Qixing Lake in June, full of lotus flowers, is a great scene in the suburbs of Beijing. In July, the pink and white petals fall, and gradually produce fresh lotus flowers, which adds the interest of picking lotus and peeling water chestnuts in that grand scene.

The sky is fine and the breeze is blowing.

Two little girls with red lips and white teeth, fourteen or fifteen years old sat on the lotus-picking boat, rowing with the boat lady, swimming among the blue leaves and red flowers. This in itself is as beautiful as a painting, and it is even more beautiful and chuckling, which is even more vivid.

“…… This lotus pod is fresh and tender, and it is best to eat it raw, and even the yellow lotus heart is sweet and silky. Or boil sugar water, just wait for the water to be cooked and put it down, so as not to hurt the fragrance. Only those who are a little older, they are crushed and steamed, then mixed with sugar osmanthus and boiled, put in the mold and let it cool, it is a very soft and smooth lotus seed cake. If you put it on ice and freeze it slightly when eating, the flavor is better. ”

The girl in blue, who was a little smaller, was full of envy when she heard the girl in yellow say, "Cousin, although you are half a year younger than me, you know so much, no wonder my mother always asks me to learn from you." ”

The girl in yellow smiled, without mockery, only a shallow pride, "It's no wonder that you, I still learned this osmanthus lotus cake from my sister-in-law." It's a pity that I can't do it as well as her. My aunt often said that I could only paint the skin of the tiger and coax outsiders. ”

"That's good. You can also teach me to draw skin when you go back, so that my mother always says that I ......" The girl in blue suddenly blushed, embarrassed to continue.

She was engaged the year before last, and she said that she would get married next spring because her mother taught her very strictly. If it weren't for the fact that this cousin rarely came to visit, and there was no suitable girl at home to accompany her, she would not have been allowed to go out.

At the moment, although there are no outsiders on the left and right except for the boat lady, the girl in yellow still did not make fun of her cousin's marriage, but took the initiative to pinch another water red ling, and told her about several methods of this water chestnut.

She doesn't show off, but the boat lady ferries on this lake every day, but she is very discerning.

Although the girl in yellow is also dressed plainly, she is obviously better than the girl in blue. Or, in other words, more confidence to pay attention to food and clothing.

Otherwise, on this hot day, can ordinary people have ice?

The boat lady had a heart and rowed a small lotus-picking boat more steadily. Thinking that he would earn more money for a while, he rowed the boat to the most beautiful place on the lake to see the scenery.

I didn't expect that there was a big ship here. From the open doors and windows, you can see that many young men are drinking and having fun inside.

The boat lady thought that the young girl must be willing to come forward to join in the fun, and the young lady on the stage didn't like this kind of chance encounter the most?

Unexpectedly, the girl in yellow suddenly frowned, "Row back, let's not go over!" ”

The boat lady was stunned, knowing that she had met a girl from a really serious family, so she hurriedly rowed the boat back.

But on the big boat, there was already a young man in Tsing Yi who caught a glimpse of them with sharp eyes. As soon as he said to a fat man in a red robe with a yellowish complexion in the center, the man immediately walked out of the cabin and ordered someone to catch up.

The small boat is leisurely, it is designed to enjoy the scenery, how can it compete with such a big ship? It didn't take two hits to catch up.

The boy in Tsing Yi said, "Oh, girl, don't run!" We're not bad people, we're just going to invite you to sit on the boat and have a cup of tea. ”

The girl in blue was already frightened, "We're not going, we're not going!" ”

It's a pity that her little voice is delicate, except for a few people nearby, how can others hear it clearly?

The girl in yellow was much calmer, and said to the boat girl, "You tell them loudly that we are all good families, not to drink tea and talk with others." The elders and brothers in the family are not far away, so please don't get me wrong. ”

The boat lady did as she was told.

The young man in Tsing Yi said, "Since it is a good family, it is better." We are also the sons of a good family, or the sons of an official eunuch. Come up with peace of mind, we will talk, and we will send you back to meet the elders in the family in a while. Rest assured, we are all polite people and will not come nonsense. Come on, come on, put a boat, and Ben Gongzi will pick up people in person. ”

The girl in blue was about to cry in fright, but the girl in yellow was angry and stepped forward, "Since you are the son of an official eunuch who understands etiquette, why do you force a girl from a good family to do such a thing?" Men and women are not at the same table at the age of seven, could it be that you sons are just tall and not old? ”

"How are you talking?" The fat man in the red robe was immediately annoyed, but he was not good at arguing.

The boy in Tsing Yi immediately jumped up and shouted, with a vicious look on his face, "Do you know who this boy is?" He is the uncle of the country today! Kindly invited you to come, just to drink a cup of tea and talk, so elegant, but you are so ignorant, and insult people for no reason, I still have to pour tea today to admit your mistakes! ”

Hearing that the red-robed yellow fat man was actually the uncle of the country, the boat lady was shocked, and the girl in blue was even more frightened.

The girl in yellow saw that she couldn't do well, so she simply let it go, pretending not to know, "I don't know what the country is old or new, I only know that if you come to persecute again, I can only jump into this lake to prove my innocence." If you are not afraid of getting into trouble and being charged with persecuting people's lives, just give it a try! ”

The boy in green clothes was stunned, obviously hesitating, but the fat man in the red robe and the yellow man didn't believe that the girl in yellow really dared to jump into the lake, "Okay, if you really dare to jump off this lake, I, Qi Xiuyuan, will also convince you today!" You jump, if you don't jump, you will obediently come over and admit your mistake to the uncle! ”

The boat lady had a faint intention of giving in, and the girl in blue also took her cousin's hand, and said with tears in her eyes, "Otherwise, let's tell them that your sister-in-law is actually ......."

But before she could finish speaking, the girl in yellow glared at her fiercely and immediately cut off her words, "Don't talk nonsense!" Otherwise, I won't have any relatives like yours anymore. ”

The girl in blue hesitated slightly, but the girl in yellow didn't hesitate for a moment, and jumped straight into the lake with a thud, obviously really strong, not acting.

Yes!

The girl in blue, including many of the women on the boat, screamed, apparently frightened.

Even the red-robed yellow fat man had a white face, his eyes flickering and looking back, obviously a little timid.

"You're all full, what are you arguing about here?"

Suddenly, a tall man stood up among the lotus flowers. At the age of twenty-seven or eighteen, his face was gloomy, with three points of wine and seven points of anger.

His face was originally very handsome, and if he was willing to smile, he didn't know how many women's hearts would be charmed. But at this moment, his face was black, and he felt like a hellish Shura, and he was terrified.

"What are you doing standing stupidly, boat lady, are you dead? Save people! ”

was yelled at by him, and the boat lady finally came back to her senses.

Looking down, she didn't need to save her, the little girl who jumped off the boat didn't want to die at all, she was holding the penny of the boat in the water, her eyes were wide open, and she was not half afraid. only deliberately lowered her head and hid under the lotus leaves, only exposing her mouth and nose, making people think that she had fallen into the water.

The boat lady must have thought in her heart, and she also knew what to do, so she handed the penny to the girl in blue and jumped into the lake herself. They begged for a living on the water, and they were all very familiar with the water, and they pretended to touch left and right before saying, "People are here!" Fortunately, the aquatic weeds were entangled and did not sink. ”

Call.

At this moment, the red-robed yellow fat man also breathed a sigh of relief.

It is true that he is the uncle of the country, but if he really falls into the charge of killing the son of a good family, I am afraid that the one on the dragon chair will not be able to spare him. A few years ago, when keeping filial piety to the former emperor, there were some people in Beijing who couldn't get through, and the children of the powerful who were looking for joy were still punished?

Even the ministers of the central government, if they dare to raise children, they are not treated well by the emperor. Since my sister sat on the phoenix throne, she has always warned the family to be cautious and not to cause trouble.

He saw that the two girls were dressed ordinarily, and thought that even if they were to have fun, they would only give a few taels of silver in the end, but if they caused a fatality, especially if they were broken by this uncle, they were afraid that they would not die well.

Although Uncle Qi was young, he could also see at a glance that although the silver-white robe worn by the tall man was kneaded into pickles, it was a tribute. There was only one light blue horse in his family, which was only given to his eldest brother. Although he Qi Xiuyuan is also quite favored at home, he is not a fool and knows who can and cannot be provoked.

immediately apologized to the tall man, "I'm really embarrassed, I drank a few more drinks just now, and I provoked people to get angry for a while, which caused an accident." Girl! ”

He turned back to the steward and asked for an ingot, which was worth ten taels of silver, and threw it into the boat, "Then I will give you a medical treatment." ”

The girl in blue didn't dare to answer, let alone answer.

The boat lady hugged the yellow-clothed girl who was "drowning and fainting", and the red-robed yellow fat man ignored the protest of the fat on his stomach, and then made a deep bow at the tall man, and quickly slipped away.

The girl in blue saw her cousin drowning and cried lowly, and the boat lady pretended to rub it a few times before the girl in yellow spit out saliva and pretended to wake up.

Just seeing a mocking smile in the tall man's eyes, he couldn't help but feel slightly red at the root of his ears, and wanted to thank him, but the man turned around and left.

Looking at him again, it turned out that there was also a small boat, and there were several empty wine jars on board, and I think he had spent last night on this boat.

Originally, sitting alone among the flowers, it was also an elegant thing in the world to get drunk with the moon, but the girl in yellow was a little funny when she accidentally saw a swollen red envelope on his neck and bitten by mosquitoes. Looking back, it was their own ship that saw that they had not returned for a long time, and had already called for them.

The girl in yellow hurriedly instructed her cousin to collect her tears, and said to the boat lady, "Take this silver, don't mention today's matter to anyone, just say that I accidentally fell into the water while picking lotus flowers, so that people will not trouble you in the future." ”

How did the boat lady not know what to do? Hurriedly picked up the silver, thanked him again and again, and sent the people away.

When the family saw the girl in yellow falling into the water, they couldn't help but blame her. It wasn't until she entered the house and retreated from outsiders that the girl told the truth.

The mother of the girl in blue was so frightened that she almost couldn't sit still, "Why did this provoke the Qi family?" If there is something, isn't it all the sin of my family? ”

Another beautiful aunt looked sternly at the girl in yellow who had just changed her clothes and said, "Have you revealed your name and family history?" ”

The girl in yellow shook her head, "I know what's wrong. ”

The beautiful aunt groaned again and again, and said, "Having said that, I still have to say goodbye to my wife when I go back, and if there is any punishment at that time, you must also receive it." ”

The girl in blue couldn't help but say, "It's not my cousin's fault that this matter, it's all that son's bullying, why should she admit her mistake?" ”

Her mother smiled bitterly, "Silly child, being a woman in this world is the most disadvantaged." Even if it is not your sisters' willingness, if others provoke it, the world will blame you for it. Sister, you clean up, your brother and I will send you back, it should be us to explain. ”

Aunt Mei shook her head, "It's just that I'm inferior there, how can I still bring you down?" In the future, people will have to say that our Yuan family style is a problem. Now that the imperial examination has been held, you can't let your family be tainted with these bad reputations. My brother and nephew still have to be motivated, but Mei'er is a woman, and she didn't report her name, so she may not have to make trouble. Besides, the lady has become more and more kind in recent years, and at most she punished her for copying scriptures, which is not a big deal. ”

When the woman saw that she was no more, she had to put the mother and daughter in the car and leave.

Only in the car, the aunt scolded her daughter again. But he said less, felt more distressed, and asked, "Who is here to help?" But what could go wrong? ”

The girl smiled, "I didn't say it, the one who came to rescue me was actually Gongsun Hong from the Dingguo Mansion." I've seen him several times in Po Yuan before, but I still recognize him. But he didn't recognize me, and when he saw that someone from our house had come to pick me up, he left on his own. ”

The aunt breathed a sigh of relief, "It's okay if he's okay, even if there is anything, he can help us distinguish one or two." ”

As he spoke, the carriage entered the capital.

All the way to Quy Nhon Fang, walk to the side door of a house with an Ouyang plaque and stop, get out of the car and go in. But I saw a lot of luggage piled up at the gate of the courtyard that I hadn't had time to pack, which was a little strange.

The next person smiled and reported the good news, "It's the second young master who came back with the second young grandmother's family!" ”

Although the eldest young master has gone out, the family name has not been changed since it was changed that year.

Aunt Yuan sighed in her heart, "This term hasn't come yet, why did you come back?" "Something must have happened, right?

The subordinate smiled, "Auntie, don't worry, it's our second young master who has done a good job in office and has been promoted." He was supposed to come back in April or May, but he was worried that the embankment on his post would be unstable, so he simply didn't report it, and only waited for the embankment to be repaired, and then brought his family back. It's a pity that this delay, the days of being able to reunite at home are short, and after less than a month's rest, I have to set off on the road again. ”

When Aunt Yuan heard this, she hurriedly gave her daughter a look. At this time, some words are difficult to say, and it is important to reunite relatives first. The girl nodded, knowing herself.

Entering the room, Tan was holding a granddaughter in one hand and crying and laughing. For so many years, she can be regarded as seeing her own granddaughter.

Seeing them come in, Ouyang Zhuang got up and greeted with a smile, "Hello Aunt Yuan, ah, my little sister has grown so big, I remember that when I left, you were only so tall." ”

He has been released since that year, and he has served two terms before and after, except for one year when he came back to report on his work, this is the second time his family has seen each other in the past six or seven years.

Not to mention Ouyang Mumei, who is half blood-related, even Aunt Yuan, who is not related by blood, can't help but cry sadly.

"Over the years, you've suffered a lot outside, right? I see that the second master has darkened a lot, and he has lost weight. ”

"Isn't it? I don't know how difficult Lian'er is in office. "Aunt Wu is always so blind, Aunt Yuan greeted Ouyang Zhuang, she wanted to pull it on her son. is still crying and crying, looking pitiful.

That year, two brothers, Ouyang Lian and Ouyang Qing, went to participate in the imperial examination. Ouyang Qing relied on his father-in-law's family's ability to beat it up, and he was lucky to be like Guan Yaozu back then, and he was lucky to hang up at the end of the list and gave him a martial arts background.

But Ouyang Lian still fell into the first place, his foundation was a little worse, and his mind was mixed when he was old, so he simply stopped reading, and after getting married, it was Guan Yaozu who helped him go through the door and got him to be a small official in the foreign army.

Although the grade is not high, it is the descendant of the Lao Guan family, so there is no need to worry about being bullied. And such a well-known official position is already a good future for a concubine with low talent.

At that moment, Aunt Yuan was not easy to say, but Tan Shi heard it at the tip of her ear, and suddenly said, "You have to feel distressed, simply let him resign and come back, serve his father, and be a filial son!" ”

Aunt Wu suddenly shrunk her neck, wiped her tears, and didn't dare to say anything more.

Over the years, after Ouyang Jin's brain was broken, serving him has become the most undesirable job in the whole house.

Aunt Ziyun, who was so favored in the past, served for half a year, and she couldn't stand it and would rather be sold than take care of it anymore. She let her son, let him not do a good official, and come back to serve that fool, it is crazy.

This man's heart is afraid that he will not be satisfied.

Aunt Yuan shook her head in her heart, let her daughter talk to her brother closely, and went to greet the second grandmother Fu.

Gongsun: Why did you use this brand name for me? A little wood has my tall temperament.

White Potato: Do you want me to help you count how old you are?

Gongsun: Don't take such a bully!

Bai Potato: You old leftover man, what's wrong with bullying you? Come and bite me, dare you come and bite me?

Gongsun: ...... RS