Sister Zhou Shaojin naturally didn't know what happened in the upper room.

The two of them happily returned to Wanxiangju.

Zhou Chujin rummaged through the cabinets to find clothes for her sister.

Zhou Shaojin disagreed, and said: "It's just to see a guest, and my sister doesn't have to be like a big enemy, right?" ”

"My sister is so beautiful, how can she dress up well?" Zhou Chujin was still in high spirits.

In Zhou Shaojin's view, her sister's "autumn water is the rhyme and plum is the bone", which is really beautiful. Her face turned red, pushed her sister, and said, "Sister should also take care of it." ”

"Backwards?" Zhou Chujin was puzzled.

It is a northern dialect.

"Oh, that's what it means to dress up." Zhou Shaojin was shocked to realize that he was speechless, and picked up a hairpin casually as a disguise, and said with a smile, "Is this hairpin good-looking?" ”

Zhou Chujin saw that the golden hairpin was three inches long, and the hairpin head was stacked with three lilacs, and the stamens were inlaid with rubies the size of rice grains.

"Who gave it to you?" She wondered, "Why haven't I seen it?" ”

Zhou Shaojin was stunned for a moment, looked down carefully, and couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

If she remembers correctly, this golden hairpin was given to her by Cheng Zhen on her birthday last year.

It's not good to take anything yourself, but you actually take this golden hairpin.

She suddenly looked a little embarrassed.

Zhou Chujin glanced at her meaningfully and said, "You are still young, it's still early to wear this golden hairpin, it's better to change jewelry and wear it!" ”

Zhou Shaojin nodded again and again, like a chicken pecking rice: "I listen to my sister." Then he immediately called Shi Xiang in, and said, "You put this golden hairpin separately, and remember to help me find it when you want to give gifts one day." ”

Shi Xiang didn't know why, nodded respectfully and said "yes", and retreated with the golden hairpin.

Zhou Chujin's face was pale, and he smiled and picked out a pair of jasmine headbands carved by ivory, a begonia red hibiscus camellia gardenia dark pattern gown, and a Hunan skirt with dark green honeysuckle pattern skirt embroidered on a bamboo green bottom.

The Spring Festival Gala took off the clothes and ironed them, and Shi Xiang put away the jewelry.

Zhou Chujin and Zhou Shaojin chatted for a few words, and then went back to the house to rest.

Early the next morning, Zhou Shaojin combed her three buns and changed into the clothes and jewelry that her sister chose for her.

Shi Xiang looked at Zhou Shaojin's clear eyes and pink cheeks in the mirror, and couldn't help but praise: "Miss, good eyes!" The second lady is dressed like this, not only good-looking, but also spiritual, and the old lady will be happy when she sees it. ”

Zhou Shaojin thought that she didn't know that the old people liked festive colors before, but she always felt that the red and green were too cheesy, and she would rather pretend not to know, and blindly only wore the light willow, white, and lake green clothes. ”

Wan Xiangju used to be the study of the four-room old lady, because it was close to Jiashutang, Cheng He and the others gradually grew up, and when the Zhou sisters wanted to avoid suspicion with their cousins, the old lady Guan placed their sisters here. The small courtyard is a typical Jiangnan building, with small bridges and flowing water, winding paths, plants and trees, and flowers. Zhou Chujin gave Zhou Shaojin the three wings in the south with the best location, and chose the three wings in the east.

Bypassing a ginkgo forest, you can see two tea trees with high eaves, which is the east wing where Zhou Chujin lives.

Zhou Shaojin walked in briskly.

Zhou Chujin was having breakfast, and when she saw her, she smiled and said, "Come here so early?" Have you had breakfast? Would you like to add some points to my place? Then he instructed the winter evening, "Let the kitchen add a few dishes to the second lady!" ”

Zhou Shaojin was exempted from morning and dusk due to illness, and Zhou Chujin did not have breakfast with her sister these days.

Winter Gala walked out of the hall with a smile, but Zhou Shaojin saw that there were only bowls of white rice porridge and ordinary side dishes on the table, and thought of the cress and cabbage that had just appeared on his table, and couldn't help but be silent for a moment.

The situation of the family has always been good, and my father also feels sorry for the two sisters, in addition to daily expenses, he will privately subsidize their sisters every year for two or three hundred taels of silver, and she has never noticed this...... Even if something happened to her later, her father no longer cared about her, so her brother-in-law helped her be a matchmaker and booked the Lin family's family business.

My sister got married with a dowry brought in by her biological mother with red makeup, a grandmother, an aunt and others, but she had nothing. After my sister and brother-in-law got married, my sister gave her half of her dowry, although her brother-in-law was the son of the Liao family, the money was in the public, and she only relied on a small number of Gongzhong monthly rules and Yulu to live, and she didn't have much self-care, so she borrowed 1,000 taels of silver from the same year to make up 3,000 taels of silver, and all of them were made for her to press the box money...... Although Lin Shisheng later pulled his brother-in-law to make a deal and made up the money, he owed his sister and brother-in-law a lot of favors......

Her eyes were wet, and she stopped the winter evening: "No need, you can just serve me half a bowl of porridge." ”

The winter evening is in a dilemma.

Zhou Chujin has always known that her sister is very sensitive, and she knows that she thinks too much, so she can't help but ask Zhou Shaojin with a smile: "What are you thinking?" That's because my grandmother didn't have such fresh dishes on the table, so I avoided it. You're different – you're sick and have no appetite, so it's not an exaggeration to eat some fresh vegetarian food to nourish your body! ”

Zhou Shaojin didn't believe it anymore.

She looked at her sister with wide eyes, her expression was very serious, and she said, "My illness has been cured." I'll eat whatever my sister eats! ”

Zhou Chujin still wanted to persuade her a few words, but then she thought that her sister would be married in two years, and naturally no one would pick anything about her at home, but she could marry out and pay attention to these subtleties, others couldn't pick thorns, it was better after all. I wanted to talk and stopped, but I still couldn't help but instruct the winter evening: "Let the kitchen make a bowl of mixed tofu for the second lady." ”

Winter Gala smiled and walked out of the hall.

Zhou Shaojin thanked her sister with a smile and sat down at the round table.

After breakfast, when Zhou Chujin was freshened up and dressed, she took Zhou Shaojin's hand as usual and prepared to go to Mrs. Guan together.

Zhou Shaojin felt a little strange in his heart.

She is used to the graceful and noble Zhou Chujin, looking at her sister's slightly immature face that is only eighteen years old, she really can't give birth to awe and sincerity.

Zhou Shaojin took a deep breath, then reached out to hold his sister's hand, and went to Jiashutang side by side with Zhou Chujin.

As long as the weather is good, Mrs. Guan will walk a few steps in the yard after getting up in the morning.

When they arrived, Mrs. Guan had just come back from walking, bathing and changing clothes, and seemed to be having breakfast with a few little maids in the hall.

Zhou Chujin stepped forward to help.

Zhou Shaojin hesitated for a moment.

She never seemed to have put a chopsticks for anyone...... The thought flashed through her, and she obediently followed, helping her grandmother set the dishes in the same way.

The old lady came out of the inner room, was very happy to see their sisters, and asked the same thing as Zhou Shaojin: "Why did you come here so early?" Have you had breakfast yet? He asked Zhou Shaojin again, "Looking at your complexion, the illness should be much better?" ”

"Thank you grandmother for your concern." Zhou Shaojin smiled and stepped forward to help her grandmother, and said, "I'm almost better, so I thought about coming to greet my grandmother, and my sister came a little early, and I have already had breakfast." ”

Mrs. Guan smiled and bowed her head, and entered the ear room arranged into a small Buddha hall on the side.

Zhou Shaojin skillfully stepped forward to help her grandmother pinch the incense.

Mrs. Guan was very surprised, and said with a smile: "I didn't expect our Shaojin to do this!" ”

Zhou Shaojin was also a little distracted.

In her impression, she also wants to offer three incense sticks to the Buddha every morning...... Those habits seem to have been engraved in her bones, and they will always be revealed inadvertently.

Just like when she sees Cheng Yi, she will think of his depressed and unhappy appearance as an adult, and when she sees her sister, she will always think of her majestic appearance in middle age......

She shook her head, put these thoughts behind her, and when Mrs. Guan kowtowed, she helped Mrs. Guan to get up and helped her insert incense candles.

Mrs. Guan took Zhou Shaojin out of the small Buddha hall.

The breakfast had been set, and Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin accompanied Mrs. Guan to eat a piece of rice cake.

Everyone moved to the banquet room and sat down.

Mrs. Guan said to Zhou Shaojin: "In a few days, it will be the Buddha Bathing Festival, you can help me copy a few pages of scriptures and give them to the Bodhisattva!" ”

Although the old man was born in an official eunuch family, he was born in Jingzhou Mansion in Jiangbei, and he didn't know many words. Although Mrs. Chu is good at writing and painting, she presides over the middle feed in the house, has too many trivial matters, and has to take care of the children, so it is impossible to spare time. Things like copying scriptures usually fall on Zhou Chujin. However, this is the first time that the old lady asked Zhou Shaojin to help copy the scriptures.

Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin were very surprised.

Mrs. Guan said with a smile: "There are many things at home, Chu Jin, you have to help your aunt take care of it more, and leave the matter of copying the scriptures to Shao Jin." ”

Zhou Shaojin suddenly realized.

After the Buddha Bathing Festival on the eighth day of April, it is followed by the birthday of Cheng Xu, the ancestor of the second room, and then it is time to start preparing for the festival of the Dragon Boat Festival. Zhou Chujin is a girl to be married, and it is a good opportunity to learn housekeeping, so naturally there is no free time.

Zhou Chujin also understood.

Her face turned red and her eyelids drooped.

Zhou Shaojin giggled and responded with a loud "yes".

The people serving in the house all looked at Zhou Chujin and smiled kindly.

Mrs. Chuda is here. She talked to Mrs. Guan about entertaining Mrs. Wu. As soon as he said a few words, Cheng He and Cheng Yi brothers came over to greet the old lady.

Mrs. Guan thought for a while and smiled at the Zhou sisters: "You go to the inner room and wait for me." ”

Zhou Shaojin and Zhou Chujin thought that Mrs. Guan had something to say to Mrs. Guan's mother and son in private, so they went to the inner room with a smile.

Soon, there was a slight laughter in the banquet room, and words like "cousin" and "cousin" could be faintly heard.

Zhou Chujin smiled and told Zhou Shaojin: "Cousin He asked you a few times, if you have the opportunity to meet Cousin He, you remember to thank him." ”

Zhou Shaojin responded.

About a quarter of an hour later, Mrs. Guan returned to the inner room surrounded by Qi'er and others.

※

A reader friend asked me a question about the Cheng family, and I will explain it here.

After several generations of prosperity, the five rooms of the Cheng family are now all descendants, but a few generations ago, the long room, the second room, and the third room were the same father, and three of them were concubines; The fourth room, the fifth room is a father, and the fifth room is a concubine.

The plot will be used for these in the future, so it is specially noted in the "Character List", please don't misunderstand.

Another: The long room should also be a big long room and a small long room, that is, Cheng Xun and Cheng Shao, the two brothers should be able to open it, but there are many characters in this book, and I am afraid that everyone will look confused, so I will sort this long room together.

※

C