Golden Branch

Chapter 65 Counterattack
"Da Lang, I heard that Dongshan Academy has opened a Deyin Hall?"

After finishing the afternoon meal, the table was cleared away and the guests and hosts began to drink tea and chat.

Mrs. Lou is a straightforward person.

In other words, in her opinion, Lou Yu was her own great-nephew and a member of her family, so there was no need to be euphemistic or roundabout.

After a few pleasantries, Mrs. Lou got straight to the point: "Ah Chi studied with the teacher at home for two years, but it's not as good as studying in a college after all."

"It just so happens that you are also in Dongshan Academy. We are siblings, so why not let Ah Chi stay and study here—"

When Lou Yu heard this, a dark light flashed in his eyes.

What does this old woman mean?
Do you want to let Douyacai study in Dongshan Academy?

Lou Yu did not have any decadent idea that "a woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent".

In fact, except for the fat girl, Lou Yu doesn't care what others do or don't do.

Furthermore, Lou Yu is a rebellious person at heart.

For the sake of the fat girl, he went against all odds and insisted on opening a women's branch.

Lou Yu also tried his best to "persuade" the teachers in the family to accept the precedent of coeducation.

He was just doubting Mrs. Lou's intentions—

If the purpose is to seize the Lou family's property, Madam Lou should do it herself.

She is the elder and can make trouble even if she is unreasonable.

But she left behind a little girl named Zheng Chi, so she has no advantage in terms of generation.

Or is it that Old Lady Lou is trying to scam people?
She knew that Lou Yu had a bad nature and would not tolerate irrelevant people appearing in front of him. He would definitely find ways to exclude and tease Zheng Chi.

Once Lou Yu did it, Old Lady Lou would have the evidence to threaten Lou Yu and demand money and property from him?
Fortunately, Madam Lou couldn't hear Lou Yu's inner voice, otherwise, she would have been so angry that she would have vomited blood:

How could she, the legitimate daughter of the Lou family, be such a greedy and tyrannical person?
And Zheng Chi, she is also the legitimate daughter of the Zheng family. Isn't she worth a few things?
Mrs. Lou had no idea that her nephew, who had a gentle and steady smile, had his mind full of her very unbearable guesses. She looked at Lou Yu lovingly with a firm expression on her face.

It seemed as if she was sure that Lou Yu would agree.

Lou Yu: ...I hate this kind of self-righteous old hag the most.

Great aunt?
What kind of relative of the Eighth Route Army dares to act like an elder in front of him?
However, Lou Yu, who has learned to disguise himself, is no longer the naughty boy who showed his emotions on his face two or three years ago.

Even though he felt extremely disgusted, his face remained serene and warm. "Deyin Hall is excellent. It's a good thing that my cousin wants to study there!"

Hearing Lou Yu say this, the smile on Mrs. Lou's face became even more intense.

She knew that Lou Yu would not refuse her request.

After all, he is my nephew's grandson. Even if I have never seen him before, I will still feel close to him and respect him because of the blood relationship.

If Lou Yu agreed, Achi would be able to stay with a legitimate reason.

It may take a few months or even a year or two...good things can be accomplished.

The purpose of this trip was more than half achieved, and Mrs. Lou was in a very good mood.

Zheng Chi, who was kneeling obediently beside Madam Lou, couldn't describe how he felt.

Happy?

Maybe, after all, she knew what her grandmother thought, and she was willing too.

It has to be said that the wealth of the Lou family displayed in the Lou's fortress really made Zheng Chi excited.

Zheng Chi also knew that when his mother, as a daughter of the Lou family, got married, she had a grand wedding procession of ten miles of red bridal makeup.

In the past few years, the Zheng family relied on the eldest mother's dowry to maintain its appearance of respectability.

Even this seems to be only a part of the eldest mother's dowry.

In private, when my mother and father were chatting, they once joked that there were still many good things in my grandmother's warehouse.

They were all the dowry she brought from the Lou family.

Even the eldest mother herself once told Zheng Chi that she had prepared a generous dowry for him.

And this was also divided from the big mother's private library.

The daughter of the Lou family has been married for more than 30 years and has been supporting her husband's family for many years, but she can still leave so much... Just from this point, we can get a glimpse of the wealth of the Lou family!

Lou Yu took away half of the Lou family's property.

His storehouse will only be bigger, more numerous, and more precious than Mother's.

Zheng Chi was not a materialistic person, but even a little girl could feel the decline of the Zheng family firsthand.

A narrow courtyard, family members arguing over small amounts of money, and clothes and jewelry that weren't up to date...

Zheng Chi was relatively lucky. She was the most favored by Madam Lou. In addition to the standard monthly allowance, she also received private subsidies from Madam Lou.

For example, the clothes, shoes, hairpins, rings and jewelry she wore were much better than those of her sisters.

It can barely maintain the dignity of Zheng Chi, the legitimate daughter of the Zheng family.

But, compared with the rich and powerful Lou family——

If she marries her cousin, she will be the mistress of the Lou family.

No more needing financial support from my grandmother, and no more envying the little girls from nouveau riche families!
If she stayed in Hedong and went to school with her cousin, she could fulfill her wish.

Can--

Zheng Chi thought again of the embarrassing and shameful scene just now.

“Eat less!”

“No luck!”

"The wind will blow it away!"

Her cousin dislikes her.

They had just met, but he made her cry in front of her.

If time goes on for a long time and they spend all day together, then, then... Zheng Chi is a little scared!
Happy and afraid!

Hope, but also anxiety!

Zheng Chi is just a little girl, and she is really conflicted.

Just at this moment, outside the hall, under the veranda, a little maidservant announced politely: "My lord, Jiu Niang is here!"

Lou Yu was trying hard to suppress his annoyance and pretend to be nice to Madam Lou, but when he heard this, his eyes lit up.

Hey, here comes the fat girl!
Lou Yu quickly straightened up and said repeatedly, "Please come in! Please come in!"

In fact, if Madam Lou and others were not present, Lou Yu would not be so solemn and say "please come in".

He would go out to greet her directly, and Wang Heng would even go straight into the house without any "information" needed.

Because of the presence of the "outsider", the two little ones became "well-behaved" without any prior agreement.

One, according to the etiquette of visiting, let someone report.

The other one pretended to send someone to invite him.

"Yes!"

Although the little maid felt strange, she still obediently played a part in the two little ones' PLAY and acted as a messenger diligently.

After the maidservant left, Lou Yu turned around and introduced himself to Madam Lou and the others with a smile: "Jiu Niang is the daughter of Wang Changshi of Yizhou. The Wang family's farm is right next to the Lou family's fortress, so Jiu Niang is also studying at Deyin Hall."

Madam Lou quickly reviewed the information about the local wealthy families in Yizhou and nodded slowly, "I have heard that the newly appointed Chief Secretary of Yizhou, Wang Lin, is a descendant of the Wang family of Langya!"

"Yes! When my father stationed troops in Hedong, Wang Changshi was the magistrate of Hedong County."

Lou Yu said this to tell Madam Lou that his relationship with the fat girl originated from the "close friendship" between the elders.

Their fathers were colleagues, their two families lived next to each other, and now they were studying in the same academy. Therefore, even though there was a difference between men and women, it was normal for them to have close contact.

As an old fox who has been obsessed with the inner court struggles for many years, Madam Lou naturally understood Lou Yu's simple hint.

She was in no hurry to express her opinion, and was ready to see what kind of Jiu Niang was...

puff!
Madam Lou pondered to herself, picked up her teacup, and took a sip of the warm tea. Just then, she saw a ball rolling towards the main hall entrance, bathed in the orange glow of the setting sun. She nearly spat out her tea!

This, this is Wang Jia Jiuniang?

Why are you so fat?
Or is this Wang Jiu's maid?
Which noble lady from a wealthy family would be so obese?

Just look at their chubby and round appearance, one is worth two Achis!

Zheng Chi also widened his eyes.

Zheng Chi heard everything Lou Yu said.

She knew that the Wang Jiuniang who came to visit was her cousin's neighbor and also a classmate in the academy.

His age should be about the same as my brother's.

She is about the same age as him.

The key point is that her status is equal to mine, and they are both legitimate daughters of aristocratic families.

Zheng Chi paid more attention to it.

She stared at the door inconspicuously, wanting to see what the Ninth Lady of the Wang Family looked like.

Then, her eyes widened, her mouth opened wide, and for a moment she forgot to control her expression.

So, fat?

Are you sure this is the legitimate daughter of the Wang family and not some country girl?
Even a country girl wouldn't be this fat.

"Brother!"

Wang Heng didn't know that her plump figure had already stunned everyone in the Zheng family.

She walked over with a clatter.

When they reached the front of the hall, Wang Heng knelt and said, "Ajiu greets my brother."

Although she is too plump, her appearance and demeanor are not bad.

The ceremony was smooth and well-mannered.

Lou Yu rarely saw Wang Heng like this. After all, they were too familiar with each other to be so unfamiliar with each other's greetings.

However, when he encountered it unexpectedly, Lou Yu found it very interesting.

A smile flashed in his eyes, and Lou Yu said pretentiously: "No need to be polite!"

After waking up the fat girl, Lou Yu did not forget to introduce Mrs. Lou and others:
"Come, Ajiu, let me introduce you! This is my great-aunt, the Tairuren of the Zheng family."

Lou Yu started to act like a nerd again. He strictly followed the rules and introduced Mrs. Lou in a very formal manner.

Yes, if we strictly follow the rules, Madam Lou cannot be honored as Madam.

Madam has a rank.

The Dayu Dynasty followed the old system of the Zhou Dynasty. The mother or wife of an official from the first to the third rank could only be granted the title of Madam or Lady of the County after being canonized by the court.

Only outsiders can respectfully address her as Madam or Lady of the County.

If the title is conferred because of a son, the word "Tai" should be added.

As for Madam Lou, her son was only a minor official of the sixth rank.

According to the imperial court regulations, the wife of a sixth-rank official was called Ruren, and his mother was called Tairuren.

Of course, if you want to curry favor with someone and deliberately elevate their status, you can also respectfully call them "Madam" in informal occasions.

For example, Madam Lou, she is a daughter of the Lou family, and her father-in-law was once a Nine Ministers. Considering the prestige of the Lou family and the glory of the Zheng family in the past, others would politely call her Madam Lou.

Mrs. Lou also got used to being called Mrs.

She never expected that her nephew's grandson would suddenly become a "Tai Ru Ren"!
this--

Swish!
The smile on Mrs. Lou's face froze instantly.

It was as if someone had taken over his face on the spot.

However, this is not over yet.

Wang Heng had been playing with Lou Yu for two or three years.

It’s hard to say whether it’s true that “birds of a feather flock together”, but I have been affected to a certain extent.

For example, mischievous!
Wang Heng blinked her eyes, turned slightly sideways, and knelt down to greet Madam Lou. "Nineth Lady, I greet Madam Lou!"

Tsk, did she think she couldn't see that this old woman disliked her for being fat!
As soon as I appeared, she almost spit out her tea. She was really surprised by something she had never seen before!
Also, what's wrong with her being fat?
Did you eat her rice?

Have you drunk her honey water?
Or use her fabric?

Why does she look at me like a monster?

Wang Heng is indeed a Buddhist and her emotions are very stable.

But this does not mean that she has no temper.

Especially after hanging out with Lou Yu for two or three years, being spoiled and indulged by the little bully, she also began to develop her own little temper.

Humph, she is not a serious elder, why do you look down on her?

Why should she let her despise her?
Mrs. Lou's face darkened.

I have lived for decades and have been the only one in charge for decades.

Whether in her parents' home or in her husband's home, even when her husband's family fell into decline, she had never been subjected to such "ridicule".

Especially the two younger ones.

One of them tore off her face, and the other one stepped hard on her face!
How dare they? !

Lady Tai!
Lady Tai!!

But these two little bastards are so well-behaved, and there is nothing flawless in their words and actions.

Mrs. Lou felt as if there was a stone stuck in her mouth, which she could neither spit out nor swallow. She felt choked and her throat ached, and her old face turned red.

“…Excuse me!”

Mrs. Lou squeezed out two words almost from between her teeth.

Finally, he opened his mouth, and the "curse" was temporarily broken.

Mrs. Lou took a deep breath and tried her best to suppress her surging anger. A hint of malice flashed in her eyes.

He deliberately put on a kind look and waved towards Wang Heng, motioning her to come closer.

Wang Heng showed no fear, nor was she worried—what was there to be afraid of! My brother was still here!
Although my brother looks gentle and polite now, Wang Heng knows best the ruthlessness and cruelty in his bones.

Wang Heng dared to bet that if the old woman dared to say or do anything to her, her brother would go crazy.

Anyway, they are young, so even if they do something wrong, you can say, "The children are still young and don't understand."

Duke Anguo was on the battlefield thousands of miles away, and it might take several months for the news to reach him.

Furthermore, even if the Duke of Anguo knew about it, he would not punish his own son who had been adopted out for the sake of an aunt!

In Hedong, in Lou’s fortress, my brother is the little bully.

She is just an old woman, but Wang Heng, who is "borrowing the power of others to bully others", is not afraid of her!
Wang Heng came up to Madam Lou with a clatter.

Madam Lou acted like an elder and lovingly took Wang Heng's chubby little hand. Wow, it was all flesh and there was no bone to be felt.

Unlike her Ah Chi, who has delicate hands, distinct joints, and no extra fat at all!

Madam Lou was disgusted in her heart, but she smiled gently on her face, "Wang's Ninth Lady? Well, she's a good child."

"Oh, look at this little face and hands, so chubby, they're so blessed!"

Her "blessed" was not a sincere compliment, but a repeated emphasis on Wang Heng's fatness.

There was even a hint of regret in Mrs. Lou's tone, as if she was saying that this body of fat had ruined Wang Heng's good looks.

(End of this chapter)