The experience of attending too many blind date banquets in his previous life and always being pointed at has left an indelible shadow in Xia Ruixi's heart. But she understands very well that the social circle of ancient people was very narrow, especially women like her, who were basically blind and dumb marriages. If it weren't for her fame and no one came to the door to propose, Mrs. Xia would not be willing to use this method. In fact, this is also an opportunity for her, at least she can try to pick one in this circle and find one that is more pleasing to the eye.

So she still prepared seriously according to Mrs. Xia's instructions. Every day she goes to bed early and gets up late, studying diligently, and her feeling is no less than preparing for a college entrance examination. When there were still five or six days left, Mrs. Xia asked Liniang to check how well she had learned the rules, and then asked her to sleep for five hours a day, and got all kinds of internal and external skin care products for her to use, to ensure that her complexion and body were in the best condition that day.

On the first day of the birthday banquet, Mrs. Xia personally sent a new lake blue embroidered fox fur dress for Xia Ruixi to wear. Xia Ruixi's complexion is fair, and she looks good in any color. This dress is particularly flattering to her temperament, making her look very beautiful and moving. Mrs. Xia seemed to see herself when she was unmarried from Xia Ruixi, and couldn't help sighing, so she took off a pair of red gold bracelets on her wrist and put them on Xia Ruixi, which happened to match the hairpin on her head.

Li Niang's eyes flashed, and she smiled: "Second Miss, don't you thank Madame?" This is Madame's favorite thing. ”

Xia Ruixi came to his senses and thanked him hurriedly. Because he saw that he was still wearing the Dongzhu bracelet given by Master Xia, which was gold, ruby and beads, he felt a little eye-catching, and he felt like a nouveau riche, so he wanted to remove the Dongzhu bracelet. Mrs. Xia hurriedly said: "Don't take it off, it's your most precious thing." ”

Xia Ruixi knew that the ancients were superstitious, and in Mrs. Xia's heart, it was the good luck and peace that this bracelet of eminent monks brought to her. The bracelet didn't dare to take it, and said: "Mother, if you wear these three things on your hand tomorrow, will people laugh at me?" ”

Mrs. Xia said disapprerovingly: "Who will laugh at you?" I don't have to laugh at you. Those ladies and misses, who don't have many valuable things on them? I really want to feel a little more, and the sleeves are a little bit cuffed, and when someone wants to compare this, it's not nothing. ”

Will feelings still fight for wealth? Xia Ruixi had no choice but to respond.

Early in the morning of the second day, Xia Ruixi was called up by Wan'er, and then Liniang came to comb her hair. Li Niang is skillful, she has been by Mrs. Xia's side for a long time, and her appreciation is also first-class, and the hairstyle she combed Xia Ruixi is overall generous and elegant, beautiful and moving, Xia Ruixi is very satisfied.

The three girls of Sydney Xiaozhu are also dressed up, Liang'er and Chun'er got Mrs. Xia's special permission to let them go to learn the rules, it was the first time to go out, and they were so excited.

When Xia Ruixi's master and servant arrived at the second gate and waited for Mrs. Xia to come and change the carriage together, they met the girl Yan'er helping Xia Ruibei get off the soft sedan chair, Xia Ruibei swept the ruby and golden hairpin on Xia Ruixi's head at a glance, and saw the two Chunliang who were chattering and full of excitement, their faces changed, and they whispered a few words to Yan'er.

Yan'er shook her head in embarrassment, and slapped her.

Yan'er hurriedly ran away with a bubble of tears, until Mrs. Xia came with Xia Ruiyu and Zhen'er and a few other girls, she came with Hong'er Cui'er in a hurry, and Hong'er Cui'er took the lead in squeezing into the car where the girls were sitting.

Xia Ruixi shook her head when she saw this, it seems that Xia Ruibei still has to compete with her no matter what, but she is afraid that when she arrives at the Xuan family, she will not restrain herself. He whispered to a few girls around him to the Xuan family to let Xia Ruibei do everything, and talk about it when she comes back, don't lose face outside.

Liang'er thought for a moment and said, "What if they go too far?" Are we just going to let them bully? She is now more familiar with the environment, and slowly reveals her original eccentric and unwilling temperament.

Xia Ruixi glanced at her with a smile: "Don't embarrass me." ”

Mrs. Xia's maiden family, Xuanfu, was not prosperous in her generation, so she had to have her and an older brother. Now that the older generation has passed away, it is Xia Ruixi's uncle Master Xuan who is in charge, starting from Uncle Xuan, he has married seven or eight wives and concubines, and has given birth to more than ten children.

Uncle Xuan is a famous Confucian, who opened a famous Honglu Academy in Daqin, and has countless protégés. Opening and closing one's mouth must be "a sage, a sage", starting from him, to Xia Ruixi's more than a dozen cousins and cousins, there is a lot of sour gas in the family.

Xia Ruixi came to Xuanfu for the third time, and the first two times were dragonflies, but it did not prevent her from evaluating Xuanfu. The only feeling she had about Xuanfu was that it was lifeless and sour. Uncle Xuan's seven or eight wives and concubines, one laughed more than the other, and more than a dozen children all had coffin faces and plague looks.

Because the time was still early and the guests were still coming, Uncle Xuan took his wife and children to pick up his only sister outside the second gate. Uncle Xuan first took Xia Ruiyu's hand and asked affectionately, and then when he turned around, he saw Xia Ruixi, a famous niece and daughter, and wanted to teach her a long lecture and teach her what it means to be a woman, a woman, a woman, a woman, a woman

Uncle Xuan just dropped a few sour words, and Mrs. Xia snorted coldly, he hurriedly closed his voice and found an excuse to take Xia Ruiyu away. As soon as he left, several young masters and young ladies of the Xuan family rushed up to greet Mrs. Xia, and they all looked at Mrs. Xia with a kind of admiration. After all, the only woman who can make their father afraid and dare not provoke is this only aunt.

Xia Ruixi looked funny, Uncle Xuan regarded a man's concubine as a matter of course, and whoever dared to stop his wife was not abiding by women's morality. But Master Xuan only dared to say it to other women, and he didn't dare to say half a word about his own sister.

There is a reason for this, because Mrs. Xia gave birth to three daughters in a row, Mrs. Xia wanted to give Mr. Xia a concubine. Master Xia's sister-in-law, Wang, who couldn't get on the stage, also gave birth to three sons in a row, and her tail was cocked to the sky, disgusting Mrs. Xia all day long, and she had to step on her in everything.

The young Mrs. Xia couldn't stand this anger, so she went back to her parents' house and cried to her mother about her grievances. Although Uncle Xuan felt sorry for his sister-in-law, he thought that he should take a concubine. Then he said, "When a woman marries and follows her husband, no queen is the greatest." If you can't give birth to it yourself, you can't let the Xia family break off. Don't make trouble again, go and find a beautiful concubine for your brother-in-law happily, don't lose the face of our poets and scholars, and let your brother-in-law know how good you are. ”

Mrs. Xia raised her eyebrows, pointed at him and scolded. Asked him, if it is a wealthy family and a man cannot have children, should the woman also recruit another husband to start, otherwise there will be no queen, isn't it unfilial? She has been familiar with poetry and books since she was a child, and what she knows is no worse than that of Master Xuan, but she actually quoted scriptures and scolded Master Xuan speechless. From then on, he no longer dared to be sour in front of Mrs. Xia, nor did he dare to mention that a man should take a concubine. Since then, Mrs. Xia has become a special existence in Xuanfu.

Xia Ruixi followed everyone into the courtyard, the threshold of the Xuan family was particularly high, and it was everywhere, and her skirt was too long, and she was tripped up if she didn't pay attention. At this time, for some reason, a few girls were not around, and when she was about to lose her ugliness gorgeously, a warm and powerful hand reached out from the oblique stab, helped her, and quickly took it back.

A nice young man's voice said, "Second cousin, slow down." ”

Xia Ruixi looked at the man beside him, the stone blue silk shirt was spotless, without a trace of wrinkles, medium stature, slightly thin figure, gentle eyes, and he looked pretty good. He could appear in this inner courtyard, and according to what he said, he should be one of her cousins, but she didn't know him, and she didn't dare to recognize it. I could only smile slightly, and I was blessed: "Thank you." He lowered his eyebrows and lowered his eyes, keeping up with Mrs. Xia's pace.

"No thanks." The corners of the man's mouth curled up in a perfect arc, and he looked at her in surprise with perfect etiquette and graceful posture, is this the naughty young lady who is famous in Xijing? People are still as beautiful as he remembers, but they are no longer brutal and stubborn, and they are clearly a lady who advances and retreats to a certain extent, which shows that people will change when they grow up. The man lowered his head and thought for a moment, then summoned a small servant and whispered a few words.

Xia Ruixi walked for a while, and Wan'er pulled Chun'er in a hurry with an angry face. Xia Ruixi asked angrily, "Where have you been?" I don't have anyone around when I want someone to serve, what about Liang'er? ”

Wan'er said: "The people over there in Qinglian Water Pavilion are making trouble, Liang'er's clothes were torn, and they didn't follow. Miss, you will be angry for the slaves this time. ”

Qinglian Water Pavilion is where Xia Ruibei lives, and as soon as Wan'er said this, Xia Ruixi understood, and commanded in a low voice: "Go back and talk about it." ”

I don't know if Mrs. Xia specially greeted Aunt Xuan, and when the female guests came, the female relatives of the Xuan family all introduced Xia Ruixi intentionally or unintentionally. also gave her a few opportunities for talent shows, this time asking for a birthday poem for the occasion, where did Xia Ruixi do this? In the eager eyes of the family, Xia Ruibei, and the ridiculed and contemptuous eyes of the female guests, she had to shamelessly plagiarize for her reputation.

She couldn't remember who wrote this poem, but because her professor at the university was 70 years old, and several classmates asked someone to write a calligraphy and painting to send it, and she happened to be the one in charge of finding someone to frame it, so she remembered it.

Xia Ruixi pretended to be sad for a long time, and when Mrs. Xia was disappointed and desperate, and Aunt Xuan planned to round the field, she stood up and was embarrassed to bless, "Ruixi is a shallow learner, and I thought of a song, but I'm afraid it won't reach the ears of the elders and sisters." ”

There are good things, and the person who wants to see the jokes of Miss Xia Er, who is famous for her rudeness, laughed and said, "Come on, come on." Miss Xia Er's family is very knowledgeable, and she is Lan Xinhui, so she must be a masterpiece. ”

Xia Ruixi said: "A pine on the cliff bank of Jinsha, and the energetic branches shape the ancestral dragon." When the peach and plum are in full bloom, they are lonely, and after the snow and frost are green. The roots are deep and love the spring rain, and the leaves are still pitiful to the green valley wind. The teacher's talent is admirable, and Gu Xi is worthy of his looks. I didn't do well, and I laughed. ”

She thought that Uncle Xuan had a lot of protégés, and he was a person who loved these so-called backbones very much, so it was finally appropriate, right? Seeing that the people in the room were silent, Mrs. Xia's eyes were also quite happy, and she became a little proud.

A mother-in-law came in and whispered a few words in Aunt Xuan's ear, and Aunt Xuan hurriedly went out. After a while, Aunt Xuan smiled and brought in an old lady who was surrounded by a maid and a woman, with kind eyebrows and kind eyes, well-dressed, and petite figure, and greeted her warmly.

When everyone present saw this old lady, they all greeted respectfully, including Mrs. Xia, who was also very polite. Xia Ruixi asked Wan'er curiously, "Who is this?" ”