This year is Mrs. Ye's fiftieth birthday, which was not considered a high life expectancy in ancient times, but it is also rare. The whole birthday is always more lively than the small birthday, so this year it is still discussed to set up a three-day table. After all, it is the home of the pavilion, and no matter how low-key it is, there is a limit. Fortunately, the civil and military forces are not co-ordinated, and the important generals are now in the frontier, so there are not many military attachés and nobles, and the family is also down.

At that time, the guests were naturally divided into men and women. The officials and guests prepared to watch the play in the main courtyard and went to the flower hall. The ladies were seated in the east courtyard, but they occupied the garden. The spring is just right, the peach blossoms are gone, and the two pear trees in the yard are blooming, which is also a beautiful scenery.

On the seventh day of the Lunar New Year, the powerful families in the capital either went out or sent representatives to the Ye family. There were many sedans, blocking several streets outside the Ye family. The old lady first sat in the main room with the old lady to greet people, and the three daughters-in-law of the Ye family lined up and stood at the second gate to greet the distinguished guests. Ting Yao, Tinglan, Tingshan all helped the mothers in the village, and Ting Fang and the others stood a little deeper, ready for someone to bring their children to receive them. Banquets are all social, unless they are very close, they will not bring too young children, so as not to make a fuss, and everyone's face is not good-looking. The last time Tingfang was able to go to Yan's house, it was a special situation, otherwise it would be difficult to go to a non-relative's house as a guest without being a teenager. It's the same today, it's rare to see children, and the youngest is Yan Chunfang. The Yan family came quite early, Ting Fang picked up Yan Chunfang, handed her over to Ting Wu to take to Xiaoba's game room, and he was still standing outside to improvise.

The old lady is strict in governing the house, everyone is busy but not chaotic, and even the people who are invited from outside to clean up the banquet cooperate with the family. All the edicts nodded secretly, and everything is orderly to prosper people. Ting Fang secretly observed that most of the people who came were above the third grade, and the low-grade ones were eighty percent of the elders in the family who could not come if they had something to do. Suddenly, two female dependents dressed in the duchess's order clothes came together, and Yang Anqin immediately greeted them: "Sister-in-law is here!" Sister-in-law Xu hasn't seen you for a long time! ”

The people who came were the Duchess of Zhenguo and the Duchess of Dingguo. The Duchess of Dingguo naturally had to come to live for her elders because her son worshiped under the Ye family; Zhenguo Gongyuan didn't have much friendship with the Ye family, but Yang Anqin went to Beijing and walked around the two families a few times, and it was not good to catch up with the old lady and not come. Yang Anqin is not a member of the Ye family, and she is standing here to wait for the Duchess of Zhenguo. When he saw someone, he hurriedly led inside, and beckoned to Ting Fang: "Four girls are here." ”

Ting Fang hurriedly stepped forward and greeted the two ladies in a proper manner.

Yang Anqin smiled and pointed to the girl who followed behind the two ladies and said, "This is the third sister of your Yang family, and this is the eldest girl of the Xu family, so I will hand it over to you for entertainment." ”

Duchess Zhenguo smiled: "This is the fourth girl of your family, right?" It's the first time I've seen you, and it's really good. As he spoke, he withdrew a bracelet from his wrist and put it on Ting Fang's hand, "It's thin, don't be surprised." ”

Ting Fang hurriedly pushed: "Madam is too polite, the slave doesn't dare to be a slave." ”

Chen saw that he was about to speak, Yang Anqin had already said: "Just give it to you, she is a rich man, so you don't need to be polite to her." ”

Duchess Zhenguo smiled and pushed Yang Anqin: "You have a broken mouth." He forced the bracelet into Tingfang's hand, and Tingfang had to take it.

The Duchess of Zhenguo showed her generosity, and the Duchess of Dingguo did not say anything, so she returned a ring and said, "Take the reward girl." ”

Ting Fang thanked her again. First take the two girls to kowtow to the old lady, and then take them to the garden. There are many small tables in the garden for the ladies and ladies to sit on their own. There is a circle of round boxes on each small table, which are all kinds of snacks, and in the middle is a celadon plum blossom plate, in which there is snow-white charcoal gray, and a plum blossom-shaped charcoal is lit in it, which is extremely elegant. Ting Fang led the two of them to sit down and said with a smile: "As soon as the sisters come back for the first time, if there is anything they are not used to, just tell your sister, just treat it as your own family, don't be polite." ”

The third girl of Yang is called Yang Yihe, which is the love of the town and the country. Woman. The Yang family has always raised their daughters as sons, and Yang Anqin was generally skilled in bows and horses when she was young, and she was the most cool, so she smiled and said: "We are our own people, so we don't talk about false etiquette for you." Today. You have a lot of guests, so you can get busy. I am also acquaintances with Sister Xu, and I haven't seen each other for a long time, so I just talk about private things. ”

Xu Jiqiu, the eldest girl Xu Jiqiu, didn't want to come, her father didn't deal with Wenchen, and she naturally didn't look down on sour people. Only her mother insisted on making her brother's face, so she forcibly brought her to pay her birthday celebrations. Seeing Yang Yi and the people, he didn't speak, his face was quiet, and he only smiled slightly.

It's really not easy to meet friends now, Tingfang had no intention of being a light bulb, so she withdrew after a few words of greeting. The flowers and trees in the garden are full of spring, and Ting Yao shuttles through it with Tinglan Tingshan to entertain the girls. They were all young girls, who had eaten tea once, got up to enjoy the flowers, and they all gathered together on the beauties by the pond. For a while, the small pavilion was full of people, Ting Fang saw it from afar, and hurriedly grabbed the girl and moved a few small tables to put outside the pavilion, and also prepared snacks, tea, flower dew and other things, and turned back to lead Yang Yihe and Xu Jiqiu to the pavilion, so as not to make them feel uncomfortable.

was busy and dizzy, Ting Yao asked, "Why don't you see Second Miss Yan?" ”

Ting Fang said with a smile: "Second Sister Yan and Seventh Sister are playing in the East Courtyard. ”

Hou Jingrong, who is the imperial historian of the right capital, said: "The Yan family invited guests that day, and you fell in love, why didn't you play with her today, but dangled in front of us?" ”

"Whoa!" Ting Fang said, "Second Sister Yan saw that our seventh sister fell in love even more, and she didn't like to take care of me anymore. ”

There are too many little girls, and it is inevitable to gossip. Before the words fell, Xu Jiqiu pulled Ting Shan and said, "You are the third girl, right?" Saying that, he pretended to be blessed, "My brother has caused trouble to your family, so I'll make amends for him." ”

Ting Shan was suddenly attacked, so she couldn't react. Fortunately, the Ye family has been stimulated by King Fu a lot recently, and everyone has calmed down a lot. Ting Shan only paused for a moment, and immediately said with a smile: "If you want to pay for it, why send it?" Since it was sent, our family should not be in trouble, Sister Xu is too angry. Since Xu Jingchang fished Ting Fang out of King Fu's hands, Ting Shan has changed his mind about him. Although it does not conform to the rules of the Ye family, it is righteous. ran around all night for an irrelevant "junior sister", saying that they were students of the Ye family, and they still owed favors. Besides, as the saying goes, Taoist ugliness should not be publicized, she knows that Xu Jingchang is a good person, where does his bad reputation come from. Looking at who doesn't know that you are different mothers, I really think everyone is stupid. Son, can't you see the "good intentions" of the Duchess of Dingguo?

Xu Jiqiu said a sour word that he didn't see the knife, but he didn't think that Ting Shan didn't play the cards according to the reason, he directly opened the skylight and took it back, and he didn't know how to pick it up for a while, and he was stunned on the spot. It took a long time before it slowly turned back to color. She knew that her brother was good-looking, and there was something wrong with the way she looked at Ting Shan. pulled out a smile and said, "I also said that you don't like him, but I misunderstood." Usually his husband ......"

Ting Yao hurriedly said: "Sisters, come and try our family's crystal flower cake, the newly conceived pattern in the kitchen. The pear blossoms are freshly picked inside, and it is very refreshing. ”

Hou Jingrong had the heart to make friends with Ting Yao, and immediately set up a table to pick up a piece of flower cake and take a bite: "There is a slight bitter taste, mixed with the sweetness outside, a different flavor." It's hard for you cooks. "I secretly said in my heart: Is the Xu family sick? How to take a child who doesn't know how to be rude to go out and walk around, not afraid of people's jokes! It's really a collision, and it's casual to love compensation behind your back, not to quarrel. If you say it is a compensation in front of everyone, how can you not agree to your family? Is it really an apology or a real offense? The noble family is not particular at all, and no one looks at it strangely.

Ting Shan also smiled: "Osmanthus coconut milk cake is also new. The coconut water was squeezed from the coconut kernels from the Qiong Sea, and it was the first time we had seen it in our own house. ”

Xu Jiqiu glanced at Ting Shan deeply and stopped talking.

Ting Yao was afraid that Xu Jiqiu would say something good, so she led the topic to the little girl's favorite clothes and jewelry. Ting Xiu quietly asked Ting Fang: "What's going on with the Xu family?" ”

Ting Fang replied in a low voice: "Senior brother is not bad, but his reputation is extremely bad, and he seems to be disloyal and unfilial. Man's forgetfulness. Who doesn't believe what his own sister said? ”

Ting Xiu frowned and said, "Talking about her brother like that, how much better can she be?" ”

Ting Fang said: "People with good hearts don't want to spread the gossip of the girl's family. You see, today, everyone here has a number in their hearts. Although he is her brother, he is also the senior brother of our family, how can he lose the face of the master family like this? I just heard earlier that the Duke of Dingguo never came, and only sent his wife and daughter, not even his youngest son. Said and sneered, "He was sent to our family as a student in vain, but he only sent a bundle once, and he didn't care about it anymore, and he didn't want to come and go." I don't know what to think. ”

Ting Xiu couldn't help but sympathize with Xu Jingchang, his father didn't make a face for his husband, how could he be a student with good fruits to eat? asked Tingfang again: "What about our senior brother?" ”

Ting Fang smiled helplessly: "Second Uncle is too...... I thought that I would accept disciples when I was older, but who expected to be calculated by the Dingguo Gong. So far, there is only one disciple of Senior Brother. The disciple is like a son, he is a member of our family, and he is supporting the field in front. "Ting Pei is too small, the eldest master brought Tingshu, and the second master has no one to bring, so he had to bring Xu Jingchang. Xu Jingchang is partial to the department, but he looks dignified, the second master's face has added some brilliance, and when the Ye family has something to ask him, he does not shirk at all, and he has also relieved the siege of the king for the Ye family several times, the second master's attitude towards him has really changed a lot, and now there is really some master-apprentice friendship.

said that Xu Jingchang was calling onlookers outside, and the third generation of the Ye family was young, and he became the leader. The officials and guests entered the door and sat in the flower hall to watch the play. There are elders in the family who are not idle, and they send their younger generations here. Drinking should persuade the wine party to be lively, and everyone had the heart to carry a sedan chair for the Ye family, so they instigated the young to toast. How dare a junior die in front of his elders? However, he toasted in a proper manner, turned around and went to pour Xu Jingchang.

The second old man jumped to his feet in a hurry, he was a gentleman, he didn't like to be lively, and he didn't like to play and drink. Today it's just a matter of customs. Seeing that Xu Jingchang was surrounded by several people and coaxed, he endured it for a while, afraid that he would not be able to explain to the Xu family if he was too young to drink, so he finally entered the encirclement and brought people out, and asked in a loud voice: "But you drank too much?" Dizzy or not? Why don't you go to the back and ask your wife for decanting soup. ”

Xu Jingchang is not good at drinking, and he has long been a vegetarian. Suddenly hearing the concerned greeting of a low male voice, his eyes were sour, and he almost fell into tears. After a while, he grinned brightly again, staggered and said, "It's okay, Dad, I'm not drunk...... Don't pick me up, I'll have another drink with you, okay? ”