Seeing Yang Jinzhou helping the Jiang elder into the door, Chen Lan was very surprised, seeing that his eyes were only looking at his mother intently, and he didn't glance at himself at all, but the right hand holding the arm gently beckoned to this side, she couldn't help but feel angry, but she was also relieved. After all, at the moment when Yang Jinzhou's official fortune is prosperous, his mother-in-law and his mother-in-law have always been so stubborn, and they will eventually be taken advantage of by outsiders.

So, after she was stunned at first, she also hurriedly went up and helped Jiang's other arm, steadily helped the person to the chair in the middle and sat down, and stood next to her. At this time, the two middle-aged women seemed to have just woken up from a dream, and they both stepped forward and kowtowed, saying that Mrs. Gu did not mention it.

"Okay, don't be busy with these superficial articles, I just ask you, the fifteenth master I just mentioned, but Jiang Bai?"

"Yes, yes, it is the fifteenth master who is the same mother as his aunt. We arrived three days ago, and now Dongcheng rented an inn to stay, and then sorted things out again, so we rushed to the door today on the Chinese New Year's Eve. The fifteenth master said that today is the Chinese New Year's Eve, and it is disrespectful to come to the door, so it is better to come over tomorrow New Year's Day......"

"It's really ten concubines, it's really fifteen brothers......"

Before the woman could finish speaking, Jiang Shi showed a worried expression, and after muttering in a low voice, he didn't say anything more. Despite this, the woman stopped talking at Jiang's face and exchanged glances with her companion. At this time, Chen Lan spent a moment and whispered beside him: "If my mother wants to see my uncle, let my uncle go, right?" It is said that the New Year is almost not far away, but the uncle went to Beijing on a cold day, and now he still lives in the inn, if it is not appropriate for outsiders to know. ”

Jiang was silent for a long time. In the past, the brother sent by the family to persuade her to leave was not the same house, and the fifteenth brother Jiang Bai, who was a fellow mother, was still young, even if she was full of anger and resentment towards the family because she later learned about the death of the cousin of the side branch, she still had a glimmer of hope for her brother-in-law. However, for so many years, there has not been a letter, not a single word to make people bring", and that trace of worry gradually turned into disappointment and indifference. At this moment, she clasped her hands tightly, then shook her head, and Yang Jinzhou's voice came from her ears.

"Mother" I'll go for a trip, and I'll talk about it when I meet someone. The reunion dinner on Chinese New Year's Eve here is still the first"

Glancing blankly at Yang Jinzhou, the Jiang family hesitated for a long time before finally nodding. When the two middle-aged women kowtowed and said goodbye, she asked Chen Lan for a gift list, and after reading it from beginning to end, she suddenly threw the thing on the ground. Seeing this scene, Chen Lan hurriedly glanced at Qin Fang, who was busy beckoning from all sides, and retreated with all the girls.

At this time, Chen Lan stepped forward, bent down to pick up the gift list, and slowly walked back to Jiang's side, but did not make a sound. Sure enough, the next moment, she saw that the mother-in-law, who had always been kind and reasonable in front of her, trembled slightly, her eyes were full of water, and the corners of her mouth twitched slightly.

"Good ......"

"Fifty horses of hangzhou silk, each worth at least four taels of silver, that's two hundred taels. A set of official white porcelain tea sets in Jingdezhen can't be beaten without a few hundred taels. There are also Suzhou and Hangzhou specialties silk embroidered hu group fan ten handles, a box of gold and silver ornaments, and a box of good southern pearls...... Just buying these, to say the least, is one or two thousand silver, but at the beginning, but at the beginning, but at the beginning, it was ......" Jiang took a deep breath, and his face showed deep hatred, "When I gave birth to my brother, I was almost a family with four walls, but where were they at that time, did they send someone to ask the slightest!" ”

At this moment, Chen Lan could deeply understand that Jiang's mood was not just anger and resentment, but also deep disappointment. As if empathetic, she could only gently put the gift slip on the high table on the side, and said: "Mother, the world is so utilitarian, when you are poor, you are afraid to avoid it, and when you are rich, you can flatter it to the extreme. Moreover, listening to my mother's tone just now, Uncle Yu still remembered that since Uncle Quan had already gone, he would listen to what he said and then make a decision. ”

"You're right, that's how utilitarian the world is." Jiang finally breathed a long sigh of relief, and when she saw Chen Lan holding hot tea and handing it over, she looked up, lowered her head and gently took a sip of the bowl, and then sighed lightly, "Actually, I knew it when I followed your father-in-law out of Runingbo Mansion. Runingbo Mansion has a lot of industries in the Jiangnan area, and the mother's family would have made a marriage contract, but it was just to covet the convenience of the marriage between the two families, so naturally they would not make a loss-making deal that lost their daughter and soldiers. said that it is a prestigious family, let me tell you the truth, there is no one in this so-called famous family in Jiangnan who is not greedy for profit! It's like this gift list now, don't look at a lot, maybe it's just a fraction, if you nod your head, they can send a lot of things! ”

"It's because it's the fifteenth brother who came this time, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered to come in at the door just now, so I just asked the whole brother to tell you to send off the guest! He was the younger brother of my mother's cousin, and when I got married, he was five years old, and his father did not care about anything, and he had a stepmother...... After so many years, I think about him and hate him, I really don't expect to see him again. ”

Speaking of this, the Jiang family finally got tired, put down the bowl and leaned on the appropriately curved backrest of the Taishi chair, squinted his eyes for a while, then looked at Chen Lan and said, "At that time, I knew that the emperor gave you two to marry, and my heart was settled." You and Brother Quan have similar experiences, and you have spent so many things in your mother's house, and you will be able to live in harmony after marriage, and sure enough, I expected it. In fact, it is that sentence, if it is not impossible, who doesn't want to live a stable life, who wants to go through so many twists and turns? That's it, I'll see you when the time comes, and it will save me from regrets in my heart when I leave, and I feel sorry for my mother......"

Listening to this, Chen Lan felt that Jiang's tone was becoming more and more wrong, and immediately interrupted her words at this time, because he smiled and said, "Mother, what are you talking about!" Now is the time for you to enjoy yourself, what regrets are not regrets! Uncle has been talking about my weak body, and I am not as young as you! ”

"Listen to his nonsense, how can you compare to my rough hands?"

Jiang was amused by Chen Lan's words, and scolded Yang Jinzhou angrily, and was unconsciously abducted by Chen Lan to other topics. Because they talked about the night of the New Year's festival and the reward money, and then mentioned the harvest of this year's village, as well as the surplus of income and expenditure at home, etc., the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law gradually calculated the accounts, but the matter just now was tacitly left behind by them.

Until the evening, Yang Jinzhou returned home. It's just that Chen Lan can't see any clues from his face no matter how he looks at it, and the Jiang family also looked at it for a while, and then had to say discouragedly: "You ......, don't hide it, your daughter-in-law has persuaded me for a while before." Even if it's a big deal," you just say. ”

"Mother, the fifteenth master didn't go to Beijing alone this time, he came up with a family." Yang Jinzhou's eyes widened in disbelief when he saw Jiang's face, and explained, "It is said that it is a big family, but it is his husband and wife, a pair of children, and two servants. I interrogated two more sentences, and the fifteenth master still wanted to die, "But I can't help but look like I'm going to walk away, and finally tell the truth." It turned out that this time the clan heard that our family's career was just right, so before the Caohe River froze, he sent the seventh master to Beijing with him, but later felt that the situation in the capital was not good, so he stopped in Texas for a while. Later, I heard that everyone else had, but I didn't have a reward, and I was relieved of two errands, and the seventh master immediately took someone back, because the fifteenth master insisted on going to Beijing, the seventh master took out half of the original gift, "let the two mothers follow the fifteenth master to come up and give gifts." ”

Yang Jinzhou said that he was a fifteenth master, and he didn't call him uncle, so Chen Lan could naturally hear the difference. And the Jiang family was silent all the time, and sneered after hearing the reason.

"Did he tell you why he hasn't even had a letter in all these years?"

"It's the clan that has always been strictly ordered" What is the shame of the Jiang family, no one is allowed to contact him. Yang Jinzhou frowned disdainfully, and then said lightly, "He also said that after his grandfather passed away, the clan presided over the unfair division of production, and his life has been hard for many years. He also inquired secretly, but the person took the money and didn't do anything...... This time he still knows about me," he decided to sell everything and move his family to the capital. He knows he's sorry for you, "I just hope we can help say a word and let them settle in the capital, and don't dare to ask for anything else." He didn't want to go back and look at the faces of the patriarch and his people. ”

Jiang Shichu just listened to this, but later she was so angry that she trembled, but fortunately, Chen Lan gently rubbed her shoulder from behind, and she finally survived.

"Good, good, that's great!" The angry Jiang slapped the armrest, and then let out a long breath, "Fortunately, I have a good son, fortunately, I am doing well now!" Call someone to tell him that he will come over tomorrow, and he will not give any red tape or gifts, I just want to meet him as a person! Don't talk about these, prepare for the New Year, a good Chinese New Year's Eve, don't be tossed by these chicken and dog fragments, let go outside to set off firecrackers, let's have a reunion dinner! ”

Chen Lan immediately agreed and walked out, and ordered a daughter-in-law who was waiting outside the door.

After a while, the order came out layer by layer, and the deafening sound of firecrackers came in. I don't know if the sound of firecrackers drove the neighboring wealthy families, or if this was the time to set off firecrackers, in short, it was just a while, and countless firecrackers resounded in the sky that had darkened.

Chinese New Year's Eve has always been to worship ancestors, but now the former Runingbo Mansion has been taken back by the imperial court, although the Yang clan ancestral hall remains, but there are still many land ownership and other issues for the patriarch and the old deacons to tear the skin, so this night, after letting go of firecrackers, the three members of the Yang family in the mirror garden simply visited the late Yang Jinzhou's father in the main hall, and then returned to the Xifu Residence.

Because there are three people in total, saluting each other and the like are naturally exempted, but one by one, the servants come forward and kowtow. Although it has not been a few months since the mirror garden returned to the Yang family, it has been operated for a period of time, and the inside and outside have been cleaned up. And with the seizure of Earl Runing, among the people who were sent by Mrs. Tai and Mrs. Zheng at the beginning, those with ulterior motives were either kicked out, or they looked at the momentum and found an excuse to leave the house, and the rest were all at ease. In addition, the human tooth wood boss 66 continued to send several people, such as the manpower has been fully replenished, although it cannot be said to be flawless, but it is already in order.

Therefore, the reward at this time is a time when people are waiting for hope. After kowtowing, he took a good reward envelope with his name written on it a long time ago, and the shrewd person pinched it and weighed it, while the anxious person retreated to the porch and couldn't wait to open it and take a look. All in all, when the amount of this reward was almost clear, there was a lot of joy inside and outside, and the singing of merit and virtue was continued to be transmitted to the inside during the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner.

At this time, a table of wine and food has been set up in the wing room and the ear room, and several mothers and big girls who serve closely on weekdays take turns to eat. For example, Mother Zhuang and Aunt Yun and Aunt Liu are so plain and authoritative, they are rarely poured a glass of wine as soon as they enter the house, "After sitting down, there was a little girl who asked for the reward, but was prevaricated by Aunt Liu."

"Everyone's reward is determined by Mrs. herself, according to the morning and evening of weekdays, whether you are on duty or not, how well the errand is completed, one by one is listed, so it is divided into upper, middle and lower three classes and unqualified. This is not qualified, there is no one in our house this year, and even if it is a low-grade reward, it is enough for everyone to have a fat year! ”

Naturally, these words attracted a chorus, and immediately others did not dare to ask more, but only served the dishes diligently, flattering and flattering, "When the meal is finished, it is actually drunk and a large piece of wine." Seeing this scene, Aunt Liu quietly got up and withdrew, "When I returned to the main room, I saw that the Chinese New Year's Eve dinner here had also been eaten, and now the Jiang clan was holding two purses, which were actually stuffed into the hands of Yang Jinzhou and Chen Lan with a smile.

"Mother...... Lan Lan and I are not children anymore......"

"As long as you are still my daughter-in-law, even if you have children and grandchildren all over the place, you will still be called a child!" Jiang smiled and joked, and said, "It's not a vulgar thing like gold and silver" I embroidered it myself, from your marriage to now, I have been doing it intermittently for more than two months, but I don't know if the embroidery is as good as before............ As for the inside, I went to Huguo Temple before to ask for a pair of talisman money from Kaiguang. I didn't believe in gods and Buddhas in the past," but now that I look at this day, I have some faith. God still has eyes after all, not to mention anything else, at least to ensure your safety, otherwise we would not be where we are today. ”

Yang Jinzhou has always been dispensable to this set, and he doesn't want to disobey his mother at this time, so he thanked him with a smile. And Chen Lan looked at the lifelike mandarin duck on the purse, thinking that he had turned evil into good fortune for more than a year, although he knew that it was also the result of his own hard work.

However, the ingredient of Yuanqi is absolutely impossible to ignore. What's more, her second life was originally a miracle.

"Mother is right, this sword and sword, our family has spent it safely one by one, which is naturally a blessing. When we wait for the Yanjiu Festival, let's go to Baiyun Temple to visit and worship, we can't just worship the Buddha, and lose all the truth, right? ”

Jiang was amused by Chen Lan's tone, and couldn't help but reach out and lightly tap her smooth forehead: "Dare to love you greedy, Buddhism and Taoism are not lost, this is to let all the gods and Buddhas of the heavens and Buddhas protect our family?" Okay, on the nineteenth day of the first month, let's go to Baiyun Temple together...... By the way, it seems that your vacation is only until the twentieth day of the first month, it's really just right! ”

"It's only until the twentieth ...... of the first month He also said that he would go to Xiaotang Villa outside the city to soak in the hot springs, and he should go out of the city on the sixth and seventh days of the first month. Speaking of which, I went back to the capital, except for the past two days, I hardly took you to go shopping, and the few times Lan Lan went out was almost the same time, and after this trip, I had leisure, and I don't know how long it will be......"

"It's a big holiday, what are you talking about this kind of talk!" Chen Lan glanced at Yang Jinzhou angrily, and said with a smile, "Mother, don't listen to him, even if he is not at home, just tell me where you want to go in the future, I will take you there!" ”

"Good, good............ But you girl, you don't want to play by yourself, so take me, right? ”

Seeing Chen Lan come up with a smile and hug his arm, it was rare to withdraw Jiao, and the Jiang family had no choice but to hold her in his arms. Aunt Liu on the side saw Yang Jinzhou standing next to her, her face was no longer as cold as before, and she was also emotional, and then she put together a joke: "Madam, did you forget the New Year's gift for the old lady?" ”

"Ah, I only cared about taking my mother's New Year's money, and I almost forgot the big thing!"

Chen Lan quickly let go of Jiang's arm, jumped off the ground with a smile, and then pulled Aunt Liu out of the door in three steps and two steps. After a while, the two of them entered the house one after the other, and Chen Lan actually had a long neck pillow in his hand. When he got closer, Chen Lan handed over the things with both hands.

"Mother, I don't have time to make any clothes these days, and you let me rest more, so I'm lazy. I heard Zhuang's mother say, you used to do too much female red, and your neck and shoulders often hurt, so I thought about making such a neck pillow. The silk noodles of Hangzhou silk are wrapped in various traditional Chinese medicines specially prescribed by Imperial Doctor Lin, or used on the pillow at night, or used during the daytime nap, which is good for the neck and shoulders. ”

After Chen Lan got married, he gave clothes, shoes and socks, and Yang Jinzhou's robes were often made by himself, Jiang was naturally satisfied in his eyes, and now when his daughter-in-law was about to raise her body, she naturally didn't care whether the New Year's gift was those needlework. Even so, seeing that Chen Lan gave this at this time, she was still overjoyed, took it and took a closer look, and tried it on the back of her neck with the help of Chen Lan, and then nodded with satisfaction.

"You kid really have a heart!"

Yang Jinzhou saw that his mother and wife were smiling happily, and naturally he was indescribably happy. It's just that thinking about his New Year's gift, he is a little sneering. When he gave the scroll that was almost exactly the same every year, he was a little ashamed when he saw his mother unfold it and looked at the longevity word and nodded in praise.

"Mother, I've been giving you the same thing for so many years......"

"Isn't it because your father went early, you gave birth to the idea of giving away your birthday every year? Even in the past, you were in Xinghe, and you didn't forget to let people send such a scroll back, you just have this heart, why bother with things? ”

Speaking of this, the Jiang family pressed Chen Lan and Yang Jinzhou's hands together, and a satisfied smile appeared on his face: "Looking at the two of you and Hemeimei, seeing that our family is thriving, I am happier than any gift I get!" By the way, I said that I prepared a cigarette today, right, let's go, go out to the backyard to watch the excitement, and let them prepare to put it up! ”

Since the old lady had spoken, Aunt Liu rushed out to inform her, while Chen Lan and Yang Jinzhou served the Jiang family to change their leather boots, and then supported them left and right and walked out. When he arrived at the door of the main room, Chen Lan took the cloak handed over by the little girl, dressed the Jiang family first, and covered himself on his body. At this time, there were already prepared two-passenger sedan chairs waiting outside, and even Zhuang's mother, who had just gone out to eat, arrived.

Chen Lan only coaxed Jiang to go up and sit down, but he insisted on refusing to sit, so he took another sedan chair, only holding Yang Jinzhou's hand, and the two followed side by side behind the sedan chair, and the two hands naturally joined together. When I got to the backyard, I saw that the smoke rack had been set up over there, and the green curtain tent had been enclosed on the edge of the small pavilion next to it.

"I've been thrifty for most of my life, and I'm also extravagant tonight. This is all arranged by my mother Zhuang, and she is here to keep the New Year! ”

The so-called luxury is nothing more than the green mantle surrounded by the smoke cage and charcoal pot placed inside, which is naturally more than enough for the mirror garden, which has a lot of surplus this year. Therefore, Chen Lan smiled when he heard this: "Mother, once a year, if this is said to be luxury, then Manji City doesn't know how many luxury people there are." ”

"Hey, in fact, the emperor said that the New Year's Day is a big festival, and the 100-day mourning period of the queen's mother has passed, so the government and the people can't help but firecrackers, so there is today's lively ......"

Hearing this, Chen Lan couldn't help but fold his palms together and prayed silently, and then squinted his eyes and quietly listened to the countless sounds of firecrackers and smoke in the night sky. Very, I sent a box of nuts such as melons and husheng, and hot snacks such as crystal dumplings, a family of three sat on it, and Aunt Zhuang and Aunt Yun and Aunt Liu gathered below, plus a group of girls with sharp teeth, it was so lively. I don't know how long I laughed, but when it was finally reported outside that it was Huguo Temple that rang the bell, Chen Lan rushed to his feet and commanded loudly: "It's time, let go of the smoke!" ”

Almost at the same time, Yang Jinzhou stepped forward and put a thick crane on her shoulder, followed by the green curtains on all sides, only to see that the cigarette rack that had been erected a long time ago burst out with countless brilliant colors, lighting up the dark night sky.

In an instant, the fire tree was silver, brilliant and gorgeous