Baochai, however, discussed with Li Wan and Pinger. On the other hand, he returned to Jia Zheng and hurriedly wrote a letter to the local officials in the east, informing them that the deed had been lost. At the same time, he considered sending people to contact and make up the contract, and warned Wu Jinzhong and other farmers not to be deceived. However, the experienced and reliable stewards like Wu Xindeng and Lin Zhixiao couldn't leave, and the second-class stewards were afraid that they couldn't be relied on, so they were in a difficult position. Coincidentally, Jia Lian came back from the south after the completion of the tomb repair. When he heard Ping 'er say that he knew about this matter, he was very anxious.
After seeing Madam Wang and mentioning the matter of sending people to the east, he thought about it carefully and realized that there was really no suitable person to send. "We have to contact the ground and suppress the heads of the villages. I'm afraid they can't do it. It's better for me to go personally."”"You've just come back, so you must be tired from the journey." He wanted to go and rest for a few days.”Jia Lian said,"This contract has been lost for many days. If it is delayed any longer, it will be even more troublesome if it is deceived." Nephew took half a day to finish cooking, so I'll leave!”Madam Wang had her own instructions. Therefore, Jia Lian only stayed at home for two days before leaving.
Qiao Jie married into the Zhou family. Although her family was rich and her son-in-law had entered the family, the family only lived frugally. His mother-in-law was still weaving by herself, and Sister Qiao was learning from her. She was used to it as a way to relieve her boredom. His mother-in-law only treated him leniently because he was the daughter of the Public House and was still young. The son-in-law was also handsome and elegant, and the young couple was very harmonious.
That time, Ping 'er sent her daughter-in-law to visit Sister Qiao with four crates, half fruit and half snacks. First, he greeted the in-laws, then passed on Jia Lian's words, asking Qiao Jie to visit the house when she had nothing to do. Sister Qiao had agreed at that time. She had wanted to go to the city every day, but Ji Zheng was busy with the Zhuang family, so there was no one there to send him off. A few days later, someone came from the city and said that Second Master Lian of the Jia family had returned to the south. Therefore, he temporarily put aside his homesickness. However, every time someone from the village entered the city, Sister Qiao always asked them to inquire about Jia Lian.
That place was far away from the city, and the Jia residence was filled with celebrations, so there was no way to know. On the day of Brother Hui's third birthday, Ping 'er was going to pick him up, but because she was busy with guests, she was interrupted. When Jia Lian came back from the south, Baner happened to enter the city for business. When he passed by the gate of the Rong Mansion, he saw that the servants were busy unloading their luggage and asked if Jia Lian had brought them. When he went back, he told Qiaojie. Qiaojie was secretly happy and repeatedly begged Granny Liu to go into the city with him. Granny Liu said,"It's late today. We have to bring something." If he didn't bring food and clothes back, how could he go there barehanded?”The next day, it rained again, and the weather finally cleared up. She quickly picked some fruits and vegetables and packed them with all kinds of fresh vegetables that she had pickled at home. She asked someone to drive the car to the Zhou family to pick up Qiao Jie before they went to Rong Mansion.
Seeing that Qiaojie had come with them, the manservants at the door did not dare to be negligent and led the carriage all the way to the Inner Rites Gate. Granny Liu and Sister Qiao got out of the car and drove it out. There were also manservants waiting outside the second door who came forward to greet the sister and the grandmother. Now that Grandma was so lucky, she would also talk to them a little. The servant led him to Ping 'er's inner courtyard.
At this time, Ping 'er had not returned to Tian Furen's place. The little servant girl Feng' er hurriedly pulled up the curtain and invited Jie 'er and Granny into the house, saying,"Why hasn't Sis come back? Grandma is thinking about it!”When Sister Qiao saw Feng 'er, because she was an old friend of Sister Feng, she said affectionately,"I didn't want to come back that day. It was the Zhuang family's busy season. Even Grandma didn't have time. How is Sister Feng 'er? I miss you so much!" Feng 'er replied to his sister and then said to Granny Liu," Granny, please sit. I'll go invite Second Grandmother."
Sister Qiao asked Granny Liu to sit on the brick bed while she sat down casually on the embroidered stool beside the brick bed.
Granny Liu secretly asked Qiaojie,"When did Second Master marry Second Grandmother?" Where is Miss Ping?" "Second Grandmother, Miss Ping is a person," Qiao Jie said with a smile."He has now become an official!”Granny Liu chanted the Buddha's name and said,"That's right." How could the grandmothers of ordinary families compare to Miss Ping's way of dealing with people?”He smiled again." This is the first time I've come here. When I saw Miss Ping wearing gold and silver, I urged her to call me grandaunt. It made Sister Zhou and the others laugh at me." In the future, you'll really have to call me grandma!"
Just as they were talking, Ping 'er and Feng' er walked in while talking. Qiaojie quickly stood up and asked YiNiang to greet her.
Granny Liu also wanted to stand up, but her legs went numb from sitting down, and she fell down again. After a while, he finally stood up and called out," Miss," she said again," No, you should call her grandma now! Grandma, don't blame me." As he was about to bow down, Ping 'er quickly pulled him back and said,""Granny, don't be so polite with me. I'm in the village and it's all thanks to you that I've been taking care of me. I'll thank you on behalf of Second Master."
"Isn't this what I should be doing?" Granny Liu said. If our family didn't rely on this old lady and great aunt to take care of us, who knows what kind of lousy kiln we would be living in! Now, there was more than half an acre of land, big tile-roofed houses, and all the small cars were tied up. When our sons-in-law and grandaunt mentioned this residence, they would also chant dozens of Buddhist chants that day to bless the masters, madams, grandfathers, and grandmothers here. They would be blessed with high fortune and live a long life. Consider our Zhuang family a little sincere.”
Ping Er asked Qiao Jie Er about the situation of the Zhou family, Qiao Jie Er said. Granny Liu said," That's for sure. That old lady dotes on her sister. She dotes on her even more than her own eldest daughter!"”"YiNiang, I know how to spin carts now," said Qiao Jie with a smile. It was quite interesting to play with it every day.”"You're in the countryside, so there are many things you don't know about here," said Ping 'er. Your Brother Lan has chosen Hanlin and is engaged; Bao 'er's aunt had a little brother. When she went back to see him, she remembered to congratulate him.”"I'd like to see that little brother. He must be very fun." Why didn't YiNiang give me a little brother?”Ping Er laughed,"Sister is so old. You're already a human, yet you're still so childish."”Granny Liu heard this and said,"We said that the fu is blessed. You don't believe us?" Wasn't this a layer of happiness? Wasn't that new little brother the one in front of Second Master Bao? How many months has it been?" "It's only been three months, but you know how to smile."”"Speaking of Second Master Bao, it really makes one wonder," said Granny Liu. The teacup he gave me that time didn't look like anything rare. They said it was an antique and worth a lot of money! I still can't bear to sell it."
As they spoke, the servants had already moved the things they had brought in from the carriage. Ping 'er opened the soft curtain and saw that almost half of the room was piled up. "Granny, how can we bear to see you bring so many things with you?" she said hurriedly.”"Aren't they all mine?" Granny Liu said with a smile. The two bags of fruits and vegetables were freshly picked from the ground. These are freshly pickled cabbages and vegetables. Taitai, Grandma, and the ladies, try them and don't laugh at them. The boxes of desserts, two bags of fruits, and two bags of Yutian Peach Blossom Rice were all gifts from the Zhou family's in-laws. She even asked him to pay his respects to the ladies and grandmothers here.”"Our family likes the melons and vegetables that we've just picked. This is enough to last us two days!" I was in the room just now. Madam knew that you came with Sister and asked you to stay for a few more days. Don't leave in a hurry. In a while, we'll go up together to see Madam.”
Coincidentally, Lady Wang sent Caiyun to call Ping 'er, so everyone went to Lady Wang's place and greeted her. Madam Wang saw Qiao Jie's simple clothes and makeup. She sized her up and said,"Good child, it's been hard on you." Ping 'er also talked about his mother-in-law's love, husband's harmony, and Madam Wang's happiness. At this time, Li Wan was discussing family affairs with Baochai. When she heard that Qiaojie had returned, she hurried to see him. Granny Liu saw Li Wan and Baochai and said hi. "You're an official at such a young age. You're really lucky, Eldest Grandmother!"”
Sister Qiao saw them and said to Baochai,""Second Aunt, where is my little brother?”
"Bring him to see his sister," said Lady Wang.”Baochai agreed and left.
After a while, she carried Brother Hui in, followed by Nai Zi, Ying 'er and Qiu Wen. She first carried him to see his grandmother, then she saw Sister Qiao. Sister Qiao took him over and hugged him, making him laugh. "Look at that smile of mine," said the old grandma."He's practically the same mold as Second Master Bao." Cough! Why is Second Master Bao doing fine..." At this point, she felt that it was not good and quickly changed her words to Madam Wang,"It's true that Taitai's fortune is greater than Old Taitai's. Her eldest grandson is an official now, and she has a second grandson.”"I hope it's as grandma said," said Madam Wang with a smile.”
Li Wan smiled and said," Granny told me the story last time. There was an old lady in your village who ate vegetarian food and chanted Buddha every day. She was so moved by Guan Yin Bodhisattva that she told him a good grandson in her dream." We all thought that you were making it up. Now, this Brother Hui is really sent here by Guan Yin Bodhisattva to Second Grandmother Bao in her dreams. It could be seen that there were gods and buddhas. They had to believe it!”"This is really retribution for accumulating merit," Granny Liu said. What I said is true. The grandson of that family is also in his twenties. He went to school with Sister Qiao's son-in-law. His family is called Zhang Baiwan. More than half of the land in our village belongs to him. That old lady is even tougher than me. She's in her nineties, but she can still sit and listen to the show!”
Madam Wang listened and said happily,"It's rare for Granny to come to the city. We'll go to the garden tomorrow. The last time you wanted to paint this garden, Old Lady asked Fourth Young Lady to paint it. Tomorrow, I will also look for Fourth Young Lady to see if he painted it well.”"It's rare for Madam to be so happy," Granny Liu said.”"Where does Fourth Young Lady live?" I haven't seen him yet." "He lives in Longcui Nunnery," Li Wan said."Miss Shi is also there. We'll see them all tomorrow."”Madam Wang then ordered Ping 'er to instruct the kitchen to prepare tomorrow's banquet and said,"Let's go take a look at the garden first and ask them to clean it up. Don't let grandma laugh at you.”Ping 'er agreed. "You must be joking, Madam!" Granny Liu said. We Zhuang family members only sit in the mound every day. Those haystacks and dirt pits are our reception hall. Sometimes, they even had to pile up large amounts of dung. They did not know what was called clean. People even said,'It's not clean, there's no silk after eating!”Everyone laughed.
That night, Sister Qiao and Granny Liu were resting at Ping 'er's place. The next morning, Ping 'er brought Sister Qiao to Daoxiang Village to see Li Wan. At this time, Li Wen and Li Qi had been helping to take care of Brother Lan's betrothal clothes and covet the coolness of the garden, so they had stayed for many days and had not returned. Everyone gossiped. Sister Qiao said that the green trees in the countryside were cute. Early in the morning, all kinds of morning glory bloomed on the reed fence, and the grasshoppers, crickets, and golden bells in the grass were very pleasant to hear. Even Wenqi and the others wanted to go to the countryside. At that moment, Qiao Jie asked about Tanchun again. Li Wan said,"Third son-in-law also came to the capital. He just returned two days ago to his newly rented residence. Today, Madam was happy and sent someone to pick him up. Perhaps he would come in a while.”
After a rest, Ping 'er and Qiao Jie went to Longcui Nunnery together to see Xichun and Xiangyun. Xichun didn't know much about the ways of the world, so she only asked about Sister Qiao's situation. When Xiangyun heard that Sister Qiao and Granny Liu had come together, she smiled and said,"We've been bored for the past two days. Now that a female locust has arrived, we're going to be a joke again!”"Do you think that granny is really timid?" asked Ping 'er with a smile. They were all arranged by the mandarin ducks to deceive the old lady for fun.”"It doesn't matter if he's really acting timid," said Xiangyun with a smile,"just his appearance alone is enough to make one laugh.”"Why do you have to be so fickle with your words?" Sister Feng and Sister Lin are so mean, they are not blessed in the end. Now we are still eating locusts, but where is he who made the mother locust?”When Xiang Yun heard this, she also sighed. Ping 'er said that Madam Wang wanted to see the Grand View Garden painting. Xichun quickly ordered Zijuan to find it and put it beside her.
They talked until noon and went to Lady Wang's place together. Tanchun was already there. When she saw Qiaojie, she also pulled her and asked about her for a long time. When Feng 'er led Granny Liu over, they went to Rongxi Hall to sit together. Lady Wang sat with Aunt Xue, Granny Liu, Shi Xiangyun, Li Wen, and Li Qi. Tanchun, Xichun, Qiaojie, Li Wan, Baochai, and Ping 'er sat together. Li Wan, Baochai, and Ping' er still went to the other table from time to time to take care of them.
When the bear paw was served, Xiangyun quickly picked up a piece and said to her grandma,"Grandma, guess what this is?”Granny Liu took it with her chopsticks. She looked at it for a long time and chewed it again, but she couldn't guess. Ping 'er asked the little girl to show her grandma a raw bear paw. Grandma took it and pondered for a long time before saying,"The pig's claws don't look like it either, and the cow's leg doesn't look right either. There was a fishy smell when he chewed on it. Could it be a gorilla's claw?”Everyone laughed when they heard that. Aunt Xue said,"Granny, don't be deceived by them. This is a bear paw."”Granny Liu listened with wide eyes and said,"That's right. I've seen bears play with their claws. But I've never heard of that thing being edible. What are you guys thinking? Even a black bear can't forgive him!”Everyone stopped laughing and laughed again. Li Wen laughed so hard that he pressed his chest. Tanchun raised his cup and wanted to drink, but he covered the table with wine.
After a while, the fermented tofu was served. Granny Liu said,"I'm used to eating this. I can't leave him that day.”"Please use a spoon," said Lady Wang.”Granny Liu took a spoonful and ate slowly. He said,"Why is it that the same tofu tastes better in your city?" After all, under the Emperor's feet, everything was better than anywhere else.”
Madam Wang said," There's egg white, pig's brain, and chicken, duck, and ham in the soup. When it's half-cooked, it's mixed with bamboo shoot mushrooms. That's how it tastes." Granny, you can learn it and make it at home." "It's delicious, but I can't afford it," Granny Liu said. These condiments are enough for us to chew for ten days to half a month.”Xiangyun only chatted with Wenqi and her sister, but when she talked about that year when she ate crabs and wrote poems, several people were short-sighted.
After a while, another bowl of dishes was served. Madam Wang raised her chopsticks to Aunt Xue and Granny Liu."Grandma, try this Immortal Chicken.”"How come the chickens have become immortals?" Grandma laughed. Or did the immortal become a chicken? I don't care about him. I'll get a piece first.”
After a long time, he finally picked up a piece. As he ate, he smiled and said,"I can't tell that he's an immortal. He just smells like alcohol. No wonder Lu Dongbin wanted to drink!" Everyone laughed again.
Li Wan and Baochai, who were sitting on the other side of the table, held back their laughter. Ping 'er covered her mouth with a handkerchief.
"Granny, don't get drunk," Tanchun said with a smile. If you were to fall drunk behind the mountain like that time, they would treat you like a divine chicken!”
After a while, the maids served tea to rinse their mouths. Everyone rinsed their mouths, but Granny Liu swallowed it in one gulp. "Granny, that's for gargling."”Only then did they wash up and sit down, chatting for a while. "The day is too short at this time," Tanchun said."If Mistress wants to visit the garden, go early."”When Madam Wang heard this, she went to the garden with the others. Only Aunt Xue wanted to rest, so she went back to Baochai's room to rest.
At this time, it was almost the Mid-Autumn Festival. When Madam Wang and the others walked past the stone mountain, they could already smell the fragrance of osmanthus. First, they went to Qifang Pavilion, where there were rattan and bamboo chairs and couches. Everyone sat down and rested at will.
Baochai was afraid that the water and wind would be too cold, so she personally took the golden woolen blanket and spread it on the couch. Then she invited Lady Wang to sit down. Look at the ponds and marshes in that area. The lotus flowers are old, but there are still flowers left. The water vapor is dry and cool in autumn.
Granny Liu sat by the railing, talking about some news stories from the countryside, which were quite novel.
It was said that the old Gu family in their village had given birth to a colt. It was pitch-black, had a pink nose and pink eyes, and stood in the snow with its hooves. Everyone loved it. How would he know that it was the fellow villager surnamed Ling who owed him 5,000 RMB and had turned into a horse to repay the debt? His son had a dream and ran to the Gu family to take a look. The colt came from afar and looked at his son in tears. In the end, he used the money to redeem it and even raised it at home! It was also said that there was a family surnamed Zhou. The husband and wife prayed to Buddha and gave birth to a son. He was smart and had a good character. She was pampered until she was 18 or 19 years old, but she was abducted and there was no news for more than ten years. Recently, Old Man Zhou was seriously ill and no doctor could cure him. He did not expect his son to suddenly come back and take out an immortal pill for his father to eat. He immediately recovered. It was said that after he was abducted, he was saved by a Daoist priest and taught many Daoist techniques. This immortal pill was also given to him by that Daoist priest.”If I didn't see this with my own eyes, even I wouldn't dare to believe it. Can you say that there are no immortals in the world?”Granny Liu just talked without thinking. Some of the people were listening, some were chatting, and some were leaning on the railing to look.
Xiang Yun saw a bunch of green bamboos and said,"Isn't that the bamboo from Xiaoxiang Restaurant? Last time, I saw that half of him was yellow, but now he's fine again!”"You don't know, but the flowers and trees in the garden have all been replanted this year." This bamboo was recently taken care of by Old Mother Ye, and she was even more diligent than Old Mother Zhu!”Ping 'er replied to Lady Wang," I've asked them to prepare the boat in the pond. Would Lady like to take the boat or the sedan chair?"”Tanchun said,"Mistress, it's better to take a boat. It's more comfortable than a sedan."”Lady Wang smiled." I'll sit alone in the sedan chair. It'll be too tiring for you to walk. Let's take a boat." Where is the boat?" "It's shallow and narrow here," Ping 'er said."The big ship can't hold it over there. It's bent over by the willow embankment."”As he spoke, he called for the servant girls to bring the small bamboo sedan over. Madam Wang said," There's no need. The road here is very flat and it's not far. It's good to walk."”Thus, he supported Yuchuan 'er and walked slowly. Everyone followed him.
Walking past Ziling Continent, he saw white apple and red knotweed. The autumn scenery was clear and beautiful, but there was another kind of cold feeling. Baochai was moved." Second Sister used to live here," she said." We're used to it. How did it become so desolate?"”Tanchun said," When Second Older Sister came back that year, she still couldn't bear to part with this house. It's a pity that she only stayed for a day and never came again!"”"That Second Young Lady?" Granny Liu asked. Wasn't she the one with the oval face and the good temper? I heard from sister that Sheng Sheng was tortured to death by son-in-law. It really makes my heart ache! There was also Miss Lin. He had never seen her, so where was she now?”"Miss Lin has already gone over, don't you know?" Ping 'er said.”Granny Liu said," I always see him talking to Second Master Bao. His body seems a little thin. I never thought that he would go through tribulation at such a young age!"”Ping 'er was afraid that he would say something else, so she quickly changed the topic.
Not long after, they arrived at the Nymphoides Island. There were already two small pleasure boats moored under the willow shade. When the driving ladies saw Madam Wang arrive, they hurriedly pulled the gangplank and hit the handrail. Lady Wang, Granny Liu, Li Wan, Ping 'er, and Sister Qiao all boarded the boat in front of them. Tanchun, Xichun, Baochai, Xiangyun, the servant, Ying 'er, and the others sat on another one. Immediately, he ordered the ship to sail. As soon as the driving ladies pushed a pole, the boat left the shore.
Suddenly, a person fell from the bow of the ship with a loud bang. Everyone fainted from fright! Who was that person? Have you ever fallen into the water? Listen to the next chapter.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。