At the beginning of December, Rao is Yuzhou is also inevitably snowy.

The people in Daiyue Town were all wrapped in big coats, and the thick snow covered the small courtyard, and in the house, a small figure wrapped in a quilt squatted in front of the charcoal basin.

"Qingqing, let's see what grandpa has brought back!" The old man stepped into the house, wearing a cross-legged hat, a round-necked fleece sweater, and a knife around his waist.

The little figure wrapped under the quilt turned his head, revealing a delicate little face, perhaps too close to the charcoal fire, his cheeks were flushed, and his mouth was still holding a big cake, which was slightly funny.

Ye Lingwu's eyes lit up: "What a beautiful hairpin!" ”

The old man said with a smile: "Today for the Zuo family to catch the thief, the head of the Zuo family rewarded the yamen with a lot of things, and my grandfather saw that this hairpin was good-looking, so he brought it back to you." ”

"Catch a thief?" Ye Lingwu said nervously, "Didn't my grandfather sprain his foot the day before yesterday?" ”

The old man waved his hand and said: "Little sprain, Uncle Ayuan at the end of the alley used his family's secret medicine to compress me, and I will be cured this morning, if I don't believe it, my grandfather will take Qingqing to the mountains to hunt game!" ”

Ye Lingwu pouted and said, "With such a heavy snow outside, it's better for grandpa to stay in the house with Qingqing obediently, otherwise you will have to sprain your foot again." ”

As the words fell, the sound of horses' hooves suddenly came from outside the house.

Seeing that the old man was about to get up and go out to investigate, Ye Lingwu hurriedly pressed the old man's shoulder and said, "Grandpa sit, Qingqing goes." ”

She put the futon on her body back on the couch, pushed the door and went out to take a look, and saw a housekeeper leading three female envoys towards the courtyard.

She knows the housekeeper's mother-in-law, who is Aunt Liu's mother-in-law.

"Ouch, my eldest girl, I haven't seen you for a long time, and you're getting more and more beautiful!" Mother Qiu put on a flattering smile and walked forward in a few steps.

Ye Lingwu frowned and said, "What is Mother Qiu doing?" ”

Mother Qiu turned a blind eye to Ye Lingwu's indifference, and said with a smile: "Of course I came to inform the eldest girl that Mrs. Shen from the Hou Mansion in Ningbei sent a letter saying that she wanted to take you to the capital, and the person who picked you up will be there in a few days!" ”

"Don't go!" There was a low roar from inside the room.

The old man stepped out of the house, and said with a fierce look in his eyes: "I knew that there was nothing good for your Ye family to come, before I threw Qingqing to the temple and ignored it, and when I picked her up, she was so thin that there was not much meat on her body, and now you want to throw her somewhere!" ”

Mother Qiu's face froze for a moment, and she said: "What did Old Song say, Ningbei Hou Mansion is the family of the nobles in the capital, and the eldest girl is blessed to go there!" ”

"Happiness?" Boss Song said with a face, "Don't think that I don't know what your Ye family has in mind, don't you just think about the high branches of the Hou Mansion?" You go back and tell your lord that I, Song Qian, will never let my granddaughter go to any Hou Mansion!" ”

After that, Song Lao pulled Ye Lingwu into the house.

Qiu's mother ate the closed-door soup, with a broken face, and felt uncomfortable.

The little envoy on the side came over, "Mom, if the eldest girl doesn't go back with us, how can we deal with the people from the capital?" ”

Mother Qiu glanced at her and said, "What's the panic, there's still time." Wait outside, I'll go in and talk to the old man. ”

She walked into the house in two steps, first looked around, and saw that the furnishings inside were shabby, and there was only a small charcoal basin in the house for heating in winter, and her eyes couldn't help but show a little disgust.

Song Lao saw Mother Qiu following up, and said in a deep voice: "Didn't I let you go, what are you doing here!" ”

Mother Qiu frowned and said: "I said Old Song, why do you bother, the person who came is from the Marquis Mansion in the capital, how can the lord have the courage to refute the Marquis Mansion." ”

Song Lao snorted coldly and said, "He doesn't have the guts? He was very bold when he threw my granddaughter to Qingquan Temple! ”

"It's wronged, the lord is just thinking about letting the eldest girl mourn her filial piety for her mother! …… What do you say, big girl? Qiu's mother made a look of grievance and made a gesture to pull Ye Lingwu.

Who knew that the little girl slipped away and hid behind Song Lao.

Mother Qiu withdrew her embarrassed hands in the air, squeezed two tears out, and said, "It's really pitiful that our eldest girl has been weak and sick since she was a child, and she still wears so thin clothes on such a cold day." ”

Song Lao's face was stunned, and he looked at Ye Lingwu, who was only wearing a thin piece on his body, and was speechless for a while.

Mother Qiu took the opportunity to say again: "Can Old Song really bear to let the eldest girl follow you without enough food and clothing?" ”

"Mother Qiu, which eye sees that I can't eat enough and don't have warm clothes!" Ye Lingwu said angrily, "I'm fine with my grandfather, I don't need Qiu's mother to cry and fake mercy." ”

Without waiting for Qiu's mother to react, Ye Lingwu directly pushed the person out of the house and closed the door with a "bang".

At night, Ye Lingwu lay on the bed for a while, thinking about Qiu's mother during the day, and her heart became more and more irritable.

Unable to sleep, she simply got up.

As soon as I opened the door, I saw Song Lao holding a smoking pipe, and I don't know if he was choked by the smoke, sitting in the courtyard full of snow and coughing so much that he couldn't help himself, and his back was even more worried.

Xu heard the movement of opening the door, Song Lao turned his head to look over, and cleared his hoarse voice: "Qingqing doesn't sleep so late, what are you doing here?" ”

Ye Lingwu walked over, squatted down and leaned on Song Lao's leg, and said, "Isn't Grandpa also sleeping, Qingqing will come to accompany you." ”

Song Lao touched the top of her head and said, "Qingqing has grown up in a blink of an eye, she was thin and small when she first brought you back, and now she is up to her grandfather's shoulders." ”

Ye Lingwu said: "Grandpa gave Qingqing a good meal, and also taught Qingqing archery kung fu, Qingqing naturally grew up faster." ”

Song Lao smiled with relief: "What I teach is not learned by the daughter of the boudoir, you should still learn to write, and the female celebrities are good." ”

Ye Lingwu frowned, guessing what Song Lao wanted to say, shook his head and said, "I don't like those, it's better to be happy with my grandfather." ”

Song Lao lowered his eyes and sighed: "Your mother left early, otherwise you wouldn't be able to endure these hardships." I guess the people from Yefu will come tomorrow, so you can go back with them. ”

It's not a consultative tone, it's a deliberate decision.

Ye Lingwu straightened up and said, "I won't go back, and I don't want to go to the capital, and I won't be able to see my grandfather after I go to the capital." ”

Song Lao said: "Qingqing will be married next year, you can't choose a good family with your grandfather, even if you don't go to the capital, you can go back to Yefu to continue to be a girl, you can find a good husband." ”

Ye Lingwu said weakly: "It's just that for this reason, it's better not to go back, it's a big deal not to marry in the future." ”

"Nonsense! How can there be a daughter's family who does not marry. ”

Ye Lingwu lowered his head and was silent.

Yes, Song Lao sighed leisurely, as if talking to himself, "If I force you to stay by my side, I won't have the face to see your mother after death." ”

The snow began to fall again, and this year's Yuzhou was exceptionally cold.

Before dawn the next day, Song Lao went to the yamen, and when Ye Lingwu got up, a note was left on the table with white porridge and side dishes.

"Drink the white porridge on the table while it's hot, and when the people from the Ye Mansion come, Qingqing will go back with them, and remember to close the courtyard door after leaving."

Ye Lingwu sat on the wooden bench, and looked at the two-line paper with his head down for a long time.

At noon, Ye Lingwu moved a low stool to the well in the small courtyard to wash clothes, and not long after, the Ye family's carriage really came again.

As soon as Qiu's mother got out of the carriage, she saw Ye Lingwu's little hands that were bruised from the cold but were still rubbing her clothes, and her heart jumped, and she said, "Ouch, my eldest girl, it's freezing, how can you wash your clothes yourself!" ”

Ye Lingwu ignored it.

Mother Qiu turned her head and looked at the little envoy behind her eyes, and shouted: "Are you blind, you can't see the big girl washing clothes, why don't you go and help!" ”

The little girl shrunk her neck and was about to help, but she heard Ye Lingwu say: "No, this is my grandfather's clothes, I want to wash them myself and hang them up." ”

Mother Qiu sighed: "The eldest girl is really filial, the water on this snowy day is the most frozen hands, Song Lao actually can't bear to wait for you to wash, look at your white and tender hands, what kind of ...... are frozen." ”

With a "bang", what Qiu's mother was about to say was interrupted.

Ye Lingwu slammed the washboard on the ground, then picked up the wooden basin and walked towards the drying rack.

During the period of drying clothes, Qiu's mother's mouth never stopped, and ten out of ten sentences were to ask Ye Lingwu to go back with her.

Ye Lingwu didn't pay attention to it, and dried the last piece of clothing without hurry, before he settled down and stared at Qiu's mother and said, "Okay, let's go back to the house now." ”

Mother Qiu was stunned, clapped her hands and smiled: "Haole! Fuyue, Yunxin, don't hurry up and pack your luggage for the eldest girl! ”

The horses pulled the wheels and kept turning, and after more than an hour, they finally arrived at Yuzhou City and entered the city gate, and the noise was endless.

Xu is town has been in the town for a long time, Ye Lingwu listened to the bustle of the carriage, and couldn't help but lift the curtain to watch.

It is the cold winter, Yuzhou Long Street is still prosperous, with a variety of shops on both sides of the road, and the crowd is bustling.

When she arrived at the Lin Mansion, Qiu's mother wanted to directly lead Ye Lingwu to Haitang Zhai first, but she didn't want to be told that the people from the Hou Mansion had come in advance as soon as she entered the mansion, and she was now in the lobby of the outer courtyard.

As soon as he stepped into the courtyard, Ye Lingwu heard the sound of talking from the main house.

"Our old lady always thinks of Mrs. Song, and since she left, she often feels lonely in her heart, so she thinks of taking Miss Lingwu to serve by her side to relieve the pain in her heart."

The tone of the speaker revealed a majesty that ordinary people did not have.

Qiu's mother stepped into the house first and reported: "Lord, eldest lady, the slave maid is here with the eldest girl." ”

Ye Lingwu followed behind her, quietly watching the situation in the house.

The first person to see was Ye Huaisheng on the throne, who was dressed in a dark brocade robe and held a string of jade beads in his hand; Seeing his daughter who he hadn't seen for nearly five years, Ye Huaisheng's face not only did not have the joy of reuniting after a long absence, but was a little more dignified.

Below him sat a well-maintained woman, pretty, with a very eye-catching red peony dress on her body, but this eye-catching was a little more charming.

On the right side sits an old woman with goosebumps and a radiant look. It should be her who spoke just now.

"Big lady?"

Mama Xuan looked at the delicate woman opposite, her eyes were a little more fierce and quiet, and said: "The old man has been sitting in the mansion for so long, and he didn't know that Lord Ye had married a lady. ”

Qiu's mother shook her mouth, and after realizing that she had said the wrong thing, the smile on her face stiffened.

And Liu Yuping's face was not much better, she was stared at by Mama Xuan, and said with a smile: "Mama Xuan doesn't know, the lord has taken pity on me for serving him for many years, so he straightened out the concubine." ”

As she spoke, Liu Yuping gave Ye Huaisheng a look at the seat.

Ye Huaisheng understood and said: "Yes, Yuping has been with Ye for more than ten years, she has spread branches for the Ye family, gave birth to children, and she can also sit in the position of the Ye family's housemother." ”

Mama Xuan said: "Lord Ye is a businessman, and it is reasonable to understand the affairs of the inner house. A concubine, it is her blessing to be able to spread the branches and leaves of the main family, and the eldest daughter is still mourning for her mother in the temple, but she took the opportunity to control the housekeeping, and she doesn't make people laugh when she spreads it? ”

Ye Huaisheng was silent with a dark face.

He clearly understood these in his heart, the Ye family was also a famous merchant in Yuzhou, how could he stand how others preached, and he was still a subordinate.

But this subordinate is a subordinate of the Hou Mansion, or the housekeeper beside Mrs. Shen, and she can't afford to offend if she doesn't dare to contradict it.

Ye Lingwu quietly looked at Mama Xuan, and just as she admired her for not being able to get off the stage with a few words, she saw Mama Xuan turn her head to look over, looked at her for a moment, and said softly: "You are Miss Lingwu." I haven't seen you for many years, and when I last saw you, you were still a two-year-old milk doll, and when I met you again, you were so old, and you looked like your mother. How have you been doing in Daiyue Town all these years? ”

Hearing this, Ye Lingwu pursed her lips and was about to reply. Liu Yuping rushed to speak: "I didn't expect Mama Xuan to have seen Ling Yatou before, I haven't seen her for so many years, it's rare that Mama Xuan can still remember." ”

Mama Xuan said coldly: "Auntie is really eyeless, I talk to the eldest girl of the Ye family, what are you talking about?" ”

Aunt? Who's the aunt!

Liu Yuping glared angrily, turned her face and became aggrieved again, "Yes, I'm talking too much." ”

At the age of thirty, he is still well-maintained, and his hypocrisy is indeed unique.

Ye Huaisheng felt distressed, and said: "Mama Xuan, Yuping is a serious lady of the Ye family who has entered the genealogy, not an aunt. ”

With the support of the head of the family, Liu Yuping's drama was even more sufficient, squeezed down two tears, and said miserably: "Mother Xuan is from the Hou Mansion in the capital, and she has seen a lot of nobles from the high family, and it is also appropriate to look down on me, the little lady who has just been straightened." ”

Mother Xuan's brows tightened, and she only glanced at it and then looked away lightly. After all, she is a person from a big house, and this kind of little trick can't get into her eyes.

Ye Lingwu saw that Liu Yuping had used the old routine to show sympathy, and looked back at the female envoy standing behind her, shook her body, and planted it directly.

The little envoy caught it and said in a panic: "Big girl, what's wrong with you?" ”

Ye Lingwu pressed his two fingers together on his temples, and said with a slight frown: "It's okay, it's just a problem that fell in Qingquan Temple, and the carriage back home was so bumpy, and now it's starting to faint." ”

Liu Yuping was stunned, staring at Ye Lingwu nervously, she was afraid that she would say more, but when she saw the strength in the corner of Ye Lingwu's eyes when she looked back at her, she instantly realized.

This girl...... Dare to love is learning from her!!

Liu Yuping secretly twisted the handkerchief in her hand, then got up and held Ye Lingwu's arm, and said with distress: "How can Ling girl get sick?" Did your grandfather take good care of you? ”

Ye Lingwu's eyebrows twisted slightly, and he moved away quietly: "Auntie is wrong, grandpa treats me very well." ”

Another aunt.

Liu Yuping's face changed slightly, and she couldn't get angry and complained to Qiu's mother: "The eldest girl has not been in good health since she was a child, and you don't know how to tell the groom to slow down." If something happens to the big girl, I'm the only one who asks! ”

Mother Qiu was dumbfounded, bowed down and replied: "Yes, yes, it's all to blame on the slave maid, the slave maid is careless, just thinking that Mama Xuan is from the Hou Mansion in the capital and can't be lazy, so she was a little anxious, and she didn't notice that the eldest girl was unwell." ”

At this point, Liu Yuping set up a play and lamented: "I thought that Ling girl could live freely in her grandfather, but I didn't expect it...... Lord, it's all Yuping's fault, I should have persuaded you to take the girl back early. ”

Ye Huaisheng was very fond of this, and said softly: "You don't have to blame yourself, Ling Wu went to Qingquan Temple to mourn for her mother, and she did her filial piety, and it was also her choice to raise her next to his grandfather." ”

"But I'm also her stepmother, I haven't cared about her all these years, and I can't get over it in my heart." Liu Yuping picked up the silk handkerchief and wiped her non-existent tears.

Mama Xuan's expression was solemn, and her heart was actually like a mirror.

She didn't want to get involved, but she inadvertently saw Ye Lingwu's thin brocade shoes that could only be worn in summer, her heart was shocked, and a burst of fire jumped up, and said, "I don't think Miss Lingwu needs to stay in the house for a few more days!" ”

She stood up, stepped forward and pulled Ye Lingwu and said: "Let's go directly to the carriage of the Hou Mansion tomorrow, the Hou Mansion has everything, there is no shortage of Ling Wu girl, when we arrive in the capital, the old lady can still find the imperial doctor to take a good look at the Ling Wu girl." ”

There was silence in the room.

Ye Lingwu was stunned for a moment, and Yu Guang secretly glanced at Ye Huaisheng on the seat, and saw that his face was more ugly than eating, so he said, "Thank you, Mama Xuan." ”