The oil bottle of the Red Chamber

The adults in the hall were too busy listening to the play and listening to the second sister's jokes, so they didn't pay attention to Zhang Hua.Only Mrs. Qiu guessed what his son was thinking, and smiled secretly.For a while, the show on the stage was coming to an end, so old lady Chen said with a smile: "It's time for the men to order the show back."

After finishing speaking, he asked the little girl who was waiting on the side to present the opera excerpt to Mrs. Chen.Old Mrs. Chen randomly ordered a festive and lively drama, and then ordered Chen Gui.Chen Gui is just like the second sister, but she doesn't like to listen to operas very much, because Zhang Yun.Zhang Yun smiled and said, "The old man's play is good, and I like it too. I won't order any more, let the children order something they like."

After all, let Chen Rong go.Chen Rong first got up to thank him, then took a rough look at the playbook in his hand, and randomly clicked on "The Story of the White Snake".He also handed over the opera excerpts to Zhang Hua.Unexpectedly, Zhang Hua didn't look through the playbook after receiving it, so he opened his mouth and clicked on "The Peony Pavilion", and he also wanted the section "Fate Comes Blooming Everywhere".

When Chen Wei heard the words, he was not surprised, and asked, "So you like to listen to this song?"

Zhang Hua just smiled foolishly and didn't answer.

Behind the screen, the eldest sister knew what she meant, she lowered her head unconsciously and just fiddled with her clothes.The female relatives in the hall didn't understand because they saw the elder sister's timid and coquettish attitude, but now they all understand.Unconsciously looked at each other and smiled, tacit understanding.

The little girl in that compartment had already gone down with the playbook in her hand and told the little playboys to take over the performance.The second sister came through time travel from later generations, her predecessor was an ignorant child, she didn't have much memory to use, so she didn't know much about these operas.Just now, I only heard Chen Rong order "The Story of the White Snake", and I thought it was about the story of the White Snake and Xu Xian.Unexpectedly, after listening to it for a long time, he couldn't figure out the number, so he asked Chen Wan in a low voice.

Chen Wan smiled and said, "It's the beginning of Han Gaozu's Snake Slaying Fang."

The second sister curled her lips even more bored when she heard the words.Seeing this scene, Chen Wan smiled and said, "I really see that you don't like to listen to dramas."

The second sister said with a smile: "I don't like to listen to operas, but I like to sing songs. When I have some free time, I will sing two songs for you to listen to. They are more entertaining than the jokes I tell."

It made everyone laugh again.Mrs. Chen also turned her head and asked: "Second sister likes to listen to music, how come I don't know?"

Chen also laughed and scolded: "The old lady listened to her talking nonsense. I haven't heard a few tunes in these years, and now I like listening to tunes again."

So they talked and laughed, and after the plays they had ordered were all sung, Fang withdrew from the banquet and set up dinner.After dinner, Zhang Yunfang and his family said goodbye to Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen after having tea again.Qiu Shi still held Feng Shi's hand and smiled to invite——

"If you have time to spare, please take a walk in our village. Although it is not as prosperous as the middle of Beijing, the rural scenery is also very interesting. The men can go fishing and hunting, and we can also enjoy the flowers and scenery—although there are no famous flowers. Strange grass, but once the spring breeze passes, the flowers that bloom all over the mountains and plains can't be seen at a glance. When people see it, they even open their hearts. It's not what we mean by admiring flowers in our back garden. .”

When Feng Shi heard this, she also agreed with a smile.Together with Mrs. Chen and several sisters and daughters, they sent them to the second gate.Chen Gui took his son and sent them out of the gate, and did not turn back until the Zhang family's carriage drove out of the alley and turned to the street.

This night, the Chen family took a good rest and washed up, so there is no need to elaborate.

Early the next morning, Chen Gui went to the study outside after washing up.He still ordered the housekeeper to prepare the first-class Feng Er to reward the small opera troupe who sang and played the opera yesterday and played ten times, as well as Chef Shen on the stove.He also ordered Chang to follow Chen Li to order the boys to set up horses and prepare carts, and send the group of people invited from Xu's mansion back to his mansion.He also specially wrote a handwritten letter ordering Chen Li to come over to express his thanks.Only then did I return to the back house.

At that time, Mrs. Feng brought Chen Rong and Chen Wan, and Mrs. Chen brought her eldest sister and second sister to make fun of the old lady in the upper room.Because everyone talked about Zhang Hua's "The Peony Pavilion" yesterday, the elder sister's face was flushed with shame, her head was drooping, and she was silent.

After hearing what everyone said, Chen Rong thought about it, and when he was about to say something, seeing the elder sister shy and timid, it was hard to say.Just as he was about to divert the conversation, he saw Chen Gui entering the room again, so he immediately stood up and bowed his head to greet him.When the sisters saw each other, they all stood up.

Chen Gui greeted his parents with a smile, received gifts from several juniors, and then sat down to have tea.Because he mentioned to Feng Shi: "Yesterday, in order to invite Zhang's family, I specially borrowed a small opera from Brother Zi Chuan and the people on the stove to support my face. I just asked Chen Li to lead the boys to prepare a car and send it back. You see, someday we have free time, we have to invite brother Zichuan and his family back, and thank you for their hospitality."

When Feng heard this, she hurriedly smiled and said yes.Yin said: "It's just not for this matter, every year is still so courteous. It's just that our family has a lot of business this year, and Mrs. Xu's family is busy entertaining Mrs. Shen's family and a few natal nephews who came to Beijing from the south of the Yangtze River, so I don't have time to relax." Son, it’s only been a long time. Otherwise, it should have been invited long ago.”

Speaking of this, Feng hesitated to speak, and couldn't help looking at Chen Rong and Chen Wan for a while, because of a smile, he said: "There are sticky bean buns steaming on the stove in the kitchen, and it should be ready by now. Go and eat first." stop."

Before saying a word, Feng glanced at the eldest sister and second sister who were sitting silently, and added with a smile: "Take your little sister with you too."

Chen Rong and Chen Wan looked at each other, unable to understand how their mother said these words in a polite way.On the other hand, the second sister was a big kid, and immediately saw that this was Feng's words to send them away.Now that this is the case, it must be difficult for them to listen to the matter to be discussed next.The second sister didn't say much, so she got up to leave, still smiling and said: "I only ate a bowl of porridge in the morning, I said I was not full. Adding two more bean buns now will be just right."

After finishing speaking, he smiled and said to Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen: "Grandfather and grandmother, don't worry, we will definitely save the biggest steamed bean buns with the most stuffing, and don't ask them to eat them all."

Everyone who said a word was happy.Chen Wanyou smiled and said: "It's really a thief calling for a thief. He also said that he wanted to watch us not steal food. I'm afraid you will forget about your grandfather and grandmother when you see delicious food."

The second sister opened her mouth and said: "Sister Wan, this is slander. My grandfather and grandmother don't believe it anymore."

So it was not Chen Rong and Chen Wan who were talking and laughing with the two younger sisters, but the second sister who led the crowd out.

Seeing that the maids and women who were with the young masters and girls also left, Feng Shi smiled and said to Chen Gui: "I heard from Mrs. Xu's family that the reason why Mrs. Shen's family brought their children to Beijing was because of the young masters and girls in the family. We have reached the right age... Tell me, the eldest wife of their family came here this time with the intention of getting closer, right?"

No wonder Feng was worried.It must be known that although Xu Zichuan and Chen Gui both work in the household department, their grades are almost the same.At first glance, they seem to be of similar family background.But after careful study, Chen Gui's officials were donated, but Xu Zichuan was a serious imperial examination scholar, and was hand-picked by today's Shuji to pass the Hanlin Academy.

According to the rule of the imperial court that "you can't enter the third rank unless you take the imperial examination, and you can't enter the cabinet unless you are in the Hanlin", even if the Chen family is lucky enough to come to the ancestral grave for a few decades, Chen Gui can only stop at the fourth rank.With just this one, Xu Zichuan's future will be far ahead of Chen Gui's by an unknown number of blocks.

What's more, Xu Zichuan's first wife, Shen Shi, was born in Shen's family, a great salt merchant in the south of the Yangtze River.Although there is a policy of emphasizing agriculture and suppressing commerce, the salt merchants in the south of the Yangtze River are the most wealthy in the world, and their prestige and pomp can even influence the officialdom in the south of the Yangtze River.Who wouldn't be jealous of that scorching power and wealth?Even if the Shen family is not counted as the Shen family after she gets married, the generous dowry back then is enough to be envied by others.

So since the two families of Chen and Xu became friends, Feng's idea of ​​the girl from the Xu family was early on.I just think that my son is smart and can read, and the Xu family girl is raised by Shen's gentle and beautiful, and the two children can be regarded as childhood sweethearts. .

Feng Shiyuan thought that the children were still young, so he was not in a hurry.After another two or three years, Chen Wei passed the examination of Tongsheng scholar and gained fame, then he went to check on Shen's tone and sent someone to Xu's mansion to propose marriage.Presumably Shen's will not refuse because of the affection between the two families.Who would have thought that she had a good plan, and the eldest wife of the Shen family would appear on the way?

When everyone in the Chen family heard Feng's worry, they looked at each other in blank dismay.After pondering for a long time, Mrs. Chen couldn't help but said: "Sister-in-law's words are reasonable. I don't think we should invite the Xu family over tomorrow. First, in the name of visiting the eldest wife of the Shen family, go to see the young master of the Shen family. What are the girls like? Isn’t there such a saying, if you know yourself and your enemy, you will never end in a hundred battles. Let’s take a look at their boys first, they are comparable to our boys.”

When Chen Gui heard the words, he didn't take it seriously.He waved his hand and said with a smile: "Don't worry too much. A man like Zi Chuan would never ask his son to marry a merchant's daughter, let alone marry his daughter to a merchant."

Feng Shi looked at Chen Gui, but still hesitated to speak.After thinking about it, Yin smiled and said, "Even if the Xu family doesn't have this plan, it's hard to guarantee that the Shen family doesn't think so. What's more, Mrs. Xu is still the aunt of the Shen family."

Seeing that Chen Gui still smiled and did not answer.Feng Shi gritted her teeth, and said with Tuqiongdagger, "I think it's better to find Kong'er and talk to Xu's family about it. The year has passed, and Rao'er is twelve years old."

Mrs. Chen and Mrs. Chen took Feng's words very seriously.

Chen Gui laughed when he heard the words, and just about to say something, there was a commotion outside, and before everyone could ask, a little girl who hadn't kept her head was led in by Bixi and opened the curtain.Before the little girl could reach her, she knelt down on the ground in a panic and yelled: "Go back to the old lady, the old lady, the old lady, the Feng family sent someone to send a message, saying that the old lady in Feng's residence is not good. Tell the master and wife to hurry over!"

"What?" Everyone was shocked when they heard this.Mrs. Feng also didn't care about going to the Xu family to propose marriage, so she hurriedly grabbed the little girl who was summoning her son, and asked anxiously: "What are you talking about, why is my mother not well? I was fine when I came home the other day. Son, why is it not good now?"

That little girl was just a waiter at the door.She is young and has not been carefully trained. She was sweeping snow in the yard just now, and when she got a letter from the porter, she hurried over to pass on the message, not knowing the details.Seeing Feng Shi tugging at her arm and asking carefully, she was taken aback, and immediately cried: "I don't know. Madam, don't ask me, I'm just here to pass on a message."

Seeing this, Feng became even more anxious.Mrs. Chen scolded from the side: "You really are a hairy girl who can't get on the stage. She can't even understand a sentence. Quickly call in the person sent by the Feng family. Just say that your wife has something to ask. Go!"

Bixi agreed to go all the way.When he was young, he led the mother-in-law of the Feng family in.The old woman reported back carefully.All the people learned that it was New Year's Eve, the old lady of the Feng family had a quarrel with her daughter-in-law, Xiao Sun, and she was so angry that she passed out without bringing it up.

When everyone heard the words, they couldn't help but look at each other.Feng Shi only felt a burning sensation on his face, he was ashamed and eager to ask: "Why did you have a quarrel? How is mother now? Did you invite the imperial doctor to see her?"

When the old lady asked, she just faltered and mumbled, and said in her mouth: "I don't dare to say anything. Please ask my aunt and uncle to wear it and go over and have a look."