Seeing Shen's displeasure, Han Xiying became more and more energetic, from the little peacock that was Tingting a moment ago, to an old crow chirping.

"Grandma, since I know that my grandmother's ancestors are anti-Japanese heroes, I am more and more worried that my sister is so obsessed with the embroidery of the Japanese people, and she doesn't know how to restrain herself after marrying Second Brother Gu, and she will offend grandma. I took advantage of the fact that Zheng Yatou, who brought the Japanese paintings, to go south on an errand and wanted to persuade my sister. I never thought that my sister would be furious, and threw a dozen embroidered bandages in front of me, accusing me of being a frog at the bottom of the well and not distinguishing between beauty and ugliness. Although I was in a hurry, I could see a few of them, such as the chimney-like mountain, the woman with a wooden comb in her forehead, and most horrifyingly, all kinds of cats, just like the ones I saw in the tailor's shop today. ”

Shen frowned and listened, and interjected: "Aren't there many cats in Su Xiu?" ”

Han Xiying said with a wry expression: "Where is that kind of cute Su embroidered cat!" My eldest sister's embroidered cat has a cat's head, but its body is a human body covered by smoke and fog barriers, holding a ghostly fire, which is no different from a goblin and a ghost. ”

At this time, Han Xiying reversed black and white without any lag.

In fact, the eldest sister Han Ximeng neither "throw" nor "reprimanded" at that time, but calmly told her sister that the cat in the pen of the Ukiyo-e painter of the Wa Kingdom has a bit of power and the appearance of a strange god, just like in the Classic of Mountains and Seas of our Han people, birds, beasts, fish and insects will also grow human heads, human hands, and human legs, and have the magic power of gods and demons.

It is just a custom that the people of a country like, and there is no need to be afraid.

But Han Xiying's whole body was confused with the fire of jealousy, and she didn't think that she was fabricating anything.

She just kept trying to escalate her sensational remarks in the hope of increasing Shen's attention.

Shen's always kind eyes, sure enough, gradually lost that calm.

She said worriedly: "Ah Ying, your eldest sister, such a beautiful lady, how did you think about these ghostly embroidery looks, but you were bewitched by the people in her house?" ”

The people in the house naturally refer to Zheng Haizhu.

Han Xiying adjusted to a self-conscious tone in a timely manner: "Grandma is right, I thought that the surname Zheng was a little strange in the morning. ”

Shen nodded and said: "It stands to reason that she is a young single woman, since the elders in the clan say that she is good at family affairs, she should happily marry her in-laws, and she will have something to rely on for the rest of her life." But she prefers to follow some self-combing and anti-human customs, and take a half-grown nephew out to wander. She is a Fujian person, Fuzhou Mansion and Guangzhou Mansion are not far away, she has to trek through mountains and rivers to come to our Songjiang, and she also plunged into your Han family. Looking at the people and things that are close to her, it is also strange. Could she be, a witch? ”

Han Xiying's two eyes rolled, and she said in horror: "Grandma said this, I remember, that Lu Gongzi just now, at first glance, it taught me strange, how a man is whiter than us women." Now that I think about it, could he be the surnamed Zheng who used witchcraft to charm the school, just to use magic to suck his Yuanyang, so that Lu Gongzi's face was pale and pale. ”

With a "snap", the string of Buddhist beads coiled in Shen's hand fell at his feet.

The middle-aged woman stroked her front placket and chanted the Buddha loudly, and said in a trembling voice: "Ah Ying, Ah Ying, this blue sky and white day, hey, my heart is chilling." ”

Han Xiying hurriedly picked up the string of Buddha beads, let Shen pinch it, and sat beside her while patting her on the back.

Shen rolled the Buddha beads twice, took a few deep breaths, and gradually calmed down.

She sighed and said, "It's just that the old lady in our family attaches great importance to the one surnamed Zheng." ”

Han Xiying volunteered: "The eldest grandmother is the head of the house, so naturally she doesn't want my sister to marry into the Gu family with the surname Zheng." It's better for me to report to the second uncle and aunt, let's just say that she was messing with men in the school, and she didn't shy away from the eldest grandmother and me, with such a character, it would be better to break away from the Han family as soon as possible. ”

Shen continued to sigh: "Your eldest sister has already fallen for her evil, but I am afraid that after marrying, even if she does not enter the Gu Mansion to serve your sister, your sister will still go out and befriend her in one place, and make up things that are not gods and ghosts." Alas, my uncle and I have no children in this room, and we have always taken my nephew Shouqian as the eldest grandson of the Gu family, which is really, really ......"

Shen Shi turned his face, stared at Han Xiying with confidence and sincerity: "Ah Ying, today I have a heart-to-heart word with you, our mother and mother are so close to each other, I hope that the one who marries Shou Qian is you, a good girl who is well-behaved, smart and sensible." ”

Han Xiying's eyes lit up.

Immediately, he felt that his joy was too much, and he was busy changing to the appearance of looking at his nose and nose and his heart, twisting his handkerchief with both hands, and making a state of shame.

Shen took the tone of his mother's comfort to his daughter, and asked in a low voice: "In your heart, do you also have a dive?" ”

Han Xiying bit her mouth and made a mosquito-like "um".

Shen was silent for a long time, and then spoke again: "I know. Good boy, you are alone at home, don't rush to come out first, see something out of the ordinary, write it down in your heart, and tell your grandmother. Let me think about it. ”

When Han Xiying heard this, bursts of gratitude came to her heart again.

His own mother-in-law, Yang, now looks at the uncle and sister-in-law in the second room and Han Ximeng in the big room more and more hateful, but she is incompetent, she only knows how to sprinkle her anger on her daughter's head, and often scolds her for being brave and resourceful, and can't clean up the dead girl surnamed Zheng to avenge her uncle.

On the contrary, the Shen family, who is not related by blood, is full of worries about her situation.

She then put on a look of being willing to be the king's precursor, and said earnestly: "I listen to the concubine." By the way, today's Ah Zhen was introduced to Songjiang weavers by my mother Huizhou Township, and I have a dress that I don't wear, and I will give it to her, and she has always been grateful to me. Because she is also good at embroidery, this time the second uncle married the tailor shop to the eldest sister, so he divided her too. She doesn't look very good today, so I'll ask her when I go back. ”

Shen agreed: "You are such a kind-hearted child. If Ah Zhen has any suffering, he will also tell me. ”

"Grandma, the first few households are silkworm farmers who have been harvesting cocoons in my family, grandma wants to go and see." Outside the sedan chair, Shen's personal maid Cui Rong reported politely.

Shen Shi opened the sedan curtain and said, "Da Fen will accompany me, Cui Liu, you follow the sedan chair and send the third lady back to Hanfu." ”

Cui Liu and another maid named "Dafen" echoed.

Han Xiying said curiously: "I heard that the smell of the silkworm room is very strong, and the eldest grandmother just asked a mother-in-law in charge to see it, why should I go in person." ”

Shen shook his head: "Your second uncle is engaged in cotton cloth trading, so naturally he only has cotton in his eyes." But your eldest sister is drilling in the embroidery all day long, and she can't leave the silk thread for a moment, and she doesn't know about the silkworm incident in the three counties this year, is it very abnormal? ”

……

"Silkworm things are abnormal?"

Han Mansion, in Han Ximeng's boudoir, Zheng Haizhu, who returned late, hurriedly ate a bowl of wontons, and heard the eldest lady talk about it.

Han Ximeng was unfolding the embroidery scroll that was about to be sent out under the lamp, and said while looking at it: "You went to Yuegang, I don't have a right-hand man, and I drill on this embroidery all day long, just like a hermit in the mountains who doesn't know the outside world." Today, I accompanied my aunt to worship the Buddha, and I saw Miao Atai in the temple, she said that recently, many silkworm households, after the silkworms are clustered, they do not spin silk. ”

Upper clusters are an important part of sericulture.

After the silkworm matures, the silkworm household will use straw, wheat stalk and other materials to fold into partitions, so that the mature silkworms spin silk and form cocoons in it, which is the "upper cluster".

In the Susong Hangjiahu area, where sericulture is thriving, April, May and June are rainy, often the wettest season of the year. When silkworms spin silk, although they are afraid of light and yin, if the clusters are moldy, they will definitely not work. Therefore, silkworm farmers will raise a small charcoal pot to bake the fire under the layers of bamboo plaques where the tufts are placed, so that the tufts themselves will remain relatively dry.

This kind of bamboo plaque in the silkworm room is called "foil", and the act of roasting fire on rainy days is called "moxibustion foil".

Zheng Haizhu then asked Han Ximeng: "Is it that the moxibustion foil is improper, and the charcoal gas comes out and the silkworms are stiffened?" ”

Han Ximeng shook his head: "There are twenty or thirty silkworm households that have had an accident, and they are all silkworm farmers for several generations, how can they be so careless?" Even if there are children and grandchildren who neglect their duties, they won't be like this, right? ”

Zheng Haizhu asked again: "Then, could it be that there is something wrong with the mulberry leaves?" ”