Chapter Eighty-Five: Divergence

Late Winter and Lan Chu couldn't put it down and looked at the new materials of various colors on the table, excitedly discussing what to do with this piece and what flowers to embroider to look the best, Li Xiaonuan put down the book in his hand, and shook it over, looked at the material with the hand of the end of winter, and said with a smile:

"Isn't there a pattern on it, what else do you want to embroider? That's the best."

Lan Chu laughed,

"With a master like the girl, it's really worry-free and effort-saving, people are afraid of less embroidery, the girl is good, just don't let people embroider on the clothes"

Li Xiaonuan smiled and opened the mulberry paper wrapped in candied fruit with her fingers, twisted a preserved peach from it and put it in her mouth, took a few bites, pursed her lips, and said in a low voice:

"It's too sweet, it's so greasy, it's not as delicious as half of what we make in the house."

Lan Chu covered his mouth, smiled and bent over, looking at the two of them a little inexplicably at the end of the winter, Lan Chu laughed for a while, and then leaned over to the end of the winter and explained:

"That time, when the girl and I went to the Suo Luo Pavilion to find the second lady, the young master said that the candied fruit in our house was too sour, and the girl had a grudge against others."

At the end of winter, he also laughed, Li Xiaonuan glanced at the two of them, took a piece of preserved peach and threw it into his mouth, clapped his hands and said:

"What kind of grudge am I? It's just a fair point. ”

During the lunch meal, Gu Xiao excitedly talked to Li Xiaonuan about the box of rare books given to him by his cousin, Li Xiaonuan salivated, and borrowed the book from Gu Xiao, Gu Xiao nodded again and again,

"When you go back in the evening, I'll have someone send it to you, that ......"

Gu Xiao scratched his head a little embarrassedly, and continued with a sigh:

"This is what Cousin Ke gave me, that ...... You're done, that...... Will you give it back to me? ”

Li Xiaonuan glanced at him, and was about to refute, but in a blink of an eye, the book he took from him really hadn't been returned, Li Xiaonuan coughed lightly,

"Of course I'll pay you back, I'll go back and sort out those books from the past, and I'll pay you back those who have finished reading."

"Nuan Nuan, I'm not looking for you to read those books, my books, you keep them, you don't have to return them, that's it, cousin Ke, cousin Ke gave me ...... That ......"

"I know, it's that set of wilderness ambitions, right, I'll find it out and return it to you when I go back, you're really, it's an important book, you should say it, I haven't seen you mention it, I forgot I thought you didn't want it."

Li Xiaonuan said with some strong words, Gu Xiao scratched his head, and said with a smile as if he was in a loss:

"I don't want it, just put it there for you, if I want to see it, I'll go to you, just don't lose it."

"I'm also optimistic, but I forgot to return you, next time I'll remember some, your book is better to put there for you, if I want to read it, just let someone take it."

Li Xiaonuan turned her head and said with a smile, Gu Xiao looked at her carefully, and saw that she was full of smiles, not half unhappy, so she breathed a sigh of relief and bloomed with a smile on her face.

In the evening, Gu Xiao sent someone to send the book and the box over, Li Xiaonuan sat on the couch, looking at them one by one, and couldn't put them down, these books are extremely rare and rare books, there are a few, she has read those predecessors' notes mentioned countless times, but after rummaging through the library, I haven't found it, this Cheng Ke, does he really love Gu Xiao's little cousin, or is he rich?

Alas, I am too shallow-eyed, and the Gu family only got rich when I married the old lady, and it was only from Gu Xiao's father that I won the champion, so it became expensive, in this world where the collection of books depends on accumulation, but the collection of one or two generations, how many books can be stored in the library? Not to mention the Runan Palace, even compared with people like the Zhenning Hou family, who are not very well educated, I am afraid that I can't compare, these rare books that seem to me to be extremely precious and rare, I am afraid that they are nothing at all in the Runan Palace.

Li Xiaonuan sighed, stroked the writing with his hand, these books, you can't keep them by yourself, and you have to return them, it's really reluctant, Li Xiaonuan picked up the book, slowly flipped through it for a while, and made up her mind, simply copy it all, there is a copy left, it is better than nothing.

Li Xiaonuan straightened up and got off the bed, called Lan Chu to polish the ink with the lamp, entered the West Chamber together, sat in front of the desk, took out the Great Wilderness Zhiyi, and copied the book neatly with one stroke.

Mrs. Zhou lived in the Jin family for a few days, and saw that Gu Yunshan and Yan'er were all good, and she was also relieved, Mrs. Li sent her mother-in-law to send a gift from the Runan Palace, Mrs. Zhou knew that there was a reply, and remembered the matter of Gu Xiaoqiu's test, so she didn't live longer, quit the Jin family, and returned to the ancient mansion accompanied by Jin Zhiyang.

After a day's rest, Mrs. Zhou went to Ruixuan Hall to ask for peace, and carefully told Mrs. Li about the situation in the Jin family for a few days, and she was very satisfied with her words.

After listening to what she said, Mrs. Li smiled and carefully said the message from the Runan Palace, and the various gifts she brought, Mrs. Zhou's face was ugly.

"Yun Huan's temperament and appearance, which one is not the best choice, in previous years, when I was in the capital, our family in the palace also often came and went, and the concubine also loved Yun Huan very much, and praised her I don't know how many times she said this now? If so......"

Mrs. Zhou suddenly paused back to the words, tears fell down, Old Madam Li frowned slightly, looked at her and patiently persuaded her:

"You also have to think about it for Runan Palace, now that Cheng Guifei has been promoted to imperial concubine, it is a good thing and a ...... Alas, as soon as Xiao Ke returned to the capital, he accompanied the four princes to the south, maybe it was also a last resort, the family of Runan Palace, now I am afraid that I have to carefully weigh it before and after it can be settled, this is not a matter of the Runan Palace, you also have to think about it. ”

"How do you figure this out? Our Yuan Zheng Dynasty, in addition to the royal family, who else can be more noble than the Runan Palace? Now that Cheng Guifei has been promoted to imperial concubine again, who else does the Cheng family have to worry about? If the royal princess marries, it will be forgotten, but the youngest princess of the emperor has even given birth to a child, and the Cheng family must be looking at our family ...... now."

Mrs. Zhou choked up and sobbed, Mrs. Li looked at Mrs. Zhou fixedly, only her chest hurt, and she said coldly after a while:

"Even if the Runan Royal Mansion dislikes our family's shallow foundation, and now it is ruined again, and it is not worthy of the world, it is common sense, what can it do?"

Mrs. Zhou was even more aggrieved, covering her face with a handkerchief, crying silently, Mrs. Li straightened her back, closed her eyes helplessly, and said straightforwardly:

"Xiao Er won't end this autumn, let's talk about it next year."

Mrs. Zhou suddenly stopped sobbing, raised her head, and looked at Mrs. Li with stunned eyes,

"Mother? What's wrong? ”

"It's nothing, Xiao Er's fate this year is not suitable, even if she goes, I'm afraid it will be in vain, our children, if you don't go, forget it, since you go, it's not good to be disappointed."

Mrs. Li replied in a deep voice, and Mrs. Zhou stood up with a "whew", and her breath became short.

"Xiao Er is not as good as his father, but he is not an ordinary stupid child, no matter how he takes the test, can he still fail? Why does mother always block Xiao'er's future? ”

Old Madam Li's eyes narrowed slightly, stared at Mrs. Zhou for a long time, and then said slowly:

"If you can become a dragon and a phoenix, no one can stop the daughter of your Zhenning Hou Zhou's family, isn't it the most important way to pay attention to three obedience and four virtues and filial piety? I see you're tired, go back and rest."

Mrs. Zhou's body trembled slightly, her mouth was open, but she couldn't speak, Mrs. Li didn't look at her, she picked up the cup by herself, and slowly drank the tea, Mrs. Zhou stayed for a long time, bent her knees slightly crookedly, turned around and ran out quickly.

That night, Mrs. Zhou fell ill, and Gu Yunhuan and Li Xiaonuan hurriedly invited a doctor, diagnosed the pulse and boiled medicine, and were busy until half the night.

Mrs. Li asked Mama Sun to accompany Gu Xiao to ask for peace, so she asked Mama Sun to take him back to Ruixuan Hall under the pretext that Gu Xiao wanted to study, and watched him read and write.

In the evening, Mrs. Li invited Mr. Chen over and suggested that he take Gu Xiao to the head of Wansong Shu to meet and make some literary friends.

The next day, Gu Xiao went to Chengxin Courtyard to ask for peace, and walked to Ruixuan Hall with Li Xiaonuan.

Li Xiaonuan turned his head to look at Gu Xiao, who was gloomy and sullen, thought about it, and said with a smile:

"You can rest assured, Madame's side, there are me and Yun Huan, besides, Madame is just tired, and it's not a big deal, don't worry too much."

Gu Xiao paused, looked up at Li Xiaonuan, opened his mouth, swallowed back the words that came to his mouth, turned around and instructed the girl who followed behind him,

"I don't need you to follow, I'll talk to Nuan Nuan and go back slowly."

The girl-in-law respectfully agreed, and did not dare to stay away, only ten steps behind, following from a distance, Gu Xiao looked at the girl's mother-in-law far away, then turned his head, looked at Li Xiaonuan, and said a little angrily:

"Mother is bored with illness, what did the ancestors think? Why don't you let me go in the fall? Even Mr. Chen said that I have done a very good job in my article now, and I want to try it down, my ancestor in the end."

Gu Xiao stomped his feet and stopped talking, Li Xiaonuan's face became solemn, he stopped, looked up at Gu Xiao, pursed his lips and was silent for a moment before he whispered:

"Gu Xiao, the thoughts and plans of the ancestors, even if the lady doesn't understand, why are you so confused? Now Qian Xuezheng of Liangzhejiang Road, has always had a strange temper, likes to be angular, and only loves strange and gorgeous in the text, these two items are very different from you, if you go to the test in the autumn, you will not be able to win at most a number of five or five, but you are the son of the champion, this end, I don't know how many pairs of eyes are staring at you, if you fall into the first ...... Alas, why bother, you are still young, and it is not too late to end next year. ”

Gu Xiao pursed his lips tightly and became stubborn,

"No matter how weird he is, he has to be reasonable, I did a good job in the article, and he didn't dare not take it"