Zhao Jiashi sat on the east house kang and looked at the decorations on the ground, and his heart was satisfied.

This side is in the peony courtyard on the west side of the orchid courtyard, which is the main house of the inner courtyard of the west road. It is named because there is a diamond-shaped flower pond in the southwest of the yard, which is full of peonies. Now is the peony flowering season, and the pink and purple peony flowers are blooming brightly on the green branches.

There are three main rooms here, and one suite (ear room) on the left and right. There is a kang in the east house, and the suite inside is Zhaojia's bedroom; The Westinghouse suite houses the four sisters of the Zhao Jia family.

Because Chu Yu took someone to buy a banquet, only Mama Zhang took a few big girls to place the things brought by Zhaojia's in the house.

Mama Zhang touched the pineapple wood Tuanshou cabinet on the ground, looked at the 10,000-character fence next to her, and said "tsk" in her mouth, turned her head and said to Zhaojia: "Madam, this is a piece of Soviet-style furniture." When I was in the south, I didn't think that the old slave knew in Beijing two years ago that there was no bargain for these things. Even the big lady's house, that's all. ”

Zhao Jiashi nodded and said, "It's hard for her, treat my widow and aunt quite respectfully!" ”

Mama Zhang said with a smile: "What is this that Mrs. said, the eldest lady is not in front of her, and Mrs. is a serious uncle and mother-in-law!" No matter how noble the status of the grandmother is, can she still shorten the number of ceremonies? ”

Zhao Jia sighed, but did not speak.

I really didn't expect Cao Hao to be transferred back to Beijing quickly, and he would have to watch his nephew and daughter-in-law live with a face. Although she is an elder, this is the Earl's Court after all, and Chu Yu is the eldest daughter-in-law of the long house, so it is not her turn to say anything about family affairs.

But she thought about it, her husband was right when he was alive, and her sons would have to rely on Cao Hao's brother more in the future, so it would be good to live close and close to each other like this. As for whether she can be in charge of the house, it's nothing, who can shorten her eating and drinking?

After Mama Zhang finished reading the furniture and furnishings, she remembered something, waved her hand and sent the maids out, and said to Zhao Jia's family: "Madam, grandma's other arrangements are quite appropriate, but there is one place that is difficult to say." ”

Zhao Jiashi asked, "Where?" ”

Mama Zhang replied: "Madam, now the fourth sister still lives in the same room with his wife, and the fifth girl has her own yard!" ”

Zhao Jiashi was stunned when he heard this, and remembered that Wu'er who had just kowtowed to him in a proper manner, and he couldn't say anything in his heart, and said: "She didn't grow up by my side, and it's not good to have a yard with my brother and sister-in-law, and it's common to have a place to live." ”

Mama Zhang hesitated for a moment and said: "The fifth girl lives in the old courtyard of the uncle, which is the most elegant, and it is a good place to study and learn. Even if you don't keep it for the fifth master, it's better for the third master to live in than the current yard, which is a pity. ”

Zhao Jiashi frowned slightly and said, "Since it is the courtyard where the uncle lived, there is no reason for the younger brothers to occupy it." It's the fifth girl, but she's still young, and there is no reason to live across the wall from her brother when she is older. These words, in the future, my grandmother will not say any more, let me listen to it, and I still think that I am a concubine. ”

Mama Zhang's old face turned red and said, "It's the old slave who wants to be left!" ”

Zhao Jiashi thought for a while and said, "The people brought from the south, Mama also admonished and admonished, and was born in peace." If someone catches a demon and loses face, even if the grandmother wants to spare it, I won't follow it. Keeping to oneself on an errand is to give me and the little masters a long face, and I don't have to make people laugh at the big guys who don't understand the rules. ”

When Mama Zhang lived in the capital two years ago, she held her breath. Finally, this time I followed my wife to Beijing, I thought I could speak, but seeing that my wife seemed to be the shopkeeper, she felt a little uncomfortable, and said with a shy old face: "Mrs. always has to bring out some shelves, grandma is the county lord Gege, if the wife is easy-going, it seems to respect her." ”

Zhao Jiashi picked up the teacup, took a sip, and said: "I respect her, in the future, my sons and daughters will still count on the brothers and sisters-in-law of the big house to take care of her, why are you not happy to find her?" After all, it's an uncle and mother-in-law, not a serious mother-in-law. Even if I put it out, she won't accept it, isn't it still me who has no face! In the future, I will have a daughter-in-law, and it will not be too late to put my mother-in-law's score. ”

Mama Zhang pursed her lips and finally did not say anything more.

After a while, I saw that Xiyun, the eldest girl of Wutong Garden, was ordered to come over and ask Zhaojia to put the table on the side of Shaoyuan or Wutong Garden.

Zhao Jiashi sat on the boat for more than half a month, and his body was a little tired, impatient to move, so he said: "Let's put it in this room!" ”

Although according to the rules and etiquette, the male and female dependents should be separated, but Cao Hao is not at home, Cao Song and the others are the identity of the little uncle, and Chu Yu, the eldest sister-in-law, does not need to avoid it a lot. Chu Yu set up a round table in the Shaoyuan, invited Zhao Jia's to sit, and took the fourth sister and the fifth child to sit on her right hand, and Cao Song took Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang on the right hand.

Because of the previous Chinese New Year, Yu followed Cao Hao back to the south for the New Year, and Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang also knew each other. There is only the fourth sister, who doesn't remember anything at that time, but now she looks at Chu Yu with some eyes, and she sits there a little restrained.

Wu'er remembered her sister-in-law's previous teaching, took a piece of dried fruit compote from the purse tied to her wrist, and whispered to the fourth sister: "Sister eat!" ”

The fourth sister smelled the sweetness of the candied fruit, pursed her lips, and turned her head to look at Zhao Jia's.

Zhao Jiashi glanced at Wu'er, nodded to the fourth sister, and said, "Since my sister gave it to you, you can eat it!" ”

Cao Song was beside him, looked at Wu'er and said with a smile: "Does Wu'er remember my brother?" I'm your second brother......" said and pointed to Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang at the bottom: "This is the third brother, and the fourth brother!" ”

Because Fang Cai'er has only seen his mother and sister, he has not seen his brothers. Hearing Cao Song say this, she remembered her sister-in-law's teachings, and wanted to get up from the chair and salute her brothers. She was small, and she couldn't get down at all if no one held her, so she was a little anxious.

Cao Xiang was next to her, thinking that this sister was a concubine like herself, but she was more pitiful than herself, and she felt some pity in her heart.

Zhao Jiashi looked at Wu'er, and only felt that her husband and Lu Mei were turning and turning in front of them, but now the two of them can guard under the Yellow Spring, leaving only themselves to endure so hard. Because she was dull, everyone didn't have to delay much, but the meal was not very tasteful.

Although it is in the period of filial piety, some relatives still have to move back and forth. In the next few days, Zhao Jia took her sons to Zhao Jia Mansion and her brother's house.

Cao Ying, the eldest daughter of the second room, knew that her mother and brothers had entered Beijing and brought their children to Beijing. On the side of King Ping's Mansion, King Ping Fujin also sent a lot of food and clothing over. Because she is pregnant, it is inconvenient to come, so please ask your aunt to go to the palace in time. Only Cao Yi, although someone also sent a letter here, but there has been no movement.

Zhao Jiashi wanted to ask questions several times, but he really couldn't pull his face.

Only Cao Song knew that the third sister might have a knot in her mother, so it was not easy to come back. But he didn't care about that much, and when he was free, he went to Jueluo Mansion.

Seshtu went to Rehe with Hu, but was not in Beijing, and Cao Yi personally came to the front yard to see his younger brother.

Cao Song was relieved to see that his sister's face was better than half a year ago, and she didn't look as thin as she used to be.

Cao Yi also hesitated these days, not knowing how to face the Zhaojia family. However, Cao Song has treated her affectionately since she was a child, and she also has a deep affection for this younger brother.

Cao Song took a palm-sized pear wood box in his hand and gave it to him, and said as if offering a treasure: "Third sister, what do you see here?" ”

Cao Yi took it with a smile and opened it, and it was crystal clear, all of which were rain flower stones the size of thumb caps.

"I also wanted to bring a few osmanthus ducks to the third sister, but I was afraid that Daoyuan would break things. This is a fine stone, I have seen it, it is agate and chalcedony, you can grind beads, you can also play with it. Cao Song said with a smile: "My sister liked this when she was a child, so my younger brother brought some to Beijing, and I don't know when I will be able to go back to the south in the future." ”

Cao Yi heard the nostalgia in his words and asked, "Why did you enter Beijing and want to go south?" When I saw you last year, didn't you still say that you were thinking about this side of Jingli? ”

Cao Song scratched his head and said with a smile: "But isn't it, that's it." It turned out that in the south, I wanted my brothers and sisters; Now that I am in Beijing, I am a little worried about my uncle, my aunt and Xiao Wu. ”

Cao Yiyuan didn't know that Cao Fu was staying in the south, but now he heard Cao Song talk about it, and he only knew about it. She frowned slightly, and asked Cao Song, "Whose idea was it to leave Xiao Wu at the uncle's house?" ”

Cao Song was a little puzzled, and said blankly: "Whose idea could it be, naturally it is his own!" ”

Cao Yi calculated in his heart, Cao Fu was thirteen, and his early wisdom was exposed since he was a child, and he was able to make up his own mind. It's just that the long house has a son, and he is so attached to his relatives, although it is commendable for filial piety, but after a long time, he can't keep giving birth to other thoughts.

Cao Song saw that she was silent, and said, "What do you want the third sister, but you are worried about the uncle?" According to my meaning, I don't want Xiao Wu to stay. At his age, where can he take care of people! It should be me or the third child to keep it, but I didn't think of it for a while and was negligent. ”

Cao Yi knew that he was honest and wouldn't think about anything else, so he didn't say this to him, and asked a few other words. This year's leap month is May, and it will be Cao Quan's anniversary, and some things may be prepared now.

Cao Yi originally wanted to leave his brother here for dinner, but Cao Song saw his sister, but he was satisfied, thinking that he still had an appointment with his cousins, so he left his sister and went out.

Cao Yi took the box of Yuhua stones back to the room, and took out a box from the kang cabinet, and there was a soft seal inside. Cao Yi picked up the soft seal, was stunned for a long time, and put the soft seal in one place with the box of rain flower stones.

She sighed, called Chunya in, and added or subtracted a few things from the list of gifts she had prepared; At the same time, someone sent a letter to Cao's mansion, saying that she would return to her parents' house.

* Zhao Jia's family came back from her mother's brother's house, and heard Mama Zhang reply that the maids for Cao Shuo and Cao Xiang had been selected, so she personally looked at it.

They are all thirteen to fifteen girls, and they all look passable. Zhao Jiashi sat on the kang, glanced at it from beginning to end, remembered one thing, and said to Mama Zhang: "What about the two in the second room?" Find someone to bring them to their house, and the third and fourth ones from the earlier ones also called. ”

Mama Zhang called a little girl and sent the jade dragon and the jade spider to the Huaiyuan courtyard. Cao Shuo's Songyuan and Cao Xiang's Baiyuan also sent people there.

The jade dragon and the jade spider were both a little trembling, because they had seen Mama Zhang's attitude before, they knew that the second wife was guarding against the people in the house around her son. No matter what the reason is, the two of them can be regarded as guilty of the taboo of the second wife, and they are a little bottomless in their hearts.

Looking at the row of little maids in the room, although the jade dragon and the jade spider were wondering, they still obediently knelt down and kowtowed: "The slave jade dragon (jade spider) has seen his wife, please say hello to his wife!" ”

Zhao Jiashi didn't look at the jade dragon and jade spider, and said to the maids on the ground: "Who are these two, do you know them?" ”

The maids looked up, but some of them knew and some of them didn't. The son of the family picked up in the house knows and knows that it is the second master's house; I didn't know a few of the people I brought over there, but I just thought that these two people were good-looking, could they be the ones who wanted to add to their master?

"They are the people in your second master's house, and you will have to call your aunt in the future!" With a smile on his face, Zhao Jia glanced at everyone on the ground.

The jade dragon and the jade spider also thought that the Zhaojia clan wanted to teach them a lesson, but they didn't expect to recognize the identities of the two in public, and both of them were ashamed and happy, and they lowered their heads and couldn't speak.

When the others looked at the jade dragon and the jade spider again, their eyes were full of envy.

Zhao Jiashi saw it in his eyes, the corners of his mouth picked, revealing a sneer: "If you want to please the masters, or if you want to learn from others to wear gold and silver, I will tolerate you." It's just that rules are rules, and etiquette is etiquette. The master is keeping filial piety, if anyone wants to count on 'mother and son are expensive', and want to rely on the stomach to make waves, then I don't follow! So saying, he called for someone to bring the medicine up.

No matter how stupid the jade dragon and the jade spider were, they knew that these words were aimed at the two of them, and their little faces turned white with fright, and their bodies trembled.

Zhao Jiashi asked someone to put the medicine in front of the jade dragon and the jade spider, and said softly: "This is my gift to you, after drinking this bowl of medicine, I will recognize you as the second master's house!" ”

The jade dragon and the jade spider, although they don't know what kind of medicine this is, but seeing the chill in Zhaojia's eyes, who dares to say the word "no"? He trembled and responded: "Slave and maid thank Mrs. Xie for reward!" Then he picked up the medicine bowl and gritted his teeth and drank it all.

It wasn't until he watched the two of them put down the empty bowl that Zhao Jia's face looked better, and he nodded with a smile and said, "You two are honest children, just be sensible!" After speaking, he said to the maids on the ground: "I am thinking about the masters, and if you want to climb into the bed of the masters, you have to watch it." If anyone is greedy for that aunt's position, a bowl of safflower soup will be given here as a gift. If you think you are beautiful and can tie the hearts of you, you might as well give it a try......"

Before Zhao Jia's words were finished, he heard a "plop" sound, and the jade spider had already fainted heavily on the ground. Seeing that Zhao Jia's frowning and having a bad attitude, Jade Dragon was afraid that she would blame her, so she kowtowed and said, "Madam, Jade Spider, her body is a little weak, and she didn't mean it, so she begged Mrs. to spare her." ”

Zhao Jiashi snorted coldly and said, "I don't know, dare to love her or a sick beauty?" Is she waiting for the second master, or is the second master waiting for her? After speaking, he looked at the jade spider who fell to the ground very impatiently and said: "Hurry up and drag her down, and stay in the yard in the future, don't think about catching demons!" ”

The jade dragon responded, got up and hugged the jade spider down.

The row of maids is already stupid, even if they are younger, they have heard the short ones in the parents, and they know what the safflower is.

Where is the gift given by the wife, this is a sterilization medicine that has cut off the offspring. These people, who are slaves and maids, even if they have a room, if they have no heirs, how much happiness can they get?

Zhao Jiashi looked at the crowd: "If you are willing to settle down, wait for the masters and do your best, and when grandma enters the door, you will have to lift you up; If you are naughty and unconscious, you have to weigh your own weight. ”

Everyone knelt down and kowtowed, saying, "Slaves don't dare!" ”

Zhao Jiashi looked at the two empty bowls on the ground, and suddenly became a little bored, and waved his hand excitedly: "Since you know, you can go down!" ”

Outside the Peony Courtyard, Chu Yu and Amethyst were walking this way, and they saw the jade dragon coming out with tears on her face and holding the jade spider with her eyes closed, and they were all frightened.

"What is this?" Amethyst asked in a low voice.

Jade Dragonfly looked back at the Peony Courtyard, her face full of fear, but she couldn't speak.

Chu Yu saw that she was struggling to support the jade spider alone, so she asked Xiyun and Xicai to take the two of them to Huaiyuan together.

Before arriving at the gate of the courtyard, the jade spider woke up quietly. She first glanced at Chu Yu, Amethyst and the others in confusion, and then pushed away the jade dragon and Xiyun who were holding her, squatted down, clasped her throat and eyes, and vomited vigorously ...... * Rehe, the summer resort.

Today, Kangxi sent the Yellow Banner Mongolian Deputy Governor Fo Jibao, the White Banner Mongolian Deputy Governor Heda, the Household Servant Ta Jintai, the Ministry of Rites Feng Zhong, and the General Political Envoy Sitong Liu Xiang to Khalkha, Karaqin and other places to reward the Mongolian elderly, and Cao Hao followed the sixteenth elder brother and the seventeenth elder brother to these adults to announce the decree.

Because of the mention of Karaqin, Cao Hao remembered that he died tragically on the grassland three years ago. Although he promised to send her home, Cao Hao has not found her family so far, and her ashes are still in the capital and have not been buried.

(To be continued)