The person standing outside was Gu Siyuan, the Gu Gongzi that Chen Xuejiao met by chance on the bank of the river last year.

For more than a year, Chen Xuejiao almost forgot about this person. Of course, Gu Gongzi has always been good to Chen Xuejiao's family, and there are gifts for the Dragon Boat Festival, August Festival, Spring Festival, and major festivals. On weekdays, he also sent one or two letters to Chen Qi'an, and when Chen Qi'an was admitted to the boyhood, he also sent a congratulatory gift from Beijing.

In addition, on Chen Xuejiao's birthday, he also sent gifts such as rulers and hairpins.

Rao is like this, Chen Xuejiao gradually forgot about this person, and he is not like Zhao Yiming, who lives in the next village, and sees him a few times every three or five times.

Chen Qi'an invited Gu Siyuan into the house, and everyone came out to meet each other.

Villagers don't follow the principle of "seven-year-old men and women don't sit at the same table", although Chen Xiucai is a scholar, but he is not so old-fashioned here. Therefore, Chen Xuejiao, Chen Xueru, and Jing Hao, like Chen Qi'an and Chen Qiping, all came out to meet guests.

Gu Siyuan saluted Chen Xiucai and the Li family, but Chen Xiucai and the Li family didn't dare to accept his full salute, so they dodged half of it, and politely greeted them for a while.

“…… I'll send Master Qin back. Gu Siyuan told Master Qin about coming back.

"I received a letter last time, saying that I would come back in the spring after the New Year, and it was ahead of schedule." Chen Xiucai pondered for a while, but he couldn't wait to see Master Qin.

"Master Qin was homesick, so he hurried and came back early." Gu Siyuan said with a smile, "This road is both a water route and a land route, it is very hard, Master Qin is resting when he comes back." “

It means that it is inappropriate for Chen Xiucai to go to see Master Qin at this time.

Chen Xiucai didn't ask Master Qin why he went to Jingshi for so long. The inside story of this is not something that he can only know as a country show. Just now Gu Siyuan said that Master Qin was homesick, but he knew that this was not Master Qin's hometown. Master Qin's hometown is in Yangzhou, and he remembers that about ten years ago, Master Qin suddenly came here.

What is it that can make an old man in a sixtieth birthday recognize another country as his hometown, but he doesn't understand.

Chen Xuejiao looked at Gu Siyuan carefully, his height was a little taller than last year, just thinner. A white face, even when smiling, it still looks detached.

In the end, it was everyone's son who came out, and his face was so white. Chen Xuejiao sighed in her heart. Looking at Chen Qi'an, she still felt that the black face that had been hit by wind, frost, rain and snow was good-looking.

Chen Xuejiao was looking at Gu Siyuan, but Gu Siyuan was also looking at her.

Chen Xuejiao wore a light green skirt and a peach-colored top. There are bone-to-bone petals embroidered on it. There is a gold lock hanging around his neck, which hangs down to his chest, with long black eyebrows and sideburns, black and bright eyes, his face plate is a little bigger than last year, and he has gone to the yellow gas and white jade plate, and the corners of his mouth are crooked.

Seeing Gu Siyuan looking at her, Chen Xuejiao tilted her head and looked at him for a while. smiled sideways, revealing two snow-white tiger teeth. Clapped your hands and smiled: "Why are you thinner than last year, and your face is still so white." “

As soon as these words came out, Li Shi glanced at her fiercely.

It doesn't matter if you usually say this, but what kind of person Gu Gongzi is, a big family pays the most attention to a rule, how can a little girl point fingers at the appearance of the child.

Chen Xuejiao quietly stuck out her tongue.

Gu Siyuan lowered his head and drank tea, he still remembered that Chen Xuejiao last year was a thin little girl, with yellow hair tied with buds, but he didn't expect that in more than a year, he suddenly grew so tall and big, but his temperament was still so naughty, his face burned for some reason, and he coughed and pretended to be choked by water.

Last time in front of the stage at the gate of King Peng's mansion, the crowd of people saw her, but it was inconvenient to come forward to recognize her at that time, he saw her covered in silk brocade, and thought he recognized the wrong person.

It seems that they have lived well this year.

"How can you wear such few clothes on such a cold day outside? Isn't it cold? Li asked Gu Siyuan with a smile.

At this time, Chen Xuejiao also noticed that the clothes on Gu Siyuan's body were made of high-quality materials, embroidered with satin and gold threads, and the workmanship was extremely exquisite, but it was too thin.

Layue is so cold, not to mention the cotton jacket with three layers of cotton, even if you are wearing a sheepskin coat, you will not be able to stand it in the early morning, after the cold wind.

"Thank you for your concern." Gu Siyuan called Li his aunt during his conversation, and last year he followed the students in the private school to call his wife, but this year's relationship has entered another level, "I deliberately wear less, and when I wear warm, the whole person will lose my spirit, and only when I wear less can I have the spirit to write and write." ”

Chen Xuejiao wanted to laugh when she heard this, what does it have to do with studying, spirit and wearing more and less clothes. But thinking about it, it is indeed the true thought in his heart, and put it into action, otherwise, with his family background, how could he wear so little.

"That being said, you can't freeze. On this cold day, if it freezes, I will shiver when I write and read. Li looked at Gu Siyuan's gaze with a little love, seeing that he was a son of a rich and noble family, but he was also dedicated to learning, and he was quite happy in his heart, and as he spoke, he got up and went to the inner room, and took out a new sheepskin coat for Chen Qi'an, "Since you call me auntie, even if I am your elder, I can't watch you get cold, come, put this on." ”

Gu Siyuan saw that the sheepskin was not the best material, and the workmanship was not so exquisite, but it was also new, so he waved his hand again and again and refused: "Thank you for your kindness, this New Year's Festival, I came to the door to bother, how can I ask for my aunt's things." ”

The Li family has always been kind and kind-hearted, and the most unbearable thing is that people suffer from the cold, so they pushed Da Yu into Gu Siyuan's arms: "You are polite to me, the August Festival and the Dragon Boat Festival, you have come all the way from Beijing to deliver gifts." I can't be happy when you come to the door, what bother me not to bother, come to my house and say such polite words. It's your mother who knows that you are cold outside, and I don't know how to feel distressed. ”

Seeing that Li mentioned his mother, Gu Siyuan had mixed feelings in his heart, and he couldn't say anything from the side, so he had to put the sheepskin on his body.

They talked for a while, and Gu Siyuan was led by Chen Xiucai to a special small study room with Chen Qi'an on the grounds that he wanted to ask Chen Xiucai about his knowledge.

Seeing that it is Chinese New Year's Eve, there is still a mess of things at home that have not been completed. Li took Chen Xuejiao, Chen Xueru, and Jing Hao to get busy.

Under the New Year's Festival, every household is full of big fish and meat, and the Chen family's big house is living a good life now. Usually, the food is better than that of the Zhuang family, and in the next year, it is even more abundant.

Under the eaves hang pork, mutton, chickens, ducks and geese, eat and take, each meal is either fish or meat, and a few eggs will be burned in the poor.

After eating it like this, Chen Xuejiao's face was rounded. The bulging ones are even more cute.

Li was standing under the eaves, thinking about staying with Siyuan for dinner, when he saw Chen Xuejiao standing behind him. I discussed with her what kind of table to make.

"Mother, on this cold day, let's order a table of noodles from the town and cook a few vegetarian dishes. Decent and good-looking. "Chen Xuejiao mentioned yì.

Li listened to the thigh slap. With a smile, he said: "This is a good idea, even if you book a table for Gu Gongzi to eat, it is not too much." He is good to our family, although we met a few times last autumn, but he is a particular person, and he does not have the habit of being a rich child, and he brings us things during the New Year's Festival or something. ”

Chen Xuejiao called the stone, took a few taels of silver from the house, and instructed him: "Go to Qingfeng Village and call a good table of noodles to come." ”

Chen Qiping started to come out of the house. Hearing that Shi was going to the town to book a table, he ran to Chen Xuejiao and Li. Looking up at a small face, he smiled and said, "I want to eat noodle soup." ”

The family loves to eat noodle soup, every few steps in the town there is a small cart selling the sound of noodle soup, some are hot with big bones, some are made of fresh fish bones, and there are slices of mutton crispy bones as toppings, it is not expensive, ten cents for a big bowl, sprinkled with coriander foam, robus, secret chili oil, a bowl of belly, the whole body is full of comfort.

The family was tired of eating big fish and meat every day, Chen Xuejiao and Chen Qiping wanted to go together, wanting to change their taste and eat some snacks.

Dough soup is the best seasoned snack, and everyone loves to eat it from Chen Xiucai downwards in the family.

"Okay, you little glutton, let the stones bring it to you." Chen Xuejiao thought for a while, and raised her voice to tell the stone, "Buy four big bowls of noodle soup, and when you buy a stack of baked cakes, you will buy Old Man Li's baked cakes, the most powerful in his house." ”

The stone agreed, and after changing his shoes, he was about to go out.

was called back by Chen Xuejiao again: "You take our own food box, use the bowl we brought, and add more spicy oil to my bowl." “

Qi Ping pestered Li to follow the stone.

"Don't go, it's cold outside, the road is slippery, and it's not good if it's freezing." Li felt sorry for his youngest son, and he was afraid that there would be many people in the town in the New Year, so he wouldn't be photographed by Huazi, but he was not allowed to go.

Seeing that Qi Ping couldn't be entangled, he asked the stone to bring a few strings of sugar gourds to Qi Ping.

At noon, Qingfeng Village brought the table. Chen Xuejiao called for a high-class table of six taels of silver, including chickens and ducks, mutton and pork, and even river shrimp and fish that are not common in winter. In addition, there are a lot of dim sum, glutinous rice cakes, fried crispy fruits, preserved roses, chanterelle pine nut cakes, Gu Siyuan only felt that this meal was too luxurious, and thanked him again and again.

Chen Xiucai waved his hand: "We met by fate, I'm not a good host, people still treat me as a merciless person, wouldn't it make people poke their backbones and scold, you eat first, turn around and order a table of dishes and wine, and send them to Master Qin." “

Gu Siyuan only felt embarrassed in his heart, picked up the chopsticks but didn't pick up the big fish and shrimp meat, and didn't even eat the fruit, just because it was lard or goose fat.

"Brother Siyuan, you taste this fish, winter fish are rare." The fish was chiseled with ice and fished out from under the water, and Chef Miao in the breeze used his skills to steam the fish, but the oil did not put condiments, only pepper water and ginger juice were dipped in pine leaf wine and steamed on the fire, and the delicious ones fell off the tongue one by one.

Gu Siyuan smiled lightly when he heard this: "My mother passed away in August this year, and I only eat some light food. ”

Chen Qi'an didn't want to poke Gu Siyuan's sore spot, and he didn't know how to speak.

Gu Siyuan said with a smile: "I made a wish to eat vegetarian for three years. ”

When Chen Xiucai heard this, he hurriedly asked Li's to fry a few vegetarian dishes through the window.

When the stone arrived at the pot house, he mentioned the loss of Gu Siyuan's mother, and Li Shi sighed with red eyes: "I said how can he wear so little, but if there is a mother in the family, you can't watch him get cold." ”

Chen Xuejiao also helped the Li family choose dishes in the pot house, so she also sighed.

No wonder he is so thin, he is faintly tired between his eyebrows and eyes, and he has lost the brilliance he got last year, it turns out that he has lost his mother.

Because of the pity in his heart, Gu Siyuan had no mother, and he made a lot of effort to fry three vegetarian dishes, including fresh green beans and fried fungus, lotus root mixed with peanuts, and simmered taro over a warm fire.

When the vegetarian dishes were served, Gu Siyuan thanked him, raised his chopsticks and took a few bites, and the coarse tea and light rice were like sweet and fat.

Chen Xuejiao and the other girls did not enter the table, and picked up a few dishes to eat in the house. Shi bought a pot of noodle soup, and Chen Xuejiao first served two bowls and sent them to the table.

"This is what the second girl sent to the eldest young master and the younger young master to eat." Chen Qi'an saw that there was dough soup on the table, so he asked where it came from, and the stone said that it was given by Chen Xuejiao.

"This is delicious, I'm afraid Brother Siyuan hasn't eaten it." Chen Qi'an said, then took another clean bowl, poured half of it to Gu Siyuan, and didn't forget to say, "There is no meat." ”

Gu Siyuan ate most of the bowl of noodle soup, and because of this bowl of soup, the conversation box opened, and he told Master Qin about sending Master Qin over along the way.

The meal lasted for three hours before it was gone.

Gu Siyuan said goodbye, and Chen Xiucai happened to be going to see Master Qin, so he went out to the private school with Gu Siyuan.

As soon as I went out, I met Chen Xuejiao head-on, and saw her dark and bright eyes shining.

Chen Xuejiao had just come back from sending window flowers to Zhuzi's daughter-in-law, and when she saw Gu Siyuan and Chen Xiucai and walked out of the door, she knew that she was going to a private school.

He had just been eating in the house when he heard the laughter and slapstick of the Chen Xuejiao sisters. He has never been to the market since he was born, and he grew up in the door of the Gu family's mansion since he was a child, and he only thought that everyone in the world was the same as their Gu family.

Since I left Beijing last year and came to the people, especially when I met Chen Xuejiao's family, I knew that this was a living life, and I couldn't help but envy it.

Chen Xuejiao returned to the house, and Li had already added more charcoal fire to the charcoal basin, and the house was warm.

When Master Qin came back, they had to be busy for a while, and the Li family was already preparing for the gift.

In the blink of an eye, it was Chinese New Year's Eve, and after all these years, it was not until this year that the family could be regarded as living a good life.

On the morning of the thirtieth day of the Chinese New Year's Eve, the sky was overcast and there was another heavy snowfall.

Chen Xiucai wrote the red Spring Festival couplets, early in the morning, the Chen family pasted window flowers, Spring Festival couplets, everywhere was full of festivities, even the two red lanterns under the eaves were lit.

"I'll go to the private school later, and ask Siyuan to have a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner together." Chen Qi'an pasted the Spring Festival couplets, his hands were red from the cold, he was angry, and said to Li with a smile. (To be continued......)