A Thousand Hills

Chapter 7

Xie Moyou learned countless ingenuity from her mother, and gained some experience in dealing with people.Moreover, Xie Moyou also felt that there was no need to compete with Xie Moru after giving his mother such an enlightenment.Her mother is virtuous, and she will never neglect Dujuanyuan, but who in the family will look at Dujuanyuan?

Not really.

That being the case, why should I put Xie Moru in my eyes?

Father's attitude, grandmother's attitude, it says it all, doesn't it?

Xie Moyou, who has always hated the word "shuchu" the most, was instructed by his mother, and suddenly figured out this section, and suddenly felt countless senses of enlightenment.However, before Xie Moyou was happy for a day, he heard a piece of news that made him unhappy: Second Uncle Xie Bai sent a lark to the Rhododendron Courtyard.

Xie Bai is the most serious uncle to the Fang family, so naturally it is impossible to give this kind of thing to the eldest sister-in-law, he is for Xie Moru to play with.

Xie Bai hadn't been to the Dujuan Courtyard for many years. He remembered that when he was a child, the Dujuan Courtyard was the busiest yard of Xie's family, and he could hear the lively laughter coming from inside through the fence.Xie Bai stood outside the red lacquered gate of the Rhododendron Courtyard, lonely as if he could hear the sound of the spring breeze blowing by time, the servant Mo Zhu gently knocked on the door a few times, but there was no movement inside.Mo Zhu said, "Second Lord, is it that the eldest girl is not at home?"

Xie Bai said, "Knock again." Where can I go if I am not at home?Apart from inviting An to Songbaiyuan and studying in Huazhang Hall, Xie Moru had no other place to go.

After waiting for a while, the courtyard door opened from the inside, and a woman in green clothes came out. Seeing that it was Xie Bo who hurriedly saluted and greeted her, Xie Bo asked, "Is it here?"

The lady in Tsing Yi didn't dare to tell Xie Bo to wait at the door, so she said, "Young lady just came back from school, and she is resting in the wisteria courtyard."

Xie Bo didn't know where the small wisteria courtyard was, but his wife was leading the way, so he took the bamboo cage from the servant and followed her in, while the servant was waiting outside.

As I said earlier, the design of the courtyard of the Rhododendron Courtyard is unusual. When you enter the door and bypass the oily white screen wall, you will find a garden. Even if the Rhododendron Courtyard is quieter now, the view of the garden is also good.What's more, there is the rhododendron tree named after the Rhododendron Garden, and the rhododendron tree in Xie's family is famous in all the emperors. Xie Bai remembers that when he was a child, he often came to see the rhododendrons in that tree blooming.It was still early at this time, and the rhododendrons hadn't bloomed yet. Seeing someone pruning and taking care of the tree, Xie Bo couldn't help sighing again.The mother-in-law turned a corner, walked along the cobblestone path, passed a jasmine bush, and passed the Yuegui Gate. Seeing the wisteria drying the handkerchief in the yard, she hurriedly said, "Wisteria, the second master is here, where is the girl?"

Wisteria was taken aback. Except for the servants who came to deliver messages, no one visited their yard.She is small and honest, seeing Xie Bai now she didn't know what to say, her face blushed in a moment of anxiety.

Fortunately, Xie Moru was looking at the unopened wisteria flowers on the porch, Xie Moru pushed aside the wisteria strings, looked at Xie Bai, and called, "Second Uncle."

Xie Bo raised the bird cage in his hand, "I bought a bird for you to play with."

Xie Moru's courtyard is spacious, and the wisteria grows well along the corridor. Even in the courtyard, a wisteria trellis is set up, leading out along the corridor. When the sun is high, it is a shade.There are rattan tables and rattan chairs under the wisteria trellis.Now in the second half of the day, it is mid-spring again, it is expected that the cold spring has just gone, and the weather is not hot, so the two uncles and nephews sat under the flower stand.Xie Moru looked at it and asked, "Is this Bailing?"

"That's right." The bird was well-trained. Xie Bo teased it and called a set of thirteen mouths. The thirteen mouths refer to things that Lark learns, such as sparrows, hens cracking eggs, cats meowing, sand swallows or swifts, Dog barking, magpie, red, oil gourd, kite whistling, small cart axle, water tip bell ringing, big reed warbler, tiger shrike at the end.Xie Moru listened amusedly, smiled unconsciously, had vaguely guessed Xie Bai's intention in his heart, but didn't dare to confirm, just said, "Thank you, Second Uncle."

"You're being polite, as long as you like it." Xie Bai felt that yesterday's mother's words were a little too much. Since ancient times, there are hundreds of schools of thought. In terms of learning, there is really no one is one, and the other is two. A piece of historical material Xie Moru has his own opinion, it is really not wrong, his mother was so harsh, Xie Bo couldn't say that his mother was wrong, so he bought a lark to make Xie Moru happy.

Nanny Zhang brought the tea, Xie Bo took a sip and said, "This high-quality new tea is only from your mother's."

Xie Moru looked at Xie Bo and said nothing, Xie Bo wanted to continue, "It can be seen that mother treats Mo Ru well in her heart", but he gave Xie Moru a quiet look, but he didn't say that.Xie Bai waved off Nanny Zhang, and Fang whispered to Xie Moru, "It's good that you have enough food and clothing here, your grandmother is old, you are a good boy, think about everything."

After thinking about Mrs. Xie's abnormal reprimand, she really didn't put Mrs. Xie at ease.Xie Bo came here specially for this, Xie Moru said, "Second Uncle is worrying too much, but I got a lark for nothing."

Xie Bo smiled, "If you like it, I'll find it for you when I have a good one."

"One is enough." Xie Moru looked at the lark again, and asked the wisteria to be hung on the porch.

The first time Xie Bo came over, he didn't know Xie Moru very well in the past, seeing that she still likes this lark, after talking for a while, Xie Bo said, "I'll go to Songbai Courtyard for dinner, you should come too."

Xie Moru said, "I'm ready here."

Xie Bo stood up and said goodbye, and Xie Moru sent him to the door.Mo Zhu waited on Xie Bai and walked away, Fang heaved a sigh of relief, and said, "I'm so close to the eldest girl, I dare not talk too much."

Xie Bo sighed in his heart, thinking that although Xie Moru lived at home, even though his surname was Xie, he was clearly separated from everyone in the family, and his relationship was shallow.She also thought that a little girl of hers lived with her mother in this rare Rhododendron Courtyard for many years, and her family was so neglectful, no wonder Xie Moru was indifferent.In fact, Xie Moru could not be called indifferent, at best he was not very enthusiastic.But Xie Moru has such a calm temper, whoever wants to live in the Dujuan Courtyard can be lively, Xie Bai must also feel that this person lacks heart and lungs.

Xie Bai pondered wildly for a while, then went back to his courtyard.

The eldest maid, Mo Ju, brought Huang Mei and Zi Gui to serve her. Xie Bai changed into homely clothes, and after washing his head and face, he lay down on the bed, as if he was about to fall asleep.Mo Ju said, "The madam has sent someone to ask twice if the second master is back. I think he is thinking about the second master. Now that the second master has returned, why don't you go and sit with the wife, so that you can have dinner with the wife .”

Xie Bo was in a bad mood, closed his eyes and said, "I'm not hungry today, go and tell my mother that you don't have to wait for me for dinner. Come on down." He sent all the maids away.

Mo Ju wanted to persuade him again, but seeing Xie Bai's pale face, he didn't dare to say more, stepped forward and pulled the thin quilt to cover Xie Bai, bowed slightly, and retreated with yellow roses and purple roses.After leaving the room, he ordered Huang Mei to listen to the movement outside, and ordered the little girl Cui'er to call Mo Zhu, and asked Mo Zhu if there was something wrong with the second master outside.

"Tan Hua'er in our second master's new school, who outside would dare to make our second master unhappy." Mo Zhu lowered his voice, "For some reason, second master went to the flower and bird market after he came out of the teahouse, and bought a lark for the eldest girl. I didn't dare to pant loudly when I went to the Dujuanyuan, I think the second master's face is not very good when he comes out."

Mo Ju said softly, "Don't tell others this, you know the taboos of masters anyway."

Mo Zhu quickly agreed, and Mo Ju packed some dim sum fruit into a bag and sent him away, after thinking for a moment, he went to Songbaiyuan to answer.

Mrs. Xie was very concerned about her youngest son, and asked Mo Ju, "Did you drink outside?"

Mo Ju didn't mention anything about the Dujuan Courtyard at all, but said, "I didn't eat wine. When I went out in the morning, I said that I drank tea with my contemporaries. The second master has been socializing every day, and he was a little tired at first."

Mrs. Xie said in a moody manner, "It's good to serve your second master." Then she sent Mo Ju down, and ordered someone to call the servant who was serving her son today.

In other words, when Mo Zhu went out from the Cangbai Courtyard, he wanted to bring the fruit home for his little brothers to eat, but he heard the call from the Songbai Courtyard, so he went to the tea room to collect the fruit for his mother before walking quickly I went to Songbaiyuan.Sure enough, what Mrs. Xie asked was also about his second master, so Mo Zhu said it as usual.The Dujuan Courtyard has always been a taboo of the Xie Mansion, so those newly picked servants and maidservants are fine, maybe seeing that the Dujuan Courtyard is deserted, they will do something with the red top and white.Mo Zhu is a servant born to Xie's family, his father is the manager of Xie's family, and his mother is in charge of the tea room, they are all prestigious errands, he knows more than ordinary servants.But Mo Zhu didn't dare to look at Dujuanyuan's few people to pay attention, so he made trouble. What he said in front of Mo Ju, was more tactful in front of Mrs. Xie. He didn't mention Dujuanyuan. The tea party for Jinshi gentlemen, because they were all in the same year, was quite friendly. After lunch, the servant went to the flower and bird market with the second master. The second master bought a lark and gave it to the eldest girl to play with. In the cuckoo courtyard After sitting for a short time, the second master returned to the Cangbai Courtyard, and the rest of the matter, the slave will not know."

Mrs. Xie asked, "It's all right, what is Bo'er going to do to buy a lark?"

Mo Zhu lowered his head and replied, "Second Master praised Bai Ling for being a good talker and able to make people happy."

Mrs. Xie expected that her son would not tell a boy if he had something on his mind, so she asked Mo Zhu for a while but couldn't find anything, so she sent Mo Zhu away.Mrs. Xie is also a smart person. After thinking about it, she also came up with a general idea, so she couldn't help sneering.

On the contrary, Xie Moyou was very angry when he heard this, and said to Aunt Ning, "Second Uncle has always been the best with me, and I don't know how to send her Bailing to play. To be fair, they are both Second Uncle's nieces. It should be one person and one.”

Aunt Ning frowned slightly, her beautiful facial features fainted with a touch of worry, she also couldn't figure out Xie Bai's move, but she wanted to caress her daughter first, and said, "Just a lark, it's worth making a fuss about."

Xie Moyou couldn't sit still, she was embroidering, but when she heard her mother's confidants come to report the matter, she couldn't embroider any more, so she casually put the embroidery stretcher by her hand, and said, "I Go to grandma's place, my second uncle is going to have dinner later, I must ask him."

Aunt Ning persuaded, "Don't worry..." Xie Moyou had already got up and called the servant girl to help her change clothes, Aunt Ning said, "You are not allowed to talk about gossip when you are gone, do you understand?"

"I know, I know."

Xie Moyou hurriedly went to Mrs. Xie's room, Mrs. Xie was not happy, Xie Moyou took advantage of the hot stove, just entered Mrs. Xie's room before he said a word, he heard Mrs. Xie say, "What is the urgent matter?" In such a hurry? What does it look like to walk!" Then he reprimanded the women and girls who followed, "I don't know what to do with the girl, and I don't know how to persuade the girl!"

A large group of mothers-in-law and girls knelt down to plead guilty. Xie Moyou was at a loss as soon as she vented her anger at Mrs. Xie's nameless anger. She hurriedly said, "Grandmother, don't blame them. I heard that my second uncle's house is coming, so I wanted to come over." It’s urgent to talk to Second Uncle.”

Today Xie Moyou really went out and didn't look at the almanac, Mrs. Xie's face became even paler, and she said, "Your second uncle is tired, and I am tired too. You can go back and tell your aunt that you don't need to come over at night."

No matter how bad Xie Moyou's skill in observing facial expressions was, he could tell that Mrs. Xie was in a bad mood, so she didn't dare to say any more, and turned back after saluting.On the second day, Mrs. Xie ordered someone to send a lark to Aunt Ning. Aunt Ning's face turned pale, and it was Jiayin, the big maid beside her, who held Aunt Ning's arm. After rewarding the woman who sent Bailing here, it took a long time before he let out a breath from his chest.

(End of this chapter)