Huo Shiqi hurriedly didn't react to what was happening, threw away the book sticker in his hand, grabbed his mother-in-law's arm and asked repeatedly: "What's wrong?" What's wrong with you? ”

Aunt Seventeen didn't speak. In the dim light of the candle lantern, two strange blush rose on her cheeks, as if two fires were burning there; The faint black light in his eyes flickered, he gasped heavily, gritted his teeth and stared straight at the small half of the book sticker hanging from the edge of the kang table, like a she-wolf who chooses to devour. I don't know where the strength came from, she violently broke away from her husband's hand, threw herself on the side of the kang table, grabbed the book sticker and tore it hard.

"What are you doing?!" Huo Shiqi was also anxious, so he lifted his mother-in-law aside, snatched the silk cloth in her hand and shouted, "What are you crazy about?" This is Lu Bo Fulin's "63 Post", maybe it's still a lonely book, and there is no place to buy it if you have money! Hurriedly unfolded the book sticker in his hand and checked it from beginning to end, but it was okay to check them one by one, except for the corners of the silk cloth that were slightly wrinkled and damaged, the others were complete, and I was a little relieved.

As she spoke, Aunt Seventeen howled like a wolf in her throat and pounced on her, scratching and scratching like she was crazy for her life. Huo Shiqi was sitting cross-legged on the kang, his legs and feet couldn't use much strength, and he had no choice but to desperately protect the book sticker with his body; Thinking that there were servant women and concubines living in the courtyard, he didn't want to make a big deal and make people laugh, so he scolded in a low voice while covering up: "What are you doing here?" Want to die? But the mother-in-law sprinkled like a stupid woman in the countryside, and for a while he had no way to hold it, and he felt that the place where the skin of the back of his hand and arm and wrist was scratched was hot and painful, and his heart was full of open fire, and he couldn't help but want to give the woman a little color......

He came to the real fire, but Aunt Seventeen suddenly lost her strength, grabbed the book sticker she had just grabbed, looked at her husband with a sad face, and asked with her mouth open, "...... Monk, monk...... Where did he come from? ”

Huo Shiqi's arm had been raised in the air, and when he heard this, the whole person was frozen as if he had been thundered, and the slap could no longer fall. He has been in contact with Shang Cheng for a long time, and many things have long been accustomed to it, so although he was surprised when he saw "63 Stickers" at first glance, his mind did not look to the side to think that there were too many unexpected places for monks, and a book sticker became an inconspicuous trivial matter; He even thought it was commonplace. He was reminded by the woman's words and suddenly realized. What is the origin of the monk? God knows what kind of "monk" this is......

He lowered his arm in a dejected manner, leaned over and gently took the book sticker from his mother-in-law's hand, the black pupils were hidden behind the half-closed eyelids, and his cold eyes were like a hole in the silk cloth, and he exhaled silently for a long time, shook his head and sighed, "I don't know who this is...... I knew he had never been a monk. ”

"Then, that ......" Aunt Seventeen took a long time to make a sentence clear, "You have known him for so long, and you haven't seen a thing?" ”

Huo Shiqi smiled bitterly and said self-deprecatingly: "What can I see? ”

Since the monk appeared in Huojiabao inexplicably that year, he has been carefully observing this person. There were too many suspicious things about Shang Cheng, and from the beginning he didn't believe that Shang Cheng was a monk; Even if Shang Cheng later confessed that he had to flee to avoid trouble if he had lost his hand in the dispute with a large family in his hometown and injured people, he was ninety percent sure that this was a lie made up by Shang Cheng to cover up his origins. However, Shang Cheng almost never mentions his background and past to anyone, and he can only explore from some clues. At first, when he saw Shang Cheng doing farm work in the field, he thought that Shang Cheng was an unscrupulous son of a wealthy farmer, although Shang Cheng's crop work was clumsy and unfamiliar, but this person who had never worked in agriculture could always be seen; Seeing Shang Cheng working hard everywhere, he felt that he had guessed correctly and could endure hardships one by one, which was the innate ability of the Zhuang people. As the conversation came and went, he gradually realized that this young student was literate, although Shang Cheng usually deliberately concealed this, but a few times he entered his study, his eyes involuntarily aimed at the book, which could not be hidden. He not only knew that Shang Cheng was literate, but also saw that this person had read a lot of books, and he could hear that he had traveled a wide range of books, seeing the sea in the east, walking through the desert in the west, entering the grassland in the north, and going to the river in the south. This is not a solid banker. Not to mention the Zhuang family, even the children of wealthy families, it is impossible to go to so many places without a few years. What's more, the surroundings of Dazhao are not very peaceful, the north is Tujici, the west has Zhuhu and Tubo, and although the Dali bureaucrats in the south come to pay tribute every year, they are also ready to move...... And Shang Cheng's conversation is definitely different from the usual dealer, and his gestures inadvertently reveal that he had an excellent tutor when he was a teenager, treat him kindly, be humble and behave appropriately, and he will not be able to preach from the container alone.

In fact, Huo Shiqi saw that Shang Cheng was different from other ordinary descendants very early, and also imagined that one day Shang Cheng would become a figure with a little fame and power. He even designed a shortcut for Shang Cheng to enter the body, that is, to eat food and become a soldier, and fight for a contribution on the battlefield. His idea proved to be feasible, and Shang Cheng soon made a name for himself in the military. But the facts also proved that his idea was wrong, one by one, he thought that Shang Cheng took advantage of the situation to work hard for meritorious qualifications, maybe he could be a battalion commander one day, how did he know that Shang Cheng would complete these roads in the first battle, and it only took three years to go from a miserable man in Huojiabao who did not even have half a tile to shelter from the wind and rain, and became the general of Xuanwei and the commander of Yanshan of Dazhao...... And he really got to know Shang Cheng as a person, or after he came to Yanzhou and after Shang Cheng took a fake job in Yanshan, he saw for the first time that Shang Cheng's means and ability to deal with government and military affairs were compared with "63 Stickers" or something, which is the real test of a person's chest and talent. Obviously, Shang Cheng passed this demanding test.

The longer he was in contact, the more he felt that Shang Cheng's identity background was mysterious, and the more curious he became about this person's origins. Not only did he have a guess about Shang Cheng's whereabouts, but Lu Ji, Di Xu, and Zhang Shao also had suspicions, and even Tao Qi and Zhou Xiang had inquired twice, all of which were covered up by him through the topic on the side.

Aunt Seventeen swallowed her saliva and asked, "Then, will they go to report us?" To put it bluntly, what she is worried about is not Shangcheng, but this family. For her, although Shang Cheng is close, he is an outsider after all. She was afraid that after Shang Cheng's matter was exposed, the final result would affect the family.

“…… I can't tell. Huo Shiqi lowered his eyelids and said. Judging from the Lu family's delivery of "63 Stickers", Lu Ji already knew that Shang Cheng's origin was strange, but he had always been a self-conceited gentleman, and there should be no such villainous behavior. Di Xu is a stubborn person, who picks his nose and eyes when he looks at everyone, but he has a very high evaluation of Shang Cheng, and once publicly said that "if I had known my son for ten years, I would not have been able to do today's pattern", and it is impossible to do these dirty things. Tao Qi won the praise of the imperial court's "model of state and county" because of the good governance of the state city, and it is said that there is also the credit of Shang Cheng, just because of this affection, Tao Mengchang cannot run to expose the bottom and self-destruct his reputation; As for Zhou Xiang, he was a decent person who was upright and strong, and he would not and disdained to do such despicable things. The hardest thing to say is Zhang Shao. I don't have much contact with Zhang Shao, so I can't tell what this person thinks in his heart. Of course, this is all his speculation, people's hearts are separated from their stomachs, if Lu Jidi wants to be a villain, then no one can stop him...... In addition, Sun Zhongshan Fan Quan and the astute people among them probably saw that something was wrong, but these were all people brought out by Shang Cheng, even if they had doubts in their hearts, they would not inquire, let alone publicize them everywhere. He said to his mother-in-law: "Don't look at the recklessness of these soldiers who eat food and become soldiers, they either shout and beat or shout to kill every day, they seem to be very arrogant in everything, but in fact, one is more ...... than a ghost."

"What about Li Shen?" The seventeenth aunt will never forget Li Shen. "Will he go and tell him?"

Huo Shiqi was not worried about Li Shen, and said: "If he wants to go, he will go a long time ago, can he wait until now?" I don't think he necessarily knew about it. ”

Aunt Seventeen just let go of the snacks a little. But she immediately realized what was going on. If there is no accident now, it does not mean that there will be no accident in the future, Li Shen has not brought this incident out now, and it does not necessarily mean that he will not make trouble in the future. She said to her husband anxiously: "If Li Shen knows, he will definitely not let go of the monk!" If the monk falls, our family will also be unlucky! "And it's bad luck, maybe it's the kind of tragic ending she can't even imagine!

Huo Shiqi didn't care about his mother-in-law's worries. Li Shen knew that something would definitely happen, the question was who would go to Li Shen to report the news? You must know that Lu Jidi Xu and they can't wait to drive Li Shen out of Yanshan immediately, and the farther away the better, it is best for Li Shen to dismiss his armor and return to the field without asking about the world, so that they can rest assured. What is the principle of much help for those who have attained the Tao and little help for those who have lost the Tao? Li Shen is a living example!

Aunt Seventeen was not interested in the theory of attaining enlightenment and ascending to heaven. She hit the nail on the head when it came to pointing out that men were not very thoughtful in this matter. She asked, "Many people in Yixian County know about the monks, what if they go to arch their hair?" ”

Huo Shiqi suddenly opened his mouth and stammered. He hadn't thought about it at all!

Aunt Seventeen continued: "What if Qiao Zhun goes to Li Shen to talk nonsense? There is also the sixth brother. One by one, you have achieved the seven-grade transfer, and he is still a small nine-grade scribe, will he have complaints in his heart? ”

Huo Shiqi frowned and thought for a long time before he said slowly: "Qiao Zhun is easy to do there." The Ministry of Industry sent someone to investigate the matter of the new farm tools, and he must have been circling in the middle, so the credit fell to me, and the monk had nothing to do with each other, which was not only a reminder, but also a reminder to us. In this way, when you meet the person he sent to give a gift tomorrow, say a few more words of good obedience to soothe it, and remember to give more rewards. The return gift to Qiao Zhun is not too heavy...... Well, a few years ago, when Qiao Zhun just entered the county government to do things, he was very envious of my Qingtian stone inkstone, and if you give him the square inkstone that Tao Qi gave me, he will know what it means......"

Aunt Seventeen asked, "What's the point of sending a worthless broken stone?" ”

Huo Shiqi smiled and said: "That is to say, I will not forget the old feelings, and the grudge with him is like this inkstone, the ink is still new after washing it with water." ”

Aunt Seventeen nodded as if she didn't understand, and asked again, "What about the sixth brother?" ”

"The sixth brother wants to be an official, this is not a difficult thing, and it can be done by mentioning it to Lu Jidi. But the timing was not right. At this time, more is better than less. When I return to Ge Ping, I will write a letter to the sixth brother, asking him to go to Ge Ping, and I will give him a sum of money one by one. ”

Aunt Seventeen immediately became anxious and said, "You can't make trouble with money and food!" The monk knows, I'm afraid he won't be able to spare you! I just want to help the sixth brother, I can go to Yue'er and they borrow a little first. ”

"Am I someone who does such a stupid thing? Is it in vain to eat more than ten years of public dinner? Huo Shiqi glanced at his mother-in-law coldly and said, "Besides, the situation of the sixth brother's family is no worse than ours, Zhongshan is still his godson-in-law, and the friendship between Weng and son-in-law is there. The monk came to Geping last time and mentioned something to me, wanting to steam some good liquor to supply the army. The monk nodded, went to the account books in the army to pay for the money and grain, and first allocated 500 yuan and 2,000 stone grain, as long as the thing was done, it would be a great merit. Not to mention that this is also a good errand for both military and civilians. High, high ......" he lowered his head and thought for a while, before he said, "High-concentration alcohol needs to be used very much in the military, and it is also a lucrative business among the people. He laughed dryly.

"Then let's do it ourselves?" Aunt Seventeen grabbed the man's arm and said. However, she also knew that it was a bit uncomfortable for Huo Lun to say this, so she paused and said reluctantly, "It's a big deal to wait until you make money and get an extra share of the sixth brother." ”

Huo Shiqi shook his head lightly and said: "The monk said that this kind of steamed wine is good, but it consumes too much food, it is necessary in the army, and the people are dispensable. Buying and selling is also a lucrative one, and the government will levy heavy taxes when it sees a slight improvement, which is actually a bit more than worth the loss. That's why I asked the sixth brother to go to Ge Ping, and I had to make it clear to him face to face, so that he wouldn't complain in the future. Seeing that the mother-in-law was pouting and full of displeasure, she comforted her and said, "The monk said that after a few years of defeating the Tuqi people, he will help us do some other business...... In fact, Shang Cheng never said this. Shang Cheng's original words were, "If there are forty years, no, maybe thirty years is enough for thirty years of peace and stability, I will definitely make Yanshan look like you can't think of......"

More than a month has passed since that night's conversation, but the scene of Shang Chengying standing at the gate of Shangchengying looking at the sunset from afar is still vivid, and the solemn and heroic spirit in the conversation echoes in his ears all the time. He believes that Shang Cheng can do it. Yes, he firmly believes this!

But Aunt Seventeen was angry about losing such a big deal in vain. She muttered and complained to her husband that she shouldn't push good things out the door.

Huo Shiqi didn't want to be verbose with his wife on this matter, so he changed the topic and said: "This copy of "63 Stickers" is Lu Bofu's beloved thing, don't talk about taking it out for others to see, he doesn't even want to admit that he has this object at home, why is he willing to take it out and give it to us?" ”

Although Aunt Seventeen felt distressed about losing a large sum of money in vain, the things that Mrs. Lu mentioned made her even happier. She immediately sat down happily at the kang table and said to her husband, "Guess, the two ladies of the Lu family came yesterday and talked to me about something?" ”

"What's the matter?"

"The two Mrs. Lu said that they can be matchmakers for the eldest girl and the second girl."

"Huh?" Huo Shiqi put away his nonchalant expression for a moment, and said in surprise, "Be a matchmaker for the eldest girl?" They didn't say who their in-laws were? One by one and so on! And Erya? He looked at his wife in surprise. The two of them are bent on marrying Erya to Shang Cheng, what is the origin of the person who invited the Lu family to come forward as a matchmaker, so that the mother-in-law can't even look down on the monk?

"yes." Aunt Seventeen nodded excitedly. She moved her legs and feet on the kang, her upper body almost leaned against the man, and whispered, "They said that they can go to the merchant to be a matchmaker and ask the monk to marry the two of us together." ”

"Huh?" Huo Shiqi blinked, and didn't react for a while.

"Uh-huh, what?" Aunt Seventeen angrily pushed the man. "This is a good thing, the two of them married together, the sisterhood is deep, and there will be no more disputes because of jealousy, and it can also prevent other women from intervening in the limelight. The two ladies of the Lu family are sisters-in-law, they have never blushed in half their lives, and the family is so harmonious and beautiful. One by one, you think, the monk is now a four-rank general, whether he is in Yanshan as a commander or transferred to another place, it is only a matter of time before he is a marquis, and when the time comes, will the wife and concubine still be able to put a few women in the family? It's good for the big girl and the second girl to have a small relationship, and they are sisters-in-law, and there will be helpers for housework when the time comes, don't you say? ”

"Yes, yes." Huo Shiqi kept nodding. The two daughters have affection for the monk, and the two of them also have a headache for this matter, and it is a good way to solve the problem if they can really marry both. He pondered and said to his wife, "It's a good thing, but why do I think it's a little weird?" ”

"It's a good thing. It doesn't matter if it's weird or not! "Aunt Seventeen is too lazy to worry about what is weird and weird. Both daughters married into merchants, and the two families are inseparable iron ties, relying on the towering tree of merchants, the prosperity of the Huo family is also within reach. She could even see the grand scene of the two daughters dying on the day they got married.

Huo Shiqi pursed his lips and thought for a long time, and suddenly asked, "The two ladies of the Lu family, how can they ask the monk to mention this matter?" ”

The smile immediately froze on Aunt Seventeen's face. Yes, even she rarely sees a monk, and the small courtyard where Shang Cheng lives in the merchant's house is even more strictly guarded, and the two Mrs. Lu are not official or civilian, why should they go to see the monk? If you can't see the monk, how can you talk about the matchmaker? She immediately stopped talking.

Huo Shiqi picked up "63 Stickers", shook his head and said: "What's even more incomprehensible is that we should have thanked them for this matter, why did the Lu family give us gifts first?" It's such a valuable gift...... I have to think deeply. ”

“…… Mid-Autumn Festival. Aunt Seventeen said with a snort. Although she herself doesn't believe much in this reason.

"It's not." Huo Shiqi said. He suddenly thought of something, pursed his lips and smiled and asked, "How many daughters does Lu Bofu have?" ”

Aunt Seventeen didn't know why her husband suddenly asked about this, so she said, "Five." The first three are all married, and now there are only two younger ones who come to Yanzhou, and they are the biological daughters of the two Mrs. Lu, and they love them so ......much."

Huo Shiqi interrupted his mother-in-law's words and asked, "How old are these two girls?" ”

Aunt Seventeen was puzzled and said, "It's all sixteen." The older one is sixteen, and the younger one is still a few days away......"

"Got it?" Huo Shiqi raised his eyebrows and looked at his mother-in-law. Seeing that the mother-in-law was still frowning, she explained with a wry smile, "Look, the two Mrs. Lu can't even meet the face of the monk, let alone talk about the matchmaker." can't be said to be a matchmaker, and give such a heavy gift, why else? Of course, it is for the two daughters of the Lu family who are sixteen one by one, and it is time to say a good family matter. But who can be considered a 'good' word to marry at the moment? ”

"Of course, of course it's a monk."

"But men are all high-ranking officials and eunuchs, and they can't do anything about proposing marriage. Who in the inner courtyard can step into the door of the merchant? The monk has no relatives or elders, but he has no one to entrust him......"

Aunt Seventeen realized that she was happy for a long time, and the purpose of the Lu family to send such a generous gift was actually to ask her to go to the monk to propose marriage, not to her eldest sister and second girl, but to the two daughters of the Lu family......

Knowing what was going on, she trembled with anger for a long time, and then asked the man, "Then what should we do?" Do you really want to propose marriage for the Lu family? One by one, I won't go! ”

Huo Shiqi is a little indifferent. He has seen the two daughters of the Lu family, except for writing lyrics and poems, there is nothing outstanding, and it is unlikely that they will be favored by monks. He smiled and said, "I still have to mention it." If you have the opportunity, remember that I mean that if you have the opportunity, you can talk to the monk one by one, and it is also to return the love of the Lu family. Of course, there is no chance, so it can only be like this. Don't worry, it's okay, if the Lu family really has the heart to marry a good monk, they won't take it to heart if this thing is not successful, and it is of course a good thing, and it is not a bad thing if it is not successful. ”

"I'm not going!"