Early the next morning, Han Hongpei came. He Hua was staring at the kitchen and preparing to eat. The place Qi Jintang and the others went to see today was much further away than Yangmeilin. They would definitely not be able to find a place at noon if they were not next to each other. For dinner, thinking that several adults from the yamen were going to go with him, Hehua simply asked the kitchen to cook a few large dishes, packed them up for the servants to take with them, and also brought some fruits and fruit wine to avoid losing space. Nothing to be found. (arrive)
Seeing this, Han Hongpei simply said: "Why don't we take some food with us and use it directly at Yangmeilin at noon and then come back."
"What's the difference between taking home-cooked dishes and eating them at home?" Hehua originally said that it would be better to go to the mountain for a barbecue, but she was afraid that Mrs. Zhou wouldn't be able to eat that kind of food, so she thought for a moment and said, "Let's go to the inn first. Madam Zhou, let's discuss whether we should have dinner on the mountain at noon, and then tell the servants to prepare it. Let's go to the mountain to play first, and we can ask them to send it up before lunch."
"That's right, you have a good idea, lest Mrs. Zhou make other arrangements, which would make us too independent." Han Hongpei nodded repeatedly after hearing this, and then said to Hehua, "Sister, you are really good to me, like this All good things come to me, but Mrs. Zhou, can you please speak up? I'm afraid that if I don't speak up, I'll offend people and implicate you instead."
"Mrs. Zhou is a very cheerful person. She doesn't lie at all and is very sincere. I think you should be able to get along with me, otherwise I wouldn't call you." He Hua comforted, "It's almost time. Come on, I'll go change my clothes and then we can go."
Qi Jintang rode a horse, and He Hua and Han Hongpei rode in a carriage and arrived at the inn together. The other adults from the Yamen were already sitting on the first floor of the inn drinking tea. When Qi Jintang arrived, they all came out to greet him and salute.
The carriage was driven directly to the backyard. As soon as Hehua got out of the car, she saw that Mrs. Zhou had led the girl down the back stairs. This courtyard was specially designed for women to walk, so it was very clean.
He Hua and Han Hongpei greeted them and saluted, and then said: "Sister Hongpei just suggested. I wonder what Madam's plans are today? If there is nothing to do all day, let's ask the servants to prepare some food. We will have lunch on the mountain before coming down. No. Do you know what you think?"
"What can I do? It's a good idea you mentioned, but it would be pointless to have a cook go up the mountain to cook. It's better to come back and eat." Mrs. Zhou was very happy after hearing this idea, but then she felt a little embarrassed. stand up.
"I have an idea, but I don't know if you can get used to it." Hehua said a little embarrassed, "My family is from the Northeast, and I have lived at the foot of the mountain since I was a child. We usually go to the mountains to hunt hares, just I made a fire on the ground to roast it and eat it. I was wondering if we could bring a charcoal stove up the mountain and ask the servants to get some mutton, venison, pheasant, hare, etc., and let others clean it up. The three of us would choose a place with a good view. A place where you can grill and eat while talking. I just don’t know if you can get used to it... "
Before He Hua could finish her words, Mrs. Zhou had already said yes, and said with a crooked smile, "You are still young, so you have many ideas. This is a great idea. Let someone prepare it."
Hearing this, Han Hongpei stopped him and said: "Since you have come to our Qingxi County, it's up to us to show our friendship as landlords, and they are not familiar with what is sold in the county, so I will take care of this matter." I must give all the instructions, and the three of us will get in the car and go up the mountain, we will be happy."
He Hua did not compete with Han Hongpei. Seeing this, Mrs. Zhou felt that the two people did have a close relationship and did not look like they were here to ask for help. He stopped being pretentious, nodded and said: "Well, if you come to me in the future when you have the opportunity, I will entertain you well."
Han Hongpei gave a few instructions to the girl following behind her. The girl nodded repeatedly and said with a smile: "Madam, don't worry. I will definitely handle it properly."
He Hua thought that she would be thirsty after eating barbecue, so she stopped the girl and ordered: "Remember to prepare more spices and drinks. You are not allowed to bring wine up."
"Yes!" The girl agreed and left, and the three of them got in the car and set off towards Yang Meilin.
After leaving the city, Mrs. Zhou lifted up the curtain of the car window and pinned it to the hook on the side. She stared outside and kept saying, "The scenery in the south is indeed very different from that in the north. Although there is no The mountains in the north are tall and majestic, but they also have a different flavor."
"It is said that the mountains in the south are the most beautiful when viewed in the misty rain, but the rainy season is really a headache. It is not as comfortable as this sunny weather." Hehua said with a smile, "I am used to it in the north. , Leng Buding came to the south to spend the winter, but when I tasted the taste, I just felt sick all over."
"Isn't it supposed to be warmer in the south than in the north? Although I have never been here in winter, it always gets hotter the further south I go." Mrs. Zhou asked strangely.
"Although winter in the south is not as cold outside as in the north, it is not warm inside the house, and it is often rainy. Moreover, all houses in the north have a heated kang, but in the south most people sleep on beds, set up a charcoal stove, and have a soup pot. "It's always so cold in the house that people can't sit still." Hehua shook her head and said, "At any rate, my house can still afford the heat, but ordinary people would have to endure the cold. I heard that a few people in the south said Seriously, people freeze to death every year.”
The atmosphere in the carriage suddenly became depressed, and Hehua quickly said, "It's all my fault. Look at what I'm saying."
"Did people freeze to death last winter?" Mrs. Zhou did not change the subject and asked immediately.
Seeing He Hua's embarrassment, Han Hongpei hurriedly took over the topic and said, "No one froze to death last year. Mr. Qi changed the method of disaster relief and gathered all the homeless people in one place to take care of them. There were people to cook for them and provide them with cotton-padded clothes and cotton-padded clothes." They were quilted, so they all spent the winter safely."
Mrs. Zhou smiled when she heard this, "Master Qi is young and promising, and my old Zhou also praised him very much when he came back yesterday!"
"I don't dare to accept it. This is what I should do as a parent, but I don't dare to accept this ridiculous praise. (I'm here)" Hehua continued to be modest.
"Although it is the duty of parents to be an official, there are many people who cannot do it. So in this world today, those who can do their duty well are already excellent officials." Mrs. Zhou suddenly said with emotion.
He Hua and Han Hongpei looked at each other, not knowing how to answer the question.
Mrs. Zhou smiled again when she saw this, reached out and patted Han Hongpei who was sitting next to her and said: "You don't dare to speak. You are too reserved to talk about anything I say. I heard that before we came, something happened in the county. It’s a murder case, can you tell me about it?”
Han Hongpei had no choice but to tell the murder case from beginning to end.
Mrs. Zhou seemed genuinely interested. He also asked several detailed questions, and after hearing this, he shook his head with emotion: "There are often such stories about a down-and-out young man and a wealthy daughter in scripts and operas, and each one is written in such a soul-stirring way that it makes people yearn for it. But in fact, Who can see these people dying. So, what our ancestors said about being a good match makes sense, at least it’s not too outrageous."
"That's exactly what you said!" Han Hongpei smiled and chatted, "In storybooks and plays, it's all over when the two are in love, but this marriage is for the purpose of living together, with a poor boy on one side and a rich girl on the other. How is it possible to live in one place, sooner or later there will be trouble."
Seeing that the two of them were chatting in harmony, Hehua just listened with a smile on her face without interrupting. In this way, they soon arrived at the bayberry forest. Miaoer went to call all the people working in the forest together. , sent them all to stay away, and then stepped forward to clean up the thatched shed. After wiping the table and stools, I invited the three ladies to come over.
Mrs. Zhou is indeed a lively person, although she looks to be in her thirties. When I arrived in the mountains, I was like a little girl, curious about everything I saw. I walked into the forest and occasionally found a few wild flowers I didn't recognize. I wanted to pick them back and let the girl find something to plant them.
After she looked around her surroundings and the novelty was almost gone, she walked back to the shed and sat down. There were beads of sweat on her forehead, her cheeks were slightly red from the heat and sun, and she said with a smile on her face: "This place is really nice. When I followed Lao Zhou to other places, they would only lead me to some courtyard or village. Looking at those rockeries, pavilions, and ponds was really boring, but the real flowers, plants and trees in this mountain made people soothing. "
"Mrs. Zhou, it's just because we haven't seen it before." Han Hongpei said with a smile, "We are used to seeing these things. But we don't find it strange."
"People are not all like this. They only look at the beautiful scenery elsewhere, but never pay attention to the people around them." Hehua sipped her tea and answered again and again.
"These words are very Zen-like." Mrs. Zhou wiped the sweat from her forehead with a handkerchief, took a few sips of tea and sat down to rest, fanning one after another in her hand.
After sitting for a while, two more carriages came on the road. Lotus's eyes were the sharpest, and he saw from a distance that they belonged to Han Hongpei's family. He stood up and covered the sun with his hands and looked again, "Sure enough, it was trained by Sister Hongpei. Girl, you do things neatly and you’re here so quickly.”
"Jingjia, although this girl is not very smart, she is very careful and reliable in her work." Han Hongpei was very pleased with the compliment.
After the carriage stopped, several girls got down and started to take things out. They even brought a long table, but a hole was dug on one end of the table, and a charcoal stove could be placed in the middle. A fine grid was placed on the hole. After the iron shelves and tables were placed, food boxes were lifted out of the car one by one. There were plates of mutton, venison, chicken, rabbit, sweet potatoes, taro, and even eggplants, tender melons and other items. Cut it and arrange it neatly, and put it on a table.
Then the three chairs were set up, and Jingjia stepped forward to prepare the barbecue. Mrs. Zhou waved her off, "You all should do whatever you are supposed to do. We are here by ourselves. This is what we eat. What are we playing with after you have already cooked it?" .”
Although Han Hongpei can cook, she has never baked anything. She is inevitably a little confused at the moment, but at least it is not a big mistake. But when Mrs. Zhou looks at her posture, she is afraid that she can't even cook. Fortunately, although Hehua It’s been a long time since I grilled my own meat, but I’m still an old hand and I quickly found the feel.
Han Hongpei saw that Hehua was proficient in cooking, so she simply stopped interfering and just helped turn the noodles. Mrs. Zhou still refused to give up. When she saw what Hehua used to bake, she also followed suit, but every time it was either burnt or seasoned. If you don't put it in the right way, you will always create some weird situations and waste a lot of things. Finally, you give up, but you still feel very reluctant and say: "I have done the same thing as you every step of the way. Why am I still doing it?" Your baked goods are so delicious, this is so unreasonable.”
Hehua saw that everyone was almost eighty percent full after eating, and they were just playing around, so he taught her step by step how to brush oil, how to turn over, how to sprinkle seasonings, and finally baked a piece of cake with great difficulty. The portion was not burnt, and the seasonings were moderately seasoned, but the flavor was not as good as the burnt aroma of lotus flowers.
Mrs. Zhou had no choice but to admit: "It seems that I really don't have the talent in this area. When I was still a girl in my mother's family, I almost burned down my kitchen when I learned to cook. In the end, my mother refused to say anything. Let me learn again, and at worst I can find someone who doesn't dislike you."
"It doesn't matter if you don't know how to cook. Just hire two more cooks at home." He Hua suddenly felt that she had a lot in common with Mrs. Zhou and said. "When my mother asked me to learn needlework, I would hide whenever I could, and delay if I couldn't. In the end, my mother really had no choice but to let me go. [] I still remember my old man's words. When he saw me twisting the needle and threading the thread, he was stunned for a long time and said, "It looks a bit serious. Even if the stitching is not good, it can still scare people, but it really shocked me."
The three of them laughed together. After Han Hongpei laughed, she remembered that Mrs. Zhou and He Hua were both held in the palm of the man's hand and hurt, but he... couldn't bring out the discomfort in his heart, and he was really depressed. , put down the chopsticks in his hands, leaned back on the chair and said, "I'm full. I'm eating while talking today. I'm afraid I've eaten a lot more than usual, and I'm so full that I'm feeling sleepy."
"No one sleeps after eating. Let's go for a couple of walks together to relieve our appetite. Let the servants come over and eat some. Then we pack up our things. It's almost time to go back." Hehua left. Come over and pull Han Hongpei up.
Mrs. Zhou pointed to the south with great interest and said, "I didn't go there just now, let's go there this time."
He Hua asked her servants to come over to eat, and then walked south for a while with Mrs. Zhou and Han Hongpei. Going further south, she could see the dry river in the distance. Mrs. Zhou stood still and looked at it for a long time without saying a word. Said, He Hua and Han Hongpei stood silent behind her.
When they came back from the walk, the three of them seemed to have something on their mind. Sitting in the carriage, everyone closed their eyes and meditated, and no one spoke again.
The carriage entered the city all the way, and it went smoothly with servants in front of it. From the city gate to the inn where Mrs. Zhou lived, you had to pass through the Yamen. As soon as you reached the corner of the street, you heard a cry. It was too far away to make it clear what they were shouting about. . Only one woman's wail was particularly harsh.
Hehua opened the car curtain and said outside: "Li Ming, go and see what's going on."
Liming got off the carriage and ran over, asking the guard at the door of the Yamen. Not long after, he brought a guard back and replied to Hehua: "Grandma, I'm here to complain. It's just a trivial matter between neighbors." , but the mother-in-law of that family was too aggressive and always made the neighbors uneasy. Neither Li Zheng nor the security chief could do anything to her family, so they had to push her to the Yamen. However, today the adults in the Yamen were not here, and they all went to see her with Mr. Zhou. The river is flowing, so now there is a commotion at the Yamenkou."
"No matter what the reason is, you can't block the person at the door and let her roll around and let people see what she wants. It's okay to let her in and drink tea in the side hall and wait." Hehua said very unhappy.
The officer first bowed to the lotus, then nodded and said: "Madam, you don't know. This sister-in-law is a big shrew in our Qingxi County. Who doesn't know her in the city? She makes a big fuss. Noisy things happened every day. The family moved to several houses, but she couldn't live in them any longer. She had no choice but to move out. When there was noisy, she ignored everything. It was common for children to behave and roll around in the street. It's not the children who wanted to be with her. It's a quarrel on the street, but she refuses to go in no matter what. When the kids come near, she spews obscenities. Anyone who dares to touch her will be in trouble even if they don't get picked on."
"Then let her be like this? Can't we make trouble until the county magistrate comes back?" Mrs. Zhou asked expressionlessly.
The officer didn't know who else was in the car, but someone who could sit in the same car with Hehua didn't sound like a servant. The officer didn't dare to neglect him, but there was really no good way, so he had to He kept pleading guilty with a grimace.
Hehua lowered his head and thought for a moment and asked, "Tell me the details of that family's situation."
"Yes, her parents-in-law died early. The man is an honest man who only works to make money. He listens to her in everything at home. There are two sons in the family. The eldest is eight years old and the younger is five. To be honest, this woman is not a light-hearted person. She has moved so many times, and none of her neighbors can get along with her. She always fights you to death over trivial matters. There is a reason for the commotion now. It was a fight between two children. The eldest son of this family was playing with other children and got into a fight for some reason. Her younger son did not run home to call the adults, but rushed to help, even though he looked like he was just missing something. He was three years old, but there were still many things missing. As a result, he was caught between two people and was punched by one of them until his nose bled and his forehead was broken."
"When the two eldest children saw this, they were immediately frightened. Her eldest brother hugged his younger brother and ran home. As he ran, he shouted, Mom, it's not good, my younger brother was beaten to death. This shout stirred up a hornet's nest. , the woman ran out with a broom, went up to her son by the collar and asked who beat him. Her son said he was a neighbor's child, so she rushed to the neighbor's house to start a fight. There were many people in the neighbor's house, so she beat him. She kicked her out without saying a word, and even pushed her so hard that she fell off her butt, so we got into trouble with Li Zheng and the security chief, but no matter how much we tried to persuade him, we couldn't solve it, so we had to come to the Yamen."
He Hua couldn't laugh or cry when she heard this. Such a thing was actually worthy of going to the Yamen to make trouble. However, she couldn't leave it alone. Hehua got out of the car and was about to go over to take a look, but Han Hongpei and the guard stopped her.
Han Hongpei said: "What did you do in the past? If things go wrong I will hurt you again."
"Yes, Mrs. Liu is right. That woman's words are unpleasant. It would be bad if she bumped into you." The guard followed up and said.
"Then why don't we just leave it alone?" Hehua frightened the officer away with a sullen face, and then said to Han Hongpei, "Sister, don't worry, I'll go over and take a look."
He Hua went over and saw dozens of people surrounding the yamen door, but those watching the excitement stayed far away. In the center, there was a woman lying on the ground, rolling and crying. Next to her stood a simple-looking man. . There were two little boys, one tall and one short. There were several other people standing far away, leading a little boy. They were pointing at the woman on the ground and kept cursing. They seemed to be extremely dissatisfied with her behavior. It seemed that she was a neighbor. .
Lotus just looked inside. But she didn't find Mrs. Zhou following her with interest.
"Get out of the way." The officer separated the crowd and walked over with Li Ming protecting the lotus. Mrs. Zhou and Han Hongpei also followed in.
Lotus' eyes fell on the youngest boy, and saw that there were still blood stains on his face that had not been washed away, and there were also solidified blood stains on his clothes. There was a yellow and blood-stained handkerchief stuffed in his nose, and he was holding it with his left hand. The honest man rubbed his eyes with his right hand from time to time.
"Little brother, what's your name?" Hehua walked around the rambunctious woman, squatted in front of the little boy, and asked softly with a smile.
"I... my name is Erga..." The little boy was a little frightened, but he still sobbed and replied.
"Does your nose still hurt?" Hehua raised her hand and rubbed the top of his head, her voice becoming gentler.
"Still... it still hurts a little." The little boy was completely confused by He Hua's attitude. It seemed that no one had ever been so gentle to him in his memory, not even his own mother.
"Miao'er, go ask the doctor, Xiao Zhen, go get a basin of warm water, and Li Ming, go to the street to buy clothes that his two sisters can wear." He Hua ordered without raising his head.
Warm water was delivered quickly. The lotus moistened the handkerchief and washed away all the blood stains on Erga's face. His dark hands were also washed clean with soap balls, which seemed to have a trace of fragrance. .
Everyone was shocked by He Hua's actions. The rambunctious woman on the ground cried for a while. Seeing that no one paid attention to her anymore, she slowly stopped crying. When she turned around, she saw He Hua wiping her son's hands.
The woman got up in a hurry, stepped forward and shouted: "Who are you? How dare you touch my son? See if I..."
Before the unpleasant words could be uttered, the officer on the side yelled: "Shut up, this is our county magistrate's wife. If you dare to talk nonsense, I will not arrest you."
When the woman heard this, she took several steps back in fright. Although she was said to be extremely aggressive among the neighbors, it did not mean that she dared to mess with people of high status and background. She was immediately frightened.
Seeing that she had calmed down, Hehua stood up straight and said: "I have already invited the doctor to come. The child is young and should be carefully checked. Don't be too careless. If you think this is acceptable, let's sit down inside and wait. How are you, doctor?"
The woman didn't expect the county magistrate's wife to speak so gently. Instead of showing a look of disgust towards her, she actually discussed it with her very kindly. She immediately panicked and stammered: "Okay, okay... I'll listen to you." of… "
Hehua took the little boy's hand and went in first. The two families behind looked at each other. Finally, under the urging of the guards, they all filed in. Most of the people watching the excitement at the door dispersed, and there were still some people who were really bored and were sitting in the Yamen. They squatted and chatted under the shade of a tree, waiting to see if there would be another commotion, even if they couldn't see inside. It would be nice to have a corner here.
After entering the county government office, everyone was much quieter. After all, the decoration and atmosphere in the county government office were not as good as on the street. It would make people who had never been here feel depressed. Even the shrewd woman did not dare to make any more noise. After moving a lot of stools, the two families sat down one after another, one in the east and one in the west. There was a long distance between them. There is something about the Chu-He-Han realm.
Miao'er now brought the doctor back, and Hehua asked the doctor to check Erga's injury. It was nothing serious and the bleeding had stopped.
The doctor applied medicine to the wound on Erga's head, and told him not to eat spicy or spicy food in the past few days, so as not to affect the healing of the wound, and left with the consultation fee given by Hehua.
After so many twists and turns, the two families now lost their initial momentum. They all sat quietly in their seats, waiting for Hehua to speak.
He Hua beckoned Erga to her side. She helped him take off his blood-stained coat and put on the newly bought clothes by Liming, and then asked softly: "Erga. Can you tell me what happened today?"
"Okay..." Erga, wearing new clothes, tied his hands uncomfortably, stood in front of Lotus, and said slowly, "My brother took me out to play, and then the neighbor's brother Daming also came out to play. He and My brother wanted to fight cocks, so I was playing by myself. Later, he pushed my brother hard. My brother got up and saw that his clothes were dirty. Then he started fighting with Brother Daming. I watched them fight. I just wanted to go up and tear him apart, but my brother punched me, and Brother Daming’s fist hit me just in time... "
Erga spoke a little slowly, but he still understood under He Hua's encouraging gaze.
Hehua rubbed Erga's hair and asked, "Then are you angry with Brother Daming? Are you angry with your brother?"
Erga shook his head quickly, "Brother Daming always takes me to play. He doesn't think I'm young. Brother Daming helps me when others bully me. Neither he nor my brother mean it. Erga is not angry."
"Erga is such a good boy." Hehua immediately praised Erga, then looked up at the other two children below, "What about you two? Are you angry? Will you still play together in the future?"
The two older children looked at each other. Although they curled their lips and turned their heads, they both slowly turned back. Then Daming scratched his hair and said, "It's my fault. I shouldn't push you so hard. In the future, Do you still want to play together?"
Erga's brother was embarrassed when he heard this, and said coquettishly: "Actually, it's my fault. If I lose, I'll fight with you. I can't afford to lose. If you're not angry, I'll still play with you."
"You three are all good children. Come here and wash your hands with this sister. I have prepared snacks for you. It is your reward for today. From now on, we can all play together. You are not allowed to do anything randomly anymore, okay?"
"I know." The two eldest children nodded in agreement, and then followed Miao'er arm in arm.
Hehua then suppressed the smile on her face, looked at the two families below, and said in a deep voice: "It's just a joke between children. They are still young and ignorant, and you adults are also ignorant. ? Whose children didn’t grow up with such a lot of beatings and beatings. The children are all fine soon, but you adults are just fighting like this for such a trivial matter, don’t you feel embarrassed in front of the children? "
Everyone below bowed their heads and said nothing, except for the woman who shouted reluctantly: "He is not your son. Of course you can stand and talk without pain. I feel sorry for my own son. I..." As he said this, He was about to howl again.
"Shut up!" He Hua scolded, "Don't do this in front of me. Although I am young and have no children, I have watched my two younger brothers grow up, teaching children, etc. I dare not say that I No matter how well you do, it is still much better than you. If you are really doing it for your son and for your son to become a talented person in the future, you should change your temper like a shrew. Your child is still young and doesn’t understand this. No matter how old you are, If someone goes to school, he or she will be laughed at. Isn’t that nice
He Hua's words made the woman turn pale and she opened her mouth several times but no words came out.
Hehua hadn't finished her words yet, and continued: "I heard that you have moved several times, and each time it was because you couldn't get along with your neighbors. If there are one or two families who can't get along with you, Maybe it can be said to be the other party's problem, but if no one can get along with you, then it must be your problem. You have offended several neighbors now, and our county is such a big place. , one pass from ten to ten, and from ten to a hundred. Who can not know your temper? When your child takes the Tongsheng Examination in the future, who will you find to make a "five-child knot" with you? To put it further, after two All the children have grown up, and you are afraid that you have offended everyone in the county. How will your children get a wife then? Who dares to marry their daughter into your family? "
Hehua's series of questions made the woman break out in cold sweat, and finally she buried her head in her arms and burst into tears.
"If you are really good to your children, you should consider their future, instead of just looking at who gets hit by him, and you will come back with revenge." Hehua finally said seriously, "To be honest, Yamen It’s not my place to get involved in what’s going on here. But seeing you like this, I suddenly remembered that when I was still in my parents’ home, a family moved into our village, and the daughter-in-law of that family was also an inconvenient person. We moved all the way from the south to the north. Our three sons lived in our village for a short time. It was so noisy that we could no longer live in it. Could it be that you will make the whole family so unstable in the future? Are you willing to admit your mistake?"
Things became much simpler after that, and the children came back happily after eating the pastries. The men of the two families shook hands and made peace. Although the two women were still a little awkward, it was a happy outcome for everyone.
After a group of people left in a mess, Mrs. Zhou came out from behind the screen behind Hehua and said, "I didn't expect this matter to be resolved so quickly. Mrs. Qi is really good at it."
Hehua heard the words and waved her hands repeatedly: "I don't care about anyone who is capable or incompetent."