Chapter 8 chapter eight
After Cao Zhen finished his belief, Mrs. Ma immediately said: "I have to find Qiuyue and tell her what my aunt wants; let's see what she says?"
"It's what my aunt means. What can she say?" Second Grandma Zhen replied, "It depends on what my wife means first."
"Of course you have to listen to my aunt's words."
"That's it! What's more, it's really a good word that is insightful, thoughtful, and far-reaching." Second Grandma Zhen said, "Not only must this matter be done, but it must be done quickly. Back then, my uncle and great-grandfather's family just hesitated a step. Slowly dragged it down; our family will never reach that point, but since my aunt has taken care of it, things must be done, so it is better to do it early and have an explanation."
"Exactly!"
So I sent someone to call Qiuyue, and showed her the letter; after reading it, she asked calmly, "What do you think Madam?"
"I have to do what my aunt told me; besides, it's a good thing."
"Yes! Since the aunt is responsible for everything about Qin Guan, and she will take care of her in the future, it's okay to set up all of them in the sacrificial field. However, I think it's best to wait for the fourth master to come back."
"Not good!" Madam Ma's tone was very firm, "Did you always hear about the situation at Uncle and Grandpa's house?"
Qiuyue has heard that since the forty-second year of Kangxi, the Cao and Li families have taken turns serving as the salt censors of the Huaihe River and Huaihe River for a period of ten years. , 400,000.After Cao Yin's death, in order to make up for the shortfall of the Cao family, the first emperor ordered Li Xu to visit salt three times; the last time was in the fifty-seventh year of Kangxi.At that time, Li Ding was married; Ding's grandma deeply understood the principle that prosperity must decline, and persuaded the father-in-law to buy a sacrifice land, thinking that it was a step back. It turned out that the sacrifice land was reported to the government, even if it was a felony and the house was seized, it would not be an official.Of course it's inconvenient to say this clearly; Li Xu also didn't think about it, he just said: "I'm not busy, just take my time." Then he knew that if he procrastinated, there would be no chance!Because it takes a lot of time to ask for land and houses, and if you have time, you don't get the money together, so you will follow your own mistakes and regret it.
Now Mrs. Ma mentioned this lesson from the past, and Cao Fu was punished for the fading of the imperial silk and satin, which made Qiuyue terrified;So he replied without hesitation: "Now that I have said that, I will send the box and the key to my wife right now."
"Then there's no need to be in such a hurry." Mrs. Ma said, "We'll just follow my aunt's wishes; out of the ten shares, keep two and keep them for you to use on Officer Qin in the future."
"Yes!" Qiuyue thought for a while and then said, "There are gold leaves, jewels, emeralds, and diamonds in it; it's hard to say how much two copies are. I just have to send the box, and my wife will see what should be left for me." Qin Guan, sort it out and open another list. Put it in a box and seal it; when it’s time to hand it over to Qin Guan, I will hand it over to him intact.”
"That's a good point. Let's do it!"
"Yes!" Qiuyue said again, "I'll send the box over right away." After speaking, she took two steps back without waiting for Madam Ma's answer, then turned around and left.
Cao Zhen and his wife never expected that this pass would go so smoothly.Since I haven't figured out what to do next, I have nothing to say at this time; but Mrs. Ma has already made plans.
"Looking back, let's open the box to see if it can't stand the contents, so we deal with it first."
This remark enlightened Second Grandma Zhen, and she immediately replied: "Madam is right. The first one is beads, which are worthless if they are yellowed; the second one is a lot of gold watches with beads and diamonds, old If you don’t use it, the machines inside won’t be able to move; the third item is the gold leaf, now that the price of gold is the best, it’s more cost-effective to sell.”
"That's right!" Mrs. Ma nodded, "I don't know why, but the price of gold in the past two years has been exceptionally good. I wonder if it will fall or rise in the future?"
"It will definitely fall, and it won't rise." Cao Zhen replied, "The current emperor is easy to steal people's homes, and those who are officials and rich are willing to accept gold leaves. It is more convenient to hide them. After two years when the situation calms down, the gold leaves will disappear It won't taste good anymore."
"So that's the truth!"
"Let's talk about the things that should be kept," Second Grandma Zhen said, "The first item is finely crafted jewelry. The handwork is very expensive, so it's worthless if you let it go out. It's better to keep it for Qin Guan's wife; the second item is fine jade. The more valuable it is."
That night, Qiuyue sent a catalog to Mrs. Ma; she still had a lot to say, and she had thought it over several times, but when she came to Mrs. Ma, she changed her mind and decided not to say anything; Misunderstood, thinking that she couldn't control it, and complained. On the contrary, Mrs. Ma was very considerate of her painstaking efforts, took her hand, let her sit beside her, and said in a slightly apologetic tone: "I am fully aware of your loyalty and painstaking efforts. I am a little sorry for doing this this time. Madame; however, our family depends on my aunt now. I really have to listen to her words." "I know." Qiuyue replied calmly. "Qiuyue," Madam Ma hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "I have another sentence, which has been on my mind for two or three months, so let me tell you now! I have been worrying about you, The burden that the old lady entrusted to you is really too heavy; but no one else can take it for you. Now it is simply unloaded, and you have not wronged the old lady; I am the one who is sorry to the old lady. I can't help it; the old lady must be considerate. In this way, isn't it good for your shoulders to lighten? Do you understand what I mean?" Qiuyue thought about it calmly, and felt that what Madam Ma said was good; she immediately replied: "My wife is so protective of me; how can I not understand." "Of course you understand. Otherwise, the old lady wouldn't trust you so much." Mrs. Ma said again, "I said it from the bottom of my heart, and I even told you what Second Mistress Zhen refused to say. If you have anything to say , but don’t worry about it, you should tell me.” This is to see that she is closer than Second Grandma Zhen; although Qiuyue thinks that Mrs. Ma may be exaggerating, she is still moved.However, she has also learned to be good, and feels that if there is no definite guarantee for some things, it is better not to say them.When she was pondering like this, Madam Ma urged again, "Looking at you like this, you must have something to say." She said, "In front of me, what are you still worried about?" "It's not because I'm worried about other things, but because I'm afraid that a word or two will leak out, and if I just pretend that I'm sowing discord, then the crime will be serious." "It turns out that you are worried about this level! There is no one here, if you think I won't leak it, just say so!" As soon as these words got agitated, Qiuyue had to say something; she thought for a while before opening her mouth: "I heard that Second Lord Zhen has made a lot of money?" Mrs. Ma paid close attention to this, "I've heard about it too." She asked, "I don't know how many losses there are?" "There are always fifty or sixty thousand silver." Mrs. Ma nodded, fully understanding what she meant; she thought for a while with a serious face, and said, "If he wants to make up his mind on this, how can he treat the old lady?" "It's not that he will make up his mind on this; he is afraid that the group of friends he gambled with will drag people into the water and sink deeper and deeper." "So I lost the bet!" Mrs. Ma asked, "Who did they gamble with?" "I do not know." "Wait for me to ask Second Grandma Zhen." Madam Ma continued, "Don't worry, I will never say that you told me." "Yes!" Qiuyue said again, "I'm afraid Second Grandma Zhen doesn't know." "She didn't know that she would inquire." Mrs. Ma said again, "Anyway, this matter, I fall on her." Qiuyue still had something to say, but Mrs. Ma held her hand and pressed it hard twice, expressing that everything was on point.It seemed that she really understood it completely; Qiuyue suddenly felt her shoulders lighten, and her body straightened up. "I won't keep you anymore!" Mrs. Ma said, "Tomorrow at noon, I will make a 'confession', and I will explain this clearly in front of the old lady." The so-called "offering" means offering sacrifices in front of Mrs. Cao's spirit—twice in the afternoon and evening. The offerings are still the food that Mrs. Cao loved during her lifetime, just like her habit during her lifetime. People, at this time, I can't forget to take the time to kowtow before the spirit; Qin Guan must come every time, and the spring rain is often accompanied. "Presenting a confession" to kowtow is her personal sympathy for Mrs. Cao, and no one can say: Why does she always follow Qin Guan? Therefore, Mrs. Ma's "explain this matter clearly" refers to Cao Zhen and his wife; but Zai Qiuyue has a ulterior motive, thinking that this matter can be clarified in front of Chun Yu, and the misunderstanding between each other will be resolved. It is a good thing.
The sacrifices were mainly for men, and every time it was either Cao Zhen or the officials of Qin who offered incense, Madam Ma made a salute; at noon that day, when Cao Zhen lit three sticks of incense, Madam Ma suddenly said, "Take the incense Give me!" Everyone was surprised and curious when he said this; Cao Zhen handed the three lit incense sticks to Mrs. Ma, stood aside, and Qin Guan also stood solemnly under him. The two brothers glanced at each other, and then Turning his face away, he stared at Mrs. Ma. But I saw her holding up the incense, raising her forehead high; praying with her head silently, her lips moved, and the prayer was extremely long; and she raised the incense several times, as if she was begging. When she stopped still and looked sideways, Cao Zhen didn't know what her intention was, but Qin Guan understood, so he pushed Cao Zhen quickly and said, "Shangxiang!" So Cao Zhen stepped forward to take the incense and put it in the incense burner; still asked Mrs. Ma to kowtow first, and then finished the ceremony; finally, Qiuyue and Chunyu kowtowed after Aunt Ji. At this moment, Mrs. Ma sat down on the only chair set up in front of the funeral, and called out with a serious face: "Officer Qin!" Hearing the voice, he felt that it was unusual. Except for Qiuyue, everyone couldn't help but changed their expressions of vigilance; Qin Guan responded: "Mother!" "Your fourth uncle's letter, you should read it first." Qin Guan took the letter with both hands and read it carefully, wondering what mother had to say?Just fold the letter and put it in the envelope, and return it to Mrs. Ma. "Have you seen clearly?" "yes!" "Auntie, how are you?" "Mother is referring to the matter of offering sacrifices to fields?" "Yes! Are you willing to do that?" "Yes, yes!" Qin Guan replied without hesitation: he was afraid that Mrs. Ma would not believe his heart, so he said again: "I heard that the old lady has something for me, but I never mentioned it; mother doesn't believe it." You can ask Chun Yu. The old lady specially left things for me to reward me. I can’t take them lightly. It’s better to use it on the old lady.” "It's just such a sentence when it is used on the old lady! It's called offering sacrifices to the fields; after all, the use of offering sacrifices to the graves is limited. Besides, without the offerings of the fields, wouldn't the offerings be placed and the graves not opened? Of course not. talk." Mrs. Ma paused for a moment and then said: "The purpose of setting up the sacrificial land is to make a step forward for the descendants. The shadow of the old lady and the foresight of the aunt, it is rare that you are not selfish; this is a good thing! We always want to Only by doing my best to make it perfect can I be worthy of the old lady; I can also live up to my aunt's painstaking efforts." She looked at Cao Zhen and his wife and asked, "What do you think?" "My wife is already planning to arrive, what else can we say?" Second Grandma Zhen replied with a smile: "Now I just ask my wife to tell me what to do." "Of course it's according to my aunt's wishes. You can buy as much sacrificial land as you can; there must be no misappropriation of any money." Mrs. Ma said the last sentence very emphatically; Aunt Ji couldn't help but glance at Cao Zhen. "As for the sacrificial land, it is naturally appropriate to place it near the graves of the old masters and old ladies; however, there is no need to be rigid. It is always good to have good land that is free from floods and droughts, and a location that is convenient for renting." Mrs. Ma added: " You might as well just look at it now; read a few places, and wait for the fourth master to come back before writing paper." As soon as these words came out, Aunt Ji seemed to grow a few inches taller, her head was raised, and her waist was straightened.This look, together with the look she gave Cao Zhen just now, fell in the eyes of Second Grandma Zhen, and she felt really uncomfortable. "Do you have anything else to say, ma'am?" Second Grandma Zhen asked. "That's all." Mrs. Ma said, "The matter will be handled by you and your wife in the future. If you have any opinions, you might as well say it in front of the old lady." "What I want to say is exactly what I want to say boldly to dismiss my wife. It's best not to get involved with the second master and I, and wait for the fourth master to come back. Because the aunt always has other things to explain, only The fourth master knows best. Before the fourth master arrives home, no one needs to work blindly." Mrs. Ma was honest and honest, she didn't hear Second Mistress Zhen's words, she was preventing Aunt Ji from "going crazy" in advance; she replied disapprovingly, "You might as well do things first." Seeing this scene, Second Grandma Zhen couldn't say anything more.At that moment, the offerings were withdrawn and all were scattered; Second Grandma Zhen asked Qin Guan: "My wife is eating vegetarian food today. What about you, do you go back to your own room to eat, or what? Or go with your second brother; he stewed a goose bag wing , no one can eat it." "I don't want to eat wings, let's eat vegetarian food with my wife!" "That's good too! My wife has shad." Grandma Zhen turned to Qiuyue and said, "Don't you like shad? Come on!" This is a fake word, something that has never happened for a long time; Qiuyue knows the reason, and although she can't help but sigh, she is unwilling to give up this opportunity to repair; she still wants to pull Chunyu together, but she is afraid that the second grandma will invite her , has another effect.I don't dare to worry about it. "Second Grandma and Wife will invite you first." Qiuyue decided to send the box over, but put an end to her mind, "I'll be there in a while." When she supervised four old women doing rough work, they delivered a heavy box; dinner was already served at Mrs. Ma's place.Second Grandma Zhen saw it from afar and hurriedly got up to take care of her; naturally she had to ask Mrs. Ma for instructions first. "That box is here. Madam, where is it? Is it behind the bed?" The back of the bed is where important things are placed; Mrs. Ma had another idea, "Just put it next to the closet in the front room." She said, "See if that place is strong? This box is very heavy; don't put it on the floor. crushed." "I know." The second grandma Zhen personally directed, first install the box frame, and then put the box.Qiuyue made an explanation, holding a candle and saying, "Second Grandma, please see, the seal is good." "I should ask my wife to see it." Second Grandma Zhen replied, "The key should also be given to my wife." "That's right!" After handing over the key, Mrs. Ma put it on the dining table; she looked at Qiuyue and said, "You can eat! After finishing eating, do business." So a small table was set up on the porch; apart from the shad and prawns that Second Grandma Zhen left for her in advance, Mrs. Ma also took two dishes from the table for her. "Qiuyue likes to eat bamboo shoots," said Qin Guan, who had already set aside her chopsticks. "This plate of dried shrimp mixed with cucumber is also good." While talking, he picked up a plate of braised bamboo shoots and a plate of cucumber, and went to give it to Qiuyue in person. "Excuse me, please!" Qiuyue stood up to pick up the food and asked, "Are you finished?" "I'm done eating, but I can still accompany you." Qin Guan sat down and said. "That's not dare to take it." Qiuyue moved the unused tableware to Qin Guan, and asked for another one. "Fat girl," Qin Guan called to a little girl, "Pour me a big glass of the fruit wine my wife made, and take two small wine glasses." The fat girl agreed, and brought a tray: on it were three wine glasses, one large, two small; the big glass could hold half a catty of wine, the wine was slightly green in color, and had the aroma of dates. "The color and fragrance are both good, but I don't know how it tastes like?" Qin Guan poured half a glass, took a sip and nodded, "Not bad!" Then filled two cups; Qiuyue smiled and said, "You still let me drink?" "Not only let you drink, but also congratulate you." Qin Guan raised his glass and said: "'The common people are innocent, but the crime of pregnant jade', congratulations on getting rid of a burden!" Qiuyue was moved suddenly, and cast a grateful glance; because she was afraid that the second grandma would hear it, she didn't want to say more, she just tilted her neck and drank the wine, expressing that she fully accepted Qin Guan's kindness. "Have you made any poetry recently?" Qin Guan asked, "Can you show me your 'window class'?" "Stop talking stupid! What's the 'window class' there?" "Even if there is no 'window lesson', if you have occasional feelings, you can't help asking others to chant." Qin Guan added, "In my opinion, you must have a lot of feelings." Qiuyue is silent.She didn't know whether to admit it or deny it. "However, I'm thinking that you probably don't want others to know how you feel." "Since you understand this, why do you still ask me for poetry?" Qin Guan was trying to trick her, but when he saw the trick, he couldn't help but smirked and said, "Isn't it? I know you must have feelings; there must be poems. Can you let me read them?" "Hey, yo! What a 'read'! You can't sit still." "Okay! Don't say 'reading'; let me see if your poems have entered the country?" Qiuyue let out a "puchi" laugh, "He is condescending at the front and respectful at the end; you are just the opposite." She said, "Anyway, no matter what you say, I can't show it to you. There is nothing interesting about 'seven-character singing'. " "You're welcome!" Qin Guan begged, "Good sister, let me see!" "No!" Qiuyue flatly refused. "There is nothing you can't say to others. If you don't let me see it, it must be a shameful thing." Qin Guan said to himself, "Of course, it's not something to be ashamed of; I mean, your feelings are nothing but sadness. Qiu Sichun. In fact, this is also normal." This said Qiuyue became anxious.Her determination not to marry is really to repay Mrs. Cao, and she is willing to serve her for the rest of her life; she thought that this old lady is very good-looking and extremely healthy. But seventy. The old lady Cao has passed away, but Qiuyue's plan to die as a maidservant has not changed; she knows that the only thing she can't rest assured about after the death of the old mistress is Qin Guan's future.Now that he has been given the important task of "caring for life" by "Tuogu", he simply shifted his heart of serving Mrs. Cao all his life to taking care of Qin Guan for his whole life, and he is still repaying the old mistress.This heart is bright, but the sky is bright; if the official Qin suspects that she is sad for autumn and yearns for spring, it is tantamount to not believing her utter loyalty to Mrs. Cao.The spring flowers and autumn moon are idle and wasted; the sacrifice of youth and youth is exchanged for such slander, isn't it chilling? In fact, why didn't Qin Guan sincerely admire her painstaking efforts?Saying this was originally a way of provocative; at this moment, seeing her face turn blue, turn red, and finally look bleak, brimming with tears, she was so heartbroken, she was terrified, fearing that she had already caused a catastrophe. "Good sister, good sister, I deliberately provoke you; don't try to distract yourself. Okay, okay, I forgive you, and I dare not ask you to read the poem." Hearing this, Qiuyue understood; but she couldn't be completely relieved.Thinking about it calmly, his suspicion is really not unreasonable; but I don't know that she has other feelings that she doesn't want to be known.If you want to understand your mind, there is no other way than to show you poems. "It's no wonder you said that. Like me, what else is it inconvenient to say to others besides the feeling of sadness and autumn? However, if you read my poems, you will know that your thinking is wrong." Qiuyue then said: "I can show you my manuscript, but you have to promise me two things." "Okay, okay! Don't say two; I will agree to two hundred." "Don't say it so easily, I'm afraid it's not easy to do these two things in your temper." "Don't worry about it, you tell me first." Qin Guan replied, "If I can't do it, I will tell you honestly; at that time, it's up to you whether you show me the manuscript or not." "Okay! Let me say, first, you are only allowed to read it alone, and no one else can know that you have read my poem; of course, you can't copy it down." "Okay! I can do that. Second?" "Second," Qiuyue thought for a while and said, "If you read it, throw it away. Don't think too deeply." "Here," Qin Guan looked distressed, "I'm afraid I can't control my heart." Qiuyue also felt that this condition was unavoidable, so she pondered for a while and said, "You can't control your heart, can you control your mouth?" "It's manageable." "That's good! After you read my poem, just keep it in your heart; don't say it." "Never say it." Qin Guan understood a little bit, "If you say it, it's right and wrong. Isn't it?" "By the way! You understand this level, so I can rest assured." Qiuyue looked inside, "Please go in! My wife is already rinsing her mouth after eating." "So," Qin Guan stood up and said, "Where's the manuscript?" "What are you in a hurry for? I promise you, and I will give it to you naturally." Qin Guan nodded in satisfaction; as soon as he entered the small hall, Second Grandma Zhen asked him, "What are you talking about with Qiuyue? It's very exciting." "Talk about making poetry." As soon as the words came out, Qin Guan felt that it was inappropriate, so he added a sentence as a cover-up, "She wants to learn poetry from me." "Hmph!" Mrs. Ma said amusedly without knowing it, "Don't put money on your face! I'm afraid you are as good as Qiuyue learning poetry." This was news to Second Grandma Zhen, "It turns out that Qiuyue can compose poetry; and she seems to be doing quite well?" She asked, "How does Madam know?" "I heard what the old lady said." This is even more news. It is not surprising that Mrs. Cao knows that Qiuyue can compose poems; the strange thing is, how did she know that Qiuyue's poems are better than Qin Guan? Mrs. Ma saw what Grandma Zhen was thinking, and added: "The old lady has heard Qiuyue read her poems; she said that Qiuyue's poems are understandable, have deep meanings, and are spiritual." "It's like Baixiangshan's poem," Qin Guan was afraid that the second grandma would not understand, so he further explained, "The so-called 'every woman understands'; the words are shallow but the meaning is deep." "I understand!" Second Grandma Zhen said again, "When will I ask Qiuyue to read two poems." "Where do I know how to write poetry?" Qiuyue rushed in and declared, "It's an old lady; the lady praised me." Saying that, she glanced at Qin Guan. "Stop talking about these gossips." Mrs. Ma got up and said, "You all come, let's discuss the business." Qin Guan doesn't know what the so-called "business" is?In the room where Mrs. Ma sat up and sat down, she complained of thirst; Qiuyue poured tea for him, and refilled the tureen bowls of Mrs. Ma and Second Grandma Zhen; Hand said: "Don't make trouble for me! Come, sit here." Qiuyue still followed the old rules, instead of sitting in the chair next to Second Mistress Zhen, she took a small stool and sat at the door, listening to Mrs. Ma's words. "I see that the old lady left a lot of rings—" "It's none of my business!" Qin Guan hurriedly said; at the same time he stood up, "Mother, can I go back first?" Mrs. Ma thought about it and said, "Alright, you can go back!" At this time, Qiuyue also got up quickly, went to the corridor to help greet the girl to send off Qin Guan with a lantern.The wind was strong, and the candles were extinguished twice; between the lights and the extinguishing, Qin Guan held Qiuyue's hand, and the palm was sweaty.Qiuyue felt a strange feeling, her mind fluttered, and then she took her hand back, and at the same time gave Qin Guan a slight look, as if to blame for being mischievous. "Would you like to take me back? Come and pick up your poem." "Madam is here to talk about business, how can I leave." Qiuyue said again, "Don't worry, I will always send it for you." "Don't forget!" He went to shake her hand again. "Stop talking! Please." After finishing speaking, Qiuyue turned around and left, getting rid of Qin Guan's entanglement. "Madam just said," Second Grandma Zhen told Madam Ma's words, "the old lady's clothes are all divided up as a 'memento'; at this moment, she plans to give some rings left by the old lady. I said, just give it to her." I can only give you four; to be honest, Chunyu shouldn’t even give it.” "If you give it to Chunyu, you have to give it to Jin'er; and Biwen should keep one for her." Qiuyue continued, "According to me, there is no need. I understand what my wife means. Why? This offer, From the kitchen to the concierge, there is a lot of discussion and gossip." Second Grandma Zhen nodded deeply; she looked at Mrs. Ma proudly and said, "What do you think, madam?" "Since you and Qiuyue both mean the same thing, then forget it." Mrs. Ma said, "Let's do it. Let's distribute according to the brochure; or open the box and see what happens?" "Let's read the brochure first!" Second Grandma Zhen said, "The booklet is ordered first, and I will open the box to read it when I have a free day." "Also!" So I took the booklet that Qiuyue copied by herself; there were two books in total, with four words written on the cover: "Xuanrong Zhimao".The first line on the first page reads, "There are one hundred and fifteen golden scorpions, weighing eight hundred and seventy taels in total." After hearing Qiuyue finish reading, Second Grandma Zhen's heart was pounding; but she was inconvenient to speak, so Madam Ma said, "This is naturally a place for sacrifice. Qiuyue, take a pen and make a mark." "Second Grandma Zhen, please use the pen!" As she said, Qiuyue handed over another booklet; she got up to look for the pen, but she didn't know where it was? "Make eyebrow pencil ready."
When I was still waiting to speak, I heard the little girl shouting: "Second Master is back!" Second Grandma Zhen immediately scowled; He didn't go far, just sat in the hallway. "How much gambling debt do you have?" Second Grandma Zhen's voice was like a knife, extremely cold. "Why do you ask it?" Cao Zhen felt drunk and showed no sign of weakness, "You don't intend to pay it back for me." "I'll pay it back for you? What should I pay it back for you? Don't think I'm meddling in your business; Madam asked!" Second Grandma Zhen sneered. Alright. Hmph, the dumb man dreamed of his mother, I don’t know if it’s an empty joy, or a bitterness that he can’t tell?” Then he shouted: “Jin’er, Jin’er!” Jin'er paused for a while, then agreed, and walked in quietly; but seeing Cao Zhen's face ashen, he stood there in a daze. "Pick up the brochure. Send it back to your wife tomorrow morning." "Wait!" Cao Zhen suddenly stretched out his hand to press the booklet as if waking up from a dream; the movement was so violent that it happened to hit Jin'er in the hand. "What is this for?" Jin'er withdrew her hand, rubbing it and complaining unhappily, "I don't know if it's the cat drowning there?" Cao Zhen ignored her, pressed the booklet and asked his wife, "What did your wife say?" "How to say, it has nothing to do with you! Anyway, you will know if you are obedient." Cao Zhenyuan had a wishful thinking about disposing of the box of things, at least ten or twenty thousand silver, which is enough to pay off the gambling debt.Unexpectedly, Second Mistress Zhen not only guessed it, but she also poured cold water into her pocket, telling him clearly that Mrs. Ma had already stated that she would not let him handle this matter because he had a gambling account. Can't tell."But he didn't believe it was impossible to save; the most important thing was to convince his wife first. "Don't bend your arms out! Let me tell you the truth, I'm really thinking about it, but there's no harm to the public; if you give it to me, you can sell it for an extra ten or twenty thousand silver, so why not be a favor? " "Why don't I do favors? I'm kind enough to ask you how much money you have in gambling. What else can I tell you when you hit a nail in the head?" It was because his wife spoke in a questioning tone, and she felt disgusted, so she gave him a slap in the face; if she wanted to tell the ins and outs of this matter, she was the first to make a mistake.But this is not the time to be reasonable; Cao Zhen smiled with anger, "Okay, okay! Husband and wife are always husband and wife, tell me about this in advance; my gambling account is only more than 10,000 silver, it's no big deal of." "You have such a big breath!" "Of course I'm sure, that's why I said that. If you don't beat the gong, you won't ring, and if you don't say what you say, you won't be able to understand; whether you want to help me or don't want to meddle in my affairs, you have to tell my wife how to bring up my gambling account, and return it to me." What was said, I explained it to me, so I can think about it." "Okay! I'll tell you exactly what happened. It was—" At that time, it was Qiuyue who went to find two eyebrow pencils, and she shared one with Second Grandma Zhen; she waited for Mrs. Ma's decision, and made a mark on what to go and what to keep.Finally, according to the advice of Second Grandma Zhen, carefully consider it, and keep busy until it is time to start. "Take one of the brochures home." Madam Ma said to Second Grandma Zhen, "Let Tong Sheng appraise the value and see how much it is worth in total. I'm afraid there are some things that you won't be able to get rid of here." "Yes! We've finished the calculation, come and talk to your wife." "There are no outsiders here, so I have something to say." Mrs. Ma said solemnly: "We have to leave things to Tong Sheng. However, I heard that he has a lot of gambling debts, so you can take care of him." This is very serious, it means that when she suspects that Cao Zhen will deal with this box, she will pay off his gambling debt first.The Second Mistress Zhen couldn't prevent Mrs. Ma from tearing the couple's face in front of Qiuyue, her face flushed for a while, and she looked a little at a loss. In Qiuyue, it was the first time in so many years that she saw Second Grandma Zhen in such embarrassment, and she felt that she couldn't bear it.It was she who said the words to Mrs. Ma; but at this time, she had to help cover it up. "I don't want to listen to so many gossips outside. Even if Second Master Zhen is acting on the spot, his hand is unfavorable. After all, it's just a 'study gambling', and there is a limit to losing." After a while of buffering, Second Mistress Zhen's mind settled down; she continued Qiuyue's words and said, "Although it's limited, it's worth tens of thousands of silver. I don't know how long Madam said?" "I don't know how long it will take, anyway, someone is saying so." "If it happened a few days ago, I don't know; if it happened a month ago, it's over." "What's wrong?" "It's not me making money." Second Grandma Zhen replied, "Even Jin'er's private house money, more than two thousand taels of silver, was put in it." Madam Ma couldn't help but not believe what she said, "It's not easy for Jin'er to save that money." She pondered for a while and asked: "I remember that the three thousand silver that was given to Zhao's family is about to expire. ?” "That money is a demand deposit; it was agreed at the beginning, and he must be notified two months in advance if it is to be withdrawn." "You should inform him tomorrow." Mrs. Ma said, "Withdraw that money and return it to Jin'er." "No need!" Second Grandma Zhen replied, "I have other ideas; don't mind my wife." "Okay! If you tell me not to care, I don't care. Anyway, as long as Tongsheng doesn't make a loss." When I came back with the brochure, I had to tell Jin'er about what happened. When Mrs. Ma was worried about Cao Zhen's gambling debt, Second Mistress Zhen said: "I was so embarrassed at that time that I only wished I had less holes to drill! It's strange, I don't know." Who spoke in front of the wife? The wife never listens to these words; she will only believe them if someone like Qiuyue and Chunyu tell her." "Qiuyue and Chunyu are not talkative people." Jin'er asked, "What happened later?" "Later, thanks to Qiuyue's interruption, I was able to grasp a handle and be able to continue the conversation." Second Grandma Zhen smiled triumphantly, "Not only did I get my face back, but I almost made a fortune. " After listening to how Second Grandma Zhen would solve the embarrassment, Jin'er complained to her, saying, "Since the death of the old lady, I have never had any 'extra money'. It is so hard to have such an opportunity. ? How did you push it away?" "Don't be so busy! As long as you work harder, a thousand taels of silver won't escape you." The Second Grandma Zhen opened the booklet "Xuanrong Zhimao" and said: "You take a 'tooth chip' that has been posted. Come." Jin'er brought a round dental chip with a plum blossom engraved on one end; it came with a box of ink pads.Flipping through the booklets and printing plum blossoms on the other side are all jewelry that can be sold. "If you marked it, you can copy it down; tomorrow, go to Mistress Xu and ask her to estimate the price first." "I'm afraid she wants to see the goods first." "No need to look! Of course she knows; at least a quarter of it came from her mother-in-law. Even she handled it, and there are several." Grandma Zhen said again: "You tell her, her price If it's a good deal, she will make the deal. Don't worry about her, and ask her to come back in a few days; if she comes to the door by herself and everyone knows about the trouble, she won't even think about doing the deal." Jin'er understood that Second Grandma Zhen must have made some arrangements first; when she turned to this thought, she naturally thought of something and was anxious to tell Second Grandma Zhen. "Second Grandma, do you think it's funny or not? I heard from my wife that I want to set up a sacrificial field; I also said that I should check out a few places first, and then make a decision when the fourth master comes back; unexpectedly, someone went to curry favor with Aunt Ji, saying that there are so many places there." A good field? I promised Aunt Ji so many benefits; she was asked to speak well in front of the fourth master. There are such people in the world!" Jin Er scolded with a smile, "I'm really blind." "Not only are they blind, but they don't have ears. It seems that they have never heard of how the fourth master treats Aunt Ji." Second Grandma Zhen said, "That's good too! Let them go blind about this matter; Aunt Ji If you have a hollow glutinous rice ball to eat, maybe you can stop meddling." What do you mean by "idle business"?Jin'er naturally understood and nodded deeply.
Speaking of this, it was when Cao Zhen came back.Second Grandma Zhen talked about this incident, of course, she also had reservations. If Jin'er was asked to go to the salesman Xu for an appraisal, she didn't say anything; she just asked her husband: "Don't talk nonsense! How can you sell an extra piece of money?" Twenty thousand silver?" "I have my way; it is also a coincidence. The old Marquis Shi Pinghai suffered a stroke and died; he has no son, and two nephews are vying to become the prince. One is closer and the other is farther; A batch of jewelry, as long as the items are good, you don’t have to worry about the high price, don’t you think this is a great opportunity?” Second Grandma Zhen vaguely heard about Shi Pinghaihou's two nephews vying for the title, and she couldn't help being moved, "How did you get this opportunity?" She asked. "Don't ask about it, you won't be able to tell for a while." Cao Zhen said again: "The opportunity is within us, and we just have to deal with this batch of things. Hurry up, and let others take the lead. It's a pity." Second Grandma Zhen thought for a moment and asked, "How can I believe what you say?" “这——，”曹震沉吟了一会，欣然说道：“这挺好办。你先叫别人去估价；反正我照你的价码给，多出来是我的。” 震二奶奶看着锦儿问：“你看怎么样？” “我不知道。”锦儿答说：“不过，二爷的赌帐既然太太都知道了，就不能不了。” 便这句话，就很帮曹震的忙了，“好吧！”她说，“不过话在头里，你不能经手；事情我来办，多下来的归你就是。” “你的花样真多！”曹震困惑地问：“莫非你还抛头露面，跟人家去讲价？” “为什么要我去；人家不可以来？”震二奶奶针锋相对地答说：“因为你的花样太多，我不能不招架。不然我对太太怎么交代？” “太太在老太太灵前的那番话。”锦儿接口说道：“二爷，你也得想想，是冲谁说来的？” “冲我是不是？”曹震手指着鼻子，双眼瞪得好大地，脑袋直伸到锦儿面前。 锦儿赶紧退了两步；想想气不过，大声说道：“你在我面前发狠，算不了英雄！”说完，扭头就走。 弦外之音，谁都听得出；曹震看到妻子那种好笑而近乎得意的神情，胸中气得都快爆炸了，忍了又忍，到底不敢发作，只遥遥说了句自己找落场之话。 “你等着！”他向后房大声说道：“总有一天让你瞧瞧，我不是好欺侮的！” 在后房的锦儿不作声；震二奶奶却发话了，“谁又欺侮你了！”她冷笑着说，“你不是说，你是景阳岗打虎的武二爷？英雄盖世，真不得了；谁又敢欺侮你？” 一听这话，曹震大感狼狈。原来这是他有一天私下跟锦儿说的话；为了不满震二奶奶的跋扈，他说他总有一天像武松那样，打只“母老虎”给人看看。不想这话她竟也知道了；自然是锦儿告诉她的。 这使得他很伤心，妻妾有二，却没有一个可共腹心。这个家实在没有可留恋的。 念头转到这里，抬腿就走；震二奶奶便问：“你要到那里去？” “你问它干什么？”曹震回头答道：“你们齐了心不让我过清静日子，我又何必在这里惹你们的厌？”说完，大踏步而去。 锦儿便出来埋怨震二奶奶，“你随他去就是了，何必理他？”她说，“这一去不是赌，就是找女人。” “你以为我不说，他就不赌、不找女人？” “赌还是赌，找还是找，不过心里总不大受用。如今呢，自以为人家逼得他这个样，心安理得，再也不觉得有什么不对。” 震二奶奶不作声，心里承认锦儿说得不错；不免略有悔意，叹口气，懒懒地站起来，扶着桌子站着，但见孤灯照影，心里有种说不出的不自在。 “我把床铺好了。”锦儿问道：“是睡呢，还是再坐一会？” “坐也一样，睡也一样。”震二奶奶停了一下，突然说道：“我也想通了，各人找各人的乐子；你叫她们烫点酒来我喝。” 锦儿点点头，替她烫了酒，连下酒的果碟子一起端了来，却只得一副杯筷。 “你呢？不陪我喝点儿。” “我得到双芝仙馆去。春雨明儿要去喝她表姊的喜酒，跟我借个拜盒，再不送去，她那里要关门了。” “莫非她那里连个拜盒都没有？” “拜盒是有，都不能上锁。我有个能上锁的拜盒。”锦儿又说，“等我回来再陪你喝。” 到得双芝仙馆，芹官已经睡下了；春雨还在等她。交了拜匣要走，春雨拉住她说：“坐一会，我有话跟你谈。” “二更天都过了，何况你明天要去喝喜酒，要起早。” “不！那是下午的事。”春雨依旧坚留，“难得来一趟，咱们聊聊。” 锦儿突然想到，晚一点回去让坐夜的婆子等门，也算.是给曹震机会；如果他回心转意，倒回来了，却因院门已闭，逼得他住在外书房，岂非不智？ 因此，她翻然变计，问一句：“你不怕一聊聊得晚了。” "What are you afraid of?" “那好！”锦儿关照跟来的小丫头：“你先回去，跟二奶奶说，我一时不得回去。再告诉杨妈等门；二爷还没有回来呢！” “怎么？”春雨问道：“不说太太有话交代震二爷，怎么还不回来？” “回来过了。呕了一场气，又走了。” "what happened?" 春雨这一问，锦儿才发觉多说了一句话；她不愿透露实情，就得编个理由来应付。 想一想理由现成，“还不是为了二爷好赌。”她说，“欠了一身的赌帐，还不许人问。” “唉！”春雨叹口气，“震二爷娶了震二奶奶，真是得福不知。” 锦儿不以为然，但亦不能明说；只好保持沉默。 “二爷待你怎么样？”这也是一句不易回答的话；而且也不知道春雨何以会问这话？抬眼看她是很关切的神情，越觉不解。 “说啊！这有什么不好意思说的？” “我有什么不好意思说？”锦儿瞅着她似笑非笑地说，“我只不知道你想我告诉你什么？” 皮里阳秋的话，使得春雨脸一红，“我亦不过聊闲天。”她问：“你想到那里去了？” “我，”锦儿低声说道：“我只当你要拿我们二爷跟芹官作个比较呢？” 春雨越发脸红，怨气说道：“算了，算了！不跟你说了。” 看她有恼羞成怒的模样，锦儿急忙握住她的手说：“我跟你闹着玩的！干嘛认真？” “不是我认真；是你的话可气。” “好了，好了！看你，”锦儿笑道，“气得这个样子。”她正一正颜色又说，“跟你说实话，二爷待我还不错。不过，他亦多半只能搁在心里。” “为什么？是为了震二奶奶？” “你何必说出来？刚才我不答你那句话，你就明白了。” “那一句话？”春雨旋即想到，随又说道：“我的意思，震二爷亏得有震二奶奶管着，不然还不知道会弄成什么样子。一个人有人管，也是福气。” “你这话，倒像挺新鲜似地。”锦儿又笑着低问，“芹官管你不管？” “他不管我；不过有个人管我。” "Who?" 春雨不答，锦儿也想到了；指的是秋月。很想问一问秋月是怎么管她。但很难措词。 于是，她旁敲侧击地说：“照这么说，你也是有福气的啰？” “自然！我福气还大得很呢？” “那就说给我听听，让我也高兴高兴。” 春雨听出来了，锦儿说的也是反话；她突然警觉，震二奶奶原来对秋月不满，如今情形不同了。倘或锦儿把她的话告诉了震二奶奶，说不定就有是非；因此，她摇摇头不肯再说了。 正谈到这里，听得门外足音；春雨与锦儿都住口不语，门外的脚步声，亦愈清晰，证实了她们最初的感觉，是男子的步伐，当然是芹官。 等他一露面，春雨便问：“怎么睡睡又起来了？” “帐子里有蚊子，还不止一个。”芹官向锦儿问道：“你是什么时候来的？” “来了一会儿了。”锦儿答说：“春雨跟我借个拜盒，我特为替她送了来。” “喔，”芹官便问春雨：“借拜盒干嘛？咱们自己不是有两三个？” 春雨有点生气，很想顶他一句；话到口边，蓦地里省悟，便改了和缓的口气答说：“咱们的拜盒，不能上锁？我得找个有锁的拜盒。” 尽管她的态度改变得快，却仍瞒不过锦儿；便知趣地起身说道：“不早了，我该走了。” “怎么？”芹官笑道：“早知道我一来你就要走；倒不如不来，免得杀风景。” “那里，本就该走了。你看，都快三更天了，”说着，锦儿匆匆起身：“明儿见！” 春雨送走了锦儿，回来便埋怨芹官：“我不跟你说过，我得找个有锁的拜盒？” 芹官楞了一下，定神细想，果然有这回事。春雨有个表姊出阁，嫁的是个暴发户；春雨与她的婶母、嫂子全要去喝喜酒，要借几样插戴，妆点门面。春雨颇有几件首饰，得找个拜盒装了去。寻常拜盒，只有搭扣，不够谨密；唯独锦儿有个拜盒，可以加锁，特意借了来用。这件事他记得春雨跟他说过的。 “我一时记不得了。”芹官看她脸色不悦，便又笑道，“这也不是什么大事，值得生气吗？” “哼！”春雨冷笑，“你全不把我的事搁在心上，我又那里敢生气！当着锦儿我都把气忍下去了，这会又何必跟你生气？” “当着锦儿？”芹官诧异，“你刚才就生了一回气了，那来这么大的气？” 一听这话，春雨就不但生气，直是大怒！为了芹官问一句“借拜盒干嘛？”春雨恼他记性不好，细细说过的话，竟会忘得一干二净；但不愿发作，是怕传出让人笑话——都道芹官让春雨收服了，百依百顺，好得不得了；其实都是骗人的话！芹官根本就不问春雨的事；说芹官如何体贴驯顺，无非春雨自己给自己脸上贴金而已！ 如今听他的话，不但证明他对她漠不关心，丝毫不能体会她的苦心深意，而且隐隐然在责她爱使小性子！这几年一片心血全在他身上，到头来落得这么一个结果，真是把心寒透了！ 转念到此，眼眶一阵发热却不愿在芹官面前掉泪：一掉泪即是示弱，为芹官留下了一个话柄，以后再想收服他，便不容易。因此，掉头就走；一进了后房，还怕芹官跟了进来，“蓬”地一声，将房门带上。 在芹官看，这竟是绝裾而去，不觉大怒，很想破门而入，问个清楚；转念一想，闹了起来，就占上风，又有什么意思？何况，也未见得能占上风。 这一泄气，自是心灰意懒，一个人回到卧房，倒想如有些人所说的，丫头们一生闷气就“上床睡觉”；无奈帐子里有蚊子，就只好在灯下枯坐了。 那面春雨一个人淌了几滴眼泪，又静坐了一会，心境渐渐平和；自然就会不放心芹官，不知道他睡着了没有？于是悄悄移步，推开芹官的房门一看，只见他坐着发楞。 这也不算意外，帐子里有蚊子，他自然不会睡；这样一想，不觉歉然。便先取把蒲扇，打开珍珠罗的帐门，从里往外扇了一阵，估量不会再有蚊子了，方始喊道：“来睡吧！” "I am not sleepy." 是在赌气。春雨心想；此时不宜跟他辩理，也不必固劝，只说一句：“那就再坐一会，或者看看书。” 一面说，一面替他斟了茶；看驱蚊的艾绳快烧完了，又续上一根。心里寻思，得找个题目才能留下；凝神想了一下，记起一件事来了。 “啊！有震二奶奶送来的荔枝！” 说着，匆匆而去，不一会小丫头端来一冰盘的荔枝。春雨跟在后面，手里是一只空碟子，一把银叉；就坐在芹官书桌横头，剥好一碟荔枝，连银叉摆在芹官面前。 “吃吧！挺好的丁香荔枝。” “搁在那里！”芹官看都不看；一双眼睛仍在一本“疑雨集”上面。 春雨又有些气了；但随即便有警惕，微笑答一句：“你不吃我吃！” 一面剥荔枝，一面注意芹官的动静；看他的书好久都不翻一页，便知看书不过是为了便于不理她；心里是在生闷气。 “你也别说人家；自己的气还不是好大？” 芹官仍然置若罔闻；而且似无意，实有意的将手边的荔枝，作势推开。 这就使得春雨好笑了；心里寻思，一定要逗得他开了口，僵局才能打开；便冷冷地说一句：“你那一页书该翻过去了。” 芹官勃然大怒，“你怎么这么烦人！”他“啪”的一声，将书摔在地上，霍地起身，急步往床前走去，走到一半，起脚交错着往前猛踢；黑忽忽一物，从他颈上飞过来，不偏不倚正掉在荔枝盘中，是一只拖鞋——春雨立即浮起簇新的记忆；这双拖鞋，芹官上脚还不到半个月。
That night, Qiuyue sent a catalog to Mrs. Ma; she still had a lot to say, and she had thought it over several times, but when she came to Mrs. Ma, she changed her mind and decided not to say anything; Misunderstood, thinking that she couldn't control it, and complained. On the contrary, Mrs. Ma was very considerate of her painstaking efforts, took her hand, let her sit beside her, and said in a slightly apologetic tone: "I am fully aware of your loyalty and painstaking efforts. I am a little sorry for doing this this time. Madame; however, our family depends on my aunt now. I really have to listen to her words." "I know." Qiuyue replied calmly. "Qiuyue," Madam Ma hesitated for a long time, and finally said, "I have another sentence, which has been on my mind for two or three months, so let me tell you now! I have been worrying about you, The burden that the old lady entrusted to you is really too heavy; but no one else can take it for you. Now it is simply unloaded, and you have not wronged the old lady; I am the one who is sorry to the old lady. I can't help it; the old lady must be considerate. In this way, isn't it good for your shoulders to lighten? Do you understand what I mean?" Qiuyue thought about it calmly, and felt that what Madam Ma said was good; she immediately replied: "My wife is so protective of me; how can I not understand." "Of course you understand. Otherwise, the old lady wouldn't trust you so much." Mrs. Ma said again, "I said it from the bottom of my heart, and I even told you what Second Mistress Zhen refused to say. If you have anything to say , but don’t worry about it, you should tell me.” This is to see that she is closer than Second Grandma Zhen; although Qiuyue thinks that Mrs. Ma may be exaggerating, she is still moved.However, she has also learned to be good, and feels that if there is no definite guarantee for some things, it is better not to say them.When she was pondering like this, Madam Ma urged again, "Looking at you like this, you must have something to say." She said, "In front of me, what are you still worried about?" "It's not because I'm worried about other things, but because I'm afraid that a word or two will leak out, and if I just pretend that I'm sowing discord, then the crime will be serious." "It turns out that you are worried about this level! There is no one here, if you think I won't leak it, just say so!" As soon as these words got agitated, Qiuyue had to say something; she thought for a while before opening her mouth: "I heard that Second Lord Zhen has made a lot of money?" Mrs. Ma paid close attention to this, "I've heard about it too." She asked, "I don't know how many losses there are?" "There are always fifty or sixty thousand silver." Mrs. Ma nodded, fully understanding what she meant; she thought for a while with a serious face, and said, "If he wants to make up his mind on this, how can he treat the old lady?" "It's not that he will make up his mind on this; he is afraid that the group of friends he gambled with will drag people into the water and sink deeper and deeper." "So I lost the bet!" Mrs. Ma asked, "Who did they gamble with?" "I do not know." "Wait for me to ask Second Grandma Zhen." Madam Ma continued, "Don't worry, I will never say that you told me." "Yes!" Qiuyue said again, "I'm afraid Second Grandma Zhen doesn't know." "She didn't know that she would inquire." Mrs. Ma said again, "Anyway, this matter, I fall on her." Qiuyue still had something to say, but Mrs. Ma held her hand and pressed it hard twice, expressing that everything was on point.It seemed that she really understood it completely; Qiuyue suddenly felt her shoulders lighten, and her body straightened up. "I won't keep you anymore!" Mrs. Ma said, "Tomorrow at noon, I will make a 'confession', and I will explain this clearly in front of the old lady." The so-called "offering" means offering sacrifices in front of Mrs. Cao's spirit—twice in the afternoon and evening. The offerings are still the food that Mrs. Cao loved during her lifetime, just like her habit during her lifetime. People, at this time, I can't forget to take the time to kowtow before the spirit; Qin Guan must come every time, and the spring rain is often accompanied. "Presenting a confession" to kowtow is her personal sympathy for Mrs. Cao, and no one can say: Why does she always follow Qin Guan? Therefore, Mrs. Ma's "explain this matter clearly" refers to Cao Zhen and his wife; but Zai Qiuyue has a ulterior motive, thinking that this matter can be clarified in front of Chun Yu, and the misunderstanding between each other will be resolved. It is a good thing.
The sacrifices were mainly for men, and every time it was either Cao Zhen or the officials of Qin who offered incense, Madam Ma made a salute; at noon that day, when Cao Zhen lit three sticks of incense, Madam Ma suddenly said, "Take the incense Give me!" Everyone was surprised and curious when he said this; Cao Zhen handed the three lit incense sticks to Mrs. Ma, stood aside, and Qin Guan also stood solemnly under him. The two brothers glanced at each other, and then Turning his face away, he stared at Mrs. Ma. But I saw her holding up the incense, raising her forehead high; praying with her head silently, her lips moved, and the prayer was extremely long; and she raised the incense several times, as if she was begging. When she stopped still and looked sideways, Cao Zhen didn't know what her intention was, but Qin Guan understood, so he pushed Cao Zhen quickly and said, "Shangxiang!" So Cao Zhen stepped forward to take the incense and put it in the incense burner; still asked Mrs. Ma to kowtow first, and then finished the ceremony; finally, Qiuyue and Chunyu kowtowed after Aunt Ji. At this moment, Mrs. Ma sat down on the only chair set up in front of the funeral, and called out with a serious face: "Officer Qin!" Hearing the voice, he felt that it was unusual. Except for Qiuyue, everyone couldn't help but changed their expressions of vigilance; Qin Guan responded: "Mother!" "Your fourth uncle's letter, you should read it first." Qin Guan took the letter with both hands and read it carefully, wondering what mother had to say?Just fold the letter and put it in the envelope, and return it to Mrs. Ma. "Have you seen clearly?" "yes!" "Auntie, how are you?" "Mother is referring to the matter of offering sacrifices to fields?" "Yes! Are you willing to do that?" "Yes, yes!" Qin Guan replied without hesitation: he was afraid that Mrs. Ma would not believe his heart, so he said again: "I heard that the old lady has something for me, but I never mentioned it; mother doesn't believe it." You can ask Chun Yu. The old lady specially left things for me to reward me. I can’t take them lightly. It’s better to use it on the old lady.” "It's just such a sentence when it is used on the old lady! It's called offering sacrifices to the fields; after all, the use of offering sacrifices to the graves is limited. Besides, without the offerings of the fields, wouldn't the offerings be placed and the graves not opened? Of course not. talk." Mrs. Ma paused for a moment and then said: "The purpose of setting up the sacrificial land is to make a step forward for the descendants. The shadow of the old lady and the foresight of the aunt, it is rare that you are not selfish; this is a good thing! We always want to Only by doing my best to make it perfect can I be worthy of the old lady; I can also live up to my aunt's painstaking efforts." She looked at Cao Zhen and his wife and asked, "What do you think?" "My wife is already planning to arrive, what else can we say?" Second Grandma Zhen replied with a smile: "Now I just ask my wife to tell me what to do." "Of course it's according to my aunt's wishes. You can buy as much sacrificial land as you can; there must be no misappropriation of any money." Mrs. Ma said the last sentence very emphatically; Aunt Ji couldn't help but glance at Cao Zhen. "As for the sacrificial land, it is naturally appropriate to place it near the graves of the old masters and old ladies; however, there is no need to be rigid. It is always good to have good land that is free from floods and droughts, and a location that is convenient for renting." Mrs. Ma added: " You might as well just look at it now; read a few places, and wait for the fourth master to come back before writing paper." As soon as these words came out, Aunt Ji seemed to grow a few inches taller, her head was raised, and her waist was straightened.This look, together with the look she gave Cao Zhen just now, fell in the eyes of Second Grandma Zhen, and she felt really uncomfortable. "Do you have anything else to say, ma'am?" Second Grandma Zhen asked. "That's all." Mrs. Ma said, "The matter will be handled by you and your wife in the future. If you have any opinions, you might as well say it in front of the old lady." "What I want to say is exactly what I want to say boldly to dismiss my wife. It's best not to get involved with the second master and I, and wait for the fourth master to come back. Because the aunt always has other things to explain, only The fourth master knows best. Before the fourth master arrives home, no one needs to work blindly." Mrs. Ma was honest and honest, she didn't hear Second Mistress Zhen's words, she was preventing Aunt Ji from "going crazy" in advance; she replied disapprovingly, "You might as well do things first." Seeing this scene, Second Grandma Zhen couldn't say anything more.At that moment, the offerings were withdrawn and all were scattered; Second Grandma Zhen asked Qin Guan: "My wife is eating vegetarian food today. What about you, do you go back to your own room to eat, or what? Or go with your second brother; he stewed a goose bag wing , no one can eat it." "I don't want to eat wings, let's eat vegetarian food with my wife!" "That's good too! My wife has shad." Grandma Zhen turned to Qiuyue and said, "Don't you like shad? Come on!" This is a fake word, something that has never happened for a long time; Qiuyue knows the reason, and although she can't help but sigh, she is unwilling to give up this opportunity to repair; she still wants to pull Chunyu together, but she is afraid that the second grandma will invite her , has another effect.I don't dare to worry about it. "Second Grandma and Wife will invite you first." Qiuyue decided to send the box over, but put an end to her mind, "I'll be there in a while." When she supervised four old women doing rough work, they delivered a heavy box; dinner was already served at Mrs. Ma's place.Second Grandma Zhen saw it from afar and hurriedly got up to take care of her; naturally she had to ask Mrs. Ma for instructions first. "That box is here. Madam, where is it? Is it behind the bed?" The back of the bed is where important things are placed; Mrs. Ma had another idea, "Just put it next to the closet in the front room." She said, "See if that place is strong? This box is very heavy; don't put it on the floor. crushed." "I know." The second grandma Zhen personally directed, first install the box frame, and then put the box.Qiuyue made an explanation, holding a candle and saying, "Second Grandma, please see, the seal is good." "I should ask my wife to see it." Second Grandma Zhen replied, "The key should also be given to my wife." "That's right!" After handing over the key, Mrs. Ma put it on the dining table; she looked at Qiuyue and said, "You can eat! After finishing eating, do business." So a small table was set up on the porch; apart from the shad and prawns that Second Grandma Zhen left for her in advance, Mrs. Ma also took two dishes from the table for her. "Qiuyue likes to eat bamboo shoots," said Qin Guan, who had already set aside her chopsticks. "This plate of dried shrimp mixed with cucumber is also good." While talking, he picked up a plate of braised bamboo shoots and a plate of cucumber, and went to give it to Qiuyue in person. "Excuse me, please!" Qiuyue stood up to pick up the food and asked, "Are you finished?" "I'm done eating, but I can still accompany you." Qin Guan sat down and said. "That's not dare to take it." Qiuyue moved the unused tableware to Qin Guan, and asked for another one. "Fat girl," Qin Guan called to a little girl, "Pour me a big glass of the fruit wine my wife made, and take two small wine glasses." The fat girl agreed, and brought a tray: on it were three wine glasses, one large, two small; the big glass could hold half a catty of wine, the wine was slightly green in color, and had the aroma of dates. "The color and fragrance are both good, but I don't know how it tastes like?" Qin Guan poured half a glass, took a sip and nodded, "Not bad!" Then filled two cups; Qiuyue smiled and said, "You still let me drink?" "Not only let you drink, but also congratulate you." Qin Guan raised his glass and said: "'The common people are innocent, but the crime of pregnant jade', congratulations on getting rid of a burden!" Qiuyue was moved suddenly, and cast a grateful glance; because she was afraid that the second grandma would hear it, she didn't want to say more, she just tilted her neck and drank the wine, expressing that she fully accepted Qin Guan's kindness. "Have you made any poetry recently?" Qin Guan asked, "Can you show me your 'window class'?" "Stop talking stupid! What's the 'window class' there?" "Even if there is no 'window lesson', if you have occasional feelings, you can't help asking others to chant." Qin Guan added, "In my opinion, you must have a lot of feelings." Qiuyue is silent.She didn't know whether to admit it or deny it. "However, I'm thinking that you probably don't want others to know how you feel." "Since you understand this, why do you still ask me for poetry?" Qin Guan was trying to trick her, but when he saw the trick, he couldn't help but smirked and said, "Isn't it? I know you must have feelings; there must be poems. Can you let me read them?" "Hey, yo! What a 'read'! You can't sit still." "Okay! Don't say 'reading'; let me see if your poems have entered the country?" Qiuyue let out a "puchi" laugh, "He is condescending at the front and respectful at the end; you are just the opposite." She said, "Anyway, no matter what you say, I can't show it to you. There is nothing interesting about 'seven-character singing'. " "You're welcome!" Qin Guan begged, "Good sister, let me see!" "No!" Qiuyue flatly refused. "There is nothing you can't say to others. If you don't let me see it, it must be a shameful thing." Qin Guan said to himself, "Of course, it's not something to be ashamed of; I mean, your feelings are nothing but sadness. Qiu Sichun. In fact, this is also normal." This said Qiuyue became anxious.Her determination not to marry is really to repay Mrs. Cao, and she is willing to serve her for the rest of her life; she thought that this old lady is very good-looking and extremely healthy. But seventy. The old lady Cao has passed away, but Qiuyue's plan to die as a maidservant has not changed; she knows that the only thing she can't rest assured about after the death of the old mistress is Qin Guan's future.Now that he has been given the important task of "caring for life" by "Tuogu", he simply shifted his heart of serving Mrs. Cao all his life to taking care of Qin Guan for his whole life, and he is still repaying the old mistress.This heart is bright, but the sky is bright; if the official Qin suspects that she is sad for autumn and yearns for spring, it is tantamount to not believing her utter loyalty to Mrs. Cao.The spring flowers and autumn moon are idle and wasted; the sacrifice of youth and youth is exchanged for such slander, isn't it chilling? In fact, why didn't Qin Guan sincerely admire her painstaking efforts?Saying this was originally a way of provocative; at this moment, seeing her face turn blue, turn red, and finally look bleak, brimming with tears, she was so heartbroken, she was terrified, fearing that she had already caused a catastrophe. "Good sister, good sister, I deliberately provoke you; don't try to distract yourself. Okay, okay, I forgive you, and I dare not ask you to read the poem." Hearing this, Qiuyue understood; but she couldn't be completely relieved.Thinking about it calmly, his suspicion is really not unreasonable; but I don't know that she has other feelings that she doesn't want to be known.If you want to understand your mind, there is no other way than to show you poems. "It's no wonder you said that. Like me, what else is it inconvenient to say to others besides the feeling of sadness and autumn? However, if you read my poems, you will know that your thinking is wrong." Qiuyue then said: "I can show you my manuscript, but you have to promise me two things." "Okay, okay! Don't say two; I will agree to two hundred." "Don't say it so easily, I'm afraid it's not easy to do these two things in your temper." "Don't worry about it, you tell me first." Qin Guan replied, "If I can't do it, I will tell you honestly; at that time, it's up to you whether you show me the manuscript or not." "Okay! Let me say, first, you are only allowed to read it alone, and no one else can know that you have read my poem; of course, you can't copy it down." "Okay! I can do that. Second?" "Second," Qiuyue thought for a while and said, "If you read it, throw it away. Don't think too deeply." "Here," Qin Guan looked distressed, "I'm afraid I can't control my heart." Qiuyue also felt that this condition was unavoidable, so she pondered for a while and said, "You can't control your heart, can you control your mouth?" "It's manageable." "That's good! After you read my poem, just keep it in your heart; don't say it." "Never say it." Qin Guan understood a little bit, "If you say it, it's right and wrong. Isn't it?" "By the way! You understand this level, so I can rest assured." Qiuyue looked inside, "Please go in! My wife is already rinsing her mouth after eating." "So," Qin Guan stood up and said, "Where's the manuscript?" "What are you in a hurry for? I promise you, and I will give it to you naturally." Qin Guan nodded in satisfaction; as soon as he entered the small hall, Second Grandma Zhen asked him, "What are you talking about with Qiuyue? It's very exciting." "Talk about making poetry." As soon as the words came out, Qin Guan felt that it was inappropriate, so he added a sentence as a cover-up, "She wants to learn poetry from me." "Hmph!" Mrs. Ma said amusedly without knowing it, "Don't put money on your face! I'm afraid you are as good as Qiuyue learning poetry." This was news to Second Grandma Zhen, "It turns out that Qiuyue can compose poetry; and she seems to be doing quite well?" She asked, "How does Madam know?" "I heard what the old lady said." This is even more news. It is not surprising that Mrs. Cao knows that Qiuyue can compose poems; the strange thing is, how did she know that Qiuyue's poems are better than Qin Guan? Mrs. Ma saw what Grandma Zhen was thinking, and added: "The old lady has heard Qiuyue read her poems; she said that Qiuyue's poems are understandable, have deep meanings, and are spiritual." "It's like Baixiangshan's poem," Qin Guan was afraid that the second grandma would not understand, so he further explained, "The so-called 'every woman understands'; the words are shallow but the meaning is deep." "I understand!" Second Grandma Zhen said again, "When will I ask Qiuyue to read two poems." "Where do I know how to write poetry?" Qiuyue rushed in and declared, "It's an old lady; the lady praised me." Saying that, she glanced at Qin Guan. "Stop talking about these gossips." Mrs. Ma got up and said, "You all come, let's discuss the business." Qin Guan doesn't know what the so-called "business" is?In the room where Mrs. Ma sat up and sat down, she complained of thirst; Qiuyue poured tea for him, and refilled the tureen bowls of Mrs. Ma and Second Grandma Zhen; Hand said: "Don't make trouble for me! Come, sit here." Qiuyue still followed the old rules, instead of sitting in the chair next to Second Mistress Zhen, she took a small stool and sat at the door, listening to Mrs. Ma's words. "I see that the old lady left a lot of rings—" "It's none of my business!" Qin Guan hurriedly said; at the same time he stood up, "Mother, can I go back first?" Mrs. Ma thought about it and said, "Alright, you can go back!" At this time, Qiuyue also got up quickly, went to the corridor to help greet the girl to send off Qin Guan with a lantern.The wind was strong, and the candles were extinguished twice; between the lights and the extinguishing, Qin Guan held Qiuyue's hand, and the palm was sweaty.Qiuyue felt a strange feeling, her mind fluttered, and then she took her hand back, and at the same time gave Qin Guan a slight look, as if to blame for being mischievous. "Would you like to take me back? Come and pick up your poem." "Madam is here to talk about business, how can I leave." Qiuyue said again, "Don't worry, I will always send it for you." "Don't forget!" He went to shake her hand again. "Stop talking! Please." After finishing speaking, Qiuyue turned around and left, getting rid of Qin Guan's entanglement. "Madam just said," Second Grandma Zhen told Madam Ma's words, "the old lady's clothes are all divided up as a 'memento'; at this moment, she plans to give some rings left by the old lady. I said, just give it to her." I can only give you four; to be honest, Chunyu shouldn’t even give it.” "If you give it to Chunyu, you have to give it to Jin'er; and Biwen should keep one for her." Qiuyue continued, "According to me, there is no need. I understand what my wife means. Why? This offer, From the kitchen to the concierge, there is a lot of discussion and gossip." Second Grandma Zhen nodded deeply; she looked at Mrs. Ma proudly and said, "What do you think, madam?" "Since you and Qiuyue both mean the same thing, then forget it." Mrs. Ma said, "Let's do it. Let's distribute according to the brochure; or open the box and see what happens?" "Let's read the brochure first!" Second Grandma Zhen said, "The booklet is ordered first, and I will open the box to read it when I have a free day." "Also!" So I took the booklet that Qiuyue copied by herself; there were two books in total, with four words written on the cover: "Xuanrong Zhimao".The first line on the first page reads, "There are one hundred and fifteen golden scorpions, weighing eight hundred and seventy taels in total." After hearing Qiuyue finish reading, Second Grandma Zhen's heart was pounding; but she was inconvenient to speak, so Madam Ma said, "This is naturally a place for sacrifice. Qiuyue, take a pen and make a mark." "Second Grandma Zhen, please use the pen!" As she said, Qiuyue handed over another booklet; she got up to look for the pen, but she didn't know where it was? "Make eyebrow pencil ready."
When I was still waiting to speak, I heard the little girl shouting: "Second Master is back!" Second Grandma Zhen immediately scowled; He didn't go far, just sat in the hallway. "How much gambling debt do you have?" Second Grandma Zhen's voice was like a knife, extremely cold. "Why do you ask it?" Cao Zhen felt drunk and showed no sign of weakness, "You don't intend to pay it back for me." "I'll pay it back for you? What should I pay it back for you? Don't think I'm meddling in your business; Madam asked!" Second Grandma Zhen sneered. Alright. Hmph, the dumb man dreamed of his mother, I don’t know if it’s an empty joy, or a bitterness that he can’t tell?” Then he shouted: “Jin’er, Jin’er!” Jin'er paused for a while, then agreed, and walked in quietly; but seeing Cao Zhen's face ashen, he stood there in a daze. "Pick up the brochure. Send it back to your wife tomorrow morning." "Wait!" Cao Zhen suddenly stretched out his hand to press the booklet as if waking up from a dream; the movement was so violent that it happened to hit Jin'er in the hand. "What is this for?" Jin'er withdrew her hand, rubbing it and complaining unhappily, "I don't know if it's the cat drowning there?" Cao Zhen ignored her, pressed the booklet and asked his wife, "What did your wife say?" "How to say, it has nothing to do with you! Anyway, you will know if you are obedient." Cao Zhenyuan had a wishful thinking about disposing of the box of things, at least ten or twenty thousand silver, which is enough to pay off the gambling debt.Unexpectedly, Second Mistress Zhen not only guessed it, but she also poured cold water into her pocket, telling him clearly that Mrs. Ma had already stated that she would not let him handle this matter because he had a gambling account. Can't tell."But he didn't believe it was impossible to save; the most important thing was to convince his wife first. "Don't bend your arms out! Let me tell you the truth, I'm really thinking about it, but there's no harm to the public; if you give it to me, you can sell it for an extra ten or twenty thousand silver, so why not be a favor? " "Why don't I do favors? I'm kind enough to ask you how much money you have in gambling. What else can I tell you when you hit a nail in the head?" It was because his wife spoke in a questioning tone, and she felt disgusted, so she gave him a slap in the face; if she wanted to tell the ins and outs of this matter, she was the first to make a mistake.But this is not the time to be reasonable; Cao Zhen smiled with anger, "Okay, okay! Husband and wife are always husband and wife, tell me about this in advance; my gambling account is only more than 10,000 silver, it's no big deal of." "You have such a big breath!" "Of course I'm sure, that's why I said that. If you don't beat the gong, you won't ring, and if you don't say what you say, you won't be able to understand; whether you want to help me or don't want to meddle in my affairs, you have to tell my wife how to bring up my gambling account, and return it to me." What was said, I explained it to me, so I can think about it." "Okay! I'll tell you exactly what happened. It was—" At that time, it was Qiuyue who went to find two eyebrow pencils, and she shared one with Second Grandma Zhen; she waited for Mrs. Ma's decision, and made a mark on what to go and what to keep.Finally, according to the advice of Second Grandma Zhen, carefully consider it, and keep busy until it is time to start. "Take one of the brochures home." Madam Ma said to Second Grandma Zhen, "Let Tong Sheng appraise the value and see how much it is worth in total. I'm afraid there are some things that you won't be able to get rid of here." "Yes! We've finished the calculation, come and talk to your wife." "There are no outsiders here, so I have something to say." Mrs. Ma said solemnly: "We have to leave things to Tong Sheng. However, I heard that he has a lot of gambling debts, so you can take care of him." This is very serious, it means that when she suspects that Cao Zhen will deal with this box, she will pay off his gambling debt first.The Second Mistress Zhen couldn't prevent Mrs. Ma from tearing the couple's face in front of Qiuyue, her face flushed for a while, and she looked a little at a loss. In Qiuyue, it was the first time in so many years that she saw Second Grandma Zhen in such embarrassment, and she felt that she couldn't bear it.It was she who said the words to Mrs. Ma; but at this time, she had to help cover it up. "I don't want to listen to so many gossips outside. Even if Second Master Zhen is acting on the spot, his hand is unfavorable. After all, it's just a 'study gambling', and there is a limit to losing." After a while of buffering, Second Mistress Zhen's mind settled down; she continued Qiuyue's words and said, "Although it's limited, it's worth tens of thousands of silver. I don't know how long Madam said?" "I don't know how long it will take, anyway, someone is saying so." "If it happened a few days ago, I don't know; if it happened a month ago, it's over." "What's wrong?" "It's not me making money." Second Grandma Zhen replied, "Even Jin'er's private house money, more than two thousand taels of silver, was put in it." Madam Ma couldn't help but not believe what she said, "It's not easy for Jin'er to save that money." She pondered for a while and asked: "I remember that the three thousand silver that was given to Zhao's family is about to expire. ?” "That money is a demand deposit; it was agreed at the beginning, and he must be notified two months in advance if it is to be withdrawn." "You should inform him tomorrow." Mrs. Ma said, "Withdraw that money and return it to Jin'er." "No need!" Second Grandma Zhen replied, "I have other ideas; don't mind my wife." "Okay! If you tell me not to care, I don't care. Anyway, as long as Tongsheng doesn't make a loss." When I came back with the brochure, I had to tell Jin'er about what happened. When Mrs. Ma was worried about Cao Zhen's gambling debt, Second Mistress Zhen said: "I was so embarrassed at that time that I only wished I had less holes to drill! It's strange, I don't know." Who spoke in front of the wife? The wife never listens to these words; she will only believe them if someone like Qiuyue and Chunyu tell her." "Qiuyue and Chunyu are not talkative people." Jin'er asked, "What happened later?" "Later, thanks to Qiuyue's interruption, I was able to grasp a handle and be able to continue the conversation." Second Grandma Zhen smiled triumphantly, "Not only did I get my face back, but I almost made a fortune. " After listening to how Second Grandma Zhen would solve the embarrassment, Jin'er complained to her, saying, "Since the death of the old lady, I have never had any 'extra money'. It is so hard to have such an opportunity. ? How did you push it away?" "Don't be so busy! As long as you work harder, a thousand taels of silver won't escape you." The Second Grandma Zhen opened the booklet "Xuanrong Zhimao" and said: "You take a 'tooth chip' that has been posted. Come." Jin'er brought a round dental chip with a plum blossom engraved on one end; it came with a box of ink pads.Flipping through the booklets and printing plum blossoms on the other side are all jewelry that can be sold. "If you marked it, you can copy it down; tomorrow, go to Mistress Xu and ask her to estimate the price first." "I'm afraid she wants to see the goods first." "No need to look! Of course she knows; at least a quarter of it came from her mother-in-law. Even she handled it, and there are several." Grandma Zhen said again: "You tell her, her price If it's a good deal, she will make the deal. Don't worry about her, and ask her to come back in a few days; if she comes to the door by herself and everyone knows about the trouble, she won't even think about doing the deal." Jin'er understood that Second Grandma Zhen must have made some arrangements first; when she turned to this thought, she naturally thought of something and was anxious to tell Second Grandma Zhen. "Second Grandma, do you think it's funny or not? I heard from my wife that I want to set up a sacrificial field; I also said that I should check out a few places first, and then make a decision when the fourth master comes back; unexpectedly, someone went to curry favor with Aunt Ji, saying that there are so many places there." A good field? I promised Aunt Ji so many benefits; she was asked to speak well in front of the fourth master. There are such people in the world!" Jin Er scolded with a smile, "I'm really blind." "Not only are they blind, but they don't have ears. It seems that they have never heard of how the fourth master treats Aunt Ji." Second Grandma Zhen said, "That's good too! Let them go blind about this matter; Aunt Ji If you have a hollow glutinous rice ball to eat, maybe you can stop meddling." What do you mean by "idle business"?Jin'er naturally understood and nodded deeply.
Speaking of this, it was when Cao Zhen came back.Second Grandma Zhen talked about this incident, of course, she also had reservations. If Jin'er was asked to go to the salesman Xu for an appraisal, she didn't say anything; she just asked her husband: "Don't talk nonsense! How can you sell an extra piece of money?" Twenty thousand silver?" "I have my way; it is also a coincidence. The old Marquis Shi Pinghai suffered a stroke and died; he has no son, and two nephews are vying to become the prince. One is closer and the other is farther; A batch of jewelry, as long as the items are good, you don’t have to worry about the high price, don’t you think this is a great opportunity?” Second Grandma Zhen vaguely heard about Shi Pinghaihou's two nephews vying for the title, and she couldn't help being moved, "How did you get this opportunity?" She asked. "Don't ask about it, you won't be able to tell for a while." Cao Zhen said again: "The opportunity is within us, and we just have to deal with this batch of things. Hurry up, and let others take the lead. It's a pity." Second Grandma Zhen thought for a moment and asked, "How can I believe what you say?" “这——，”曹震沉吟了一会，欣然说道：“这挺好办。你先叫别人去估价；反正我照你的价码给，多出来是我的。” 震二奶奶看着锦儿问：“你看怎么样？” “我不知道。”锦儿答说：“不过，二爷的赌帐既然太太都知道了，就不能不了。” 便这句话，就很帮曹震的忙了，“好吧！”她说，“不过话在头里，你不能经手；事情我来办，多下来的归你就是。” “你的花样真多！”曹震困惑地问：“莫非你还抛头露面，跟人家去讲价？” “为什么要我去；人家不可以来？”震二奶奶针锋相对地答说：“因为你的花样太多，我不能不招架。不然我对太太怎么交代？” “太太在老太太灵前的那番话。”锦儿接口说道：“二爷，你也得想想，是冲谁说来的？” “冲我是不是？”曹震手指着鼻子，双眼瞪得好大地，脑袋直伸到锦儿面前。 锦儿赶紧退了两步；想想气不过，大声说道：“你在我面前发狠，算不了英雄！”说完，扭头就走。 弦外之音，谁都听得出；曹震看到妻子那种好笑而近乎得意的神情，胸中气得都快爆炸了，忍了又忍，到底不敢发作，只遥遥说了句自己找落场之话。 “你等着！”他向后房大声说道：“总有一天让你瞧瞧，我不是好欺侮的！” 在后房的锦儿不作声；震二奶奶却发话了，“谁又欺侮你了！”她冷笑着说，“你不是说，你是景阳岗打虎的武二爷？英雄盖世，真不得了；谁又敢欺侮你？” 一听这话，曹震大感狼狈。原来这是他有一天私下跟锦儿说的话；为了不满震二奶奶的跋扈，他说他总有一天像武松那样，打只“母老虎”给人看看。不想这话她竟也知道了；自然是锦儿告诉她的。 这使得他很伤心，妻妾有二，却没有一个可共腹心。这个家实在没有可留恋的。 念头转到这里，抬腿就走；震二奶奶便问：“你要到那里去？” “你问它干什么？”曹震回头答道：“你们齐了心不让我过清静日子，我又何必在这里惹你们的厌？”说完，大踏步而去。 锦儿便出来埋怨震二奶奶，“你随他去就是了，何必理他？”她说，“这一去不是赌，就是找女人。” “你以为我不说，他就不赌、不找女人？” “赌还是赌，找还是找，不过心里总不大受用。如今呢，自以为人家逼得他这个样，心安理得，再也不觉得有什么不对。” 震二奶奶不作声，心里承认锦儿说得不错；不免略有悔意，叹口气，懒懒地站起来，扶着桌子站着，但见孤灯照影，心里有种说不出的不自在。 “我把床铺好了。”锦儿问道：“是睡呢，还是再坐一会？” “坐也一样，睡也一样。”震二奶奶停了一下，突然说道：“我也想通了，各人找各人的乐子；你叫她们烫点酒来我喝。” 锦儿点点头，替她烫了酒，连下酒的果碟子一起端了来，却只得一副杯筷。 “你呢？不陪我喝点儿。” “我得到双芝仙馆去。春雨明儿要去喝她表姊的喜酒，跟我借个拜盒，再不送去，她那里要关门了。” “莫非她那里连个拜盒都没有？” “拜盒是有，都不能上锁。我有个能上锁的拜盒。”锦儿又说，“等我回来再陪你喝。” 到得双芝仙馆，芹官已经睡下了；春雨还在等她。交了拜匣要走，春雨拉住她说：“坐一会，我有话跟你谈。” “二更天都过了，何况你明天要去喝喜酒，要起早。” “不！那是下午的事。”春雨依旧坚留，“难得来一趟，咱们聊聊。” 锦儿突然想到，晚一点回去让坐夜的婆子等门，也算.是给曹震机会；如果他回心转意，倒回来了，却因院门已闭，逼得他住在外书房，岂非不智？ 因此，她翻然变计，问一句：“你不怕一聊聊得晚了。” "What are you afraid of?" “那好！”锦儿关照跟来的小丫头：“你先回去，跟二奶奶说，我一时不得回去。再告诉杨妈等门；二爷还没有回来呢！” “怎么？”春雨问道：“不说太太有话交代震二爷，怎么还不回来？” “回来过了。呕了一场气，又走了。” "what happened?" 春雨这一问，锦儿才发觉多说了一句话；她不愿透露实情，就得编个理由来应付。 想一想理由现成，“还不是为了二爷好赌。”她说，“欠了一身的赌帐，还不许人问。” “唉！”春雨叹口气，“震二爷娶了震二奶奶，真是得福不知。” 锦儿不以为然，但亦不能明说；只好保持沉默。 “二爷待你怎么样？”这也是一句不易回答的话；而且也不知道春雨何以会问这话？抬眼看她是很关切的神情，越觉不解。 “说啊！这有什么不好意思说的？” “我有什么不好意思说？”锦儿瞅着她似笑非笑地说，“我只不知道你想我告诉你什么？” 皮里阳秋的话，使得春雨脸一红，“我亦不过聊闲天。”她问：“你想到那里去了？” “我，”锦儿低声说道：“我只当你要拿我们二爷跟芹官作个比较呢？” 春雨越发脸红，怨气说道：“算了，算了！不跟你说了。” 看她有恼羞成怒的模样，锦儿急忙握住她的手说：“我跟你闹着玩的！干嘛认真？” “不是我认真；是你的话可气。” “好了，好了！看你，”锦儿笑道，“气得这个样子。”她正一正颜色又说，“跟你说实话，二爷待我还不错。不过，他亦多半只能搁在心里。” “为什么？是为了震二奶奶？” “你何必说出来？刚才我不答你那句话，你就明白了。” “那一句话？”春雨旋即想到，随又说道：“我的意思，震二爷亏得有震二奶奶管着，不然还不知道会弄成什么样子。一个人有人管，也是福气。” “你这话，倒像挺新鲜似地。”锦儿又笑着低问，“芹官管你不管？” “他不管我；不过有个人管我。” "Who?" 春雨不答，锦儿也想到了；指的是秋月。很想问一问秋月是怎么管她。但很难措词。 于是，她旁敲侧击地说：“照这么说，你也是有福气的啰？” “自然！我福气还大得很呢？” “那就说给我听听，让我也高兴高兴。” 春雨听出来了，锦儿说的也是反话；她突然警觉，震二奶奶原来对秋月不满，如今情形不同了。倘或锦儿把她的话告诉了震二奶奶，说不定就有是非；因此，她摇摇头不肯再说了。 正谈到这里，听得门外足音；春雨与锦儿都住口不语，门外的脚步声，亦愈清晰，证实了她们最初的感觉，是男子的步伐，当然是芹官。 等他一露面，春雨便问：“怎么睡睡又起来了？” “帐子里有蚊子，还不止一个。”芹官向锦儿问道：“你是什么时候来的？” “来了一会儿了。”锦儿答说：“春雨跟我借个拜盒，我特为替她送了来。” “喔，”芹官便问春雨：“借拜盒干嘛？咱们自己不是有两三个？” 春雨有点生气，很想顶他一句；话到口边，蓦地里省悟，便改了和缓的口气答说：“咱们的拜盒，不能上锁？我得找个有锁的拜盒。” 尽管她的态度改变得快，却仍瞒不过锦儿；便知趣地起身说道：“不早了，我该走了。” “怎么？”芹官笑道：“早知道我一来你就要走；倒不如不来，免得杀风景。” “那里，本就该走了。你看，都快三更天了，”说着，锦儿匆匆起身：“明儿见！” 春雨送走了锦儿，回来便埋怨芹官：“我不跟你说过，我得找个有锁的拜盒？” 芹官楞了一下，定神细想，果然有这回事。春雨有个表姊出阁，嫁的是个暴发户；春雨与她的婶母、嫂子全要去喝喜酒，要借几样插戴，妆点门面。春雨颇有几件首饰，得找个拜盒装了去。寻常拜盒，只有搭扣，不够谨密；唯独锦儿有个拜盒，可以加锁，特意借了来用。这件事他记得春雨跟他说过的。 “我一时记不得了。”芹官看她脸色不悦，便又笑道，“这也不是什么大事，值得生气吗？” “哼！”春雨冷笑，“你全不把我的事搁在心上，我又那里敢生气！当着锦儿我都把气忍下去了，这会又何必跟你生气？” “当着锦儿？”芹官诧异，“你刚才就生了一回气了，那来这么大的气？” 一听这话，春雨就不但生气，直是大怒！为了芹官问一句“借拜盒干嘛？”春雨恼他记性不好，细细说过的话，竟会忘得一干二净；但不愿发作，是怕传出让人笑话——都道芹官让春雨收服了，百依百顺，好得不得了；其实都是骗人的话！芹官根本就不问春雨的事；说芹官如何体贴驯顺，无非春雨自己给自己脸上贴金而已！ 如今听他的话，不但证明他对她漠不关心，丝毫不能体会她的苦心深意，而且隐隐然在责她爱使小性子！这几年一片心血全在他身上，到头来落得这么一个结果，真是把心寒透了！ 转念到此，眼眶一阵发热却不愿在芹官面前掉泪：一掉泪即是示弱，为芹官留下了一个话柄，以后再想收服他，便不容易。因此，掉头就走；一进了后房，还怕芹官跟了进来，“蓬”地一声，将房门带上。 在芹官看，这竟是绝裾而去，不觉大怒，很想破门而入，问个清楚；转念一想，闹了起来，就占上风，又有什么意思？何况，也未见得能占上风。 这一泄气，自是心灰意懒，一个人回到卧房，倒想如有些人所说的，丫头们一生闷气就“上床睡觉”；无奈帐子里有蚊子，就只好在灯下枯坐了。 那面春雨一个人淌了几滴眼泪，又静坐了一会，心境渐渐平和；自然就会不放心芹官，不知道他睡着了没有？于是悄悄移步，推开芹官的房门一看，只见他坐着发楞。 这也不算意外，帐子里有蚊子，他自然不会睡；这样一想，不觉歉然。便先取把蒲扇，打开珍珠罗的帐门，从里往外扇了一阵，估量不会再有蚊子了，方始喊道：“来睡吧！” "I am not sleepy." 是在赌气。春雨心想；此时不宜跟他辩理，也不必固劝，只说一句：“那就再坐一会，或者看看书。” 一面说，一面替他斟了茶；看驱蚊的艾绳快烧完了，又续上一根。心里寻思，得找个题目才能留下；凝神想了一下，记起一件事来了。 “啊！有震二奶奶送来的荔枝！” 说着，匆匆而去，不一会小丫头端来一冰盘的荔枝。春雨跟在后面，手里是一只空碟子，一把银叉；就坐在芹官书桌横头，剥好一碟荔枝，连银叉摆在芹官面前。 “吃吧！挺好的丁香荔枝。” “搁在那里！”芹官看都不看；一双眼睛仍在一本“疑雨集”上面。 春雨又有些气了；但随即便有警惕，微笑答一句：“你不吃我吃！” 一面剥荔枝，一面注意芹官的动静；看他的书好久都不翻一页，便知看书不过是为了便于不理她；心里是在生闷气。 “你也别说人家；自己的气还不是好大？” 芹官仍然置若罔闻；而且似无意，实有意的将手边的荔枝，作势推开。 这就使得春雨好笑了；心里寻思，一定要逗得他开了口，僵局才能打开；便冷冷地说一句：“你那一页书该翻过去了。” 芹官勃然大怒，“你怎么这么烦人！”他“啪”的一声，将书摔在地上，霍地起身，急步往床前走去，走到一半，起脚交错着往前猛踢；黑忽忽一物，从他颈上飞过来，不偏不倚正掉在荔枝盘中，是一只拖鞋——春雨立即浮起簇新的记忆；这双拖鞋，芹官上脚还不到半个月。