After Shen Shi, the scorching sunlight gradually became a little weaker. The door of the Shi family manor opened, and a group of people came out of the garden surrounded by Shi De, one with a parasol, one with a fan, and one with a bucket of cold water, which was soaked in wet wipes. Shi De wore a fine yellow silk shirt as thin as a cicada's wings, so thin that you could see the snow-white skin inside.

Shi De came to the shade of the tree and saw three dirty children drawing on the ground: each dressed in sackcloth, with torn cuffs, shoes with exposed toes, hair disheveled and a few thatched sticks, and their faces were black. If it weren't for Tian Fu's introduction in advance, he wouldn't have recognized the two dirty children in front of him as Shu Yan and Zhixin, and the other was Ruoxin, but he hadn't seen them before.

Shi De saw Shu Yan and Zhixin's black faces and laughed wildly: "Hahahaha, you are Zhixin, Shu Yan?" Hahahaha......"

Zhixin asked, "Who are you?" ”

No wonder Zhixin couldn't recognize it, after all, they hadn't seen each other for several years, they were only five or six years old when they last met, and now they are both ten years old, and everyone has grown taller and changed a lot.

Shu Yan said to Zhixin stupidly: "Coming out of the Shi family's manor, such a big show, at this age, who else can there be besides the Shi family's Xiaolang?" ”

After being reminded by Shu Yanyi, Zhixin looked at the other party carefully, and sure enough, the other party's appearance was vaguely recognizable - it was the person who broke her clay figure back then, "Shi De?" ”

Shi De still couldn't help but smile and leaned back: "It's me, hahahaha, are you painting faces and singing?" Come and greet me as an old friend? ”

It's embarrassing for acquaintances to see their embarrassment, especially if they haven't seen someone for a long time, it's even more embarrassing.

It was carried out without the intention of mocking them, he just wanted to play with them, but the speaker was unintentional, the listener was intentional, and their friendship was far from the point where such a joke could be made. These two unintentional ridicules made Shu Yan and Zhixin very faceless.

Shu Yan was still more serious, but Zhixin was extremely ashamed: "Go away, who is your old friend?" Who will greet you? Is it great to be rich? No one is welcome to you! ”

Shi De is usually used to being favored by the stars of the people, and he never knows how to respect others, he didn't expect this unintentional move, but it caused the other party to be angry, although the other party is poor, but he doesn't buy his account, he was speechless.

Shu Yan saw that Shi De had no malicious intent, so he wanted to break the embarrassment and break the siege, but he didn't know what to say, so he moved out of the "Analects": "Zhixin, have you forgotten? 'Wouldn't it be nice to have friends from afar?' ’”

Zhixin shouted: "I told you a long time ago, not all friends will be happy when they come, not to mention, he is not a friend!" ”

"Zhixin, he is used to being pampered, maybe out of inadvertentness, don't be like him."

When Shi De heard this, it turned out that these two poor children could actually "Analects". The gap between the living environment of myself and the two of them is too big, and I really can't find any common topics, so I might as well talk about the Analects: "Zhixin, I have also studied the Analects, do you also like to read the Analects?" ”

Zhixin pouted on the side and said, "I don't like it!" You like the Analects, and I like the Book of Songs. After Zhixin finished speaking, in order to show that she hated the "Analects", and then hated people who liked the "Analects", of course, excluding Shu Yan, she squatted on the ground and continued to write her "Book of Songs".

"Hehe, I will also know the Book of Songs." Shi De said proudly, and then he read the poem written by Zhixin, "The hands are like soft pancreas, the skin is like clotted fat, the collar is like a grub, the teeth are like a rhinoceros, the head of the mantis is like a moth, the smile is clever, and the beautiful eyes are longing......"

While reciting the poem, he looked at the appearance of the corresponding part of Zhixin's body.

"Hands like soft pancreas?" He looked at Zhixin's hand, and the last word raised in a tone of question.

"Skin like clotted fat?" He looked at Zhixin's skin.

"Smiling and smiling, beautiful eyes?" He looked at Zhixin's angry look.

Zhixin's appearance is in perfect contrast with the poems she wrote herself. After all, he is a pampered little gentleman, his nature is difficult to change, and the children of the scholar clan are originally dissolute and uninhibited, not considering the feelings of others. He couldn't hold back any longer, and had already forgotten all about being angry with Zhixin just now, and laughed and said: "I see that you don't have hands like soft pancreas, skin like clotted fat, clever smiles, and beautiful eyes, but hands like branches, skin like ink, clumsy and ugly, and angry eyes." ”

After hearing this, Zhixin was ashamed and angry, threw away the branches, and cried angrily. Shu An and Han Ning heard the cry and also rushed over.

Shu Yan was also very angry when he saw Shi De's rude behavior again and again, but he was angry, he was very calm: the other party used the "Book of Songs" to anger us, and we came to "treat him in the way of others" - use the "Book of Songs" to reply to him. So he comforted Zhixin and said: "Zhixin, what are you crying about, you are familiar with the Book of Songs, have you forgotten the poem in "The Wind of Songs"? It is suitable for this kind of person who does not understand etiquette. ”

"Which one?"

"Rats have skin, but people have no manners! If people have no ceremony, what is it to not die? Rats have teeth, but people don't stop! People are endless, why not die? The rat has a body, but the person is rude! People are rude, and Hu is not going to die? ”

"You compare me to a mouse?" Shi De said urgently.

Zhixin stopped crying after hearing this, and immediately came to the fighting spirit: "Mouse-I'm afraid you are not even as good as a mouse, a stupid mouse who doesn't know any etiquette." ”

Tian Fu saw that the two sides were using the "Book of Songs" to "fight", and it was getting more and more intense, he was afraid that the contradiction would escalate, so he hurried over to stop it, and remembered the matter of the water pile that his master told him just now, and it was just at this time to test the meaning of the Shu family and the Han family. He said to Shu An and Han Ning: "Brother Shu, Brother Han, it is common for children to quarrel, although my little son has said too much, but this is the case. You see, your children are going to suffer this sin in the ground at a young age, what should you do if you heat your children on this hot day? The boys are fine, especially the girl Zhixin, who soaks in the fields all day long, like a mud monkey, how bad. ”

Han Ning saw that Tian Fu spoke politely and politely, and he naturally didn't take what he had just done to heart, after all, it was indeed a child bickering.

"Tianzhuangtou, what you said is also reasonable, but the children of our ordinary people's families are like this, how can they be compared with the children of your rich and noble families, and my family has a small population and insufficient labor, Zhixin's mother still has to cook, wash clothes, line up for rice, and weave some female workers to supplement the family, Zhixin has no brother, only one younger brother, she can only do more."

"Why is this so painful? A smart and beautiful girl like Zhixin let her suffer this sin all day long - tsk tsk - how about raising her well, learning some piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and finding a good family in the future, worth a hundred times, not like soaking in the ground every day like a village girl! ”

Han Ning laughed angrily: "Tian Zhuangtou, you are really telling a joke." Qin, chess, calligraphy and painting - we poor families don't have that leisure and elegance, that will be laughed at. Besides, if there is so much work left in the field, will it not be possible to let the fields be wasted? ”

Tian Zhuangtou took a step forward, pulled Shu An and Han Ning aside, seemed to be deliberately avoiding the Shi family's people, and said to Shu An and Han Ning in a low voice: "I heard that the general of my family is going to build a large connecting machine water mill on the bank of the Ru River, and several addresses have been selected, and the final location has not yet been determined. I heard that the place that was finally chosen was going to cost a lot of money. The fields of the two of you are also among the candidates. If you are willing, I will go and tell the head of my house on your behalf, and choose the address of the water mill in your field, and I can also say good things for you, and ask the head of the house to give you more money. ”

Shu An and Han Ning listened, what? Build a water mill? Selling land? It's a big joke. It is unthinkable for them to lose the land on which they depend.

Han Ning Zhengse said: "Grange head, these fields are the basis for our ancestors' livelihood, if we sell them, what will we eat in the future." No matter how much money we sell, there will always be a time when we will run out, and then we will drink the northwest wind? ”

Seeing the other party's resolute attitude, the head of the grange rolled his eyes and said: "If you really don't want to sell the land, you can also have a second way - exchanging land for land." ”

Although Shu An and Han Ning felt that Grange's words were ridiculous, but now that they were tired from work, they wanted to rest, and they had nothing to do, so they just chatted.

Shu An asked: "What is the selling method, and what is the exchange method?" ”

Tian Fu saw that although Shu An and Han Ning did not say that they agreed, they did not directly refuse, and there was hope if they did not directly refuse, so he hurriedly said: "If you sell it, it will be 5,005 baht per mu." ”

Shu An laughed angrily: "Five thousand dollars? We're a good land, and it's worth five thousand dollars? ”

"If the two of you don't think it's suitable, then you can trade land for land. You are the upper land, there is a piece of land in the northeast corner of my family's manor, although it is not a high-grade fertile land, but at least it can be regarded as a medium field, how about exchanging two acres for one acre? ”

"The northeast corner? Can that low-lying wasteland be considered a medium field? Five of the ten years are in the desert, let alone two acres for one acre, what is the use of ten acres for one acre? ”

"Otherwise, three acres for one acre."

Han Ning was impatient when he heard this, and felt that there was no need to talk any further: "Grange head, it's not too early, it's time for us to go home and tell your family master that our fields will not be sold or exchanged." ”

Seeing that they were leaving, Tian Fu hurriedly grabbed Shu An and said, "Brother Shu, your family has been a famous benevolent gentleman in our Ruyin for generations. Our section of the riverbank, there is only one water mill, and the population here is large, the people have to line up for at least two hours in order to make rice, can you bear to watch the people in this radius of dozens of miles crowded day and night in a water mill to line up for rice? Is it to make money in my family? It's all for the sake of our folks in Ruyin. ”

Shu An said: "Hey, didn't you say that your family master has several sites?" Why bother us? ”

Tian Fu was speechless, how could they have any other candidate address, Jianshui Jie, only this place is the most suitable.

Shu An and Han Ning picked up the hoes and led the children home, and Zhixin didn't forget to glare at Shi De fiercely before leaving.

Shi De also snorted and returned to the manor surrounded by everyone. Tian Fu reported the situation to Shi Hui just now. Shi Hui said unhurriedly: "Don't worry, the water mill must be built, and I am bound to get that piece of land." ”

On the way home, Shu An didn't speak, Han Ning had already guessed Shu An's thoughts, with Shu An's character, for the sake of the local people, he might really agree to give the land to the Shi family.

Han Ning asked tentatively, "Brother Shu, what are you thinking?" ”

"Oh, nothing. I just think that it is really inconvenient for our local people to make rice, and there is indeed a lack of a water mill...... Your sister-in-law and Yan'er and her aunt often queue up for Chung Mi for half a day......"

When Han Ning heard this, he was anxious: "Do you really want to give up the land to the Shi family?" That's our source of food and clothing! I don't agree! ”

Seeing that Han Ning was anxious, Shu An said tactfully: "How is it possible, I just want to make it difficult for the common people to make rice......

"Do you think the Shi family is really for the convenience of the people? Those big families have always forgotten their righteousness, and even if the water mill is built, they will double the money they collect from the people and become a tool for them to make money. ”

"Settle again, settle again, go home, go home."

"Brother Shu, you-" Han Ning stomped his foot angrily.

For the first time in so many years, Shu Yan and Zhixin have seen their father quarrel.