The snow had been falling for a whole day, and it was still drifting sporadically at night, looking down from the third floor of the dock fort, the roof of the ancestral hall was thick with a layer of snow, and the four floors of the southeast, northwest, and northwest of the circular compound had swept out a path without snow, and the four paths intersected when approaching the gate of the dock fort -

Looking beyond the eaves of the dock fort, the distant mountains and trees are all white, and further up, there is a vast, infinite, deep and deep night sky.

After dinner, Chen Caozhi stood on the verandah and leisurely for a while, then went to his mother's room to talk, and since he returned home at noon, the fourth uncle came to talk with him for a long time, and he never had the opportunity to talk to his mother.

Chen's mother, Li, was weak and afraid of the cold, so she got on the four-screen curtain bed early, covered with a thick jacket, half-leaning and half-lying, and the group ribbon tied with the tent curtain on the account fell down, Run'er sat next to her grandmother, reaching out and gently touching the group ribbon to play.

Chen Caozhi and Zongzhi sat on the eaves in front of the big bed, Yinggu, Xiaochan, and Qingzhi sat on the side, a two-core copper bull lamp rested on the low table in front of the bed, the light was yellow and soft, staring at the wick for a long time, a rainbow-like aura would appear in front of them-

Chen Caozhi told his mother about seeing his sister-in-law Ding Youwei at Ding's villa last night, Zongzhi and Run'er were so envious, saying that the two of them hadn't seen their mother-in-law for three months, Run'er asked: "Uncle ugly, does your mother want Run'er and Brother Don't you want to?" ”

Chen Caozhi asked: "What does Run'er think?" ”

Run'er immediately nodded and said, "I think about it, just like Run'er and Brother miss their mother." ”

The words were all said by his sister, and Zongzhi nodded vigorously on the side.

Chen Caozhi said: "Your mother also sewed new clothes for Uncle Ugly to bring, and there are other gifts, but I can't give them to you now, I have to wait for the morning of the first day of the first lunar month, and you will see it as soon as you wake up." ”

The two little guys tapped their mouths lightly, looking very expectant, but no one made a fuss about looking at the gift now, Run'er asked Zongyi: "It's only twenty-one days, isn't it, brother?" ”

Zong Zhiying said: "Yes, we will soon be able to see the gifts given to us by our mother." ”

Chen Caozhi said: "Uncle Ugly also has a gift for you, you will see it when you wake up tomorrow morning." ”

The two children were so happy that they cried to go to bed, because bedtime passed quickly, and it was tomorrow when they closed their eyes and opened them again.

Chen's mother, Li, had something to say to Cao Zhi, so she asked Xiaochan and Qingzhi to take Zongzhi and Run'er to sleep first, and only the old girl Huanyinggu was still by her side.

Chen's mother Li said: "Ugly child, you should tell your mother about going to Wu County to study." ”

Chen Caozhi didn't want his mother to worry about him, he only talked about studying, making friends and apprentices, not mentioning Chu Jian's father and son, and said that Taishou Lu Na appreciated him-

Chen's mother Li Shi was pleased: "Back then, your brother was also appreciated by Lu Taishou, who was a special driver in the state and a state zhongzheng, and he was really a rare sage who did not despise others because of his family." ”

After another conversation, Chen Caozhi knew that his mother had always gone to bed early and got up early, so he asked his mother to rest early, and was about to quit, but he heard his mother say: "Ugly child, wait a minute, my mother still has something to ask you." ”

Chen Caozhi sat back on the eaves of the box in front of the bed and listened to his mother's questioning.

Chen's mother, Li, took her son's hand and patted it gently on the back of her hand, but asked, "Ugly, how old are you after the New Year?" Seeing her son's stunned eyes widen, Chen's mother Li herself laughed, and asked herself: "Well, sixteen years old, this year's Wuwu year, next year's year, my son is born in the beginning of the winter of Jiachen year, and he will be sixteen years old next year, my mother sees that you are almost as tall as your brother now, and you will grow up——"

Chen Caozhi heard his mother talk to him about this, and vaguely guessed what his mother wanted to say, so he couldn't help but be a little anxious, and said: "Yes, the child was born in Dongyue, and he has just turned fourteen years old, and he is still very young." ”

Chen's mother, Li, looked at her son with a smile and said: "It's not too small, you are the pillar of my West Building Chen, ugly, my mother asked you a word - Feng Lingbo, the daughter of Feng County, you have seen it, I heard that you met their family of three at the ferry on the day you went to Wu County, what do you think of the Feng girl?" ”

Chen Caozhi said: "Sure enough, it's for this." said: "Mother, my son is not a disciple, how can I stare at other people's little ladies!" ”

Chen's mother Li smiled: "It doesn't matter if you look at it, my mother knows that you are assertive, so Feng's wife Sun wants to marry my Chen family, I didn't agree immediately, saying that it is still young, and it is not too late to discuss marriage when it is officially completed next year, and you will go to the county in March next year to officially finalize the product, and my mother doesn't want you to be distracted." ”

Chen Caozhi said happily: "Mother is really good, she thinks carefully for her son, she doesn't plan to consider marriage for the time being, next year's order is the most important, although she has all the permanent servants and Lu Taishou appreciation, but there are also jealous and jealous people who can't see your son getting ahead." ”

Chen's mother Li stroked the back of her son's hand and said: "Mother knows that it is not easy for you, and my mother lets you make up your own mind, but my mother thinks that Feng Lingbo is really good, although her appearance is not very good, but she is also a very smart girl with clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, and she is knowledgeable." Seeing that Chen Caozhi was silent, he said: "Don't forget to visit Fengfu after the New Year, you must always come and go." ”

Chen Caozhi agreed, said goodbye to his mother, withdrew from his mother's bedroom, and stood alone on the verandah for a while, feeling the warmth of the winter night in Wubao.

About half of the more than 100 rooms in the ring-shaped dock fort are illuminated, and they are the people of the Qiantang Chen clan who read, gossip, become female celebrities, and play games under the lamp......

Compared with the poor households, the Qiantang Chen family is rich in food and clothing, there are nearly 4,000 acres of land, in recent years, between Jiuyao Mountain and Yuhuang Mountain, the Chen family has a bumper harvest every year, the saline-alkali field that was originally a lower grade is fertile year by year, and the Chen clan is smiling.

However, in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, where the merger of the wealthy families of the Shi clan became a trend, the Chen family's land property may be invaded by foreign surnames at any time, and the last time the Lu master wanted to suppress the Chen family by improving the grade of the Chen family's granting land, if it were not for Ge Hong's intervention, the situation of the Qian Tang Chen family would be extremely difficult.

Chen Caozhi thought, since he lives in this era, if he wants to make himself, his family, and his clan live a stable life, he must obtain the status of a scholar, as for other rulers of the world, that is a later story, and now even his own people cannot guarantee to live and work in peace and contentment, let alone others!

However, if you want to be promoted from a cold gate to a scholar clan through a legitimate way, it is no different from a carp jumping over the dragon gate, and it is so difficult to turn into a dragon and ascend to the sky!

Chen Caozhi didn't want to marry the Feng family, in addition to having no affection for the strange Feng Lingbo, another reason was that he didn't want to put a heavy shackle on himself, and last time he told his mother that he wanted to marry a scholar girl like his sister-in-law-

The identity of the scholars, the book valve and the book world are of course the key, but the status of the in-laws is also very important, the cold door to the cold family, the scholar family to the scholar family, and if the cold family and the scholar family marry, the status of the cold family will naturally improve, which is also an important reason why the Qian Tang Chen family is second to none in the county's cold family, and the children of the Chen family can marry the Ding girl is indeed high.

Chen Caozhi asked himself in his heart: "Chen Caozhi, are you snobbish like this?" Looking up at the night sky after the snow, the clouds had dispersed, and there were cold stars twinkling, he replied: "Maybe snobbish, because I live in the world, I can't marry a Feng girl just to show that I am not snobbish, if I really want to do that, why should I work so hard, it's okay to live in seclusion, but Tao Yuanming is also helpless to live in seclusion!" ”

"Xiao Langjun, there's wind on the corridor, isn't it cold to stand for so long? Come on in. ”

Xiaochan held a goose fish lamp, stood at the door of the study, and said.

Chen Caoyi smiled, put aside those thoughts, followed Xiaochan into the study, and asked, "Why hasn't Sister Xiaochan slept yet?" ”

Xiaochan said: "It's still early, I can't sleep, after serving Run'er to fall asleep, I will come to the study to see if you have anything to order?" ”

Chen Caozhi said: "I'm tired today, I don't read at night, by the way, I also brought back a small gift for Sister Xiaochan and Sister Qingzhi, will I also give it to you tomorrow morning?" ”

Xiaochan smiled: "Am I a child, don't forget Xiaolangjun, I'm six years older than you." He smiled again: "It's late now, let's give it tomorrow, Xiaolangjun rest early, the bed is already warm." ”

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