Dongping Prefecture in Shandong Province is subordinate to Yanzhou Prefecture, with jurisdiction over Wenshang, Dong'e, Pingyin, Yanggu, Shouzhang five counties, Yanggu County is near the canal, merchants gather, academies are lined up, wine shops and teahouses, five elements and eight works, a prosperous scene.

There is a family in the west of the city, the house occupies half of the street, when Mengxia, flowers and trees sprout, the Shen Mansion is quiet, and the masters are resting.

The boundary of the second room of the Shen family is close to the upper room and a small span of the courtyard, sitting in the north and facing south of the three main houses, connected to the ear room, there are also a few east and west wings, and the small courtyard is the peach and apricot Zhengyan.

After a few light rains, the plantain outside the window is new green, and the breeze drifts in through the bamboo curtain seam, and there is a girl sitting on the edge of the kang near the south window of the hall house, wearing a alizarin red water weft shirt, and the waist is tied with a green flower cage skirt with gold branches and silver thread leaf yarn, and the black oil bun is holding the bead hairpin, the god is like autumn water, the bones are beautiful and Shanshan, and a few beams of sunlight hit a small face, and the more the skin is very light.

She has no extra ornaments on her body, only a pair of emerald green drop earrings hanging on her round earlobes, shaking two yarn sons' sleeping shoes, rushing to the bright, spring onion fingers pick silver needles, embroider a purse, the bandage is a red background and yellow flower brocade border, with silver blue bright white silk thread, embroidered is a cat lying lotus pattern.

A delicate maid stood aside, holding a white silk beauty fan, shaking the girl's coolness.

Patiently embroidered a few stitches, she yawned, poked the silver needle on the embroidered cloth, threw the work in the sewing basket casually, and said softly: "The girl of the Shen Mansion does not marry the ordinary people, and the people who have their own needlework and thread are laborious to do this Laoshizi." ”

Seeing the bamboo curtain shaking, the big girl embroidered chrysanthemum shouted: "Master", when she was looking, a touch of pale green floated out of the door of the hall in the blink of an eye.

Hurriedly opened the curtain and went out, and saw the master go straight to the swing shelf against the west flower wall, spread out his limbs and half-nest in the cradle made of flowers and vines, and swing gently.

Her posture is extremely comfortable, with a blue sky above her head, clear and clear, a few light clouds drifting by from time to time, she has been wearing it for three years, and she has already learned some things about the Shen Mansion from the maid and nurse.

Grandfather Mrs. Shen was a master in the early years, and then resigned to the old age, his father was in the Shen family, and his biological mother Mu was the concubine of the second master Shen.

The body of his own body is called the third girl in the house, since the birth of the frail and sick, through the pain of losing her mother, she is sick, the concubine is humble, and lonely, there are many people in the house who don't care, and when the disease is serious, he goes back to the second wife Wu, asks for medical treatment, but he is powerless, Shen Wanzhen is already in a trance, I don't know anyone, there is no breath intake.

The nurse in the room looked useless, and when she was crying, she unexpectedly opened her eyes, came back to her soul, and everyone was surprised, back to the old lady, Master Shen was grateful to the concubine for many years, and he was gentle and docile, and he took care of the concubine.

The second wife of the mother-in-law, Wu, is in charge of the internal affairs of the Shen Mansion, and she is virtuous and virtuous, and she is not treated lightly on the surface.

But the fly in the ointment is that Shen Wanzhen is now 17 years old, and the ancient woman was 15 years old and married, and her two sisters-in-law were 14 years old, born at the beginning of the year and at the end of the year, and they have begun to look for people.

It's not that her aunt was not dedicated before her death, and it wasn't that her mother-in-law deliberately delayed her, but that the family affairs had already been decided, and I heard that the son-in-law was a new imperial examiner, and he married him alone, and he was born with a serious illness, and the family retired, and this illness was three years, and in the past three years, her fiancé has not married, and now I am afraid that the children will be born.

Several big girls in her room are getting older, they can't stand it, they have already asked for the grace of their master, and they are married to a small girl, and their mother-in-law Wu promoted a second-class maid in her room called Xiuju to a first-class big girl, and made a second-class maid in her room called Chun Tao to make a personal maid for her, and pointed out an old woman surnamed Yan to her.

When she first wore it, she was a little apprehensive, this was not the era she was familiar with, but fortunately, she had been sick all the time and hadn't seen many people.

Xiuju saw that the master picked up the needle and thread, then threw away his hand again, and said: "Master, you look at the five girls in the West Courtyard, the needlework is well done, and the old man embroidered a purse for the master, and the master boasted directly, and Baba brought it on his body."

Shen Wanzhen curled up like a cat, the warm breeze was slightly drunk, and she stared at her in a daze, and she couldn't even hear the maid's voice clearly, and muttered in her mouth: "The weather is getting longer at the beginning of the day." ”

"Mother Yan's house has been going for a few days, but the girl has not moved her needlework, and she will nag again when she comes back."

Xiuju suddenly chuckled in her ear, looked down and saw that it was from the girl's sleep, the girl closed her eyes, dreamed of Java, stomped her feet, and was angry.

Reluctantly walked to the hall, picked up the unfinished work on the kang to see, the cat's body was only half embroidered, the stitches were not very symmetrical, muttered: "The girl's female red room is not as good as the second-class maid", so put the needle basket on the windowsill, and took off the thin blanket on the mahogany cabinet against the wall.

At this time, in the main room of the second room, the second wife, Wu, sent the housekeeper's daughter-in-law, walked to the east room, and talked to Master Shen across the kang table.

Wu held a letter in his hand, and said softly: "Since I left Beijing, I have never gone back, my mother has a big birthday, I want to take Yun'er back to Beijing, set Yun'er's marriage date, and also have a matter on my mind, the fifth girl and the sixth girl will be in time next year, and it should also be Zhang Luo's family, and I can free up my heart, although I am a concubine, but I can't be hasty." ”

Wu only gave birth to a daughter named Shen Xuanyun, called the four girls up and down the house, in June and Xu, when the Shen family was in Beijing, the children were still in infancy, and the second son of the Li family was already set as the daughter-in-law.

When Master Shen heard his wife's words, he remembered the words entrusted by the concubine Zhang in the pillow banquet, and said, "I will inquire about Zhu'er's marriage." ”

The fifth girl, Shen Wanzhu, is from the four-room concubine Zhang, and the concubine Shen Quande likes this Zhang family the most, and she can't help but pet more.

Wu's face froze, this is her husband doesn't believe her, Zhang's slut mother is expensive by her son, and she is arrogant and begged the master to call the shots, and she can't help but feel a little uneasy in her heart, but her tone is more gentle, "The master personally selected, it will not be wrong, Zhu'er is smart, and she looks good, she is the most prominent among her sisters, and her relatives are higher, but ......." ”

Wu paused, just to see that her husband's face became a little stiff, Wu raised the jade bowl to support the golden hairpin on his head, and sighed: "It's just that the marriage of the virgin girl still needs to be taken care of." ”

Master Shen's expression was obviously relieved, and he said: "This is a difficult matter, Zhen'er has withdrawn from marriage, but there are those who pay attention to people who care about this matter, and the former Governor Chen half-swallowed and half-spit out that Qiao Qianhu is gone, and wants to remarry a room, and intends to be a matchmaker for Zhen'er." ”

Wu pondered for a moment and said, "Qiao Qianhu seems to be the same age as the master, and there are a few children, who are about the same age as the third girl. ”

Master Shen rubbed his eyebrows and said: "So I didn't say anything to death, although Qiao Qianhu is older, he is an official and has a good door, if there is no agreement, the two will make do, and you can't leave the girl at home and not marry, let people gossip." ”

Wu lowered his head slightly, and said in a somewhat sad voice: "I remember that my sister went at a young age, and I feel sad", he said, and nodded the corner of his eye with a handkerchief.

Old Master Shen's thoughts drifted to the concubine Mu Shi when he entered the mansion, he always looked at people with a pair of timid big eyes, and he couldn't help but be gloomy.

Wu raised his eyes from under the veil, and when he removed the veil, there was a trace of coldness in the corners of his eyes, and the usual gentleness and deference were gone.

Wu Shi saw that her husband didn't know what to think of, and looked a little absent-minded, so she got up and refilled the tea for the carved lacquer blue ground golden sea pattern cover bowl in front of her husband, brought it to him, and said, "Master take a sip and taste it, this is this spring's new tea Lu'an melon slices." ”

Old Man Shen took a sip and said, "Not bad." ”

Putting down the teacup, he felt a little hot, so he loosened his neckline, and Wu hurriedly beckoned the maid and said, "It's hot in summer, give the master a wide coat." ”

The maid took off her coat and only wore a snow-green poplin shirt, and Wu took the yellow and red gold thread embroidery from the kang and gave him a pillow to lean on his back, and spoke crookedly.

Master Shen said: "You go back this time, ask your uncle to help me with the way, my term of office will expire in the next year, and I want to find a vacancy in the court, at the feet of the Son of Heaven, it is better than the foreign appointment."

Wu nodded and said, "The concubine knows the way." ”

The mind went back to the time when her husband let go of the county magistrate, the term of office expired, three years of hard work, brought back the concubine Zhang, the fourth aunt was the age of flowers at that time, often dominating the man and not letting him go to other houses, the housemother still obeyed the rules, but since giving birth to a son, the mind is getting bigger day by day.

The husband and wife chatted about family affairs again, and Master Shen got up and went to the back, and Wu gave Su Lan a look at the personal maid, Su Lan understood, and the hind feet went out.

Wu took out two other letters from the makeup box, one was from Mrs. Zhan of Bofu in Changyi, and the other was from his sister-in-law Jiang.

Chen Shengjia, who accompanied the room, said: "Mrs. Uncle and Mrs. Uncle are they going to take the girls to Beijing?" But the old man didn't think about it at all, and the wife should mention it."

A mocking smile appeared on the corner of Wu's lips, and his voice floated in the air, "You don't need to say this."

Chen Shengjia said: "But Aunt Zhang and Aunt Ding are thinking big!" If you want to hire a husband and wife for the girl you gave birth to, you can't lower your family."

Wu spat, disgusted, "They are also worthy?" ”

Chen Sheng's family remembered that when the third aunt Mu was alive, he was respectful to himself, and said: "When Aunt Mu was alive, she was a peaceful person, and she was still a distant relative of our Wu family."

Wu said disdainfully: "What a distant relative, it's just that the eight poles can't beat the same clan, she is not in good health, and it is not trouble-free."

Chen Sheng's wife didn't like it, and he didn't dare to say anything.

After a while, Wu said: "The second young lady of Changyi Bofu is young and gone", so he didn't say anything.

Chen Shengjia was just about to speak, when there was a sound of small footsteps at the door.