The banquet has been set up in the bamboo forest of the small cross courtyard, and the old lady has also seen the layout of the small cross courtyard early and is full of praise. I heard that Li Qing's ancestor had a champion, and his good impression of Li Qing increased a few points, and he repeatedly instructed the Cui family to arrange a small cross-courtyard, and not to treat Li Qing badly, lest people say that our Wu family does not understand etiquette.

The Zhuang family brought Wu Yuan to the small cross courtyard early, today is the day when the old lady specially ordered Li Qing to set up a banquet, which can be regarded as the apprenticeship of the two girls. Go all the way in, through the hanging flower gate is the dense bamboo forest faintly obscuring the field of vision, on both sides is the hand-copying verandah, the busy preparation of the wine banquet maid shuttles, the middle is through the hall, the courtyard is placed in the middle of a large water tank, which is stocked with two big red carp, through the courtyard is the study. When I opened the door curtain, I saw Mrs. Jiang in the third room.

"Sister-in-law, you're here." Jiang Shi greeted with a smile, "I've been here for a while, let's see how the layout is here, the old lady has spoken, and I want to use the best for both girls." ”

"But no, our Yongan Yongkang brothers didn't see the old lady so attentive when they went to school." The curtain on the West House was lifted, and Cui Shi walked out of the house.

"That's not all arranged by you, second sister-in-law, we all remember your goodness." Jiang replied with a smile.

Zhuang smiled and walked in, only to see that the two girls' tables had been placed in the study, the embroidery frame was placed in the flower hall next to it, the room was equipped with smoked baskets and incense, and there were flower shelves under the hollow carved windows, and the whole room was cleaned up concisely and richly, revealing the squeamishness of girls everywhere.

"That's good, is Mr. Li here?" Zhuang asked, "It's time, let's go and greet you." ”

As he was talking, he saw Li Qing walking in in a plain skirt embroidered with lotus flowers. ”

The three concubines also smiled in return, and after they were seated, they saw the maid come in and said respectfully: "Grandma, second lady and third lady, the old lady has arrived." ”

Everyone hurriedly got up and went outside the house to greet them, only to see two maids walking in with the old lady in hand, and everyone was busy saluting the old lady. The old lady smiled and waved her hand, took Wu Yuan and said, "Yuan Niang, do you still like this small cross-courtyard arranged by your second aunt, if you don't like it, just say it, and grandmother will let your second aunt rearrange it." ”

Wu Yuan replied respectfully: "My sister likes it, and my granddaughter likes it too." ”

The old lady smiled and said, "Good, good, good, all good children." Then he said to everyone, "You don't have to be formal, I'm just coming over to take a look, I don't know which one is Mr. Li?" ”

Li Qing hurriedly stepped forward and saluted, and said respectfully, "I've seen the old lady." ”

When the old lady saw that Li Qing was dressed elegantly, behaved in a down-to-earth manner, and treated people neither humbly nor arrogantly, she was very satisfied, and said to Li Qing gently: "The eldest girl and the second girl of our family are going to please Mr. Li, please bother more." ”

Li Qing said softly: "It's all a matter of duty, and please don't be polite to the old lady." ”

After that, the old lady looked at the layout in the small courtyard, nodded again and again, praised Cui's intentions this time, and said to everyone with a smile: "I won't bother you, I'm here, you juniors will inevitably be restrained." Saying that, he was helped out of the study by two maids, and Cui hurriedly stepped forward to send the old lady out of the small courtyard.

The guests at the banquet enjoyed themselves, and after the meal, everyone went back to their rooms.

The next day, Wu Yuan and Wu Yijin began to go to school officially, Li Qing took out a thick stack of books and put them on the bookcase, and said to Wu Yuan and Wu Yijin: "I should have examined the knowledge of the two girls first, but since the two girls studied together, no matter what they learned before, today we will start from the most basic learning, let's talk about women's morality, women's duties and boudoir etiquette first." Today we will begin to talk about the biography of the women, which is divided into seven categories, such as iniquity, argumentation, righteousness, chastity, benevolence, wisdom, and motherhood, and each category is represented by fifteen people. ”

Wu Yuan and Wu Yijin also put away their laughter when they saw this, and listened to the class seriously.

There was bad news from Qiongzhou here, Xiaohuzi asked the business man to bring the letter back, Wu Boyong couldn't afford to be sick after arriving in Qiongzhou, and he had to go to labor every day, and now he is seriously ill. After receiving the letter, the Zhuang family was in a hurry, and the second master, Wu Zhonghe, also rushed back from other places after hearing the news.

Zhuang asked anxiously: "Second brother, how is your eldest brother's situation?" What did the guy who came back say? ”

"Sister-in-law, don't worry, sit down and talk slowly. I've called the messenger to come over, so let's hear what he has to say. Wu Zhonghe said to the door: "Li San, you come in and go back to the grandmother." ”

A merchant came in and said respectfully: "The eldest lord has not been in good health since he arrived in Qiongzhou, and he has been in prison for so long before, the eldest lord is a little disheartened, and the whole person is not energetic. The local traffic in Qiongzhou is blocked, and many medicinal materials are not well procured, in the first half of this year, the old man became more and more sick, and when I left, the old man was already lying in bed and couldn't get up. ”

After listening to the guy's words, the room was full of sorrow and helpless.

"Why don't I go to Qiongzhou and take our doctors and medicinal materials to see the eldest brother, and now there is no other way. In any case, the life of the eldest brother is the key. Wu Zhonghe thought for a long time and said, "I just don't know if the imperial court will allow us to go, I think, I will repair a letter and go to the capital to ask my father-in-law to ask Qin Xiangye, before the eldest brother was exiled, Qin Xiangye once said that if there is any difficulty, he will help." ”

"No, you can't go, once you go, what will happen to this family?" Cui Shi hurriedly dissuaded, "Besides, Qiongzhou is not another place, it's not like you can go just when you say it, the mountains are high and the roads are far away, if something happens, how do you want us to live?" ”

"But 。。。。。。" Wu Zhonghe hesitated and didn't know what to say, what better way is there now? I didn't dare to tell the old lady about this matter now, for fear that it would be even worse if the old lady was in a hurry to do something.

"I think I'll ask Qin Xiangye first, over the years, Qin Xiangye has always supported our Wu family's business." Wu Zhonghe wrote a letter as he spoke, asking the little girl to send it to the capital immediately.

"If it's really not possible, I'll go, I'll take care of Boyong, and it should be me who is reasonable." Zhuang said resolutely, "The Wu family's business has just improved, everything is inseparable from the second brother, I think your eldest brother doesn't want the Wu family's business to be delayed like this, you know that your eldest brother is the most important thing is the foundation of the Wu family." ”