The twenty-first spring of Jiajing in the Ming Dynasty. Pen % fun % Pavilion www.biquge.info

Suzhou Taicang Mansion, a poor people's home.

A delicate and charming little lady walked lightly to the back room with a small medicine bowl with a celadon white background.

The little lady looked at the haggard man in front of her and said, "Daddy, don't worry, it'll be fine." After listening to this, Ah Wan put down the medicine in his hand, sighed and went out.

This little lady's name is Ah Juan, surnamed Gu, her father is a native of Lanxi Village, Taicang Prefecture, in the early years of the examination Xiucai, and later failed the test, the lady fell ill and went early, leaving only a son and a daughter, the son is frail and sick all the year round, and the family has no savings, and now he is still living in the poorest place in Taicang City.

I can't even live here.

The little lady's father's name is Gu Zhi, I don't know if it's a coincidence, this person's character is also unusually stubborn, and he failed the annual rate test for 20 years, so he took the exam for 20 years

Gu Zhi looked at the sixteen or seventeen-year-old boy lying on the bed and said, "Son, you will be cured after drinking this bowl of medicine, and you will hold on first." The boy lying on the bed had a bloodless face and was extremely weak.

"Daddy, you really want to marry Ah Juan to that old widower." The boy was angry, but he struggled to get up, and the man hurriedly held down the boy, his eyes full of helplessness.

"Ah Juan is my daughter, how could I do this to her." The man folded the quilt for the boy, which was already damp.

The boy closed his eyes, tears falling down.

A calloused hand wiped away the tears.

"Men don't flick when they have tears, have you forgotten what your father taught you since childhood?"

"I haven't forgotten.

Gu Zhiyou sighed.

"Wei Jun and rest assured, I will find another way for the medicine." After hearing this, the boy took his medicine and fell asleep. Gu Zhi looked at the young man's sleeping face and sighed faintly.

After taking this medicine for a long time, Gu Weijun's illness still did not improve at all, and there was not much money left in Gu Zhi's hand. So an old widower here started the idea of Gu Zhinian's fourteenth daughter, Ah Juan. Gu Zhi is also a talented person, so he naturally has a bit of a literati backbone, so he sternly refused. angered the old widower, and he even preached everywhere that the talented old man in the city was ready to marry his daughter to him.

was listened to by Gu Weijun, who was strong by nature, and naturally he was so angry that he went to bed again.

Gu Zhi naturally didn't care about reasoning with the old widower, and only bought medicine with the little money he had, which saved Gu Weijun's life.

Early the next morning, Ah Juan brought porridge and wild vegetables from the kitchen. Gu Zhi's eyes were blue and black, he looked at such a blandly meal, and then looked at Gu Weijun who was lying on the bed, and sighed slightly.

"There is no rice left at home." Gu Zhi stirred the rice porridge that was as light as water with chopsticks.

Gu Weijun, who was lying on the bed, said hoarsely: "It's all because my body is not angry, and it has affected you." Before he finished speaking, he coughed, and Ah Juan hurriedly smoothed Gu Weijun's breath.

Gu Zhi wanted to say something, but looking at Gu Weijun's expression, he shut up again.

I don't know who sighed slightly.

The atmosphere was a little condensed.

At this time, Gu Zhi, who was sitting on the bench, spoke: "Today, I went to the street to find some livelihood, Ah Juan, you are so good to take care of Wei Jun at home." ”

Ah Wan nodded, packed up the dishes and chopsticks and went out.

In the early morning, the sound of pounding clothes on both sides of the Qing River came and went.

Gu Zhi changed into a robe, tidied up his appearance, and went out, and happened to meet a group of women who were about to wash clothes here, those women saw Gu Zhi's handsome appearance, and couldn't help but have a little ridicule in their hearts, one of the women smiled and said: "Where are you going?" ”

"The sister-in-law of the Zhang family is polite, she went to the market and left first, which is rude." Gu Zhi was about to leave, but was stopped by this group of women who did good things. I saw the woman who had just spoken, and asked again: "The old widower said that the young man was going to marry his daughter to him, and even accepted the bride price, is this true?" ”

When Gu Zhi heard this, he was naturally annoyed, so he gritted his teeth and said.

"The lady of the Zhang family wants to talk nonsense, I have never told that scoundrel about this, it must have been arranged by himself, you neighbors should not believe it."

When these women heard Gu Zhi speak like this, they were a little unwilling, so they knocked on the side again, but Gu Zhi was mostly silent, and when the women saw this, they naturally knew that there was no gossip to hear, so they scattered around. Gu Zhi, who had escaped from it, couldn't help but breathe a long sigh of relief.

He knew that he was also a Maocai in his county, but now he was arranged like this by his neighbors, which was really insulting.

At noon, Ah Juan went to the kitchen to prepare lunch for Gu Weijun, a bowl of sugar eggs and ginger cakes, and heated it in the kitchen, and then brought it over and fed it to Gu Weijun one bite at a time.

Ah Juan was taught by her mother Sun to be very gentle and virtuous, and she has always been very respectful to her father and brother, but now her family is in the middle, but she is at a loss for a weaker woman like her.

So there was always some sadness between his eyebrows, and when Gu Weijun saw it, he only felt guilty in his heart.

After Gu Weijun had eaten, Ah Juan was about to clean up the dishes when a wave of people suddenly came in from outside. I saw that the person at the head was wearing a nondescript robe and combing his hair in a bun, but he was bald and couldn't pretend to be svenile, but it gave people a sense of being in the east, and this person was followed by a group of ruffians and hooligans, and a row of people was standing, quite a bit of the spirit of the king.

Ah Juan has never seen such a scene since he was a child, and he was so frightened that his face turned pale. Gu Weijun, who was sitting on the bed, even grabbed Ah Juan's hand and shouted: "Why are you a splash again, if you don't leave, I will report to the official!" ”

A few days ago, this guy also came to entangle, and at that time, Ah Juan borrowed something from a neighbor's house and was lucky to escape.

Although this Gu Weijun is still young, he has been familiar with the books of sages all year round, and he naturally has a little courage in his heart. The ruffian hooligan behind the man instinctively stepped back, but the man looked at Gu Weijun and said with a smile: "This is the eldest uncle, he is really a scholar, and he has a little courage." In the west of the city is Zhang Quan, so that my father has accepted my dowry yesterday ten taels, I am here today to see the little lady. ”

After finishing speaking, Zhang Quanse squinted at Ah Juan, who was curled up in the corner with a gorgeous appearance.

"You talk nonsense! How could Daddy marry someone like you! Gu Weijun excitedly wanted to get off the bed, but his body was too weak and he fell directly under the bed. Ah Juan hurriedly helped Gu Weijun to the bed.

Zhang Quan squinted his triangular eyes and said mockingly: "Why should my uncle be like this, sooner or later we will be a family, my father has already agreed, and the bride price has been received, I don't believe it, this is the note he made yesterday." Zhang Quan took out a note from his arms.

It clearly reads, "Today, Gu Zhi received a good son-in-law's dowry of ten taels, and chose a day to tie the knot with his beloved daughter Gu Juan." ”

Gu Weijun's handwriting was practiced with Gu Zhi, and he could recognize it, and he looked at the handwriting that was almost the same as Gu Zhi's handwriting, and his heart was shocked. At this time, Ah Juan, who was standing on the side, said in a trembling voice: "Brother, is it really my father's handwriting?" ”

Gu Weijun didn't speak, but his face became more and more ugly. At this time, Zhang Quan walked up to Gu Juan and said with a smile: "Little lady don't have to be sad, although I, Zhang Quan, am older, my body is no worse than those young descendants." ”

This full eye squinted at Gu Juan's body.

The group of little hooligans behind him saw that Gu Weijun had no courage, so they began to coax.

There were already a lot of people in this river, and at this time, a group of people gathered in front of the Gu family to watch the excitement, pointing at Ah Juan. Ah Wan He had encountered this kind of thing, and he was ashamed for a while, and he was angry with Gu Zhi in his heart, if he married such a man, it would be better to die, this little lady was already sensitive, so she simply pushed Zhang Quan away, and ran outside like a gust of wind.

Before everyone could understand what the little lady was going to do, they heard a very terrible roar.

"Juan!"

At this time, everyone understood that the little lady of Gu Xiucai's family had thrown herself into the river.