The Concubine's Survival Manual

Chapter 76

The young masters of the Yang family moved to Suzhou at the end of October.

This year's harvest is not good, and the year is also poor. There is not much rain throughout the year, and many sections of the canal are close to drying up. The young masters are delayed on the road for a long time.

After all, it is my nephew, and I watched him grow up in the past few years. Both the eldest wife and the elder are very happy.

The two young masters entered the Hanlin Mansion the day before, and the second wife led them to greet the Eldest Master and Eldest Wife the next morning.

Qin Niangzi also met these three cousins ​​for the first time.

The young master Yang Shanmin is 13 years old this year. He is very tall and can stand shoulder to shoulder with the great master.These brothers were born very much like their mother. Although they were not very handsome, they were not upright at best, but there seemed to be a slight smile on their round faces, and they did not have the usual arrogance of rich young masters.

Brother Jiu's melon-seeded face is a bit too slender in comparison.

With the growth of age, the appearance of Ninth Brother and Seventh Lady gradually became obvious.Seventh Lady should be more slender, and Ninth Brother will have a manly appearance, but no matter what, this melon-seeded face cannot be shaken off.

The Second Young Master and the Third Young Master, led by the Eldest Young Master, saluted the Eldest Master and the Eldest Wife.

"I haven't seen each other for many years, I really miss you." The old man chuckled, "How is your father?"

"Father is well." Yang Shanmin replied quite well, "I just miss my uncle and aunt, please send my greetings from my nephew."

Although this child is only 13 years old, he already looks like an adult when he talks and talks.

Even the well-known and stable Juro of the Li family is less generous than him.

The old master looked at the young master with a little more appreciation, "Okay, seeing that you have a good conversation and a generous demeanor, I think it's not in vain to live in the capital for the past few years."

The eldest wife waved at the second and third young masters, "Brother Da, Brother Hong, have you ever been tired on the road?"

The second young master Yang Shanda and the third young master Yang Shanhong leaned next to the eldest wife, showing a natural intimacy. "Thank you, auntie, for thinking about it. Although the road is bumpy, it's nothing."

Brother Nine stood beside the eldest wife, looking at the family relationship between the two cousins ​​and the eldest wife with a half-smile.

Seven Lady was not very surprised either.

During the period before Brother Jiu was born, the eldest wife must have cared for the two nephews.

Not long after Brother Nine was born, the three cousins ​​went to Beijing with their father. To them, the eldest wife was of course the kindest and most amiable aunt.Even after many years, this impression will never be forgotten.

The eldest lady finally remembered brother Jiu. "Have you met my sister? This is your fourth brother Shanjiu. I think he was still a baby when you went to Beijing!"

The three young masters hurried over to meet Brother Nine.

Ninth brother saluted one by one, with thorough etiquette and a steady demeanor, "Shanjiu has seen the eldest brother, the second brother, and the third brother!"

The eldest wife introduced again, "I've met the other sisters before. The sixth lady was still young at that time, and I'm afraid she didn't recognize her brothers."

Liu Niangzi stepped forward a little shyly to meet her elder brothers.

"Seventh Lady is Brother Nine's twin sister. She lived in her hometown before. You probably haven't seen her before."

Seventh Lady saluted the three elder brothers with a smile, and the three young masters naturally returned the salute.

It could be seen that they didn't pay much attention to these sisters, after saluting, the second young master and the third young master snuggled up to the eldest wife again.

Seventh Lady couldn't help but glanced at Second Wife.

She was sitting on the guest seat, with a gratified smile on her face, and she was wiping the corners of her eyes, staring at her three sons endlessly.

Even Ba Niangzi had a look of joy, her sickness disappeared a lot, and only her brothers were in her eyes.

The old man's face darkened a little.

The second wife's biggest problem is that she is too straightforward.

Even if no one would understand the intention of these young masters returning to Suzhou, it doesn't have to be so obvious when they meet.

Even the eldest wife couldn't stand it.

After a few words of intimacy with the second young master and the third young master, she told the ninth brother, "Although the brothers just arrived today, and the sisters don't need to go to school, you still have to go to school. It's getting late, so hurry up." Go, lest the teacher punish you for your homework again."

The eldest young master hurriedly said to the elder, "Uncle, when father came, he also told us to study hard..."

"It's not so short of time!" The elder laughed loudly, with a look of relief on his face, "I know you have worked hard, but you just got home, and you have to accompany your mother, and let's talk about studying."

Ninth Brother went up to bid farewell to his parents, "Shanjiu went to study."

The little face was tense, as if someone owed him money.

Seeing that the eldest wife was only talking to the second wife, Seventh Lady hurriedly gave Brother Jiu a wink.

Even if he knew the meaning of the elder brothers' return, it was not good to show his face to others.

In the final analysis, the matter here is not something that Brother Nine can solve with just a show of face.

Brother Jiu let out a long breath.

After walking a few steps, she came back to her senses, "Mother—" the voice was drawn out, with a loving expression on her face, "I want to eat hawthorn juice mixed with king melon at noon!"

Hawthorn juice and king melon are hard to come by this season.

The eldest wife put on a straight face, "You also need the kitchen to be able to cook for you, don't you?"

Brother Nine pouted and snorted, "Mother is perfunctory."

Everyone couldn't help but chuckled, the old man was a little unhappy, "I told you to go to school, and you're still dawdling like this, looking for a fight?"

On the contrary, the eldest wife defended and angered the elder, "It's not a big deal if my son wants to eat a small king melon." She coaxed Brother Jiu with a pleasant face, "If there is one, I will definitely make it for you, mother will never lie."

Nine Brothers smiled, joyfully took Li Chun's hand, and walked out of the main room.

The eldest wife and the elder looked at each other and smiled.

"This child." There was a bit of love in the eldest wife's words.

After all, Brother Jiu was brought up by the eldest wife. After all these years, there is no real affection.

The elder got up and bid farewell to the second wife, "Everything is not peaceful this year, there are many things in the yamen, let's go first. The second aunt will have dinner at our house today." Looking at a few nephews, he smiled slightly, "Now Have you finished reading the four books?"

The young master Yang Shanmin quickly and respectfully replied, "Even my younger brother, I have finished reading the Four Books and Five Classics, and I am studying "Ji Zhu"."

In order to select scholars in the Great Qin Dynasty, besides stereotyped essays, poetry and songs are also tested. The designated textbook for stereotyped essays is Zhu Shengren's "Four Books Chapters and Sentences". When the advanced textbooks started, Brother Jiu was still in the final stage of basic education and hadn't finished reading the Four Books and Five Classics.

The elder fell silent, nodded to the second wife, and left the main room.

As soon as the Elder Master left, the room suddenly came alive, at least Fifth Lady was free of restraint.

"Brother Datang, have you ever met Second Sister in Beijing!" Immediately, she couldn't wait to inquire about Second Lady's recent situation.

The eldest wife also regained her spirits immediately, and looked at Brother Min with burning eyes.

"There is a difference between a man and a woman. Although I have visited Dingguohou's Mansion, I haven't seen my second sister since she became pregnant." Brother Min hesitated for a moment, and told her frankly.

Brother Da and Brother Hong didn't say anything else, and they looked like they were leading the horse with their eldest brother.

The eldest lady was a little disappointed.

However, these three boys are all over ten years old, Brother Min is thirteen, Brother Da is twelve, and Brother Hong is also eleven, so it is indeed not convenient for them to walk around inside the curtain.

Seventh Lady also breathed a sigh of relief.

I don't know if it's because the news was not conveyed smoothly, or because the second wife didn't see the eldest wife's thoughts clearly. The young masters couldn't say that they handled this level very well.

The Yang family that Er Niangzi can rely on in Beijing is nothing more than these young masters.

Even though they are not very old or young, they should always send someone to greet them, so that they can play a supporting role, right?

Seventh Lady looked carefully at the three cousins.

The second wife said that they were honest, and she was talking nonsense with her eyes open.

The eldest son, Brother Min, is generous and calm. Although he can't be said to be very clever, he is also well-mannered.

The second son, Brother Da, had a docile and obedient face, but his eyes were round, and he was also a little shrewd.

The third son, Brother Hong, was smiling, and he couldn't see his temperament for a while, but with the real honest man in front of the elder uncle, it was easy to tell that there was a long distance between these three children and honesty.

Several children gathered around the eldest wife to talk, and it could be seen that the two younger brothers admired the eldest brother very much. Whenever the eldest wife asked questions, Brother Min would take the lead in answering, while Brother Dahong only echoed.

Wu Niangzi looked down on these cousins ​​a little bit.

"Second sister only has these few brothers in Beijing." She whispered to Seventh Lady. "You should move around more, too!"

Of course, this "whisper" is not small.

The eldest lady frowned.

Seventh Lady hurriedly pinched Fifth Lady, and rounded up the words with a smile.

"There is a difference between men and women. If you ask a few brothers and sisters about their affairs, you might as well ask them about the recent situation of Xu's cousin."

Fifth Lady gave Seventh Lady a blank look, and then asked Brother Min, "Elder cousin, did you meet Xu's cousin before you left Beijing?"

Brother Min was a little embarrassed, "I've been studying behind closed doors, and rarely interact with my cousins..."

With the relationship of the second wife, the Xu family and the second wife of the Yang family can be regarded as relatives, but the relationship is far away.

Besides, the second master is only an editor of Hanlin. Although he has a bright future, his current official position is still a bit small after all.When dealing with the Xu family, it is more restrained.

Of course Brother Min and Xu Fengjia won't get too close.

Hong Ge blinked, "Fifth Sister misses Brother Xu?"

Although he is a few years older than Brother Jiu, it may be because of his elder brother. When Brother Hong spoke, he showed his innocence, "Brother Xu went to Tianshui with his uncle in the first half of the year. where?"

The first wife and the second wife couldn't help being concerned, and asked together, "Why did you go to Tianshui?"

Speaking of which, Xu Fengjia is only 13 years old this year. Even if the Xu family wants to train a young general, he is still too young, right?

Brother Hong shook his head, "I heard it too, but I don't know the reason."

"Third brother-in-law went to Tianshui for military training, I know that." The eldest wife couldn't hide her surprise, "Why is this child Fengjia brought with her? Third brother-in-law is going to Tianshui this time, isn't it..."

This year, there is a severe drought, and the Rong people in the west may commit crimes at any time. Rather than saying that Duke Ping is there to train soldiers, it is better to say that he is going to sit in the northwest to prevent the Rong people from changing.Wouldn't Mrs. Xu be worried if Xu Fengjia was brought with her at such a time when a war might break out at any time?

"A family of military generals like the Xu family is not all rich and noble who crawled out of the sea of ​​blood." The second wife did not think so, "Since Fengjia is the eldest son, she must learn to lead the army and hide in the boudoir blindly. Love is enough to hurt."

Seventh Lady couldn't help but look at Second Wife with admiration.

I didn't expect the second wife to say such philosophical words.

"That being said, after all, Feng Jia's status is noble, and it's not just a joke." The eldest wife had a worried expression on her face.

Brother Min pursed his lips and smiled, "Auntie, don't worry, Uncle Biao knows well... this time he brought only his eldest son, not even the concubine brothers."

The eldest lady also stopped talking, her eyes flickered, and she began to think.

After a while, he smiled self-consciously, "It's because my aunt is old, and her thoughts are not as sharp as those of you children. She can't understand such a simple truth."

The little ladies also suddenly realized.

"That's good." The second wife glanced at Qin Niangzi, "I'm afraid Fengjia's temper will be much calmer when she goes out this time! After being crowned prince, she won't be as ridiculous as before."

Seventh Lady was secretly annoyed.

The second wife never forgets to remind the eldest wife of what happened before Huanshawu.

She pushed against Wu Niangzi's waist.

Fifth Lady was still reminiscing about Brother Min's words, when Seventh Lady pinched her, she came to her senses cleverly.

"I didn't expect my cousin to be so capable!" She looked fascinated, "I haven't been back to my hometown yet, he has already gone to Tianshui first!"

"The Gui family is probably a little uncomfortable." The eldest lady didn't pay attention to the second wife's words, and was distracted by Fifth Lady's words. "The northwest area has always been the territory of the Gui family. Now that the third brother-in-law is being sent to train soldiers, it seems to be somewhat of a separation of powers..."

No one knew about this, several people didn't answer the conversation, and the eldest wife also put down the topic, and after a few more words with Brother Min, she showed signs of fatigue.

Everyone took their leave one after another, the second wife wanted to take the three sons to the home to listen to the teacher's lecture, and the eighth lady wanted to go home to take medicine, so all the sisters scattered and went back to their rooms.

Seventh Lady was about to go straight back to the West Side Courtyard, but Fifth Lady grabbed her and hugged her, and the two sisters entered Baifang Garden.

"Is it really hard to pinch me?" Wu Niangzi's voice was soft, but her momentum was not weak. "It's your kindness to use my sister as a gun!"

Seventh Lady's shoulders hurt from being held by Fifth Lady, and she struggled to say, "Fifth Sister, don't do this, it's so ugly... Even if I want to use Fifth Sister as a gun, Fifth Sister must be willing!"

Wu Niangzi snorted and let go of her hand, "Follow me to Yuelai Hall, I have something to tell you!"

Seventh Lady turned her gaze, and followed Fifth Lady to the Yuelai Hall.

Yuelai Pavilion is named after Youtan Bohua, and several Yingri fruits are planted in the yard, which is a major feature of Yangfu.In Baifang Garden, only Yuelai Pavilion and Changqing Building do not grow flowers.

After Wu Niangzi moved into the Yuelai Mansion, she raised several more birds. As soon as she entered the yard, she heard a crisp bird song, and the colorful tiger brought a few newborn yellow cats around under the eaves. Staring at the bird cage and drooling.

Qin Niangzi was a little amused, "Fifth Sister is also interesting, she insists on keeping cats and birds together."

Fifth Lady, however, had a solemn expression, and led Seventh Lady into the bedroom on the east side—the Yuelai Pavilion occupies a relatively large area, and it is a first-floor room with three suites from east to west.He didn't ask Gu Yu to serve tea, so he closed the door and asked, "Yang Qi, what are you thinking now?"

Seventh Lady was startled.

Wu Niangzi hated iron but not steel, "Second Aunt even got her back, and everyone's mouth is worth a fortune... Now my mother is fine. If she talks bad things for another three or five years, who can say it?" What does Bao Dezhun's mother think? You have to come up with a charter!"

Seventh Lady couldn't help laughing.

My heart felt warm, like drinking a cup of hot tea.

Wu Niangzi never explained why she was on Brother Jiu's side.

Perhaps for her, there was no need to explain it, it was a matter of course.

Wu Niangzi can really bear the words "most affection and sex".

"Xiaoxiaoxiao, you just laugh with me!" The more Fifth Lady looked at Seventh Lady, the more anxious she became, "Yang Qi, don't you really have a plan in mind? I don't believe you can't understand the twists and turns here! "

Seventh Lady forced her smile back and was about to speak.

Gu Yu's voice suddenly came from outside the house.

"Fifth lady, Mama Li, who was guarding the garden just now, came to send a message, saying that please don't leave the hospital for the time being, because there are good doctors coming into the garden."

Fifth Lady and Seventh Lady put aside their topics immediately.

"Did you see someone for treatment?" Wu Niangzi asked loudly through the door.

Gu Yu's voice was still quiet. "It's Shuxia from Huanshawu. I heard that her Guishui hasn't come for two months."

Fifth Lady exchanged a look with Seventh Lady.

Both of them were a little surprised.

Wu Niangzi said to herself, "Coincidentally...why did you just say it today?"

The three young masters had just entered the door of the big room, and Shuxia from Huanshawu reported that she was pregnant... No matter how you look at it, it was a clever word.

(End of this chapter)