"Whoever wants to go, just go." The old lady her hands and said again.

The crowd hung their heads, but not one of them said a word.

Ruan Jiao wanted to leave, but she didn't receive her Gu family's monthly case, her thirty or fifty copper coins a month was also called a monthly case? It's not just this little bit of monthly money to be a girl.

But if you think about it again, forget it, under the fence, you have to bow your head at the right time, and blindly do it, which may not be good for you.

"No one left, so I said." The old lady drooped her eyelids and flipped through the account book in her hand.

"This is the account book that I just sent from the bookkeeper. If you want to read it, when I'm done, just come and ask me to see it. In the past two years, the family has no other income except for the second child's surplus grain outside and occasionally giving a few taels of silver to the public middle school, and the food and clothing of this family depends on the rent of the few acres of land that are rented out! Last year was a famine year, confiscated and the land rent was reduced by half. It's my dowry money! The old lady said in a cold tone.

The heads of the people hung lower, and the room was silent.

"The eldest lord is an official in the capital, and it sounds promising, but he only earns a good reputation! I haven't sent a penny to my family for a few years, but I send people back from time to time to ask me for money, saying that I want to have some relationship or something, otherwise this official won't be able to do it! What can I do? Don't give? Tell me, can I not give it? My money is only for the younger son's family, and I don't care about the eldest son at all? Do I have this face to say no? ”

The more the old lady spoke, the more throbbing she became, and the more she spoke, the more ugly her face became.

"What does Mother mean?" Gu Pingshun stood up and asked in a low voice.

"What can I mean? I don't want to be this family, which of you can be, just stand up, I'll let you be this family! The so-called clever woman is difficult to cook without rice! I've been tired all these years, and you say to yourselves, whoever has the ability to be this family will be the one who will be it! The old lady said coldly.

Everyone was silent, eager to find a hole in the ground to get into.

The old lady's gaze stopped at Feng's body, pursed her mouth, and spoke: "Second granddaughter-in-law, you don't say a lot behind your back that my old wife is unfair, so what will you do with this family in the future?" ”

"Old lady, granddaughter-in-law doesn't dare, and granddaughter-in-law never said that the old lady's family is unfair." Feng hurriedly knelt down and kowtowed.

"The eldest granddaughter-in-law, what if you come to be in charge? The price of a family is looking for death and life, but it is unfair to dislike me, an old woman? The old lady's gaze spread to Liu again.

Liu had a sackcloth wrapped around his neck, and he fell to the ground with a breathless breath, kowtowing constantly, and could only speak.

"Behind my back, I said that my mouth was not small, and the scene showed me that the momentum was even smaller, why didn't I do it at this time? There are more than a dozen people in a family, large and small, and there are many people who eat dead food, but they don't have the ability, they make trouble, and they want to do it! The old lady said angrily.

"Old lady, your family is good, no one says no, in my opinion, a family like ours, it is ugly to say that the family is separated, but if you continue to eat you alone, it is too unfair, otherwise, we will chew in each room, and we will no longer receive the monthly case in the public in the future, and we will give the old lady a certain amount of silver every month, which will be kept by the old lady for emergencies, what do you think?" The second old man Gu Yuliang opened his mouth with a smile.

"Well, I think it's the best! Each room makes its own money, and I don't have to worry about the money every day when this old lady is so old, besides, I don't have much money left, and I have to pay for the marriage of these boys, I have to keep some back, I can't wait to die and don't even pay a decent coffin board, right? The old lady clapped her hands.

Gu Pingshun arched his hand and was about to speak, but saw Gu Yuliang take the lead and said with a smile: "Dad, your share, my son came out for you, you are not a person in the red dust, you can practice with peace of mind, don't worry about these mundane things." ”

When Gu Pingshun heard this, he nodded with a relieved face, sat down on the chair calmly, and had nothing to say.

"Since you don't have any opinions, then it's decided?" The old lady asked.

Liu stood behind Gu Yunian, stretched out his hand and quietly poked him in the back, made eye contact with him, and asked him to get up and speak, but Gu Yunian only leaned on the chair, when he didn't know, he was in a hurry, turned around and slapped Liu in the face, and said angrily: "Dead mother-in-law, do you want to poke Lao Tzu to death!" ”

Liu covered his face and stepped back a little, not daring to say anything.

"What should I do, old lady?" Gu Xiaofeng asked nervously.

"Poor to see, among these grandchildren, the most painful thing for the old woman is you, but it's a pity that your life is not good, make it like this, you can follow me, if you have me, you will have a mouth." The old lady gave her a reassuring pill, Gu Xiaofeng showed joy on her face, saluted her, and stood aside without speaking.

Ruan Jiao saw that everyone had been settled, but she was the only one who was unclaimed, and was about to ask her what to do, but the old lady opened her mouth first: "As for Miss Ruan, she was brought home by Yu Nian back then, and she was his orphan in the same year, so she was assigned to his room." ”

"Old lady, when you brought Miss Ruan here, you also agreed, why is it our own business now?" Liu argued with reason despite the pain in his throat and hoarseness.

"Sister-in-law, what you said is unreasonable, when you told the old lady, everyone had already brought it back, can you still throw it out?" Feng sneered.

"That being said, I'm going to ask, Miss Ruan didn't enter this family for nothing, the Ruan family was a rich man on the rich side back then, and there was only such a girl left, when our lord led her into the door, he brought back all her family wealth!" Liu said angrily.

"Nonsense!" The old lady blackened her face and shouted angrily.

"Sister-in-law, isn't this right? The old lady is looking at you, everyone hasn't looked at the Ruan family's large amount of money, and now that Miss Ruan is assigned to your room, won't her family wealth be yours? Feng sneered.

"Yu Nian, take care of your daughter-in-law! What is this called? Could it be that I can't afford to lose the wealth of the Ruan family! The old lady said coldly with a gloomy face.

Gu Yunian got up, kicked Liu to the ground, and scolded: "Slut! Fang Cai knelt on the ground and made amends to the old lady, saying that Liu's nonsense was nothing at all.

"What is the use of keeping such an immoral woman! Useless stuff! Gu Pingshun scolded hatefully and threw his sleeves away.

Gu Yunian only knelt on the ground and didn't dare to speak.

Seeing this, Gu Xiaofeng hurriedly knelt down and wept: "Old lady, this girl has been living with me since she came to our house, and now that she is away from me, I can't help it, just let her follow me, old lady, you don't have to add a monthly molecule to me, I would rather save a bite to eat to support her, she can't eat much for a child." ”

The old lady stared at Ruan Jiao, sighed slightly, nodded, squinted at everyone, and said lightly: "What else do you have to say, if not, it's settled, I'm tired, go back and rest." ”

The crowd responded, bowed down and waited for her to enter the inner room, and then dispersed.

When Ruan Jiao heard what they had just said, she held back the fire and had nowhere to go, tearing the handkerchief in her hand with hatred, and she couldn't wait to get out of this door now and live by herself. In a blink of an eye, I looked at Gu Xiaofeng, who was crying and crying, but her heart softened again, a widowed woman in her mother's house could stay by her side in front of everyone, which could be regarded as being benevolent and righteous to her, and she should support her well.

Aunt Liu pulled her out of the door and whispered to persuade her: "Look at your angry eyebrows and yellow face, what's so angry about this, no matter which room you are assigned to, you are still their girl, don't you still have to work?" What can you do with the old lady? Treat you as a lady? ”

Ruan Jiao was pulled back to reality by her words, and couldn't help laughing: "Aunt Liu, Jiang is still old and spicy, I don't get angry when you say this, but that's not the case, I originally supported myself by myself, and I needed which of them to come." ”

"It's good to figure it out." Aunt Liu poked her forehead, and stuffed half a sweet potato from her sleeve into her hand: "Hurry up and eat, and help me light the fire in a while." ”

Ruan Jiao was nibbling on raw sweet potatoes when she heard a knock on the door outside the yard.

Zhang Sheng went to open the door, but it was the officials of the two official mansions, and he asked with a smile on his face if there was a Ruan girl living here.

"Yes, yes, that's the one." Zhang Sheng pointed at Ruan Jiao and replied attentively.

The two officials walked up to Ruan Jiao, handed over a post respectfully, and said politely: "Miss Ruan, my wife asks you to go to the county government tomorrow. ”

"Excuse me? Who is your wife? Ruan Jiao took the invitation and asked them.

The two laughed together and pointed to the official clothes on their bodies: "Miss Ruan, you are joking, look at our clothes, don't you know which one my wife is?" Of course, it's the county lady! ”

"Mrs. County, please post me?" Ruan Jiao laughed curiously, shook her head, and unfolded the invitation to look, sure enough, the delicate fly-headed Xiaokai wrote that she Ruan Jiao was invited to come to the cold house and prepare a little wine and side dishes, in order to promote a long talk.

"Miss Ruan, let me tell you the truth, I'm afraid that your good thing is near, and you are the most famous girl this year. Yesterday, my wife invited the ladies to the opera garden to listen to the play, originally my wife was the focus of everyone, but as soon as her cousin-in-law arrived, she stole the limelight of my wife, and even my wife was amazed by her makeup. The official smiled and said.

"Since Mrs. County Zun is sincerely invited, how can the people's daughter not go, the two poor brothers will sit in for a while, and I will pour tea for you to eat?" Ruan Jiao went to the kitchen to let them.

Gu Xiaofeng hurriedly stepped forward to block and let her into the room: "Big brother, please come here, it's not too late to take a sip of tea and leave." ”

The two officials looked at each other and smiled, waved their hands and shook their heads: "I won't eat the tea, let's go back to restore our lives, I hope that Miss Ruan will come when the time comes, don't let us complain." ”

"Don't worry, big brother just rest assured, you must go, it is necessary to go." Gu Xiaofeng returned for Ruan Jiao, and diligently sent the two officials out of the door in person.

When she turned back, she found that Liu was cleaning up Ruan Jiao's bedding in her house, and she was annoyed, her hands were on her waist, her phoenix eyes were wide, and she said angrily: "Sister-in-law, what are you doing!" ”