Today's Wu family is lively and full of seats. Since it is a family banquet, it is not formal.

Second Master Wu personally helped the old lady to sit on the top position, and asked Zhuang to sit on the right hand side of the old lady. The Zhuang family refused, the current Wu family is no longer the time for the Wu family to be in charge, and the Zhuang family knows that he must make his position clear.

The old lady instructed her subordinates and said, "Go, move the grandmother's stool to my right hand, although the second master is now in charge, but you all remember to me that the grandmother will always be the grandmother of the Wu family." Rules cannot be abolished. ”

Zhuang's eyes turned red instantly, and he no longer shirked, half-sitting in the right hand position of the old lady.

Cui Shi quipped: "Mother, you are biased, sister-in-law just came back, you forgot me." ”

The third wife, Jiang Shi, also came up: "What the second sister-in-law said is, mother, don't forget us." ”

The old lady smiled and scolded: "Second and third, look at these two, like a monkey." Pointing to the place next to Zhuang's, "Sit down, you two are indispensable everywhere." ”

Cui and Jiang sat down with a smile, and the second master of the Wu family raised his wine glass and said respectfully to the old lady: "My son is thousands of miles away from home this time, and he knows that the family is good, the hardships of the outside world, and it is not easy for the eldest brother to support the door of the Wu family. The son's cup of wine wishes his mother a long life and a long spring. ”

The words were sincere and touching, and the old lady said: "Good, good, good." If only you understood your eldest brother's difficulty. The Wu family is now in charge of you, and the burden on your shoulders is heavy, and now the Wu family's business is seriously damaged, and everything is waiting to be revived, so you have to support the portal as soon as possible. This time, your eldest brother's case really frightened me, and I wondered if our Wu family could stop doing the business of the imperial court and slowly change to other businesses. I'm really scared, now our Yangzhou Wu family is counting on you, your third brother only reads sage books, and doesn't like to meddle in business, you don't have a helper, I just want us to be safe. ”

Wu Zhonghe's face was embarrassed: "The two Huaiyan general merchants were appointed by the imperial court, I'm afraid it's not something that my son can resign if he wants to." What's more, the Wu family made a fortune with salt, which is the foundation laid by the ancestors, and it must not be lost. ”

The third lady looked at the third master sitting opposite, and the third master shook his head lightly, signaling her not to talk more.

The old lady was silent, the atmosphere was a little deadlocked, and everyone silently finished dinner and returned to each room and courtyard.

Zhuang came back, Wu Yuan moved back to the middle courtyard from Sanfutang, Wu Yuan was held by the nurse, listening to the story on the soft couch, looking very cute. With Wu Yuan in the Intermediate Court, he finally got angry.

"In the future, I will put Yuan Niang in my room in the blue yarn cupboard." Zhuang was talking to the nurse, and Chun Tao rushed to Zhuang.

"Look, grandma, you can't stop her. This girl is too disagreeable, she has been locked in the backyard by the old lady for so long, and she will cause trouble when she comes out. The janitor hunched over and dragged Chun Tao out.

When Zhuang saw Chun Tao, he was taken aback, "What's wrong?" ”

"Grandma, you're back." Chun Tao "plopped" and knelt at Zhuang's feet, "Since you left, the old lady has asked the slave to question, and the slave and maid dare not say anything." ”

Zhuang pulled up Chun Tao, looking at Chun Tao's thin and inhuman appearance, his face was sallow, it seems that for so long, Chun Tao has suffered a lot, "Since I am back, you can stay in the middle courtyard and stay by my side." You've been implicated. ”

"Don't be bitter, the slave is not afraid of suffering, but I'm afraid that I will never see you again. It's just that in the days when you are away, the second lady presides over the inner house, and the maids in the middle courtyard are all obedient, and I haven't found a chance to go to the dealer's house to deliver the letter. Chun Tao took out the keychain in her arms, "This is the key you gave me for safekeeping, Miss." ”

Suddenly heard Chun Tao call himself Miss, Zhuang Shi shook his head, as if it was a matter of the previous life, and no one had called himself like this for a long time.

"Don't cry, let's rest in the earroom next to me tonight. In the future, you will still stay in the middle courtyard as an errand boy, and I am still used to your service. After taking the key, Zhuang instructed his subordinates to take the crying spring peach to rest.

"Does the second lady manage the Intermediate Court very strictly?" Zhuang asked the nurse.

The nurse thought for a while, and said in a loud voice, "Since you left, the old lady handed over the right to preside over the middle feed to the second lady, and it was okay at first, the second lady treated the middle court no different from before." Looking at Zhuang's expressionless face, the nurse continued, "Since the news of the uncle's sentence to exile came, the second lady's attitude has gradually changed a little, looking at the middle court is like looking at 。。。。。。 ”

"See what?" Zhuang said casually.

"It's like looking at your own property... The nurse swallowed, "Maybe I'm thinking too much, the second lady is just doing her duty." ”

"I'm afraid that if it's really as you think, the uncle is not here, and they will treat the middle courtyard as their own bag. Cui's has always been arrogant, but now that the second master is in charge, she is in power, but I am afraid that she really has some ideas in her heart. Zhuang said coldly.

The nurse protected Yuan Niang and didn't dare to answer.

The next day, Zhuang called Chun Tao to pay attention to the new maids in the middle courtyard recently, and sure enough, several small maids were used to be errands in Cui's courtyard, taking advantage of the opportunity to arrange the room for Wu Yuan, Zhuang found a reason to send his little maid.

No matter what the purpose of the Cui family was in the middle court, the Zhuang family did not dare to leave these people.

When it came to the day of asking for peace, Zhuang took Yuan Niang to Sanfu Hall to ask the old lady to say goodbye, the old lady was teasing Yuan Niang giggled, Yuan Niang blurted out "grandmother" The old lady was surprised and delighted, and hugged Yuan Niang and asked her to call again.

The third lady said with a smile: "This child has grown up in Sanfutang since he was a child, and he is really close to his grandmother. ”

The old lady hugged Yuan Niang affectionately and was reluctant to put it down, and it happened that Cui's also came to Sanfutang to ask for peace, only to hear the housekeeper's key on Cui's waist ding.

After greeting the old lady, Cui said: "It just so happens that my sister-in-law is also here, and today I will return the housekeeper's key to the original owner in front of my mother." lest those subordinates chew the root of their tongues and divide the feelings between our second room and the big room."

"What do you say, now that the second master is in charge, you should be in charge, and I can't say anything about presiding over the middle feed." Zhuang hurriedly dissuaded Cui.

The third lady, Jiang, drank tea and sat silently.

Cui Shi cried in front of the old lady, saying that it was not right for him to preside over the middle feed, and asked the old lady to take back the right to give back.

Zhuang's looked at Cui's pear blossoms with rain, and secretly said that the nurse was really good, but in a few days, the movement of the middle courtyard was known by Cui's, no, this is to find the old lady to give herself eye medicine.

Zhuang said softly: "Second brother and sister, you have too much heart, I just have too many small people in the middle courtyard, so I sent a few people." Your housekeeper is rightfully named, and you don't have to worry about people chewing on the root of their tongues. Besides, there is only one woman and Wu Yuan in the middle court, so it is really not suitable for too many small servants, and the maid is enough. I appreciate your kindness. With that, Zhuang stepped forward to help Cui up.

Seeing this, the old lady said softly: "It would be best if you and your concubines could have a good relationship with each other, the backyard is peaceful, and the lord in the front yard can feel at ease when he is outside." Then he said that he was tired, and asked Mama Zhu to send the ladies out of Sanfu Hall.

Cui's was helped out of the yard by his mother-in-law, and when he left, he was still holding a handkerchief, and his eyes were hazy with tears.

The Zhuang family and the third lady Jiang walked together, and the nurse led Wu Yuan to walk slowly behind.

The third lady Jiang said to Zhuang's: "Sister-in-law, look at Cui's coy appearance, you get cheap and sell well." I'm afraid I'll have to check on the people in my courtyard when I go back. Her hand was also stretched too long, and she had only been in charge for a few days, and she dared to plant people in the courtyards. ”

Zhuang smiled and said, "Cui's is also the first housekeeper, and he just lost a little bit of proportion." ”

Both of them had a tacit understanding not to mention this stubble, and said goodbye to each other with a smile and went back to their respective yards.