Although Senator Cui took all the cash on the account with him when he left, it was much easier for Cui Xie to live in this home without him and Madam Xu's constraints. He returned home with his aunt and younger siblings, first changed his clothes to meet his grandfather and grandmother, and told them about seeing them off on the way.
The old lady Song looked at him without blinking, and asked someone to bring him apricot cheese to drink, and eat small, snow-white steamed nut cakes, and didn't care much about how her son went.
When Cui Xie said that Cui Ju "felt in love with the second old man, choked up and couldn't speak," she sighed: "He won't be able to come back for a few years after he leaves, and I don't know if the two of us will survive until he comes back. "
Cui Xie had experienced the death of a relative, and he felt a little uncomfortable hearing this. He comforted: "Grandfather and grandmother are lucky people, and they will definitely see their father... promoted to the ministry."
The old lady shook her head and smiled reluctantly: "It's enough for me and your grandfather to see you reading and making progress in your life, and you don't need to expect anything else."
Although the old man of the Cui family was paralyzed on the bed, people still understood it, but he was not very clear when he spoke, only someone who was really close to the old lady could understand. He turned his eyes and watched Cui Xie say a few words. Mrs. Song nodded slowly and asked Zhang's mother to get the matching card and key. She nodded and greeted Cui Xie to go over and put them all to him. He said, "From now on, this family will be yours. If you are the eldest son and grandson, you will have to work harder to support this family."
Cui Xie didn't care that the old couple trusted him so much. Compared with his own idea of changing the shop, he felt a little ashamed. He took the thing and said, "Don't worry, grandma, I will make everyone have a good life."
The old lady said rationally: "I don't care about you, you have taken away all the money on the account, but you will have to work hard. You should dismiss the dismissal. Anyone who is dissatisfied asks them to just come and make trouble with me. I think there are some people in this family. Who is the devil."
She ignored family affairs for many years, and had little money in her private house, so she simply moved the coffin book and took out 200 taels to help Cui Xie. He also pointed out that Zhang's mother helped Cui Xie manage the things in the warehouse, and asked the steward of the outer court and the store steward to check the accounts, and told Cui Xie to let go of his hands and rectify it. If there are those who deliberately deceive him when he is young, it is okay to send them out.
Cui Xie agreed in a soft voice, and then sat for a while holding his grandfather's hand, telling him to take a good rest.
After coming out of the upper room, Zhang's mother asked him, "My eldest young master, where should we start?"
Let's see what's for lunch. There are still two old couples, four concubines, three children and a dozen servants left in the family, so the food for the past few days must be settled first.
Mother Zhang nodded and led him to the big kitchen. The cook was cooking at this time, and the two of them went in and took a look. There were still a few stones of rice, noodles, beams, millet, and beans in the tank. The ham, bacon, and marinated ham, bacon, and marinade that had not been eaten were prepared a few years ago. fish etc. There are also some fresh meat, fish, radishes, bamboo shoots, and fresh vegetables that Cui Ju bought before he left, which are enough to eat for a while.
The money of the old man and the old lady is used for funeral affairs and cannot be easily moved. But most of the family's money was spent because of Senator Cui's running from office before and after, and he also asked him to take the cash from the store's account, and the money would not come in until next month. Now it's time to make summer clothes again, and monthly reports have to be issued again, and Cui Xie is going to study at Guozi School again...
Now that the eldest young master is in charge of the house, should he take the old lady's money first, or deduct their monthly schedule and clothes
The whole family stared nervously at Choi Xie.
He didn't show any kindness to the family. He first asked someone to ask for the family's accounts and real estate deeds, starting with the dowry of Mrs. Liu and Xu.
Mrs. Liu's dowry had all made up for the family, and the rest of the bookstore and a little jewelry were also given to him by the old lady. The dowry girl and the whole family have asked Mrs. Xu to send them away. Some of them are in the village, and some are sold. Now there is no one named Liu in this family.
And Mrs. Xu has done her best for all these years, and she has not done anything good: as soon as the case was released, all the people in the Xu family were sent out by Cui Ju. Now the Cui family's shop and Zhuangzi are all hired from outside, and the family surnamed Xu has also been emptied.
But Mrs. Xu still had a whole room of furniture and several large boxes of old clothes in the Cui family's house, in addition to a small house outside Nanguan and a farm of more than ten acres in the south of the city. A few days ago, the uncle of the Xu family came to make a noise, just to ask Cui Ju for these dowries.
Master Cui dragged and was reluctant to give it, but Young Master Cui did not feel bad for it. Immediately took the two real estate deeds and prepared to clear Madam Xu's dowry and return them to the family.
Zhang's mother persuaded him: "These dowries are supposed to be left to Brother Heng, and they don't take care of what the Xu family asks for. The eldest brother just sent it to them, I am afraid that Brother Heng and the master will be unhappy when they come back. Besides. As soon as the furniture in this yard is gone, the house is empty, how does the master live?"
The master can't come back, he doesn't care how he lives.
His mind was upright, and he still had to speak euphemistically: "I have heard about the Xu family coming to ask for a dowry a few days ago. Mrs. Xu has already told Shuntianfu to break up with the master, and we are holding things up and not returning them, and people only say that we are Cui The family covets Xu's dowry, who cares that the Xu family still has a biological son? If the Xu family really cares about my brother, when he grows up, he will naturally give it to him."
Zhang's mother was a little reluctant after all, and hesitantly said, "Or should I ask the old lady again?"
Cui Xie nodded: "Go and ask your grandmother, does our Cui family want to leave a dowry for a widow, or do we want to fight a lawsuit with the Xu family for a lifetime?"
Zhang's mother left nervously, but when the old lady heard about it, she didn't even ask, but told her directly: "My grandson is the head of the Xiaosanyuan case, and he knows a lot more than us back-house ladies, you just listen to him. It's your destiny!"
With the support of the old lady, Cui Xie was even more rude, and immediately asked Zhang's mother to count the dowry. The chief steward, Cui Liangdong, arranged to hire a cart and Lifu. Xu family.
Without these complete sets of dowries, there are only a few pieces of furniture left in Cui Lang's room, which are not pleasing to the eye. Zhang's mother hesitated, thinking that there was really no money on the account, so she simply suggested to him: "How about closing the main courtyard, the eldest young master, and settle down when the master comes back?"
How could a dutiful son like Cui Xie see his father's house vacant!
He resolutely said: "Although my room is not the kind of Su-like goods inlaid with snails and tins that the Xu family escorted, it is also the whole room furniture with fine mahogany carvings. When I turn back, I will send it to my father's room first for emergency. It doesn't matter what the junior uses." He saw that Curry still had some elm furniture, so he could make do with it for two days. When I call a carpenter back, give him the furniture as a reward, and make him a set of modern furniture, which will be comfortable to use.
When they were counting Mrs. Xu's dowry, they still dug out the old materials in the library that had been accumulated for several years, most of which were silk and satin, a few Songjiang three-shuttle cloth, and many fine furs. Cui Xie asked Zhang's mother to pick up enough clothes and bedding for the family this year, and took the rest to a pawn shop familiar to the Cui family for valuation. It was estimated that two taels of silk cloth, five taels of leather, and one hundred pawns. lots of silver.
With this living money, these days will be able to support the past.
He was finally relieved, and ordered Mama Zhang to arrange the monthly schedule and clothes. He returned to the small courtyard by himself, and asked Song Yan, a little book boy who had only left his head, to wait on him.
Last time, I asked the emperor to pardon my stepmother, but this time I asked Qiu Jun to allow him to go to school.
He couldn't help sighing when he wrote it himself - a student who has asked for leave and has to go to school before going to college, is it troublesome for any teacher to put it on
But Guozijian is a fully closed residential school, and it only takes a rest on the 15th day of every month. The Cui family is now poor and chaotic, and the stewards and shopkeepers are panicking, wishing they could run away with their burdens; grandfather and grandmother have been ill for many years, the concubines are not enough, and the younger sister is only twelve years old...
He lived in Guozijian, but he could study with peace of mind. How could this family live
A man who is a little responsible can't do this!
He didn't realize that he had cheated on Master Cui again, and the next morning he sleeved the letter and went to Guozijian with his schoolbag on his back to report.
Supervisor Lin Dayou had already recognized him, and seeing him coming to him, he thought he was here to sell fakes, so he said, "You came just in time, there have been food clerks from other provinces in the past few days, so I'll help you pick out a few The room of the same number in Zhili saves the accent.”
Cui Xie bowed and said apologetically, "I'm bothering you, sir, but I'm here to ask you to send a letter to Lord Jijiu on my behalf, requesting to stay at home and study every day."
Lin Dayou said in surprise: "What happened to your family?"
Cui Xie said embarrassedly, "My father went to Yunnan yesterday, and there are only old and sick grandparents left at home, a seven-year-old brother and a younger sister who has not left the cabinet. If the students live in prisons, I am afraid that the life of the old and young will be difficult."
Lin Jiancheng couldn't help shouting, "You're only sixteen, how could Ling Zun..."
According to the sixteenth law, he has already grown up, and he can be regarded as a man who can support his grandparents. It is indeed reasonable for Master Cui to go out to serve as an official. This is someone else's family business, and it doesn't interfere with the country's law. Lin Dayou can't say anything, he can only say: "I'll talk to Master Jijiu for you. You have to support your grandparents and take care of your younger siblings. This is also a human relations festival. If you want to come, Master Qiu will also be considerate. But your studies must not be delayed, otherwise I will forgive you, and the instructor will not be able to forgive you."
Cui Xie breathed a sigh of relief and said sincerely: "Thank you for your care, the students must work hard to learn."
Lin Jiancheng went to apply for a day study for him, and he went out and pointed a zhaifu to take him to the Biyong exam.
The Ming Dynasty Guozijian extended the setting of the separate teaching in the Yuan Dynasty, and divided the classrooms into six classes according to the level of students. Freshmen entering the supervisor must take an exam first, and they will be divided into classes according to their degree. Those who have passed the Four Books but not the Classics will be divided into three classes: "Justice", "Chongzhi" and "Guangye"; Those who are fluent will be divided into two classes: "Cultivation of Taoism" and "Sincerity"; only those who are well versed in both classics and history, and who are excellent in both literature and science, can study in the "Spontaneity" class.
During the Hongwu years, Guozijian also had a sign-in system, and only after signing in for 700 days was allowed to be promoted to the "spontaneous" hall. Nowadays, because the imperial examination is the most important thing to be an official, the national students are not able to get good jobs in the ministries and colleges, and the requirements for attendance and points are not so strict. .
Cui Xie followed the sentient beings to the East Lecture Hall to take the exam. He wrote several scriptures, Moyi, and imperial scriptures, tried a sentence, made a four-book question, and a scripture question, and was assigned to the second-class Chengxin Hall. .
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When he was experiencing the campus life in Daming, the servants in the family also packed up Mrs. Xu's things and sent them back to Xu's house.
Several large cars scurried through the small half of the capital, pulling large beds, furniture and boxes to the outside of Xu's house, and people from several streets ran out to watch the excitement.
In the past, the servants of the Cui family had to laugh humbly at the Xu family who came to the door, but now they came to deliver things, but their backs were all straightened up. : "Our family's little Sanyuan case chief Cui Xianggong ordered to send back the dowry that Mrs. Xu left at home to your house!"
Because of what happened to the Xu family, they were not able to raise their heads to see people at the door of the house, and the family business was almost impossible to do, so they sacrificed their face to ask for a dowry. But when someone sent it to the door with such a big fanfare, and then turned over the affairs of the Xu family, the Xu family's face was even more difficult to hang.
When Master Xu was about to go out, he was afraid of being criticized and could not go out, so the people of the Cui family shouted again: "Here is Madam Xu's dowry list, and the silver taels and jewelry that our husband gave her when she was escorted out of Beijing by Jin Yiwei. The list, please take Master Xu to verify it!"
Neighbors and people listening to the lively outside all talked about the story of "Xu Wanniang bullied her stepson, and Cui's court petitioned to save her mother". Their voices were hardly suppressed, and they could be heard clearly across the yard.
The Xu family dared to make trouble with Cui Ju because neither party was innocent. The reason for the trouble was that Cui Ju was afraid that his career would be hindered, and he had to hide his thoughts. But Cui Xie was a pure victim: Xu confessed that he hated the son of the former room and wanted to take his biological mother's dowry; If there is disagreement between the two families, it must be their Xu family's fault.
If he is asked to return the dowry like this, the Xu family will not mention marrying a daughter or not, and the whole family will not want to live in Beijing!
Master Xu had to ask someone to open the door, cupped his hands and said, "My daughter is married to the Cui family, and she belongs to the Cui family in life and death. The Cui family divorced her, she is not my daughter, and these things are not my Xu family's things. The little brother pulled the things back and told the Cui Office that my goddaughter Xu was not strict, I'm sorry to him, these are only a little compensation, we can't ask for it!"
After he finished his statement, he wanted to close the door and go in, but Cui Liangdong stretched his neck outside the door and shouted, "Master Xu, please don't say that, didn't the masters of the Xu family come to our Cui family to ask for a dowry a few days ago? We Cui The family does not covet your family’s dowry, the eldest son would rather pay for the sellers, but also make up for the things in the Xu residence, Master Xu must be careful to count, don’t go back to our Cui family’s door and make a fuss!”
He asked Lifu to remove the family's belongings and pile them up outside the Xu's house. He told his son to post the list on the wall, and left the Xu's house with his chest up.
These days, the Xu family is arguing about the dowry, and their Cui family always looks like a low-lying person. When they go out, they have to see if there are neighbors to watch the fun. Now that the eldest son has paid back the dowry, even the waists of their servants have been straightened by three points.
There is nothing bad about the day when the master is not here.