The oil bottle of the Red Chamber

In the Buddhist hall in the northwest corner of the Chen family's back house, the Chen family was dressed in white filial piety, without any makeup, kneeling crookedly on the futon, beating the wooden fish with a drumstick in his hand.

Mrs. Chen sympathized with her daughter's hard work in chanting Buddha, and specially asked the kitchen to cook a bowl of bird's nest to replenish her daughter's body.Seeing Chen's rogue posture of sitting and not sitting, he unconsciously recited the Buddha angrily, and said in his mouth: "My little aunt, you have to be more careful, otherwise you will offend the Buddha, but you will be punished. "

Mrs. Chen sneered when she heard the words, and apologized disapprovingly, and said: "Come on, the sages say that they are silent and strange, so it can be seen that the retribution of the underworld is just a fabrication of the world. If there is retribution, the old godmother has done so many bad things. Son, why don't you see that the Buddha accepted her?"

After finishing speaking, he sniffed and said with a smile, "Is this stewed bird's nest? I just love this. After reading the scriptures all day, my voice is hoarse. Give me a taste."

Before Mrs. Chen could react, Mrs. Chen stood up, took the food box from Mrs. Chen's hand, lifted the lid of the box, took out a cup of bird's nest inside and drank it all in one gulp.He clicked his lips and sighed, "Although this bird's nest is good, it's just that the taste is a bit bland. Let's stew a hen tonight, I want to eat chicken."

Old Mrs. Chen heard the words, and said angrily: "Didn't you say that you want to worship the Buddha devoutly, eat fast and observe filial piety for your husband? How come you want to eat chicken again in a blink of an eye!"

"Mother has never heard that wine and meat have passed through the intestines, does the Buddha keep it in his heart?" Chen wiped her mouth with a handkerchief, and said, "Besides, I am not doing it for the reputation of our Chen family. That's all I have to say, mother." Do you really want me to eat vegetarian food for that dead ghost and receive a year of filial piety? He deserves it too."

Seeing her daughter like this, Mrs. Chen felt extremely powerless.Immediately shaking his head, he asked again: "Where are the eldest sister and the second sister?"

"It's stubborn in the house. The Buddhist hall is cold and the children are young, so I didn't call them over." While complaining to Mrs. Chen, Mrs. Chen continued: "You said that there are no tables and chairs in the Buddhist hall. There are just a few futons, whether they are sitting or standing, why call them here? Don’t you think you have suffered enough at Zhao’s house?”

Mrs. Chen listened to her daughter's pickiness and said with a headache: "Just calm down. The Buddhist hall is a quiet place, so you can enjoy it in the Buddhist hall."

As Old Madam Chen said, she looked at the small Buddhist hall with some distress.But seeing the flames in the alcove still green, the incense wafting from the stove, and the cicadas chirping under the flowers and trees outside, it should be a quiet place, but because Mrs. Chen is here, it adds a bit of noise.

Mrs. Chen shook her head and muttered "It's a pity to sin", while pushing Mrs. Chen out, she said: "You have been studying scriptures in this Buddhist hall for a day, and you are also tired. Go back to your room and have a rest. Have dinner I'll send someone to call you."

Mrs. Chen looked at the helpless and angry appearance of the old lady, laughed twice in her mouth, and went back to the room, shaking her handkerchief all the way.

Old Mrs. Chen, who was left alone, let out a long and helpless sigh when she saw Chen's frivolous behavior, playful and flirtatious appearance.

In the west wing room, two girls carved in pink and jade sit side by side in front of the desk, copying Buddhist scriptures.It's just that one is still young, and the other is that he has never read books before and can't read, so he can only draw gourds according to the handwriting on Buddhist scriptures.

At the same time, there were ink marks on the hands and cheeks.

When Mrs. Chen returned to her room, she saw this scene at first glance.Unconsciously, his eyes widened in astonishment, and he blurted out, "What kind of monsters are you two sisters?"

After burying their heads in writing for half a day, the two girls were already a little dizzy.

Rubbing her sore and swollen wrists tiredly, she put the pen on the inkstone, and the eldest sister of the Zhao family said, "Didn't mother want to worship the Buddha devoutly and keep filial piety for my father? The second sister said that we two are fathers The daughter of my daughter must be like my mother."

So just sit here and copy Buddhist scriptures?

Mrs. Chen sneered when she heard the words, shook her handkerchief and said, "He is your kind of father. Did he take care of your food or clothes in this life? It's just a waste of fame. Now I take you The two left the Zhao family, and it has nothing to do with them. You two are still young, so there is no need to wear yourself out because of the gossip outside."

Speaking of this, Mrs. Chen couldn't help feeling a little bit embarrassed.Stretching out his hand to caress the elder sister's neck, he squeezed the little hand for her with distress, and said with a sneer: "The etiquette and laws of this world bind women to behave themselves. But I don't see that those men are all heartless and ungrateful. It's my daughter No matter how good the character and appearance are, it will only be fresh for three or five days if you get it. Today, facing east and tomorrow, facing west, there are thousands of rules to restrain women to obey. I don't listen to their red lips and white teeth. Praise me A few words, I don’t have a penny more. A few more words to scold me, I don’t lose a piece of meat. Every family, every family, who doesn’t close the door to live their own life. Take care of them.”

The eldest sister nodded in a ignorant manner, and asked, "What about Brother Zhang Hua, will Brother Zhang Hua treat me like a father treats his mother when he marries me in the future?"

Mrs. Chen was startled, but immediately came to her senses, and said with a vicious smile: "Oh, my eldest sister is only so old, she just wants to get married. Don't worry, I'm with your old lady, if that foolish boy dares to treat you wrong Okay, I won't expose him. But I looked at it coldly, that silly boy is young, but he knows the cold and the hot and hurts others, he is better than your damn old man!"

The eldest sister blinked her eyes, after all she was still young and didn't quite understand the meaning of her mother's words.But she has always been docile and obedient, and she didn't ask too many questions, she just nodded obediently.

The second sister of the Zhao family who was at the side saw it, and unconsciously sighed.

Mrs. Chen turned her head, looked at the little daughter who looked sad, poked Xiao Baozi's smooth and plump forehead with her slender fingers, and said with a smile: "You are a big kid, and I don't know where I learned the sour habits. How can I still coax you?" Your sister will accompany you to copy Buddhist scriptures."

As Chen said, she stretched out her hand to grab the second sister's arm and looked at it for a while. Seeing that the second sister's little hand was red, red, and swollen from copying scriptures, she felt distressed: "I have copied Buddhist scriptures for so long, but Tired? Let me tell you that you are also dead-headed, and you are exhausted because of a few good words from others. Is it worth it? Let’s drink some milk for a while. You don’t need to spend a day. For a long time, you write a few articles every day when you have nothing to do. If you have enough money, I will send it to the nunnery and ask the master to read it in front of the Buddha. This is also a little bit of filial piety from you.”

The implication is that I don't want to do things in silence after all.Since the two little ones are dead-headed, then outsiders can also understand the filial piety of her daughters.In case there will always be a bunch of black-hearted rotten ghosts talking behind their backs and talking about right and wrong.

Seeing that Mrs. Chen collected the Buddhist scriptures copied by her two daughters neatly but still crooked, and put them lightly into a small brocade box on the dressing table.While tidying up, he kept nagging on the other hand, his heart and eyes were full of distress for his two daughters who were sour and stupid, who didn't know how to take good care of themselves.

"As long as you have a little bit of heart, that dead ghost father of yours, if he knows that you are so filial, he will bless you in a smooth and healthy life. Otherwise, he won't enjoy his good things when he is alive, and he doesn't have to worry about him when he dies..."

The second sister of the Zhao family sighed silently, she didn't expect that she would be scolded by an ancient person for being sour, stupid and filial after traveling through the first life.

Fortunately, before the tea time was over, there was a maid in the main house passing on the old lady's words, saying that dinner was set, and asked the aunt to take the girls to the main hall for dinner.

Only then did Mrs. Chen stop her nagging, and brought her two daughters to the main hall for dinner.

It is very time to hold the lamps, and every family lights up a fire to cook, and the smoke is curling up everywhere.The three meandered all the way into the main house, only to see that Mrs. Feng was arranging a few little maids to set up tables and chairs in the flower hall, and arrange chopsticks and vegetables.Because there are few people in the family, and the small door and small household are no more strict than the rules of the prince's mansion.Several members of the family sat around a dining table, laughing and chatting.

Seeing Mrs. Chen walking up with her two daughters, Father Chen and Mrs. Chen who were sitting at the top quickly said, "I've been busy all day, sit down and eat."

Mrs. Chen agreed with a smile. Seeing that there were fish and meat on the table, especially a large bowl of delicious ginseng stewed chicken soup, she couldn't help laughing out of satisfaction.

Crisp laughter instantly filled the room.Seeing that sister-in-law was trembling with laughter over a pot of chicken soup, Feng's lips curled up in contempt.Immediately came back to his senses, and immediately put on a decent smile.

Mrs. Chen said helplessly for her daughter: "I see that Sister Hui has worked hard all day long to worship Buddha, and she has suffered so many years of training in Zhao's family. It is hard to guarantee that her body will not suffer from any hidden illness. I will make up for her now." Make up, so as not to lose your body."

Chen Hui is the name of the Chen family when they were not married.Father Chen and Mrs. Chen chose such a name for their daughter, because they naturally hoped that their daughter would be virtuous and gentle.It's a pity that the Chen family didn't do either of these two.Now the neighbors are neighbors with a radius of hundreds of miles. Who doesn't know that there is an aunt in the Chen family who has a hot temper and is not at all tolerant?

Both Chen's father and son and the Feng family understood Chen Hui's temperament, but they didn't say anything about it.

Father Chen opened his chopsticks, put the chicken legs and fish into the bowls of the two granddaughters, and said, "My children are growing up. If you don't eat some meat to take care of yourself, what should you do if you get sick in the future? Sister Hui My son is in good health, just drink a few more bowls of chicken soup to make up for it."

After finishing speaking, Chen's dumbfounded and angry face was ignored.He said to himself: "Dinner."

Chen Gui and his wife couldn't help but smile at each other.Feng suppressed her smile, took two pieces of pork ribs and stuffed them respectively for her son Chen Rong and daughter Chen Wan, and said in a low voice, "Don't be in a daze, eat quickly."

Mrs. Chen looked at Father Chen angrily, and was stunned for a long time. After all, she didn't dare to disobey her father's wishes, so she could only resentfully filled several bowls of chicken soup and drank it all in one gulp.

But I didn't expect to drink too much soup and have to go to the toilet in the middle of the night.After tossing and tossing like this several times, it was not until dawn that I gradually rested.Early the next morning, he felt a little tired and his face was bleak.Even with a layer of powder, it can't cover up the bruises under the eyes.

Because of all kinds of rumors and gossips after the Chen family returned home, there were always some relatives and old friends who wanted to see jokes hidden in their hearts, or who really cared about the Chen family.Seeing Chen's description like this, others don't know what happened, but they think that Chen's sudden loss of husband and suffering such slander, exhausted both physically and mentally.

Therefore, there is more compassion and sympathy in the heart.

Seeing this, Mrs. Chen did not defend herself.Later, he simply didn't even bother to wipe off his makeup, and just dealt with everyone with his face up to the sky.Or wear heavy filial piety and lightly apply makeup powder, kneel three times and kowtow nine times in Buddhist temples and nunneries in central Beijing, and burn incense in respect to the Buddha.

As the saying goes, a man should be pretty in soap, and a woman should be pretty in filial piety.

In less than a month or two, the Chen family had a daughter with a peerless beauty, and the reputation of emphasizing love and righteousness spread secretly in Beijing.