When the old lady saw this scene, she knew that she had lost her manners, so she stopped talking, and thought about her daughter, granddaughter and grandson who had been married for many years, and she was unhappy. is only solemn, and she is shallow and smooth, and outsiders can't see why.

The housekeeper said gently: "Old lady, my aunt may still be on the way, the time is just right, why don't you celebrate your birthday first!" ”

The old lady nodded in displeasure.

The four brothers Zhuang Xi, Zhuang Lu, Zhuang Qin, and Zhuang Yao of their sons kowtowed in unison and said in unison: "I wish my mother a birthday, may my mother have a long life and a longer life than Nanshan." ”

The first row of daughters-in-law is Mrs. Qin, the second wife of Lu, the second wife of Cao, the third wife of Qin, the county lord, and Mrs. Yaosi, and the second row are Aunt Xi, Aunt Xiao, Fengxian and other aunts. They kowtowed and said, "The daughter-in-law congratulates her mother on her birthday, and may her mother be as blessed as the East China Sea and as healthy as a pine and cypress." ”

The grandchildren's eldest young master Zhuang Ji and the two-room partial house aunt and grandmother, the second young master Zhuang Pu, and the third young master Zhuang Yu bowed to congratulate the birthday: "The grandson wishes the birthday of the ancestors, and I wish the ancestors a blessing to the sky, and longevity and the sky." ”

granddaughters, the second miss Zhuang Ying, the third miss Zhuang Ying, the fourth miss Zhuang Yu, the fifth miss Zhuang Yu, the sixth miss Zhuang Jue, and the seventh miss Zhuang Ying congratulated the birthday: "The granddaughter congratulates the ancestors on their birthdays, and may the ancestors be blessed and have a long life." ”

The eldest lady Zhuang Hu and her husband Cha Shide, who are married, brought their 14-year-old son Zha Yutong and 8-year-old daughter Zha Liangxiu to pay their birthday greetings: "Aunt Sun brought the whole family to pay homage to the ancestors, and I wish the ancestors all the best and happiness for ten thousand years." ”

Men: "Give the old lady a birthday, may the old lady live forever." ”

Female family: "Give the old lady a birthday greeting, and wish the old lady good luck." ”

Everyone waited for the birthday celebration and bowed their heads together.

The old lady opened her eyes happily, so she was not satisfied, and beckoned to the housekeeper Wanda: "Good, good!" Duhe and Shunshun, Wanda, handed red envelopes to the boys and girls. ”

The big housekeeper Wanda waved his hand, and a row of girls ended trays, full of red envelopes and money. After giving out the red envelope, the old lady motioned for the guests to sit down, and there was no need to elaborate.

The old lady beckoned to Mrs. Zhuang Qin, and the county lord greeted him with a smile: "Old lady." ”

The old lady asked, "Is my aunt not coming?" ”

The county lord didn't know how to answer, so he looked back at the eldest wife Qin and Mrs. Lu Cao. Qin and Cao stepped forward in unison.

Qin Shi said with relief: "Today is the old lady's birthday, and my aunt and eldest sister can't help but come." ”

Cao added: "The old lady loves her eldest sister the most, if she doesn't come, the Buddha won't let them go today!" ”

Qin Shi glanced at Cao Shi with a smile, and said angrily: "The old lady is too long, what are you going to do with this." ”

The old lady sighed, turned her joy into sorrow, and said, "That's it, let's sit together, the girls will sit together, and the boys will go with them!" Come, let's eat wine! ”

The old lady said, and was helped up by the personal girl Zhu'er to enter the table. At this time, he saw the four people trotting in from outside, he looked around, and saw that the eldest master, the second master, the third master, and the fourth master were drinking with the guests, and hesitated to squat under the seat of the eldest master Zhuang Xi, and ripped off his robe. Knowing that there was a reward, Zhuang Xi slightly lowered his head and listened to him say at the root of his ear: "My aunt's family is not good!" When Zhuang Xi heard this, his hand shook and turned over the wine glass, he motioned Si'er to go down first, found an opportunity to whisper a few words to Zhuang Qin, and the two left the hall.

Out of the hall, under the side courtyard, Zhuang Xi couldn't help wiping the sweat on his forehead, and by the light of the lantern, Zhuang Qin saw Zhuang Xi's face red and white, and he was very puzzled.

Zhuang Xi said: "Just four children came back and said that the eldest sister's house was copied, and the uncle committed suicide in fear ......of guilt and humiliation, and the eldest sister also went with him."

The third old man Zhuang Qin was stunned, thought for a moment, and said for a while: "I'm going to call the second brother and the fourth brother?" ”

Zhuang Xi grabbed Zhuang Qin's hand, shook his head and said, "Where does the second child know that these are powerful, the fourth child doesn't need to say it, and he has no idea." ”

Zhuang Qin said: "The old lady knows? ”

The eldest man said: "I'll let Si'er seal his mouth and don't mention it!" ”

Zhuang Qin pondered for a while before saying, "What about the lady in the palace?" ”

Zhuang Xi sighed and said: "I asked Si'er to inquire, the incident happened suddenly, if it is nothing else, the eldest sister's family may be connected to our house......"

Zhuang Qin exhaled calmly, and said in a comforting tone: "Tonight, the Holy Lord sent someone to send a congratulatory gift and gave the old lady a title. The situation is not even connected to our house. Nowadays, it is important to see how to hide from the old lady. ”

Zhuang Xi nodded, still uneasy, and said, "The old lady asked, how do you say it?" ”

Zhuang Xi looked at Zhuang Qin and shook his head, knowing that he had no idea what to do. The two looked at the stars in the sky, and a bright moon hung high. Insects chirp and birds chirp, the wind blows, the leaves sizzle, and the sound of congratulations is all around.

Accompanying guests all night, Zhuang Xi and Zhuang Qin did not dare to take the initiative to meet the old lady, for fear that the old lady would ask about the old lady's family. Then there was a girl to urge, and the two of them were afraid of violating the rudeness, and they tried their best to deal with the guests, and they were afraid that the second master Zhuang Lu and the fourth master Zhuang Yao would go to see the old lady, and the two seized the opportunity to keep them. When the old lady had enough wine and dinner, and went to the back garden to start the play, the four brothers were relieved. When the four of them sent off the guests one after another, the old lady sent the girl Zhu'er next to her to invite her, but Zhuang Xi still couldn't leave on the grounds of sending off the guests and accompanying the guests. Zhu'er was helpless, returned to the back garden, looked at the old lady from a distance, and hesitated to go forward to report.

sang the third play of "The Story of Handan" on the stage, this play was ordered by the old lady, and the play list was still in the hands of the old lady, and everyone listened. The first chair is a low high wooden couch, on which a low square table is placed, all kinds of melons, fruits, snacks and tea are placed on the table, the old lady sits on one side, half crooked on the pillow, two young grandchildren sit next to her, the left side sits carelessly is Zhuang Pu, and the right half lying pillow on her knee side is Zhuang Di. The old lady said to herself: "After listening to it, it should be dawn, and it is thirty!" Zhu'er hasn't returned yet, and Mo has also sent the guests away! ”

"It's good to see that it's dawn. I don't have to go to school tomorrow. Zhuang Jue got up and rested his head on the old lady's shoulder. This kid is the third old man and the youngest son, at the age of nineteen, with clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, a graceful appearance, a white and moist face set aside the pair of kind eyebrows and big eyes, so that people look at love, obediently aware of etiquette, among the three brothers, he is most liked by the old lady, and the old lady has to be careful of the flesh and mind, due to the turmoil in the court, the old lady decided to keep him to continue to go to school, not to let him go to the test in a hurry. Compared with Zhuang Yu, Zhuang Pu, who is the second brother, is slightly inferior, not as talented as his temperament, Zhuang Pu is a little more ruffian, and he is more noble. Zhuang Pu's appearance is above Zhuang Jue, and the three shows of Zhuang Mansion are commented on outside: Uncle Yan Zhuang is sick with crane bone Lu Dongbin, the second master of Yan Zhuang Pu Yushu is suave and Pan Anxiang, and the third master Zhuang Yu is a noble official star saint child, which can be imagined.

Zhuang Pu saw his younger brother Zhuang Ying say this, and quipped: "The third brother doesn't study, how can he get the top prize." In the Zhuang Mansion, he may be able to rely on the lintel of the bare gate in the future! I couldn't help but laugh at the sisters.

Zhuang Yu rubbed the old lady to invite spoiling, and Zhuang Pu ignored it with a blank look. The old lady has a long heart and a short heart, and she hugs and pats and cares for it. The second old man, Mrs. Zhuang Lu, who was sitting on the right seat, said strangely: "No, we don't expect Ling'er in our mansion!" Before he finished speaking, he glanced at the eldest old man Zhuang Xi's wife Qin who was sitting on the left side of the old lady, Qin met his eyes, did not speak, and smiled and watched the play as usual. The next seat of the Qin family is the county lord and the phoenix immortal, and they don't talk to each other. On the other side, the next seat of the Cao family is Aunt Xi and the little aunt, and the next seat is the wife of the fourth master. The girls were scattered on the side seats, knocking melon seeds, talking and joking in low voices.

The old lady saw this, pulled Zhuang Yu's finger and pointed at Zhuang Pu and said, "You can have half of the tortoise, the ancestor is not laughing." Your mother is not in a hurry, she is twenty-five years old, she doesn't take the exam or marry, and she doesn't go about it all day. It's not up to your grandfather, they are all old to marry and give birth to children, and your fathers are all so close to you, and you are not in such a hurry. In other words, at my age, I really deserve to be the ancestor of four and five generations in the same house. Everyone laughed and agreed, and then she said to Zhuang Hu, the eldest daughter born to the eldest master Zhuang Xi's concubine Xi's aunt: "Where do you say your eldest aunt's conscience has gone?" but they are lacking in their house. ”

Zhuang Hu sat on the head of the old lady, waited to pinch her arm and beat her waist, and said softly: "Auntie must have something to do in the house, isn't my aunt just entering Beijing?" There are also people who can't get out of their bodies. ”

The old lady snorted and said, "If you don't come if you don't have anything to do, filial piety will give it to the dog, and if you can't come if you can't come if you have something, you don't want to send someone to report it." A faux pas like ours is not called a faux pas, but a faux pas to relatives and friends is called a faux pas. I love your aunt the most, marry the Zhuo family, I am 10,000 unwilling, but your aunt was spoiled by me when she was a child, and I have never seen the girl's family can be dead face and want to follow someone! If you are not good with anyone, you will not insult her if you choose a prince, and she will have good character and appearance. ”

The old lady said and took out a handkerchief to wipe away her tears. The county lord said with a smile: "The eldest aunt is virtuous and virtuous, and it is proper to match Aunt Zhuo, now look, the eldest girl of their family entered the palace and became a concubine, so the eldest aunt was also promoted to an official position in Beijing." It is no more glorious than the princes and nobles. This is the noble concubine, the eldest sister Fuda, and the old lady created the shade. If you had chosen a prince at the beginning, she would have really humiliated her, and it is unknown whether there is a concubine or not! ”

The old lady smiled, "That's right." As soon as the tears fell again, the girls sat down around them. Zhuang Yu hugged the old lady and coaxed: "Old lady, old ancestor, today is your birthday, do you think that there are not enough pearls rewarded by the saint, so you have squeezed out all a hundred?" The eldest aunt's family is here, so that they can bring the bucket basket back to carry it back! ”

The old lady couldn't cry or laugh, and poked Zhuang Jue's forehead: "Rabbit cub, you will be funny." ”

Not to be outdone, Zhuang Pu said: "It's good that the third brother doesn't take the literati to be sour, in my opinion, the old lady really squeezed all the 100 pearls, I must take all the 600 pearls from the saint, and let the eldest aunt take the rest." ”

The old lady laughed, hugged Zhuang Pu on the left, and hugged Zhuang Yu on the right, and everyone laughed. Then, the old lady handed the play list to everyone, Qin's dodge didn't know much about play, Cao's was a gold master, and he didn't understand it and pushed it, and it fell to the county lord, the county lord shirked but ordered a play "Birthday Celebration", and Mrs. Yi ordered a play "Dream", and the rest, the girls circulated the play list, scrambling to discuss, and the repertoire was undecided.

During the banquet, Zhu'er talked back and forth, saying that the old man was sending off guests outside and could not get out. After singing "Birthday Celebration" on stage, the old lady said to Zhuang Pu again: "Pu'er, go and call your second uncle and second master, this birthday, the old lady is too uncomfortable." I just said, I have something to ask him, why don't you send someone to carry my aunt's family over. ”

Zhuang Pu said with a smile: "Ancestor, the second master drank a full house today, got drunk, and arranged the affairs of the opera garden to go back to Beifu." Zhuang Pu is extremely crazy, he can see that the old man is pushing outside, and he doesn't want to offend the second master and the other masters, so he deliberately pushes it off, and he doesn't know why the old man doesn't come to see the old lady in the field, all in all, the ruffian nature makes him sharp-eyed and has some awareness.

The old lady was dissatisfied: "The second master also had a time when he was drunk, but the business was done shrewdly, so he only ate a few bowls of wine and went to the mix." ”

When Cao Shi heard this, he laughed and twisted his fat waist and walked to the old lady to help her husband out: "If the old lady wants to train him, I will go back and pull him up now." ”

The old lady smiled, hurriedly grabbed Cao's family, and said, "No need, your second master is also hard, such a big family's hospitality, busy for a few days, I know it in my heart." Let him rest for a while! He turned his head again and explained to Zhuang Jue: "The second master is drunk, the eldest master is a martial artist, he can't ask three sentences, don't call him!" Go and call your son. ”

Zhuang Ying happily responded, and invited Zhuang Qin after a while. Zhuang Qin trembled and came to him, but he didn't dare to raise his head.

Zhuang Qinnuo said: "Mother." ”

The old lady said to him sternly: "I often hear the drama singing about reunion, and in my opinion, you made up a play to coax me." No one at my aunt's house has been notified? At this hour, I took the wrong way, and I went back to the south, and it was time to come back. ”

Zhuang Qin wiped the sweat from his forehead and said uneasily: "Mother, this ......"

The old lady looked at Zhuang Qin in disgust, glanced at the county lord and the Qin family, and said, "You are also like the eldest master, you have a word to me, and you don't understand!" The four masters are so sober that you can't be sober. ”

Zhuang Qindun stood up and replied: "I sent someone to invite, come back and say...... said that the palace lady invited her. ”

The old lady glanced at Zhuang Qin again: "The lady in the palace also sent people to give gifts in previous years, but if I don't see it this year, I must have forgotten my grandmother." Your eldest sister really has no conscience, she has stayed in the south for so long, and she finally entrusts the blessing of the mother in the palace to enter Beijing. Pity my granddaughter, who doesn't even know my grandmother, and doesn't even look at me. ”

The old lady said as she wiped her tears.

The daughters-in-law and granddaughters all gathered around.

The old lady said, "In the future, the girls are not allowed to marry, and the sons-in-law are all recruited into the house." Save yourself the worry ......"

The granddaughters gathered around and comforted: "We have served the old lady all our lives, and we are in front of the old lady every day." ”

The old lady was coaxed and laughed again, Zhuang Qin borrowed a guest to send outside, and left tremblingly. The rest of the people listened to the play and dispersed until the next night.

When Zhuang Qin returned to the outer hall, Zhuang Lu was really drunk and went back to rest, and Zhuang Yao was even more drunk, and he sent people back to Nanfu before he finished sending the guests to vomit. Zhuang Xi guarded the hall alone, looking at the mess of cups and plates, he couldn't help but feel a little sad, just saw Zhuang Yu come to invite Zhuang Qin, he let go and said that he would wait for Zhuang Qin to see the old lady and then talk about it. Now, Zhuang Qin is back, and Zhuang Xi is in a hurry to catch up.

Zhuang Xi asked: "What did the old lady say after asking?" ”

Zhuang Qin shook his head, and the two brothers sat down sadly, but they were speechless, sighing and sighing. After a while, Si'er led the housekeeper Wanda in. Zhuang Xi asked Si'er to close the door, and the two masters and the two of them quietly discussed the plan with the housekeeper and the subordinate Si'er, which is very powerful here, and it can't be known to outsiders.