Daming Yinghua

Chapter 40

Huang Zunsu sat down on the round table next to the dressing table, looking ready to talk in detail, and asked, "You mean, taking a concubine? What kind of appearance do you like?"

Yao shi pulled his chest, and thought to himself, he really meant it.

As the one who initiated the conversation, she was the first to feel sad.

Then she broke her heart and said bluntly: "I think Miss Zheng from the Han Mansion is pretty good. She has a good appearance, and she sounds literate and educated. Although she is a servant, she serves in the Han Mansion." The maid in charge of the eldest lady is not the same as the servant hired by the small family. Besides, I see that the master and her..."

Huang Zunsu suddenly stopped when he saw his wife talking endlessly, and immediately asked: "What's the matter with her?"

"Master and her are quite interested in chatting, and I think she also likes her."

Huang Zunsu chuckled lightly, with a sneer, but not as sullen as he was during the dinner just now.

"Master, what are you laughing at?" Yao Shi couldn't hide her grievance even more, "Master thinks I'm being jealous and deliberately speaking ironically?"

Huang Zunsu shook his head: "No, I feel that you have shown your sincerity. It should be like this between husband and wife. If you feel unhappy, don't hide it."

"The master gave you a correct sentence, but can you match that Miss Zheng?"

"Axin," Huang Zunsu leaned forward slightly, called his wife's boudoir name, took her hand, sighed, and said slowly, "You are no longer an ignorant little girl in the boudoir, don't you think that the world is so simple? There is only love between men and women? To tell you the truth, that Miss Zheng really impressed me. But I have no idea of ​​taking her in as a concubine. I only feel that she is not only a loyal servant, but also a With a bit of courage, he still has the mind of a sage, seeing the solid world, not the illusion."

When Yao Shi heard the words "solid world, illusory illusion", she suddenly felt familiar, raised her head, and asked cautiously: "Master, you mean, she is not like the low-spirited person that your Donglin Academy despises?"

Huang Zunsu nodded: "Mr. Yangming's learning of the mind is a superior knowledge. People in my Donglin Academy don't have sectarian views. What we object to is that some juniors have taken the way of learning of the mind astray. Don't talk about them, talk about it. Back to Miss Zheng. Today I am halfway back to the mansion. It is indeed related to the safety of her master and servant. I want her to report to the Han Mansion. I am the official of the first mansion, and she is Miss Han. This matter is open and aboveboard. You don't have to be suspicious of ghosts."

Yao shyly said "Yes", and said in a low voice, "I didn't care too much at first, but the mother-in-law said that when the master and her came back from the front hall, she stopped her, you, you said in the verandah again. We talked for a while.

Huang Zunsu said with a smile: "That's right, that's why I have a sage's evaluation of her. At that time, she told me that their aunt and nephew had filed a lawsuit in Zhangzhou, and they decided to settle the house that was almost taken by the clan. The title was sold for 80 taels of silver. The aunt and nephew wanted to use this money to set up a private school in Songjiang to accept children from poor families, regardless of gender. She reported this to Ms. Han, Miss Han agrees quite a bit, but told her to ask the people in the government first what is more appropriate."

It turned out to be the case.

The mournful and mournful look in Yao shi's eyes faded away, and her mind seemed to have returned to normal operation.

Yao's words were ashamed and said: "Master, I asked Miss Zheng why she combed herself at noon today. She said that she had seen too many women marrying inhumane situations in her hometown, and she didn't want to live a life like that. If I have spare energy, I would like to help someone else. At that time, I only thought of her as a pretense, and sold her as a surprise, but I was indeed narrow-minded."

Huang Zunsu waved his hand, signaling his wife not to blame herself, and said: "Miss Zheng, she really wants to do this. She even reported the amount of money. Her nephew, Zheng Shoukuan, will be thirteen next year. Her aunt The nephew and the nephew didn't sign a life contract, so she naturally didn't want her nephew to go to Gu's mansion to continue to be a servant. It just happened to put the academy under her nephew's name, and her nephew could study and take exams in it. Miss Zheng just sighed , my Daming house is cheap, and the huge yard in Fujian can’t be sold for a hundred taels of silver. Gu's mansion had a generous dowry, but Gu's mansion already had a Wenzhe Academy. She, a daughter-in-law of the Gu family, openly set up a separate school with her natal maid, so there may be rumors. However, their master and servant are also planning, Miss Han To teach embroidery art, the school provides silk threads and embroidery stretchers, so that girls can do some needlework, sell it outside, and continue to make the gentlemen's embroidery."

Yao shi was originally a soft-hearted woman, but because of her sensitivity and suspicion as a wife, her thinking went awry. Now that she heard the whole story, her grievances disappeared, and her chivalrous spirit for active participation and enthusiasm for making suggestions all surged out. come up.

She then said to Huang Zunsu with a little bit of coquettish anger: "If the academy is really established, if the master allows it, I can also be a female teacher for a while. My small regular script and strong bones may not be inferior to men. "

Huang Zunsu smiled knowingly, stretched out his hands to gather the hair on his wife's sideburns, and said softly: "There is nothing that is not allowed, you still have some painting skills, you can teach children, draw Buddha statues for temples and nunneries. Or teach them Those who draw some famous posters and small frames, send them to Zhixingshufang for consignment."

After hearing this, Yao became more and more joyful, as if she had seen the specific achievements of the future good deeds in her husband's description.

Huang Zunsu saw his wife's bright eyes, flushed cheeks, and a pleasant complexion under the light of the small glazed lamp, and couldn't help being emotional, he took her over and whispered sincerely and tenderly.

"You can stop thinking about it. Every family has its own way of life. I don't care about other families' three wives and four concubines. In my Huangfu, I have you alone. I was robbed by bandits a few months ago. , What should you and your two children do? It was really a thousand arrows piercing my heart. Since God let me escape, I will cherish the good fortune, not be greedy, angry, or delusional, no matter what I do in the future Arguing, in terms of family matters, it is right to stay with you until the end of life."

The person in her arms moved her head obediently, leaning against her husband's shoulder, and after a while, she remembered something and said, "By the way, Miss Zheng also mentioned today that after the Double Ninth Festival, Mrs. Miao of the Gu family will lead all the female relatives to climb the mountain. Enjoy autumn, Miss Han wants to invite me to go with you."

"Go, Liu Yuxi said earlier, I said that autumn is better than spring. Such a good season, how can you be bored in the house."

……

The day to enjoy autumn is chosen around the time of Frost's Descent.

According to Miao Shi, the old lady of the Gu family, firstly, it can avoid too many ordinary people climbing high during the Double Ninth Festival;As the Jiangnan saying goes, when the north wind blows, the crab’s feet are itchy, the female crab is full of yellow, and the male crab’s fat is fat. After a group of female family members visit, they just go to the food court to enjoy a crab feast.

Songjiang Mansion is at the estuary of the Yangtze River, a land of flat plains.

There is only Sheshan, which is twenty or thirty feet high. Compared with the real famous mountains and great mountains, it is considered a small slope, but it is rare to place it in Songjiang Mansion, which is at zero altitude.

Looking from the flat ground, there are nine hills in a row, surrounded by three rivers and ponds, hence the name "Nine Peaks and Three Ponds".

Sheshan has luxuriant forests, and autumn comes with maple red and cotinus yellow.On a clear day, there are sika deer playing in the forest, and cranes flying above the clouds in the Huating Pavilion, leading the poetic sentiment to the blue sky.

As I said before, although the old lady Miao is a concubine, she has a noble status, not a mother-in-law, but better than a mother-in-law.Today, the three daughters-in-law of the second generation of the Gu family, the eldest grandmother Shen, the second grandmother, who is Gu Shouqian's mother Lu, the third grandmother Li, and several aunts all accompanied Miao to go out.

The big house, Mrs. Shen, and her two aunts gave birth to four daughters, all of whom were married.The second room only Gu Shouqian has an only son.The three house girls are the most prosperous, Li Shi and Aunt Niang have two sons and two daughters, and the two girls are still twins. They are only five or six years old this year, and Yuxue is cute.

Relying on the prosperity of the third house, Mrs. Li regards herself as a hero of the Gu family, and speaks according to her own temperament on weekdays.

This morning, the Gu family met outside the city with the female family members of the Han family, Dong family, and Huang family, and they went to Sheshan together under the guard of the family members. The Li family hadn't been quiet in the sedan chair for a long time, so they took the initiative to start a conversation. Grandma Lu's: "Sister, why are there two little girls here in the Han family, your in-laws, it's so hard to please move."

Gu Shouqian's Lu family has always been good-tempered. Hearing this, he just smiled gently and said, "It would be nice if I could see the daughter-in-law who is about to get married. I like that child."

On the other hand, Mrs. Shen, the big house sitting opposite, had a calm expression, but she spoke in a straightforward and direct way: "Third daughter-in-law, why do you always find faults and find faults when you are free? You are not I know that the third grandma of the Han family hated foreign religions ever since the third son of the Han family went with a foreign monk to teach Laoshizi’s foreign religion. We and the Dong family all made friends with Xu Hanlin (referring to Xu Guangqi) who believed in foreign religions. Will you be happy to play with us? If the third grandma doesn't come, the second grandma who is in charge of the house shouldn't be too hot, otherwise, wouldn't she be slapping my sister-in-law in the face?"

Now the eldest daughter-in-law Shen Shi is in charge of the Gu family. The old lady Miao and the masters are very satisfied with her. The younger daughter-in-law like Li Shi, who is not good at fighting but has no actual combat power, is under the control of the elder sister-in-law.

Li Shi curled her lips and said with a smile: "Our Gu family's sister-in-law and sister-in-law are very close, so naturally I can't think of the twists and turns of the Han family."

Mrs. Lu also smiled at Mrs. Shen, with self-evident gratitude deep in her smile.

Half an hour later, the impressive sedan chair team finally reached the foot of Sheshan.

The young and strong tenants who leased the Gu family's property had been waiting for a long time, and invited the old lady and all the grandmothers and ladies to sit on the bamboo sedan chair and be carried up the mountain by them.

Zheng Haizhu, like other maids and women, waded up the stairs beside the bamboo sedan chair.

In front of Han Ximeng is Huang Zunsu's wife, Yao Shi.Along the way, Zheng Haizhu often passed by and introduced a few words to Yao about the scenery of Songjiang that came into view.

But at the same time, she was always distracted by the man behind Han Ximeng.

Han Xiying.

Zheng Haizhu had already pointedly reminded Han Ximeng that her cousin was not as innocent as she appeared on the surface, and she showed signs of secret admiration for the second son of the Gu family.

After Han Ximeng and Zheng Haizhu went through hardships together, he trusted the eyesight of this loyal servant, but Guan She, who grew up in the same family, could not help but be more tolerant. Next year, the Han family will also find a husband's family for Xiying, so it won't be a problem.

Yesterday, regardless of her mother's anger, Han Xiying flirted with her second aunt, Qian Shi, and insisted on visiting Sheshan together, and Han Ximeng also agreed.

When changing sedan chairs at the foot of the mountain just now, Zheng Haizhu noticed that this little green tea would show a sense of presence in front of the three grandmas of the Gu family.

For a while, she raised her silk fan to shield Shen from the sun, and asked innocently and pleasantly, "Which shop does grandma usually use for rouge, it's so beautiful", and for a while, she greeted Li, "Third grandma, be careful of the muddy pit".

He was even more careful with Gu Shouqian's mother and second grandmother, Lu Shi, and insisted that the bamboo chair on Lu's sedan chair was bent crookedly, and her waist was bent, so she invited Madam Lu to sit in her own sedan chair.

Zheng Haizhu was still sneering, only to hear the old lady Miao say: "Ah Ying is a good child. When I helped me mix the paint last time, it was messed up. I said she is sloppy and needs to be corrected. Sure enough, don't worry." Three days later, you should look at her with admiration, and today you are so careful and cautious. Third daughter-in-law, it's a pity that your eldest son is only ten years old,..."

A group of women laughed amusedly, Han Xiying pretended to be ashamed and hid behind her sister Ximeng.

After being stabbed so meaningfully by the old lady Miao, Han Xiying restrained a little, and only called Zheng Haizhu on the mountain road from time to time, ordering her to send the candied fruit she prepared to the old lady and several grandmas.

Finally reached the top of the mountain, Mrs. Miao had to go to Wusheng Temple first.

Zheng Haizhu is very familiar with the Sheshan area of ​​Shanghai in later generations.

Modern Sheshan has an observatory, a church, a six-star hotel, and a top mansion with a market value of [-] to [-] million yuan, but Zheng Haizhu has never heard that there used to be a Wusheng Temple here.

When I entered the temple, I saw that it was Yue Fei who made the offering.

Zheng Haizhu recalled his experience from Fujian to Jiangnan after crossing, and he roughly understood it.

At this time, the Manchus had not yet invaded and gained power, and there were many temples and ancestral halls in various parts of the Ming Dynasty, especially in the south of the Yangtze River.Later, when the Ming Dynasty died and the Qing Dynasty prospered, Yue Fei was a famous anti-gold general after all. Wu Sheng was replaced by Guan Yu.

However, Zheng Haizhu didn't expect that the Miao family was so serious about worshiping Yue Fei, and even ordered the servants of the Gu family to prepare all kinds of decent snacks, put them at the foot of Yue Fei's statue, and donated a bagful to the temple. Incense silver.

"Give me back my rivers and mountains, give me back my rivers and mountains." The old lady Miao raised her head, looked at the high hanging plaque, and repeated the four words engraved on it.

Zheng Haizhu stood behind a group of women, looked at Mrs. Miao, and gently asked the maid in Gu Zhai beside her: "Does the old lady often come to worship Grandpa Yue?"

The servant girl replied: "Well, spring and autumn will come. In the past, the winter solstice also came, but now that the age has risen, let the grandma come after winter."

Zheng Haizhu was inevitably puzzled.

The old lady was born on the coast of Fujian, far away from the places of several tragic battles against the Jin army and the Mongolian army in the Southern Song Dynasty, such as Ningbo in Zhejiang and Xinhui in Guangdong.

Besides, she was originally a palace servant next to the emperor and empress, and the Ming Dynasty's ethos of advocating literature and suppressing martial arts has been deeply ingrained. It is impossible for her to get the influence of martial arts from Emperor Wanli and the queen.

Then, why does the Miao family have feelings for warriors like Yue Fei and the words "return my rivers and mountains" that exceed those of ordinary old women in this era?

After worshiping, everyone visited several pavilions, leaned on the railings to look down, found a large piece of farmland near Sanmao, commented and discussed, and it was time for lunch.

The crab banquet is arranged in a restaurant in the back mountain that specially receives officials and officials. Because there are many cranes in Sheshan, it is called "Heming Tower".

Heming Tower is located on the bank of the village head stream.

Han Ximeng saw that the autumn orchids were in the gurgling stream, and she was embroidering a picture of orchids and stones recently, so she took Zheng Haizhu to see the real orchids in nature.

Unexpectedly, behind the stone, there is already an eight or nine-year-old girl sitting, with delicate features and delicate features, holding a round embroidery shed in her hand, and she is earnestly making needles.

The two daughters Han and Zheng looked intently, but it was a cross embroidered.

(End of this chapter)