In the Buddhist hall in the northwest corner of the Chen family's back house, Chen's white filial piety, without powder, knelt crookedly on the futon, and the drumstick in his hand knocked on the wooden fish from time to time.

Mrs. Chen sympathized with her daughter's hard work in chanting Buddha, and specially asked the kitchen to stew a bowl of bird's nest to replenish her daughter's body. Seeing Chen's rogue posture of not sitting, he unconsciously recited the Buddha in a hurry, and said in his mouth: "My little aunt and grandmother, if you have a little heart, otherwise you will collide with the Buddha, but you will be punished." ”

Hearing this, Chen sneered, and said disapprovingly: "Come on, the saints all say that the son is silent and the power is confused, so it can be seen that this yin retribution is just a fabrication of the world." If there is really retribution, then the old pious woman has done so many bad things, why don't you see the Buddha taking her away. ”

After speaking, he sniffed and said with a smile: "This is a stewed bird's nest?" I love this, and after a day of reading the scriptures, my voice is hoarse, so give me a taste. ”

Without waiting for Mrs. Chen to react, Chen got up, took the food box in Mrs. Chen's hand, lifted the lid of the box, and took out a cup of bird's nest inside. Clicked his lips and sighed: "Although this bird's nest is good, the taste is lighter." Just stew a hen in the evening, I want to eat chicken. ”

When Mrs. Chen heard this, she said angrily: "Didn't you say that you should worship the Buddha with devotion and eat fast and keep filial piety for your husband, why are you going to eat chicken again in a blink of an eye!" ”

"Mother has never heard of wine and meat piercing the intestines, does the Buddha stay in his heart?" Chen wiped his mouth with a handkerchief and said, "Besides, I'm not for the reputation of our Chen family. The meaning is right, mother, do you really want me to eat fasting and pray for the dead ghost to receive a year of filial piety? He also deserves it. ”

When Mrs. Chen saw her daughter like this, she felt extremely powerless. He immediately shook his head and asked, "What about the eldest sister and the second sister?" ”

"Stubborn in the house. The temple was cold and the children were small, so I didn't call them over. While complaining to Mrs. Chen, Chen said: "You said that there are no tables and chairs in this Buddhist hall, just a few futons, sitting on the ground, standing on the ground, why do you ask them to come over." Don't think the crimes suffered in the Zhao family are enough? ”

Mrs. Chen listened to her daughter's pickiness in every way, and said with a headache: "You should stop a little." The Buddha Hall is a quiet place, which is what you can enjoy in the Buddha Hall. ”

Mrs. Chen said, looking at the small Buddha hall with some distress. But seeing that the flames of the niche were still green, the incense of the furnace was curling, and the sound of cicadas chirping in a few places under the flowers and trees outside, it should have been a quiet and silent place, but because Chen was here, it added a little bit of commotion.

Mrs. Chen shook her head and muttered "It's a pity to sin", and pushed Chen out with her hand, and said in her mouth: "You have been reciting scriptures in this Buddhist hall for a day, and you are also tired." Hurry back to your room and rest. I'll send for you at dinner. ”

Chen looked at the old lady's helpless and angry appearance, laughed twice in his mouth, and shook the handkerchief all the way back to the room.

The old lady who left Chen alone looked at Chen's frivolous behavior and laughing and unrestrained appearance, and sighed helplessly.

In the west wing, two whitewashed girls sit side by side in front of the bookcase and copy Buddhist scriptures. It's just that one is still young, and the other is that he has never read before, and he can't read or write, so he can only draw a gourd according to the handwriting on the Buddhist scriptures.

There were ink marks on his hands and cheeks.

When Chen returned to his room, he saw such a scene at a glance. Unconsciously his eyes widened in astonishment, and he blurted out, "What are you two sisters doing?" ”

After writing for a long time, the two girls were already a little dizzy.

A little tired rubbed her sore wrist, put the pen on the ink inkstone, and the eldest sister of the Zhao family said: "Isn't my mother going to worship the Buddha and keep filial piety for my father." The second sister said that the two of us, who are the daughters of our fathers, should be the same as our mothers. ”

So you sit here and copy Buddhist scriptures?

Hearing this, Chen sneered, shook his handkerchief and said, "He's your father." In this life, did you manage to eat, or did you care about clothing? It's just a false name for nothing. Now I have taken the two of you out of the Zhao family, and I have nothing to do with them. You two are still young, and you don't have to tire yourself out for the gossip outside. ”

Speaking of this, Chen couldn't help but sigh a little. Stretched out his hand to rub the eldest sister's neck, pinched her little hand distressedly, and sneered: "In this world, the etiquette law restricts women to behave properly. But I don't see that those men are all negative and ungrateful. With her daughter's good character and appearance, it will only be fresh for three or five days. Today, facing east and tomorrow facing west, there are thousands of rules to restrain women from being obedient. I won't listen to their red mouths and white teeth. A few more words of praise for me, and I don't have a penny more. Scold me a few more words, and I don't miss a piece of meat. Each door, another household, who does not live their lives behind closed doors. Ignore them. ”

The eldest sister nodded ignorantly, and asked, "What about Brother Zhang Hua, if Brother Zhang Hua marries me in the future, will he treat me like my father treats my mother?" ”

Chen was stunned, then reacted immediately, and said with a spicy smile: "Oh, my eldest sister is only so old that she wants to get married." Don't worry, with your wife here, if that stupid boy dares to treat you badly, I won't expose him. But I looked at it coldly, that stupid boy is young, but he knows cold and hot and hurts, better than your dead ghost! ”

The eldest sister blinked, she was still young and didn't quite understand the meaning of her mother's words. However, she has always been docile and obedient, and she doesn't ask much, just obediently bows her head.

The second sister of the Zhao family on the side saw it in her eyes, and she sighed softly.

Chen turned his head, looked at his little daughter with an embarrassed face, poked Xiao Baozi's smooth and full forehead with his slender ten fingers, and said with a smile: "People are small and big, and I don't know where I learned the sour and rotten habits. even coaxed your sister to accompany you to copy Buddhist scriptures. ”

Chen said, and reached out to pull the second sister's arm for a while, seeing that the second sister's little hand was red and swollen from copying the scriptures, he didn't feel distressed and said: "I've copied the Buddhist scriptures for so long, but I'm tired?" If you want me to say that you are also brainless, you are tired of yourself for a few good words that are not painful or itchy for others, is it worth it? Let's drink some milk and rest for the time being. If you really want to be filial to your dead ghost, you don't have to work on this day. For a long time, I have nothing to do every day to write a few words, and when I have saved enough, I will send it to the nunnery to ask the master to read in front of the Buddha, which is also a little filial piety for you. ”

The implication is that I don't want to do things quietly. Since the two little brains are dead-headed, let outsiders also understand the filial piety of her daughters. lest there always be a black-hearted rotten ghost who talks behind his back, discussing right and wrong.

Seeing that Chen collected the Buddhist scriptures that his two daughters had copied neatly but were still crooked, he lightly put them into a small brocade box on the dressing table. One wall cleaned up, the other wall kept chattering, and the eyes were full of distress for the two daughters, who were sour and stupid, and didn't know how to take care of themselves.

"If you dead ghost father has a little heart, and learns that you are so filial, he will also bless you with a good life. Otherwise, you won't enjoy his good children when you're alive, and you won't have to worry about it when you're dead......"

The second sister of the Zhao family sighed silently, she didn't expect that she would be scolded by an ancient, sour and stupid filial piety.

Fortunately, before the tea, the maid in the main room passed on the old lady's words, only saying that dinner was served, and asked the aunt and grandmother to take the girls to the main hall for dinner.

Only then did Chen stop his nagging and take his daughter to the main hall for dinner.

At that time, the palm lamp was very ten, and every family made a fire to cook, and smoke curled everywhere. The three of them wandered all the way into the main house, but saw that Feng was setting up tables and chairs in the flower hall with a few little girls, and arranging cloth dishes. Because there are few people in the family, and the small family is not bigger than the rules of the prince's house. Several members of the family sat at a dinner table, laughing and chatting.

Seeing Chen walking up to him with his two daughters, Father Chen and Mrs. Chen, who were sitting at the top, hurriedly said, "I've been busy all day, sit down and eat." ”

Chen smiled and agreed, and when he saw that there were fish and meat on the table, especially a large bowl of delicious ginseng stewed chicken soup, he laughed out loud with satisfaction.

Crisp laughter filled the hall in an instant. Feng Shi saw the sister-in-law trembling at the flowers and branches laughing over a pot of chicken soup, and pursed his lips with disdain. Immediately came back to his senses and immediately changed to a proper smile.

Mrs. Chen was a little helpless to describe her daughter: "I see that Sister Hui is working hard to worship Buddha all day long, and she has suffered so many years in the Zhao family, it is difficult to ensure that her body does not leave a dark disease. This will make up for her, so as not to lose her body. ”

Chen Hui was Chen's name when he was not married. Father Chen and Mrs. Chen gave their daughter such a name, naturally hoping that their daughter would be virtuous and gentle. It's a pity that Chen didn't do either of these things. Now that the neighbors are in a radius of 100 miles, who doesn't know that the Chen family has an aunt and grandmother who has a pungent temperament and is not tolerated at all?

The Chen family's father and son and the Feng family both understood Chen Hui's temperament, but they didn't say anything.

Father Chen opened his chopsticks, sandwiched the chicken thighs and fish and put them in the bowls of his two granddaughters, and said: "The children's family is growing up, if you don't eat some meat for maintenance, what if you get sick in the future?" However, Sister Hui'er is strong, just drink a few more bowls of chicken soup to make up for it. ”

After finishing speaking, he ignored Chen's dumbfounded, and his face was full of anger. He said to himself: "Open the meal." ”

Chen Jue and his wife couldn't help but smile at each other. Feng Shi couldn't help but smile, sandwiched two pieces of pork ribs and stuffed them to his son Chen Huan and daughter Chen Wan respectively, and said in a low voice: "Don't be in a daze, eat quickly." ”

Chen looked at Father Chen angrily, stunned for a long time, after all, he didn't dare to disobey his father's wishes, so he could only drink several bowls of chicken soup with hatred.

But I didn't expect to drink too much soup and have to go to the toilet in the middle of the night. Tossed it back and forth a few times, and it didn't gradually rest until dawn. The next morning, I was a little tired and my face was gloomy. Even if you apply a layer of fat powder, you can't hide the black and blue under the eyes.

Because of all kinds of gossip after the Chen family returned home, there were always some relatives and old friends who wanted to see jokes in their hearts, or who were genuinely concerned about the Chen family. Seeing Chen's description like this, others didn't know what it was, but thought that Chen was suddenly widowed and suffered such slander, and was exhausted.

Therefore, there is more pity and sympathy in the mouth.

Chen saw it in his eyes and did not defend it. Later, he didn't even bother to wipe the fat powder, so he just dealt with everyone with such a plain face. Or the body is heavy on filial piety and shallow fat powder, go to various Buddhist temples and nunnery in Beijing to kneel three times and knock nine times, and worship the Buddha and burn incense.

As the saying goes, men should be pretty with soap, and women should be pretty with filial piety.

In less than a month or two, the Chen family had a peerless appearance and a reputation of valuing love and righteousness in Beijing.