Ning had breakfast, accompanied her mother to take care of the housework for a while, and returned to her yard to review her homework when she was away from lunch. After a while, Holly came to report: "Miss Yu is here, saying that she is here to send the vine flowers that the girl asked for yesterday." ”

Shuning remembered that she had indeed said yesterday that she wanted to buy the Yu family's rattan flowers, so she asked Miss Yu to come in.

This Miss Yu Tongyu is the daughter of the original owner of the newly bought land by the Shuning family. Ben is also the daughter of a rich family, but it's a pity that there is an unsuccessful brother who does evil all day long outside and brings disaster to the township. Her parents doted on their son and were unwilling to discipline him more, but his son became even more violent, and when he went to a brothel with a group of drinking and meat friends, he actually died because of jealousy and was thrown into prison by the government. Originally, he was going to be beheaded last autumn, and his parents exhausted the family property in order to save him, and it was only a year, but now that the family wealth has been exhausted, and the officials who were originally bought have been replaced, his parents are desperate, and they almost want to sell their daughter to others as concubines, but fortunately, a certain relative and friend has some insight and persuaded them: "The son is only afraid that he will be useless, and he will leave this daughter, and there will be some hope in the future." "That's it.

It's just that poor Miss Yu, who also grew up in brocade clothes and jade food, and now the slaves in the family are almost gone, so she has to step on a pair of small feet and personally come to send flowers to Shuning.

When Shuning saw Miss Yu enter the courtyard, she gave a gift: "Miss Yu is too polite, just ask someone to send it, how dare you send it in person?" Please come in and take a seat. ”

Yu Tong smiled a little crampedly, and whispered, "The servants at home have something to do." I'm idle anyway. Miss look at this flower, can it be made? ”

Shuning took the flower, and saw that it was bright and lovely, and it was still stained with water droplets, so she knew that it was a newly picked land, and said with a smile: "The flower is so beautiful." Thank you very much. Then he told Frangipani to take the flowers to the back.

Yu Tong followed her into the south chamber, sat down carefully, and lowered his head slightly. Shu Ning looked at her slightly, and saw that she was wearing a blue cloth shirt and skirt, only wearing a smooth silver hairpin on her head, a caryophyllus inserted in her sideburns, and a pair of thin silver ear rings on her ears. It's just that it's cleaner and neater than ordinary village girls, how can there be a bit of a rich family.

Shuning took the prepared purse and handed it to her: "Be careful, thank you for sending flowers, please don't dislike it." Yu Tong took the purse a little strangely, and when he got into it, he realized that it was a heavy copper coin, and his face was red, knowing that this was a reward, and the other party was kind enough to save some face for himself. Suddenly, she found that the purse was finely handmade, the materials were exquisite, and it was worth five or six taels of silver outside, so she looked at Shuning in surprise.

Shuning just smiled slightly: "I bought this flower because I wanted to try to make rattan cakes, if it is good to eat." I'm afraid I'll have to bother Miss Yu again" Yu Tong blushed and smiled: "Don't dare." After a pause, he added, "Thank you." ”

The two said a few words, and Yu Tong said goodbye and walked out with the mother-in-law. Holly walked out of the corner of the house and accompanied Shuning to see off the guests, her face a little gloomy. Seeing this, Shuning was about to ask her, but found that Frangipani was secretly leaning against the courtyard gate and looking out, so she said, "Frangipani." What are you looking at? So sneaky? ”

Su Xin walked over and said mysteriously: "The girl can see, Miss Yu's little feet are released." Shu Ning recalled Fang Cai's situation, and when Yu Tong sat down, the shoes exposed under her skirt. Sure enough, it is not a three-inch golden lotus, although it is smaller than others, it is also four or five inches long, so he said: "It's not surprising, she has to go a long way, of course, she has to put her little feet to walk smoothly." ”

Su Xin said: "I heard that she and Miss Lu are diagonally opposite us, both of whom are famous daughters in the neighborhood, and the maids of the two families also had a fight last year over whose young lady's feet are more delicate." I can't imagine that Miss Yu has put her feet down now, I wonder what the Lu family will say? ”

Shu Ning frowned slightly: "If Lu Ziyu still falls into the well at this time, the character is not easy to say, what is the use of growing little feet?" She raised her eyes to look at Su Xin and said, "Where did you inquire about these east and west families?" Don't let outsiders laugh at you. Su Xin said a little proudly: "Don't worry, girl, I still understand this rule, and I will never lose your face." ”

But Shuning still reminded her: "Even if you like to inquire about things, you have to be careful not to talk about our family's affairs, and you must do what you need to do first." Again, if you find out something, just tell the people in our courtyard, and don't tell anyone a word when you go outside. I'm not scaring you, when I was a child, Sister Xiaotao, who was waiting by my side, married her off because she loved to gossip with outsiders and made my mother angry. "Although Xiao Tao married very well, it was also because there happened to be a good family to propose, and it was Frangipani's turn, but there may not be such good luck.

Frangipani stuck out her tongue and obediently explained, then took Holly's hand and asked, "What are you doing to pose like this?" Is it a reminder of your former master's house? Holly felt a little heavy: "The young lady of that family was also pampered since she was a child, and the color of the gemstones on the jewelry was slightly worse, so she refused to wear her head, but when I left, she was also dressed like this, which shows the impermanence of life." ”

Shuning smiled and said, "It's good that people are safe, didn't you say that their whole family went back to their hometown?" There are dozens of acres of sacrificial fields, and life is also passable, so don't worry about them. Quickly put away this look, and it won't be good for the second sister-in-law to see it. ”

Holly smiled and embarrassedly pulled Frangipani back to the house.

After lunch, Zhang Bao went out to see the situation of digging the pond, and he pulled Xiao Liu and Shuning to gossip. She learned that Miss Yu had come in the morning, so she said: "I have seen the girl of the Yu family, although she is thin-skinned, she speaks simply, and she has some knowledge, and her parents have really treated this daughter badly." ”

Xiao Liu smiled: "I think she is gentle, she loves to blush, and she speaks quietly." ”

Shi smiled: "This is already good, she walked more than two miles to our house alone, and she can be regarded as daring." A few days ago, Mrs. Lu brought her daughter to visit, you didn't see the appearance of his girl, it was called a twist, go to the opposite door to make a string, and take a fan to cover her face. I thought it was some kind of peerless beauty, but when I saw it, it was not as good as the big house and the moon. Our second girl looks so good. I didn't see her go out and get a fan to block it. ”

Xiao Liu and Shuning both laughed, and the former said: "I have heard that the rules of the Han family are big, but I didn't expect it to come to this point. When will they come again, how about my sister calling me? Shi smiled: "Okay, don't leak the stuffing when you arrive." ”

~~~~~~~~~~~~I'm ~~~~~~~ dividing line in a few days

In the evening, it was raining. Shuning was packing her luggage in her room with the maids. Prepare to return to Beijing the day after tomorrow. The old earl's anniversary is approaching, and a letter has been sent from the mansion saying that Aunt Fuli's family is about to arrive in the capital recently, and they will see more relatives when the time comes. I am afraid that this spring's leisurely good days will be over.

Shuning put a few books she was going to read in the near future into the book cage, looked at the rain outside and said, "Why is it so late to start dinner today?" It's getting dark. Holly walked over and said, "I'll go to the kitchen and ask, there is still a plate of rattan radish cakes in the south chamber, the girl will eat some to cushion her stomach first, right?" Frangipani pulled Holly. Said: "You go and get the bread, I'll ask, I'm better than you The true son of heaven passed on the burning text." Then he took an umbrella and went out.

A quarter of an hour passed

It's getting bigger. Shuning felt hungry, so she ate a cake with tea and came. She hurriedly put away the umbrella and stepped forward and said, "The kitchen said that it would send food to our courtyard when it came back, and said that it was ordered by my wife, but I don't know what happened." ”

Shuning was a little surprised, their family had dinner together almost every day. It was rare for each of them to eat in the room, but when she saw the rain falling more and more heavily, she guessed that she might not want her family to be caught in the rain, so she no longer wondered.

Soon the food of their master and servant was brought to them, and it was abundant. The strange thing is that it was the little girl in the house who sent the things. She said: "Mrs. is in trouble now, so she sent a slave maid to spread a message that the girl does not have to go through the main courtyard tonight, and the sisters under the girl's hand should not go out of the courtyard." ”

—

Shuning had doubts in her heart, so Su Xin pulled Tang Yuan'er, coaxed her with some gadgets, and asked what was going on in the main courtyard. The dumplings squeaked for a long time. I couldn't bear the coaxing of Frangipani, and revealed: "I don't know the details, I heard that Mama said that she was a distinguished guest and wanted to stay in Zhilan Courtyard tonight." I don't know anything else. My wife had already passed the word, and the whole family was not allowed to move around at will. "Zhilan Courtyard is the vacated courtyard, which was originally used for hospitality.

Seeing that she really couldn't ask anything, Su Xin stuffed an embroidered purse for her, sent her away, and looked back to see what Shuning said. Shu Ning couldn't think of who it would be, seeing that Su Xin and Holly were even standing at the door, they all looked at him and smiled: "What are you doing with him so much?" I'm hungry, so I'm going to close the door and eat. ”

The girls happily closed the door, moved the kang table, and set up Shuning's meal, and then set up a small table on the ground, and the three of them sat on a small stool and accompanied Shuning on the kang to eat. Shuning knew that this was a family rule, and she didn't ask them to come up to eat, so as not to embarrass them, and let people know that they would be scolded later.

After eating, Shuning took Frangipani and Holly to talk and do needlework, talking about the mysterious guest tonight, and couldn't guess what the origin was.

Frangipani was bolder, so she tried to go out to explore in the name of returning the tableware, and only three or four steps out of the hospital door, she was intercepted by the second sister-in-law: "The things are washed and put in your backyard first, and someone will collect them tomorrow, so close the courtyard door now, and don't come out again at night." Don't instigate the girl to do some probing, and then tell me to catch it, and be careful of your skin! Su Xin had no choice but to come back with a bitter face.

Shuning felt very embarrassed, and the second sister-in-law said, "Don't worry, girl, my wife will tell you something tomorrow." Now let's call someone to close the door. Shuning nodded with a red face, and then asked Kou'er to close the door.

Several girls continued to do needlework in the south chamber, and they were all a little unstable. Frangipani didn't believe in evil, so she quietly went out from the small door that was usually bolted up in the backyard, and knocked on the door of the Duanning courtyard next to her through the mezzanine. Su Xin was about to ask more details, but she heard the mother-in-law coughing at night, and she was so frightened that she hurriedly hid back in her yard.

Shuning listened to Su Xin's words, and her doubts were even worse, so she asked Duan Ning to go out to meet guests, but she wanted to hide it from herself, what was the reason? She couldn't figure it out in her heart, and she couldn't sleep peacefully at night, so she had to go to the study to practice calligraphy for a while, and when her mood settled down, she went back to her room to sleep.

The next day, breakfast was still sent by Tangyuan'er, and it was not until the end of the hour that the clan sent someone to summon his daughter over.

As soon as he entered the main room, he smiled and beckoned to her, asked her to sit down beside him, and said softly, "You were startled last night, right?" Don't blame Eniang, you just don't want too many people to know. ”

Shuning hurriedly said that it didn't matter, and asked who came last night. Shi looked left and right at no one before he said to her, "It's the fourth elder brother." He went to Yunju Temple yesterday, and encountered heavy rain on the way back, but fortunately, some of the people who accompanied him knew that your brother's family lived nearby, so he led the way to spend the night. E-Niang wanted to avoid suspicion, so she asked the family to stay in their respective yards and not to move around at will. E-Niang told you today, don't tell me. ”

Shuning was busy, but she muttered a little in her heart: Is it really such a coincidence? It started to rain lightly yesterday afternoon, and she and her two younger brothers had classes in the east wing of the second courtyard in front of them. When people encounter that kind of situation, they spend the night directly at the temple, right? Or the fourth elder brother can leave early and return home. However, thinking that he might have deliberately taken this opportunity to see his mother, she stopped slandering.

However, there are some words, she still has to remind: "Eniang, is the fourth elder brother coming back this time, is it an occasional thing, or may there be another one in the future?" Shi hesitated a little: "This ...... E-Niang can't say for sure, he mentioned that the emperor once said that he was impatient, and asked him to read more Buddhist classics and cultivate himself. Maybe...... He'll go to a nearby temple in the future, right? There are many Buddhist temples in this area. ”

Shuning said: "If this is the case, it will be inappropriate for him to stay overnight in our house." Although Ama Eniang tried her best to conceal it, there were people living in the courtyards on both sides of Zhilan Courtyard, and the people of the family often came and went, even if it was rude, let them come in through the sandwich road, and the people guarding the door in front would always know. The Lu family, who was diagonally opposite the door, and the Li family behind the grove in front of the door, were inevitably a little conscious. I am not afraid of one or two times, and after a long time, where can I hide it? If you really want to make trouble, how can you avoid suspicion? ”

Shi was a little uneasy: "I don't know, but he came like this, can't I still drive people out?" Don't talk about his identity, just for the sake of his first mother, I can't do this kind of thing. ”

Shuning smiled: "Who let Eniang drive people away?" I'm just saying that it's not appropriate for him to spend the night in Zhilan Courtyard. I have an idea, now that the weather is warm, the pillow pavilion in the garden can be inhabited after a little tidying up, where there are four or five rooms upstairs and downstairs, and I think it is enough to live. You send him a letter and ask him to come and stay overnight, and you enter through the gate of the garden on the back mountain. The old man there is trustworthy, and his eyes are not good, so he may not be able to recognize what the person looks like, but another garden keeper needs to be replaced with a reliable one. ”

Seeing her hesitation, she continued: "The forest road in the back mountain leads directly to the side of the road, and the road surface is also smooth and easy to walk. Besides, there was no one else on the whole mountain except for the small temple. When he came, the garden keeper reported to the front, E-Niang sent someone to guard the garden gate, who else in the family can pass? Even if others know, they can avoid suspicion. ”

Shi thought about it carefully, and felt that it made sense, so he smiled: "Although this method is free of suspicion, it is just living in the garden, and it is a little lonely. Shuning smiled: "Such a good scenery in the garden, if it is replaced by me, I am afraid that it will still feel quiet, if Eniang wants to talk to people, the place of Linyuan Pavilion can be big." I looked at it, but I felt that it was much more spacious than in Zhilan Temple, and I didn't have to worry about others hearing it. ”

Shi Dan smiled silently, only talked to his daughter about housework, and asked how the luggage was packed, so he let his daughter go back. However, she was still concerned about her daughter's words, and when Zhang Bao came back, after discussing with him, she called the second sister-in-law to give her advice carefully, and the second sister-in-law went to buy the beds and bedding curtains to be used.

In the early morning of the next day, the family dressed up, rode horses, rode in carriages, and went to the capital.