In the sixteenth year of Yongde, the second day of the second month of February.

It is rainy in winter in the south of the Yangtze River, and the drizzle of half a month in a row has completely renovated the 600-year-old Huocheng.

When the rain stopped and the wind stopped, early in the morning, several recruitment offices in the city were surrounded by piles of people. Most of them are the victims who wandered to the villages near Huocheng to take root after the famine in the north of the last year, they have no land to plant, and can only rely on selling coolies to earn food, and returning to their hometowns or taking root in the south of the Yangtze River is something that they only consider after they have eaten enough.

In the shouts of the big and small stewards, high or low, the robbers who originally stared at each other like black-eyed chickens gradually dispersed into all corners of the city in an orderly manner, and threw themselves into the hot work, and after a while, they became very familiar with each other, regardless of each other. The crowd pushed each other and made noise, and the lively atmosphere exuded made the city reveal a bit of spring and bright weather.

By the time of Shen, a neat and solemn procession of chariots and horses entered the north gate of Huocheng, quickly rolling over the bluestone paved streets, lightly splashing the low-lying areas of stagnant water and firecrackers.

The joy of the Shangyuan Festival has not yet disappeared, and the modest and polite pedestrians only move their dodgy bodies closer to the eaves of the shops on both sides, provoking the more and more attentive smiles of the shopkeepers.

Guarded by a dozen or so tall horses, the two green-capped oil caravans quietly and orderly headed towards the southeast of the city, turning around and gradually disappearing.

When he saw the convoy, an idler who had been holding his breath let out a long breath, and the sleeves of the two torn cotton robes wrapped up the hands that were hanging respectfully at his side just now, and smacked his tongue loudly, "It's a famous family!" La Yueli watched the Zhou family's funeral. I thought the Zhou family was defeated! ”

A few men with a guy in their hands listened to the sound of the wind and came under the eaves, and the idler who had just spoken and commented took a light breath. He slapped his mouth at his big oily face, and then smiled curtly at the stranger in front of him, who obviously had the tall figure of a northerner.

Just half a month ago. Several of his partners were also gossiping about the Zhou family on the street, which went too far, and was beaten up by several family members from Yanzhou, who were said to be the fifth grandmother of the Zhou family. Until now, there are still two missing teeth and broken arms still lying at home, faceless and mixed on the street.

"Brother, I'm from Yunzhou to do business!" , The leading foreign merchant was stunned, lowered his voice and replied, and then laughed loudly. Enthusiastically put on the shoulders of the aborigines of Huocheng in front of him, a trace of shrewdness quickly flashed on his honest round face, and a few guys on the side also cooperated and shook the flat basket in their hands.

"The truth that a strong dragon does not suppress the head snake on the ground, everyone who begs for life understands it! If you want to earn a family business in Jiangnan, you have to find out the way of Huocheng first. Seeing that the elder brother is familiar with Huo Cheng, it is better to drink two glasses......"

A few foreigners who were doing business surrounded the kind men who became more enthusiastic and enthusiastic when they heard the wine and food, and turned into a small shop with light business in the side alley.

A few bowls of inferior yellow soup went down, and a few black heads gathered even tighter. The deliberately suppressed voice also became louder, and the smell of inferior wine in the small shop surface also showed a little more warmth.

"Or they all say no, Jitai is coming! The Zhou family is also lucky, although the men in the family are now worried at home, but their dead fifth master actually saved the prince of today's new book. It's a blessing to watch! The tall fat merchant swallowed a sip of wine, his face flushed with drunkenness. Hide the sneer in my heart. Seeking wealth and danger is an official. For business, it's all the same. Speaking of officials, they have to be more ruthless.

"Let's say, it's the ancestral tomb of the Zhou family that has good feng shui! A Huocheng half-city circumference, Fangxi on the other side of the double champion. This has lasted for three to five hundred years, and the feng shui fortune of the Zhou family should have been exhausted, but this time, from Mrs. Meng of the Zhou family to Qi Ge'er, the youngest of the three rooms of the Zhou family, buried a row of coffins in his ancestral grave in one go, shouldn't future generations continue to be promoted and make fortunes! ”

The indigenous idlers of Huocheng watched a few foreign buns listen attentively with bated breath, and chewed the shredded meat that had just filled their mouths repeatedly, feeling that the taste was exhausted, so they swallowed fiercely and shook their heads again, "It's a pity that the fifth child of the Zhou family is ...... Alas, not that fate...... I heard that he left behind a girl, and a posthumous child should also be born...... Wait until the crown prince ascends the throne......"

"How's that Friday girl doing?" , calling the businessmen from Yunzhou, as if unintentionally inquiring about the things that should be focused on......

The convoy, which was being discussed by bored idlers and foreign merchants, went all the way unhindered and stopped in front of a large mansion in the southeast of Huocheng City.

The oil wall car directly entered the second door, and the talents on the car came down one after another, and a group of envoys and maids who had been waiting at the door of the inner house rushed forward to greet the returning masters of the other village outside the city.

Seeing a silent but lively scene, Gao, the second grandmother of the Zhou family, raised her hand to stop the courteous support of the mother-in-law around her, and her originally docile face lines were stiff and straight, which made the surrounding servants frightened for a while.

The third grandmother Lin who followed behind Gao lowered her eyebrows, while the fourth grandmother Min looked restless and wandering out of the world, which made the people with eyes feel uneasy.

"It's really inconvenient for these five grandmothers to give birth in the Mid-Levels Courtyard, from the city to Huoshan, far away. Isn't it ......", Mrs. Zhou and others at the door greeted a few grandmothers, and carefully approached Gao's side and asked softly.

"The fifth grandmother is born! It's a brother, mother and son are safe! Gao glared at Mrs. Yu fiercely, and raised her feet and walked towards the Xiuyu Hall where Mrs. Zhou lived. Du Shanshan gave birth to a boy, although the news that may be brought will make her mother-in-law, who has been sick, very unhappy, but she still has to report it truthfully. For the Zhou family, who has lost too much blood in the fifteenth year of Yongde, it is always a good thing to add a Ding entrance.

Mrs. Yu, who was far behind several masters, secretly pursed her lips with disdain.

When Du Shanshan returned to Huocheng, she never entered the ancestral house, and lived directly in the Zhou family's mid-level courtyard in Huoshan. Even the sixth girl, Zhou Manyun, only stayed in the ancestral house for a few days when the Zhou family was at the funeral, and the rest of the time was also in the mountains. A year later, the old man Zhou Xian also thought that his mother Mrs. Meng's wife was guarding the grave, so he stayed in Huoshan and the ancestral house of the Zhou family in Huocheng. He should have thrown it to Mrs. Zhou.

The news of Du Shanshan's childbirth quickly spread her wings. flew to the courtyards of the Zhou family's ancestral house......

In the courtyard, the eldest grandmother Xie sat on the edge of the bed and pinched the handkerchief. Facing the gauze tent, tears couldn't help but flow, and said: "The fifth brother and sister are now both children and daughters, but it's a pity that my sister Hua is young ......."

"Get out! Get the hell out of here! An angry scolding rang out from the tent and the uncle zhou song, who had been staying in bed, fell down and sat up when he heard the news just now, and let out a heavy thud then. He pulled up the brocade quilt and buried his head firmly, hiding a hideous, very deep scar on his left cheek.

"Although the fifth brother has gone, my father is too thick to treat the fifth room......", Xie muttered and walked out, stood at the door and paused for a while, holding the door with his hand, hating in his heart.

Sister Hua died in vain!

In the first month, because of the new crown prince of the court. After the pardon of the prison, Zhou Song, who had been detained in Luojing, also returned to Huocheng. But not to mention his resignation, he also injured his leg because of an accident in prison. Also broke the face. As an official in the court, etiquette is also important, which also means that he has lost hope of returning to his official position.

The new volume of the crown prince. Unexpectedly, it was King Liang, who was the prince next to Zhou Zhe when he was in danger that day.

Hsieh after being extremely disappointed. It was easy to think of the two sons, and some hope was rekindled. But not only the five-room mother and daughter. Even Zhou Xian stayed in the mountains and avoided it. She once encouraged Zhou Song to take her two sons up the mountain and do her filial piety in front of her father-in-law, but she was rejected by Zhou Xian and driven out.

And this time Du's birth, Xie sent someone to the mountain to ask for instructions, and Zhou Xian's reply was to let her help her mother-in-law with housework with peace of mind, and let the other concubines go up the mountain for a trip.

Zhou Xian's attitude towards his eldest son Zhou Song was really bad, which had to make Xie think more. And with the second Zhou Baiquan looking aggrieved, returning from Chuzhou, Xie's worries deepened.

The in-laws and husband couldn't count on it, so Xie sighed and walked towards the study of his eldest son, Zhou Ke......

The Zhou family's half-mountain annex is on the half-mountain of Yanling Peak in Huoshan, and the mountains, forests and fields around the courtyard are also the private property of the Zhou family.

Du's mother and daughter, who returned from Fengjin, were placed in the Mid-Levels Annex, partly because Du didn't want too many people to know about the injury of the Golden Crow, but the other half was in the hidden col at the foot of Yanling Peak, and the woodland had been reorganized and a medicine garden was set out for transplanting medicine.

Du's baby is waiting to be delivered, Manyun Chenghuan is on his knees, and the well-arranged study schedule makes the days of the mountain residence pass quickly.

And Jin Chou Nuan did as he said, so that Du's entire pregnancy was smooth and peaceful, until he gave birth to a child in the early morning of the second day of February, and the false word had also taken three drops of the baby's blood and prepared an antidote for Du Shi.

Man Yun, who was guarding the bedside, looked at Du's eyelashes, which had been asleep for nearly five hours after taking the medicine, and gently reached out to hold Du's hand.

"Sister Yun!" , Du Shi tried to raise his hand, but gave up in despair, and his eyes darkened.

"Mother! It doesn't matter, Master said, your poison has been cured, but you haven't been active for a long time, and it is still difficult to move at the beginning, so let's take care of it slowly in the future, and it's fine. ”

"Sister Yun! What about your brother? Du Shi smiled faintly, and his eyes began to look for it indoors.

"He's good! It's really good! ”

Bai Lu, who was standing on the side, helped Du Shi up, and then, Zhu's mother hugged a small swaddling baby in front of Du Shi.

"Mother!" , Man Yun gently pulled open the edge of the small candle bag with his little hand, and a sleeping baby's little face was completely exposed.

Du's gaze fell greedily on the newborn's face, sour, joyful, and wanted to cry.

"Mother! The younger brother was born with six pounds and nine taels, and his body was healthy, his skin was white and tender, and his hair was black and dense. And ......", Zhou Manyun hesitated, but continued very calmly, "Moreover, he has a pair of very, very beautiful eyes......"

As if to respond to the heartfelt praise of his sister, the baby in the swaddling clothes yawned a little, and a pair of eyes slowly opened, but the lazy one did not open very much, but in a hurry, he closed again.

However, his eyes were still stunning in front of everyone.

Blue as blue, as clear as the sky. (To be continued......)