Mrs. Xin has been very busy these days.
In the first few years, the old lady had not passed her birthday. On this day, she just ate the birthday noodles at will. This year, it was sixty years ago, and she nodded at the request of her children and grandchildren. The preparation for the birthday is naturally Mrs. Xin's top priority. In addition, she has been waiting for news from the Ministry of Personnel. A few days ago, she finally looked forward to the release of the article. Pei Xiuzhi got the lack of a commander from the sixth rank.
Although it was only a vacancy of Tie Yin, and the position was inconspicuous, it was not the same as when Duke Wei was alive, but the situation today is different from before. The founding hero, the Eighth Gong Liehou, has been in three or four generations so far. After all, there are not many descendants who can rely on their abilities to earn fame and fame. There are too many monks and not enough porridge. Given the current situation of the Duke of Wei, it is not easy for Pei Xiuzhi to get this vacancy.
It's a good thing, and it can also increase the dignity on the birthday. It's time to celebrate, but the second room is a little unhappy. In the end, it was also caused by money. The Pei family hasn't split up yet. Pei Xiuzhi was in short supply. Although the Song family also contributed, half of the money needed to move around was indispensable. For this, they spent a total of 2,000 taels before and after. It is probably because the Pei family had a system earlier, and all the support items related to the promotion or schooling of the children of the clan should go to the public account. After going here for 2,000 taels, the second room naturally hurts. It was too revealing, and it was inevitable to complain in private. When the words reached Mrs. Xin's ears, there was another slack. Besides, Zhen's family has come to Beijing, and the proposal of marriage is imminent, so careful calculation is required everywhere. Mrs. Xin can be said to be exhausted and busy, and she hasn't had time to take a breath. Grandson Quan'er failed again two days ago.
When she woke up this morning, one side of Mrs. Xin's teeth was swollen, but she thought that today was the top priority of the government, and she was in charge of the eldest house. Except for the second house, the clan also watched. He was full of energy, and he was as busy as a spinning top. In the afternoon, he heard that Mrs. Meng was coming, not the same as Tuoda when we first met.
Mrs. Meng had only been in the capital for three or four days, but after walking around a few times, she felt that the two rooms were at odds with each other, even more than a few years earlier. She and the second lady were also considered sisters on a blind date and exchanged family affairs. Since the embarrassment of the children's affairs, this time in Beijing, the taste is not as good as before, not to mention that she is an outsider, so she pretends not to know, the face is normal, at this moment When he arrived, he only tried his best to help with chores, and got busy. Jiafu was led to the second room. She learned that her uncle Pei Quan's concubine Rongfang did not go to the front, so she went to look for it.
Rong Fang was originally a girl from the Meng family. She served Jiafu's mother for a few years, and then came to her aunt's side. When her aunt got married, she became a dowry girl. She was loyal and capable. As she got older, the servants called her Auntie Fang. Jiafu had known her when she came to Duke Wei's mansion when she was a child. Rongfang was very kind to Jiafu because of Mrs. Meng. On an occasion like today, she was supposed to help the steward, but unfortunately, she slipped a few days ago and twisted her ankle, making it difficult for her to walk. Jiafu was very happy when she came, and she hurriedly asked the little girl to bring cloud cake and sesame candy, picked up a piece, knocked off the powdered sugar on it, handed it to her mouth, and said with a smile, "I remember you the most when you were a child. Love this one."
Jiafu smiled and said, "Auntie, your legs are bad, don't move. I'm not a child anymore, and I want you to feed me."
Rongfang also smiled: "Yes. The little lady is about to get married, so of course she is not a child."
Jiafu smiled and didn't speak. Rongfang thought she was shy, so she stopped joking. The two were gossiping while doing needlework, chatting and laughing. Time passed quickly, and the girl next to Mrs. Meng came and called Jiafu went to the front, said a regular customer, and told her to come over and greet her. Rongfang hurriedly urged her, Jiafu put down the needle and thread, went with sandalwood, and stayed by Mrs. Meng's side. She came back after seeing the guests, and when she passed through the hanging flower gate, she saw Pei Xiuzhi standing by the road where she had just come. No one was following him, so he could not stop looking here, remembering that he had been to Zhen's house yesterday, but he avoided seeing him, suspecting that he was waiting for him there on purpose, and didn't want to meet him alone, so he turned around immediately.
On the way back, Pei Xiuzhi was waiting, not knowing how long he would stand there, Jiafu turned around and turned to the back garden.
Because I was busy today, I didn't see many people in the garden, so I walked around for a while and saw the stone bridge in front of me, and down there was a bamboo forest.
She was not unfamiliar with the road here. She remembered that there was a road in the bamboo forest. Although she had to make a detour, she could avoid Pei Xiuzhi and go back, so she turned and got off the bridge.
It seems that there are not many people walking around here, the bamboo poles are mottled green and yellow, the moss is crawling on both sides of the stone path under the feet, and the ground is covered with fallen leaves, which is bleak. Before walking through the courtyard next to the bamboo forest, I saw two old women sweeping the path with their bamboo brooms, while sweeping and talking, vaguely, when they heard that they seemed to be mentioned, they stopped for a while.
"...The Zhen family is about to get married and marry the girl to the prince," a woman tutted, "It's also a step to the sky."
"You've only been here for a few years, what do you know?" the other woman answered, "In the past, when their girls were young, they brought them here, and I knew that sooner or later, they would have to kiss and send people off. He came in, but at the time he thought that his family was thinking of the third master, but now he has climbed up to the prince, which is unexpected... "
A gust of wind passed, and the rustling of the bamboo branches covered the mother-in-law's voice.
Sandalwood was unhappy. When she was about to show up, Jiafu shook her head and signaled to leave the fork in the bamboo forest, but she heard the voices of the two old women coming over again.
"Look, this yard is very cool during the day, and I'm afraid ghosts will run out at night. If it wasn't for a lot of work ahead today, I would not have taken this job..."
"It's not easy for the madam, and I must have been worried. I have been here for a few years, and every year when this day comes, the madam will definitely ask someone to clean it. I think it is to prepare the uncle to come back to celebrate the old lady's birthday, but where did I see someone? Lao Zhao, I listen. Said that the uncle was cut off from the position of the prince and driven out?"
The old Zhao snorted, lowered his voice, and the sound followed the wind, vaguely, and passed over intermittently.
"... Grandpa Guo's hot filial piety hasn't passed yet... It's really ugly... I can't see it at all on weekdays... That aunt refused to live, and hanged herself on the branch you were leaning against in the middle of the night. I ran to see it, my face was purple, my tongue stuck under my neck, I was so scared that I didn’t sleep for a few nights…”
"My mother, you didn't say it sooner! No wonder it's so cold!"
The other woman jumped up, jumped three feet high, and hurriedly avoided it, then turned to the tree and bowed, chanting words in her mouth.
Jiafu knew that this courtyard used to be the residence of Pei You'an, the eldest son of the eldest house. Passing by here, I didn't want to listen to these two old ladies. If she just said her gossip, she didn't bother to care. My grandmother did have this plan, and she couldn't complain about being discussed behind her back.
But then, the two old women discussed the right and wrong about Pei You'an. This reminded Jiafu of the past. At that time, the army was in chaos, and I was alone in prison, in despair and fear, and unexpectedly got the help of a person who had no hope at all. To this day, I still remember the feeling of being stretched out as if I were on a cliff. Although in the end he was sent to Xiao Yintang again. But that's another story, two different things.
The man made an excellent impression on her. Not only because he helped her when she was most helpless, but also because of his manners and demeanor, which impressed her.
Later, in the deep palace, the Jiafu people also heard some things about him.
In the game of the three royal brothers, King Yunzhong became the final winner. After he was enthroned and changed to the Yuan Dynasty, with Pei You'an's achievements in the Zhaotian Incident and the new emperor's high regard for him, he was rich and glorious. Needless to say, he could have been in the top. He was a minister, but it didn't take long for his grandmother, Mrs. Pei, to pass away. Shortly after the death, just as the Turks attacked the border again, he asked to leave the capital and used the post of Jiedushi to guard the border.
It is said that at that time, although the Turkic rebellion was raging, considering his physical condition, the weather outside the gate was not suitable for him to live for a long time, and he was not the only person available to the new emperor. He could have sent others, but in the end, still He left the prosperous capital of the capital and went far to the border cities, where he finally served as a governor, appeasing the people in the borders, gaining popularity, and becoming famous outside the Great Wall, until he finally died of illness.
To be honest, Jiafu was a little unconvinced that such a man would have done such a despised thing when he was a teenager. Hearing the discussion now is rather jarring.
She had already turned away and couldn't help but stop again.
"... I heard that the old lady was even annoyed at that time and was beaten out. Even so, today, the old lady's birthday, even eight generations of relatives have come, but he has not seen him back. All these years, the news has been We didn't come here, so we still have a grudge. We shouldn't be talking too much. I did that when I was a child, and now I'm ashamed to come back to see people.
The old Zhao Yi was selling the old man, and when he was chatting there, he heard footsteps behind him, turned his head, saw Jiafu walking over with a girl, he was stunned, put down his broom in a hurry, came up and said with a smile: "Before today It's lively, why did the little lady come here?"
Jiafu smiled and said: "Mother Zhao, I shouldn't have been talking too much. It's just that since I passed by, I'm offended, so I also want to say something. Today, the old lady's birthday, you have been sent to clean up the yard and prepare for the uncle to come back. Stay, if you don’t do things well, what are you talking about? Are you looking at your wife’s busy schedule, not taking care of you, being lazy, and chewing on the tongue of the owner? What are you talking about? If you don't believe that there are no rules in the imperial palace, you will let you disrespect the patriarch!"
Old Zhao and the old woman's expressions changed slightly.
If it used to be, naturally, there is no need to be afraid of this daughter of the Zhen family, but she is only a relative of the second room, but now it is different. Everyone in the house knows that when the old lady's birthday is over, it will be her turn to get married. Don't care what's going on behind the scenes, this little lady of Zhen's family will soon marry into the Pei's family. No matter how bad she is, she is still a serious wife of the prince's son of the state. , hurriedly bowed his head and recognized the mistake: "Yes, yes, what the little lady said is that we are the idiots! No longer dare!"
Since he could not help but stand up, he was not afraid of offending people. What's more, after retiring from the family, he will not be implicated in this family again in the future. All the suppressed nature in the previous life seems to be slowly coming out in this life.
Jiafu glanced at the half-open door, and saw that although the courtyard inside had just been swept, it was just a few scratches to make an appearance. The ground was not even clean of fallen leaves, let alone sprinkled with water to remove dust, and simply added: "Today, on the 60th birthday of the old lady, the uncle must be coming back. If you have time to talk and hide, why don't you go and clean the house?"
Mrs. Zhao's qualifications are old, and she suddenly ate such an unceremonious lesson from the young girl. Although she was scolding in her heart that the daughter of the Zhen family was anxious to show her prestige before she walked in the door, she did not dare to show it on her face, and said in her mouth, "Let's go now, Let's go—", dragging the broom on the ground, turning around and pouting in. Seeing this, the other woman was busy and followed.
Jiafu saw the two old ladies swept the floor again, knowing that when she left, even if she talked again, she would only say that she was not good, so she turned around and continued to walk forward.
"Just now when we came out, we were really happy to see the faces of those two old ladies. I was afraid of making complaints, saying that little lady, you have long hands."
Sandalwood felt relieved and a little uneasy, and said beside her.
Jiafu said, "I don't care if I complain. I really can't listen to it anymore. Big cousin, don't do anything, it's not people's turn to chew their tongues."
"Little lady, you said that the uncle is going back today, is it true?"
Tanxiang remembered her confident tone just now, and was a little curious.
"I'm sure I'll be back."
"How does the little lady know?"
"I, I dreamed last night that my eldest cousin came back to celebrate the old lady's birthday, do you believe it?"
She joked, turned the corner, and her footsteps stopped abruptly.
At the corner by the bamboo forest, just a few steps away from the opposite side, an old Huafa old woman with a cane in her hand, supported by the big girl beside her, was standing on the road, motionless, and seemed to have been standing for some time.
This old woman is Mrs. Pei. Today's birthday, Jiafu is no stranger to her, but she doesn't know she has come here. There are a lot of guests in front, but she is still wearing a half-new Dressed in regular clothes, it doesn't look like it's going to be a birthday, and was taken aback for a while, and was taken aback.
When Jiafu came to the Duke's Mansion when she was a child, Madam Pei treated her like a normal relative, with no disgust or anything special. Every time she came, she followed her mother to kowtow to her, and when she went, she went to say goodbye, that's all. After marrying Pei Xiuzhi, she didn't want Jiafu, her granddaughter-in-law, to serve in front of her. She stayed alone in the Buddhist hall all day. In addition, due to the war, Jiafu left Pei's house and never saw each other again. The impression of her can be said to be indifferent and distant. At this moment, we meet like this unexpectedly. Seeing the old woman standing there, looking at her without making a sound, her expression is indifferent, she hurriedly took a step back, and greeted her with sandalwood.
The old lady was silent.
Jiafu recalled her own tone, and couldn't help but regret it. She lowered her eyes and heard only the rustling of the wind passing through the bamboo forest. After a while, she finally heard her speak and asked, "Are you that girl from the Zhen family?"
Jiafu said in a low voice, "Yes. My mother and I came here a few days ago. The old lady was cleaning the Buddhist temple at the time, so she didn't go to see her."
The old woman was silent for a while, then slowly said: "No one has lived here for many years, it's a bit deserted, you should go back sooner." After speaking, she turned around and walked slowly with the help of the big girl.
Jiafu raised her head and watched the slightly hunched back of the old woman go away, and finally disappeared at the end of the bamboo forest, and slowly let out a breath.