Ordinary clear day

Chapter 235 Short Vacation
In the morning, Shu Ning woke up from her sleep and heard the birds chirping in the tree outside the house.When the bed moved, she turned her head and saw Tong Ying's face.He bent his eyes: "It seems that today is a sunny day."

"how do you know?"

"On sunny days, the birds will keep singing."

"What if it rains?"

"If it rains, you can smell the smell of the soil, and you can also hear the sound of rainwater dripping from the eaves onto the steps."

"So what if it snows?"

"If it's snowing, you can feel it when you open your eyes." Tong Ying smiled and kissed her, "Are you up?"

"En." Shuning also smiled and raised her eyebrows, standing up.

They are now living in Yihexuan in the back garden, which is the room they lived in in summer.Although it's only spring now, it's too hot to sleep on the kang, so I'd rather lay on a quilted quilt and sleep on a canopy bed.

But Tongying had been sleeping on the babu bed in the main room at the front for some time, and felt that the ordinary canopy bed was inconvenient.Xiaolanzi and the maids were not in the hall. After the couple got up, they asked Shuning to get out of bed to get clothes and help Tongying to put them on.

He complained a little: "You came out of the warm blanket again without putting on a coat. It's because I forgot to put the clothes in front of me last night. In this weather, it's still chilly in the morning. What if you catch a cold? What to do? Now I know the benefits of your big bed’s chest, it’s convenient to put quilts and clothes..."

Shuning stopped his thoughts, and said amusedly: "What's the point once and a half? I'm not a glass person, and it will break if it freezes. Of course, the Babu bed is convenient, otherwise, why would I ask someone to help me?" Do it?" Help him button it up, put on his clothes himself, then go to the square table under the porch outside, and use the mallet on it to ring the bronze bell to notify the maids waiting in other rooms.

Tong Ying walked out, smelled the faint fragrance of jasmine in the wind, took a deep breath, and said: "Sure enough, this garden should be called Moyuan, what kind of Fengyuan...it was started by those two brats. It's a good name..." Seeing Shuning's half-smile, he coughed lightly twice: "Of course, Madam and Mr. Shi's names are naturally good."

Shu Ning shot him a look, and said: "Although I planted a few jasmine bushes, they are still too few to match the name. If you really like this flower, ask someone to grow it more? Earlier, I asked Changping Zhuangzi Grow some fragrant flowers, and there will be jasmine in them, take advantage of the warm weather, move some over here." Tong Ying nodded vigorously.

Sandalwood and Chrysanthemum came in with basins and washing utensils, the couple went back to the house to freshen up, and Shuning carefully helped Tong Ying rebraid her hair before they went to Zhengxuan to have breakfast together.

In addition to milk and red dates and glutinous rice porridge for breakfast, there are all kinds of pastries, such as bean noodle cake, pea yellow, wisteria cake, and rose fire cake delivered by the Ministry of Internal Affairs just yesterday.Shu Ning felt that the rose cakes from the Ministry of Internal Affairs were not much better than the ones eaten at Xinran's house, at most they were better than those made at home, but the pea yellow was unexpectedly delicious.

She said: "I never knew that Chef Yao was so good at making pea yellow. Compared with the ones I ate at the Wanshou Banquet a few days ago, it's not bad. It's not like my cooking. I always feel that it lacks a bit of flavor."

Tong Ying smiled and said: "Although Lao Yao was not born as an imperial cook, his father and elder brother are both masters of white cases in the imperial kitchen. He knows more or less the secret recipes in the palace. But I like your cooking better, it's not so sweet. greasy." He looked down at the rose cake in front of him, frowned in disgust, and took another bean noodle cake to eat.

Shuning knew that he hated the sweetness of the rose filling, so she secretly smiled, which drew his eyes.

After dinner, they discussed what to do today.A few days have passed since Longevity Day, and it was a holiday. Tong Ying asked her boss for another day off, and now they have just two days off.Tong Ying has many plans: "I promised you earlier that I would take you back to Fangshan for a few days. If we leave now, we can just come back tomorrow afternoon."

Shu Ning disagreed: "It's been a day since I came here and back, why bother to work so hard? It's the same everywhere I go to enjoy flowers, and our own garden is also very good."

"Then... I will accompany you to Zhengyangmen Street? How about going to Shichahai to see the scenery? Or go out of the city and ride a horse."

But Shu Ning said: "Isn't it enough for you to ride horses on weekdays? I also see Shichahai often, and it's nothing new. As for shopping, it's good, but today, when you take a rest, there must be many people going out, people will see it, and it will cause gossip Why don't you just stay at home for two days, paint a few pictures, or do nothing, and let me talk to you, how about it?"

Tong Ying thought for a while, then nodded with a smile: "Alright."

Sandalwood and chrysanthemum opened several doors, letting the sunlight in, making the room bright, and then retreated carefully.Tong Ying looked around and asked: "Why do you only see these two little ones recently? Where is that noisy girl and that one who is good at washing pens?"

Shu Ning said with some amusement: "Hongqing is in the main courtyard. As for Suxin, you can ask the boy in your study outside. They have been serving you for half a year, why can't you remember their names? Just remember who will wash your clothes?" Pen?" Tong Ying laughed dryly, then moved to the painting table.

Shuning accompanied him to paint for a while, seeing that he was in good spirits and was concentrating, she quietly left Yihexuan, went to the front yard to take care of the housework for a while, dealt with the important things first, and left the small things to Mr. Yin and Eunuch Luo up.She asked if Eunuch Luo's legs were suffering from rheumatism again, and knowing that the medicine sent last time was quite effective, she asked someone to make some more pastes, then brought Su Xin back and gave some instructions, before returning to the garden again.

Tong Ying has already painted a picture of flowers and birds, and is making detailed modifications.Seeing her coming, she waved to her and said, "Come and see how my painting is doing?" Shuning went over to take a closer look, and said with a smile, "It's better than the previous days. The stretching of the branches and leaves has a special taste, and even the birds are more agile."

Tong Ying sighed, and said: "Sure enough, it seems that it is because of the state of mind. I was full of miscellaneous things before, and I couldn't calm down when I was practicing painting, but for some reason, I suddenly became interested, and it was only after I finished painting that I realized that This is the level I should have." Speaking of this, he looked a little sad: "As long as I am on an errand all day, I am afraid it will be difficult for me to make great progress in painting, right?"

Shu Ning frowned, and said: "I don't think so. You also worked as an errand a few years ago. Didn't you improve at that time? It's just that you are busy now, so you don't have time to draw. Now that you are on this errand, you have a chance Walking around with Shengjia, traveling all over the famous mountains and rivers, even if you don’t have time to paint for a while, there are always hills and valleys in your heart. As long as you don’t have raw hands, you can always find time to paint.”

But Tong Ying shook her head and said: "When you learn to paint, you should have nothing to worry about. Now I don't even have time to practice pens. I don't have the time to draw seriously. After a long time, no matter how many hills and valleys there are, they will be forgotten. What's more, when I'm away from home, I'm on duty, and it's too late to worry, so how can I have time to appreciate the mountains and rivers?"

Seeing him like this, Shu Ning suddenly stretched out her hand and said, "Let me also draw a few strokes." Tong Ying was a little surprised, but still gave her the pen in her hand, and saw that she laid out another piece of drawing paper, and outlined a white peach blossom with the pen , the lines are simple, but there is no taste of embroidery.She sketched very quickly, and after drawing the flowers and branches, she quickly added a few drops of dew.

Tong Ying looked at her painting, nodded lightly and said: "Although it is a little crafty and rough, but the painting is still passable." Shuning glanced at him: "Of course, I used to paint in the whole spring It is also very hard work to paint peach blossoms."

Finally added a butterfly, she put down the pen, and said to Tongying: "This is what I saw outside just now, and now I have sketched it roughly. If I want to seriously draw such a painting "Butterfly Playing Peach Blossom" in the future ", holding this sketch, at least you know it in your heart, right?"

Tong Ying thought for a while and understood: "This is a good idea. If you don't have the time to draw seriously, you can draw some sketches. After practicing, you can also keep those scenes. In fact, I did the same thing a few years ago. I now The state of mind is too impetuous. The so-called art of painting is not something you can improve if you want to. She is very patient. Now that I have experienced many mundane things, I have forgotten all my original thoughts. Thank you Madam for reminding me."

Shu Ning smiled and said: "I still remember that you painted plum blossoms for more than a month at that time, and when you saw the red plum blossoms in my brother's new yard at my house, you were stunned for a while, and suddenly said that you wanted to paint, which surprised me very much. "Tong Ying smiled, obviously remembering the scene at that time, touched her head, and asked: "How about... I also draw now? Instead of plum blossoms, peach blossoms?"

Shu Ning nodded with a smile, she really helped him pack his painting tools and asked him to go to the back of the house to paint, but Tong Ying stopped him.I only heard him say: "It's too boring to just paint flowers, why not add something else." Then he turned out the back door and picked a branch of peach blossom, put it in a bottle, added water, put it on the kang table of the Arhat bed, and pulled Shu Ning sat down and said, "Madam, please sit down and let me follow the drawing." Then he turned around and spread paper and ink, and prepared various utensils.

Shu Ning was a little puzzled at first, but now she understands: "So you want me to be a model?" "What did you say?" Tong Ying raised her head and asked in surprise.Shu Ning hurriedly said: "It's nothing, I remember you were the best at drawing figures, it's good to pick it up again now."

Tong Ying laughed and said: "Isn't it? I have been painting figures for more than ten years, and I only learned landscapes, flowers and birds later, but what I am best at is figures. I have never painted you before, so you just sit and let I'll take a good picture."

Shuning smiled and sat upright for him to draw. After a long time, she also drew a picture of "Tong Ying's Painting" by herself, just for fun.Tong Ying looked at her paintings, then at her own, and said with a smile: "Why don't we burn them all into glass inkstone screens, and let's put them on the case? You let mine, and I let you, just treat it as a small painting." picture."

The idea is a good idea, but Shu Ning has another suggestion: "You make it sound like burning glass doesn't cost money, as I said, when this house was repaired earlier, there were many redundant glass window panels, which were all stored in the apse. Why don’t you find it, sandwich this painting, add a wooden frame and a base, and it’s a screen, and it’s still an authentic work, isn’t it better than the one made of glass?”

After hearing this, Tong Ying hurriedly said: "That's right, let's do it like this."

During these two short vacations, Tongying spent most of her time practicing painting, and Shuning stayed with him all the time, sometimes making models for him, sometimes learning a few skills from him, and sometimes sitting quietly by the side doing needlework.She even once sat on the Pan Tower reading a book, and asked Tong Yinglian, who was on the opposite Wang Pavilion, to draw the pavilion into the picture.In these two days, Tongying drew more paintings than in the previous month, and even a few of them were very good.

On the second night, when they returned to the main courtyard, Tong Ying said to his wife: "I think it is better to focus on figures in the future. I am more interested in drawing figures." Shuning said with a smile: "You love painting Whatever it is, I will always support you." Tong Ying smiled and took her into her arms, ignoring the sounds of bumping and dropping things behind her.

Shu Ning blushed when she heard this, but Tong Ying said softly, "These two days have passed so quickly, next time it's the holiday, if there's nothing important, I'll ask for another day off, okay?" He nodded in his arms.

In the past two days, I don't know if it's a coincidence or someone else's wink, no matter whether it's Prince Jane's mansion or the Baron's mansion, no one came to disturb them.When Xiaobao, Xianning and Shige came to Beizi's mansion again by coincidence, Shuning realized that she hadn't seen them for two days. It was just a few boys secretly watching her and laughing, which made her very strange.

After a few days, Xiaobao said to her: "Sister, sister-in-law told you to go home tomorrow when you are free, she has something important to discuss with you." Shuning asked: "What is it?" Shaking her head, Xianning interjected: "I know, sister-in-law Qing came to our house yesterday and talked to sister-in-law for a long time, and then sister-in-law said it to Brother Xiaobao."

Lee?Shuning was still surprised.

Returning to the baron's mansion the next day, Zhenzhen was overjoyed to see her, and hurriedly sent someone to invite Mrs. Li and Sitara, and even Fangning was there.After Shu Ning met them, she asked by the way: "How is the eldest aunt? I heard from the people below that she is not at home these two days?" Li Shi suppressed her smile and said lightly: "Emiang is in good health now. She is in the temple, and she said she is praying for the second sister, and she will be fasting for a few days." After a pause, she twitched the corners of her mouth: "Since she came back from the Wanshou Banquet, she has been like this."

After hearing this, Mrs. Sitara hurriedly said: "Old people always like to eat fast and recite Buddha's name. Emiang is also free at home now, we have already arranged for the waiters, and the house in the temple is also clean , just treat it as my mother-in-law to relax."

Shu Ning knew it well, so she turned to greet Fang Ning's twins, and then asked: "Let me come back today, but what's the matter?" Zhenzhen said: "This matter can only be explained clearly by the elder sister-in-law, the elder cousin about it." Mrs. Li hurriedly collected her thoughts and told the whole story.

"The day before yesterday, I sent someone to send some seasonal cakes to Prince Kang's mansion to the eldest cousin. She asked the man to bring back the letter. It was said that in half a month, it would be the old prince's hundred days. Although the prince didn't say anything, but The eldest son, Fujin, has made it clear that he wants everyone in the other house to move out. Even several old Fujins have already decided to live in another courtyard in the back mansion after a hundred days, and pray for the old prince. At that time, the palace will be the eldest son Fujin It's the decision. The cousin-in-law thought, find a good house to move out as soon as possible, so that he can take his mother out, and he has already called people's attention to a suitable house. It's just that the salaries they always receive go to the public, and they don't have much savings. Fortunately, when the spring salary was issued this year, it was just in time for the old prince's funeral, so I received it a few days late. My cousin's husband was careful and didn't hand over the money to the company, so now I have some cash on hand. Even their old savings and the big cousin The sum of the dowry is only enough to buy a big house, but it is not enough to add furniture, pay the servants monthly money, ask the doctor to take medicine for the old Fujin, and prepare for the birth of the eldest cousin. The eldest cousin is also not enough. After finding a way, I want to borrow some from us.”

Shu Ning frowned: "Don't the old Fujin care?" Li sighed: "The eldest son Fujin ordered people to build the courtyard wall in the name of praying for the old prince, and didn't let them go out at will. What are you talking about? They are widows, even if outsiders ask, they can still be said to keep the festival for the old prince."

Fang Ning asked: "How dare that eldest son Fujin do this? There is her mother-in-law here, isn't she afraid of being gossiped?" Zhenzhen sneered: "She doesn't have a good reputation, even if she respects her mother-in-law Mother, friendly brother, her reputation is not much better. I think she is broken, anyway, with her status, the palace will not really do anything to her."

Everyone had heard about the rumors in Beijing, so they kept silent.Fang Ning thought for a while, and asked: "Prince Kang's son...don't you say anything? I heard he is not bad?" Mrs. Li shook her head and said, "I don't know, but the big cousin It is revealed that the prince is very likely to distribute some of the property of the palace to the brothers."

Everyone was silent for a while again, Shu Ning raised her head and asked: "How many people will they bring out of the mansion? How many people are they planning to add?" Mrs. Li replied: "Is it about the eldest cousin and the others? There are probably only a few members of their family, plus the usual The people in the house, and the people in the old side Fujin’s house, right? Manpower must be added, such as those who do rough work, those who look after the house, those who take care of the carriages and horses, and those who take care of the big cousin’s delivery.”

Shu Ning nodded, and said: "So, actually, there aren't many people, and the four-way courtyard is enough, and the house doesn't need to be too big. We can help find the servants, or we can transfer some people from home or Shushujueluo's mansion." It’s fine for people to go. They have to observe filial piety for three years, so there is no need to spend extravagantly in many places, but it saves a lot of money.”

Fang Ning said: "Actually...it seems a bit too urgent to find a house now. Why don't we wait until the eldest cousin is born? So as not to move the fetus." But Xi Tara said: "The original plan was the same for the husband and wife. However, the eldest son Fujin is pressing hard, and the cousin-in-law is also a little angry, worried that after the eldest cousin gives birth, she will have to confine her confinement and recuperate her body, and I don't know when she will be able to leave." Li Shi also said: "The most important thing is, Mr. If Chuan Fujin enters the courtyard where he read scriptures, it will be difficult to get out."

Everyone looked at each other, knowing that Xu Xu's parents were not in Beijing, and her mother's family members were not necessarily reliable, they were the only ones she could rely on, otherwise an introverted and shy person like Xu Xu would not rashly ask for a loan ask.So they discussed it for a while, and decided to go back to discuss with their husbands and scrape together a sum of money.

When Shu Ning mentioned it to Tong Ying at night, Tong Ying was very angry: "That woman actually did such a thing! Why didn't Chun Tai stop?!" Shu Ning hurriedly comforted him, and then said slowly: "I think It means that they will be tighter before the autumn salary comes down, so they should give more silver. Would you like to give one thousand or fifteen thousand?"

Tong Ying thought for a while, and said: "One thousand is enough, too much, and Baltu will be aggrieved. But we can help in other places. Haven't they decided where to buy a house? I remember Qian Haibei There are houses for sale in Heyan and Xiqiangqian alleys. Although they are a bit old, they can be used for living after tidying up. Manager Yin knows the broker, so he can lower the price. I asked someone to send a message to Baltu and ask him to buy one. let's go."

He didn't have another purpose in saying this.These two houses are not far from Di'anmen.Several old Fujins in Prince Kang's mansion were regular visitors to the Empress Dowager's palace. Now they have the name of keeping filial piety and cannot enter the palace.If the old side Fujin lived with his son on the Shicha Seashore, the Queen Mother would inevitably call people into the palace to speak if she knew about it, and then that unkind and unfilial daughter-in-law would be criticized by everyone.

Shuning didn't know Tongying's twists and turns, but thought that the two places were quite close to Beizi's Mansion and Baron's Mansion, so it was convenient to travel, so she agreed.The next day, she asked someone to send a letter to Wang Yin's family in Zhuangzi, Jumahe, asking her to come to Beijing in early May.

Before there was any reply on Xu Xu's affairs, good news came from Prince Jane's mansion first. Ergen Jue Luo's family gave birth to a fat boy in the early morning of the [-]th, this is the second son of Yaerjiang A.

The gifts have already been prepared, one for a boy and one for a girl.Shuning asked someone to carry the boy's share, and went back to the palace with Tongying to congratulate her.Just after entering the inner courtyard, I heard a woman's sharp voice. After listening carefully, it turned out to be the Guerjia family.

Tong Ying and Shu Ning looked at each other, they both frowned slightly, wondering if this sister-in-law lost her temper because of the newborn bastard?
However, as they got closer and closer, they found that things were not like that. The Guerjia family seemed to be angry about other things: "I have been married to you for so many years and gave birth to a son for you. You are so heartless and ungrateful." Are you patronizing that vixen and her little brat, my cousin is gone now, so you won't help?"

I only heard Yarjan say: "What can I do to help? It's just a sacking of the prince, and he didn't lose his life. What's more, this is their own crime. Why should I get involved?!"

The Guerjia family was about to quarrel again, but Yaerjiang Ah first discovered Tongying and his wife outside: "Is it the second brother and the second sibling? Come in."

When Guerjia turned around and saw that it was them, her face became even colder. When she saw her husband greet them with a smile, she snorted coldly and left with a veil.Yaerjiang smiled wryly and said to Shuning: "She is in a bad mood today, brothers and sisters, please don't take offense." Then he warmly greeted them to sit down and ordered tea.

But Tong Ying interrupted him: "Brother, what did sister-in-law just say? What does she want you to do?"

(After the update last night, I just replied to a post, and suddenly the Internet was disconnected. I only found out that it was a problem with the telecom during the day...)
(End of this chapter)