Because it was the first meeting after the year, the elders had to give a group of juniors New Year's money.

After the lively and lively greetings, Gu Zhixian and Mrs. Gu led everyone to see Mrs. Gu.

Mrs. Ming asked the little maid at home to carry the box containing medicinal herbs and official swallows into the house, and then put the box on the kang table with her own hands, "... Sister, this is what the old sister specially found to make up for you, you must accept it. ”

Mingyue helped open the box, and when Mrs. Gu saw the contents inside, she hurriedly waved her hand and refused, "This is too precious, old sister, you better take it back and keep it for yourself." ”

Although she is an old rural lady who can't read a lot of big words, she can raise a clean official like Gu Zhixian with clean sleeves, and her own character can be seen.

Mrs. Ming held her hand, "Sister, you're going to see the old sister, aren't you?" If you look at this period of time, several children in my family are about to regard this county backyard as their own home. Every once in a while, a few of them are going to trouble Gu Zhixian. Gu Zhixian is a county parent, and he is busy like a spinning top every day, and he doesn't always find time to teach them. ”

"You can't count it like that..."

Mrs. Gu struggled to wave her hand to Mrs. Ming again and again, but Mrs. Ming held her other hand and spoke to her sincerely, "Why can't it be counted like this?" Is it just that Gu Zhixian is only allowed to work tirelessly every day to teach a few Tao boys in my family, can't I, as a sister, feel sorry for my sister in turn? Or do you not actually think of me as a good sister in your heart? ”

Old Madam Gu smiled bitterly, "You... You say, you let me say what is good about you? ”

She looked at her son and saw that Gu Zhixian had no intention of objecting, and the old lady finally let go and left the medicinal herbs and official swallows that Mrs. Ming brought.

She has been widowed for many years, and it is not easy for her son to confess, but she has also had various problems due to years of fatigue. Although he can't die for a while, he has no less sin to live in.

Now that her son is a county parent official, she is indeed the highest-status old lady in Fuxing County, but after all, her family is from a poor family, the county officials, the classic history, and even many squires in Fuxing County, their family members in the face of Mrs. Gu and Mrs. Gu's "mud legs" from a poor family, the sense of superiority born from the heart because of their origin, and the contempt they show for the Gu family's daughters from time to time, all make Mrs. Gu extremely blocked.

Gu Zhixian is a delicate and filial person, and after noticing these people's disrespect and disdain for his mother, he never let those female relatives come to the door again.

Doing so would undoubtedly affect the relationship between him and his subordinates and the squires under his rule, but Gu Zhixian still did it without hesitation.

But even so, Old Madam Gu was still depressed.

She used to have a lot of good sisters in her hometown, and at that time, she could chat with those aunts and aunts in the village almost every day, and when the interest came, they could even get together and talk together for half a day.

But in Fuxing County, where she is not familiar with life, her old man no longer has anyone to chat with her.

Widowhood is a very tiring thing, and without the occasional company of the old sister, Mrs. Gu's life suddenly loses a lot of fun.

It was at this time that she discovered the different Mrs. Ming.

At that time, Mrs. Gu's symptoms of unadaptability had been reduced a little, and Mrs. Gu felt sorry for her own mother-in-law, who was depressed and depressed and recuperating in the house every day.

Mrs. Ming agreed without hesitation, and since then, she will be accompanied by the juniors in the family to see Mrs. Gu every day or two.

The two old ladies had similar backgrounds and similar personalities, and soon the two developed a deep friendship that belonged to them at a speed that amazed the younger generations, and even Mrs. Gu had to call Mrs. Ming "old sister".

This is also why Mrs. Gu does not accept medicinal herbs and official swallows, and Mrs. Ming will say that she does not treat herself as a sister.

The two old ladies left their children and grandchildren to talk to themselves, Gu Zhixian also took Yu Jiayan and Mingxu brothers to the study to test their knowledge, and of course a big man in Mingdi also followed Gu Zhixian and them to the study - although he didn't read much, and he couldn't understand Gu Zhixian's conversation with his son, niece and son-in-law, but he couldn't mix with a group of female relatives to coax the children and gossip.

"This is sent by my sister-in-law, and I know that you like to eat, so I specially left half of it for you." Mrs. Gu, who invited Mingyue to the West House to speak, was talking to Mingyue, and at the same time asked the mother-in-law hired by the family to do rough work to take the rice noodles brought from her hometown to the winter solstice, and asked her to send them to the mule cart, and then bring them back to the Ming family and the Yu family later.

Mingyue was not polite to Mrs. Gu, and the local specialties she asked her mother-in-law to find out, Mingyue put them all away.

Of course, these things Mrs. Gu did not prepare for her alone, all the souvenirs, Mrs. Gu carefully divided them into two equal parts, so that people could know at a glance that she had prepared one for the Ming family and the Yu family respectively.

The two of them counted all the return gifts prepared by Mrs. Gu, and then Mingyue discussed with Mrs. Gu how to make money.

She asked Mrs. Gu, "Have you and Lord Gu ever thought about buying a property in Fuxing County?" ”

Mrs. Gu smiled bitterly and shook her head, "You can also see what kind of character my family adults are, with his stubborn temper, where did we get the money to buy a house, land and shop?" ”

Of course, she is not complaining about her husband, as long as it is Gu Zhixian's decision, she has always supported it unconditionally.

Not to mention that Gu Zhixian is already an official now, their family's life is about to get better, even in the years when the days were more difficult in the past, Mrs. Gu has never dragged her own man's hind legs.

But this does not mean that she does not want her mother-in-law and two daughters to live a more prosperous life.

She talked to Mingyue about her rough calculations, "I am thinking about saving a few years of money first, if my family continues to stay in office after three years, then I will buy a shop or a small village in Fuxing County, if he is transferred to other places after three years, then we will definitely not buy a property in Fuxing County." ”

What Mrs. Gu didn't say was that the annual income of Gu Zhixian, a seven-grade sesame official, was barely enough for their family to maintain their daily life and necessary personal contacts, and as for saving money, she relied entirely on the income from the fields in her hometown.

This is a big gap from her previous expectations, but as their status changes, their family's daily expenses will inevitably multiply.