The adults in the hall were busy listening to the drama and listening to the second sister's jokes, but they didn't pay attention to Zhang Hua. Only Qiu Shi thought about his son's thoughts, and he didn't feel that he was secretly laughing. For a while, the drama on the stage was about to end, and Mrs. Chen smiled and said, "You should ask the gentlemen to return to the play." ”

After that, he asked the little girl who was waiting on the side to present the excerpts to Mrs. Chen. Mrs. Chen randomly ordered a festive and lively drama, and then ordered Chen Jue. Chen Qi is the same as the second sister, but he doesn't like to listen to dramas very much, because he let Zhang Yun. Zhang Yun smiled and said: "The old lady's play is good, I like it too." I stopped ordering it, and asked the children to order something they liked. ”

After that, let Chen Huan again. Chen Hua first got up to thank him, and then took the excerpt in his hand and watched it roughly, and randomly ordered "The Story of the White Snake". and gave the drama to Zhang Hua. Unexpectedly, Zhang Hua didn't look at the excerpts after taking the excerpts, and opened his mouth to order "The Peony Pavilion", and he clearly wanted to "come to the purple and red to bloom all over".

When Chen Hua heard this, he was not surprised, because he asked, "So you like to listen to this play?" ”

Zhang Hua just smiled and didn't answer.

Behind the screen, the eldest sister knew what she meant, and she lowered her head in shame, just messing with her clothes. The ladies in the hall looked at the eldest sister's shyness and cowardice, and Rao didn't understand, and she also realized it. Unconsciously looked at each other and smiled, tacitly.

The little girl had already gone down with the drama fold and told the little actors to take it out. The second sister came from the later generations, and her predecessor was an ignorant child, and she didn't have much memory to use, so she didn't know much about these dramas. I only heard Chen Hua order "The Story of the White Snake", and thought it was about the story of the White Lady and Xu Xian. Unexpectedly, Xing Chongchong listened for a long time and didn't hear the number, so he asked Chen Wan quietly.

Chen Wan smiled and said: "The song is the beginning of Han Gaozu's snake slashing." ”

When the second sister heard this, she pursed her lips more and more boringly. When Chen Wan saw this scene, she smiled and said, "I really see that you don't like to listen to dramas." ”

The second sister smiled and said, "I don't like to listen to operas, but I like to sing songs." I'll have to be idle another day, and I'll sing two songs for you to listen to, which are more fun than the jokes I said. ”

It made everyone laugh again. Mrs. Chen also turned around and asked, "Second sister likes to listen to music, why don't I know?" ”

Chen also scolded with a smile: "The old lady listens to her nonsense. I haven't heard a few tunes in years, but I like to listen to music again. ”

So he talked and laughed, and after all the scenes were sung, Fang withdrew the banquet and set up dinner. After happily finishing the meal and eating tea again, Zhang Yunfang took the family to say goodbye to Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen. Qiu still took Feng's hand and invited with a smile-

"If you have to be free, please go to our Zhuangzi to take a walk, although it is not as prosperous as Beijing, but the countryside scenery, but also have some interest. Gentlemen can fish and hunt, we can also watch the flowers and enjoy the scenery - although there are no famous flowers and plants, but as soon as the spring breeze passes, the flowers that bloom all over the mountains and fields are not the end at a glance, and people see it, and even their hearts are open-minded. It's not that we mean to enjoy the flowers in our own back garden. ”

When Feng heard this, he also agreed with a smile. With the Chen family and several sisters, they took their mothers-in-law and daughters-in-law to the second gate. Chen Qi took his son to send people out of the gate, and waited until the Zhang family's carriage drove out of the alley and turned to the street, and then turned around.

This night, the Chen family was so good that they washed and rested, so there is no need to elaborate.

Early the next morning, Chen Jue finished washing and went to the outer study. still instructed the housekeeper to prepare a first-class Feng'er to reward the small drama that sang and played the opera yesterday and played ten times, as well as Chef Shen on the stove. He also ordered Chang to follow Chen Li's instructions to the boys to set up horses and prepare carts, and send the group of people and horses invited from Xu's Mansion back to their mansions. He also wrote a handwritten letter ordering Chen Li to come over a little to express his gratitude. Only then did he return to the back house.

At that time, the Feng family took Chen Huan and Chen Wan, and the Chen family took the eldest sister and the second sister to have fun in front of the old lady and the old lady in the upper room. When everyone talked about the deeds of Zhang Hua ordering "The Peony Pavilion" yesterday, the eldest sister had already blushed with shame, her head hung low, and she was silent.

Chen Huan listened to everyone's words, and then he thought about it, and when he was about to say something, he saw that the eldest sister was shy and timid, but it was not easy to say. Just about to divert the conversation, when he saw Chen Jue entering, he immediately stood up and bowed his head to say hello. When the sisters saw it, they all stood up.

Chen Qi greeted his parents with a smile, and received a few more gifts from his juniors, and then sat down to eat tea. Because he mentioned to Feng's family: "Yesterday, in order to invite the Zhang family, I specially borrowed a small drama from Brother Zichuan and the people on the stove to support their faces, and just now I have asked Chen Li to lead the children to prepare the car and send it back." You see when you have to be free, we have to go back to invite Brother Zichuan and his family, and thank you for your hospitality. ”

When Feng Shi heard this, he smiled busily. Because he said: "It's not for this, it's like this every year." It's just that we have a lot of family affairs this year, and the wife of the Xu family is busy entertaining the eldest wife of the Shen family and a few maiden nephews who entered Beijing from the south of the Yangtze River, so she has not been idle, so she has been entrusted for a long time. Otherwise, it should have been invited a long time ago. ”

Speaking of this, Feng Shi wanted to speak again and again, and couldn't help but look at Chen Huan and Chen Wan for a while, because he smiled: "There are still sticky bean buns steaming on the stove in the kitchen, and this should be fine." Go and eat first. ”

Without saying a word, Feng swept over the eldest sister and second sister who were sitting silently on the side, and said with a smile: "Take your little sister with you too." ”

Chen Huan and Chen Wan looked at each other, unable to understand how their mother said these words. However, the second sister is a small ghost, and when she arrived, she saw that this was the Feng family's words to send them away. In this case, it is presumably difficult for them to listen to the next discussion. The second sister didn't say much, so she got up and said goodbye, still smiling in her mouth: "I only ate a bowl of gruel in the morning, and I said that I wasn't full." This will add two more bean bags, and it will be just right. ”

After that, he smiled at Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen: "Grandfather and grandmother, don't worry, we will keep the steamed bean buns with the most stuffing and not let them all eat them." ”

All the people were happy when they said the word. Chen Wanyou smiled: "It's really a thief shouting to catch a thief." He also said that he would watch us not steal food, I am afraid that when you see good food, you will forget your grandfather and grandmother first. ”

The second sister opened her mouth and said, "Sister Wan, this is slander." My grandfather and grandmother didn't believe it anymore. ”

So it was not Chen Huan and Chen Wan with their two younger sisters who were talking and laughing, but the second sister who led everyone out.

Seeing that the maids and daughters-in-law who were with the young masters and girls were also leaving, Feng smiled and said to Chen Qi: "I heard the wife of the Xu family say that the reason why the eldest wife of the Shen family brought her children to Beijing was because the young masters and girls in the family had reached the right age...... You say, their eldest wife came over this time, could it be the idea of kissing and kissing? ”

It's no wonder that Feng is worried. It must be known that although Xu Zichuan and Chen Qi are both on errands in the household department, their grades are almost the same. At first glance, it seems that the family background is quite comparable. can be studied carefully, Chen Qi's official son was donated, but Xu Zichuan is a serious imperial examination jinshi, and he was now hand-picked by Shu Jishi to mix with the Hanlin Academy.

According to the rules of the imperial court that "non-imperial examinations are not allowed to enter the third rank, and non-Hanlin is not allowed to enter the cabinet", a few decades later, even if the Chen family is lucky enough to go to the ancestral tomb to emit green smoke, Chen Qi can only stop at the fourth grade. Only this one, Xu Zichuan's future future will be thrown out of Chen Jue's unknown streets.

What's more, Xu Zichuan's wife, Shen, was born in the Shen family, a big salt merchant in Jiangnan. Although there was a policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing business, the salt merchants in Jiangnan were rich in the world, and their prestige and pomp could even influence the officialdom in Jiangnan. Who wouldn't be jealous of that hot power and wealth? Even if the Shen family is no longer counted as the Shen family after getting married, the rich dowry back then was enough to be envied by others.

Therefore, since the Chen and Xu families became friends, the Feng family started the idea of the Xu family girl early. I only think that my son is smart and clever and can read, and the girl of the Xu family is raised by the Shen family with gentleness, and the children of the two families can be regarded as childhood sweethearts.

Feng Shiyuan still thought that the children were still young now, and they were not in a hurry. After another two or three years, Chen Hua was admitted to the Tongsheng Xiucai and became famous, and then went to explore the Shen family's style, and asked someone to go to the Xu Mansion to propose marriage. Presumably, the Shen family will not allow it for the sake of the relationship between the two families. Who would have thought that she had a good abacus, and a wife of the Shen family would appear on the way?

When everyone in the Chen family heard Feng's concern, they looked at each other unconsciously. After pondering for a long time, Chen couldn't help but speak: "Sister-in-law's words are reasonable. I don't think we Ming'er will invite the Xu family over. First in the name of visiting the eldest wife of the Shen family, let's see what the young masters and girls of the Shen family are. Isn't there such a saying, know yourself and know your opponent, and you will not be defeated in a hundred battles. Let's take a look at their kid first, it's comparable to our family's boy. ”

Chen Qi heard this, but he didn't think so. Waving his hand, he smiled and said, "You guys are too worried." Brother Zichuan would never ask his son to marry a merchant girl. He would not ask his daughter to marry a merchant. ”

Feng Shi looked at Chen Qi, still wanting to speak and stopped. After thinking about it, Yin smiled and said, "Even if the Xu family doesn't have this plan, it's hard to guarantee that the Shen family doesn't think so." What's more, the wife of the Xu family is still the aunt and grandmother of the Shen family. ”

Seeing that Chen Qi was still smiling and did not answer. Feng Shi gritted his teeth, and said with a dagger: "I think it's better to find a time to mention it to the Xu family." After the New Year, Ju'er is also twelve. ”

Old Lady Chen and Old Lady Chen listened to Feng's words, but they thought it was true.

Chen Qi laughed when he heard this, and was about to say something, but he saw a commotion outside, and before everyone could ask, a little girl who had no head was led in by Bixi and lifted the curtain. Before the little girl could come to her, she knelt on the ground in a panic, and shouted: "Go back to the old lady, the old lady, the old lady, the old lady, the Feng family sent someone to deliver the message, only saying that the old lady in the Feng Mansion is not good, and tell the old lady to hurry over!" ”

"What?" When everyone heard this, they were startled. Feng didn't care about going to Xu's house to propose marriage, so he hurriedly grabbed the little girl who sent the message, and asked urgently: "What did you say, why is my mother not good?" I was fine when I came home the other day, why is it not good now? ”

That little girl was just a doorkeeper and a sweeper. He was young, and he had not been seriously adjusted and taught, so he was clearing the snow in the yard, and when he got the letter from the gatehouse, he ran over in a panic to spread the word, and he didn't know the details. Seeing Feng Shi pulling her arm and asking carefully, she was startled, and cried, "I don't know." Don't ask me, madam, I'm just here to talk. ”

Seeing this, Feng became more and more anxious. Chen scolded beside him: "It's really a hairy girl who can't be on the stage, and she can't even understand a sentence." Quickly call the people sent by the Feng family in. Just say your wife has something to ask. Just go! ”

Bixi promised to go one way. When he was young, he brought the Feng family's mother-in-law in. The woman replied carefully. Only then did everyone learn that it was the New Year's Day, and the old lady of the Feng family was angry because of a few words with her daughter-in-law Xiao Sun, and she fainted without mentioning it in one breath.

When everyone heard this, they couldn't help but look at each other. Feng Shi only felt that his face was burning, and he was ashamed and anxious to ask, "Why is there a quarrel?" What is the mother doing now? But did you ask the doctor to take a look? ”

When the woman asked, she was only hesitant and vague, and said in her mouth: "The slave and maid don't dare to say it." I also asked my aunt and uncle to wear them and take a look. ”