Early the next day, Mr. He sent someone over to invite Tang Yu and Tang Fan, sister and brother, to come over.
The meeting place was in the central hall of the He Family's main courtyard.
Mr. He and his wife were at the top, and the two rows of chairs below were Tang Fan, Tang Yu, and He Lin.
Sister Tang Fan sat on one side, and He Lin sat on the other side.
The difference is clear.
Everyone's face is not very good-looking.
He Lin's expression was gloomy, and there was a trace of hangover on his face. Although he was sitting here, he didn't even look at Tang Yu.
Tang Yu's expression was flat, as if she didn't realize He Lin's existence. She lowered her head slightly, but her eyes fell on her hand that was folded on her lower abdomen.
After the Wei family's change, and last night He Lin's trouble at the entrance of the bamboo courtyard, He Ying and Xu's spirits were not very good either.
That's all for the Wei family. Although they lost their lives, they were only the in-laws of the He family, and they were separated from the He family by a layer after all.
But the son of He Lin gave He Ying a headache.
Although the parents have their own preferences among the three sons, in good conscience, they have definitely not treated any one of them badly. It's just that He Lin didn't improve himself. He failed the exams over the years and failed to achieve anything, so he began to blame others, and even complained that his parents had married such a helpless wife for him. He told outsiders more than once that if he married the boss A wife like He Yi from an official family, or a wife from a wealthy family like He Xuan, the third child, can at least give her husband some help.
But He Ying clearly remembered that when Wei Shi first married into the He family, He Lin thought that Wei Shi was the daughter of a businessman, and her identity was not on the table, but Tang Yu was very satisfied because Tang Yu was born as a lady.
As a result, times have changed, and the satisfaction of the past has become the dissatisfaction of today.
After all, it is nothing more than because of my own failure, but I refuse to admit it, and always find the reason from others.
Coupled with what happened last night, He Ying was really disappointed with this son.
Tang Fan spoke first: "Uncle, I still remember that before my sister entered the He family, my Tang family had already died, and my sister and brother felt that they would not be able to climb the He family, and hoped that this marriage could be made. When you gave up, you defied all opinions and insisted on fulfilling the promise of the day. This kind of trustworthiness is really admirable to this little nephew."
He Ying shook his head: "Since the marriage contract was made that day, it should be fulfilled. No one can stand without trust. The He family just did what they should do. This thank you, this old man really can't afford it."
Tang Fan said lightly: "You can afford it! You have to know that human feelings are cold and warm, and the world is hot and cold. Today, people in the world only know how to follow the trend, how can they know how to keep their promises? My uncle and my sister are very grateful for his actions. There is one thing I don't know, I want to ask the elders, uncle and aunt."
He Ying knew what he probably wanted to say, but she still had to say, "Nephew, please speak."
Tang Fan: "I dare to ask my uncle and aunt, after my sister married into the He family, did she act against women's morality?"
He Ying clearly knew what he wanted to say, but he couldn't help but answer: "No."
Tang Fan: "Over the past ten years, my brother-in-law He Lin has tried many times, and he is depressed and ridiculed. My sister not only did not dislike him, but treated him as before, gentle and considerate, right or not?"
He didn't even look at He Lin, but even He Lin couldn't open his eyes and say nonsense.
He Ying sighed: "Yes, the eldest daughter-in-law is not in front of us with her husband, and the third daughter-in-law came in later. In the previous years, thanks to the second daughter-in-law, she was virtuous and filial, serving her parents, and gave birth to Qilang again. The He family has merit."
Tang Fan nodded: "Thank you uncle for your fair words. With your words, my sister's grievances over the years are not in vain. Last night, my brother-in-law said that he wanted to divorce my sister. I wonder what my uncle thinks?"
Without thinking about it, He Ying said, "Nie Zi's nonsense after drinking, how can you take it seriously!"
Tang Fan shook his head: "Did you tell the truth after drinking? I divorced my wife, and the woman must commit seven crimes. The so-called disobedience to parents, childlessness, prostitution, jealousy, evil diseases, talkativeness, and theft. Dare to ask my brother-in-law. , which one did my sister commit?"
He Lin's eyes were red, but don't get me wrong, this was not crying, it was hangover.
He didn't seem to be ashamed of his words and deeds last night just because he was sober, but sneered: "Your sister has been married to the He family for many years, how many times have you seen it? , I and her affairs, it is not your turn to come forward, what are you!"
"My brother is not a thing, he is a person! You are not a thing!" Hearing He Lin's scolding, Tang Yu couldn't bear it any longer, and before Tang Fan could speak, she grabbed the words.
She has always been gentle and gentle. She has never had a blushing face and a thick neck. Even if she was treated coldly by her husband, she would silently endure it. Therefore, the He family had never seen her angry and aggressive. He Lin was stunned.
But in Tang Fan's opinion, this is the sister he is familiar with.
Before she got married, the eldest girl of the Tang family was such a cool person. After marrying into the He family, being a wife and being a daughter were different after all. She had to hide all the edges and corners.
But Tang Fan knew that if he didn't show up, he didn't know how long Tang Yu would have to endure.
Thinking of this, he was filled with self-blame.
Tang Yu's expression was cold. After taking off the mask that she had been in front of people, she became a little strange in the eyes of the He family.
"The Tang family has a strict family style and has taught her daughters with the Four Books of Women since she was a child. Although I can't say that I am perfect, the women's admonitions are all carefully read in my heart, and they are in the He family in the morning and evening, serving their in-laws, their husbands, and having children. , I don't dare to slack off for a day, even if He Lin fails the exam, I don't think he is useless."
"Because in my opinion, whether a man is good or not depends not on how big an official he is, but on whether he is broad-minded and upright. When I married He Er, I didn't expect him to lead him from the very beginning. How much glory do you give me, but I wholeheartedly want to live a good life with him."
"You're lying! You don't think like that at all! You dislike me for useless, and you can't bring glory to your face! You dislike me for not being able to make you a wife like the third child!" He Lin growled.
Tang Yu sneered: "Is Juren's wife great? I'm still the elder sister of the jinshi!"
Tang Fan almost couldn't hold back his laughter, and quickly tensed his face.
Tang Yu's combat effectiveness not only impresses him, but also impresses the He family.
"But Dad, Mom, you've also seen it, I think I've done everything I can, but He Er misunderstood me wholeheartedly, insisting that I despise him and treat me all sorts of indifference, how can I justify this?"
"When I got married, I had no support because of the death of my elders, but Runqing cherished me and used almost all the family wealth as a dowry for me to bring me into the He family. Over the years, the He family's share of the second room allocated to us is every Thirty taels of silver a month, four sets of clothes per person a year, this was originally enough, but He Er wants to go out to visit friends, treat guests to dinner, buy files for reference, and sometimes spend more than half of it in a month."
"I could have saved some money here, but the He family is an official family, and there are banquets every now and then. As the daughter-in-law of the He family, I can't go back and forth wearing those sets of clothes, and I will fall in the face of the He family. , This will cost money. In addition, Qilang reads and writes, buys ink and inkstone. To be disrespectful, the 30 taels of silver that the He family gave me is not enough, so I have to use dowry to make up for it."
Xu Shi was a little displeased and couldn't help but say: "We have given so many examples to the eldest and the third family, and they have never complained!"
Tang Yu smiled and said: "Everyone knows that Zhejiang is rich and prosperous. As the prefect of Jiaxing, the eldest brother cannot get into his eyes at all with these thirty taels of silver. Dad was also a high official, so he must know that what I said is true. As for the younger brother and sister, not to mention that she is the daughter of a rich man in this county, because of the love of her parents for the third younger brother, she is expected to subsidize them privately, so that they will not be wronged."
Although she saw Mrs Xu's ugly face, she didn't stop her words: "Mother, I said these words not to complain, but to state the facts. Over the years, I have used the dowry to make up for He Er, and I have no complaints. The husband and wife are one body. It should be. But just because it should be done, I can't let others ignore my contribution completely, or even be treated as a donkey's liver and lungs, and abandoned like a slap in the face. Father, mother, do you think this is the truth?"
Tang Fan couldn't help but applaud his sister's words.
The faces of the three people in the hall were different. After all, He Ying and Xu Shi still wanted to be embarrassed. It was embarrassing for her to expose them one after another, but He Lin didn't think so at all.
He sneered: "After talking for a long time, you are just excusing yourself. If you really want to be willing, you won't be able to make such a clear note!"
Tang Yu thought that she was frustrated with this person, and sneered back mercilessly: "So what, you can't even pass the exam, you are crazy there all day long, and you close the door and say that no one in the He family looks down on it. You, since you have the backbone, you can make a living by yourself, why take the thirty-two that your parents gave you!"
"You, you bitch!" He Lin turned pale with anger and was speechless.
Tang Yu ignored him, but continued to He Ying and Xu Shi: "I originally thought that when Qilang grows up, I will not live up to my parents' high hopes for me, and I don't need anyone to take a break. I, I asked myself to go down, but father, mother, as you have seen with your own eyes, he, the father, has been cruel to his son regardless of the reason. If Runqing hadn't arrived in time, he would have If the stick goes down, what will Qilang be beaten like? Dad, mother, you were there yesterday, please say something fair for your daughter-in-law and Qilang!"
He Ying coughed lightly: "Gan Yu's move is indeed too much. I also scolded him severely yesterday..."
Tang Yu said lightly: "I'm afraid it's not too many words to describe it. If it hit me at the time, it would be fine. If he hit Qilang, if he is good or bad, I won't be alive anymore, and then I will be hanged at that time. Here, let the world take a good look at what a cruel person he He Er is."
He Lin naturally has his own reasons: "At that time, everyone suspected Qilang, and he kept silent. If I didn't beat him, how would I clear his suspicions? How would I maintain the reputation of the He family?"
Tang Yu asked back: "Did the reputation of the He family depend on beating a child? As Qilang's father, you are not someone else, so why don't you understand your son's character? Then why does Runqing do not need to ask Qilang to be able to do it? Find out the truth?"
He Lin became annoyed and angry: "Speaking of which, you just dislike me for not being as capable as your brother!"
Tang Fan: "..."
He finally understood why his sister was so disappointed in her brother-in-law.
Because He Lin has completely penetrated into the horns, since he suffered setbacks on the road of the imperial examination, this is the only thing left in his eyes, which has almost become his heart disease, inferiority leads to sensitivity, sensitivity leads to irritability, so No matter what others say, he can relate to it.
For so many years, with Tang Yu's hospitable heart, I am afraid that she has comforted him and tried to communicate. As long as there is any hope of reversal, she will not be like now, single-mindedly wanting to take Qilang away from the He family.
He Lin was completely immersed in his own world and had long been unable to extricate himself.
He Ying also realized that such a son was too embarrassing. Before Tang Yu and Tang Fan could speak, he slapped the armrest hard: "Shut up!"
Turning to sister and brother Tang Fan: "Second daughter-in-law, what do you mean? If you have any plans, you might as well talk about it. If your parents can do it, they will do it for you."
He knew that Tang Yu had said so much and was so serious, and it was definitely not just for the sake of complaining.
He Ying had also heard a little about the problem of insufficient second-room share cases in the past.
But the three sons are all the same on the surface, and they are not biased. Even if one is poor and which one is rich, it is their own ability.
Second, the power of the house is in the hands of the Xu family. As a husband, he wants to give his wife this face, and he cannot easily intervene. Anyway, the three sons are all born to her, and no matter how badly he treats him, he will not treat him badly.
So he never asked.
Tang Yu also understands this, so she has never complained, but now that she has made a decision, everyone should talk to each other, and they must express it clearly, lest others think she is unreasonable.
When she heard He Ying ask this sentence, she looked at Tang Fan.
The two have already agreed that Tang Fan will come forward to take care of this matter.
Tang Fan said: "Brother-in-law said earlier that he would divorce my sister, but my sister not only did not commit seven crimes, but also possessed the 'marry and no return' in the 'three no-go', so according to the law, brother-in-law cannot divorce But now, even if they are reluctant to be together, I am afraid they will not have a good life. Since my brother-in-law thinks that my sister is not virtuous, my sister is willing to give up the position of the principal wife and let my brother-in-law marry another virtuous woman."
How smart Mr. He is, he immediately understood: "Do you want to reconcile?"
Tang Fan nodded: "Yes, Heli. Also, take Qilang away."
The He family's complexion changed.
After the previous foreshadowing, everyone had already expected Tang Fan and the others to propose and leave.
But there are objections to Qilang's whereabouts.
Without thinking, He Ying said, "It's impossible. Qilang is a descendant of the He family, so he should stay in the He family, and there is no reason for any woman to bring a child to Heli!"
Seeing that Tang Fan's sister and brother's expressions remained unchanged, he eased his tone and persuaded him: "Runqing, it's not what we want to be in this situation, but fortunately it's not too late, and there is still room for recovery. Whether He Li or remarrying, when you go outside, you will be scorned everywhere. You probably don't want to see such a situation. What's more, the second daughter-in-law is also reluctant to give up Qilang, so don't meddle in this matter, let the husband and wife Let’s have a good talk, where is the reason for being a brother-in-law, and rushing to reconcile elder sister and brother-in-law?”
Tang Fan sighed: "Uncle, I only have respect for you, and I have no other intentions, but this is what happened, why bother? No matter whether we are divorced or not, my sister is my sister. If it is not easy for her to remarry, I will support her for the rest of my life. That's right. As for Qilang, we didn't mean to embarrass him. Imagine that when my sister was there, Qilang was almost beaten. If my sister wasn't there, wouldn't he be even worse? Although my uncle and aunt love their grandson, they can't be there every day. Look, the child still grows better in front of his mother. We will not ask Qilang to change his surname, no matter what, he is still a descendant of the He family, just living with his mother. "
But if it spreads like this, where does the He family have any face
He Ying shook her head, naturally she refused.
Seeing the resolute expressions of the Tang brothers and sisters, he pondered for a moment, and then took a step back: "That's it, Heli is fine, but Qilang still wants to stay in the He family."
But as soon as he finished speaking, He Lin said, "I don't agree with Heli!"
He got up and left a sentence: "Unless I divorce you, you don't want to divorce!"
He left without hesitation.
Mr. He shouted "stop" from behind, but He Lin didn't look back.
Although he usually had a gloomy temperament, he was always obedient to his parents, but now, his actions made Mr. He crooked his nose in anger.
Negotiations broke down, which was also predictable.
Tang Fan didn't expect that the He family would immediately agree to his conditions.
In their opinion, it's all about reconciliation. The daughter-in-law is an outsider after all, and the grandson belongs to their own family. Although the He family has more than one grandson, as Mr. He said, if Tang Yu takes He Cheng away, others will I feel that the He family can't even keep a grandson.
The world is like this, and it cannot be changed by human beings.
It is better to put forward conditions that are impossible for the other party to accept in one breath, and then slowly increase the weight on it.
This will give you a greater chance of achieving your goal in the end.
From the very beginning, their ultimate goal was not to separate from each other, but to separate and live apart.
This is another method different from reconciliation or divorce. Let alone divorce is not easy these days. In fact, if the wife's family is powerful, it is impossible for a husband to divorce his wife. Just like He Lin, if there is no Tang Fan , he might be able to abandon Tang Yu, but now that Tang Fan is here, he doesn't even think about it, even if he wants to, Mr. He won't let it go.
So the words he just said in the hall were all angry words. No matter how ignorant he was, he should know that Tang Yu now has a younger brother to support him, and it is not something that the He family can bully.
But what about Heli, just like what Mr. He said, the world treats women unfairly, and what women have to endure after Heli is definitely not just scorn.
So there is a compromise method, and the production is separated.
To put it bluntly, the husband and wife are separated, but after all, there is no formal divorce, so it can be said to the outside world that the woman is weak, and she goes back to her mother's house for a small stay to recuperate.
In a big family, if the relationship between the man and the woman is not harmonious, the woman's mother's family is dependent, and she is unwilling to make do with it, they will propose this method. Tang Fan has also seen it in the capital, but after all, Xianghe County is small and rare.
For women, this means that the marriage relationship has not been cut off, and Tang Yu can't remarry, which is a disadvantage.
But Tang Fan had asked Tang Yu beforehand, and Tang Yu said that he had no intention of remarrying at all, and just wanted to raise He Cheng wholeheartedly and live a quiet life of his own.
That being the case, the separation of production has become the best choice.
The reason why Tang Fan didn't propose to separate the property and live separately at the beginning was because he was afraid that the He family would suddenly not be able to accept it.
Of course, the premise is that He Lin can agree and don't make trouble.
After coming out of Mr. He's place, Tang Yu was still a little gloomy. After all, the husband and wife were in such a situation that no one wanted to see it. If it wasn't really difficult, Tang Yu didn't want to do this.
Don't look at Tang Yu, who seems to have turned over overnight, but it's actually all because of Tang Fan's presence.
But it is impossible for Tang Fan to stay in Xianghe County all the time. As soon as he leaves, Tang Yu will lose support again. She is alone in the He family, and it will only be more sad then.
She understands this very well, so she has to be more ruthless and take advantage of this opportunity to make a clean break, so as not to change in the future.
Tang Yu sighed, "I only hope that Qilang will grow up and don't blame me!"
Tang Fan smiled and said, "He is so sensible, and he is also a good boy when he grows up. Everything you do is for him, and he will be able to understand."
Tang Yu nodded absently.
Tang Fan comforted: "My good sister, don't look depressed. If Qilang sees it, maybe he will think something happened. That child is sensitive and slender, and he will have to hone it well if he has the opportunity in the future. !"
Tang Yu nodded: "I made a mistake with him. It's impossible for him not to be sad when he sees his father like that every day."
Tang Fan said, "You're taking the responsibility on yourself again. If that's the case, I think Dad's responsibility is even greater. Why did he promise you to someone like He Er in the first place!"
Tang Yu said angrily: "Don't talk nonsense! How can you blame dad, he can't foresee things that far away!"
Tang Fan smiled and said, "Isn't that so? My parents are under Jiuquan, and they definitely don't want to see you so unhappy. If they knew about this kind of thing, they would definitely be more angry than you. Alright, alright, I see Qilang. I've been injured for two days, and I can't go to the clan school, so I'll take you two to the market tomorrow!"
When the siblings returned to the Zhuyuan, Tang Yu went to see He Cheng.
Tang Fan was just asking Yan Li and the others to inquire about the progress of the Wei family's case, when Qian San'er happened to walk in from outside.
He looked mysterious: "Sir, guess what I heard outside?"
Tang Fan glanced at him: "I don't know."
Qian San'er smiled: "Guess what?"
Tang Fan also laughed: "If you don't guess, if you don't tell me, I'll ask Yan Li to go and suffocate you."
Qian San'er was defeated: "It's okay, okay, I'll just say it, I heard that the Wei family is haunted!"
Tang Fan paused and successfully attracted his attention.
Seeing this, Qian San'er was quite proud: "You can't guess it? There are several versions! One is that Wei Ce of the Wei family had a childhood sweetheart fiancee before he made his fortune, but he wanted to climb up the ladder. A wealthy family married their original wife, Mrs. Zhang, and lost the fiancee. The fiancee jumped into the river and committed suicide. She swore before that, you have sacrificed me for wealth and honor in this life, and in the next life, I will make you cut off your descendants!"
He squeezed his throat and learned the "dying finale", and then said: "Then, a good ray of incense will turn into a ghost, lurking in the Wei family. You can see that the Wei family has given birth to girls all these years. This female ghost is at work, no, just now a man was born, and he died in a blink of an eye!"
Tang Fan: "...I found that you are quite talented."
Qian San'er was triumphant: "That's right, don't even look at who it is, I'm the servant of the world's most intelligent Master Tang!"
Tang Fan couldn't complain about his self-promotion: "I heard that there is still a gentleman in the lobby of Biyuntian Restaurant, do you want me to recommend you to try it?"
Qian San'er: "Forget it, you must be inseparable from me. It's hard to find a loyal and capable follower like me now!"
Tang Fan couldn't help kicking him, and scolded with a smile, "Okay, get to the point!"
Qian San'er: "The second argument is that the current property of the Wei family was taken by Wei Ce from others. He used disgraceful means to steal the family's property, and then came to Xianghe County to start anew. , Now the person who was killed by him has turned into a ghost and came to take revenge, also to make Wei Ce cut off his sons and grandchildren, and forever regret what he has done, that's why the Wei family died one after another."
Tang Fan: "...why are all ghosts, can you get something fresh?"
Qian San'er: "Yes, what's new is—"
He dragged his tone, seeing that Tang Fan was not in a hurry at all, so he could only continue: "The murderer of Wei Zhuniang has been found."
Tang Fan raised his eyebrows: "Is it Chai Ze?"
Qian San'er was frustrated: "Ah? You already know it, so let me say more!"
Tang Fan shook his head: "I just guessed. Among the three people, Chai Ze, Wang Da, and Bao Yi, only Chai Ze is the most suspicious."
Qian San'er forgot his original intention to show off the news, and instead asked curiously, "Why? But Wei Ce himself clearly said that Wang Dacai had a grudge against him, and Chai Ze and him are the best!"
Tang Fan said: "Don't forget, I said before that to find Wei Zhuniang and kill her in such a short period of time without disturbing others, only people who are quite familiar with the Wei family can do it, that's all. In other words, only Chai Ze fits the bill."
Qian San'er patted his forehead: "Yes, I almost forgot about this! Yes, the magistrate Weng asked the same thing, and Chai Ze alone cannot do it. It is said that it was Chai Ze's. Cousin, who is Wei Ze's main room, deliberately let people heat the pot of soup before it was delivered. Then Chai Ze told Bao Yi that his cousin-in-law hated Wang Da and wanted him to appear in public. Be ugly, make an appointment with Bao Yi, let him knock down the can of soup at the banquet, and promise him a heavy reward to help him tell the lie, and the county magistrate Weng will be judged in the first instance."
Tang Fan asked, "Then why did Chai Ze kill Wei Zhuniang again? What grudge does a little girl have with him?"
Qian San'er: "Because Chai Ze and Mrs. Chai saw that Wei Ce gave birth to a son and wanted to give everything to him, and they were not angry, so they wanted to plot against Wei Ce to steal his family property, but unfortunately Wei Zhuniang passed by at that time. , the two are afraid that the conspiracy will be revealed ahead of time, so let the first strike is stronger."
Tang Fan shook his head: "I'm afraid it's just that they are guilty of being thieves. If Wei Zhuniang really heard what they said, she would have been shouting, how could Wei Ce still know nothing?"
Qian San'er: "That's right, you are wise and wise, that's the reason! Afterwards, the county magistrate Weng also asked Wei Ce and Wei Zhuniang's biological mother, and found that Wei Zhuniang never mentioned this matter to them at all. This is entirely because Chai Ze’s cousins have a guilty conscience, but instead they shot themselves in the foot!”
This case was not complicated at all. With so many clues out there, it was only a matter of time to solve the case, but Tang Fan was concerned about another matter.
"What about the death of the Wei family's child? What progress?"
Qian San'er said, "After this incident, Wei Ce hated the Chai brothers and sisters to the core, and insisted that they also killed his son, but the two of them didn't recognize it. It seems that there is no conclusion yet!"
Tang Fan said: "I don't think they did it either. Since Wei Ce can have a son, if one dies and another one, it's useless to do so. Since they all want to murder Wei Ce himself, whether or not to kill the child is not a matter of fact. no difference."
Qian San'er tilted his head: "But they can all do stupid things like murdering Wei Zhuniang. If they want to kill the Wei family's children, there are good reasons."
Tang Fan burst into laughter: "You're right, but I'm the one who got the point!"
Qian San'er is the kind of person who can open a dyeing workshop if he gives him three points of color. He was overjoyed when he heard Tang Fan's words.
"Oh, how embarrassed you are to say that, then am I smarter than the world's most intelligent Master Tang?"
Tang Fan glanced at him: "When did I become the smartest person in the world? Don't say you know me when you walk back, don't make me beaten."
Qian San'er leaned over with a smile on his face: "We are so familiar with each other, who in the whole Xianghe County doesn't know that you and I are old friends, so don't deceive yourself!"
Tang Fan laughed and laughed: "I think you are the most cheeky person in the world. Who is your old friend? It's an inappropriate word, and you're talking shit!"
Qian San'er: "Ouch! Ouch! Just say it, don't touch your feet! A gentleman speaks and does not do anything..."