There were two heavy snowfalls this winter, and most of the rest were good weather, and there were few days of cold rain and gloom, but after the nineteenth day of the lunar month, the sun refused to show up again, the clouds were dark, and the cold rain was slow and slow, and there was no sign of good weather in the short term.

According to Zeng Yu's mother and Zeng Yu's meaning, they want to stay with Zheng Shi in Shangrao for a few more days, and then go back when the sky is clear, but Zheng Shi can't wait, it will be Xiao Nian in two days, so he and Zeng Yu left Yingtanfang on the tenth day of the lunar month, and the old mother and wife and daughter at home must have heard the news of the thieves in Yiyang and Lead Mountain, and they must be worried about his safety, so he can't delay any longer-

At the end of the twenty-first day of the lunar month, Zeng Yu and Wu Chunze sent Zheng Shi and several other Guixi Xiucai to return to their hometown by boat, Zeng Yu asked Laifu to take a sheep back, Yuan Laoke and Xia Chaofeng each gave him a sheep, his house has a small population, and a sheep is enough for the New Year, so he sent one to Zheng Shi, anyway, it is a boat, and you can go to Yingtanfang in the evening.

Sixi never forgot the ten taels of silver that the young master lost on Hengfeng Road, and said to Zeng Yu: "Young master, let the little one go with Young Master Zheng and Brother Laifu, and when I get to Hengfeng, I will go ashore to find the silver, and I will come back when I find it." ”

Zeng Yu smiled and asked, "Then what if you can't find it, you won't come back?" ”

Laifu said humbly: "I'll look for it with Sixi, and I know that the silver is under a stinky tree." ”

Zeng Yu said: "That's it, we are not familiar with that road, where can we remember which tree it is, don't bother with that, just break the fortune and eliminate the disaster, and celebrate the New Year with peace of mind." ”

Zheng Shi said: "Jiu Li, I am not very proud of the composition of the examination this time, I am afraid that I will not be qualified for the township examination next year, if you want to go to Nanchang for the exam, you must first go to Yingtan to meet with me." ”

Zeng Yu said: "Needless to say, I will definitely come to visit my aunt and humble when I pass by." ”

The cold rain even the river, the mountains on the other side are particularly bleak in the rain curtain, the wind on the riverside is tight, the rain wets the feet and cold into the bone marrow, and the other talents are on the boat, Zheng Shi is waiting to get on the boat, but he turned around and asked: "Jiuli, you won't go to Fenyi next year?" ”

Zeng Yu hesitated for a moment and said: "It's hard to say, if Mr. Yan Er wants me to go, maybe I will still go, I can't afford to offend, right?" ”

Zheng Shi said: "If you want to go to Fenyi, then go to my place first." ”

"Take a pause" is a common saying in Guangxinfu, which means resting.

Sent away Zheng Shi Zhusheng, Zeng Yu returned to the house outside the north gate with an umbrella, but on this cold and rainy day, there were still two matchmakers huddled under the eaves of the house gate and waiting, seeing Zeng Yu, his face was wrinkled into two balls with a smile, but he complained that the cook Yu didn't know anything, although there were no men in the house just now, but they were all old women, what could not be opened-

Stretching out his hand not to hit the smiling person, the two mothers-in-law smiled, Zeng Yu couldn't say anything too face-sweeping, but said: "Second Aunt Liu, I don't like the two of you who are matchmakers, you better save your worries, hurry back to rest on this cold day, my marriage is not worrying about the two of you." ”

A mother-in-law was still asking Zeng Yuwei what he was not satisfied with, and Liu Erma's mind turned quickly and asked, "Is Zeng Xianggong already in love?" Or which famous lady has you taken a fancy to? You tell the old body, the old body goes to talk to you as a matchmaker, this Shangrao urban and rural eunuch is not familiar with the old lady, as long as Zeng Xianggong can tell which one it is, the old body can make Zeng Xianggong's good relationship harmonious. ”

Seeing that Liu Erma's strategy changed, another mother-in-law hurriedly said: "I am also familiar with these young ladies and ladies, Zeng Xianggong, not the old body boasts, and the slow talk of Shangrao City, even the old body of the county lord of Nancheng Yi Wang Ye also dares to talk about the matchmaker." ”

This mother-in-law is powerful, she is open-mouthed, Liu Erma is a little anxious, if you want to overpower this mother-in-law, then you can only marry the daughter of Emperor Jiajing to Zeng Yu, but the capital is too far away, this matchmaker is not easy to do, she looked at the mother-in-law and said: "This is not true, Zeng Xianggong is a sincere person, Liu Meizi, how can you perfunctory him like this?" ”

Mrs. Liu swore and said: "Never perfunctory, never perfunctory, if Zeng Xianggong really fell in love with the county lord of Yi Wangye, the old man dared to say that the matchmaker was not illegal, and the old woman did not dare to go, and the Yi Wang Ye also had to entertain me with good wine and food." ”

Zeng Yu couldn't help laughing and said, "Okay, okay, the two mothers-in-law sit first, drink a cup of hot tea to drive away the cold, and then go home separately. ”

Zeng Yu went back to the inner courtyard to talk to his mother, and read the book in the study for half an hour, and finally saw that the hall was clean, but he heard the neighing of the horses and donkeys in the back garden, and said with four joys: "I haven't fed Heibao and black beans today, and I am so hungry that I scream." "Hurry up to the kitchen and bring the beans to feed.

Heibao is the black donkey of Zeng Yu's family, and the black beans are given by Yan Shifan.

Hei Bao and Black Bean chewed the forage, no longer called, the whole house calmed down, and now there are only four people in the house and Yu Niang, but it is a little deserted.

Guangxin Mansion folk customs is the twenty-third month of the month of the small year, so on the afternoon of the 22nd, the cook Yu went into the inner courtyard to say goodbye to the great-mother Zhou, said that after the fifteenth Lantern Festival of the first month to come to the house to help, Yu is the fifth day of the first month to the Zeng house helper, at that time said that the salary is three dollars of silver per month, to today is only three and a half months, the great-mother Zhou gave her a two-two silver according to four months, and rewarded her with a gelding to go home for the New Year, Yu is grateful, happy to go.

In the evening of this day, Zeng Yu went to the Sanjiangkou wharf and found the owner of the passenger boat that Zheng Shi hired them, and the owner handed over a letter and a bag of dried beans to Zeng Yu, which was made by Zeng Yu and Zheng Shi, and Zeng Yu received the letter to know that Zheng Shi's master and servant had arrived home safely.

Right next to this passenger boat, a rowboat from the west had just been anchored, and someone jumped ashore to ask the porter where Zeng Yu and Zeng Xiucai lived, and Zeng Yu left the dock with his hind feet, almost passing by.

The winter solstice has long passed, it is still a short day and a long night, and it is a rainy day, the sky is darker and faster, Zeng Yu went out at the end of Shen Shi, and went back and forth to the dock for nearly ten miles, and the sky was completely dark on the way back, and the raindrops were gradually dense, hitting the oilcloth umbrella "crackling" sound.

Because it was a rainy day, Zeng Yu didn't go out with a lantern, at this time the black light was quite embarrassed, and when he returned to the house, his boots and the hem of his robe were all muddy, and his mother and Niuniu were waiting for him in the hall.

Because there were no outsiders, great-mother Zhou and Niuniu had dinner with Zeng Yu and Sixi in the front hall, and dinner was also cooked by great-mother Zhou, and Yu's cook had already left, and these housework had to be handled by great-mother Zhou.

A big bowl of mutton vermicelli, a small charcoal stove below, the mutton in the bowl is bubbling with small bubbles, the smell of mutton and the fragrance of mutton are diffused in the halo yellow light, so that Zeng Yu's tongue is full of relish-

A bowl of tamales, this is what Niuniu loves to eat.

There is also a plate of tofu and a plate of cabbage, all of which are refreshing and freshly cooked, which makes people very appetizing when they look at it.

Zeng Yu praised: "My mother is a good cook, my son can't wait to change his boots, so he eats first." ”

Great-mother Zhou asked, "Are your shoes and socks so wet?" I heard that there was no, so I nodded and said, "Okay, let's eat first, Xiaoyu, you drink a cup of glutinous rice wine to drive away the cold." ”

Zeng Yu said: "Listen to my mother's words, I usually don't drink, I'm not cold, I'll eat first, this stewed mutton is really fragrant, Yongfeng's goat meat is delicious." ”

Great-mother Zhou's meat eats less, but seeing her son gobbling up and eating sweetly, she is very happy, and beckons Sixi to eat vegetables, Niuniu is a fan who specializes in eating steamed pork and stewed mutton.

After the family had dinner, Zeng Yu asked his mother to rest, he came to clean up the dishes and chopsticks, and Sixi said: "I'll come, I'll come." ”

At this time, he heard someone knocking on the door, which looked a little abrupt in the cold rain, Zeng Yu said: "Who will come at this time?" "I went to answer the door with Sixi.

The knocker was asking, "Do you dare to ask if Zeng Xianggong is at home?" ”

There seemed to be more than one person outside the door, and Sixi responded: "Who is it?" Who are you looking for? "Be careful in the night.

The knocker said: "Below is Ji Erlang of the lead mountain goose lake and the stone village, looking for the benefactor Zeng Xianggong." ”

Sixi looked back at his young master and asked softly, "Does the young master know this person?" ”

Zeng Yu was quite surprised, in Hengfeng Seven Stars, he saved the two aunts and sisters-in-law of the Ji family in Goose Lake Baoshi Village, mainly to protect the innocence of the two sisters-in-law, he asked Yu Xuan to pay the ransom for the two sisters-in-law, according to Yu Xuan, when he returned to the estuary wharf, someone from the Ji family rushed to return the ransom to Zhang Guangwei-

Sixi got Zeng Yu's signal, opened the door, and three men came in with a cold water vapor, the man at the head was in his thirties, wearing a round hat, his hands were empty, and the two behind him carried a burden to see that the outfit was a servant, and when he came in, he put the burden on the edge of the courtyard of the hall.

Zeng Yu stood on the hall steps and asked, "Are you from the Goose Lake Ji family, I am Zeng Yu." ”

The leader of the man stared at Zeng Yu, turned around and bowed, and shouted: "Zeng Engong is on top, villain Ji Erlang, the Li family who was captured by thieves last time is my wife, and the other girl is my little sister, if it wasn't for Engong's rescue, the two of them would definitely be worse off than dead." ”

Zeng Yu said: "Please get up, please get up, please come to the hall to speak." ”

Zeng's mother Zhou and Niuniu had avoided the back hall at this time, Zeng Yu led Ji Erlang into the hall and sat down, Sixi went to the kitchen to make two cups of tea, Zeng Yu suddenly said: "The three of you haven't had dinner yet, come, follow me to the restaurant by the north gate to eat, it shouldn't be closed yet." ”

Ji Erlang hurriedly said: "Engong doesn't have to bother, just now on the dock, my master and servant have already eaten, and the innkeeper also led us to the city gate, pointing out that this is Engong's residence, and then I found it, it was dark, and I was disturbed." "After that, let the servants pick up two sets of burdens, but they are the famous 12 knives of Lianshi paper, two Yunsu silk, two Tangqi cotton silk, two woven flannel cloth, a pair of gold-inlaid jade crab lotus leaf jewelry, a pair of silver-wiped gold-inlaid treasure jewelry, and two jars of camellia oil, bacon, and a number of snacks-

Ji Erlang said: "A little courtesy, I implore Engong to accept it." ”

This is not a thin gift, just the pair of gold-inlaid jade crab lotus leaf jewelry is worth seventy or eighty taels of silver, Zeng Yu said: "I can't accept this gift, Erlang, you listen to me, that day I and my cousin Zheng Xiucai were also trapped in a thief's cave, the bandit leader Wu Ping listened to my feng shui skills, and treated me quite preferentially, at that time there were hundreds of hostages taken by the thieves, and they were all victims. ”

Ji Erlang said continuously: "I know I know, those hostages released the day before yesterday who don't say Zeng Xianggong's kindness, Zeng Xianggong is wise and brave, even Lin Fuzun and General Qi are respectful, Zeng Xianggong ransomed my wife and my sister, and kept her two innocent, this is more important than saving their lives, my father-in-law must express his gratitude to Zeng Xianggong for his kindness, he said that our Ji family is so ignorant, and if we receive the great kindness of others, we should be like no troublemaker, so the villain rushed here, how can this small gift repay Zeng Xianggong's kindness, just a little expression, Zeng Xianggong must accept it, otherwise the villain will go back and Taigong will beat me with a cane. ”

The people of Leadshan called their grandfather Taigong, and it seems that this Taigong of the Ji family is very prestigious in the family.

Zeng Yu said: "Ling Zu's mind has been received, but the gift still can't be received, and as soon as I receive the gift, it will ruin my original intention of saving people." ”

Ji Erlang hurriedly said: "Zeng Xianggong, Zeng Xianggong, you listen to me, the villain still has something to ask Zeng Xianggong——"

Zeng Yu raised his eyebrows lightly: "Oh, please say." ”

Ji Erlang said: "The little sister Ji Zhi is seventeen years old, and she has been engaged to the son of the Wang family in Hekou Town, but this time the little sister and my wife Li were taken away, but the Wang family refused to give the silver to redeem, which is really hateful, that day I went to the Wang family to theorize, the Wang family actually falsely said that my sister had lost her virginity and wanted to repent of her marriage, so angry that I had a big quarrel with them, the villain told the truth, the people of Hekou Town had a lot of misunderstandings in those days, mainly to say that Zeng Xianggong had become a thief military division, my little sister, my little sister-"

Zeng Yu signaled that Ji Erlang didn't need to say anything, he already understood what Ji Erlang meant, that is, there were rumors at the mouth of the river that the little sister of the Ji family had been innocent by him, a thief and a military teacher, so the Wang family wanted to repent of the marriage, Zeng Yu asked: "So what do Erlang and your father-in-law think?" ”

Ji Erlang hurriedly said: "Don't misunderstand Zeng Xianggong, my grandfather and the whole family are grateful for Zeng Xianggong's kindness, and they are very angry at that kind of shameless rumors, since the thieves were defeated under Shangrao City, the rumor that Zeng Xianggong was a thief military division is self-defeating, and the day before yesterday, those hostages returned to the estuary, and they praised Zeng Xianggong everywhere. ”

Zeng Yu nodded, and asked again: "In this case, what does Erlang ask me for?" ”

Ji Erlang said: "This is what the little sister meant, she wants to worship Zeng Xianggong's mother as her stepmother, I don't know what Lingtang and Zeng Xianggong will do?" ”

Zeng Yu breathed a sigh of relief, he was afraid that the Goose Lake Ji family would insist on marrying his daughter to him, but it didn't hurt to recognize a godsister, and said: "I don't care, as long as my mother is willing." ”

Ji Erlang said happily: "Then please ask Zeng Xianggong to come in and ask the old lady to ask for instructions, and the villain will go back to Goose Lake overnight when he gets a reply." ”

Zeng Yu went in and told his mother about it, and his great-mother Zhou said: "Those people talk so nonsense and spoil other people's daughters, it's really hateful, Xiaoyu, you go and say to Ji Erlang, Miss Ji is willing to recognize me as my stepmother, I can't ask for it, if you have time, please Miss Ji to come to Shangrao as a guest." ”

Zeng Yuzhi said that his mother would definitely agree, his mother was four or five years old and went to Ishida alone, without other relatives, she was extremely eager for family affection, and she was very enthusiastic about recognizing her righteous relatives.

Zeng Yu came out and said to Ji Erlang, Ji Erlang was overjoyed, and immediately got up to go back, saying that the boat would wait at the dock and return to Goose Lake in the middle of the night.