Ba County is surrounded by water on three sides, with heavy fog, heavy rain and heavy humidity.

On a rare sunny day, Qin'er quickly closed the courtyard door, tied clotheslines in the yard, and took out the sheets, bedding, clothes in the box, and silk and other gifts from people in the past year to dry.

My sister held the dog who had just gone to the next door to feed the milk, and sat at the door of the hall while shaking and coaxing: "We don't call the dog, right, how ugly the dog's egg is!" Your name is Han Shichang, your father's name is Han Xiufeng, your father is an official outside, you are the first official young master of our Han family, when we grow up, we Shichang will go to study, we will go to the test to be an official like your father, and we will marry an official lady......"

Qin'er, who was slapping the futon, sneered and said, "Marry Miss Guan, sister, you think so far!" ”

"Sister-in-law, this is not far, don't look at Shi Chang is still young, but time flies quickly, and he has grown up in a blink of an eye, my family Shi Chang is a serious young master, and he naturally wants to marry a well-known official lady, am I wrong?"

"That's right, you'll be your aunt and grandmother then." Qin'er put down the feather duster, sat down beside her, and picked up the flannel cloth and wiped the pile of longevity locks in the wooden box.

This is all given by the baby on the day of the full moon, and each longevity lock is tied with a red cloth strip, and his grandfather is afraid that he will forget, so he uses a pen to indicate who sent it on each strip of cloth.

In another year and a half, my sister will be out of the cabinet, thinking that she can't marry without a dowry, she hugged the baby and said enviously: "So much, is Shi Chang wearing it?" ”

How could Qin'er not know what she was thinking, put aside a long-life lock that had just been wiped, and teased: "This is not married yet, just thinking about having a baby, you are not shy!" ”

My sister hurriedly said: "Who would have thought that if I had a baby, I wouldn't marry." ”

"You know how to have a hard mouth!" Qin'er scolded with a smile, and then sighed: "Your brother went to be an official so far away, and he didn't know when he would be able to come back, they all said that the eldest brother is like a father and the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother, and I naturally want to help Zhang Luo with your marriage." Not to mention the longevity lock, even the dowry is ready for you. ”

"Yes," there were no outsiders in the yard, and my sister was not embarrassed, so she couldn't help but smile and asked, "Sister-in-law, what have you prepared?" ”

"You'll know when the time comes." Qin'er thought about it and pointed to the pile of gifts that were being dried and said: "Don't look at the scenery of receiving favors, but this favor has come and gone, and I can't accept other people's things if my family has something, but we don't go when people have something, so these things are similar to those that exist with us." ”

"I know this, if the Zhang family has something to do, send the things sent by the Li family, otherwise your father will not make a mark on it."

"My dad was worried about getting confused."

Speaking of Duan Jiqing, my sister asked curiously: "Sister-in-law, what is your father busy with these days, the gods are chattering, saying that there are good things, but he doesn't say anything good." ”

"Where do I know," Qin'er also felt that since the shopkeeper of the Shanxi ticket number came, the old man had become a little abnormal, and the errand of the yamen had resigned early tomorrow, but now he ran to the yamen twice in three days, and yesterday he also went to Jiangbei to find Liu Juren.

"I don't know what I'm up to." The younger sister thought about it and muttered.

Qin'er put down the flannel, held her chin and said: "Yesterday, I heard my mother say that the fourth brother met Wu Daotai and Mr. Zhang in the capital came to our Ba County from Chengdu, and it seems that they live in the Huguang Guild Hall. My dad begged to see him several times, but he didn't see him once. ”

"Sister-in-law, isn't the side tea business just dependent on the care of that Wu Daotai and Mr. Zhang, why can't you even see each other?"

"I guess people are busy."

……

As the sister-in-law was talking, Duan Xu's shout came from outside.

Qin'er hurriedly got up to open the door, but she didn't expect Duan Xu to say excitedly as soon as she entered the door: "Qin'er, your brother's family affairs have been decided, do you know whose daughter it is." ”

The younger brother is studying and studying melons, and he is a nerd, Qin'er never expected her younger brother to marry a good mother-in-law, but she still couldn't help asking: "Whose daughter?" ”

"Miss Liu Jiawu is the sister of Master Liu Juren of Jiangbei Hall!"

Qin'er, the fifth lady of the Liu family, has not only heard of it, but also once went to the temple to offer incense and met it, not only is she a little fat, but she seems to be a year older than her, but no matter what she says, it is also the daughter of a big family, Qin'er felt incredible, and asked suspiciously: "Mother, are you not joking?" ”

"It's not a trivial matter, do you think I dare to make such a joke?" The son's family affairs have finally been settled, Duan Xu is really happy, he hugged the little grandson from the hands of his sister, and said with his eyebrows: "If we put it aside, it must be that the door is not right, and we really can't climb high." But now is not the past, the dog and his father are not only commensurate with Liu Juren as brothers, but also become a big official, and his status is more noble than Liu Juren, so people are not only willing to make friends with us, but also willing to marry us! ”

"The fourth brother is doing inspections, what kind of officials are inspections?" Qin'er was made to cry and laugh.

Duan Xu realized that he had missed his mouth, and hurriedly said: "Dog, his father's official has done a big job, and his Liu family has not suffered a loss in this family business." Think about it, your brother is ...... Although no one is shrewd, but in other words, it is to keep to themselves, whose daughter doesn't want to marry the offspring who keeps to herself? ”

"But how many years older is the fifth lady of the Liu family than my brother?"

"The female junior holds the gold brick, what's wrong with being a few years older. Let's put it this way, if the fifth lady of the Liu family marries into someone else's family, I mean that she is the right person, and she can only be a little daughter-in-law when she marries. It's different if you marry my family, she is a young grandmother, and she can be in charge of the house as soon as she enters the door! ”

Qin'er couldn't help but laugh and said, "That's right." ”

"Besides, this family matter was not something we rushed to ask for, it was Master Liu who brought it up with your father first!" Duan Xu kissed his grandson's little face, and said happily: "Even you know that the fifth lady of the Liu family is not young, and she and her younger sister want to keep filial piety to her father, and she will wait two or three years before she can leave the cabinet, and then she will become an old girl, who is willing to wait except for my family?" ”

"Mother, it's really appropriate to listen to you talk about this family matter."

"Of course it's appropriate, but then again, it's all about taking advantage of the dog's father, we can't have no conscience, and we can't forget our roots."

Wa's father did have a relationship with Liu Juren in Jiangbei Hall, Qin'er didn't think about it anywhere else, and was about to get up to turn over the futon to dry, when there was another knock on the door outside, followed by the voices of Duan Jiqing and Guan Bantou.

"Qin'er, open the door quickly, your Uncle Yu is back!"

"Which Uncle Yu?" Qin'er asked subconsciously.

"I, Yu Youfu!"

Qin'er opened the door and looked, sure enough, it was Yu Youfu, thinking that he should be on an errand at Wata's father's place, and couldn't help tiptoeing to look behind him, but there was only a sixteen or seventeen-year-old offspring who came with him, and he didn't see Wata's father who was thinking about it day and night. In a daze, Duan Jiqing walked into the courtyard, lifted a quilt blocking the way and said, "Qin'er, Zhixing not only asked your Uncle Yu to bring a letter to the family, but also gave money to the family!" ”

"Uncle Yu, you're back, why didn't your father come back?" Qin'er asked with tears in her eyes.

Just left the four babies and a few of them came back alone, Yu Youfu was very sorry along the way, and it was even more unpleasant to be asked by Qin'er, and said with an embarrassed face: "Qin'er, the four babies are really busy with official business and can't come back, I know that you are worried about him, and it is not convenient to send a letter to your family when you are in the capital, so ...... So he sent me back first. ”

Why did he come back first, on the way from Chaotianmen Wharf to here, Yu Youfu had already told Duan Jiqing, Guan Zhutou and Zhuzi that he not only had no face to face Qin'er, but also had no face to face Duan Jiqing and Guan Bantou, after all, where did the Taiping bandits hit, whether Taizhou had fallen or not, whether the four children were dead or alive at this time, and he didn't know if he had been busy on the road.

What he didn't know was that Duan Jiqing's news was far better than him, and looking at his extremely embarrassed appearance, he couldn't help but smile and said: "Blessed, Zhixing is fine, you don't need to worry, let's do the right thing first." ”

"Duan Jingcheng, is the fourth baby really okay?" Yu Youfu asked eagerly.

Guan Bantou knew the inside story, and looked at him with a smile and urged: "You don't believe Duan Jingcheng's words, don't rub it off, let's get down to business first." ”

"Oh," Yu Youfu looked back at Qin'er with a blank face, then took out two letters from his coat and handed them to Duan Jiqing, then turned around and introduced: "Duan Jingcheng, Guan Bantou, this is Zhang Shiheng Young Master Zhang, his father's name is Zhang Dejian, he works for Wu Daotai in our Sichuan Salt Tea Ceremony, and the four children, Pan Er, and Datou brought home the money orders, all on Young Master Zhang." ”

Duan Jiqing was busy settling the family of Han Chen, the ambassador of the Salt Division of the Jiao Xiechang Division, in the morning, and only knew that the four children had brought back money from Jiangsu, but they didn't know how much money they had brought back, they didn't know that the bill of exchange was put on this young man, and they didn't know that this young man was actually Mr. Zhang's son.

Thinking that his father happened to come to Ba County with Wu Daotai some time ago, Duan Jiqing said excitedly: "It turned out to be Young Master Zhang, disrespectful and disrespectful." ”

Zhang Shiheng didn't dare to put the young master's score in front of them, not to mention that he was really not a young master, so he hurriedly bowed down: "Shiheng to meet Master Duan and his aunt." ”

Qin'er paused, and subconsciously asked, "You call me aunt?" ”

"That's right, he should call you aunt," Yu Youfu hurriedly explained how Han Xiufeng brought Zhang Shiheng from Yizhen to Hai'an, and then asked Zhang Shiheng to come to Sichuan with him.

Qin'er reacted, and was thinking about whether to give a greeting gift to the junior in front of him, Zhang Shiheng turned around, unbuttoned his clothes with his back to everyone, took out two bills of exchange issued by the Yangzhou branch of "Rishengchang" from his inner pocket, and respectfully handed them to Duan Jiqing in front of Yu Youfu.

Duan Jiqing took the bill of exchange with residual warmth, looked at the amount written on it, and was immediately taken aback, and then ecstatic. Compared with how much money his father brought to the family, Qin'er wanted to know what was said in the letter, and couldn't help reminding: "Dad, let's take a look at the letter from the dog and his father first." ”