In the winter of the second year of Wude, Yangzhou City once again ushered in a heavy snowfall, the snow, fluttering and sprinkling all day, until the evening gradually stopped, the snow was more than a foot deep.

The weather in Yangzhou is warm, and such heavy snowfall is rare, and two such heavy snowfalls in a year are even rarer.

The most conspicuous mansion on Gulou East Street is about the Su family, the leading wealthy merchant in Yangzhou City. On the snow in front of the vermilion lacquer gate, although it had snowed for a day, it was still stepped out of the way by the shopkeepers who talked back and forth from the various shops in Sufu. In contrast to the hustle and bustle of the front yard, the back house of the Su Mansion is quiet and orderly.

Although Yangzhou Sufu is a businessman, his ancestors have been prime ministers. Just because the emperor was mediocre back then, the prime minister of the Su family, the old ancestor, was desperate to return to his hometown, and set that generations of descendants should not enter the court as officials. Although the Su Mansion is rich, it rarely forms evil relationships, and it is respected by the people. In order to ensure the peace of the family, the Su family even set the rules prohibiting concubines. Now to this generation of Su Master Su Wei, at the age of nearly forty, there is only one daughter under his knees. Su Wei and his wife Jiang have a deep relationship, and they will never have the idea of taking a concubine. The back house is less chaotic, the house is peaceful, and everything is managed in an orderly manner by Mrs. Jiang.

At this time, in the Qingyi courtyard of the back house of the Su Mansion, there was a delicate figure. Su Yingxue, the daughter of Su Mansion who had just passed the ceremony, combed a new hanging bun, inserted a peach blossom hairpin on the left, and a tassel on the right, wearing a peach-colored daze, standing under the corridor, admiring the snow scene in the courtyard, and couldn't help but praise: "What a snowy plum blossom, if it weren't for this snow, I'm afraid I wouldn't be able to see that this red plum is so beautiful." ”

"Yes, girl. Although the slave and maid couldn't describe it, they just looked at the red and white and rejoiced. However, the girl's peach blossom makeup is standing here today, and I think she compares the plum blossom to the bottom. After speaking, the maid Pei'er bent down and held a handful of snow, and said with a smile, "Girl, let's build a snowman, shall we?" ”

"Uh......" Su Yingxue couldn't help but rub her eyebrows, shouldn't she tell this little girl that the snowman she built last time was really ugly and beautiful. The snow half a month ago, the plum blossoms had not yet bloomed, and the snowman in the courtyard was ugly, so she didn't look at it. And this time, she really couldn't imagine what kind of experience it was like for the crooked red-nosed ugly snowman who broke into her sight when she admired the picture of red plum reflecting the snow. Su Yingxue couldn't help but shudder, no, she had to take this little girl away, and resolutely not give her a chance to destroy the snow scene.

"Ahem" Su Yingxue cleared her throat and said, "It's really boring to be trapped in this yard this day, you go to your mother's courtyard to see if your mother has had dinner, if not, you will go back to your mother and say that I will eat with her later, if you have used it, you will go back to your mother and say that I have used dinner to accompany my mother." After that, you go to the dining room and tell Mother Liu to let her prepare some Sihe soup and send it to her mother's courtyard in an hour. ”

Pei'er snapped her fingers and wrote down the things that the young lady had told her one by one, then gave a salute, went about doing her own work, and successfully forgot about building a snowman.

Seeing Pei'er's figure disappear from sight, Su Yingxue let out a long breath and turned around to admire the plum blossoms, but the ugly snowman lingered in her mind, and in desperation, she had to go back to the room and take a notebook to read.

Between the cigarettes, Ziyan came in and replied: "Girl, the master has sent someone to deliver the message, please go to the front hall." ”

Su Yingxue raised her eyes, frowning slightly: "Do you know what's going on?" ”

Ziyan replied: "There is someone in the Qin Mansion, saying that it is Qin Gongzi who gave Miss a gift of harmony, please check it out." "Su Yingxue just made a ceremony a few days ago, and the son of the Qin Mansion couldn't come back in time because he was away from studying with his master.

This Qin Mansion and Su Mansion are world friends, Qin Mansion's sons Qin Ziqing and Su Yingxue grew up together since childhood, and the elders of the two mansions also hope to marry Qin and Jin, so they are also happy to see some gadgets between their children. It's just that after Qin Ziqing was weak the year before last, he didn't often come to the inner courtyard, and everything in Pingsuli was directly sent to Su Yingxue, but today he had to go to the front hall.

Su Yingxue secretly doubted in her heart, and ordered Ziyun to groom herself and tidy up her clothes.

When Su Yingxue was about to walk to the front hall, she heard her father's loud laughter from the front hall, and she was unconsciously happy. When I got to the door, I saw a silhouette with a round bun on his head and a bamboo-blue robe, and I knew why.

"Father" Su Yingxue gave a salute.

"My son, let's see who is coming, hehehehe......" Father Su's eyes were smiling, and he looked very happy.

Su Yingxue turned around, the bamboo-colored figure stood up, and said deeply to Su Yingxue: "Sister Xue'er is good." ”

Su Yingxue also returned a salute: "Brother Qin is good." ”

Looking up, the people in front of him are still starry-eyed, but they are less immature and young than before, a little more stable and a little resolute. Su Yingxue said with a smile: "My cousin's study tour has only been a few months, but it seems that he has gained a lot, and even his temperament has changed a lot. ”

Father Su smiled: "My son has good eyesight, just now your cousin is telling me an interesting story about this study tour, it is really interesting, hahahaha...... Oh, by the way, your cousin just returned to Yangzhou, and before he entered the house, he rushed over. Just for your gifts. Father Su laughed heartily as he spoke.

Qin Ziqing immediately took out a brocade box from the table, sent it to Su Yingxue and said: "I was worried that I could come back before you made the ceremony, but because there was a lot of rain and snow in the north this year, the road was blocked, and I came back late, so please forgive my cousin." ”

Su Yingxue took it and thanked her: "Brother Lao Ziqing is worried, I am already very happy, why do I need to forgive me." ”

"My son, let's see what your cousin has sent?" Father Su looked curious, and his eyes stared at the box, as if he wanted to see the box through.

Su Yingxue said half-angrily and half-jokingly: "Daddy." Your cousin will be indispensable when he comes back, so please take it out first and let your daughter open her eyes. After that, he looked at the table, and saw a black lacquered gold brocade box, so he wanted to get it.

When Father Su saw it, he hurriedly protected it in his arms. Qin Ziqing gave him a good inkstone, if her bookworm daughter saw it, wouldn't she snatch it? "Daughter, there is still something to deal with for my father, you talk to Ziqing first, I have already ordered a banquet to be prepared, and we will have a meal together as a family later." After speaking, he hurriedly left, not even hearing Qin Ziqing's words of farewell.

As soon as Su's father left, the hall was a little embarrassed for a while, and Su Yingxue only felt that a pair of eyes were nailed to her, and she was very uncomfortable. After thinking about it, this is my own home, and I should speak first. raised her head and was about to say some greetings, but when she met Qin Ziqing's eyes looking at her, she choked there. Hurriedly looked to the side, saw the tea beside him, picked it up and slowly tasted it to cover it up.

There was a chuckle in his ears, and he heard Qin Ziqing say: "Now that you have pulled this bun, it looks even more beautiful and lovely." As he spoke, he held his chin with his hand and continued, "It's also more dignified, and I'm not a child anymore." ”

When Su Yingxue heard the teasing words, she put down the teacup, raised her eyebrows like a child, and said, "Thank you for complimenting, we are each other." ”

Qin Ziqing laughed when she heard this, and as soon as she said that she was not a child's heart, her childish temper came up.

Su Yingxue heard him laugh, and felt that she was despised by him, so she adjusted her demeanor and said: "You have been out for several months and have not returned, and now when you come home, you don't go home first to report your safety to your uncle and aunt, but you go to our house to give gifts." It is against filial piety! As he spoke, he straightened his face.

This ruthless girl. Qin Ziqing slandered in his heart. I ran for half a month to rush back, and I didn't even enter the house, regardless of my physical fatigue, just to see her, but she was so disappointed. Seeing her pretending to learn the demeanor of an adult, she couldn't help laughing out loud again, causing Su Yingxue to frown.

Qin Ziqing ignored it, turned around the hall and said, "Your mansion is still like that, nothing has changed?" It's so boring to stay in this house, why don't you take me to your flower garden to enjoy? ”

This Su Yingxue likes to play with flowers and plants since she was a child, and it is strange to say that no matter how difficult the flowers and plants are to be tended to in her hands, she can raise them very well, and over the years, she has cultivated many new varieties. Su Fu originally started as a silk business, and only after accumulating wealth did he get involved in restaurants, tea shops, medical halls, pawnshops and other industries. It's just that these are not as good as the development of flowers and plants. Since Su Yingxue cultivated the sky-blue hibiscus flower when she was seven years old, Master Su gradually bought several hectares of land to breed flowers and plants and sell them to wealthy families all over the world. It's just that these things are said to be flowers and plants cultivated by masters invited by Master Su, but they don't know that so many new varieties are from the hands of Sufu's daughter, and only a few close people know. Now the flower garden mentioned by Qin Ziqing is a place specially set aside by Su Yingxue in the mansion to cultivate flowers and plants.

Su Yingxue didn't like people to set foot in her private territory, so she refused neatly: "No." ”

Qin Ziqing had already expected it: "Good sister, you really don't give me any face, our friendship since childhood, we have only entered your flower garden once, and this was five years ago." If you don't allow it, why don't you accompany me around your garden?" In retrospect, I haven't been in your garden for over a year. ”

This request is not too much, Su Yingxue thought about it, and agreed: "It's okay." After that, he ordered Ziyan to accept the gift and go back to the courtyard first, and go to the garden with Qin Ziqing.

The front hall is not far from the garden, and Master Su is a habitual enjoyer, and a small door is specially opened at the end of the corridor in the front hall to facilitate access to the garden. In fact, several courtyards in Sufu have specially opened small doors to enter and exit the garden.

Ziyan looked at the disappeared backs of the two and left in a hurry.