But it was Qu Rong, standing in front of him with his head held high, with a smile on his face.

“... Fourth brother, what is this doing? Qu Zhang covered his shoulders and took two steps back unconsciously.

Qu Rong didn't answer, turned his head and glanced at the open courtyard door, and said with a smile: "I don't know what the third brother is looking at, so serious, this is the courtyard of the eldest aunt, doesn't the third brother want to go in and take a look?" ”

Qu Zhang's face turned red, but seeing Qu Rong's lazy expression and confused eyes, he remembered that he poured himself a drink and drank a lot of wine at the banquet, so he endured the anger in his heart, and only said: "The fourth brother is about a little drunk, and his words are out of proportion, I won't care about you, it's late at night, I'll go back to the study first, and the fourth brother will go back to rest earlier." ”

After saying that, he turned around and left.

Who knew that Qu Rong turned around and stopped in front of Qu Zhang. Qu Rong's body is half a head taller than Qu Zhang, and he lowered his eyes to look at Qu Zhang, which has a condescending meaning.

The corners of his mouth raised, and Qu Rong sneered, "The third brother has always been shy, and he usually blushes when he says the first half of a sentence with a woman, but I don't know why he is so familiar with the niece of the eldest aunt now?" ”

Qu Zhang didn't think about why Qu Rong suddenly mentioned Lu Jiayue, so he couldn't help but be stunned, and took two steps back.

“... I have never been familiar with Sister Lu, but I just talked a few times. ”

Qu Rong snorted, her eyes fixed on Qu Zhang's eyes, "If the two of them are not familiar with each other, then why would she give you two plum blossoms?" It's not you and her—"

"Fourth brother Hugh wants to talk nonsense," Qu Zhang heard that his voice was wrong, and hurriedly interrupted, "Sister Lu and I are innocent, never overstepping, the fourth brother must not be suspicious, I am a man, I am not afraid of others' slander, Sister Lu is a boudoir woman, how can the fourth brother ruin her reputation at will?" ”

Qu Rong glanced at him coldly, and said: "I can't believe what the third brother said, if you two are really selfless, then why did she give you the four treasures of the study room of the Zhuangyuan Building?" ”

The reason for this, Qu Zhangzi couldn't speak, and seeing that Qu Rong was only aggressive, it was very hateful, and he was in a panic, and suddenly had a surge of courage and pushed Qu Rong away.

"What is the relationship between me and Sister Lu, why do I have to explain to the fourth brother, if the fourth brother is determined to catch the wind and make up things that are not true, even if I am in front of the eldest aunt, I am not afraid to act correctly and do it properly!"

After saying that, he strode away without looking back.

Qu Rong wanted to catch up again, but he had no intention of glancing out of the corner of his eye, and there seemed to be two mothers-in-law behind the door in the courtyard gate, not knowing if they were eavesdropping.

So I had to hold back the resentment in my heart for a while and turn away.

*

Qu Rong came back to the second room, and the Duan family had already prepared the decanting soup.

"What did you do with all that wine?" Duan personally took the decanting soup and put it in Qu Rong's hand, "I don't want to say toast to your grandmother, you see that Brother Lianhua is young, you know how to please your grandmother." ”

Qu Rong smiled coldly: "The fifth brother has been liked by his grandmother since he was born, no matter how attentive I am, I can't compare." ”

Duan Shi didn't think about it, and said with a smile: "That being said, in the end, apart from Brother Song and Brother Hua, the old lady values you the most." ”

"That's just for the sake of me being the second grandson." Qu Rong said, kicked the sheepskin cotton boots on his feet, and leaned on the warm kang.

Duan took the lynx fur blanket on the side and put it on his body, and lit it on the small kang table, only then did he realize that Qu Rong's expression was different.

"Okay, what's going on?"

Qu Rong's voice sank like water, and said lightly: "Mother, I heard that Sister Lu gave a set of four treasures of the study room of the champion building to the third brother. ”

When Duan heard this, he couldn't help but be stunned: "Who did you listen to?" Didn't you hear it - that little girl can't even look down on you, will she look down on Brother Zhang'er? ”

Qu Rong was silent.

He knew in his heart that his cousin Qu Zhang was inferior to him in terms of appearance, although he also had some talents, but because he was a concubine, he had never been loved by his father, and he was not as good as his father's son, and he was more favored by his father and mother.

But why is Lu Jiayue so close to Qu Zhang?

He couldn't figure out where he lost to Qu Zhang.

Qu Rong didn't speak, but it was the maid Cuiping who was waiting on the side, and told Duan's in a low voice: "Yes, it was Shuangshou next to the third young master who told Shuangxi, and then Shuangxi again..."

In this way, the Duan clan had to believe it.

Seeing Qu Rong's lonely and melancholy appearance, his heart suddenly felt distressed and annoyed.

"I told you early in the morning, that little girl is very weird, we want to quietly coax her, who would have thought that she is a person who does not eat oil and salt, but you do not listen to my advice, you will definitely pester her, has she ever paid attention to you? Last time, you asked me to send it to the door to see her face, but now she is only close to Brother Zhang, could it be that you still can't understand it? I advise you to hit this idea as soon as possible, study hard, and wait until the day of the title of the gold list, maybe the person who regrets it will be her. ”

Qu Rong still didn't squeak, Duan's heart panicked, for fear that he was sincere to Lu Jiayue, so he raised his hand and patted him, and his tone of voice became urgent.

"Tell me, do you like her looks, or do you like her father's future? If you take a fancy to her appearance, I will go outside for you to find someone more outstanding than her to come back, and you will have a room first, if you fancy her father's future, it is easier - there are so many eunuchs in Kyoto City, we can't afford to be high-ranking officials, and it is not difficult to marry a girl with a better family background than her. ”

Qu Rong tilted his head, looked at the window flowers of the four seasons and spring pasted on the carved windows, and said softly: "Appearance... Future... What difference does this make? What if I say I want them all? ”

Duan's disdain: "There are also those who are stronger than her in appearance and family background." ”

“... She still ignores me, let alone others? ”

"She is blind and blind, why do you want to hang on her tree, and let her go, if she really falls in love with Brother Zhang, I will be happy for you!"

Qu Rong's heart was already unhappy, Duan couldn't stop making noise, he became more and more irritable, pulled the velvet blanket on his body and covered his head, and pretended to be asleep.

The rest of the Duan clan was there by himself, and when he reached the bunch of words on his lips, he didn't know whether to continue or swallow it back into his stomach.

*

On Chinese New Year's Eve, some people are happy and some are worried.

But the Chinese New Year is always a happy thing.

is unhappy, because the people around him are smiling, and he can't help but be inexplicably happy.

On the first day of the first lunar month, Lu Jiayue and Qu Ying stayed in the upper room for a whole day.

On this day, there were not many people who came to pay New Year's greetings to Mrs. Qu, but they were a few officials and relatives who had been quite close to each other in the past. Even so, Lu Jiayue and Qu Ying also received a lot of New Year's money.

Among them, it is naturally the heaviest amount of New Year's money given by Mrs. Qu.

Lu Jiayue was grateful for Mrs. Qu's love for her, and knew that she could only repay her by accompanying and serving Mrs. Qu more wholeheartedly.

On the second day of the new year, because I was a little tired yesterday, I got up late in the morning, and I was freshening up, but it was the big girl Pearl next to Mrs. Qu who came.

As soon as he came in, he saluted and said with a smile: "Mrs. Aunt has come back to pay New Year's greetings to the old lady, and the old lady asks Miss Cousin to come over quickly." ”

Lu Jiayue didn't wait for breakfast, and hurried to the upper room.

came to Mrs. Qu's banquet room, and sure enough, Qu Yi was already there, with a pair of children behind him, Mrs. Qu's grandsons Ding Rui and Ding Yu.

It's just that opposite Qu Yi, there is a strange man sitting.

Because she had never seen it before, she didn't know which relative of the Qu family it was, Lu Jiayue was curious, so she couldn't help but look at it twice.

The man noticed Lu Jiayue's gaze and also looked at her.

I heard that the old lady pointed at the man, and smiled at Lu Jiayue: "Yue girl, come up and see Uncle Guo." ”