Shen Jue left in the carriage, and Shen Rui and Shen Quan walked home.

Shen Quan hesitated for a moment and said, "Do you need to let my mother go over and ask?" ”

Shen Rui shook his head and said, "Don't bother Auntie, it's nothing." When I was a child, I was also sent by car, isn't it older now? The third brother is not also a car. ”

Shen Quan shook his head and said, "How can it be the same?" It doesn't matter if you use it or not, or when you're ready to come out. Today is the first time you have come to the school after you have come out of the service, and you always have to put on the identity of the four-room sister-in-law, and it also seems respectful. I really don't know what your old An is thinking, you are her own grandson. ”

Shen Rui smiled indifferently, because the Zhang family deceived and sold the Sun family's dowry, Shen Juren had long hated the Zhang family. Zhang Lao'an's side was repeatedly asked by the Zhang family to be guilty, and he was coaxed after the last.

Even if Shen Juren couldn't bear it anymore and drove the Zhang family out of the fourth room, Zhang Lao'an still placed them in a two-entry small house behind his street. Uncle Zhang's two granddaughters didn't even go back with their families, but stayed with Zhang Laoan.

It is not difficult to guess the reason for the reconciliation between Zhang Lao'an and the Zhang family, and now no one in the Shen clan knows that Zhang Lao'an is a foolish person, and Shen Juren, who has always been filial, is no longer obedient. If the old lady leaves her mother's family aside, she can only be an idle old lady who squats in the back house and waits for death, and it is not easy to inquire about the news outside. The Zhang family is her hands and feet, as well as her eyes and ears.

No matter what this old lady does, as long as she doesn't provoke Shen Rui. Shen Li had already told Shen Rui before returning to Beijing that when he passed the children's examination, he would send him to Nanjian to study. After the township test, you can go to the capital. Even if it is Shen Rui's family affairs, there is no need to worry about being manipulated by Zhang Lao'an and Shen Juren, Shen Li has already told Shen Juren that he will not let him settle down early.

Thinking of the capital, Shen Rui couldn't help but think of Wang Shouren, and his eyes couldn't help but darken.

Since he hurriedly said goodbye in Kaifeng Mansion the year before last, Shen Rui has never seen Wang Shouren again, but the teacher and student have not been unfamiliar with each other, and they have exchanged letters from time to time. The longevity that accompanied Shen Rui for two and a half years was sent by Wang Shouren after he returned to Yuyao, and the longevity deed was also sent in a letter later.

At that time, Wang Shouren took care of the affairs of the Zhu family, stayed in Yuyao for a few months, and went to the capital at the end of the year to participate in the spring of the twelfth year of Hongzhi.

Wang Shouren will take the second exam, and the palace test paper was selected as the top ten, but he was not circled by the emperor as the first class, and the most Lu was set by the examiner as the last one, that is, the seventh in the second class. This ranking, even if it is some distance from the champion, can be regarded as high among the jinshi. Unexpectedly, in the regular examination, Wang Shouren was dismissed, lost the opportunity to enter Hanlin, and had no chance to enter the cabinet in the future.

In every Shuchang examination, the ones who are eligible to take the exam are the second-class jinshi and some of the third-class jinshi, Wang Shouren took the exam as the seventh in the second class, but he was not selected, if there is no cat greasy, Shen Rui does not believe it. However, who let Wang Shouren have a noble champion emperor father, even if those cabinet ministers are old, they also have sons-in-law protégés waiting to take over, and Wang Shouren can naturally be suppressed.

In Wang Shouren's letter, there was no resentment, but he was quite attentive after entering the Six Ministries to Govern, even the letter to Shen Rui also mentioned things like "talking about war on paper as a joke", and he felt that he was insufficient.

Shen Rui and Shen Quan were talking, and they arrived at the door of the house after a while.

Shen Rui said goodbye to Shen Quan and brought Liu Cheng and Changshou into the house.

After entering the house, Shen Rui paused and said to Changshou: "Liu Cheng is still young, and he only came out of the countryside again, I'm afraid that he will not be used to it in the house for a while, so you should take care of it more."

Liu Cheng and Changshou, although they served by Shen Rui's side, did not live with Shen Rui, but were placed by the housekeeper in the southwest courtyard where the single male servants were concentrated, and separated from the courtyard on the northwest side where Shen Rui was now located.

Changshou said: "Second brother, don't worry, the villain will protect Liu Cheng and won't let people bully him." Speaking of this, he hesitated for a moment and said, "The second brother is now surrounded by people who come from outside, and I am afraid that it will not be cheap in the future." ”

Shen Rui waved his hand and said, "It's okay, we won't live here for long." ”

As for things like subduing the slaves and maids of the four rooms, Shen Rui was not interested. Now he has an industry under his name and a backer behind him, and the four rooms of the Shen family are useless in his eyes. Even if there is no four-room family around to have children, there may be inconvenience in acting, and it is better than having other people's eyes and ears around him.

Changshou knew that although Shen Rui was young, he had an idea, so he stopped talking and sent Shen Rui to Fengyuan on East Road with Liu Cheng.

There are two small courtyards on the east road in the front yard of the Shen house, the second gate near the back is the Jinyuan where Shen Jin is located, and the courtyard wall facing the house in front of it is Shen Rui's current residence

The two courtyards before and after this are originally for the unmarried little brother or the place where the guests stay, so the courtyard is not big, and the house is not much, it is two small courtyards, the pattern is the same, they are three north rooms, three east rooms, and two south rooms. Because these two small courtyards were originally rebuilt as soon as they entered the courtyard, this courtyard is a little narrow, and it is not as spacious as the courtyard of the inner house.

Hearing the movement outside, a maid came out of the curtain in the north room, and a seventeen or eighteen-year-old maid came out, with a goose egg face, not tall, and a slightly plump body.

Changshou and Liu Cheng immediately felt a little obedient, and called for humanity: "Sister Dongxi."

Dong Xi said with a smile: "After serving the second brother for a day, the two of you are also working hard, don't be in a hurry to leave, I just steamed the osmanthus rice cake, you bring a plate over." ”

This Dongxi is not someone else, it is the old person Shen Rui knows, the little maid next door to the Guo family in the fifth room, when Shen Rui's filial piety period expired and returned to the Shen family, he was sent to Shen Rui together with Liu Ya. However, Dongxi's old owner is Guo's family, and Liu Ya's old owner is Shen Li and his wife. Before Shen Li and his wife went to Beijing, the Guo family, who entrusted Liu Ya, made a special trip to stay for Shen Rui.

Dongxi is eighteen this year, and he is already old, but Guo's meaning is also obvious. There is no idea of preparing a room for his nephew, and after two years, the little maid will be trained, Dongxi can be a married man and a housekeeper, and continue to serve Shen Rui, and there are no old adults around Shen Rui in the province. There is also Shen Rui's body bones, in the end, he was sick and weak, and before he grows up, let Dongxi recuperate and recuperate.

Because Shen Rui had already requested, Shen Li had sent money to Liu Ya's family so that her younger brother could have money to study. didn't want to be detained by her stepmother, so she added a few acres of land to the family.

Although the son is the mother's heart, but after all, she is a country woman, and her knowledge is shallow, even if she is willing to spend money to send her son to study, she does not believe that her son is really likely to get ahead, but feels that the land is steady. Because of the dispute between the field and the rich family in the village, Liu Ya's stepmother felt confident to speak and offend people, and she was not beaten, and Liu Ya's father was beaten and his leg was broken. Those few acres of land were sold out for treatment, and Liu Cheng also dropped out of the village school and went home, but the family was really poor.

Shen Li and his wife planned to let her go because of Liu Ya's good intentions and the fact that she had helped Shen Rui, but when they heard about the situation of Liu Ya's family, they extinguished this idea. With the knowledge of Liu Ya's stepmother, if Liu Ya goes home, she will be sold for the second time, and in order to have a few more worth of silver, most of them will be sold to a dirty place.

Liu Ya's stepmother, tossing the family like this, didn't think about her own mistakes, but thought that it was the silver sent back by Liu Ya to attract disaster, but hated Liu Ya. When Liu Ya took leave to go home to visit her family, she began to beat and scold. Liu Ya's lame old man seems to think so, and he didn't even stop it. It was Liu Cheng who came forward to save Liu Ya.

After Liu Ya's stepmother scolded her stepdaughter, she turned over the package brought back by Liu Ya, and even left the burden skin, and then ripped off the earrings of Liu Ya's belt and took off the bracelet. If it weren't for the name of the Shen family, Liu Ya would have to go back to the Shen family, and even take off her clothes. The robbery was not enough, and he viciously asked Liu Yayue for money, and asked her to send it home to buy rice and grain every month in the future.

Liu Ya was completely discouraged, but he was reluctant to give up his younger brother, before leaving, Liu Ya persuaded his younger brother to continue to study in the school at the entrance of the village, and he didn't have to worry about tuition fees. Liu Cheng mentioned to his sister the son of the old master in the school, from his teens to his teens, he was in Xiucai, he didn't know anything but to study, and now he is dragging his children and daughters, and he still relies on the bundle of his father. A child of his age in the village has already gone to the field, and he can go to school for a year, and he is already very content to know how to read.

Liu Cheng gave Liu Ya a cloth bag, which contained the bracelet and earrings she had been robbed of. He also told Liu Ya not to make people go home a little money, although the land behind the Liu family is gone, but the ancestral property is still there, and Liu's father is almost cured, even if he walks lame, he does not delay going to the field, where it will be to the point where he can't eat. On the contrary, Liu Ya is here, whether it is redeeming oneself or marrying someone, all need money.

Liu Cheng completely abandoned school, but Liu Ya never forgot it, and when he met Shen Rui and heard Shen Rui ask about her brother, he mentioned the matter.

Shen Rui didn't expect the Liu family to have such an accident, after all, it was caused by him entrusting Shen Li, and he felt a little uncomfortable. However, hearing Liu Ya mention her little brother, Shen Rui was quite interested, but he really didn't expect that such a family, a cowardly and incompetent father, and an ignorant and vicious stepmother, would have such a pair of generous children.

It just so happened that he also needed a scholar, and accepting Liu Cheng was considered to have fulfilled his promise to Liu Ya that year. The Liu family has only this one male, and he will not be sold into slavery; Shen Rui had the heart to fulfill Liu Ya, thinking about letting her younger brother go out to take the exam in the future, and he didn't think about putting people into slavery, but in order to prevent trouble for his parents, Shen Rui asked Changshou to accept people in the past, so he asked Liu Cheng to sign a fifteen-year long contract.

Liu Ya's parents were reluctant to have their son, but when they heard that they were following the little brother of the family to be a scholar, they were worth ten taels of silver, and they would have monthly money every month in the future, so they were busy responding.

It was Liu Cheng, who was a little reluctant because he was not worried about the few pigs he fed. Even when he saw his sister and brother, after the reunion of his sister and brother, he still muttered a few words. However, I heard that I could follow my brother to school, and maybe I would have a chance to try it in the future, so I couldn't help but be happy. Liu Ya knew that his younger brother was duplicitous before, and he was probably still willing to read.

The four people around Shen Rui made up the whole harmony like this, and none of them were born to the four-room family.

Now that Shen Rui is back in the fourth room, although there is no eyeliner around him, his eyes are black.

I didn't expect that it was only a day back, and Dongxi would be able to fire in the small courtyard. When Shen Rui heard this, he couldn't help but look at Dongxi in admiration. You must know that although there is a small stove in this courtyard, it is empty and there is nothing.

Changshou said: "Sister Xie Lu Xie Dongxi." ”

Liu Cheng also said happily: "Great, I'm not afraid of not being able to eat enough." ”

Shen Rui listened to something wrong, looked at Changshou and frowned: "What's the matter, you were bullied yesterday?" ”

The servants of the four rooms are divided into the cover room at the back of the house, the maids who are not married are all over the inner house, and the male servants are concentrated in the front yard across the courtyard.

Changshou replied: "It's not that I'm being bullied, it's just that there are all boys over there, grabbing food when eating." The villain and Xiaoyanagi just came, and they couldn't eat faster than others, so they ate a few bites less. ”

Shen Rui frowned and said, "No matter what, you can't be hungry." If they dare to bully you, don't hide it from me, bullying you is slapping me in the face; If it's just a kitchen or a housekeeper who wants to get stuck in oil and water, don't carry it, you look cheap. After that, he turned to Dong Xi and said, "Take a few strings of money and longevity." When you're done, say it. The latter sentence is about longevity.

Dong Xi responded, turned around and entered the house, and then took out a few strings of money and handed it to Changshou

Shen Rui saw that the courtyard was quiet and asked, "Where are the willow buds?" ”

Dong Xi replied: "Lao An sent a message to call him, saying that he wanted to add people to the yard and asked Liu Ya to bring people over to ......" Speaking of this, there was a sad look in his eyes, but he glanced at Liu Cheng next to him and didn't say much.

Shen Rui knew in his heart, and asked Liu Ya to fill the osmanthus rice cake, and sent Changshou and Liu Cheng out, Fang asked, "How long have you been there?" ”

Dongxi replied: "It is estimated that there will be two quarters of an hour, why don't you go and see it?" ”

Shen Rui shook his head and said, "Don't worry, you shouldn't punish Liu Ya." Your identity with Liu Ya is not here. ”

The deeds of these two people are in Shen Rui's hands, but they are still under the banner of "given by the elderly" to the outside world. Yesterday, Shen Rui brought these people back, and Zhang Lao'an heard that it was a gift from his relatives, and there was a master behind him, so he was a little unhappy, and he also stabbed a few words on his mouth, full of disgust. But when Mrs. Hao, who was beside her, recognized Liu Ya and said it in her ear, she showed her horror.

Three years ago, Liu Ya was just a little maid who had just entered the Shen family for a few months, and where could she have the opportunity to know about other **, only the one that was frozen and hungry Shen Rui.

Three years ago, Zhang Lao'an beat Wang's mother and Liu Ya dozens of boards on the night of Shen Ruijian's clansmen and sold them to passing boats. was chased back by Shen Li.

Shen Ruiyin was grateful for Liu Ya's help and Wang's mother's kindness, so he asked Shen Li to help take care of the two, thinking that these two could be used in the future. However, before Shen Lilin went to Beijing, Shen Lifang told Shen Rui the truth.

Zhang Lao'an made people sell Wang's mother and Liu Ya, and the thing they wanted to cover up was not only freezing and starving Shen Rui, but also one thing that was not easy for people to know.

It turned out that after Shen Rui was hit by the board, although he fainted and had injuries on his thighs, it was not serious. After all, in the eyes of the servants who executed, he was the only sister-in-law in the fourth room, and he was the heart and soul of Lao Anren, who would really beat people under the board. The reason why he fainted for three days before waking up, and was later diagnosed with cold air entering his body, was not only because there was not enough charcoal fire in the house in those days, but because Zhang Lao'an instructed Wang's mother to open the window one night on the night he was beaten, not to kill Shen Rui, but to cause his condition to worsen.

Shen Rui listened to it at the time and was stunned for a while. Only he himself understands that the consequences of that night were definitely not to leave him sick, but to really ask for his life, so that he woke up. Because of this, Shen Li had already died of the heart of letting Shen Rui and Zhang Laoan "get along", so he made a plan for him, hoping that he could leave Sifang as soon as possible.

No matter what happened to Wang's mother later, it was she who "aided and abused" in front, and the original capital crime could be avoided and the living crime was unforgivable, but she was old and suffered this board again, and Shen Li only expelled her from the matter.

Shen Rui also has a long memory because of this. Those who do not look good are good people, and those who are not always good people will not do evil, and people's hearts are changeable.

Zhang Lao'an called Liu Ya over alone, most of them were to talk about it, and there should be no punishment or anything like that. Now in this family, Zhang Lao'an is still Zhang Lao'an, but he has become a "housewife" from the old housewife, and he no longer has the prestige of three years ago

Shen Rui was thinking about it when he heard a slightly chaotic sound of footsteps coming from the door...