The Little First Grand Secretary in My House

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From then on, Xue Cuiping could no longer speak. She could only hurriedly say a few words that she didn't understand, then raised the door curtain and went out.

The room was very quiet, and the eyes of the young man on the kang darkened, with a trace of vicissitudes of life that did not reflect his age.

Looking at such a little man, Zhao'er didn't dare to step forward. After a long while, he came over, sat on the edge of the kang, and said hesitantly: Dog, are you okay?

Looking at the other person's worried face, Xue Gouzi smiled: I'm fine.

Zhao'er pursed her lips tightly and touched his head: Believe me, sister, one day we won't have to ask for anything.

*

Xue Cuiping left without even having lunch, taking with her a bag of wheat seeds that Zhao gave her.

No one knows what she said to Mr. Zhao, or what Mr. Zhao said to her. All in all, during lunch, both Zhao and Yang looked unhappy, so that Sun and Zhou were cautious.

Zhao'er never looked at this. After the rice was placed on the table, she took two bowls to put the rice first and then the vegetables. Lunch was not a sumptuous meal, just millet rice, stuffed white rice, radish, and some home-pickled pickles. There is also meat, all big fat meat, a small plate, placed in front of the men.

Men have to work in the fields and eat meat to gain strength.

Zhao'er didn't want to eat meat either. The meat cooked by Zhou was white and greasy, which made people unappetizing. She put some hot vegetables and pickles into the bowl as usual, not much, but Zhao suddenly dropped her chopsticks.

It's just such a small amount of food. How can the two of you eat this? Is it the reincarnation of a hungry ghost or something like that?

These words are very hurtful and slap in the face. Anyone with any self-respect can't stand it, but Zhao'er is used to it. That's how Zhao is, if anyone makes her unhappy, she will be disgusted in various ways.

She was not annoyed and continued to pick up the dishes. She originally planned to pick only those dishes, but because of Zhao's words, she deliberately picked up two more chopsticks.

There's nothing I can do about it, grandma, the dog needs to take care of himself. If you don't give him enough food, you have to eat enough. As she said that, she suddenly turned to Mrs. Zhou and said, Third aunt, next time I'll wash the vegetables. You ask me to choose the food. Our family is not one of those who are too poor to eat. There are scholars in the family, and there is also a Tongsheng master. Although grandma lives a careful life on weekdays, she is not a person who does not let anyone eat the food.

When it comes to criticizing Sang and Huai, Zhao'er thinks she can't lose to anyone, especially since she is holding her breath in her heart.

Sure enough, Mrs. Zhao was immediately annoyed: No matter how rich we are, they can't afford to eat so much like you. You don't work every day and you can eat more than anyone else. A stupid girl like you, if it weren't for our family, He was kicked out a long time ago.”

Zhao'er immediately put away his smile: Grandma, what you said is wrong. When I came to the house when I was seven years old, what kind of work have I never done inside and outside? When my father died, I wore a mourning tribute. When my mother died, I stayed by her bedside day and night for more than half a year. I was the daughter-in-law of my second wife. I gave my second wife a last resort, and I went all over the country to reason with her, and no one asked me to leave.

But Grandma, don't dislike me as a granddaughter-in-law for being too talkative. People are divided into different categories according to how much they eat. Some people eat hot and spicy food and don't even know how to wipe the oil from their mouths. If it were someone else, , if you eat some rotten Baisong, you will become a glutton. There are more than a dozen chickens in this family, and they often lay eggs. Taoer and I feed them every day, but I don’t know where the eggs have gone. Dog disease After a fight, I have only eaten one egg so far. Don’t let me raise this chicken next time. I can’t eat it anyway. Whoever eats it will raise it.”

These words made everyone's faces look ugly. Among them, the faces of Dafang's mother and son were the most beautiful. They were red and white, just like a dyeing shop.

He ate it secretly without wiping the oil on his mouth. He was talking about someone from Dafang. Mrs. Zhao was stingy, but she was not stingy with her eldest son and grandson. Mrs. Yang and her younger son naturally took advantage of it. The seven-year-old talented boy looked angry and seemed to want to say something, but was pulled hard by Yang.

Si Fang's Mao Dan is still young and has a greedy mouth. He has long been tired of eating Bai Song. As soon as I heard the eggs, I couldn't help it, and shouted to Mrs. Sun: Mom, I want to eat eggs, I want to eat eggs...

In the silent main room, a child's sharp cry was heard, which made people's heads throb.

Mrs. Sun was so upset by the crying that she couldn't help but slap her in the face: Why are you making such a fuss? Why are you eating eggs? There are no eggs for you! Her tone was a little harsh.

To put it bluntly, no one feels resentful, but just endures it.

Maodan was slapped and cried even louder. Mrs. Zhao was already furious, so when she saw this, she immediately changed her target: Ms. Sun, you are so promising that you hit my grandson.

Mrs. Sun was always afraid of Mr. Zhao, so she immediately smiled awkwardly and said, Mom, isn't Mao Dan asking for eggs? There are no eggs for him to eat. The latter sentence was muttered, and his eyes subconsciously moved up as he spoke. Fang, mother and son looked at each other.

Mr. Xue has always ignored his daughters-in-law's affairs, and now he couldn't help it.

With a dark face, he patted the table: No, what are you making a fuss about! The square table was slapped so that its legs shook, and the bowls and plates jumped up and down, making crisp sounds.

Zhao'er didn't pretend to be dead, and said aggrievedly to him: Grandpa, it's not that grandma dislikes me and Gouzi for eating so much.

She put the bowl on the table, covered her face and started crying: I just ate such a small amount of rice that made my throat irritate, and there was not even a drop of oily star, so I just told him to eat it and serve it out to others. Look, people will laugh to death when they see us. If grandma really dislikes me and Gouzi, why not give us a second room, and we will never eat and drink at home again.

When he heard the word 'family separation', Mr. Xue subconsciously twitched his eyebrows and scolded: No one is allowed to mention the separation of families! He seemed to feel that his tone was too harsh, and he lowered his tone and said: Your grandma is upset about your aunt's family, so she is angry with you. But you are a junior, how can you talk back to your elders.

He turned around and scolded Mrs. Zhao again: Tian Tian said that you don't have a long memory and have lived in a dog's belly all your life. What are you doing with those eggs? They are so smelly that you can't bear to eat them! Third daughter-in-law, go and get some. I’m here to stir-fry and add some vegetables for everyone.”

Just like that, Mr. Xue's words successfully silenced everyone.

Zhao'er's eyes flashed. She was not lying when she said she wanted to separate the family. Unfortunately, she was stillborn the first time she said it. But that's right, how could Mr. Xue allow the second house to be separated? If word spread about it, it would become a family bullying the two children. Besides, Mr. Xue also wants to twist the whole family into one, so that he can provide another scholar for the Xue family.

Not to mention these things, even though there was a scene, the whole Xue family had a meat meal.

Zhou made a large bowl of scrambled eggs and left a bowl specially for Zhao'er.

This move is a bit intriguing. You must know that the third wife and her husband are usually taciturn. They are considered old scalpers in the Xue family. They rarely help the two children of the second bedroom to speak.

But Zhao'er didn't think much about it. Everyone in the family had their own thoughts, and she couldn't control anyone else's thoughts. Just don't make her anxious.

She returned to the house with the food. When she entered the door, she smiled at Xue Gouzi and said, Look, dog, there are eggs for lunch.

*

Looking at the bright smile on the girl's face, a complex look flashed in Xue Gouzi's eyes.

Although he was in the house, the movement in the main room was not missed.

Zhao'er is like this, aggressive and fierce, and he never cares about what others think of his actions. He used to care a lot and always felt that she was embarrassing and doing him a disservice. He tried to dissuade her many times but failed, and because of other things, he hid his disgust towards her.

Little did he know that he was the one who was hypocritical, inferior and stupid. Unfortunately, by the time he understood, it was already too late.

You have a fight with grandma just to eat an egg.

After the words came out of his mouth, he realized that he had not changed his previous awkward speaking pattern, so she might have misunderstood. Sure enough, a dark look flashed across Zhao'er's face, and then he said with a smile: Xue Jun can eat it, but my dog ​​can eat it too. Come and eat, take good care of yourself, and you will be well soon.

Look, she is like this, always treating him as a child and saying I am a dog, but in fact he is no longer a child. The young man's mentality is sensitive and worrying. He doesn't like all this, but he doesn't know how to express it, so the discomfort slowly turns into disgust and subconscious avoidance.

Xue Gouzi didn't know why he thought of this. He just felt that he had become very strange now, as if he had become two people, one was Xue Gouzi and the other was Xue Tingyan. Whenever he encountered something related to Zhao'er, a voice would murmur in his mind, seeming to tell him what he was really thinking deep in his heart.

While he was thinking, something was fed to his mouth. He lowered his eyes and saw that it was a fried egg that was yellow, crispy and soft.

Third Aunt also made good scrambled eggs. The dog took a big bite and grew taller and stronger after eating it.

As soon as he said these words, Zhao'er regretted it.

The little man was so well-behaved today that she couldn't help but imagine the scene when she coaxed him to eat when he was still young. She had always coaxed the dog like this when she was a child, but suddenly the dog began to resist her and hated her the most.

When she was feeling uneasy, she smiled dryly when she saw him lowering his eyes and was about to take back the spoon she handed over.

Suddenly, he came over and took a big mouthful, swallowing a spoonful of rice.

Delicious.

Looking at him chewing the rice with drooped eyelids, Zhao'er suddenly smiled: If it's delicious, eat more. From now on, I will work hard to make money and give the dog scrambled eggs every day.

After saying that, she secretly glanced at Xue Gouzi from under her eyes. Seeing that he didn't show any displeasure, I couldn't help but feel relieved.

In fact, Zhao'er said this on purpose. The little man always hated her running around and learning to do business with others. The two of them had been unhappy many times over this matter, but she couldn't stop making money just because he didn't like it.

She wanted to be rich, and she wanted to be rich so that her little man could go to school, and she didn't want to fight with these people like a black-eyed chicken. She thought a lot, and all of this required his support. After all, they were a family, and now they were the only ones left in the second room.

But Zhao'er has thought about it. Even if he objects, she will do it.

Of course it's best not to object.

Under this situation, she couldn't help but say a few more words: I just told my grandma about the separation of the family, but I blocked him back. Seeing what the little man wanted to say, she interrupted: Listen, sister. Having said that, there are some things that I didn’t want to tell you too clearly. I always felt that you were still young, and I didn’t want to disturb your studies. But what happened today, I can also see that you have your own ideas.

Here at home, if we can fight for it, we will fight for it. It should be ours, and we can't just give it to others without knowing it. Even if we want to give it, we have to give a clear explanation. There is no need to bully others! If we can't fight for it, Don’t be afraid. Sister recently found a business, and I can raise the money to send you to school. Having said all this, I just want you to relax and don’t be afraid. Even if the sky falls, there will still be sister to support you. . People don’t just have this one path. We have many paths to take. To struggle with yourself is something only a fool would do.”

In fact, Zhao'er had wanted to tell Xue Gouzi about this for a long time, but she also knew that the little man had many thoughts, and she was afraid that he would think too much. But who would have thought that he still thought too much, and even worried about it and became sick. Today was such a good opportunity, so she simply pointed it out.

Xue Gouzi looked at her.

This scene in his dream was not like this. Because of his sudden outburst, the Xue family was in chaos. The family reprimanded him, saying that he was ignorant, not considerate of the family, and unfilial, which made Grandma faint with anger. In order to protect him, Zhao'er quarreled with the Xue family, and finally even alerted the clan leader.

Zhao'er was whipped five times in public in the Xue family's ancestral hall for being disrespectful to his elders and breaking the rules, as a warning to others. And this matter was suppressed by the clan leader. He didn't even have the ability to resist, so what belonged to him was taken away from him.

Later Xue Juncai went to the school in the town and was very proud of it. The second room was completely disgusted by the family because of this incident, especially because the eldest room was causing trouble. Life in the Xue family was not easy.

No one at home spoke to them, and no one in the village spoke to them. He couldn't even go to private school because his uncle said he was a wolf-hearted person and couldn't teach him. He also said that Zhao'er had beaten his aunt, and he didn't want to cause trouble for his family anymore.

He was only fourteen at that time. Even if he knew that some people were not good people, he could not understand the malice in them. Maybe he could understand it, but the bad nature of human nature made him subconsciously pass the responsibility. He blamed Zhao'er for all his dissatisfaction, unsatisfactory life, and even the harsh fate of his fate.

Even though he later knew in his heart that he had wrongly blamed her and that he was dead wrong, the misunderstanding was too deep and the two of them had drifted apart, and he had no shame in explaining it all to her.

Xue Gouzi pondered for a moment, Call me Ting Yan.

Ting Yan? Is this a name you chose for yourself? Dog, why did you choose such a name for yourself? She understood immediately and remembered that the talented boy in the eldest house always carried his name on his back because of his young age. People ridiculed that dog and sunspot had the same name.

A flash of distress flashed in her eyes, and she nodded repeatedly: Gou'er, no, Ting'er is a scholar who is different, and the name is so nice. From now on, I won't call you Gou'er, and I won't let outsiders call you that. Let's just My name is Ting Yan. Anyway, in her heart, whatever the dog says is good,

Xue Gouzi, no, his name should be Xue Tingyan now, felt a little depressed. He was only less than two years younger than Zhao'er, but he was in a deep stream that he would never be able to cross in his life. Having said the simple words, he added: Also, can you please stop calling me sister to me in the future?

Zhao'er was even more surprised this time, and even reached out to touch his forehead: Ting'er, what's wrong with you? Are you possessed by something evil? You haven't called me sister since you were a child.

Xue Tingyan took a deep breath and smiled: But you are not my sister. You will be my wife from now on. How can any man call his wife sister?

He was pale and half-leaning on the quilt at the head of the kang. Suddenly he smiled like this, and his handsome features gave people the feeling that he didn't dare to look directly at him.

Zhao'er's face suddenly turned red and he couldn't speak clearly: Gou'er, you, what are you talking about, I, I...

Don't you want to be my wife and give me a baby? He leaned closer.

She stood up suddenly and scolded: You little kid, why are you talking about this? Your hair hasn't even grown yet! She said a curse word that Xue Tingyan didn't like to hear the most, and she didn't realize it: What are you going to do now? What you have to do is to take good care of your body. As for these things, we will talk about them later!

Her eyes were fierce and her tone was fierce. After speaking, she lowered her head and scooped rice from the bowl into Xue Tingyan's mouth. He glanced at her, eating honestly, and suddenly his mood became extremely good.

Maybe the two of us can change the way we get along in the future. If you don't like it, just change it. There's no need to wait for her to understand.

*

Zhao'er threw away the mess and turned back to the house, leaving the whole family to finish their lunch in a depressed atmosphere.

During this period, Ms. Sun had nothing to say but asked for several words, but no one paid any attention to her.

Yang couldn't eat enough. If her parents-in-law weren't there, and if she didn't want to embarrass herself in front of her two younger siblings, she would have thrown away her chopsticks and left. Now, he could only suppress his grievance and eat the food in front of him like chewing wax.

After dinner, Mrs. Sun took Mao Dan and left, knowing that her son had gotten into trouble today and was afraid that he would be angered later. Mrs. Zhou took Xue Taoer to clear the table and took the dishes and chopsticks to the kitchen to wash. Xue Qingbai helped her. Zhou could not carry such a pot of dishes alone. Normally, when Xue Qingbai was not at home, she and her daughter had to carry it.

There were only three people left in the house: Dafang's mother and son, Mr. Xue and Mrs. Zhao.

Yang stood up and wanted to go back to the east chamber, but was stopped by Mr. Xue.

Mr. Xue took out his dry tobacco bag, took out some cut tobacco grown by himself from the dark blue tobacco pouch, rolled it into a ball and pressed it into the tobacco pot, and then lit it with a fire stick.

His movements were very slow, neither fast nor slow. Anyone who knew Mr. Xue's character knew that he had something on his mind.

It was true that something was wrong, but it was not unusual for him to stop his daughter-in-law.

The handsome boy and the talented boy should go back to the house first. Grandpa and your mother have something to say.

Xue Youcai glanced at his mother and wanted to say something, but was pulled away by his eldest brother Xue Juncai.

Dad, just tell me if you have anything to do.

Yang is thirty-four this year. In this rural area, a woman in her thirties is no longer considered young. The wind and sun are blowing here and you can watch the sky while eating, so the women all look old.

But Yang took very good care of herself, with a disk-like face, fair skin, and a few thin lines at the corners of her eyes. She wore a semi-new azurite colored satin gown, her shiny black hair was tied into a bun on the back of her head, with a gilt hairpin inserted into it, and a pair of old silver earrings on her ears. She couldn't be called a scallion, but her hands were fair and soft, and she wore a gold ring.

With her dress and demeanor, it would be no exaggeration to say that she is the grandma of a landlord's family, and even the Zhao family is not as good as her.

Mr. Xue's old eyes flicked back and forth on Yang's body several times, making her a little uncomfortable standing.

Just as he was about to say something, his father-in-law suddenly said: Boss, wife, how many years have you been married to our family?

Yang was startled and replied: It has been seventeen years. My daughter-in-law married into the Xue family in the seventeenth year.

Then how will your mother and I treat you?

Yang's heart thumped: Father and mother treat their daughter-in-law as if they were their own daughter.

Mr. Xue nodded and took a breath of dry cigarette. The light blue smoke began to linger on his old face again, making it difficult to see the expression on his face.

You are the eldest daughter-in-law of our family, and your mother has always loved you. The hearts of you and the boss are the same as those of your mother and me. We hope that a talented person will become a talented person.

Yang felt relieved and couldn't help but laugh: Juncai is serious about his studies. Even my father said that he is a rare and good young man. It's no big deal to become a scholar.

Mentioning the most proud Xue Juncai, even Mr. Xue couldn't help but smile.

Seeing that her father-in-law's face softened, Yang took advantage of the situation and said, But dad, you also know that when it comes to the end, you can't just hold yourself to death at home and study. I wonder if Juncai's father also listened to my father's words. I went to Qinghe Academy to study for two years, got to know some classmates, registered with my husband, and then took the opportunity to make some impression in front of the county magistrate. As expected, I passed the county examination. Ranking in the county examination As long as it's not bad, I'm half sure of winning the government examination, not just 10% of the time. But when it comes to the college examination, you have to rely on luck. Juncai's father just has bad luck, so he fails every time he tries.

This is the real reason why Yang is so valued by the old couple in the Xue family, not only because her father is a child, but also because her father gave Xue Qingshan guidance back then.

Yang's statement seems absurd, but it is actually true. The two county examinations are not as strictly controlled as the hospital examination, especially the county examination, which is presided over by the county magistrate.

There are five county exams in total, and the results of the first exam are mainly determined. In this test, there are two eight-part essays and one poem. As long as there are no typos and the arts and sciences are smooth, you can pass them. Whether you take them or not depends on your luck.

Compared with people who are not familiar to him at all, the county magistrate is still willing to choose someone who is somewhat familiar.

Going to a good school provides an opportunity to stand out in front of the county magistrate. Dachang has always attached great importance to the selection of talents. How many talented people the county can produce, and even how many sons can be promoted to Jinshi, can be regarded as political achievements. No matter how incompetent the county magistrate is, he will have to go through this kind of formality.

And being able to enter a good school will not only increase your connections, but also your horizons.

For example, the county examination only tests the Four Books, Five Classics and the Holy Edicts. How to write the text and what taboos should not be violated. These all need guidance. No matter how wonderful your article is, if it violates taboos such as temple taboos, royal names, sacred taboos, etc., it will not be accepted.

In places like the countryside, many private schools were opened by old students just to earn a living. I also wanted to become a scholar and change my fortune, so how could I go to a private school to educate children in every detail.

Xue Qingshan himself was like this, so he tried his best to send Xue Juncai to Qinghe Academy.

Yang thought that her father-in-law wanted to tell her about sending Xue Juncai to the academy, so she said this. Little did he know that her words really touched Mr. Xue's mind, but Mr. Xue didn't mean to tell her this.

Mr. Xue took a deep breath on his dry cigarette, and then said: The bosses you mentioned have all told me, and we will talk about this later. You are Juncai's mother, and there is nothing wrong with planning for your son, but you have to know that our family It’s not just Dafang’s family.”

The father-in-law's tone was somewhat meaningful. Yang was startled for a moment, then forced a smile and said: Dad, of course my daughter-in-law knows that we are not the only ones living in the Xue family, but don't worry, if Juncai's father and Juncai become successful, they will definitely not forget to be filial to you. And mother-in-law. Seeing her father-in-law's gloomy expression, she quickly added: There are other people in the family, Juncaike has always remembered that he can study, thanks to several uncles and aunts.

Mr. Xue nodded: As you understand, you should know that the other three houses have been sacrificing for the big house. I won't mention the distant ones, just talk about the third and fourth sons. The land in the house refers to the third and fourth sons. Seung, your dad is getting older, and his hands and feet are not as nimble as before. After the fourth child is busy at home, he also has to pick goods to sell. He wears out many pairs of shoes a year, but all the money he earns is given to the father-in-law. , I haven’t written a single penny. Why are you working so hard? It’s not just for our family and our big house.”