Chapter 9 9

The Juexins had just crossed the stream in front of the bamboo forest when they suddenly saw a dark red light appearing in the corner of the white flour wall opposite.Cuihuan turned her head and said in a low voice, "It's probably Qixia who came." "It must have come to urge us," Shuying said.As soon as she finished speaking, a voice called "Cuihuan" sounded from the front.A short black figure walked over carrying a red paper lantern. "Yeah. Qixia, what are you doing here?" Cuihuan asked loudly. "The third wife called me to remind the second young lady," Qixia replied loudly, then stopped and waited for Shuying to approach.

Shuying came to Qixia's side and asked, "Have you finished playing the cards?" "Mahjong is over. The old lady Zhou Wai still has one card at each table," Qixia replied, and she followed Shuying. When everyone rushed to the water pavilion, even the table of word cards was scattered.Many people gathered in the room on the right to gossip.Qin, Yun and Shuhua are also there. "Second daughter, I told you to do something, and you just act slowly!" Mrs. Zhang complained when she saw Shuying enter the room. Shuying glanced at her mother sheepishly, took the bundle from Cuihuan and put it on an empty stool, and was about to open it.However, Mrs. Zhou told Qixia, "Qixia, take out the burden and give it to the old lady's Lord Zhou." Qixia agreed with a word of "yes".But the uncles and wives stopped her, politely saying that she wanted to wear a skirt, but after the masters persuaded her, Qixia was allowed to take the burden away.Not long after Qixia went out, she came in empty-handed and said, "Madam, Second Master Yuan said that the sedan chairs are here, and they are at the gate of the garden." "Then let's go," said Mrs. Zhou, who was the first to stand up.Everyone followed suit and stood up.

There was a commotion in the room.Everyone bowed to each other: those who bowed bowed, those who greeted greeted each other, and those who bowed bowed.Afterwards, some of the maids and maids carried wind and rain lanterns, some lit lanterns, and some held Mingjiao lanterns. They hugged Mrs. Zhou and her party out of the water pavilion and walked along the lakeside. Everyone walked through the pine forest.The road gradually widened, and then turned into a veranda. On one side is a rockery overgrown with vines, and on the other side is a row of three living rooms, all with carved windows pasted with white paper.Some green bamboos were planted in front of the window.The door opened towards the hall.

At this time, there was still a brilliant light coming from the window.There seemed to be a conversation inside. Everyone walked out of the corridor and down the stone steps.There was a little light in front, and there were still figures moving. It turned out that Yuan Cheng had lit a lantern, and Su Fu was empty-handed. The two stood respectfully at the foot of the steps and waited for them. "Yuan Cheng, are there any guests in the flower hall?" Mrs. Zhou asked when she saw Yuan Cheng. "Yes, the third master is receiving guests, it's Mrs. Feng," Yuan Cheng replied respectfully with his hands down.

Mrs. Feng!These four extremely ordinary words hit Shuying's head like a thunderbolt on a sunny day, and Shuying almost cried out.Qin is listening to Hui's speech.Shuying is one step away from Qin in the back.Qin then slowed down her steps, and secretly reached out to hold Shuying's hand.Shuying said nothing, but looked at Qin with grateful eyes. It just so happened that Qin also looked back at Shuying.Two pairs of familiar eyes met in the darkness.Qin smiled encouragingly, and immediately turned her head away.Shuying's trembling heart calmed down a little.However, the unpleasant thoughts and sad memories brought to her by the title of "Old Master Feng" cannot be eliminated immediately.Girls' hearts are not forgetful.Less than a year ago, Mingfeng, the maidservant in Shuhua's house, threw herself into the lake in this garden because she didn't want to be Feng Leshan's concubine. family to be sacrificed.Some time ago, on Shuying's mother Zhang's birthday, Wan'er came to the mansion to pay her respects.

Wan'er painfully told about her life in the Feng family, and also about the Chen family. Shuying's mother had heard these words, and her father should also know.However, this still does not make her father disobey Feng Leshan's words, and his father still wants to marry her to the Chen family.Feng Leshan, this person is the source of her disaster.Now he came again and talked with her father. ...she couldn't think about it anymore.She looked ahead blankly.There were only shadows in front of my eyes.She suddenly felt that all this seemed to be an empty dream.Her heart ached slightly again.

"Feng Leshan, what is he doing here again?" Juemin suddenly sneered.Feng Leshan, a famous gentleman, the president of the Confucian Church, an enemy of the New Culture Movement, a hypocrite who bullied orphans and widows, and betrayed friends (he already knew about it)!He hated the sixty-one-year-old more than any other conservative.A year ago, he was forced by his grandfather to be engaged to Feng Leshan's niece and grandniece. Later, he won the victory only through his own struggle.Now Feng Leshan is here again.He thought that this person might have come here for Shuying's affairs.Then his heart was filled with pity, sympathy, love, and anger.However, at this moment, he couldn't do anything, and all around him were uncertain shadows.He looked for Shuying with loving eyes.

Shuying was right in front of him, and he saw her slender back. "Second brother, be careful what you say!" Juexin warned in horror when he heard Juemin's words, and he secretly reached out and tugged Juemin's sleeve.By this time they had stepped through a large moon door into the flagged courtyard.A rockery stands in front like a screen. Juemin's previous words were spoken in a low voice, so the people in front did not hear them.But Shuying heard it.She understood what Juemin meant.However, this sentence only added more anxiety and sorrow to her, and she swallowed it silently.

She didn't turn her head to look at Juemin, so when Juemin looked for her with loving eyes, she only saw her back moving slightly forward.Juexin's words drew Juexin's eyes from Shuying's back to Juexin's face.Juemin took a look at Juexin, and was about to answer, but the electric light that shone in front of his eyes suddenly attracted his eyes again.In his helpless despair, he suddenly had an idea: "I must help her!" He felt a bright light in front of him.All his rage and despair flew away in an instant. "The sedan chair! The sedan chair!" Yuan Cheng and Su Fu walked in front, and when they stepped out of the Moon Cave Gate, they ran and yelled.There was a commotion outside the rockery.It turned out that there was a vast stone slab, and six sedan chairs were placed horizontally there. Twelve bearers and three or four servants gathered together to talk. In terms of position, the sedan chair was moved slightly.

"Pick up the old lady's sedan chair outside Zhou!" "Pick up the uncle's wife's sedan chair!!..." The voices of the wife, maid, maidservant, and servant mingled together and yelled like this one after another. After a while of fuss, the guests entered the sedan chair one after another.While his two older sisters were bidding farewell to Sister Shuying, Master Mei walked up to Juexin and said solemnly to Juexin, "Big cousin, when will you come to our house? I have There are so many things I never dare to say to others, I want to tell you together. I often can’t sleep all night. I am very scared.” The hasty and trembling voice revealed his fear and panic.

Then he looked around suspiciously again, afraid that someone would listen to him. "Okay, I will definitely come to see you in two days. You should take care of yourself," Juexin replied emotionally.He still wanted to say a word or two to Young Master Mei, but Yuan Cheng was urging Young Master Mei to get on the sedan chair. Master Mei saluted everyone again, and then hurried into the sedan chair.When the bearers lifted him out of the garden and turned into the second gate of the mansion, Mrs. Zhou's sedan chair had already left the gate and was walking on the street. Zhou's group followed the sedan chair out of the garden gate, walked up the hall, turned into the turning door, and walked inside. Feng Leshan's three-person arched sedan chair was placed on the hall.The hall is brightly lit.Shuhua walked to the door and peeped secretly through the crack of the door.Qin also went to put her face on a board wall and looked inside through the gap. She saw the old man with short gray beard sitting on the bed, shaking his head and talking to Gao Keming triumphantly.His red nose, like a sausage, glowed in the electric light.He is bragging about his poetry.She thought: "Probably the business is over," and turned around and walked away. Juemin also bent over to watch.She gently tugged on his sleeve, and when Juemin looked back, she was already beside Shuhua.She said in Shuhua's ear: "Let's go." As soon as Shuhua turned around, she heard Keming yelling majestically from inside: "Seeing off the guests!" Shuhua made a strange face at Qin, and hurriedly pulled the piano They ran towards the turning door together.Her mother and aunts had all gone inside.Juexin also accompanied Jianyun to his room to talk.Except for the two of them and Juemin, only Shuying and Shuzhen were waiting for them hiding in the dark in front of the turning door. As soon as Keming yelled "seeing off the guests", there was a loud response in the porter room: "Yes!" Then Wen De, the servant of the third room, jumped out of the porter room with a stride, and ran straight to the flower hall.Then a servant and three bearers also jumped and ran out of the porter's room.The attendant held a lantern in his hand. Wende opened the door curtain, and Feng Leshan, wearing a red melon cap, a maroon satin robe, and a black satin jacket, came out bending over.Keming respectfully followed behind, sent him all the way to the sedan chair, and even bent down deeply. "Third Dad is too polite," Shuhua said with a low laugh. "Let's go," Shuying urged when she heard Shuhua's voice and became more anxious.She immediately pulled Shuzhen inside.Qin and Shuhua followed in without any hesitation. As soon as they got to Juemin's window, they heard Keming's quick steps behind him.They moved out of the way and stood aside, waiting for him to pass. "Third dad," Shuhua called out with a smile.Qin smiled and called "Third Uncle".Shuying also called "Father". Keming stopped suddenly.He nodded with a smile, and then asked Qin: "Miss Qin, how is your mother? Why didn't you come today?" Not coming," Qin replied politely.She went on to say: "The third uncle is very busy recently, but he is in good health." "It's okay. I haven't taken many cases recently, and I don't have anything to do. It's just that I'm busy with socializing," Keming replied modestly. He seemed very pleased with his air. At this time, Juemin walked slowly to the side to listen to their speech. "The guest that Uncle San met just now was Feng Leshan," Qin asked after seeing Keming's good mood. "That's right. Miss Qin, how do you know him?" Keming asked in surprise. Jean smiled, a smile she used to hide her disgust.She tried her best to make a flat voice and said: "Feng Leshan became the president of the Confucian Church this year, and he gave a speech in our school once. He said that women who have no talent are virtues. It is better to teach them to learn than to send them to the school." It's a joke. It made all the classmates unhappy." "It's hard to say. Mr. Leshan is a respected elder, and his knowledge is also one of the best in the provincial capital," Keming said suddenly and seriously. Qin was speechless, and she buried her head in embarrassment.Juemin couldn't help but interjected, "However, at such an age, it's not a good example to ask your concubine to be an actress. And he—" "Second brother, you can't say that. He is your elder after all! Even me Respect him too!" Keming interrupted Juemin's words without waiting for Juemin to finish speaking. He turned his head and told his daughter Shuying: "Second daughter, play with your sister Qin well." So he walked inside proudly. Juemin looked angrily at Keming's back as he turned into the aisle in the dark, and cursed in a low voice: "What a fool!"She seemed to be begging Juemin to stop saying such things. Hearing Shuying's voice, Juemin was a little touched, and his heart softened, and he immediately changed his tone and said, "Second sister, I won't talk anymore. You know I didn't mean to—" Shuying didn't wait for him to finish speaking, and said A trembling voice interrupted: "Second brother, I don't blame you. I'm just afraid, I'm afraid of myself..." She was so excited that she couldn't continue, and suddenly stopped in the middle. "Second brother, why don't you invite us to sit in your room? It's not interesting to stand in the dark and talk," Shuhua said because she didn't have a chance to intervene to speak these days, feeling suffocated, and finally couldn't help saying this. "Okay. Come and invite me now, but I won't accept it," Juemin heard that this was exactly what he wanted, and immediately followed her tone of reply. "Sister Qin, you go first, I'll ask someone to pour some tea!" Shuhua turned around and said to Qin.Then she called out to the upper left room: "Qixia! Qixia!" "Yes!" Qixia replied from the upper left room. "Pour some cups of tea for us, in the second young master's room!" Shuhua ordered loudly. "Understood! Come!" Qixia responded loudly in the room. "Third sister, you always like to order people around like this! This kind of temper is not to be tolerated!" Juemin had just stepped on the stone steps, stepped over the threshold with one foot, and suddenly turned around and scolded Shuhua. At this time, Qin, Shuying, and Shuzhen had all entered the room. "It's called the country is easy to change, but the nature is hard to change!" Shuhua replied with a sneer, not convinced. "Okay, okay, I won't talk about you. When you marry a vicious uncle in the future, what can you do then?" Juemin said deliberately revenge. "What does this have to do with you? This is my own business. I'm not afraid. I have my own opinions!" Shuhua retorted forcefully. "Okay, this is the best!" Qin clapped her hands gently in the room and laughed.Juemin and Shuhua couldn't help laughing too.They went in. Everyone sat down and talked about some gossip.Shuying suddenly fell silent by herself, she was thinking about what Shuhua said just now, she was thinking about one thing.Qixia came in with a tea tray and put the teacups in front of everyone.Then she stood beside Qin with an empty tea tray and listened to Qin. "Qixia, Miss Qin is sleeping in my room tonight, you go and make the bed first," Shuhua instructed Qixia. "En," Qixia replied, hesitated for a moment and was about to go out when suddenly the sound of a piece of porcelain falling to the ground and smashing was heard outside, and immediately there was the sound of wooden objects colliding with the wall.These voices seemed to be sent from the opposite wing.Everyone looked at each other in surprise.Shuzhen's complexion suddenly changed, and she shivered slightly like a shiver. "Master Fifth has quarreled with Mrs. Fifth again." Qi Xia excitedly said to herself, but no one paid any attention to her.Juemin stood up annoyed, and took two steps in the room. He looked at Shuying's face, then at Shuzhen's. "Gao Jingzhi, tell me in your conscience, how can you be worthy of me, Shen Shuyu? My natal brother just moved to another county, and there is no one in the provincial capital, so you don't put me in your eyes! You bully me Alone!" Shen's voice mixed with anger and sadness suddenly sounded in the opposite wing. "I don't know why?" Qin whispered to herself. "Which god knows about their affairs! There are always seven days of bickering in ten days!" Shuhua interjected. "You took off all my gold and silver jewellery, and I didn't account to you. You are not good yet. You rented a mansion outside and asked a watchdog to be your concubine. I don't care about you. Now you are messing around If it's not enough, you've actually made a fuss at home. You have no conscience!" "You dare to scold again! You dare to scold again!" Shuzhen's father, Keding, yelled sharply, slapping his hands on the table for a moment.Then he roared again: "This is my home! I can do whatever I like!" "You are so shameless!" Shen shrieked back. "Your home? Your home is outside. This is my home! Xi'er is mine!" "No matter who she is, as long as she is willing, you are not worthy to speak! I am happy to do this, how dare you What about me?" Ke Lili roared confidently. "Xi'er is the girl who married me as a dowry. She is mine. I have long worried about you, a pervert, so I married her off early. Now her husband has only been dead for a few months, and you are here to bully her! Xi'er It's not Xi Shi, you're so good at it? What kind of master are you? You've ruined the virtues of three generations of your Gao family's ancestors!" Mrs. Shen cursed incessantly, interspersed with Keding's constant "You Don't say it again" type of threat.But she continued bravely. "No matter what you say, she is always prettier than you. Look in the mirror and see your face: flat nose, bloody mouth. When I see you, I am angry! I like her, and I want to marry her!" Ke shouted eloquently. "How about my dignity? It was born to my parents! How dare you say it! You—you, you bully a widow who is alone, and there is no one at home! You are a master who seduces an old lady! Father will not die One year, your filial piety is not yet full, and you are messing around at home! Gao Jingzhi, you have read in the stomach of a cow!" Shen cursed even more angrily, picked up a porcelain and threw it on the ground, With a bang, the magnet immediately shattered. "Okay, if you dare to hit something, you are afraid that I will not dare!" Keding yelled, and he also grabbed a piece of porcelain and smashed it. Shuzhen suddenly leaned over the table with a wow and began to cry. "Second brother, let's go out and have a look," Shuhua excitedly said to Juemin, and she went outside.Juemin was walking around the room, so he followed him out.Qixia also followed them, leaving Qin and Shuying to comfort Shuzhen in the room. The lights in Keding's room opposite are brilliant, and the glass embedded in the paper window is covered by paper curtains painted with orchid grass.There were quite a few people standing up and down the steps outside the window, both men and women, most of them were maids and servants, all stretching their heads and necks to listen quietly.There are also two or three people who are discussing in whispers.Juexin and Jianyun walked slowly in the courtyard with their hands behind their backs.Both Juemin and Shuhua went to the window, where they heard a woman crying softly in the room. "This is something I brought over as a dowry, I don't allow you to hit it!" Shen continued to curse. "I want to fight! I did! So what about you!" Keding replied fiercely.He broke one more thing. "This is my home, if you are not happy, just get out!" "Get out? You dare to call me out? It's so easy to say! I was picked up by you with three matchmakers and six rituals! Unless I die, you will Please don't leave me!" "I want you to die!" Keding roared viciously. "Okay, you want me to die! I'll show you my death!" Shouted crazily, Shen rushed towards Keding, bumping her head into his arms.Chunlan was so frightened that she ran out of the right wing, her face flushed, shouting "It's terrible!" She ran across the courtyard, entered the corridor, and went to the back. In the room, Ke was about to push Shen away, but Shen grabbed him and refused to let him go, the two of them twisted together, advancing and retreating, retreating and advancing.Some of the servants and servants standing outside the window had already run into the room to persuade them. Juemin and Shuhua were still standing outside.Juexin quickly ran into Keding's room. He anxiously called "Five Dad" and "Five Aunt", but no one paid any attention to him.The maids grabbed Shen's shoulders, and the servants pulled Keding away. "Okay, if you want me to die, I'll ask the third master and others to judge right and wrong, to see if I deserve to die or not!" Shen said with a cry, she broke free from the hands of the maids, and ran outside with disheveled hair.Juexin ran out and called her from behind.She didn't agree, so she kept running to the main room.Mrs. Qian and Mrs. Zhang also ran after her. Ke An came out of the hallway, and as soon as he walked through the main room, Shen Shi saw him, rushed over and grabbed him by the arm, crying, "Fourth brother, give me justice! Look at the good things your fifth brother has done!" Fifth brother and sister, what's the matter? You let me go. If you have something to say, you can speak slowly," Ke'an was accidentally caught by her, a little confused, so he said this in a panic, pulling his arms away. "Go and ask your good brother! He openly seduced my old mother in my room! He wants to force me to die! Fourth brother, do you think it makes sense!" Shen's voice was a little hoarse. Mrs. Wang walked behind her husband, and saw Mrs. Shen's ridiculous and pitiful appearance with disheveled hair, wet with tears and snot, and saw many maids and servants standing below the steps, all of them stretched out their heads curiously. Looking around, she felt a little ashamed, as if she had lost her identity.She stepped forward, grabbed Shen Shi, and gently persuaded: "Fifth brother and sister, why are you angry? We are up to you to decide what matters. Fifth brother dare not bully you. You'd better go to my room to rest I'll talk about it later." "Sister-in-law Si, that's not okay. I have to figure it out tonight! Otherwise, how will I live in the future!" Seeing someone coming to persuade her, Chen felt that she was justified, and her tone of speech became stronger.She struggled to go back to her room, while pulling Wang Shi, asking her to go with her. "Fourth sister-in-law, come and judge justice! You see, he has done a good job! He knew that I was accompanying guests in the garden today, but he was hiding in the house and secretly doing such dirty things with Xi'er. How did I meet him?" I whispered to him, but he scolded me instead! Sister-in-law Si, do you think this makes sense? Now even my own people are bullying me!...Okay, Gao Jingzhi, I will show you! I Tell that surveillance user to get out of here immediately! "If you dare to touch Xi'er, I will kill you!" Keding slapped the table in the room again and roared. "Fourth sister-in-law, listen! It's so fierce!" Just as Shen said this, she suddenly caught a glimpse of Zhou walking over tremblingly with her two little feet, and greeted: "Sister-in-law, you can also decide right from wrong. You say he should Shouldn't you treat me like this?" "Fifth brother and sister, I understand, and you can talk slowly if you have something to say. Don't be angry. You can come to my room and sit down. We are the masters of your affairs," Zhou shook With her big round face, her voice was like rolling beads.Then she turned her head and said to Ke An who was standing next to her and was only stroking his mustache: "Fourth brother, go and stop fifth brother, tell him to be more sensible, and stop messing around." She saw Juexin He and Jianyun were also at the side and said to Juexin: "Mingxuan, please go and invite the third father here." Just as Juexin walked away, the third wife, Mrs. Zhang, also came.So, the three sister-in-laws persuaded Mrs. Shen into Mrs. Zhou's room.Ke'an stood alone in the courtyard and hesitated for a while before walking to Keding's room. Shuhua excitedly ran back to Juemin's room.As soon as she entered the room, she called out, "Sister Qin, let's go to mother's room to listen to Fifth Aunt's speech! Hurry up, hurry up!" Qin was talking to Shuying in a low voice, and Shuzhen was listening attentively. They saw Shuhua While shouting and walking in, they all raised their heads to look at her in surprise. "You go, you go alone. We have something to discuss," Qin shook her head and said lightly.Afterwards, she tilted her head and continued talking to Shuying. Shuhua refused to go alone, but walked to Shuying's side, begging Shuying: "Second sister, you go!" Shuying turned her head and said in a low voice: "I won't go." She went to Qin's room again. In front of her, while dragging her arm, she urged: "If you have something to say, save it for a while and discuss it later, but this strange thing should not be missed." Qin raised her head again and gave her a reproachful look. The voice said loudly: "What's so strange about this? Marriages that are not free have the same result."