The wind had stopped, but the air was still as cold as before. The night came, but it did not bring darkness. Above is a gray sky, and below is a stone floor piled with snow. A large patio was covered with snow. In the middle is a raised aisle of square stone slabs, with pots of plum blossoms on each side of the aisle, and snow on the branches.

Juemin walked in front, just walked up the first stone steps of the left wing, and was about to cross the threshold to enter, when a girl's voice shouted under the upper left window: "Second young master, third young master, you came back just in time." Just eating. Please hurry up, there are still guests inside. The maidservant who spoke, Ming Feng, was a sixteen-year-old girl with a braid hanging from the back of her head, and a blue cotton jacket wrapped around her slender body. The melon-seed-shaped face was also plump, and when she smiled and spoke, two dimples appeared on her cheeks. She flashed two bright eyes and looked at them innocently. Juehui smiled at her from behind.

"All right, we'll come with our umbrellas," replied Kyawmin, striding onto the threshold without looking at her.

"Mingfeng, what kind of guest?" Jue Hui also stepped on the stone steps and stood on the threshold and asked.

"Mrs. Gu and Miss Qin. Hurry up," she said, turning and walking towards the upper room.

Juehui looked at her back and smiled. He saw her back disappear through the upper door, and then entered his room. Juemin was walking out of the room and said, "What are you talking to Mingfeng?" Hurry up and eat, I'm afraid I'll finish the meal if I have any more. Juemin finished speaking and walked outside.

"Okay, I'll just go with you, but my clothes aren't wet yet, so I don't have to change them," replied Juehui, who dropped his umbrella on the floor and walked out at once.

"You always don't like to clean up, you talk about you repeatedly, but you don't listen. It's really easy to change, but it's hard to change! Juemin complained, but he still had a smile on his face. He turned around and went into the room again, picked up the umbrella, opened it, and carefully placed it on the floor.

"What's the solution?" Jue Hui watched him do all this from the door, and said with a smile, "My temperament will always be like this. It's ridiculous that you are urging me to hurry, but the result is that you delay time. ”

"You're always hard-mouthed, I can't talk about you!" Juemin smiled and walked forward.

Jue Hui still followed his brother with a smile. The shadow of a young girl appeared in his mind, but it disappeared again as he entered the upper room, and a new sight changed before his eyes.

There were six people sitting around a square table, with his stepmother Zhou and aunt Mrs. Zhang sitting on it, cousin Qin and sister-in-law Li Ruijue of the Zhang family sitting on the left, eldest brother Juexin and sister Shuhua sitting below, and the two seats on the right were empty. He and Kyawmin saluted their aunt, greeted Jean, and sat down on the two empty seats. The maid sister-in-law Zhang hurriedly brought two bowls of rice.

"Why did you come back like this today? If it weren't for my aunt to play, we would have eaten a long time ago," Zhou said softly with a bowl.

"Mr. Zhu taught us to practice acting this afternoon, so we didn't come back until this time," Juemin replied.

"It was snowing heavily just now, and it must have been very cold outside, did you come back in a sedan chair?" Mrs. Zhang asked half-concernedly, half-politely.

"No, we came back from walking, we never sat in a sedan chair!" Juehui heard that he was sitting in a sedan chair, so he said anxiously.

"The third brother has always been afraid of people saying that he sits in a sedan chair, and he is a humanitarian," Juexin explained with a smile; Everyone laughed.

"It's not too cold outside. The wind has stopped. We talked along the way, and we were very comfortable," Juemin politely replied to his aunt's question.

"Second cousin, did you just say that you were acting when you were preparing for the entertainment party? When does the amusement show in your school open? Jean asked Juemin. Jean is the same year as Juemin, but he is only a few months younger than him, so he calls him his cousin. Jean is a nickname. Her name is Zhang Yunhua. In the Gao family, people like to call her "piano". She is the most beautiful and lively girl among the relatives of the Gao family, and she is now a third-grade day student of a provincial first female teacher.

"Probably next spring, at the start of the next semester. There will only be one more week of classes this semester. Sister Qin, when is your school closed? Juemin asked.

"Our school was closed last week. It's because of the lack of funds, so I got out of school early," Jean replied, and she had already put down her job.

"Now the education funds are diverted to the military expenses. Every school is equally poor. However, our school is a little different, because our principal has a contract with a foreign teacher, and whether the class is attended or not, the salary is always paid according to the contract, and it is cheaper to have a few more days of classes. …… It is said that the Headmaster has a relationship with the Overseers, so it is easier to get the money," Juemin explained. He also put down the dishes and chopsticks, and Ming Feng twisted a handkerchief and brought it to him.

"That's good, as long as you have a book to read, you don't care about anything else," Juexin interjected next to him.

"I forgot, what kind of school did they enter?" Mrs. Zhang suddenly asked Qin.

"Mom's memory is really bad," Kotoi replied with a smile, "and they went to a college Chinese other than that." I told my mom a long time ago. ”

"You're right. I'm old now, my memory is broken, and I forgot to play cards once today," Mrs. Zhang said with a smile.

By this time, everyone had put down the bowl and wiped their faces. Zhou said to Mrs. Zhang, "Sister, let's go and sit in my room," so he pushed away the chair and stood up. All the people stood up in unison and walked to the next room.

Qin walked behind, and Juemin walked up to her and whispered to her, "Sister Qin, our school will recruit girls next summer." ”

She turned her head in surprise, her face full of light, and her big watery eyes glared at his face, as if she had received great news.

"Really?" She asked, a little disbelieving. She suspected that he was joking with her.

"Of course it's true. When do you see when I lied? Juemin said solemnly, looked back at Juehui who was standing next to him, and added: "If you don't believe it, you can ask the third brother." ”

"I didn't say I didn't believe you, but the good news came too suddenly," Jean said with an excited smile.

"There are things, but it's still a question of whether they can be implemented," Jue Hui said next to him. "There are too many people in our Sichuan society who defend the Tao. Their power is still very strong. They will definitely object. Co-educational, they never even dreamed of it in their lives! He said, looking indignant.

"It doesn't matter much! As long as our principal is determined," said Kyawmin, "our principal said that if no female student signed up for the exam, he would ask his wife to be the first to sign up." ”

"No, I'm the first to sign up!" Jean seemed to be inspired by a great ideal, she said enthusiastically.

"Qin'er, why don't you come in? What are you talking about when you stand in the doorway? Mrs. Zhang called inside.

"Go and tell your aunt that you come to our house and play tricks, and I'll tell you in detail about it," Juemin whispered to the court.

Qin nodded silently, walked towards her mother, and said two or three words in her mother's ear, Mrs. Zhang smiled and said, "Okay, but don't delay for a long time." Jean nodded, walked towards Brother Juemin, and walked out of the upper room with them. As soon as she walked out the door, she heard the sound of mahjong tiles grinding on the table. She knew her mother would have to play at least four rounds of mahjong.