The eldest lady ignored her, turned her head and instructed Caidie: "You go and take out the zither carved with the pattern of mountains and flowing water on the box." ”

Caidie answered, and after a while, she came out with a long and narrow wooden box.

The eldest lady motioned for her to open it, and said to Zhao Ruyu: "The Beijing Women's Academy you entered, your classmates are all from famous families, and they are not famous pianos, but they are very valuable. Although our Hou Mansion is not as good as in the past, it is not that it can't take out a decent piano, which makes people laugh. You are right to humble your sister's behavior, but you still don't think about it. ”

She motioned to Caidie to close the box: "Help Shu, give the guzheng to Mama Liu, and bring back the box that Caidie took for your girl." ”

Mama Liu is the mother-in-law who manages the warehouse.

Fu Shu glanced at Zhao Ruyu, agreed, and changed the guzheng according to his words.

Zhao Ruyu showed an uneasy look: "Auntie, what you said is certainly reasonable, but I picked this zither, what should I do with my sister?" ”

The inside of this box is the best zither in the warehouse. Isn't it that the eldest lady looks at her unpleasantly and wants her to bear her notoriety?

"I forced you to change it, and no one else can gossip about you." The eldest lady said, "As for your sister, I still have the old pianos used by the eldest girl and the second girl in my private library, so I'll let her pick one in my private library." ”

She didn't wait for Zhao Ruyu to say anything, so she said to Xu Xi gently: "Don't worry about the piano first, let's look at the pen, paper and paint with Ruyu first." After a while, I went to the big room with my aunt and looked at the piano used by your eldest sister and second sister, and you were not satisfied. ”

Xu Xi naturally knew that Zhu's actions were biased in her favor. She hurriedly smiled and said, "Okay, then I'll wait to see the good things that my aunt has hidden." ”

The eldest lady smiled: "What good things? It's just old stuff used by your two sisters. I can't have any more daughters, so I'd better use it for you than to leave it moldy. Just don't dislike it's old. ”

"How so? I'm afraid I'll spoil it. Xu Xi said with a smile.

The two of them laughed and walked to the warehouse on the other side. This storeroom is full of small and delicate things, which are placed on shelves in boxes.

The eldest lady motioned for Caidie to open it for Xu Xi and Zhao Ruyu to show and let them choose.

There are more than one pen, paper and paint, so this time you don't need to be humble, just choose what you need.

The two not only brought the big maid, but also the two little maids under their names. After picking them, let them hold them, and when they are almost done, let them go back and come back when they have put their things away.

After selecting these, the eldest lady said: "Although there are books in the house that you need, they are all old books used by the masters, and they are not suitable for you." Tomorrow I will have people go to the bookstore outside to buy new ones, and when the time comes, I will deliver them to your courtyard. ”

"Thank you, auntie." Zhao Ruyu saluted her, "In this way, I will lead the maid back first." ”

"Go ahead." The eldest lady waved her hand and watched Zhao Ruyu leave, and then beckoned Xu Xi, "Let's go." Sister Xi hasn't been to the yard of our big house yet, has she? Go over and play with your aunt. ”

Xu Xi didn't move, and said, "Auntie, I think I'm still going to choose a guzheng in the warehouse." Our classmates there are from very ordinary backgrounds, and it is enough to have an ordinary qin, and no one will laugh at me that my guzheng is not a famous qin. ”

Without waiting for the eldest lady to speak, she said again: "The main thing is that I am a beginner, and my hands are not light or heavy, and I can use the piano well." Just pick a normal piano in the storeroom. When I learn well, how about you give me a good piano, auntie? I'll keep it in your storeroom when I put it in your storeroom. ”

"Alas, you kid." The eldest lady glanced at Xu Xi with disgust, "It's also more honest." ”

She understood what Xu Xi meant.

She is now protecting Xu Xi and treating Xu Xi differently, in Xu Xi's opinion, it should be because of that speculation, and she thinks that she may be her own child, so she is very good to her. But in the end, if it is confirmed that the guess is wrong, wouldn't the things she gave now become a hot potato in Xu Xi's hands?

"My aunt gave you something, not because of anything else, but because you voted for my temperament. The eldest aunt likes your straightforwardness, so she is willing to give you something, it's as simple as that, you just take it. ”

She thought for a moment, "But what you said makes sense. Anyway, there is a guzheng in the treasury of the Hou Mansion that belongs to you, so you go and pick one. As for the things that the eldest aunt gave you, they are from the eldest aunt's private treasury, and they have nothing to do with the share, you just have to take them. You can use it when you learn it later. You don't have to ask me again, I don't want to keep it for you. ”

Xu Xi felt that what the eldest aunt said was really reasonable, so he didn't refuse, went to the warehouse to pick a one that he was satisfied with, and asked Yicui to send it back with Dianjiang who was holding a pen and paper, and took Qingfeng to the courtyard of the big house.

"Jingtai, don't be naughty, give me something quickly." Before he entered the courtyard, he heard a young man's voice coming from inside.

Xu Xi had a good memory and heard that this was Zhao Jingli's voice.

"If you don't give, if you don't give, you don't give." A child's peculiar voice sounded, and as soon as he heard this tone, he knew that the child was not good, and he was very bad.

The eldest lady's pace sped up a little, Xu Xi followed into the courtyard, and saw Zhao Jingtai running in front of him with something in his hand, and Zhao Jingli followed closely behind.

The mother-in-law guarding the door saw the eldest lady coming in, as if she saw a savior, and hurriedly called loudly: "The eldest lady, are you back?" ”

Zhao Jingli was stunned, turned his head, and saw Zhu entering the door, quickly stopped, turned back to Zhao Jingtai and shouted, "Jingtai, my mother is back." ”

"Again, you don't want to lie to me."

Zhao Jingtai didn't believe it at all, put the things in his hand to his mouth and chattered, climbed a tree like a monkey with flexible movements, and climbed until he stood still at a place where he was one person high, feeling that Zhao Jingli couldn't catch him, so he turned around and grimaced at him: "Come up, you come up." ”

Seeing this, the eldest lady stroked her forehead with her hand, her face full of helplessness: "This kid really went to the house to lift the tiles without beating for a day, and his skin was boundless." ”

Xu Xi looked at the bear child who was standing on the tree and still doing various shapes, and finally understood what the eldest lady said on the way back to the Hou Mansion.

Because of the obstruction of the leaves, Zhao Jingtai did not notice the eldest lady and Xu Xi, took the things in his mouth and opened it, and began to read the words on it aloud: "She lowered her head, her face was full of shyness, and after a long time, she came over and untied Lin Ershao's clothes with a trembling hand, and said in her mouth: 'Master, the slave is waiting for you to go to bed. ’”

"Don't read it, don't read it." Zhao Jingli was startled when he heard him read it, ran over with a flushed face, lifted the hem of his clothes and climbed up the tree, and threatened in his mouth, "If you read it again, I will publicize the matter of your bedwetting some time ago." ”