Chapter 26 Twenty-six

Juexin sat in front of the desk for a long time, his eyes staring blankly at the open novel.He tried to keep his attention on the consecutive numbers four.But he still couldn't grasp the meaning of those words.There seemed to be nothing in his mind, but there was a woman's scolding voice.The rough, high-pitched sound hurt his weary mind like a file grinding against it.It was painful at first, then numb.The stuffy air seemed to have hypnotic magic.Fatigue gradually overwhelmed him.His spirits relaxed.Later, the quarreling in the opposite wing died down.Suddenly he heard the sound of the monk singing sutras and the girl's low cry.The voices slowly filled the void in his head with sorrow.He felt dizzy and heavy.He gradually lowered his head.So his face was pressed against the book.

Suddenly a familiar voice called him softly.He looked up and saw Hui standing in front of him in plain clothes. "Cousin Hui, when did you come?" He asked in surprise and got up quickly. She didn't answer, but looked at him silently.Eyes full of love and lamentation.There was no makeup on her face, and her sad expression made her face look more beautiful. He suddenly noticed that her head and body were dripping with water, and he was surprised: "Cousin Hui, what's wrong with you, you're covered in water. Where did you come from?" "I came from home, and it rained heavily, and the sedan chair leaked, and my whole body was wet," she replied complaining.

He looked at her lovingly.He hurriedly took out a handkerchief and handed it over, saying, "Wipe it first. I'll ask Mrs. He to get you a basin of face water." He stood up and wanted to go out to call Mrs. He. "Big cousin, don't go, I have something to tell you," she anxiously asked him to stay, wiping the water from her hair with a handkerchief. He stood still.He looked at her face and her clothes with pity.He said painfully: "Why did Boxiong let you sit in a broken sedan chair? You will get sick if you do this." "Where would he care about me? He wished that I would die early," she said sobbing, then lowered her head.Her body trembled slightly.

"Cousin Hui," he called softly regretfully, and also shed tears. "You should take care of your own body." She raised her head to look at him with tears in her eyes, and suddenly burst into tears: "Big cousin, please help me, I really can't take it anymore." She tightly grasped his right arm.Her distressed cries for help began to cut at his heart.He was struggling with desperate thoughts.It was as if something heavy was weighing on his shoulders, and he wanted to shake off the weight of these years, and he wanted to help this woman he loved. But there was a bright light in front of him, and the light hurt his eyes. He felt a hand on his shoulder, and he looked back quickly.Shuhua stood beside him with a kind smile.He turned around and looked around again, but there was no one else in the room.He sighed and whispered to himself, "I had a dream."

"Brother, go to sleep. You can see that you fell asleep on the desk," Shuhua said gently.When she heard him talk about dreaming, she asked, "Did you dream? Which one did you dream of?" Juexin paused, sighed, and said, "I dreamed about Cousin Hui, and she asked me for help." Shuhua was startled, as if a melancholy wind had blown her face.After a while, she said sympathetically, "Cousin Hui is so pitiful!" "I'm really sorry for her, I didn't do a good job for her," Juexin blamed himself. "Brother, don't say that. Didn't you go to your cousin-in-law to negotiate the burial of the coffin?" Shuhua comforted Juexin with these two words.

"The matter of bringing up the coffin is even more disturbing," Juexin said, frowning, "I was fooled by Boxiong. He has no sincerity. He still let the coffin be placed in the nunnery. Tomorrow is the fourth day of the lunar new year. I couldn't find him for a few days. I heard that he is busy with the sequel. I didn't expect him to be so heartless." He showed an indignant expression. "This is a good son-in-law chosen by uncle. What good things does uncle have to say now!" Shuhua said angrily. "Grandma and the others are very angry, but my uncle doesn't care at all. He always says: "A married woman is like water poured out. 'Cousin Hui's matter seems to have nothing to do with him.If grandma hadn't forced him, he wouldn't have cared about it at all. "

"Then what can Grandma and the others do now? They will never let the coffin rest like this." Juexin didn't answer right away, he seemed to be searching for something in his mindless thoughts.The siren sounded suddenly.The whimpering voice screamed in the quiet night, making people's hearts jump with fear.Shuhua hurriedly said: "The light is about to go out, wait for me to light it up." She walked to the square table. The final wail of the siren awakened Juexin, and his thoughts suddenly found a way out.He stood up and made up his mind and said: "I must get this matter done." It seemed that he was not speaking to Shuhua, but to another person.He looked around the house again with his eyes, but his eyes stopped there when he passed the picture of his dead wife hanging on the wall.He was taken aback unexpectedly.At that moment the lights went out completely.

Shuhua took the tin lamp and walked to the desk, and put the lamp on the desk. Seeing Juexin standing there numbly, she asked in surprise, "Brother, what are you thinking?" Juexin turned his head to look at Shuhua as if waking up, and Shuhua's eyes full of youthful vitality gave him a little comfort and encouragement.It was as if he had been summoned back from another world.It was a world of despair, a world full of sorrow, and his heart seemed to be still in that world.But now his mind was alive again. "I didn't think about anything," Juexin replied discreetly.

"Is there anything you can do about Cousin Hui's matter?" Shuhua didn't know his mood, and asked about that matter again. Juexin didn't answer this question directly, but he said, "Sister, let's go to Mom's room and wait for me to discuss it with Mom." Juexin was still talking about Hui's affairs with Zhou Shi.Neither of them had firm claims.They couldn't think of any other way except to negotiate with the Zheng family.Such discussions disappointed Shuhua.She felt that their words and actions were unpleasant, but she herself didn't know how to deal with Guoguang.

The fourth day passed in vain.Zheng Guoguang seemed to have completely forgotten what he promised Juexin.Hui's coffin was still quietly placed in a small room in the Lianhua Nunnery.A spider had woven its web in one corner of the coffin.An inch of dust had accumulated on the coffin.The memorial tablet was lying on the table.One of the elegiac couplets was blown off. Zhou Gui returned to the Zhou mansion with anger, and told Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Chen what he had seen.They sent him to Gao's house again, and said the same thing to Zhou and Juexin again. "Then it's good to invite Boxiong to talk about it," Zhou Botao said to his mother.

"It's best to invite the aunt and young master here, and then negotiate with him," Juexin said to Zhou Gui in the same way. The next day Mrs. Zhou sent someone to invite Zheng Guoguang, but Zheng Guoxiao excused himself from illness and resigned.Mrs. Zhou forced Zhou Botao to go to Zheng's house.Zhou Botao also only saw Guoguang's father, and they talked about some irrelevant things casually.The problem remains unresolved. On the afternoon of the sixth day, Juexin went to Zheng's house.He also did not see Guoguang.But he saw the Zheng family decorated with lanterns and festoons.He asked the gatekeeper, and only then did he know that Zheng Guoguang's continuation issue had been decided, and the engagement (engagement) would be made on the eighth day of the lunar calendar. The janitor's simple account seemed to burn a spoonful of kerosene on Juexin's anger.Juexin immediately went to Zhou's house from here.He told Mrs. Zhou and Mrs. Chen the important news without any concealment. "What do you think should be done?" Mrs. Zhou asked Zhou Botao tremblingly. "Mom, don't be angry. The date of the fourth day of the lunar new year was too close. I think Boxiong probably didn't buy a good land, so I changed the date. The burial is related to the prosperity and decline of their family, and it is inconvenient for us outsiders to talk too much," Zhou Botao laughed along with him.A forced smile did not brighten his dark face. "You are always right! What do you mean by 'outsiders'? You are thoughtful for Boxiong. You forgot that you are Hui'er's father!" Mrs. Zhou scolded angrily. "I think it's useless for mom to be angry. Mom had better wait patiently. In fact, it's not been a long time since Hui'er died," Zhou Botao said stubbornly. "Get out! I don't want to listen to your words!" Mrs. Zhou waved to Zhou Botao.But he did not leave the room at once. "Grandma, please don't get angry, things can always be figured out slowly," Juexin urged quickly. The old lady Zhou was panting, and Zhou Botao looked at his mother with a strange expression.Chen looked at her husband with disgust.Both Xu and Yun remained silent. They sometimes looked at Mrs. Zhou with concern, and sometimes looked at Zhou Botao with dissatisfaction. Suddenly another voice broke the suffocating silence in the room.It was a woman's voice.She cursed majestically: "What are you? How dare you talk back to me? Pour this kind of tea for me too? Doesn't Zhou's family have any good tea? Call you to get another cup of tea. Just say that you are the girl of the old lady and the second lady, Could it be that I can't handle it?" There was a clear and dangerous voice in the middle of these words, as if the teacup fell on the floor and broke. "Listen, Young Mistress Sun is scolding Cuifeng again. She doesn't wake up until ten o'clock a day, so she has the nerve to scold people," old lady Zhou sighed, pointing at the window. "Yes," Chen and Qi replied in unison.Chen said bitterly: "This is also my bad fate: Huier got such a result, and Meiwazi got this kind of daughter-in-law again." Zhou Botao was silent, he pretended not to hear. "Cuifeng is bleary. She was scolded last night and cried for a long time in my room. I never scolded her," Yun said angrily. "I didn't scold her either. Now we have brought in an ancestor," Mrs. Zhou said coldly. In the other room, Cuifeng seemed to be defending herself, while Mei young lady slapped the table and scolded.Master Mei also helped Young Mistress Mei scold Cuifeng.Suddenly Cuifeng burst into tears. "It's lively in our mansion now," Mrs. Zhou said with a sneer. "It's always like this for young people, and now the children are more active than before," Zhou Botao continued to explain. "Then let me ask you, what kind of life did Hui'er live in Zheng's house? She was tortured to death, and she didn't hear a word from your father. Now it's our turn to be angry with the daughter-in-law," Chen said. She asked her husband with a straight face. Zhou Botao was about to speak, but his mother preempted him by saying: "Young lady, you are wasting your energy talking to him. I have never seen a person as unreasonable as him. He talks about old things every day. I don't know." Seeing him studying, he failed. What serious things do you think he has done? Isn’t he living comfortably on the money left by his father!” These few words made Juexin very happy, and he felt that they were correct criticisms of Zhou Botao.The last trace of respect he had for his uncle had long since vanished.Seeing Zhou Botao embarrassed, he felt satisfaction like revenge.But at the same time he felt a desperate rage.What he had seen in the short time he had been here told him the ruin of a young man's future and of a harmonious family.Such tragedy can be wrought by the capriciousness of one obstinately confused man in such a short time.He felt a great abhorrence at the system which put so much power in one hand.But even then he thought he was powerless before that accursed system. Master Mei suddenly strode into Mrs. Zhou's room.He blushed and said angrily to Mrs. Chen: "Mom, Cuifeng is too unruly. She dared to quarrel with her daughter-in-law. Please give her a good beating." "Wang Fa?" Juexin thought painfully, and he glanced at Mei with pity. "Mr. Chen kept a straight face and didn't say a word. "Mom, Cuifeng made my daughter-in-law cry. After a while, my daughter-in-law's heartache will flare up again. I sent it about Cuifeng last night," Young Master Mei continued chattering. "Go and call Cuifeng!" Zhou Botao ordered sharply. Master Mei agreed and walked out proudly.The few people who stayed in the room were all stern and sat there silently. No one spoke until Young Master Mei brought Cuifeng in. "Cuifeng, why don't you listen to Mrs. Sun? Mrs. Sun calls you to do things, and it is right to scold you for doing something wrong. How dare you talk back?? Mrs. Zhou saw Cuifeng burying her head and wiping her hands. Eyes, standing in front of her as if she had been wronged, she first judged the right and wrong in her heart, but she still spoke to the maid with a reproachful tone. "I didn't dare to quarrel with Sun Shaoxian. I did what Sun Shaonai told me to do, and I didn't even say a second sentence. I don't know what I offended her. She asked me to pour tea , I’ll just pour her the tea that the old lady ate..." Cuifeng whimpered and complained, but she was suddenly interrupted by Master Mei when she said this. "You talk nonsense! Don't go any further!" Master Mei shouted angrily. "Whoever has the time to listen to her nonsense, just beat her!" Zhou Botao shouted impatiently. The air in the room was tense.Cuifeng closed her mouth timidly, not daring to say another word.She raised her eyes to Yun, as if begging her for help. "You don't have time, get the hell out of here! There's no reason for you to speak first in my room!" Zhou Cai-level old lady cursed at Zhou Botao with a trembling voice. Zhou Botao immediately lowered his head and dared not make a sound.Young Master Mei's red face immediately turned pale, and he stood there with his head downcast, like a deflated rubber ball.Now he didn't dare to look at Cuifeng with threatening eyes. "Cuifeng, don't be afraid, just talk," Mrs. Zhou said to Cuifeng gently. Cuifeng boldly raised her head to look at Mrs. Zhou, and she felt much relieved.Mrs. Zhou's few words also relieved the heavy hearts of the other people. "I brought tea to Sun Shaonai. Sun Shaonai thought the tea was bad and couldn't eat it. She asked me to pour another cup. I said it was the best tea, and I couldn't find any better tea. Sun Shaonai scolded me , and then hit me with a teacup. Luckily, I escaped, and the teacup was also smashed," Cuifeng now narrates her story more quietly.This story made Zhou Botao and Master Mei lower their heads, and made the rest of them raise their heads higher. "Young master, please tell the truth. Do you think there is such a reason? A maid is also a human being, so how can there be any reason to beat and curse indiscriminately?" Mrs. Zhou said to Juexin angrily. "Jue Xin responded respectfully. "She can't eat my tea! Well, if she pours my tea, you should protect her. She doesn't put me in her eyes, and you don't put me in her eyes either," Mrs. Zhou said. He cursed tremblingly again.She suddenly turned her head to the side and told Cuifeng sharply: "Cuifeng, go and get me the duster, I'm going to beat someone today." Cuifeng timidly responded.She dared not move.She didn't know if she should get the duster or not, and she didn't know who Mrs. Zhou was going to hit with it. "Cuifeng, I told you to bring the duster, did you hear that?" Mrs. Zhou reprimanded and pushed. Cuifeng had to obediently walk out of the room. Zhou Botao slightly raised his head, glanced at the old lady Zhou, and seeing her angry face, he didn't dare to make a sound.Master Mei trembled slightly, he wished he could find a gap in the floor and get in. Although Chen, Li and others felt happy as if they had vented their anger, Mrs. Zhou's anger also made them feel worried and fearful. They didn't know how old Mrs. Zhou's anger would rise.They waited, waiting for an opportunity to persuade. Juexin watched Mrs. Zhou's every word and move attentively, and he waited for Mrs. Zhou's actions with anticipation.He himself has no strength, or even determination, to strike at the man who lords over the shadow of the system.He naturally liked to see that person suffer damage at the hands of others. Cuifeng brought the feather duster and handed it to Mrs. Zhou.Old Mrs. Zhou held it, looked at Young Master Mei, and ordered, "My son, come here." "Master Mei secretly looked at his grandmother in fear. He didn't dare to go over. Mrs. Zhou urged her angrily. Zhou Botao didn't dare to say anything. He looked at Juexin, as if hoping that Juexin would come out to persuade him. Juexin was looking forward to being hit with a duster. He hoped to see the wayward and stubborn people be punished.But when he saw Young Master Mei's pitiful look, and the angry look on Old Mrs. Zhou's aging face (he felt that she had aged much in the past year), he felt that he could not stand by and watch.He stood up and begged his grandmother, "Grandma, please forgive my cousin this time. He is young and not sensible. If you forgive him this time, he will gradually understand." As soon as he said this, Young Master Mei suddenly burst into tears. "Mei baby, come here, I won't hit you," Mrs. Zhou said to Young Master Mei in a gentle voice.She nodded to him.He still hesitated to go over. Juexin looked at Mrs. Zhou's face, and gently encouraged Master Mei, saying: "Cousin Mei, you go over there, grandma won't beat you, don't be afraid." Yun also urged her cousin beside her: "Brother Mei, my mother-in-law called you over, and my mother-in-law has something to tell you, don't be afraid." Master Mei walked up to Mrs. Zhou step by step, and he glanced at his grandmother in fear. "You are so old, you should be sensible. Why are you messing around with Mrs. Sun? Do you know that it is not easy for your grandfather to earn such a fortune? It is not the time for you to enjoy the blessings," Mrs. Zhou said half majestic and half Looking at Young Master Mei kindly, suppressing his anger, he taught in his usual voice.They all responded.She continued: "Girls are also human beings. Cuifeng is the girl I bought, and I left it to your second sister to handle. She does a lot more things in a day than you. What do you think you are worthy of scolding her for? She? When a master treats others kindly, the subordinates will be convinced. Treat subordinates with right and wrong and be fair. Don't think that you are great if your grandpa has a little money. In fact, your father has already spent almost all of it. If you sit up and eat, even a mountain will be emptied. Don't learn your father's bullish temper, and don't be as inhuman as your father. He forgot the hard life I lived with his father when he was born Now he wants to talk about etiquette and teach me a lesson." Mrs. Zhou suddenly raised the duster and said through gritted teeth: "Speaking of etiquette, I may not be able to beat my son as a mother!" These last words struck Zhou Botao's head like a thunderbolt, and his face became even darker.His body moved slightly, his eyes were on the door, and he wanted to find a chance to slip out. Mrs. Zhou happened to cast her eyes on Zhou Botao's face and body.Such small actions did not escape her eyes.She glared at Zhou Botao, waved the duster and cursed: "You want to go, you go. Who wants to keep you? I get angry when I see you!" Zhou Botao said two or three short words cheekily, and walked out as if pardoned.The rest of the people in the room (except old lady Zhou and young master Mei) silently sighed. Mrs. Zhou's anger had not completely disappeared. Seeing Young Master Mei standing in front of her in awe, she threw down the broom, waved to him, and said, "Go away too, I don't want to see you. Go and accompany Young Mistress Sun." go." After Master Mei left, Mrs. Zhou closed her eyes tiredly, and opened them after a while.At this time, it was Chen's and Xu's turn to comfort her.Seeing this situation, Juexin couldn't bring up the matter of Hui's coffin again.He felt that staying here would only increase his distress, so he said goodbye to them.They naturally asked him to stay here for lunch, but he found an excuse and walked away. Juexin returned home, entered the turning door, walked past Juemin's door, and met Juemin coming out of the room.Seeing the gloomy look on his face, Juemin asked in surprise, "Brother, where did you come back from? I went to the office, but you have already left." "I went to grandma's," Juexin replied simply. Juemin felt that he understood everything, so he looked at him sympathetically, and asked gently, "Is it about Cousin Hui again?" Juexin nodded. "Is it resolved?" Juemin asked again. "Bo Xiong hides and refuses to see him. He's about to continue, and it's decided on the eighth day of the lunar new year. How can he want to know about Cousin Hui?" Juexin said bitterly. "What does Uncle say? He must have a way." Juexin frowned and bit his lip.He wanted not to speak, words could not express his complicated feelings.But another kind of force encouraged him, and he finally answered: "Don't mention uncle, he is the one who messed up this matter. Without him, the matter would have been settled a long time ago. It was an easy matter .But in their family there is nothing they can do. Grandma can only be angry." "What do you think we should do? Do we just let Boxion go on like this?" Juemin was disappointed at the helplessness of those many people, but he still kept asking. "What can I do? Their family is like that," Juexin defended himself, spreading his hands.In fact, this is just angry talk.What he has been trying to find is the solution.He still doesn't believe that he will never find it. They were standing on the steps talking.Sparrows chirped monotonously on the roof tiles.The sun has climbed over the eaves.There is an empty rattan chair under the window of Shuzhen's room opposite.Shen came out of the room holding Xi'er's baby, Juefei, and sat on the wicker chair with a smile on her face. "There is a way, and it's very easy. I don't know if you are willing to do it," Juemin suddenly said with a smug smile. "You have a way"?Juexin turned to look at his brother in surprise. "Let's go find Boxiong and force him to write a statement in his own hand, and see if he can deny it!" Juemin said excitedly. "If he is willing to come, then everything will be easy," Juexin said disappointedly, thinking that Juemin's proposition is still empty talk. "Of course he doesn't want to come. We can invite him. I know that Boxiong's house doesn't have a sedan chair. He usually hires a sedan chair from 'the gate'. Then we send someone to wait for him near his house. As soon as he comes out Just stop him and say that my uncle has something to do and let him go, and see how he shirks," Juemin said confidently. "But if you don't get to meet him, it's a waste of time," Juexin said. "I can't miss it. I met it yesterday and today," Juemin said. "Have you met? How did you meet?" Juexin asked in surprise. "I went there specially to prove that my method works," Juemin said with a smile. Juexin thought for a while, and replied, "Alright, let's try your method. I'll send Yuan Cheng there."