Chapter 60: Eventful July

Mrs. Zhou listened attentively, Mrs. Li paused, took a sip of tea from her cup, and then said:

"There is another family, is the Taizhou Mansion Jin family, the Jin family businessman started, the family is huge, to the grandfather's generation, that is, the current head of the Jin family, in the move, once did the six products of the official, because it is a lazy character, after the system went home, did not seek to recover, only entrusted the same year, received the tea and salt long lead, concentrate on business, to his father's generation, in a tribute, on the family business, I fancied, is the current Jin family grandson, called Jin Zhiyang, this Jin Zhiyang since childhood is abnormally smart, fourteen years old in the understanding of the Yuan."

Mrs. Li breathed a sigh of relief, Mrs. Zhou changed the hot tea, Mrs. Li took a sip, and then said:

"Compared with the Zhao family, the Jin family is good because the population of the branch is simple, today's Jin master, only one wife and one concubine, only gave birth to two sons, one son and one concubine, this Jin Zhiyang's father is the elder, the husband and wife are deep, there is no concubine, gave birth to three sons, a girl, this Jin Zhiyang is eighteen years old this year, because he is too picky, he said that he doesn't know how many families, he didn't say it, the old lady of the Jin family has passed away, and there is an aunt and grandmother, but don't pay attention to it, this Jin Zhiyang's mother, I have seen it once, and her temper and personality are excellent."

Old Madam Li breathed a sigh of relief, as if she remembered something, and said with emotion:

"This mother-in-law is a good child, and the daughter-in-law will suffer less sin"

Mrs. Zhou lowered her eyes slightly, and smiled in response:

"Mother is absolutely right."

"Well, there is another family, that is, the Geng family in Hangzhou Mansion, the Geng family is noble, there have been several emperors, and the current head of the family is the previous Guozi Priest Wine Geng, I fancy it, and it is also the eldest son of the Changfang Yan, called Geng Xiuyuan, seventeen years old this year, the Geng family, alas, is now the family is poor, but I am afraid that it is too hard."

After Mrs. Li finished speaking, she drank tea, looked at Mrs. Zhou with a smile, and said gently:

"What do you see?"

Mrs. Zhou hesitated, looked up at Mrs. Li, thought about it, and said hesitantly:

"It's better for the Zhao family, although Mrs. Zhao is at home, but the children of the Zhao family and Mrs. Zhao's protégés are all over the court, this Zhao Changchen's future must be no different, such a family background can also help Xiao Er more in the future. Although the Jin family is rich, after all, the foundation is shallow, and the Geng family is too hard. ”

Mrs. Li drank a few sips of tea intently, nodded with a smile, and said paradoxically:

"It's true, it's the Begging Festival in two days, and I don't know how these girls can learn needlework, let's see if we can get it."

Mrs. Zhou laughed, and was busy talking to Mrs. Li about Gu Yunshan and Gu Yunhuan's embroidery, and the two talked and laughed for a while, and Mrs. Zhou said goodbye and went back.

The next day is the begging festival, Li Xiaonuan's embroidery has been embedded with a rosewood frame, sent back, a few girls around the embroidery, gossiping and commenting,

"The girl's chrysanthemum embroidery is not as good as the handkerchief that the girl is using now."

Xiaoyu looked at the embroidery, bent over, and carefully looked at the handkerchief in Li Xiaonuan's hand, Li Xiaonuan glanced at her, shook the handkerchief and said:

"How can this be compared? This veil is only embroidered on such a corner, how can it be compared with this large embroidery? If I embroider such a large piece of embroidery, I can't embroider it for two or three years? ”

Xiao Yu nodded hurriedly and said:

"That's what the girl said."

"I think the girl's chrysanthemums are well embroidered and brightly colored, and they are vivid, don't you say, spring pretty?"

Autumn leaves said loudly, Chunqiao looked down at the embroidery frame, and agreed absentmindedly, Li Xiaonuan smiled crookedly on the couch,

"Mmmm, Akiba is right, I also think I embroider very well"

A few people were talking and laughing around the embroidery, and at the end of winter, they came in from the outside curtain, bent their knees and asked for peace, Li Xiaonuan looked at her with a smile and asked:

"Would you please come over and discuss something?"

"It's not a good thing, except for serving, Mrs. pointed out the marriage to several older girls in the family, and Pearl called a few of us second-class girls over to discuss congratulating them."

Chun Qiao raised her head violently, looked at the end of the winter with a little nervousness, and waited with bated breath for her to say, Li Xiaonuan glanced at the spring girl, a trace of surprise passed in her heart, thought about it, looked at the end of the winter and asked with a smile:

"Which girls have you given to marry? Pointed it out to whom? ”

"Qiu Shi beside the ancestor pointed out to a steward named Fuxing in the embroidery workshop, and Lan Zhi beside Mrs. pointed out to Liu Yuanhai in the tent, who is the eldest son of Steward Liu who sends us back to Tianwo Village every year, and the eldest grandson of the old housekeeper Liu......"

The handkerchief in Chunqiao's hand fell to the ground, and she slid to the ground with a limp body, Li Xiaonuan was startled, and the end of the winter and Lan Chu hurriedly dragged her up, Li Xiaonuan smiled and sent Xiaoyu and the others away,

"It's hot today, Chunqiao must be suffering from heat stroke, there are too many people in this house, and I'm also very depressed, don't stay in this house, hurry down and rest."

Xiaoyu hurriedly pulled the autumn leaves and Xiuwen, and bent her knees and retreated.

Late Winter and Lan Chu helped Chunqiao to sit down on the chair next to her, and at the end of Winter, she pinched her hard, and after a while, Chunqiao's face was bloody, but she retched one after another, Li Xiaonuan stared at Chunqiao who was vomiting and her face was flushed, and her heart sank little by little.

At the end of winter, he Lan Chu took a gargle and warm water, waited for Chunqiao to rinse her mouth, and brought her a cup of herbal tea to drink twice, Chunqiao sat on the chair with a miserable face, Li Xiaonuan squinted at her, and asked in a flat voice:

"Is it Fuxing or Liu Yuanhai? Tell the truth. ”

Chunqiao slipped down from the chair, knelt on the ground, choked, and gradually couldn't cry, at the end of the winter and Lan Chu blinked a few times, looked at Li Xiaonuan, and then looked at Chunqiao kneeling on the ground, thoughtfully, Li Xiaonuan didn't speak, picked up the cup and drank tea slowly, waiting for Chunqiao to speak.

Chunqiao cried for a while, stopped crying with sobbing, looked up at Li Xiaonuan with red eyes, and said hoarsely:

"He promised me a drop in clothes, so he went to his wife and begged me to go to me."

Chunqiao cried again, staring at Chunqiao at the end of winter, her eyebrows were raised, Li Xiaonuan stretched out her hand to stop her, stared at Chunqiao, just waiting for her to say, Chunqiao cried for a while, the crying gradually stopped, and suddenly fell to the ground again, crying bitterly, Li Xiaonuan became impatient,

"If you keep crying like this, then go back and cry slowly, when you cry well, when you will talk back"

Chunqiao hurriedly straightened up, shook her head with tears on her face, wiped her tears with her sleeves indiscriminately, and said in a choked voice:

"Girl, I don't know, I don't know how to say that Chunqiao has no face to say"

Li Xiaonuan stared at her with a cold expression,

"If you want to say it, say it, if you really can't say it, just retreat first."

Chunqiao kept shaking her head, her face was flushed, her mouth was sticky, and she said vaguely:

"It's Liu Yuanhai, he and I grew up in a small place, I went into the inner courtyard as an errand, he was in the tent, he always ...... Find me, send me something, and I'll ...... The two of us grew up in a small place, and I thought ......"

"That's it? Is there anything else? ”

Li Xiaonuan asked with a star, Chunqiao shook her head, nodded again, kowtowed heavily, and said vaguely sadly for a while:

"Girl, Chunqiao should be damned, Chunqiao should be damned, I will follow him...... ...... with him This month's letter ...... Monthly letter ......"

Li Xiaonuan closed her eyes slightly and asked in a low voice:

"How many days has it been?"

"It's been almost twenty days."

Chun Qiao trembled all over, her voice was so low that she could barely hear it, Li Xiaonuan was stunned for a long time, looked down at Chun Qiao who was lying on the ground and sobbing, and reprimanded in a low voice:

"What's the use of crying? I'll let you go back for a day, you go to Liu Yuanhai, ask him clearly, Mrs. is married, but after all, he hasn't gotten married, if he wants to retreat, Mrs. won't force him to go to you to find him, ask clearly, tell him to go clearly."

Chunqiao looked up at Li Xiaonuan in amazement, Li Xiaonuan didn't look at her, only turned around and told the end of winter,

"You go and pack up her things, and find a mother-in-law to send her back for a day."

Li Xiaonuan turned his head, looked at Chunqiao and commanded:

"Find Liu Yuanhai to make it clear, if he is willing to take this responsibility, everything will naturally be fine, if he refuses, you will come back first, don't delay outside, let alone do anything stupid, think about your father and mother heard?"

Chunqiao bent her knees and agreed, and followed the end of winter with red eyes to pack her things.

Li Xiaonuan sat on the couch in a daze, dazed for a while, not knowing what to do.

The next day, Chunqiao didn't come back, Li Xiaonuan couldn't rest assured, sent Lan Chu to send something, went over to look, Chunqiao didn't wait for Liu Yuanhai the first day, Lan Chu inquired clearly, came back to report Li Xiaonuan, Li Xiaonuan was slightly settled.

The next day was the Begging Festival, Li Xiaonuan handed over the embroidery to Mama Sun and sent it out, and went to bed early the night before.

The embroidery exhibition at the begging meeting was arranged properly the first night, and the next morning, the exhibition was already full of tourists, rubbing shoulders to watch the embroidery one by one.

Li Xiaonuan, Gu Yunshan, and Gu Yunhuan didn't sit in a sedan chair until the time was up, went out of the house, and went to participate in the begging meeting in Shangli Town, accompanied by Grandma Sun and Grandma Zhou.

The open space in front of the Confucian Temple in Shangli Town has long been surrounded by several guilds such as silk and embroidery workshops, the outer layer is maintained by the officials of the Yuezhou Mansion and the men drawn by the guilds, and the inner layer is the mothers-in-law borrowed from the various prefectures to watch everywhere, the open space in front of the Confucian Temple, only women can enter today.

In the middle of the open space, there is a long incense case, there are three huge incense burners on the incense table, there are handfuls of sandalwood neatly arranged next to the incense burner, there are four or five brand-new futons in front of the incense burner, which is covered with white silk cushions, and grandma Sun led Gu Yunshan, Gu Yunhuan, and Li Xiaonuan to step forward, each picked up a handful of sandalwood, lit it on the fire candle next to it, knelt on the futon and kowtowed and prayed, got up and inserted the sandalwood into the incense burner, and retreated to the side along the incense case.