be a companion for our little monk." has a little companion at home, so he doesn't have to think about running out all the time. There is chaos outside, and it is not safe in this Beijing city, so I can rest assured that he will be able to do so

Do you want to get out?"

Then she began to speak at length about her little monk, the boy who stood beside her and played with his purse. Yan Qingzhang later learned that the little monk was his milk name, and his tuba was called Lei Yiming, and the beauty in front of him was the famous Lei family's grandmother Yufang.

Yufang usually doesn't talk much except for scolding, mainly because there is no object to talk to, her husband, Uncle Lei, although he is a tall man, and is a military attache with a high position, but he loves and fears her, at first love has the upper hand, so that he is still nostalgic for her, and the gray grandson is like a day to be scolded by her several times - occasionally mixed with one or two good fights. Later, he was afraid of gaining the upper hand, so he simply found an errand to go out of Beijing, and went out at every turn, and did not come back for several months.

Yufang didn't look down on this husband, felt that he was not worthy of himself everywhere, he had to scold him five or six times a day, and his heart was a little more comfortable, and now that her husband had run away, her anger had nowhere to vent, so she was a little upside down, facing a cousin she almost didn't know, she praised her son, and she could boast about it for an hour.

In the end, she said that her mouth was dry and her throat was dumb, and her son was tired of playing with his purse, and ran away without saying a word, so she took a sip of tea, relieved her breath, and asked her to take a few taels of silver to the poor cousin in front of her, and asked her to go home and buy some paper, pen, ink and inkstone for her son—her son, of course, could not compare to her own son. Yufang feels that her little monk is the best child in the world, and such a good child can be born in Yufang.

The entire Lei family, including the ancestors lying in the grave, should come over and thank her.

The poor cousin took the money with a thousand thanks, and led Yan Qingzhang to leave. The room was silent for a while, Yufang slowly drank a cup of hot tea, swallowed a few melon seeds, and suddenly asked the big girl next to her, "Where is the little monk?"

The girl replied: "It's snowing heavily, and the eldest young master is playing in the yard." ”

Jade Fang looked out through the glass window and found that there were indeed snowflakes floating outside, so he was interested. Stretching out her legs and putting on her fox fur cloak, she pushed the door open and walked out, and in a small open space behind the room, she saw her little monk.

Lei Yiming is playing on the snow with his half-brother Lei Yifei, Lei Yiming is ten years old this year, Lei Yifei is two years younger than him, but he is the same height as him, not short, because Lei Yifei is like his father everywhere, Uncle Lei is a big frame, and Lei Yifei is also a head taller than his peers.

In addition to his figure, Lei Yifei's temperament and everything else are also like his father. In front of the jade boat, Uncle Lei saw Lei Yifei, as if he had seen someone asking for directions, and he didn't smile at all; but everyone in the Lei family saw that in fact, Uncle Lei loved this second son even more - he always peeked at this second son, looking at the painting, and he could look at it for a long time. treats the eldest son, he is quite kind, except for harmony, there is nothing else, a little bit of respect and distance.

Yufang didn't like to watch his son wrestling and having a snowball fight with the "prostitute-raised puppies", but he didn't dare to prohibit it explicitly, for fear that his son would be unhappy, so he could only raise his hand and call: "Little monk, follow."

My mother went into the house, it was cold outside, let's go back to the house, and my mother will stew lotus seed soup for you to drink. ”

Lei Yiming didn't look back, and directly yelled "I don't", and then rushed to Lei Yifei and rolled into the snowdrift with him in his arms. Lei Yifei laughed rattlingly, climbed up while laughing, rode on him in defeat, and shouted in a thick throat: "Brother, I won, I won!"

When the words fell, Lei Yiming, who was lying on his back in the snow, took off his gloves, raised his hand and shook him in the mouth: "It's against you! I'm your brother, and you dare to win?"

This mouth pumped very loudly and crisply, and it won the true legend of Yufang. Lei Yifei was stunned, raised his legs and sat aside, his face was numb from the cold, so he didn't feel the pain, but it was inexplicable.

Seeing this, Yufang was a little satisfied, and felt that the weather was really cold, so he turned around and went back to the house. The backyard was completely occupied by the two brothers this time, and Lei Yiming saw that Lei Yifei was still looking at him stupidly, so he slapped him on the head again: "You fucking know all day long that you are stupid and sleepy, and you look like a useless person!

Lei Yifei didn't dare to quarrel with his brother, his brother scolded him, he hung his head, grabbed the snow with his hand and went to play with the snow. Lei Yiming saw it, and pushed him back to the sky: "I'm talking to you, do you hear me?"

Lei Yifei sat up: "I heard it." ”

Lei Yiming saw that he was dressed fatly, and he was sitting on the ground just "a bunch", so he had an idea, got up and said, "Don't move, let's have a fun time!"

Lei One

On a whim, Ming piled up snow around Lei Yifei and built a snowman.

He was very meticulous, and he was busy for two hours, so tired that he sweated down his sideburns. Lei Yifei tried to escape several times, saying that he was cold for a while and saying that he was thirsty, he sounded like an excuse, so he glared at him and directly scolded his younger brother into a dumb person. When the snowman was finished, he hurried back into the house and dragged the jade boat out so that she could see his work. Jade Fang, as well as the girls and old mothers around Jade Fang, didn't see that there was a thunder flying hidden in the snowman.

Everyone praised the craftsmanship of the eldest young master, and then hugged the eldest young master back to the room to rest. After another hour, the second aunt and grandmother of the Lei family never saw their son come back, and they didn't dare to call loudly in this house, so they searched all the way to the backyard, and when she found the son in the snowman, Lei Yifei was already frozen to the point that his joints were hard.

The second aunt and grandmother cried when they arrived, and carried their son back to the room, but fortunately, Lei Yifei was like an iron child, and he didn't freeze out of the cold. The second aunt and grandmother didn't dare to put Lei Yi on the hot kang head, for fear that if it was so cold and hot, the child's skin and flesh would be frostbitten, so she had to sit on a small stool with him, while gently rubbing and rubbing his hands, feet, head and face, while scolding in a low voice: "You fool, he told you to play, you went to play? How many losses did you suffer because you played with him? How many sins did you suffer? Why don't you have a long memory at all?" Speaking of this, she cried: "Your father is not at home now, you still don't give me honesty? In the future, you will stay in this house for me obediently."

, dare to run out again, see that I don't beat you. ”

Ray shook his head and sneezed. The second aunt and grandmother hurriedly touched his forehead, feeling as if it was a little hot, so she cried out in distress: "You can't freeze this time?"

Lei Yifei replied in a low voice: "Mom, it's not that I'm stupid, it's that he doesn't allow me to move, and as soon as I move, he gets angry." If he's angry, it's time for his mother to scold you again. ”

Although he was born to his second aunt and grandmother, according to the rules, he had to call Yufang his mother, and the second aunt and grandmother were his mother. He didn't know what the difference was, anyway, he didn't like to see his mother scolded. When the second aunt and grandmother heard her son's words, she wanted to cry more and more, but she didn't dare to cry, she only felt sorry for the child.

In the second aunt's house, the mother and son hugged each other and wept. And across a courtyard, in the big house of the jade boat, it is not happy and peaceful. Lei Yiming played with fire on the kang and burned a big hole in Yufang's new clothes. Yufang was angry and slapped him in the back, but his son lifted the small kang table next to him on the spot, and the fruit and dim sum hot tea on the table were scattered all over the ground, among which there was a small teacup of ink and color landscape, which was brought by Yufang from his mother's home, and this time it also fell to pieces on the ground. Seeing this, Yufang let out an "oops", but before she could finish her exclamation, her ten-year-old son stood up and began to scream and jump: "You beat me, you beat me for a torn clothes-" Calling this, he stumbled on the side of the kang and fell headlong under the kang.

This time he fell hard, and rolled on the ground and howled. Yufang was afraid that he would roll on the broken porcelain piece, so he hurriedly got off the kang to hug him: "Mother is wrong, mother is wrong, my heart and liver baby little monk, my son-" She didn't have much strength, she had to grit her teeth to pick up her son, or the servant woman next to her hugged her and carried the little monk back to the kang.

Lei Yiming was slapped and was very aggrieved, so he made trouble until midnight, making Yufang dizzy, and finally cried. When he saw his mother crying, he gave up and spared his mother.

The next morning, he woke up early, ran out of the yard after breakfast, blocked the door of the second aunt's room and shouted, "Second child, come out! Let's go to the study together!"

Lei Yifei didn't say anything, and the second aunt and grandmother walked out with a smile: "Young master, you have to go to study by yourself today." She pointed into the room: "I was frozen yesterday, and I still have a fever today, and I can't get up." ”

When Lei Yiming heard this, he pouted, turned around and walked back, knowing in his heart that although the second aunt and grandmother were kind on their faces, they must be resentful of freezing Lei Yifei in their hearts. It is said that Lei Yifei has a strong body, and after playing with himself for an afternoon, he became frostbitten, which shows that he is pretending to be sick, and he actually doesn't want to play with him.

But except for Lei Yifei in this family, he can no longer find a partner of the same age.

He walked forward alone in a sullen manner, and after walking through a heavy courtyard, he entered the study in front of him. He came early, and the old gentleman hadn't arrived yet, but there was already a child sitting in the room. He looked at the little child, and when the little child looked back and saw him come in, he also stood up and murmured, "Young Master." ”

He didn't answer, but there was a smile on his face—he thought he had to be right

My brother is better, if this little brother also runs away, then I will really suffocate to death.

He laughed, and his little brother Yan Qingzhang laughed when he saw him laughing.