As soon as Xu Yu'an entered the house, he went to look for his mother. Mrs. Xu was not in the wing, and Mrs. Zhao saw her and said, "Brother, the master is a guest today, please ask Mrs. to cook a dish in person, and Mrs. is in the kitchen." Xu Yu'an went to the kitchen to find Mrs. Xu.

The Xu family is a new-style family, although the furnishings are very foreign, but they still live in a small courtyard with three entrances. Because there is only Mr. Xu's family, there are not too many people, and the three entrances are enough. The old courtyard is the structure of "four rivers return to the church", enter the large bronze door, the main hall is a high and open living room, and the back yard is a two-story house. The kitchen, dining room, washroom, and several card houses and mahjong rooms are all on the first floor, all with Chinese furniture. The first floor, which is also the servant's quarters and guest rooms, is also the other two. But following the wooden staircase on either side—the wooden staircase still creaks and creaks when stepped on, quite a few years—and goes up to the second floor, which is the residence of the masters. Mr. Xu's study, library and living room are all on the second floor, with Western-style furniture. Mrs. Xu's three children are still young, and Aunt Lan and her youngest daughter also live there with their wet nurse.

Xu Yu'an walked in and out of the house several times, and found Mrs. Xu in the big kitchen. The large kitchen is a public space, where the servants like to talk and shout, and it was the most lively, Xu Yu'an didn't know how many stories he was listening to. But today, Mrs. Xu is here, and the big kitchen is extraordinarily restrained, only the voice of the cook Aunt Zhou shouting to help the cook choose dishes.

Mrs. Xu was wearing a moon-white knee-length cheongsam, with a blue collar half an inch high, sleeves only halfway up to her upper arms, and most of her snow-white shoulders were bare. Although he was wearing a gray apron, he was neatly dressed underneath, shiny, not messy at all, and there was even an electric blue handkerchief pinned to the button under his arm, as if he could play mahjong at night with other wives after taking off his apron. Mrs. Xu didn't really want her to cook as many dishes as a banquet, and the meaning of the specialty dishes of the yakinido was passable, and the guests also felt that they had face. As usual, the specialty dish is pickled small yellow croaker, the pickles are bought and cut by the chef Mrs. Zhou, the small yellow croaker is to help the cook open the intestines and break the belly, deal with it cleanly, and even the stove fire is also to help the kitchen rise, Mrs. Xu only needs to put the yellow croaker pickles in the pot, cover the pot and cover the side, etc., this specialty dish will be able to see people. Mr. Xu also wanted to praise the table clearly and depreciatingly, "Neizi specially made a yellow croaker soup, Neizi was clumsy, and it was very ordinary", the distinguished guests heard the words, and even Tianjie shouted well, "Sister-in-law is too polite, sister-in-law's dish is really a blockbuster, and my chef is down", Mrs. Xu blushed and said a few words humbly, so the guest of honor was happy.

"Mom, who's here today." Xu Yu'an hugged Mrs. Xu's waist and said. In the past two years, Xu Yu'an has been pumping fast, and he is about to be as tall as Mrs. Xu.

Mrs. Xu grabbed Xu Yu'an's wrist with one hand and let him aside: "Eh, you little, I'm busy." ”

"Mom, who is Daddy feasting today?" Xu Yu'an asked again.

"I don't know, it's a scholar, and your father is talking to him in the study."

Mr. Xu Hongqi is quite a lover of books, and his family often invites college students and international students, and Mrs. Xu is not surprised.

"Hey, then I'm going to listen to the wall." Xu Yu'an likes to listen to Mr. Xu and college students talk the most, college students are used to debating in school, and sometimes Mr. Xu is speechless. Xu Yu'an loves to see him eat deflated. However, Mr. Xu's demeanor is very good, and he can laugh after talking for a while.

Mrs. Xu grabbed him and didn't allow him to run: "Who are you going to play with in the afternoon?" ”

Xu Yu'an was very anxious: "Who else can there be, the Gao family boy." ”

Mrs. Xu is very clear about Gao Zerui's temperament: "What kind of gossip is he talking about?" ”

"Uncle maid or something."

"Oh, that bespectacled uncle in their family, what's going on?"

"It's very messy, Mom, don't ask me, I'm impatient to talk about these things." Xu Yu'an really doesn't remember, he forgot about Gao Zerui's family after hearing about it.

Mrs. Xu snorted angrily: "What do you have to sell with your mother?" If you don't talk about your mother, there's nowhere to know. I'm going to play mahjong with my senior wife tonight. ”

"Yes, yes, my mother's hands and eyes are all over the sky." Xu Yu'an smiled and stepped back step by step, "Then I'll go find my father." ”

Xu Hongqi feasted regular guests, especially those like Scholar Lang, who wanted to put a lot of nonsense, and it was generally not in the main hall, but in his study. Xu Yu'an also heard the way out of the corner of the wall, and knew that he was going to ambush in the library pavilion. The library is on the side of the study, and the movement in the study can be heard very clearly.

This time, Xu Yu'an passed by the study, and when he heard a word or two through the crack in the door, he felt that the atmosphere was not quite right.

I could only vaguely hear Mr. Xu sigh.

"Zhaoqi, you are a smart person, how can you commit such confusion?"

The young man named Zhaoqi seemed to be whispering something, and he couldn't hear it clearly.

His father said: "When I met you in Shanghai last year, aren't you a decent international student?" According to your family's arrangement, wouldn't it be smooth sailing to be a diplomat? Why bother making such a fuss again? ”

Xu Yu'an hurriedly ran to the library and gathered to the wall closest to the study.

I only heard Xu Hongqi sigh again: "Then I'll find you an errand here in the Hangzhou government, okay." ”

"Thank you Uncle Hongqi, but I don't want to be able to get my hands on the things that are involved in my family." The young man's voice was low, as if he were ashamed, but his voice was quite clear, like a mountain spring hitting a stone. When Xu Yu'an heard this, he immediately secretly praised: "Why is this person's voice so good?" ”

The young man added: "Even, I submitted articles to the newspaper and wanted to sell words for a living, but no matter how I changed my name and surname, whether it was a gazette or a private newspaper, the manuscript was all returned. ”

Xu Hongqi hated the iron and said loudly: "The old lady in your family has bothered to do this, and he wants to force you to go back, and you can't escape if you have wings." Zhaoqi, you are a good child, it is better to listen to the family, and it is not easy to raise you at home. ”

Zhaoqi said: "The grace of family nurturing, it is difficult to repay the blood after removing the bones, but I am determined to no longer rely on the family." I tried everything in half a year, and I could have supported myself, but I didn't expect to suffer bad luck, and I really had nothing to do, so I came to ask Uncle Hongqi for help. ”

Xu Hongqi sighed: "Then what can I do?" I'm afraid I'll insult you. ”

Zhaoqi said: "Relying on your own hard work to eat, how can you talk about humiliation." I just ask Uncle Hongqi to think of a way, and I have nothing to disobey. ”

Xu Hongqi said: "The best way is for you to go home." Whoever shows his face, how can he not let your family know? ”

Then you come and go, one vows not to go home, and the other pushes and resigns, and I really can't think of a way.

Xu Yu'an just heard the excitement, and suddenly the door of the library pavilion snapped open, and a childish voice called: "Brother An, Brother An, are you here?" ”

It turned out to be Xu Yuhuan, Xu Yu'an's second brother. Xu Yuhuan has just studied in the third grade of the national elementary school, a half-grown child, but his voice is loud. As soon as he opened his mouth, Xu Yu'an knew that something was wrong, and sure enough, Xu Hongqi stopped talking.

"What's the matter?" Xu Yu'an leaned out from behind the bookcase.

Xu Yuhuan immediately pounced: "Brother An, Brother An, you have to help me!" ”

Xu Yu'an pulled him off his body: "You tell me what is the matter first." ”

Xu Yuhuan shouted: "My summer vacation homework, Mr. ordered me to write big characters, I can't finish it!" Grandma asked me to come to you! ”

Xu Yu'an was not angry when he heard this: "You are going to be in the third grade at the beginning of school, and you can't even finish your homework, so let Mr. beat the palm." "Xu Yuhuan's personality is really as his name suggests, he loves to play the most, he can't be idle all day long, and his homework is very difficult. Xu Yu'an's personality is a little quieter, so he can't understand why his younger brother can't sit still.

Xu Yuhuan almost cried: "Brother! Elder brother! I'm not playful anymore! I can't write a lot of words, you have to save me this time! ”

"You let Mom teach you."

"Grandma said that she was going out to play mahjong at night, and she said that you were crazy enough in the afternoon, you can help me!" Xu Yuhuan said, and a pair of small hands stained with ink were about to rub against Xu Yu'an.

Xu Yu'an was one head and two big, and only then did he know that Xu Yuhuan had invited chicken feathers and arrows to come. He grabbed Xu Yu'an's wrist and saved himself from his clothes: "This is my last and last time to help you with your homework!" If you don't want to study, no one can save you! ”

With this promise, Xu Yu'an was completely entangled in his younger brother's summer vacation homework, not only did he soak in the soup one night, but he was also detained in his younger brother's room during the day the next day to write big characters. Xu Yuhuan was very slow and inattentive, and seven of the ten big characters were written by Xu Yu'an.

There are new developments in Gao Zerui's family every day, and he has a stomach full of words to talk to Xu Yu'an, he asked Ah Guo to find Agen, Agen to find Zhao Lao Mazi, and Zhao Lao Mazi to find Xu Yuhuan's nurse Xiaojuan, and let in layer by layer, so that Gao Zerui's words of "100,000 urgent" and "too important to be more important" reached Xu Yu'an's ears: "Brother An, are you going to play West Lake?" ”

Xu Yu'an was not angry: "Trick, play, let Rui Ge'er get in and write big characters with me!" ”

This friendly invitation spread out layer by layer, Gao Zerui didn't say a word, he got out on the spot, and asked Ah Guo to say again: "Brother An'er is busy and won't bother, see you tomorrow!" ”

Xu Yu'an listened to the nurse Xiaojuan's imitation, and was angry: "I'm busy, I'm busy, I don't know who I'm busy for." ”

Xu Yuhuan was halfway through the writing, and was dozing off with the chickens pecking rice, and he woke up so frightened that he didn't dare to squeak.

Xu Yuhuan's nurse Xiaojuan is a caring person, and brought a bowl of brown sugar eggs to Xu Yu'an: "Brother An'er has worked hard, make up for it." ”

Xu Yu'an didn't like to eat these sweet and greasy things the most, and waved his hand irritably: "Take it away, take it away, I won't eat it." ”

Xu Yuhuan was greedy, shouting that his head hurt when he wrote, and tricked a bowl of brown sugar eggs into his stomach. Xu Yu'an was indignant, and he only felt that he was the worst among everyone.

In the evening, I had a good meal. His son Xu Hongqi didn't eat at home today, and his mother, Mrs. Xu, played mahjong all night last night, and only woke up for a while, and sat down to eat dinner with a radiant and energetic face. Xu Yuhuan's big characters are about to be written, and the palm of his hand is preserved, and he is also happy. Only Xu Yu'an's expression was committed.

After Mrs. Xu finished eating, she took over the third girl of the Xu family, Jiaojiao'er sister, from the nurse. Jiaojiao'er's sister is four years old, and her name has not yet been raised, so she spends more time on her nurse's knees. Mrs. Xu teased Jiaojiao'er sister with a rattle for a while, and took a bite of "Jiaojiao'er Didi'er's heart and liver baby". Xu Yu'an snorted and chirped: "Is only Jiaojiaoer your sweetheart?" ”

Mrs. Xu stared at him in surprise: "How fresh, how old are you still jealous of your sister?" ”

Xu Yu'an blushed and affirmed: "It's not!" I mean, your son Xu Yu'an has written a big character for your son Xu Yuhuan for a day and a night, and I haven't seen any benefits! ”

Mrs. Xu turned her head and still muttered to Jiaojiao'er: "Your son, your son's, I don't know if it's Brother Huan or your brother." Write a summer homework for your brother, don't be too stingy. Besides, learning is such a thing, learning and exercising more is not bad for you. ”

Xu Yu'an said that he couldn't say that he couldn't help his mother, so he could only eat with his head bored. Xu Yuhuan saw that his brother was in a bad mood, and he didn't dare to talk to him, but his heart was sweet, thinking that his mother was still protecting him.