Zhao Xiu didn't expect her brother Zhao Wei to bring her Gao Zhen's letter, she was really surprised and delighted. Her face turned red, and she quickly tucked the letter into her sleeve, and whispered, "Thank you, brother—you should hurry up and freshen up!" After saying that, he pushed him behind the screen with both hands.

Zhao Wei sighed: "Girls are extroverted...... Zhao Xiu's face turned even redder.

Zhang checked all the facilities such as the smoke cage and brazier, and told the girls a lot of words, and when he heard his grandson's exclamation, he was puzzled: "What are you brothers and sisters talking about?" ”

Without waiting for Zhao Wei to answer, Zhao Xiu quickly intercepted the words: "It's nothing, my brother is joking with me." Grandmother, let my brother go in and freshen up, and I'll take care of the matter here, and I'll take a look outside. After saying that, he immediately pulled out his legs and left.

When she reached the secluded corner of the verandah, she saw that there was no one in front of her, and then secretly took the letter out of her sleeve and read it.

Gao Zhen's letter actually didn't write anything out of bounds, only a brief description of where she had been recently, how the local scenery was, and some interesting things, and welcomed her to Hangzhou as soon as possible, so that she could speak freely and no longer have to worry, how to write all the things he wanted to say on a few pieces of stationery, because no matter how much letterhead, he couldn't finish what he wanted to say.

When Zhao Xiu saw this, his face turned red again. Why is the first sentence in Gao Zhen's letter so normal, and suddenly such a sentence comes? It's nothing short of a foul.

Although she complained on her lips, her heart was actually sweet, and the corners of her mouth couldn't help but curl. There was a girl passing by with a basin of water under the porch opposite, and the footsteps alarmed her, and she hurriedly took the letter, and pretended to go on as normal, until the girl entered the house, she stopped, and took out the letter again to read.

In the letter that followed, Gao Zhen didn't say anything about the foul, but only mentioned some of the circumstances after they arrived in Hangzhou. Zhao Wei met with Mi Xingzhi and went to visit Mi's family in private. I was in a good mood when I came back, and I was obviously very well received at Mi's house.

Gao Zhen also inquired about the behavior of one of the families in Mi Province in the Hangzhou area, and they all said that they were very decent. The official reputation of Mi Province is very good, although he has not been in office for a long time. The local people were full of praise for him, and his political achievements were also very outstanding. Whether in the folk or in the circle of officials, Mrs. Mi has a good reputation for kindness and charity. However, some mean-mouthed people love to privately criticize her for being jealous and unvirtuous, and obviously she can't give birth to a son. Husbands are not allowed to take concubines. There is only one daughter under the knee of Mi Province, all of whom are fourteen years old, and there is no one in the house, let alone a concubine. Mi Xingzhi's reputation in Hangzhou is almost perfect, the only drawback is that he is laughed at for not having a son. However, he himself doesn't seem to care much, but loves his only daughter very much and raises him personally. The name of the girl of the Mi family is well known in the upper circle of Hangzhou. However, her talent is not in poetry, calligraphy and painting. On the contrary, he is better at the economy, people's livelihood and law. This made Miss Mi suffer a lot of criticism in the official circle.

After Gao Zhen introduced these, he added a few comments. He still admires the girl of the Mi family, not because of how good she is, but because he thinks that she has similar views to Zhao Xiu on many things, maybe the two will be very compatible. But he will know this, not because he knows much about the Mi family girl - he has never seen other girls at all! He listened to Zhao Wei say these words!

Zhao Xiu suddenly became interested, how could Zhao Wei know this? Even if he went to visit his cousin's family. If you have the opportunity to meet someone's daughter, you won't have an in-depth understanding of this, right? Could it be that something happened that she didn't know?

There are many things to do on Chinese New Year's Eve, and Zhao Xi has to take care of many affairs, which is still quite busy. She hurriedly read the letter. I was busy everywhere, and then there were preparations before the ancestor worship ceremony, Chinese New Year's Eve dinner, and so on. When she was done with this, she should go back to the room to freshen up and change her clothes, wear a new set of clothes to wake up Zhao Wei, call Zhang, and walk in the direction of the ancestral hall.

The Zhao clan had not had such a grand ancestor worship ceremony for decades. The last time there was such a scale, it was when the old county prince was able to be crowned. This trip to worship the ancestors, not only to report the ancestors, the title that originally belonged to the Zhao family has returned, but also to let the ancestors know that Zhao Wei and many other family members have been admitted to the meritorious names such as lifting people and showing talents.

All the clansmen attended the ancestor worship ceremony. The eighth old lady and several other elders of the senior generation were so happy that they shed tears of joy when they saw that the family was prosperous and the population was flourishing. Even the elder Zongfang Yu, who had never had a chance to walk into the door of the second-room old mansion, saw the elder Zongfang Yu of the Zhang family, Zhao Wei and Zhao Xiu, all of whom were full of emotion, and his face looked much better. In any case, Zhao Wei has indeed made great contributions to the revitalization of the family. The Zhao family is prosperous, and he and his youngest son Zhao Po can also benefit, he really has nothing to complain about.

When the ancestor worship ceremony was over, Zhao Xiu hugged his grandmother Zhang and followed his brother Zhao Wei back to his own house, and the three of them were exhausted. But they can't rest yet, their ancestors are finished sacrificing, and their own family has to make a small sacrifice. The late Zhao Zhu, the old county prince, the old county princess and his wife Qin, as well as the unfortunate early death of Zhao Zhuo and Mi couples, all need to pay homage to incense. Zhang knelt in front of her husband's tablet, and tears kept falling. Today, she feels that after so many years, she finally got back the title and saved her deceased husband's reputation of being defeated by the eldest son of the unfilial son, and she finally has the face to see her deceased husband.

Zhao Wei and Zhao Xiu comforted her softly for a long time, and finally persuaded her tears. After the three grandchildren finished the incense, they withdrew from the small Buddha hall, and each went back to the room to change into homely clothes, and then regathered in the main room in the front yard to have a Chinese New Year's Eve dinner together.

This Chinese New Year's Eve dinner was prepared by Zhao Xuan with heart, and it was exquisite and delicious. On the street where the Zhao family lived, the family members who had already arranged fireworks were set off, attracting people from all families, neighbors, and passers-by to watch, and there was laughter and laughter everywhere.

After the fireworks are set off, the family members and others come to kowtow to the New Year. Zhang was in a good mood and generously rewarded a lot of things, and Zhao Wei and Zhao Xiu also went with her.

After dinner, it's time to keep watch around the fireplace. Zhao Xiu let most of the subordinates go on leave and let them go back to their own homes for reunion, leaving only a few girls and mothers-in-law to watch the charcoal fire of the tea stove outside. Together with her grandmother and brother, she talked around a stove. Zhang took the opportunity to ask where Zhao Wei went after they were separated? Have you eaten well and dressed warmly? Did you make the prince angry? Did you cause trouble for local officials?

Zhao Wei answered one by one. He actually did a good job on this errand, basically just watching more and talking less, just listening to the orders of King Guangping. Although the prince didn't say anything, he could detect that in fact, on this trip, it was Zeng Shilang and others who really did practical things. The prince is a pretense to fool local officials. The prince acted as the eyes and ears of the prince, and because when the saint came to inspect the dam two years ago, the prince was an entourage. If you have an understanding of the relevant situation, you can make a reference for the prince. As for Zhao Wei himself, he is not only the eyes and ears of the prince, but also can act as a cover to fool people when necessary, but when he needs to do practical things. He'll have to play his part. Although he is young, he has the identity of a marquis, and he has lived in Shanghai for many years, he is familiar with the place, and he also has his own connections. With the assistance of him, Shizi, Zeng Shilang and others, there is nothing to hide from King Guangping.

Zhang doesn't understand politics and things, and she listens to what her grandson says. The right ear came out, and he only instructed him: "Do errands with heart, listen to the words of the prince, and ask Lord Zeng for advice." They are all your elders, but if you can learn something from them, you will be of great use in this life. Zhao Wei respectfully agreed.

Zhao Xiu was not interested in knowing these things for the time being, she pulled Zhao Wei's sleeve and asked, "Brother, have you met your cousin?" What do you think? ”

Zhao Wei's expression immediately softened, and he said with a smile: "My cousin and aunt's family are very good to me. My cousin also compensated me, saying that he didn't know that my mother had married into the Zhao family. He didn't get in touch with us in time, and when our brother and sister were in trouble, he couldn't lend a hand, and he was very upset. He also scolded his uncle. said that he had already written a letter to Pingdu Prefecture to question his uncle. I really didn't expect him to do this before we even met. ”

Zhao Xiu was also happy when he heard it: "That's really good!" Originally, I was thinking that if my cousin could stand on our side and suppress my uncle, it would be good to save my uncle and his mother from trouble. Thinking about how to get us in trouble all day. Now that my uncle is being suppressed, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief. ”

Zhao Wei smiled and nodded. Zhang said Zhao Xiu: "Whether you want to admit it or not, it is your grandmother." You just have to be casual at home, and you can't call people like that in front of outsiders. ”

Zhao Xiu smiled: "I know, grandmother rest assured." I won't leave such a handle for anyone. He asked Zhao Wei again: "How is my aunt?" And what about the cousin of the Mi family? I haven't met this cousin, I don't know what her temperament is? Do you get along well? Is it pretty? ”

Zhao Wei paused, his face flushed slightly, and replied: "It's beautiful, and the temperament is good, I want to come and meet my sister." Then he paused again before he said to Zhang: "My aunt is a very kind person, and when I came to his house, my aunt and uncle entertained him very warmly and thoughtfully. I wanted to take my grandmother and sister over for a few days, and she told us to stay at home. I thought that my cousin lived in the back office of the prefect, and although the place was spacious, it was an official residence, and it was inconvenient to enter and exit. Besides, I still have the status of a deputy minister, and I live in a local office, what is it like? So he politely refused, and asked someone else to help find a rent-seeking house. ”

Zhang nodded: "This is the right reason." Our family also has an industry in Hangzhou, no matter where it is, just rent a yard. That is, just stay for a few days, and you don't need to trouble relatives. They treat you kindly, and we should be courteous. ”

Zhao Xiu stared at his brother and said with a smile: "That's really good." When we went to Hangzhou, we also made a host in a rented house and invited our cousin and cousin to be guests. I can't wait to get to know this Cousin Mi. ”

Zhao Wei couldn't help it: "Why is my sister always the cousin of the Timmy family?" ”

Zhao Xiu said innocently: "Didn't you say that she and I have the same temperament?" That's why I'm curious. Growing up, I didn't have many close sisters or cousins. Most of the girls in the clan are married to my contemporaries, and they are still at home either from distant branches or concubines, and they don't even dare to talk to me. Other girls of the same age are mostly nieces. The girls of the Fang family, the Cao family, and the Jiang family are not related to me by blood. This cousin Mi is my real cousin. I was close to my heart, so I asked a few more words, is there anything wrong? ”

"I didn't ...... There's nothing wrong with that. Zhao Wei was a little weak-hearted, so he didn't say any more.

Zhang didn't know what his grandchildren were saying, and he was still happy: "Okay, that's your serious cousin, you have to get along well in the future." ”

Zhao Wei's face was slightly red, but he didn't want anyone to see anything, so he could only answer the voice while holding up the tea bowl to cover up.

Zhao Xiu raised her eyebrows, and her smile became more meaningful. (To be continued.) )