Zhao Xiu was silent for a while before revealing a smile and nodding at the little girl: "This sister, do you want to learn Western characters?" What do you plan to do after you learn it? Do you want to talk to foreigners, or do you want to read foreigners' books? If you just like things from the West, you don't need to learn Western, and that's fine. ”

That's right, it's my sister. In Zhao Xiu's eyes, that little girl is a little girl, but in the eyes of others, she is a fourteen-year-old "big" girl, older than Zhao Xiu. So her mother asked Zhao Xiu, who was still young, to "instruct" her, how to disobey in the eyes of outsiders. Everyone who witnessed this scene was thinking: Bah, what a thick skin, this kind of thing can be said!

Zhao Xiu didn't have this kind of thought, she was just a little curious, how did the mother and daughter know that she knew that she knew Western characters? She does know English, and she also knows a little Latin, these things are known to her family, but in the Fengxian realm, it has not yet reached the point where everyone knows everything. Where did the mother and daughter hear about it?

The little girl didn't seem to expect Zhao Xiu to ask her this, her expression was a little at a loss, and she replied hesitantly: "This...... I like things from the West, and I want to know what Western characters are like, how to read them, and how to write them, so I ...... I just want to learn. ”

Zhao Xiu raised his eyebrows: "Western characters are also divided into several countries, and the characters of different countries are different. I only know English, and I only scratch the surface of Latin. But more than half of the goods commonly seen in Dachu today come from France and the Netherlands. I don't understand these two Chinese, or ...... Why don't you ask someone else for advice? ”

The little girl hurriedly said, "Ying...... Ingie ...... The Ingi language is also excellent, so I'll learn this. I like the Ingie goods the most, and I don't like the Franco-Dutch ones. ”

As soon as Zhao Xiu heard her words, she felt that she was not as interested in Western languages and goods as she said. Due to the fact that Nanhui has a Western trading house jointly established by the Zhao family and the Wells family, English goods are very popular in the local area. Before that, the largest foreign company was the main seller of goods produced in France. Nowadays, foreign goods are popular, and people who have a little understanding of foreign goods in Fengxian and Nanhui generally do not mispronounce the names of these two countries. The little girl had both mispronounced. Where do you like it?

Zhao Xiu politely refused: "English is very easy to learn, much simpler than our Da Chu's writing." If you just want to know what Western characters look like, how to read and write, you don't want to be proficient. That's easy. There are many interpreters in Nanhui Port, so it doesn't take much to ask someone to bring you a Western book to read and write, and then teach you to read and write. ”

The little girl's mother hurriedly smiled and said, "Although there are several Western interpreters in Nanhui, they are all men. How can you go into the house and teach the girls? It's much more convenient to learn from Miss Zhao. ”

Zhao Xiu smiled: "If you are worried that the interpreter is a man, there are also girls in our Zhao family's six-room business house who can speak Western, which is originally prepared to deal with the female dependents of foreign merchants." Since Ling Yan has the heart to learn, then I'll go and say hello and borrow a girl to come over and teach Ling Yan for a few days. I won't stay in Fengxian for too long, and I will go back to Beijing in the spring of next year, but I'm afraid that I won't be able to teach Ling Yan, but it will delay her homework. ”

The woman said eagerly, "No, no, there are still two months left before spring." The little girl has always been smart. If you teach, you will ensure that she will learn it as soon as she learns, and it will never delay your return to Beijing. ”

Zhao Xiu was a little disgusted that this woman was blind: "What is enough to learn in two months?" Besides, there is still a New Year, so the house must be busy. ”

The woman didn't hear her boredom: "Don't worry, don't worry, the little girl is idle at home, and there is nothing to do, so let her go to the house to study." I'll send her over every day, and I'll pick her up in the evening, and I'll take you a snack. ”

Zhao Xiu finally lost his patience. told her bluntly: "Ling Yan is very idle, but I am not idle, the family is busy for the New Year, and I probably don't have time to entertain foreign guests." Please bear with me. ”

The woman finally understood, a little sneering, but she didn't give up, and wanted to try again, Zhao Xiu said directly to her daughter: "This sister, if you don't like Western things. I don't have the heart to understand, so why force myself? If you are not interested, it is useless to learn this, and you can't entertain yourself, so it is better to spend your time on more meaningful things and less cranky. After speaking, he turned his head to watch the performance on the stage, and no longer paid attention to the mother and daughter.

When the woman heard this, she knew that her mother and daughter must have been in trouble, but she did not know what was wrong, and stood there awkwardly. Although her daughter was shy, she was held in the palm of her hand at home, she was used to being pampered, she was young, she couldn't stand Zhao Xiu's words, she bit her lower lip with red eyes, and turned around to leave. Her mother reached out to pull her, but she shook her hand away and left without looking back. This seemed a bit rude, her mother was angry and anxious, so she could only hastily salute Zhao Xiu and Zhang, and then followed out the door.

The other guests who watched the scene let out a low laugh. Most people in the world are like this, what everyone wants to do, if you don't do it, you don't want others to do it. Seeing others fail, even if it has nothing to do with them, they will feel dark in their hearts.

After this small turmoil, there are many fewer people who come forward to entangle the Zhang family and Zhao Xiu's ancestors and grandchildren, and even if there are, they are in the guise of greetings, politely talking, and chatting about topics that sound normal. However, after being reminded by his granddaughter, Zhang's is not so easy to deceive. Let's talk about it, she will not accept any topic that is suspected of mentioning the marriage of her grandchildren, and will even mention another thing bluntly. After a lot of times, everyone knew that she had no intention of talking about this, so she had to talk about other topics at the right time.

On the way home, Zhang complained to his granddaughter: "Although the mother and daughter don't know what to say, you are too polite to speak." If you encounter this kind of thing in the future, let's be tactful. Isn't it offending people to go straight and go so bluntly that people can't get off the stage? It's not good for others to see it. ”

Zhao Xiu said disappreciably: "I really can't help it, that woman seems to be a good deception." If I really agreed to let her daughter come to my house to learn English, she would be able to stay for a day. It's okay for now, my brother is not at home, and she is at most getting in the way of our business. When my brother comes back, she sticks to us again, how are we going to send her? In case she comes up with some more conspiracies and designs her brother, is it possible that we really let my brother marry that girl back home? ”

Zhang was immediately reminded by her, and there was really this risk, and he was a little angry for a while: "What's wrong today?" Those people are so annoying, I knew this was the case, I might as well not come! After saying that, I felt a little sorry for today's birthday star, the old lady was actually very good to them, and her children and grandchildren were not frivolous, and they were not rude. The biggest mistake of their family was to let many guests who didn't know what to call participate in today's birthday banquet. But his lord is a well-known filial son, and other people want to come to congratulate his mother on her birthday, does he still want to stop him? Therefore, the blame is not on his family, it is all those who are snobbish and bad.

Seeing that Zhang was sulking, Zhao Xiu seized the opportunity to educate his grandmother: "It's good that your old man is used to it." And that's just the beginning. In the people around Fengxian, there are few people who match their brothers, and there are few outstanding girls, and almost all of the best are in our house. They are Xiao who thinks about it, it is impossible to really succeed, but it is different when they return to Beijing. There are many high-ranking families and many girls. At present, for the emperor's concubine and the emperor's eldest son to establish a concubine, everyone does not mention the marriage. When we return to Beijing, if these two things come to fruition, those girls who have no place to go will have to find another home? The elder brother attacked the knight as a young man, and now he is out again, and when this errand is done, he will return to Beijing to get a serious official position, and he will become a sweet and sweet spot in the eyes of those who have girls. You should only think that you are practicing in Fengxian, and you will only be in the right drama after returning to Beijing. ”

Zhang was taken aback, and felt a little stunned when he thought about it: "It would be good if you could set up a family affair for your brother before returning to Beijing." Among those high-ranking families in Beijing, which one is not above the top? I don't want your brother to be picked and chosen. ”

Zhao Xiu smiled and said: "If you can really meet the right one on the road, and my brother likes it, then what if it's decided?" It's just that it's my brother who marries a wife, and my grandmother doesn't have to make up her mind by herself, so she has to ask her brother what he means first. ”

"Of course, I'll take care of it." Zhang answered, paused, and glanced at his granddaughter, "Your brother's matter is solved, and it's your turn." Your family affairs ......" she remembered what King Guangping had said, sighed, and changed the subject, "You are also older now, you can't be as casual as when you were a child, and you still have to talk about the rules that should be spoken, so that people can respect it." ”

Zhao Xiu blinked and agreed dryly, but his mind had already drifted away.

Since the end of this banquet, their grandparents and grandchildren have been concentrating on preparing for the New Year and worshipping their ancestors at home. And Mrs. Tao got the letter last time, and she was not idle when she returned home, so she immediately repaired a book and ordered someone to send it to her sister and brother-in-law in Hangzhou quickly. When the wife of Mi Zhifu received the letter, she thought it was a daily greeting, but she opened it and read it to know what was going on. She knew that the matter was important, and she did not dare to ignore it, so she hurriedly sent someone to the front yamen to take a look, and if her husband was free, she would invite him back.

It took two hours for Mi Zhifu to return to the backyard from the front office, hastily poured a cup of tea and drank it all: "I'm thirsty, I went to see someone repair the ditch today, and I walked outside for a long time, and I didn't drink a sip of tea." Then he asked his wife, "When I first entered the yamen, the disciple said that my wife had come to invite me, but what was the matter?" ”

Mrs. Mi hurriedly said: "I remember that my husband mentioned to me in the past that my grandfather's generation originally had another brother, but then the news was cut off and I don't know where I am." I only remember that there was a son and a daughter in that room, the daughter was born from the original match, she was lost at an early age, her stepmother was bad, and she had been living with her grandmother. ”

Mi Zhifu nodded suspiciously: "There is such a thing, when I was a child, my sister and that cousin often played together." Why did Madame suddenly bring up this matter today? ”

Mrs. Mi sighed: "Husband, now the relatives have come to the door!" You must not have imagined that the famous young man Jiannanhou in Beijing is actually your nephew! (To be continued.) )

PS: Cover your face, I'm depraved again......