Mrs. Xu said: "In the Tu family, I am ranked third. The first www.biquge.info in the pen "Fun" Pavilion is the eldest sister, who is the most talented and hard-working. When her father was belittled, she had just married into the Lei family in Houfu in southern Jinnan and became the eldest daughter-in-law. Unexpectedly, the mother-in-law's family was snobbish, the husband was weak, and the father was very abused after losing power. My father was angry, so he asked the secretary of the Ministry of Rites at that time to be a guarantor, so that he could leave and go home. Speaking of this, he sighed and said: "That's why my father married me to a businessman in the south of the Yangtze River later, just to stay away from the officialdom of the capital, and hope that I will live a prosperous and stable life." ”

Xu Wanzhen said: "In the land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River, my grandmother is doing well?"

Old Madam Xu smiled: "Except that I can't see my old father, I am naturally satisfied, but my eldest sister is really ill-fated." When my father was in Guozijian, there was a very outstanding student Gao Lang, who had always admired her elegance, and after learning that the eldest sister had left home, he came to the door to ask for marriage. At that time, the eldest sister had just divorced, so how could she be in the mood to remarry. Three years later, I married to Jiangnan before I agreed to his proposal. The two are like-minded, and after getting married, they are and Meimei, and they also have a daughter, Gao Yang, who is your second aunt, and I also said that the eldest sister finally came to the bitter end. Unexpectedly, when the Yellow River flooded, Gao Lang, as a local parent official, went to inspect the river workers, but was washed away by the river that burst the embankment, and there were no bones. Old Mrs. Xu's eyes were filled with tears: "The Gao family is a poor family, and it is only this single seedling, and even a son has not been left." After this blow, if it weren't for the fact that the daughter needed her mother, the eldest sister would almost not be able to live. ”

Xu Wanzhen sighed, her eldest aunt is really famous. In order to change the topic, I didn't expect Mrs. Xu to be even more sad when she talked about the eldest sister. Hurriedly asked, "What about the eldest uncle?"

"Your eldest uncle is the eldest son of my father, the second in line, one year younger than the eldest sister. married the concubine Lin of the Ministry of Rites, and raised two sons and two concubines. The eldest son Tu Bowen also got married, and there are the eldest daughter Tu Manfen, the second daughter Tu Manzhen, and the eldest son Tu Ruiming. The second son Tu Bosi just got married, and he raised his eldest son Tu Ruizhang who was just over five years old, the same year as Yu'er, and he was young. ”

Mrs. Xu is like a treasure, and Xu Wanzhen was dizzy when she heard it, she was not good at sorting out these kinship relationships in her previous life, and said coquettishly: "Grandmother, I can't remember so many names for a while. Sounds like I have two cousins, two cousins?"

Old Madam Xu poked her forehead with her finger and said with a smile: "You lazy monkey." Remember, your uncle's granddaughter is the same age as you, Manfen is seventeen years old, and Manzhen is fourteen years old, both older than you, and you have to call your cousin. Rui Ming is twelve years old and Rui Zhang is five years old, both younger than you, and you are called cousins. Do you understand that way?"

Xu Wanzhen stuck out her tongue mischievously, leaned her head on Mrs. Xu's shoulder affectionately, and said, "It's still grandmother who hurts Zhen'er." ”

The lively Lantern Festival has passed, and there are only two days left before departure. I don't know how long I will stay in Beijing this time, and the large items that need to be used have been sorted out in the wax month, and Tu Rui was also sent to return to Beijing to report the news in the wax moon. The rest is some personal clothes, soft and soft, contracts, books, etc. need to be organized, and Sangzi and Ge Ma will receive these classifications into various boxes and cages, and they can be moved directly to the boat when they set off.

Mama Zheng, as a nurturing mama, doesn't get involved in these tasks, she just needs to take care of her own bags. She sighed in her heart, it had only been a few years, and she didn't expect to return to the capital again. Although the city of Suzhou is its hometown, it now has no place of its own. I don't know if I can return to my hometown in the future?

Xu Wanzhen saw that several people were busy and their feet didn't touch the ground, so she took a little girl and went to the courtyard where Daddy and Auntie lived. The yard is cleaned every other day, and it is kept as clean and tidy as when A-Niang was alive. But after all, without the hostess, it seems empty and lonely. Daddy must have known the news of Auntie's death, right? Xu Wanzhenyu's hand brushed over the dressing table used by A-Niang, and her heart was gloomy.

I heard the sound of light footsteps outside the door, and when I looked back, it turned out to be Gyokuro coming. Yulu said softly: "I went to Yingyun Pavilion to know that the eldest lady is here. It just so happened that the old lady sent me to bring Mrs. Xu's dowry list and give it to the eldest lady to collect. "There is a law in the Gaomang Dynasty that clearly stipulates that the dowry given by the mother's family to the daughter is private property and cannot be used by the mother-in-law. Usually the mother's dowry will be used for the marriage of her children in the future, Xu Wenmin, Xu Wanzhen, and Xu Wenyu brothers and sisters have not married, and this dowry has not been used. However, Mrs. Xu has passed away and has not left a will, so Mrs. Xu's continued custody of this dowry will inevitably attract criticism. The eldest son, Xu Wenmin, was still in prison, so he simply handed over the dowry to Xu Wanzhen, and she kept it on behalf of the three brothers and sisters.

Yulu said again: "The old lady said that the eldest lady wants to seal the dowry in the warehouse, or transport it to Kyoto together. ”

Xu Wanzhen thought for a moment and said, "There are many variables in Beijing this time, so it's better to seal and store them." "I took the dowry list and looked at it carefully, A-Niang's dowry is mainly based on Huanghuali various colored furniture, precious medicinal materials, jewelry, and some antique calligraphy and paintings, a thousand taels of silver in the box, and a hundred acres of fertile land in Zhuangzi on the outskirts of Suzhou.

The furniture on the list is placed in the wing room for daily use, some medicinal materials are also used, antique calligraphy and paintings are placed in the warehouse, and now only the remaining medicinal materials, and A-Niang's jewelry are soft to receive the warehouse for sealing. Xu Wanzhen took the silver in the box first, and the trouble was that Zhuangzi and Liangtian.

Xu Wanzhen asked, "How is the family on that Zhuangzi now?"

Yulu replied: "When the eldest lady passed away, Zhuang Tou came and was received by the old lady. Now that we are going to Beijing, the old lady has sent someone to inform them to come up, and they should be able to arrive tomorrow. ”

"Well, tomorrow they come, and you come and call me. ”

After the two finished talking, Xu Wanzhen asked Yulu to call Ge Ma, plus two little girls, and sorted out Mrs. Xu's dowry in the afternoon and registered it.

Xu Wanzhen said: "Ge Ma, are you willing to guard my aunt's dowry in the Xu family?"

Although Xu Wanzhen gave her Ge Ma's identity deed, for a little girl in her teens, she couldn't find a better job for a while. A child like her is best at serving her master. There are only two paths in front of her, either to be an embroidery girl and marry when she is old, or to be a maid to a large family and marry with a young lady. Now Xu Wanzhen has given her a third way, although it is hard to stay in the Xu family to guard the dowry, she also has monthly money to receive, and it is not as hard as the embroidery girl.

Being able to guard the dowry shows that she has a good character, and she is a maid valued by the owner's family.

Of course, Ge Ma was willing, so he readily agreed, and said, "I want to stay in the Xu family to do this errand, and it is better to return the deed to Miss." ”

Mrs. Xu's dowry is all valuables, and she can only be more assured with the deed, Xu Wanzhen nodded and agreed.