Li Jing and Jing couldn't help but show surprised expressions. This younger brother has been here twice except for the Hou Ye. But what is the reason why he has never set foot in the eldest brother's yard and suddenly came here today?

People were waiting outside, Li Jing didn't think much about it, and hurriedly went out with his wife: "Why is the third brother here?" Come in and sit. Xiangyu, pour tea! Bring over a box of yesterday's new snacks. He smiled and said to Li You: "Your sister-in-law's companion has a few dim sums, which are newly thought of and tasted, do you taste them?" Jing Shi also enthusiastically took a clean new cushion and put it on the chair: "There is one with sunflower seed filling, and the other is with rose filling, I remember that you like to eat these two things the most, if you like it, take some back." ”

Li Youhuan responded happily, and when he saw Xiangyu bringing tea and snacks over, he first took a sip of tea: "It's so hot!" This tea is quite fragrant, it is different from what our family drinks, where did the eldest brother get it? I twisted the dim sum and ate it, and saw that it was a few pieces of cake, made into the shape of a six-petal diamond flower, and the outside was fried golden and crispy, but the filling inside was sweet. I ate it with relish.

Li Jing watched him calmly eat the food he had prepared, smiled slightly, spread his hands and said, "It's not a treasure, I tasted it in the south, and I thought it was good, so I bought a few catties more and brought it back." In fact, it's just ordinary tea, if the third brother likes it, he will pack it back. He gave his wife a look, and Jing turned around and went inside.

Li You moved his hand and wanted to stop it, but he put it down again before he lifted it halfway, and said with a smile: "Then thank you big brother!" My younger brother rarely comes to greet my eldest brother, and my eldest brother is so kind to me, which is really ashamed. ”

"What stupid things are you talking about?" Li Jing also smiled and said, "We are brothers, what are you doing with those false courtesies?" ”

Li You grinned: "Then I will come often in the future?" When I come back next time, I will give my eldest brother some good things as a return gift, although I don't talk about false etiquette, but I eat for nothing, it's too embarrassing! ”

"There's no need to be so polite, you are the little master of our Hou Mansion, in your own home, you can go wherever you like, you want whatever you want, my brother and sister-in-law are only happy in their hearts."

The two were quiet for a while, each bowing their heads to drink tea, and occasionally quietly looking at each other. Thoughts are racing.

Soon, Jing came out, holding a delicate small bamboo basket with several white paper bags in it. She smiled: "Here are two kinds of tea that your brother brought back from the south, and a few snacks, and that cloth bag contains a few gadgets sent by others, and your brother and I are not good at these, if you like it, keep it, and if you don't like it, you can reward someone." ”

"Thank you sister-in-law, thank you big brother." Li You took the basket and caught a glimpse of the opening of the cloth bag in the basket, revealing a few silver nine rings. His heart was bright, so he put the basket aside, and talked to his brother with a smile, but it was just gossip news about the powerful people in Beijing for most of the year. Jing would occasionally interject a few words to supplement the gossip circulating in the lady's circle, in which when encountering a conflict of views between the two sides, Li You would stiffen his neck and argue a few words, just like other half-grown children when they were refuted. Li Jing just kept smiling, and Jing didn't quarrel with him. He argued for a while, but he also felt bored, so he pursed his lips and grabbed the snack and stuffed it into his mouth.

Li Jing gave his wife a look, and Jing got up with a smile and said, "Okay, third brother, I was wrong, don't be angry." I'll go see if your little nephew is awake, and you can talk to your brother for a while. Then he turned and went in.

Li Jing observed this young brother while eating tea. Although the other party behaves childishly and seems to be very close to his husband and wife, he does not think that they are really close to each other. He knew that he was acting, and he knew that the other party was also acting, and this play would continue. It's just why the other party came here today?

The two of them gossiped back and forth, Li Jing kept his breath calm and didn't break it, and in the end, Li You was impatient, so he pretended to ask unintentionally: "Big brother has been in the south for more than half a year, he must have seen a lot of new things, right?" I heard that the scenery in Jiangnan is good, and I wonder when I can meet it. I heard Ping'an say that my aunt's house has a big boat, and the boat is still upstairs, and the whole boat is bigger than our garden! Is that true? ”

Li Jing's hand was stunned, his mind was racing, and he said with a smile: "I've also heard about this, but when I was in the south, I had been helping with chores in the Huo family, and I haven't been able to go to the port to meet yet." It's a shame it's tight. If you have the opportunity in the future, you must check it out. ”

"Haven't you seen it, big brother?" Li You's face was full of disappointment, "I must have seen it as a big brother!" I often hear people say how rich Nanyang is, and everyone who has been there has made a fortune. I always wanted to see the world, but my father and mother never allowed me to go out......"

"You are going to do great things in the future, what world can't see? Now that you are still young, your father and mother are not at ease, so they refuse to let you out. If you want anything, just tell me and I'll find it for you. Li Jing's eyes flashed, "When you grow up and can be on your own, our family also has a big ship, it doesn't matter how many times you like to watch it, whatever you want, it can also be shipped back for you." ”

"Really? Good! We're done! Li You looked so happy that he almost didn't jump up in place, took his brother's hand and talked about the specialties of Nanyang, and talked about the overseas treasures he had seen at his sister-in-law's and friend's house like a few treasures, and finally beat his palm: "I almost forgot!" My aunt and cousin have been here for a few days, and I haven't decided what to give yet! My mother repeatedly told me to be closer to my cousin. If she knew that I was rude, she would have scolded me. Big brother, what should I do? ”

A hint of surprise flashed on Li Jing's face, but he quickly returned to normal: "It's yours anymore." How can you meet for a few days and still haven't prepared a greeting gift? After pretending to think about it, he said: "That's it, it's too late now, instead of preparing any greeting gifts and making the cousin of the Huo family angry, it is better to think of other ways." The cousin of the Huo family has a dignified and quiet temperament, and is filial. The heaviest thing in Su Ri is only the word parents. Isn't Qingming coming? If you simply go to the big temple to do Dharma for your uncle, or find some good medicine and good prescriptions for your aunt to recuperate, your cousin will definitely be very grateful. ”

Li You glanced at his brother, and the other party let him look at it very calmly, and after a while, he also smiled: "This is really a good way, I'll prepare it right away!" He got up with the basket: "I'm really happy to talk today, thank you for the good tea and snacks of my eldest brother and sister-in-law, I will come to see my eldest brother and sister-in-law and nephew again when I am free." After taking two steps, he seemed to remember something: "Ah, yes! I heard my mother say yesterday that I want to send a few people to my aunt and cousin, because there are not enough people in the office, I also dialed two in the hospital, sister-in-law here, is it also a help? Without waiting for his brother's response, he went straight away.

Jing Shi turned out of the inner room, a little surprised: "What does the third brother mean by this?" Li Jing pondered for a moment and said, "Don't panic, he's reminding us." We already know what Mrs. thinks, if she wants you to be a person, you will choose the honest and rough mother-in-law who is willing to work, just pick two and send them, and don't use the clever one. He paused, revealing a meaningful smile: "Underestimate our cousin Huo, but you will suffer a ......loss."

After careful consideration, Mrs. An selected four rough mothers-in-law and four daughters-in-law who went out with them to the evening fragrance pavilion, and originally planned to send a few more big girls to wait for her, but who knew that the housekeeper of the Huo family sent two big girls over early, all of which were used by the Li family and Huo Yi every day, and there were also two mothers-in-law, two errands from the outer courtyard and a coachman, which almost included all the manpower needed by the Huo family's mother and daughter. An had no choice but to pick a few second- and third-class girls to help, and eyeliner was also indispensable.

And the Huo family's mother and daughter are not idle. Before Li could say anything, Miss Huo used the excuse of "relieving her mother's boredom" to ask her aunt Qing Shark to come forward and ask her mother's old servant to talk. Mother Lu received a call from the Evening Fragrance Pavilion in this way.

She changed into her newly made clothes early in the morning, dressed neatly, and inserted her husband's newly bought red gold hairpin, and finally thought about it and applied some fat powder. When he got out of the room, he asked Aunt Lu, who was already waiting impatiently in the hall: "How do you see me dressing?" Doesn't look too old, does it? ”

Aunt Lu turned her head to look at her, and sighed: "Mrs. Gu and Miss Biao are both in mourning, what are you doing wearing gold and silver, grease and powder?" When the old sisters meet, are you still showing? ”

Mother Lu reacted at this time, and saw Aunt Lu dressed in a blue cloth dress, and her face twitched: "I know." I went back to the room and washed the fat powder, changed the silver hairpin, and hesitated for a long time before changing into my old clothes.

Aunt Lu was waiting in the house, and when she saw Chunying sitting quietly doing needlework, she smiled and moved over to take a look, and asked her again: "I heard that you suddenly left the house, and I thought something was wrong, but it turned out to be at home." ”

Chunying had already memorized the lines, so she replied: "I accidentally fell my leg, so I had to go out of the house to be treated, and now it's fine." ”

"It's all good?"

"It's so neat, you didn't see it, I just walked with no limp."

"That's good." Aunt Lu smiled with crooked eyebrows, "Maybe something good is waiting for you!" ”

"Huh?" Chunying raised her head, "What's a good thing?" ”

"You'll find out soon." Aunt Lu saw Mother Lu lift the curtain and come out, so she stopped talking and got up, "Let's go, it's not like life to ask Mrs. Lu to wait for so long!" With that, he dragged her away in a hurry.

Chunying followed her all the way out, thinking that Aunt Lu's words were strange, but she didn't know what it meant, but she caught a glimpse of an acquaintance not far away who was probing her brain, so she said hello: "Brother Diandian, what are you doing there?" ”

Dian Ran walked out from behind the pillar with a grin: "Sister Lu, I heard that you are back, so I came over to see if it was true." Now that you're back, why don't you talk to them? ”

"I'm going to do two things at home, you don't have to call me Sister Lu." Chun Ying said, "I want to pass the message into the house, but who can I go to?" Even if you hand over the words, it's useless, right? ”

"That's hard to say." Dian Ran smiled and looked at the backs of Mother Lu and Aunt Lu, "I recognize that it is the grandmother of the Lu family, it turns out that your family is familiar with her, where is this going?" ”

"Go and say hello to my aunt, when my mother was young, she was a girl in my aunt's yard." Chunying didn't want to reveal more, so she gave him a few dollars, "Take it and buy cakes to eat, and by the way, help me talk to the third young master, and say that if someone knows I'm fine, I'll move back." ”

"Thank you, sister." Dian Ran smiled and took the money and left.

After a while, Mother Lu came home and said to Chunying excitedly: "Mrs. Gu wants to see you, Ming'er will go to the house to ask for peace, maybe I will let you go to the evening fragrance hall to wait!" ”

Chun Ying was taken aback, she wasn't sure if this was a good idea, she had just said hello to the third young master......

Who knew that the next day, Mrs. Guan brought her another "good news": the third young master sent a message and sent her to the evening fragrance hall to wait for Mrs. Gu.

Now she doesn't have to hesitate...