When Pei Yan sat absentmindedly in the conference hall, Pei Tong had already walked to the wing room where he lived.

Before he could enter the gate of the courtyard, he heard a giggle.

Pei Tong lives in this courtyard with his younger brother Pei Fei, his second uncle Pei Xuan, and his little cousin Pei Hong.

His second uncle and third uncle are two completely different types of people. If his third uncle is a summer day, then his second uncle is a winter day. When my grandfather left, the second uncle not only didn't fight with the third uncle, but also maintained the friendship between brothers everywhere, even their long house, and they also got a lot of care from the second uncle, otherwise he and his brother would definitely have a much more difficult time than now.

Listening to this voice, he knew that it was mostly six-year-old Pei Hong playing with the little ones in the yard.

Pei Tong felt irritable in his heart.

When his father died, Pei Fei was just twelve years old, and he was also a child who didn't know anything about the world, but he already knew that they didn't have a father, and he sensibly knew how to comfort his mother who cried all night, and knew how to study hard and help him do things.

The naïve and ignorant nature of the past is gone.

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but feel slightly wet in his eyes.

But thinking of the third uncle's attitude towards their orphans and widows, he secretly sneered in his heart a few times, changed his face with a smile, and then pushed the door and walked in.

"Big young master!" A few little guys who were playing with Pei Hong saw him and immediately stepped forward to salute him, and Pei Hong also happily shouted "big brother" to him.

Pei Tong smiled gently and touched the top of Pei Hong's head, and said, "Why are you still playing in the yard at this time?" What about your nurse? Sweating? Beware of catching a cold. It's in the mountains, and it's not easy to find a doctor if you catch a cold. The last sentence was said to a few little guys who played with Pei Hong.

A few of the little guys bowed their heads in awe and agreed in unison.

The scene of laughter just now suddenly became solemn and sluggish.

Pei Hong's face turned red, and the corners of his mouth were about to say something, when the second master, Pei Xuan, walked out of the hall with a smile with a half-flipped book, and said, "Ah Tong is back!" Don't be angry, I agreed to play with Ah Hong for a while. I'll be watching from the hall, and nothing will happen. ”

Pei Tong smiled embarrassedly and said, "It's me who is reckless!" ”

"It's okay! It's okay! Pei Xuan smiled, patted Pei Tong's shoulder, and said, "You are the eldest brother, and this is exactly how it should be." That's what your father did to me back then. ”

As soon as his words fell, both of them looked slightly gloomy.

After a while, Pei Xuancai sighed softly and said: "Don't think about it too much, your third uncle is arrogant and disdainful to explain to others, but he definitely has no bad intentions, he is in charge, he can't just take care of our house, you have to look at the overall situation, you are his nephew, you should understand him and support him." ”

"I know!" Pei Tong said in a low voice, obviously very depressed, "So my uncle wrote to ask me, and I didn't say anything." After speaking, as if he remembered something, he suddenly cheered up, smiled brightly at Pei Xuan, and said loudly, "The heavens will descend on the people, and they must first work hard and work their muscles and bones." Second uncle, don't worry, I won't be defeated by this little ordeal in front of me. I will definitely study hard, like my father, I will be named on the gold list, and I will be crowned an official. ”

"Hmm!" Pei Xuan smiled at him encouragingly, but just a closer look revealed that his smile was a little stiff. It's a pity that Pei Tong is also inconsistent at the moment, and his thoughts are heavy, where will he observe Pei Xuan carefully? He only heard Pei Xuan say to him, "Where have you been?" Why did you come back so late? ”

Pei Tong said with a smile: "Master Gu is here, please come over and talk for a while, it's too late to come back." ”

Pei Xuan was very happy to hear this, and said: "Master Gu is very good in both knowledge and personality, since you have the opportunity, you should ask him for more advice." Speaking of this, he pondered for a moment and said, "I still have a good Duan Yan here, and when I have someone take it to you, you can give it to Master Gu." He is your eldest brother, and he will have to deal with him in the future, and it is not strange to have many people, let's take the initiative, and people will marry their sister, and they can be more down-to-earth. ”

His second uncle is really an honest man!

Pei Tong couldn't help laughing softly: "Second uncle, no wonder others say that you value your second aunt, it seems that I will follow you to learn more in the future." ”

Pei Xuan smiled and patted Pei Tong's back hard, and said with a smile: "You stinky boy, you dare to make fun of your uncle, you can write 10,000 big characters for me later!" ”

Pei Tong hurriedly smiled and begged for mercy: "Don't dare anymore!" ”

The uncle and nephew talked and laughed for a while, Pei Xuan hugged his sweaty son and went back to the house, and Pei Tong also went back to the west wing behind the main house where he and his brother were located.

It's just that before he could push the door, the door creaked open, revealing Pei Fei's childish but somewhat heroic face.

"Brother, you're back!" He said happily, "I've been listening to the movement outside, and if you don't come back, I'm going to look for you." ”

Pei Tong affectionately hugged his younger brother, who had just reached his shoulder, and said, "Aren't I coming back?" Have you done your homework? Why didn't you hang out with Hong? ”

Pei Fei welcomed his brother into the house, signaled the little guy who was close to him to fetch water to change Pei Tong's clothes, and muttered in a low voice: "I don't like to play with Ah Hong, he doesn't understand anything, I still have to let him!" ”

Pei Tong's hand holding the handkerchief stiffened, and then he smiled casually: "Then you can stay in the wing room and do your homework." A manly man, or the most important thing is his studies. ”

Pei Fei nodded approvingly.

Pei Tong freshened up, changed his clothes, and told his younger brother to stay in the house: "I'll go and say hello to my mother." ”

Mrs. Pei Da because Pei You and the host of Zhaoming Temple are friends outside the party, and she was treated differently by the host of Zhaoming Temple, she did not live in the West Zen room with her son, nor did she live in the East Zen room with Pei Laoan, but lived in a quiet room vacated by the host of Zhaoming Temple, not far from here.

This is also the reason why Yu Tang came for several days but did not see Mrs. Pei.

Pei Fei said happily when he heard this: "I'm going too." ”

Pei Tong didn't stop him, and took his brother to his mother's residence.

Mrs. Pei was copying Buddhist scriptures under the lamp, and when she saw her two sons coming together, she put down the pen with a smile, accepted their salute, and asked them, "It's so late, why did you two come over?" Is there anything that matters? ”

Pei Tong shook his head with a smile, but the corner of his eye inadvertently swept over his mother's sideburns and found that a silver light flashed.

All of a sudden he forgot to answer his mother's words.

If he was not mistaken, Mother ...... I don't know when gray hair has come out of my head.

He had a sour nose.

My mother is not yet forty years old!

If the father is still alive, how can the mother grow gray hair when she is held in the palm of her hand like a jewel by her father?

He muttered, "Ah Niang, I went to see Gu Chaoyang today." ”

Mrs. Pei glanced at her eldest son and hinted that he should not say this in front of Pei Fei.

Pei Tong obediently stopped the topic, gossiped with her mother and younger brother for a while, and waited until the eldest lady found an excuse to support Pei Fei to get them snacks, her face sank, and said, "Gu Chaoyang is here in Lin'an?" What is he looking for in you? ”

He said that the third uncle told him that his father had left his last words before he died...... "Pei Tong told the eldest wife about the scene of the two meeting.

The eldest lady immediately jumped up, patted the table and said, "Pei Yan is a fart!" When your father died, although I was not at the bedside, I inquired about the scene of your father before his death. He didn't have time to say a word...... I didn't have time to say a word,...... she said, remembering the scene of that day, and couldn't help but cry bitterly, "Your father, how unwilling! You are not in front of him, your brother is not in front of him, and I am not in front of him......"

Pei Tong asked a question that he had always been suspicious of: "When my father died, I happened to be in the academy, and Ah Fei was sent by my grandfather to deliver things to my third uncle, why are you not by my father's side?" Although my father was suddenly ill, he should have felt unwell before he died. He's not feeling well, shouldn't he go to his mother? Why did you find your grandfather instead? ”

Even at this time, there was something he didn't dare to ask.

His grandfather is the suzerain of the clan, and he will not leave Lin'an when he is idle, and his father has just been promoted to the Ministry of Works, and he is about to enter the cabinet, but when the spring breeze is proud, his grandfather suddenly came to Beijing quietly, and even the third uncle did not know. And after his father's death, his grandfather did not send his father's coffin south, he can understand that it was unlucky for Chang Pei to give a funeral to his younger generation, but his grandfather lived in the temple the day after his father's death, and ordered the third uncle to help the coffin go south, and the second uncle returned to his hometown for the funeral, but his grandfather quietly returned to Lin'an as he came.

In the past, he just felt that his grandfather's white-haired man sent black and white people, and he couldn't stand it, and he couldn't see his father's coffin, but now it seems that there are strange things everywhere.

Especially his third uncle, who actually said that it was his father's last words to let him study at home for ten years before taking the imperial examination.

In that case, why didn't he say it in front of his clan when his mother wanted to send him back to his grandfather's house to study?

Pei Tong's chest was like a big stone being pressed, and he looked at his mother with burning eyes.

The eldest lady was stunned, and it took a while to come back to her senses, her eyes showed a little panic, and she stumbled: "Yes, yes!" Your father is not feeling well, why don't you look for me, you want to find your grandfather. Your father has been promoted, and he may become the person with the highest rank in the Pei family's dynasty, and your father and I are both elated. But when your grandfather came, he was not happy at all. He must have thought that your father was disobedient and broke the rules of his ancestors. If your father doesn't become a sect son, the Pei family will either have to re-elect the sect house, or you will have to choose one of your second or third uncles to inherit the family business. But your second uncle can't do it, he only has no idea; Your third uncle was having a good time with Jiang Hua at that time, and a small Congqipin could actually set up a positive Sanpin, saying that your third uncle has a great future, and he will surpass your father in the future, and his career is unlimited. But your grandfather didn't say a word, so he asked your third uncle to take leave and help the coffin go south...... Besides, isn't your father without a son? What about your sons? If your grandfather wants to favor your third uncle, he should let him stay in the capital......"