Life is as short as a spring dream

The General's Mansion in the South is far away from the busy city and occupies a very large area.It is said that the original general stationed in the south was a good brother of the first emperor, a veteran of the two dynasties, with high prestige, but he was willing to leave the court for the royal family and stationed in the south.After the world was stabilized, the late emperor specially bestowed the mansion of the general stationed in the south in the wealthy Yangzhou, and the rewards of fertile land, gold and jade were innumerable.In the land of Yangzhou, the government only supports the appearance, and the merchants are not only the pockets of the people, but also their lifeblood. Officials have always been inferior to merchants. The government has to listen to the opinions of the local chamber of commerce.Since General Yan settled here, he has become the overlord of Yangzhou in one fell swoop. Under the mighty grace of the emperor, the whole Yangzhou and even the south has almost become the fief of the Yan family. Yangzhou, where the flowers are red and the willows are green, live some carefree days.

Two years ago, General Yan passed away, and his only son Yan frequently said that the former Young General Yan was appointed as the new General in the South.Yan Pinyu's mother, who died early, came from a scholarly family, and giving him such a name did not detract from his natural general aura in the slightest.Yan Pin is in his thirties, and it is rumored that he has always been infatuated with the people's livelihood and national conditions. Although he married Yu Qingxian, the eldest daughter of the head of the Yangzhou Chamber of Commerce, he has not had a son or a daughter for more than ten years, and the few concubines have nothing to do. There have been rumors in the market for a while, but due to the prestige of the Yan Mansion, there are not many people who make irresponsible remarks.

At this time, Hua Manzhu and his party entered Yan's residence, and Yunying took them to find a courtyard to settle down.Hua Manzhu calculated the distance secretly in his heart, and found that the courtyard they lived in was not far from the center of the mansion. It seemed that Mrs. Yan really valued Ou Ying, who had never been friends with her for years, but she didn't know what it was. idea.

Ou Ying was pulling Li Wangpin to study the courtyard, Hua Manzhu was looking at them with a smile in his eyes, but he was thinking in his heart that there was no distinction between good and evil, and he just went head-on.

On the first day, Yunying told Mrs. Yan that she was busy and could not stay for a while; on the second day, Yunying said that Mrs. Yan had no time, and asked the three guests to rest freely; Living arrangements are extremely appropriate.Ou Ying didn't feel any difference, and discussed with Li Wangpin that the hostess of such a large general's mansion is not easy to be, so she can only ask Yunying to tell Mrs. Yan, and then visit her when she is free.

Huamanzhu is also waiting.Not only waiting to meet that Mrs. Yan, but also waiting for his little brother, Ren Pingsheng.

Ren Pingsheng will definitely come.Rather than looking for him like a headless chicken in Yangzhou city, it is better to enter the Yan mansion and wait for him to find him by himself.Perhaps, he already knew that he was in Yan Mansion.If he knew, he would have come sooner.

Hua Manzhu did not tell Ouying and Li Wangpin about this matter, and never mentioned Ren Pingsheng's whereabouts on weekdays.When Li Wangpin asked, Hua Manzhu only said that Ren Pingsheng should still be busy and wandering for a while, and he would look for him in a few days.Although Li Wangpin cared about it, but there was a living Ou Ying by his side, so he didn't care about that much, just how to get Ou Ying's attention and favor had already occupied all his mind.

The beginning of spring has passed, and the stamens of the peach blossoms in the garden of Yan Mansion are faintly visible, and Mrs. Yan, who has been missing for a long time, is finally free.At that time, Hua Manzhu and his party were playing chess bored, Ou Ying and Li Wangpin both lost to Hua Manzhu. When they were depressed, Mrs. Yan came in with a few servants.

As soon as she entered the door, Mrs. Yan first apologized, and then ordered her servants to put away the bunch of presents brought over. The courtesy was extremely considerate, which made Ou Ying extremely embarrassed.

After several people sat down, Ou Ying introduced Huamanzhu to Mrs. Yan.In front of the elders, Ou Ying did not act presumptuously this time, she only said that Hua Manzhu was a very good friend.But the little girl was thinking, how could she hide it from Mrs. Yan's eyes, she looked at Hua Manzhu twice more, and didn't say anything, just pulled Ou Ying to talk about homework.

While drinking tea, Hua Manzhu looked carefully at Mrs. Yan.Although she was born as a merchant, her demeanor is not inferior to that of a lady from an official family. Although she is old, she is well-maintained and very beautiful.

"No wonder," Hua Manzhu said secretly, "Yan Pinyu married her, the Chamber of Commerce is in his hands, and the beauty is in his arms. It's a great deal."

However, Madam Yan and Ou Ying talked a lot in a random manner, but Hua Manzhu didn't hear anything different.It seemed that she really only invited them to live in out of nostalgia for her old friends and love for Ouying.

Hua Manzhu was wondering, but Madam Yan changed the subject and said to Ou Ying: "Yingying, I have been negligent these few days, and it is out of necessity. My useless nephew should have shut himself up in the mansion, but was His father released him privately. My husband is busy with affairs, and I heard that he was causing trouble everywhere, so he ordered me to keep an eye on him. You don't have to worry about it."

Ou Ying hurriedly said: "No, no, Madam invited us to stay here. It's kind of us to stay here. It's too late for us to be grateful."

"In this case," Mrs. Yan smiled and shook Ou Ying's hand, and said, "My husband's birthday party, you must show respect."

"That's natural. I like to join in the fun. Madam doesn't mind my quarreling." Ou Ying already had a good impression of Madam Yan. Now that she lives in her house, she feels even more cordial. Her words seem to be acting like a spoiled child to her elders. , Mrs. Yan couldn't help smiling.After agreeing on the time for the banquet, Mrs. Yan didn't stay any longer and left soon.

After counting the days, Ouying became troubled with a sad face.General Yan's birthday is around the corner, so he can't leave empty-handed as he lives here.Don't worry about the money to buy gifts, she brought a lot of bank notes when she left the valley, but she never worried about this kind of polite thing in Yunshui Building, so she doesn't know what to give now.Not to mention Li Wangpin, a rough guy who doesn't know anything about etiquette.

After faltering and discussing for a long time, the two of them had no clue, they turned their eyes to Huamanzhu who was silently studying the endgame at the side.

Two pairs of eyes stared at him, no matter how calm Hua Manzhu was, he couldn't turn a blind eye to it, so he put the pawns aside and said, "There is everything in the General's Mansion, if we give away the things we bought, nothing will be surprising, why not It’s more sincere for us to do something ourselves.”

"Okay, okay," Ou Ying nodded hastily, blinking her two watery eyes, and asked again, "What are you doing?"

Hua Manzhu thought for a while and asked, "What will you do?"

Ouying and Huamanzhu were both taken aback for a moment, and the three of them stared around, speechless for a while.

"..." Hua Manzhu looked at Ou Ying tentatively, "Female red? Embroidered longevity pictures or something?"

Ou Ying's face was red, and her voice was like a mosquito: "I don't know how to embroider..."

Hua Manzhu turned to Li Wangpin, and Li Wangpin quickly waved his hands: "Oh, Xiaozhu, it's not like you don't know that I have no other skills except being able to fight and bet on darts."

"Oh," Hua Manzhu sighed, "Then I'll draw a birthday picture."

Ou Ying's eyes lit up, and she clapped her hands and said, "That's right! Uncle said that Xiaozhu's painting and calligraphy is a masterpiece, and even he sighed to himself. If you send a painting to General Yan, you will definitely not be rude!"

Hua Manzhu shook his head and was speechless, but Li Wangpin was slightly absent-minded.Ouying's cheering appearance is very cute, but that touching expression was born for Huamanzhu.Hua Manzhu is a talented person, and he is also very talented. Compared with him, it is no wonder that Ouying fell in love with him.Thinking of this, Li Wangpin couldn't get excited anymore, so he sat down for a while and then went back to his room.Hua Manzhu could see that he was in a bad mood, but he had nothing to say.The fate between two people can only depend on themselves, no matter how much an outsider talks, it will not be as useful as thinking about it and doing something.

Now that the gift has been ordered, the three of them are not in a hurry.Before the birthday banquet, several people went to visit Mrs. Yan, and Mrs. Yan also sent someone to invite Ou Ying several times, and the two went to the garden together and chatted.When Hua Manzhu asked, Ou Ying couldn't tell what was wrong, only that Mrs. Yan was very sympathetic to her life experience and treated her very well.Hua Manzhu had more doubts in his heart, and felt more and more that the decision not to let Ouying buy gifts was right.In fact, the reason why he said that the things he bought was not sincere was because of a little caution.The bank notes on Ouying's body were all brought out from Yunshui Building. Although the bank accounts used by Yunshui Building are hidden, it is not difficult to find them if you want to check them.Since Mrs. Yan is so interested in Ou Ying, she might as well keep Ou Ying secret for a while, there is no harm in the end.

Peach blossoms are faintly bursting out of buds, and General Yan's birthday is just around the corner.He said he wouldn't make a fuss, but as the general stationed in the south, there must be a lot of guests, and the servants in the mansion suddenly became busy.Hua Manzhu and the others were still idle, the birthday painting had already been completed, Ou Ying didn't care what the meaning of the painting was, and just kept boasting, Li Wangpin had no ink, so he didn't speak if he didn't understand , but he also knew that Hua Manzhu's handwriting must be good.

On the day of the birthday banquet, Hua Manzhu got up early in the morning.The General's Mansion has always been heavily guarded, and it is rare for the door to be opened wide. He has already made up his mind that if Ren Pingsheng wants to come in, he will most likely choose today.After washing up, Huamanzhu carefully checked his clothes.After the Spring Festival farewell, I haven't seen him for many days, Hua Manzhu's eyes are full of Ren Pingsheng, he is afraid that there is something wrong with him, and Ren Pingsheng will not like him.After tidying up and pushing open the door, the fragrance of peach blossoms all over the yard is just revealed.Hua Manzhu took a deep breath, thinking that he was in the Yan Mansion, his originally happy mood suddenly calmed down a bit.

Although peach blossoms are good, it will only be better if they don't open in the general's mansion.

"Senior brother," Hua Manzhu was a little distracted, looking at the peach blossoms and muttering to himself, "I really want to go to see the peach blossoms outside Yan Mansion with you."

Huamanzhu didn't feel sad for a long time, Ouying and Li Wangpin also got up.After they each made some preparations, Yunying came to the yard, and Mrs. Daiyan invited them to a banquet.

The banquet was held in the main hall, not far away.At this time, almost half of the birthday guests had arrived, and Mrs. Yan was accompanying the female guests in the side hall, but General Yan was nowhere to be seen, and only sent a trusted aide to welcome the guests in front of the mansion.

Ou Ying was puzzled, and quietly asked, "Why doesn't General Yan come out by himself?"

Li Wangpong found an opportunity and rushed to say: "I heard from those servants that General Yan doesn't like excitement. In the past, it was Mrs. Zhang Luo at such times. He will only come out when the banquet starts."

"Oh," Ou Ying disapproved, "No wonder Madam is so busy, what kind of general is so arrogant." She made good friends with Madam Yan, seeing Madam Yan working hard, General Yan ignored everything, so naturally she complained.

"Hush!" Hua Manzhu looked around and said softly, "You don't want to talk too much about other people's family affairs, Yingying."

Ou Yingman stuck out her tongue indifferently, after all she was listening to Hua Manzhu's words, she didn't say anything, and sat down in the position Yunying pointed out.

The picture scroll was handed over to Yunying, and Mrs. Yan looked over from afar and smiled at them.After sitting and waiting for a long time, General Yan still didn't come out.Seeing that it was getting later and later, Hua Manzhu calmly scanned all the people at the banquet, not even letting go of the boy who carried birthday gifts, but he didn't see a person who looked like Ren Pingsheng. Also more and more anxious.

When the time came, someone announced it, and Yan Pinyu, the famous general stationed in the south, finally came to the banquet hall.

Hua Manzhu quietly looked over, and saw that the man was wearing armor. Although there had been no wars in the world for many years, he still maintained the tradition of wearing military uniforms under the general's family.Yan Pinyu came striding forward, with his cloak raised behind him, his thick eyebrows frowned slightly, and his face was expressionless, the well-dressed Madam Yan went up to her, it looked more like Madam Yan had passed her birthday.Strangely, from a distance, Hua Manzhu felt that Yan Pin's language was vaguely familiar.

Mrs. Yan stood beside Yan Pinyu, as if she was used to seeing Yan Pinyu's appearance, she said a few words to the guests, and then invited everyone to sit down and start the banquet.From entering to sitting down, Yan Pinyu never said a word.

The delicacies and wines were presented one after another, and the banquet started lively.Xu is that everyone here understands General Yan's temper. Apart from politely celebrating his birthday, no one has any objection to his silent and cold face. This birthday banquet is said to be a birthday banquet, but it is more like a political and business event At a celebrity gathering, the role of the birthday star does not seem to be important at all.Ou Ying quietly complained to Hua Manzhu, but was stopped by Hua Manzhu shaking his head.

Although the banquet was weird, it calmed down Hua Manzhu and Ren Pingsheng's mood.He kept observing the people present at the meeting, and then looked at the bright-eyed Madam Yan and the silent General Yan in the first seat, and his heart became clearer.Madam Yan presumably insisted on holding this banquet. She came from a wealthy family and had a shrewd mind. Even if Yan Pinyu was unwilling, she would definitely use this opportunity to make friends with nobles and strengthen the Yan family and even the family. status.

However, Hua Manzhu quickly realized that he was only half right.In the middle of the banquet, Mrs. Yan seemed to wake up suddenly, and asked Yunying to make some tea for Ou Ying.Although they are separated by a few tables, the three of them have some skills, Qianqian can hear what she told Yunying, saying that Ouying's northern accent is that she may not be used to Yangzhou banquet dishes, so she will give her a cup of tea to relieve her boredom.

Ouying didn't know what he meant, and looked at Huamanzhu suspiciously.Hua Manzhu's brows were deeply furrowed, she has lived in Yan's Mansion for a long time, now it's too far-fetched to worry that she won't be used to Yangzhou food.

Mrs. Yan gave the order in front of Yan Pinyu, and she nodded and smiled at Ou Ying's table.Hearing the words, Yan Pinyu followed Mrs. Yan and swept her eyes casually, then turned back, but suddenly turned her head again, staring at Ou Ying's direction, her eyes were as deep as cold pools, motionless, as if she had eaten Surprised.

Hua Manzhu's heart skipped a beat, and he listened attentively to the movement over there.

Yan Pinyu stared at it for a long time before asking Mrs. Yan, "Who is she?"

His tone was cold and he could not refuse, and he could not hear any emotional fluctuations, nor did he speak like a husband to his wife.

Mrs. Yan glanced at them again, smiled indifferently, and replied: "A little friend I met by chance had a poor background and lived in Yangzhou, so I invited her and her friends to stay at my house. "

Yan Pinyu's gaze was locked on Ou Ying, but he didn't ask any more questions.After a long while, he finally looked back, picked up the wine glass in front of him, drank it down in one gulp, stood up and bowed his hands to the guests at the banquet, then walked out with a shake of his robe.

Seeing this, Mrs. Yan stood up, politely explained Yan Pinyu's busy schedule, and called everyone to continue the banquet.

Hua Manzhu lowered his head, his mind seemed to be a little clearer, but more serious questions popped up.

It seems that the relationship between Yu Qingxian and Yan Pinyu is not good.It is certain that Yu Qingxian is indeed determined to hold this banquet, but besides socializing, her other purpose is probably Ou Ying.

Finding the excuse of the birthday banquet, he generously let Yan Pinyu meet Ou Ying.

But why?

Why did Yanpinyu react like this?

Hua Manzhu couldn't figure it out, and Ou Ying and Li Wangpin couldn't figure it out even more.The two were looking at Huamanzhu together, counting on him to answer.It's a pity that even Hua Manzhu, who has a hundred or eighty more minds than them, is just as confused as they are at this moment.