The antechamber is lit by candles.

But no one spoke.

Shi Huan walked up the stairs, "Grandfather." ”

"Coming back?" The old man, who was sitting on the back of the main seat straight and not smiling, had a kind smile in the corner of his eyes, and beckoned, "Come in quickly, I'll wait for you." I've seen your third aunt. ”

The lady of the third room sat on the right side, separated from the old man by a position, not far away. She doesn't look very old, she is well-maintained, her complexion is very white, it is the kind of pearl and jade white, she looks gentle and gentle, Shi Huan greeted her, she got up and smiled, and saluted Gu Yansheng again.

Between the eyebrows and eyes, it is still the same as in the previous years, and there has been no obvious change in the past two years.

Shi Jinxiu sat beside her, much more restrained than usual, like a cat with its paws folded, bowed with low eyebrows, and reluctantly called "Eldest sister." ”

It can be seen that this girl is quite jealous of her mother-in-law, and she only eats two or three dishes in front of her quietly, without even raising her face during the whole process.

After finishing the meal and serving tea, Shi Huan was about to get up to say goodbye, but the third lady had already opened her mouth, gently and gently, "It's almost the New Year this time, and my husband is busy with affairs, so I asked my daughter-in-law to come over first." What the husband means is that although she is a concubine, she is going to be a serious lady when she passes through the door, so it is naturally not good to lose face and make her in-laws unhappy. ”

The best time to leave was missed. Shi Huan sat back again, exchanged glances with Gu Yansheng, was silent, holding the teacup silently, trying to reduce the sense of existence.

The old man nodded, "That's right. ”

Shi Jinxiu, who had always lowered his head, raised his head as if unintentionally, and the cat, which had just converged well, quietly pricked up his ears, and his tail shook leisurely behind him.

The third lady arrived before dinner, and after arriving, she went back to rest with the princess, and then she didn't know what her father and mother-in-law were planning. She was a little determined, but she didn't dare to show too much of this mother-in-law who had always had an excellent reputation.

"According to the rules, the serious concubine in the third room is twenty-four dowry. The splendid girl is not easy to cross, it seems that our room is biased, right...... After the daughter-in-law and her husband discussed, they prepared sixteen ...... What does Taifu think? ”

When the words fell, Shi Jinxiu suddenly raised his head, "Sixteen?!" ”

The third lady didn't seem to notice the disbelief in Shi Jinxiu's words, her round and fair face looked extraordinarily gentle at the moment, "You kid...... When the elders speak, the children should not interject, it is rude. You should study this with your eldest sister. ”

Shi Jinxiu: ...... It's not her Shihuan's marriage, she naturally has nothing to do with herself! Furthermore, sixteen dowries? So you don't lose face?! Only a girl from a poor family will use sixteen lifts!

She was almost about to cry, and called out to Taifu aggrievedly, "Grandfather......"

Taifu pondered for a moment and nodded, "Since it is the result of your discussion with the third child, you don't need to ask me again." You are her parents, and you are in charge. ”

Sixteen lifts, in fact, a lot.

Since ancient times, marriage pays attention to the right door, and the concubines of large families usually go through the door to be concubines, and a small sedan chair enters from the side door, and in the future, it is to serve tea and pour water for the serious lady in the morning and dusk. Even if there is a dowry, it is impossible to keep it in your own hands, yes, at most, it is some jewelry, how can there be any serious dowry?

Shi Jinxiu's situation is special, she went to the Wang family to be a serious lady, but the Wang family is not a prominent family, sixteen lifts, it is really not a few.

At least now, it seems that the third lady did not treat this concubine badly in this matter.

It is impossible for Taifu to object.

But Shi Jinxiu didn't understand this.

Marrying into the Wang family, she felt that she was enough to compromise, and her last thought was just that her father would give her a rich dowry, so that she would be glorious enough on that day, but this last thought has now been shattered.

In the past two years, she has been active in the peer circle of Taihe County, and there are many more people who know her than Shi Huan. Everyone saw that she was dressed brightly, and naturally felt that she was favored by the Shi family, although she was a concubine, her treatment was similar to that of a serious lady.

So, naturally, a group of little girls who wanted to take this opportunity to get close to the Shi family and the family behind them were naturally followed. Shi Jinxiu also enjoyed such envy and compliments as a matter of course.

In such a starry moon, she gradually felt that there was no difference between her own joy at the same time. Yes, she never thought that she would marry into a small family, let alone that she would only have a dowry of sixteen when she got married!

"Mother...... A while ago, a little sister of her daughter promised a family, just an ordinary family, and her dowry was twenty-four......" She didn't dare to say much, only said how many others were, "If we ...... Doesn't the world want to say that we are not even as good as ordinary people's homes? ”

"You also said that it was an ordinary people's home." The third lady glanced at her lightly, with a kind smile in her eyes, as if she was conniving at a spoiled little daughter who didn't understand the world, and was extraordinarily patient, "Our family is different from ordinary people, and the rules are the most important. If your mother gave you twenty-four lifts today, but caused controversy for you, the world would only say that we are not divided between our family and our descendants, and that you are pampered and arrogant. ”

"Your father is most concerned about fame and reputation, and when these gossips reach his ears, he will definitely blame our mother and daughter."

Shi Jinxiu was already confused.

She thought that when she moved out of the face of the house, her mother would always back down, but she didn't expect that she would lift a stone and hit her own foot, and she was angry at the moment, and got up suddenly, "Mother! Did my father really say that? Or have you deducted my dowry from your own pockets?! ”

The kitten, who had been well camouflaged all night, finally showed its claws that he thought were sharp.

The third lady looked back at her almost incredulously, her brows furrowed slightly, and she looked extremely lost, "You...... How can you think that? Although I am not your biological mother, I have considered myself my own all these years...... Now in front of the Taifu and the eldest lady, you can ask yourself, have I made a mistake? ”

Taifu's expression was not good-looking, he held his breath with a calm face and didn't speak.

"The New Year is approaching, although the old mansion is not as good as the imperial capital, but the families are also very busy...... The husband originally intended to send someone to send the dowry over, but I couldn't bear it, I always felt that the girl's family got married and her father and mother were not present, and the girl would have to suffer a little bit in the in-laws in the future...... That's why Baba rushed over. ”

As she spoke, the third lady's voice choked, and she lowered her head and quietly wiped the corners of her eyes.

------Off topic------

Starting today, there will be three shifts a day, and the time is tentatively scheduled for half past nine, ten and half past ten in the evening.

Literary Network