"Second brother and sister-in-law, are you back? E-Niang is thinking about you, come into the house. Nalan Donggui, who was chopping wood in the yard, heard the sound and hurriedly went out to see, and when he saw that it was his brother and sister-in-law, he came over to help pick up the goods.

This is a very handsome, athletic, and simple young man, in his twenties, who also appears shrewd and capable because of the tempering of civilian life. In addition, he has practiced martial arts, which gives people a feeling of simplicity and heroic spirit.

The three Nalan brothers are all very filial. When the eldest Dongshun was ten years old, his father died of illness, and his mother was not yet thirty years old at that time, so he relied on watching children, doing needlework, and washing clothes to support their four brothers and sisters. Especially my mother, who used to be everyone's best girl, her life was so difficult, she didn't ask her mother's family for help once! Therefore, the four Nalan brothers and sisters admired their mother and repaid their mother's kindness with filial piety.

"My son Dongde and daughter-in-law Shui'er ask my mother for peace." In the hall, Nalan and his family kowtowed to the old lady according to the rules of the Manchurians.

"Hurry up, get up, come over the water, let E-Niang take a look." The old lady took Shui'er's hand and said from the bottom of her heart: "You've lost weight, is there something wrong?" ”

"Eniang, Shui'er is very good, there is nothing wrong with it, but some things are very busy after the masters come back, and Shui'er and Sister Yu'er help the master arrange things."

"Look at the kids." The old lady said as she pulled a boy of four or five years old who was leaning next to her to Shui'er.

"Do you miss Amma, do you miss Eniang?" Shui'er picked up his son Tie Dan. He asked while kissing his face.

"I don't want to." The son told the truth. The water was very embarrassed. No wonder the child doesn't want to, he leaves his mother two months after birth, and is taken care of by his grandmother and aunt.

Nalan hugged his son and sat down on the big kang near the window of Eniang. Let his son sit on his lap, take out the toy blocks, assemble plastic blocks, and bubble cans given by Yun'er from the cardboard box next to him, and teach his son to play in the same way. Tie Dan immediately warmed up with the young father, calling Ama one after another, asking this and that. Seeing that the small stick in the bubble jar could come out with a bunch of bubbles as soon as it was blown, Tie Dan chased the bubbles all over the kang, giggling happily. Nalan was on the edge of the kang to block his son from falling to the ground, and his heart was very ironing.

After talking about common things for a while, I talked about Donggui's sale of goods.

Shui'er said: "The master said, let Donggui's younger brother give him a trial sale, and he can't work hard in vain." ”

The old lady said, "What is the hard work?" The master is so good to you, and you haven't repaid her yet. The master and the prince have been out for a year, are they all right? ”

"Okay, let's bring back a pair of dragon and phoenix fetuses."

"That's good news. Your master is really a face. gave birth to a prince before, and now gave birth to a pair of dragon and phoenix fetuses, in the future, this honor has been a long time. ”

"The dragon and phoenix fetus brought back by the master has been named Baylor and Gege by the emperor."

"Ouch, your master's blessing is too great."

"Our master also asked Shui'er to bring you some gifts from her."

The old lady hurriedly saluted Yun'er in the direction of the palace: "The old man thanked the master." ”

Nalan's younger sister Nalan Dongzhu came out of the inner room, took Shui'er's hand affectionately, and said affectionately: "The second brother and sister-in-law are back?" I worked in the house, and I didn't go far to welcome guests. He laughed.

"Yikes! Such a big box! Can you take a look? "Miss Dongzhu is a cheerful person at first glance, and she has a good relationship with Shui'er's sister-in-law.

Old Mrs. Nalan said angrily: "You girl, when you see your brother and sister-in-law, you have to look at things without saying hello, there are no rules." Wait until they've eaten. ”

The thick-eyed and big-eyed Dongzhu girl laughed heartily: "Yes, yes, yes!" I'll set the table and set the meal! ”

Shui'er followed her sister-in-law to the kitchen to serve the dishes, and asked in a low voice, "How is the dowry prepared?" ”

"Second sister-in-law, you are bad!" Dongzhu is embarrassed.

"Hey, what's wrong with me? Q: Are you going to be bad when you prepare a dowry? I'm bringing back a box of good things for you today, and I won't give it to you if I say it's bad. ”

Dongzhu quickly said good things when he heard it: "Sister-in-law, sister-in-law, don't be angry, aren't people embarrassed to talk about the dowry?" What good things did you bring back for your sister? Can you feast your eyes on it? ”

"I'll tell you after breakfast, I'll kill you."

Dongzhu grinned: "I knew that my sister-in-law brought me good things, and the second sister-in-law loved Dongzhu the most." ”

"Who made you my sister?"

After dinner, we began to look at the goods. Shui'er lifted the lid of the box, took out a big burden, and said to her mother-in-law, "This burden is a gift from the master to the family, not a product to be sold." ”

Old Madam Nalan looked at the burden and said, "Such a big bag?" Looks like there's a lot of stuff out there. ”

"This is a gift from Master Yun to Eniang, Donggui's younger brother, and Dongzhu's younger sister."

"The reward of the master? E-niang hurriedly kowtowed to her master. After speaking, he kowtowed to the prince and Yun'er in the direction of the palace: "The old man has thanked the prince and the master for their grace." "The rules of the Manchu family are very big, and the old lady Nalan used to be a lady of everyone, and she was quite particular about etiquette.

Then Shui'er opened the baggage, and inside were three smaller ones. Shui'er gently placed a dark cloth bag in front of the old lady: "This is a gift from the master to Eniang, there are two pieces of cloth in it, a bed sheet, a velvet blanket and towel, pillowcase, pillow towel, and two pieces of jewelry. Do you open it up and take a look? ”

The old lady opened her baggage and exclaimed, "Oh! So many good things, huh? Why is this embroidered brocade so beautiful? E-Niang hasn't worn such material yet. Got a lot of silver, right? How can it be so wide? ”

"The master said, the cloth in the place where she went is very wide, and this brocade fabric of yours is called silk brocade, and the color is more suitable for your age, right?"

"It's good, it's so suitable, it's so good-looking. What is this piece? ”

"This is the thick gauze material that the master made for your pants, what is that called? Soft yarn, don't look thick, but it is very smooth and non-sticky to wear. I asked Sister Dongzhu to wear it for you right away, and it's exactly what I wear in this season. ”

"But really, why do you masters still care about me, a useless old woman? Although Eniang's background is not low, she didn't wear clothes of this kind of material when she was young, so she was blessed by her master! ”

"Don't say it's you, the prince and Fu Jin haven't worn this kind of material before. Many of the things that our master brought back were not available in our Qing Dynasty. This jewelry is an alloy hairpin from the Exotic Side, you see. ”

"Oh, how is it golden? There is also a flower on the head, this is a step hairpin, right? The old lady took the hairpin and looked at it over and over again, with a look of affection on her face.

"It should belong to the step shake, but the chain is a little shorter, which is different from what young people wear." Shui'er is very filial to her mother-in-law, and she has always treated her mother-in-law kindly. In addition to this step shake hairpin, there is also a pair of agate bracelets. The old lady stroked the smooth bracelet and sighed incessantly.

After watching her mother-in-law look at her sister-in-law, as soon as she opened the baggage, Miss Dongzhu screamed: "Oh my God, this piece of clothing is so beautiful!" “

"The master knows that our sister Dongzhu is going to get married, so he specially gave Miss Dongzhu a few gifts for the bride, and this brocade is used as a bridal outfit." Shui Er especially likes this sister-in-law, enthusiastic, generous, spicy, and capable.

"Thank you, master." Miss Dongzhu gave a blessing to the burden. She already had a piece of brocade for the bridal dress, which was not comparable to the one her sister-in-law brought back. It is a bright red brocade with a gold thread pattern, and the pattern on it protrudes from the cloth as if it had been embroidered. As soon as there is a gold thread in any fabric, it looks magnificent and festive. The width of the fabric is very wide, and it is more than enough to make a long cheongsam. There is also a piece of blue yarn for pants and a flower cloth for gowns, which are watery. In a small cloth bag, there are two pieces of alloy jewelry, a pair of agate bracelets, a necklace of unknown material, a pair of stainless steel earrings, hairpins on the bride's hair bun, flat squares and other small objects. Dongzhu especially likes a flower hairpin with a small golden lantern pendant, not to mention the delicate and delicate.

Then there is a rectangular mirror that stands up, and it is very clear. The water-pink plastic frame is delicate and smooth, and the Dongzhu girl is holding the mirror with tears glistening.

"Look, Eniang, this mirror is absolutely not available in our Qing Dynasty, it's too clear." Miss Dongzhu happily showed the mirror to Eniang.

"How embarrassing it is, Dongzhu has never seen his master, so he accepts such a grace from his master."

"Hurry up, the one in this burden is the third brother's, it is for the third brother to make the groom's outfit, and there is also a head for the bride in it, so don't look at it, the third brother, you take it."

Donggui hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed: "Donggui has thanked the prince and Master Yun." ”

Old Madam Nalan said: "Our family has received so many rewards, I think it is because the two of you are good at doing errands in front of the master, and the whole family has borrowed it from you." But do you have it yourself? Water has always been a good thing, but Dongzhu girl first. ”

"There is water, E-Niang rest assured."

"These are the exotic foods that the master gave you, as well as the toys of Tiedan. There are two cotton wool underwear given by the master to Tie Dan, which is soft and warm to wear in winter. There are also a few bottles of drinks, a bag of candy and these small treats. ”

"If you go back, you must thank your master on behalf of your mother."

"Yes, rest assured. Next, tell the third brother about the goods that the master entrusted you to sell? ”

"Okay, let's ask the second sister-in-law to talk about it."

"This is a list, in the form of a table, third brother, you should be able to understand the words. Above is the name of the goods, the material, and the price. This is a sachet called a siu mai bag, and this one is called a sack bag......"

"Wait! Shui'er, did you read according to the list? "Old Lady Nalan saw a little bit of the doorway.

"Yes, if you don't read it, Shui'er can't remember so many things."

"You turned out to be illiterate, how can you ......"

"That's the case, when the master goes out, Shui'er doesn't have much to do, so he follows Sister Yu'er to learn to read, and after a year, he has also learned some words in front of him."

"Do we know how to read? Learned? Hehehe...... You have to thank Miss Fish. Old Lady Nalan laughed happily.

Yun'er selected a lot of goods for Nalan Donggui, and they were all relatively lightweight, which was suitable for the merchant to carry around. Although the prices are low, many of them are goods that are not available in the Qing Dynasty. For example, the "Old Lady Le" used for sewing needles for the old lady, the "rope threader" for threading the rope, as well as exotic small scissors, hairpins, silk flowers, yarn flowers, small mirrors, wooden ear digging spoons, elastic bands, zippers, towels, flower handkerchiefs, hand oil, facial grease and small bags of shampoo, as well as plates of mosquito coils, etc., made the old lady Nalan stunned, and Nalan Donggui was so happy that she couldn't even close her mouth. Almost all people have a curiosity mentality, and merchants hope that they have goods that others do not have. What I have you don't, making money is inevitable, the important thing is to have face and be able to show off in front of people.

They handed over the price list of the goods that needed to be sold to Donggui, and in front of Donggui, counted and checked, and after the quantity, variety, and money were all met, Donggui began to familiarize himself with the price of the goods. The sachets, purses and Qing Dynasty made of exotic materials are completely two different styles, one is the novelty of the material, and the other is the difference in the method, all of which make people feel golden and festive. Compared to the quaint style of the Qing Dynasty, it will definitely attract attention. Donggui is a serious person, repeatedly checking the name and price, and is afraid that tomorrow the guest will not be able to answer anything.

Nalan whispered in Eniang's ear: "Do you know, our Shui'er will soon be a teacher." There are a total of seven or eight teachers and grandmothers in the house, all of whom are people who serve closely around the master. "Nalan's news was revealed to him by the prince, and it will not be adulterated at all.

"Really? Are we going to be a teacher? That's a good thing. E-niang heard that the teaching of Mama Xi in the palace was very angry, and the girls who entered the palace draft were all girls from large families, and whoever entered the palace had to listen to Mama Xi's teachings first, and give filial piety. ”

Shui Er blushed: "E-Niang, don't listen to the East German blowing, the master has learned a few skills outside, and wants to come back to teach the girls and grandmothers in the house, she can't be busy alone, so she is ready to use a few teachers to help, we are helping the master share the burden." ”

"Isn't that also the master's trust in you? Why didn't you call those new little girls to teach? Don't let down your master's grace to you. ”

"Yes, Shui'er remembers."

The Nalan guards and their husbands went home in the morning, and after eating and checking the goods, Donggui couldn't wait to bring back the sachets, paper gourds, small brooms, colorful threads and hairpins, bracelets, red head ropes, silk flowers, yarn flowers, velvet flowers, small mirrors, towels, flower handkerchiefs, etc., which could be hung on the shelves brought back by his brother and sister-in-law. Wow, it's so bright and eye-catching. Jewelry, headwear, etc., are placed in drawers, and seasonal goods are placed on the top of the shelves.

The number of sachets is not much, and there are only fifty or sixty siu mai sachets, and most of the sachets are finished sachets from the arts and crafts factory. The roasted wheat buns were made by eight people, Yu'er Shui'er, Ling Juan, Yue'er, Lian'er, Lan'er, Hui'er, and Jing'er, and even the other maids and grandmothers in Feiyun Tower didn't participate. I just want to try it and see the effect right away. Of course, the workmanship is quite good, and the raw materials are bright and eye-catching. There are also those glued paper gourds in exotic places, which are stacked on top of each other and look very good, and they are fresh objects that are not available in the Qing Dynasty.

Other goods, such as headdresses, are placed in a box on a burden. Then he put the towel like a sheep's belly that the master gave him around his neck, took the merchant's drum, and carried the merchant out of the house.

In the past few years, the Nalan family has not been poor, and the annual salary of the Nalan guards is eighty taels, which can completely support the family. But Mrs. Nalan knows things very well, that is, there is no need to publicize life at all, it is still the original residence, or the mottled door, which is not dazzling at all. The people who walked in front of his house did not see anything special. As in previous years, the posture of the urban poor. She never revealed to any of her neighbors that her second son was a palace guard.

The old lady Nalan is literate, and she is a beautiful lady of the Eight Banners, and when she married Nalan's guard's father, the family disagreed in every way. But she recognized that at that time, she was just an ordinary man who was a head catcher in the yamen, and this man was just blackmailed by the shopkeeper when she was buying cloth, and insisted that she would take the cloth without paying the money. This kind of thing can be managed or not, Nalan Catcher is just passing by here, so he thinks that the shopkeeper is slandering. More money and less money is a trivial matter, and it will damage the reputation of other girls too much, so they will come in and testify. When filing a lawsuit, he also came forward as a witness.

On this matter, the old lady Nalan decided that Nalan Catcher was a person with a sense of justice, and it was not Nalan Catcher who helped because she fell in love with her appearance. For this reason, the old lady's family didn't move around much with her. When the old lady was young, she was a little serious, and the family was ready to use her as a bargaining chip.