Chapter 23 Lighting Tower (5-1)

Hu Xueyan's mood during the Chinese New Year this year is not as good as in previous years. Naturally, it is because Qigu's grandma has a stroke, which makes him feel a kind of guilt that cannot be explained by himself. However, it cannot be seen on the surface that the Hu family's year is still full of flowers, bustling and lively.Among them, the busiest one is "Mrs. Luosi" - this name has a long history; her surname is Luo, Xingsi, before she married, she was a very capable little family jade, and people who knew her, old or young, all called her "Luo Si". "Sister" is an honorific title.This Fourth Sister Luo has a keen eye for heroes, and helped Hu Xueyan when he was down and down.It's a pity that Hu Xueyan has already married a wife, and although they both have a love for each other, they can't get together.Before long, Changmao was in chaos, and they fled in disorder. They couldn't hear from each other. After nine years of separation, they only met again.

Hu Xueyan remembers very clearly that it was the sixth year of Tongzhi; he had already been entrusted with presiding over the Western Expedition and Transportation Bureau and was stationed in Shanghai.Not long after the Qingming Festival, Hu Xueyan's old partner Zhang Fatty passed away and was doing Buddhist ceremonies in Jing'an Temple; when he went to sacrifice with Gu Yingchun and his wife, he saw a young woman with light makeup who was burning incense. Where have I seen it. After the young woman burned the incense, she left with a thirteen or fourteen-year-old young lady.Hu Xueyan didn't give up, and quietly followed behind, walking all the way, thinking all the way, who is it?

Jing'an Temple is the first ancient temple in Shanghai. It was built in the tenth year of Emperor Wu Chiwu. , the water in the well is tumbling all year round, just like boiling water; Shanghai says it is a sea eye.Those who first came to Jing'an Temple must go to have a look.The young woman was no exception; Hu Xueyan followed step by step, pretending to be a tourist visiting the boiling well, and stopped to watch the movement. "Ah Hua, be careful, be careful, fall into the well, I will kill you!" It turned out that the young lady looked down at the boiling well, walked very close, and leaned forward again. This action was very dangerous, so the young woman Loud warning—Hangzhou dialect helped Hu Xueyan knock on the door of memory, thinking with surprise and joy: Isn’t this Luo Sijie?

I wanted to scream, but after confirming it, I went forward to say hello.But there are a lot of tourists, and although Shanghai's atmosphere is relatively open, it is not yet to the extent that Westerners and men and women can greet openly among the crowd; The young lady who came called one, the sooner the better. Guisheng rushed away, and he didn't have to tell Grandma Qigu first; among the two young ladies brought by Grandma Qigu, he found Caifenggou who was better than him, and said, "Come with me, there is something important, hurry up!" ,quick!" Caifeng only thought that he had caused some trouble, and hurriedly followed behind him; Guisheng stopped when he saw Hu Xueyan's shadow.

"It's our master who wants to call you." "Caifeng," Hu Xueyan pointed quietly: "Go up and ask her if she is the Fourth Sister Luo from Hangzhou? If she says yes, you can say that our grandma is a relative of Master Hu, and ask her to meet your grandma." Caifeng was very clever, so she thought for a while and asked, "What if she doesn't want to go?" "Just turn around and look at me, and she will definitely go." Sure enough, just as Hu Xueyan estimated, when Caifeng came forward to talk, she seemed to be in a situation where it was difficult to communicate, then Caifeng first turned to look at Hu Xueyan, and then the young woman followed her gaze to search and look, It seemed quite shaken.

Knowing that he had succeeded, Hu Xueyan quickly turned around and went straight to a meditation room that was used as a resting place for the guests. He found another little eldest sister of Qigu's grandma, and asked her mistress to come out and talk. Seventh sister, fourth sister Luo, whom I talked to you, do you still remember? Grandma Qigu thought for a while, then nodded and said, "I remember." " "She is here today. I call Caifeng to 'fake imperial decree', saying that you are relatives with me, and invite her to meet. She will come soon. Seventh sister, please invite her to your place, and ask her carefully. , she seems to be there as a widow."

"Okay, okay!" Grandma Qigu agreed again and again, and then asked: "Little Grandpa, how about you?" "I went to the bank. I have something important to do. I'll be here right away." After Hu Xueyan walked for a while, he saw Caifeng leading a young woman in plain clothes with lotus steps slowly and gracefully, holding the shoulder of the little eldest sister, and slowly coming.Grandma Qigu was impatient, she put aside a pair of big feet and went up to meet her. "Is that Miss Luo Fourth?" "Don't dare, my surname is Luo, your surname?"

"My husband's family name is Gu, and my maiden name is You, Xing Qi. Our uncle calls me 'Sister Seven'. Sister Luo, you can call me that too." Grandma Qigu is straight-tempered, and she said it out of her head, but Fourth Sister Luo heard something wrong, that is, "little uncle", why did she call her "Seventh Sister"?But this mystery is still in the second place; there is a most important sentence in front of you, you must ask it clearly before you can talk about other things. "Excuse me: Mrs. Gu, who is your 'little uncle'?" "Who else? Isn't it the Hu Xueyan you knew a long time ago, the owner of the well-known Fukang Bank."

Fourth Sister Luo was surprised and delighted.She had also heard that the owner of Fukangfu Bank was Hu Xueyan, who used to work as a clerk at Fatty Zhang's. He had always wanted to inquire, but had no chance.I don't want to really have such a thing. "Fourth Sister Luo," Grandma Qigu said, "you know we are our own people when you hear me call him Uncle, you must invite me to sit with you for a while. The benefits you treated us back then, he He told me too. He will come later." Fourth Sister Luo thought to herself: Hu Xueyan really has a conscience!Just in that flash of thought, my heart suddenly turned up and down.

"Fourth Sister Luo," Grandma Qigu urged, "Would you like to save face?" "Hey, Mrs. Gu, your words are too polite. I really dare not take them seriously." So Grandma Qigu paid her farewell to the bereaved family, and brought Sijie Luo back home.Seeing the grandeur of her family, Qigu's grandmother is also enthusiastic and happy; Fourth Sister Luo is determined to make friends, so she changed her name and talked about her life experience in depth. It turned out that the Fourth Sister Luo fled with her parents back then, and traveled thousands of miles. On the way, both parents died; being alone was not the end, but a matter of choosing someone—traveling together, there were three families in total, and two of them had unmarried Of course, her son in his twenties is always looking for opportunities to court her.One of the two families is rich and the other is poor, but Fourth Sister Luo picked the poor one, surnamed Cheng, and she is the only son.

"Seventh Sister, it's because he is poor and willing to make progress; as long as he is willing to make progress, I am sure to help him get ahead. Besides, there is only one old woman above; it is no different from the other family, with both parents, three brothers and two sisters, Marrying and being a daughter-in-law must be like performing a show on top of a stone mortar, and it is thankless." "Fourth Sister Luo, if it were me, I would be like you and would rather choose this one." Grandma Qigu had noticed a long time ago that she was wearing a white-headed chrysanthemum by her temples, but she deliberately asked, "Where is our brother-in-law Cheng? Please come and see me when." "Not anymore." Fourth Sister Luo said sadly, "He passed away at this time the year before last." "Poor, pitiful!" Grandma Qigu held her hand tightly, but there were words of comfort. "It's not my fault to say it." Fourth Sister Luo said: "He learned the craft of engraving. He once told me that two years before Changmao came to Hangzhou, he took the provincial examination for Juren, and he told him The master went to the examination room to engrave the question paper, stayed up late until dawn, and thought to himself: "I have also studied, and I also stayed up all night. Why don't I go to the examination room and sit here and be a low-spirited engraver. If I write a wrong word, at most I will post the "Blue List"; if I engrave a wrong word, I have to slap my palm, "Eat life"?" I said: "You really have the heart, put away the signboard, and study hard. Open the door to seven pieces I take care of everything, so you don't need to worry about it. He really listens to me, lights up at midnight and chickens at five o'clock, and gets bored reading—" "Fourth Sister Luo," Grandma Qigu interrupted her and asked, "How do you manage the seven things you open the door?" "I embroider. Not only do I embroider, but I also go to pick up items for the embroidery shop; later on, I make 'small bags', package a batch of embroidery goods, and distribute them to others to do. My life is very comfortable. Seventh sister, a bustling place in Shanghai , Silver is everywhere, as long as you are willing to take the time to pick it up. To tell you the truth, I don’t believe that there are people who starve to death in the world. There are people who starve to death. It’s because money can’t buy rice, it’s not that there are no copper coins Buying rice. This is different. Seventh sister, don’t you think so?” "Why not?" Grandma Qigu laughed and said, "What you said is very similar to my uncle." She then asked, "What happened later?" "Later, Hangzhou was restored. He told me that he had to go to Hangzhou to take the exam for the scholar exam. In the future, he will also take the exam in Hangzhou. Once his family moves to Hangzhou, his foundation will be thrown away. It's better to donate a student supervisor. Next time Go directly to Beijing to take the Juren examination; if you pass the examination in the autumn of the first year, you can take the Jinshi examination in the spring of the second year. If you pass the Juren examination in Zhejiang, you still have to go to Beijing for the Jinshi examination. It is not worthwhile to go through the same procedures twice. I think I think it's right, I collected two hundred taels of silver and donated a prison student for him, so he will work harder. Alas!" Fourth Sister Luo sighed and couldn't continue. "Is there something wrong with working hard?" Grandma Qigu, who is well-versed in human feelings, asked. "First he vomited blood." Fourth Sister Luo said in a low but calm voice, "He still kept it from me. He vomited blood in a handkerchief, and the handkerchief went to wash it by himself. His face became paler and paler. In the second half of the day, his cheekbones fell It was like putting on rouge. I was ignorant and didn’t take it seriously. One day when he came back from a party, I took off his robe and fumbled in my pocket, and found a blood-stained handkerchief. Only then did I realize that he was Tuberculosis." "Consumption?" Grandma Qigu looked nervous, "What happened next? I still rushed for the exam?" "No. How can he hurry up for the exam like this?" "What about the future?" It is natural to recuperate in the future.Tuberculosis is commonly known as "gluttonous tuberculosis". If you want to eat this or that, Fourth Sister Luo always does it according to his temperament; "I've heard people say that as long as you have a good appetite for consumption, it doesn't matter. Like him, he is so greedy that he has no appetite at all. People get thinner every day, but it takes only three months. Alas!" Fourth Sister Luo said again It was a long sigh. Grandma Qigu didn't need to talk about her husband any more, she felt that she was concerned about Fourth Sister Luo, "Where do you live now?" she asked. "Nanshi. Behind the Catholic Church." "Have you had a hard time?" "It's okay." Fourth Sister Luo replied flatly. "Are there any children?" "No bones." Fourth Sister Luo said bluntly, but she couldn't help but feel apologetic in her heart. "I have no children, and my age is too early for the word 'old'—" Grandma Qigu suddenly swallowed; after all, it was the first time we met, so how could we talk so deeply.See if there is no more words.Fourth Sister Luo left immediately: "Seventh Sister, I'm leaving." As she spoke, she stood up, "I'll come see you tomorrow." "No, no!" Grandma Qigu hurriedly stopped, "Why wait until tomorrow? We hit it off right away, you don't want to see outsiders, and have dinner with me, and I will take you back in a carriage." Fourth Sister Luo was looking for something to talk to, and had no intention of leaving. Seeing that she was very eager to keep guests, she was obedient. "Seventh Sister's words are true." She sat down again, "I also think we hit it off right away. Probably because of fate in a previous life." "Fourth Sister Luo, when you mention 'fate from previous life', I won't let you go back." Grandma Qigu's heart became hot again, "This is not the end for you. Widowhood seems easy. , it’s actually very difficult, I advise you—” She didn't finish her words, but what was she trying to persuade?But you don't need to say it, you will know it.So he answered very frankly: "I don't want to build a 'Jiexiaofang' either, but this time I have to choose carefully." While talking, Hu Xueyan came, "Sure enough, it's Fourth Sister Luo!" He stared at her blankly, with mixed feelings in his heart, there were countless things to say, but they were all stuck in his throat, and he didn't know which one to say. In contrast, Fourth Sister Luo looked calmer, stood up and said: "I used to call you by your first name; now I don't know what to call you? "You can still call me Xueyan." "It's not decent. You are the big boss now, so why don't you just call me by name, and you feel disrespectful." "That's good." Grandma Qigu interjected, "Everyone calls him Mr. Hu Da, or Mr. Da, Fourth Sister Luo. You can call him that too." "Okay, okay. This is the report. Mr. Big, we haven't seen each other for nine years, right?" Hu Xueyan counted silently, "Nine years!" He said, "Although nine years, it is the same as in the past, after Hangzhou was liberated, Mr. Zuo asked me to deal with the aftermath, and I asked people to visit you everywhere, but there was no news. Where were you at that time? ?” "I'm already in Shanghai." "Oh, how did you end up in Shanghai?" "That's a long story to say." Grandma Qigu thought to herself that fourth sister Luo would spend a lot of time talking about her life experience, she had already heard about it, so she didn't need to waste time here, so she got up and said, "Fourth sister Luo, young uncle, you all have to deal with it." Let’s have a casual meal here; I’ll go and cook, and you can talk slowly.” The so-called cooking is just a matter of explaining a few words. One is to go to the restaurant to order food; the other is to inform Gu Yingchun that there are guests at home, and Hu Xueyan is also there.Then he sat in the small room next to the living room, opened the door, and closed his eyes to rest while listening to their recounting. "Sis Luo," she heard Hu Xueyan say, "you have helped me a lot in the past. Now that I have finally stood upright, I don't know if there is anything I can do for you. Please just tell me." "Thank you. I can still get along. When I can't get through, I will ask you, Mr. Tai, for help." "It's not an ending for you to mess around like this alone." Hearing this, Grandma Qigu's heart moved; she got up quietly, and looked at each other from a distance, only to see Hu Xueyan and Fourth Sister Luo staring at each other, thinking in her heart: Their old relationship has been provoked again. She guessed well.Hu Xueyan felt that she hadn't seen her in nine years, but Fourth Sister Luo had changed. She used to have a long braid tossing back and forth, twisted her waist badly when walking, looked around, and Xiaojiabiyu who didn't blush when she saw strangers; He is also much fairer. On his oval-shaped clear water face, those black and white eyes are not as flexible as before, but he glances at him once in a while, as if he has countless things to confide in. The most touching thing is wearing a chrysanthemum made of white-headed rope next to the ponytail. Hu Xueyan chooses the color and likes young widows, so this white chrysanthemum with filial piety is the most fascinating. "Is this good?" Hu Xueyan said, "I'll help you open an embroidery shop in Hangzhou." "No! I don't want to go back to Hangzhou." "why?" "I'm used to living in Shanghai." "Then, the embroidery shop is opened in Shanghai?" 'Thank you. Fourth Sister Luo said, "Let me think about it." " Grandma Qigu wanted to hear more, but when Gu Yingchun came back, she had to stop him first, and after briefly explaining the stranger's background, Fang Shi took him to the living room to meet Fourth Sister Luo. "Oh," Fourth Sister Luo folded her clothes generously, and called out, "Sister-in-law Seven." Such an intimate address made Gu Yingchun quickly lose the sense of strangeness, and started talking like an acquaintance.Soon, the food was delivered from the restaurant, and the generals were seated at the table. Everyone honored Fourth Sister Luo to sit on the table, but she refused to say anything. In the end, it was still Hu Xueyan's first Eight Immortals table, with four hosts and guests, each occupying one side. "Fourth Sister Luo knows how to drink." Hu Xueyan said to Grandma Qigu, "And she can drink very well." "In this way, the wine is too light." Grandma Qigu asked, "Sis Luo, what kind of wine do you like? Would you like to blanch it?" "Thank you. I don't drink now." "Why do you want to quit drinking?" Grandma Qigu said, "You are alone, and you are about to drink, and you will relieve your worries when you get drunk." "Look at you!" Gu Yingchun said complainingly: "You didn't drink, and you were talking drunk. Fourth Sister Luo is living a good life, why use wine to drown your sorrows?" "Okay! I guess I was wrong. ’” Grandma Qigu backed down, and persuaded the guests again: “You open the precept for me, and I’ll accompany you to have a drink.” "Don't dare to be, dare not be. Seventh sister insists that I eat it, and I will eat it." "That's good. Tell me, what kind of wine do you want to eat?" "What do you eat, what do I eat." "I ate it for fun. I'm afraid you don't like it." Grandma Qigu went to the cabinet to fetch a bottle of mint wine, a gourd-shaped bottle, green wine, very cute, and it aroused Fourth Sister Luo's enthusiasm for drinking. "I'll have a glass of mint wine, too." Hu Xueyan teased; holding his glass in hand, he looked at Grandma Qigu and said, "I persuade Fourth Sister Luo to open an embroidery shop, do you think about it?" "Mr. Big, I've thought about it." Fourth Sister Luo interjected, "Thank you for your kindness, but I can't do what I want. Even though the capital is yours, you still need people. I can't take care of it alone." "What are you afraid of? Ask Seventh Sister to help you, and ask Ying Chun to take care of you outside. In addition, I will send you two experienced and reliable guys. You can be a ready-made boss." "It's no fun to eat ready-made meals. " The words were a bit difficult to agree on, Gu Yingchun felt that it was better not to talk about this matter for the time being, so he broke the conversation; of course, the host should choose a topic that the guest is familiar with or interested in, so he naturally talked about "Gu Xiu. " There are three schools of embroidery in China. Apart from Hunan embroidery and Suzhou Suzhou embroidery, Shanghai is called "Gu embroidery". Among them, there is a long history, and there is a story that Fourth Sister Luo can talk about very clearly. "Everyone knows that Gu embroidery was passed down from an aunt of the Gu family in Luxiangyuan. The place where I live now is the foundation site of Luxiangyuan—" Luxiang Garden is located in the northwest corner of Shanghai. It was first built by Gu Mingru, the magistrate of Daozhou in the Ming Dynasty. Its real name is "Wanzhushanju".Gu Mingru's younger brother is Gu Mingshi, who was a Jinshi in the 38th year of Jiajing. Knowing that this place was originally a pond, there is a stone tablet dug out to prove it.The three characters "Luxiangchi" are inscribed on the stele, and it was written by Zhao Ziang.Therefore, Gu Mingshi changed the name of Wanzhu Shanju to "Luxiang Garden"; of course, the pond is old, and it is still called "Luxiang Pond".Gu Mingshi had many concubines, one of them was Miao. When she was in the capital, she learned how to embroider, and it was a trick passed down from the palace;The five-color silk threads are broken, and the fine needles are densely threaded. The colors are from light to dark, and they are integrated into one. The beauty of color matching is not to mention.The most distinctive feature is that Gu embroidery uses needles instead of pens, silk threads as paintings, and famous traces as blueprints. Landscapes, figures, flowers and birds are all vivid and exquisite, and they were called "painting embroidery" at that time.Aunt Miao once imitated Zhao Ziang's "Eight Steeds Picture", Dong Qichang thought that even if Zhao Ziang himself used the pen, he might not be able to beat her, and embroidered a "Standing Needle Picture", which was really poor and indistinguishable. It is painting and embroidery; later, a salt merchant in Yangzhou exchanged a chain of Hanyu and a picture of a beautiful woman painted by Zhou Yu, a famous Southern Tang Dynasty master. Because of Aunt Miao's teaching, all the female relatives of Luxiangyuan, down to the girl, can embroider, and they are very good. Once after drinking, he complained a lot, saying that he "put his name between your ten fingers". However, it was called "Gu embroidery" after entering the Qing Dynasty.Gu Mingshi has a granddaughter whose married surname is Zhang. She is a twenty-four-year-old widow and has a one-year-old son.Keeping the lonely and keeping the festival depends on the slender fingers; the embroidery is not inferior to Aunt Miao, but in addition to embroidering paintings, she also embroiders ordinary patterns, and the business is very good. "Gu Embroidery" was replaced by the name "Huaxiu" and spread all over the world. north and south.At the same time, "Gu Embroidery" has also become a famous property in Shanghai. Every family learns it, and even men learn embroidery. Fourth Sister Luo spoke clearly and logically; Hu Xueyan and Grandma Qigu also listened with gusto.However, Gu Yingchun was a little absent-minded; what he was concerned about was that Hu Xueyan had six or seven social gatherings in Changsantangzi that day, and he sat at each place for half an hour. When it was time to come to an end, I reminded him, "It's time to go." Upon hearing this, Hu Xueyan frowned, "Which places are there if you don't have to go?" He asked. "It's best to go. As a last resort, then, there are two places we must go." "Okay! Let's go to these two places." Hu Xueyan asked, "Where is Fourth Sister Luo? Someone should see her off." "No more." Grandma Qigu said, "The city is so far away, and it's night again." Grandma Qigu couldn't help saying that she wanted to stay overnight.Fourth Sister Luo also wanted to stay, but there was only one old man looking after the door at home, and she didn't go back all night, which made the old man anxious and felt unbearable. "It's easy." Gu Yingchun said, "Please Fourth Sister Luo tell me the address of the house, and I'll send someone to notify you." So Hu and Gu left the table first; Grandma Qigu accompanied Fourth Sister Luo to finish the meal.He led her to the guest room exclusively for staying guests, checked the bedding and utensils, asked Fourth Sister Luo to remove her make-up, and then drank tea and chatted comfortably. When it came to midnight, the Gu family would have supper every day as usual. While eating porridge, Gu Yingchun came back, accompanied by Hu Xueyan. "Young grandpa didn't go back?" Qi Gu's grandma said casually. "I want to eat porridge." Hu Xueyan also replied casually. In fact, everyone understands that he came here to see Fourth Sister Luo. After she took off her makeup, she wore a big loose braid, loose trousers and a small jacket. According to the rules, she was dressed in a bedroom. "Official guests".But since the officials and guests bumped into her, she just treated her generously and treated her as if nothing happened. "Which two families did you leave?" Grandma Qigu asked. "The fifth family of Yajun in Huile, and the fourth family of Qiuyuelou in Huajinli." Gu Yingchun replied. "Isn't the fourth child in Qiuyuelou a good man?" Grandma Qigu asked, "Could it be that ' took a bath' came out again?" "It's not that she wanted a 'bath'," Hu Xueyan replied, "It was the eldest wife of the Qiu family who kicked her out." "Oh." Grandma Qigu asked, "Is the fourth child still so thin?" "Slightly fatter." "Well, she needs to be fatter to look good." When they were talking, Fourth Sister Luo kept looking around, showing surprise. Grandma Qigu noticed it, "Sister Luo," she asked, "Have you visited the hall yet?" "No." Fourth Sister Luo replied, "I haven't even heard of it." Our wife is the only woman who visits the hall. Gu Yingchun said a little embarrassedly: "Sister Luo, do you want her to take you to broaden your horizons?" ""thanks, thanks! Fourth Sister Luo shrank her hands while laughing, "I dare not." "" What are you afraid of? Grandma Qigu encouraged her and said, "If you don't know anything, you won't gain wisdom. You have to go to the hall to know why old men in their fifties and sixties are handed over to the tomb treasury for transportation?"If you understand the truth, your master will not hand over to the tomb vault for transportation. "" What's the point of this? " "Because you understand, what should a woman look like in order to win a man's heart? Don't force him to do things he doesn't like; don't talk about things he doesn't like to hear. You don't want to talk about things he likes." You have to take it to heart as if it were your own business. At this point, even if you let him go out to shop and eat flowers and wine, his heart is still on you. " "No wonder!" Fourth Sister Luo laughed and said, "Seventh brother-in-law listens to you like this." "It's not likely to listen to her." Gu Yingchun said mockingly: "But it probably won't be delivered to the tomb treasury." "Isn't it?" Grandma Qigu encouraged and said, "Let's go to have a tea party, and if you are interested, you can have another drink, and you will learn a lot. If you don't stay with their men's family, what are you afraid of?" "I don't need this insight. I'm alone, and I don't need this insight." As he spoke, he raised his head, and his gaze happened to meet Hu Xueyan's.She hurriedly avoided, but confronted Grandma Qigu again; seeing her half-smile expression, Fourth Sister Luo blushed with guilt for no reason, and was a little at a loss. So Hu Xueyan yelled: "Seventh Sister, Ying Chun!" Then he talked about an irrelevant matter, the purpose was to attract the attention of the couple and help Fourth Sister Luo out of the siege. "I can't eat any more wine." Fourth Sister Luo found a gap in the conversation, touched her slightly feverish face and said, "If you eat any more, you'll get drunk." "No. You can tell if you can drink well or not." Grandma Qigu said, "I'm afraid it's because the wine doesn't suit your appetite." "Probably. Mint wine has a sweet taste, and people with a good capacity for alcohol don't like sweet taste." Gu Yingchun asked: "Sister Luo, would you like to drink two glasses of brandy?" "Two glasses of wine will make you drunk." "No, no!" Grandma Qigu said, "Foreigners have to drink several kinds of wine for a meal, some wine before the meal, some after the meal; they eat all the miscellaneous things in their stomachs, and they don't even look at them. There's something wrong." "real?" Seemingly not refusing, Gu Yingchun went to get a bottle of Samsung brandy; while uncorking the cork with a corkscrew, Fourth Sister Luo spoke. "I heard people say that if you wipe the crescent-shaped signboard on this kind of wine with a wet towel, there will be three blue marks. Those without blue marks are fake wine." "This is the first time we have heard Give it a try." Ask someone to wipe it again and again with a wet towel, but there is no response, Fourth Sister Luo calmly said: "It can be seen that what you hear is unreliable. How can there be fake wine in the house?" "It's not necessarily true. You have to taste it before it counts." Grandma Qigu got up and got two crystal wine glasses, and said to her husband, "Only you accompany Fourth Sister Luo." "Mr. Hu Da, how about you?" The fourth sister asked. "I drink lightly, please." "Fourth Sister Luo," Grandma Qigu mentioned about going to the hall again, "How about it, what day?" "Seventh Sister" Hu Xueyan jokingly interrupted: "Help me make a 'bordered tea circle', okay?" "Which one wants you to 'fringe'? Not only do we not want your fringe, but we also want to 'cut' your 'edge'!" Fourth Sister Luo saw that they were joking around so casually, without the slightest affectation or unnatural look on each other, she knew that their friendship was deep enough.Moreover, grandma Qigu was not only hearty and enthusiastic, it seemed that Hu Xueyan listened to her very much.She was thinking in her heart that if she had any plans for Hu Xueyan, she must first get through Grandma Qigu. As a result, her tone changed. When she first mentioned "Tangzi", she thought it was an indecent place, and she didn't even want to talk about it. At this time, she asked automatically, "Sister Seven, what do you mean by 'cutting your sides'?" "'Cutting edge' is to snatch other people's friends." Grandma Qigu leaned over and said in a playful and curious manner, lowering her voice slightly: "I'll take you to see my uncle's friends, who are really from Suzhou. , just listening to her talk, you don't want to leave after sitting down." "Really from Suzhou?" Fourth Sister Luo didn't understand. "Could it be that there are fake Suzhou people?" .” "Su Bai is just Su Bai, what is Su Bai with Tangzi accent?" "I won't say, you will know after listening." "Okay!" Fourth Sister Luo, who had been firmly refusing, took advantage of this to turn around, "When will I go with Seventh Sister to broaden my horizons?" "Whether you go or not," Gu Yingchun warned half-truthfully, "Beware of "Shenbao" publishing your news." "Oh," Hu Xueyan suddenly raised his voice and said, "Ying Chun mentioned "Shenbao", and I remembered something. After the telegram from Tianjin to Shanghai last winter, I saw that some news in "Shenbao" were When I got back from the telegram, Sheng Xingsun was the head of the Telegraph Bureau, and he was very well informed. In some businesses, we got the news later than others. Even if we were only a step behind, we would suffer a lot. So, I have an idea, Ying Chun, Can you ask the interviewer from Shenbao for help?" "Is it a report?" "yes." "Then, let's send someone in Tianjin and send them with a password every day." "That's not very useful." Hu Xueyan said: "There are some market conditions that only the interviewers can find out. Moreover, it's not just market conditions, There is also the market situation in the court. Like last winter, Mr. Li Da's participation in the case—" "Mr. Li Da" refers to Li Hanzhang.Grandma Qigu's temperament is rough on the outside and delicate on the inside. When she heard about the official turmoil of the current elders, she knew that there were many related words that should not be heard by irrelevant people. If it was spread, it would cause trouble. Hu Xueyan and Gu Yingchun It was useless, so he quietly pulled Fourth Sister Luo, and at the same time gave a wink to signal her to leave. "They can't finish talking about this, let's come to the side and talk about ours." Fourth Sister Luo was very knowledgeable, and immediately catered to Grandma Qi's intention and said: "I also have some-somethings, so it's inconvenient to talk about them in front of them. Sister Seven , I feel a little flustered." "Why?" Fourth Sister Luo answered immediately, pulled Grandma Qigu aside, and sat down side by side on the long red velvet "easy chair", holding Grandma Qigu's hand with one hand, while the other hand was only touching her face, which was flushed from wine. Face. "Are you feeling unwell?" Grandma Qigu asked anxiously, "Why do you behave so well that you feel flustered?" "It's not that I'm not feeling well." Fourth Sister Luo said as if struggling, "I never dreamed that suddenly there would be a day like today, where I met Xueyan again, and got to know you, Seventh Sister; it's like buying a handful of firewood. 'The family said that one day they won the 'White Dove Ticket', and they don't know what to do." Although Grandmother Qi is from Songdong, she also understands Hangzhou dialect because of Hu Xueyan. Fourth Sister Luo means that Shengdou Xiaomin suddenly won the lottery, which is to use the metaphor of a poor boy getting rich to describe her own state of mind.Grandma Qigu thought her words were very pleasant; she thought she was very good before, and now she is even more right. But it was hard to find the right words to answer, so she just smiled and said, "How can it be? How can it be?" "Why not? I'm a widow, how could I have such a life of talking, laughing and drinking. He wants to help me open an embroidery shop, and you want to invite me to visit the hall; don't talk about this life, I have never thought of it in my previous life." .” The smugness was palpable, of course Grandma Qigu could see it, she grabbed one of her hands, put it together in her warm palms where there was only flesh but no bones, and asked quietly: "Sister Luo, he wants to open the door for you?" Xiu Zhuang, it's just a matter of one sentence, what do you mean?" Fourth Sister Luo didn't answer, she lowered her eyes, as if she had something to hide and couldn't speak. "Just say something! If you want it, you will, if you don't want it, you won't. It's something you can't force." "Why would I not want to? But, Seventh Sister," Fourth Sister Luo suddenly raised her eyes, "What am I?" "Lady boss." "The boss pays the capital, but the capital is not mine." Grandma Qigu was surprised at the beginning, being a ready-made boss is a great thing, what else is there to think about?Then she suddenly realized, and blurted out: "So it's the proprietress?" Fourth sister Luo lowered her head again, and said quietly, "I'm afraid that people think like this." If you don't talk about yourself and others, the implication is very subtle.When encountering this kind of situation, Grandma Qigu will not be open-minded. If there is a sense of propriety, she will grasp the propriety before she is willing to speak. "Fourth Sister Luo," she finally asked, "You are still young and have no children, so it's pointless to keep it." Before eating supper, Fourth Sister Luo once talked about her life experience, and at that time she vaguely stated that she had no children; now, hearing Qi Gu's grandmother say this, she felt that she should correct it in time to appear honest. "I have a daughter," she said, "at my grandmother's house." "Where is grandma?" "Hangzhou." "Daughters are no better than sons. They always belong to someone else. In the future, relying on the son-in-law, it's good for the young couple to have a good relationship. Otherwise, this bowl of ready-made rice will be unpalatable, especially if there is a mother-in-law, the face of the in-laws is really ugly." "I will never rely on my son-in-law." Fourth Sister Luo replied; the voice was very flat, but the words were clear and she seemed very confident. "Then which one do you rely on?" "On their own." "It's even more important to have something reliable to rely on yourself." The intention was to persuade her to accept Hu Xueyan's sponsorship, but all kinds of distracting thoughts in Luo Sijie's mind before and after this supper gradually condensed into one purpose: to accept Hu Xueyan's benefits, not just one embroidery shop, Otherwise, I would rather not.So he knew what it meant, but pretended not to understand. Of course Grandma Qigu didn't believe that she didn't understand this, she kept silent, she must have ulterior motives, so she asked: "Are you talking about what I said? It's a matter of ambition to rely on yourself, but there is always one thing to grasp." In your hands. Embroidery is all about being young, bright-eyed, and accurate; within a few years, you won’t be able to rely on it.” The only thing you can rely on is the embroidery shop, Fourth Sister Luo will no longer pretend to be ignorant , Think about it and say: "If you want to talk about opening an embroidery shop, I will work hard for two or three years. If I invite one or two sisters to find a partner, I can open it." Could it be that Hu Xueyan didn't help enough?Or are you outspoken and unwilling to accept favors from others?Grandma Qigu couldn't see it for a while, so she kept silent. "Seventh Sister," Fourth Sister Luo suddenly asked, "Is the old lady of the Hu family still alive?" "I've seen it." "Then, what about Mrs. Hu? Have you met?" "I've seen it too." Fourth Sister Luo suddenly sighed faintly. At this moment, Grandma Qigu suddenly realized.Hu Xueyan has not forgotten the old love, and Fourth Sister Luo has not forgotten the old love.There will be no obstacles on Hu Xueyan's side; if Fourth Sister Luo is willing to be wronged in this regard, it will not be a good thing. Emotional matters require mutual consent.Grandma Qigu made a decision at that time to give them a chance to get close by themselves.Sure enough, there is a destiny, and the two love each other, depending on the situation at that time, it is not too late to be a ready-made matchmaker. "Ah Qi," Gu Yingchun shouted, "Uncle is leaving." When Qigu's grandma turned to look, the little eldest sister was already waiting for Hu Xueyan to put on a mandarin jacket. "Uncle," she said, "Today doesn't count. Tomorrow night I will formally invite Fourth Sister Luo. Are you free?" 胡雪岩尚未答话，罗四姐抢在前而谦谢，“七姐，七姐，”她说，“你太客气了。” “不是客气，道理上应该。”七姑奶奶又说：“就算客气，也是这一回。” 罗四姐不作声了，胡雪岩便笑着问她说道：“你看，七姐就有这点本事，随随便便一句就能够把你的嘴封住，没话可说。” “我话还有的，”罗四姐说：“恭敬不如从命。” “你这话，”七姑奶奶说道：“才真的太客气了。” “那么，还有句不客气的话：只此一回，下不为例。”“好，好。下不为例。” 古应春与胡雪岩互相看了一眼，有同感的默契；罗四姐也是个角色，针锋相对，口才上并不逊于七姑奶奶。“闲话少说，”七姑奶奶问道：“小爷叔，明天晚上你到底有没有空？” “没有空，也要抽出空来啊！” “罗四姐，你看，你多少有面子！” “哪里，我是沾七姐你的光。” “地方呢？”胡雪岩插嘴问说。 “你看呢？”七姑奶奶征询丈夫的意见，“我看还是在家里吧！” "Also." “那就说定了。”七姑奶奶又说：“小爷叔，还有句话，我要言明在先。罗四姐今天住在我这里，明天早晨，我送她回去，下午再去接她。不过，晚上送她回家，小爷叔，是你的差使了。” 这是试探罗四姐，如果她对胡雪岩没有意思，一定会推辞；一个男人，深夜送单身女子回家，那会在邻居之中引起极多的批评；罗四姐果真以此为言，七姑奶奶是无法坚持一定要胡雪岩送的。 推辞也很容易，最简捷的办法，便是说夜深不便，仍旧想住在古家。可是，她不是这样说，说的是：“胡大先生应酬多，不要再耽误他的工夫了。” “没有，没有！”胡雪岩赶紧接口：“明天晚上我没有应酬。”七姑奶奶看着罗四姐笑了；这一笑倒使得她有些发窘，将视线避了开去。 第二天，七姑奶奶送罗四姐回家；她家住南市，一楼一底的石库房子，这条弄堂是小康之家集居之地。 楼上住家，楼下客厅。客厅中已坐满了人，大多挟着一个平平扁扁的包裹，有个中年妇女首先迎上来埋怨似地说：“罗四姐，你昨天一天哪里去了；我儿子要看病，急着要交货等钱用。” “喔，”罗四姐歉然答说：“昨夜我住在我姐姐那里。” 谁也没有听说过罗四姐有个姐姐，所以不免好奇地注视七姑奶奶，看她一副富态福相；衣服华丽不说，腕上一双翠镯，指上黄豆在大一枚闪光耀眼的金钻戒指，便使得大家另眼相看了。 七姑奶奶却毫无架子，而且极其爽郎，“你先不要招呼我，人家都在等你。”她对罗四姐说：“你赶紧料理，我来帮你。”“再好没有。”罗四姐高叫：“老马、老马！” 老马是她请的帮手，五十多岁帮她管帐兼应门，有时也打打杂，人很老实，但语言木讷，行动迟缓。这么多交货领贷的人，无以应付，索性在厢房里躲了起来，比时听得招呼，方始现身。 平时收货发货，只有罗四姐跟他两个人，这天添了一个帮手，便顺利得多，但也一直到中午，方能毕事。“真对不起。”罗四姐说，“累你忙了半天。”接着便关照老马，到馆子里叫菜，要留七姑奶奶吃饭。 “你不必客气。我来认一认地方，等下再来接你。家里还有事要料理，我索性楼上都不上去了，下半天来了再来看你的卧房。” 这在罗四姐倒是求之不得，因为卧房中难免有凌乱不宜待客之处。“既然这么说，我也不留七姐。”她说：“下半天七姐派车子来好了，自己就不必劳驾了。明天晚了，我请七姐、七姐夫来吃便饭，不晓得七姐夫有没有空。” “等下再说好了。” 客人一走，罗四姐便从容了；吃过饭，她有午睡的习惯。一觉醒来，想起胡雪岩晚上要来，当即唤小大姐，连老马都叫了上来，帮着拖地板、抹桌子、擦窗户，换了干净的被褥，又把一套平时难得一用的细瓷茶具亦找了出来，另外备了四个果盘。等预备停当，开始妆扮；好在她一向是一张清水脸，只加意梳好一个头，便可换衣服坐等了。 等到五点钟，只听楼下人声，小大姐匆匆忙忙奔上来说：“胡老爷来了。” 罗四姐没有想到是他来接；好在都已经预备好了，不妨请他上楼来坐。于是走到楼梯口说道：“胡大先生，怎么劳你的驾？要不要上来坐一坐。” “好啊！”影随声现，罗四姐急忙闪到一边。江浙两省，男女之间的忌讳很多，在楼梯上，上楼时必是男先女后；下楼正好相反，因为裙幅不能高过男人头顶，否则便有“晦气”。罗四姐也是为此而急忙闪开；等胡雪岩上了楼梯，她已经亲自打着门帘在等了。 胡雪岩进了门，先四周打量一番，点点头说：“收拾得真干净，阳光也足，是个旺地。” “寡妇人家，又没有儿子，哪里兴旺得起来？” 胡雪岩没想到她一开口就是很直也很深的话，一时倒不知该持何态度？便只好笑笑不答。 这时小大姐已倒了茶来，罗四姐便照杭州待客之礼。将高脚果盘中的桂圆、荔枝、瓜子、松子糖之类，各样抓一些，放在胡雪岩面前，一个说：“不好吃。”一个连声：“谢谢。”“罗四姐，有点小意思。你千万要给我一个面子。”胡雪岩又说：“跟我来的人，手里有个拜匣，请你关照小大姐拿上来。” 取来一个乌木嵌银丝的拜匣，上面一把小小的银丝，银匙就系在搭扣上，打开来看，里面是三扣“经折”，一个小象牙匣子。 胡雪岩先拿起两扣，一面递给罗四姐，一面交代：“一个是源利的，一个是汪泰和的。” 源利与汪泰和是上海有名两家大商号，一家经营洋广杂货，一家是南北货行。罗四姐接过经折来看，户名是“阜康钱庄”；翻开第一页，上面用木戳子印着八个字：“凭折取货，三节结帐。”意思是罗四姐不管吃的、穿的、用的。凭折到这两家商号随便索取；三节由阜康付帐。 这已经是厚惠了，再看另一扣经折，罗四姐不由得心头一震——是一扣阜康的定期存折，存银一万两，户名叫做“维记。” “本来想用'罗记'，老早有了；拆开来变'四维记'，哪晓得这个户名也有了，只好把'四'字搁起，单用'维记'。 喏，”胡雪岩拿起小象牙匣子，“外送一个图章。 " 罗四姐接过经折与牙章，放在桌上，既非辞谢，亦未表示接受，只说：“胡大先生，你真的阔了。上万银子，还说小意思。” “我不说小意思，你怎么肯收呢？” “我如果不收，你一定要跟我争，空费精神。”罗四姐说：“好在送不送在你，用不用在我。这三个经折，一颗图章，就放在我这里好了。” 她做事说话，一向胸有丘壑，胡雪岩认为不必再劝，便即说道：“那末，你把东西收好了，我们一起走。”“怎么走法？” “你不去就晓得了。” 胡雪岩是坐轿子来的，替罗四姐也备了一乘很华丽的轿子；他想得很周到，另外还加了一顶小轿，是供好的女仆或小大姐乘坐的。 胡雪岩还带了三个跟班，簇新的蓝布夹袍，上套玄色软缎坎肩，脚下薄底快靴。由于要骑马的缘故，夹袍下摆都掖在腰带中，一个个神情轩昂，礼节周到。罗四脚也很好面子，心里不由得在想：出门能带着这样子的“底下人”，主人家自然很显得威风了。 正要上轿时，罗四姐忽然想到一件事，还得回进去一次。原来她是想到应该备礼送古家，礼物现成，就是绣货。送七姑奶奶的是两床被面、一对枕头、一堂椅披、两条裙子；这已经很贵重了，但还不如送古应春的一条直幅。是照宋徽宗画的孔雀，照样绣下来的。是真正的“顾绣”。到得古家，展现礼物，七姑奶奶非常高兴；“你这份礼很重，不过我也不客气了。”她说：“第一，我们的日子还长，总有礼尚往来的时候。第二，我是真正喜欢。”当时便先将绣花椅披，陈设起来，粉红软缎，上绣牡丹，显得十分富丽。“七姐，”罗四姐说：“你比一比这两条裙子的料子看，是我自己绣的。” 一条是红裙，上绣百蝶，色彩繁艳，令人眩目，“好倒是好，不过我穿了，就变成'丑人多作怪'了。”七姑奶奶说：“这条裙子，要二十左右的新娘子，回门的时候穿，那才真叫出色。我留起来，将来给我女儿。” “啊！”胡雪岩从椅子上一下站了起来，大声说道：“应春，你要请我吃红蚕了？” 原来古应春夫妇，只有一个儿子；七姑奶奶却一直在说，要想生个女儿。胡雪岩看她腰很粗，此刻听她说这话，猜想是有喜了。 古应春笑笑不答，自然是默认了；罗四姐便握七姑奶奶的手说：“七姐，恭喜、恭喜！几个月了？” 七姑奶奶轻声答了句：“四个月。” “四个月了！唷、唷，你赶快给我坐下来，动了胎气，不得了。” “不要紧的。洋大夫说，平时是要常常走动、走功，生起来才顺利。” “唷！七姐，你倒真开通，有喜的事，也要请教洋大夫。”罗四姐因为七姑奶奶爽朗过人，而且也没有外人，便开玩笑地问：“莫非你的肚皮都让洋大夫摸过了。” “是啊！不摸怎么晓得胎位正不正？” 原是说笑，不道真有其事；使得罗四姐挢舌不下，而七姑奶奶却显得毫不在乎。 “这没有啥好稀奇的，也没有啥好难为情的。”“叫我，死都办不到。”罗四姐不断摇头。 “罗四姐！”古应春笑道：“你不要上她的当，她是故意逗你。洋大夫倒是洋大夫，不过是个女的。” “我说呢！”罗四姐舒了口气，“洋人那只长满黑毛、好比熊掌样的手，摸到你肚皮上，你会不怕？” 七姑奶奶付之一笑，拿起另一条裙子料子看；月白软缎，下绣一圈波浪，上面还有两只不知名的鸟。花样很新，但也很大方。 “这条裙子我喜欢的，明天就来做。”七姑奶奶兴致勃勃地说：“穿上在身上，裙幅一动，真象潮水一样。罗四姐，你是怎么想起来的？” “也是我的一个主顾，张家的二少奶奶，一肚子的墨水，她跟我很投缘，去了总有半天好谈。有一天不知道怎么提起来一句古话，叫做'裙拖六幅湘江水'，我心里一动，回来就配了这么一个花样。月白缎子不耐脏，七姐，我再给你绣一条，替换了穿。” “这倒不必，我穿裙子的回数也不多。” 这时古应春跟胡雪岩在看那幅“顾绣”，开屏的孔雀，左右看去，色彩变幻；配上茶花、竹石，令人观玩不尽。胡雪岩便说“何不配个框子，把它挂起来？” “说得是。”古应春立刻叫进听差来吩咐：“配个红木框子，另外到洋行里配一面玻璃。最好今天就能配好。” 接着又看被面、看枕头，七姑奶奶自己笑自己，说是“倒象看嫁妆。”惹得婢仆们都笑了。 “饿了！”胡雪岩问：“七姐，快开饭了吧？”“都预备好了，马上就开。” 席面仍旧象前一天一样。菜是古应春特为找了个广东厨子来做的，即好又别致，罗四姐不但大快朵颐，而且大开眼界；有道菜是两条鱼，一条红烧、一条清蒸，摆在一个双鱼形的瓷盘中，盘子也很特别，一边白、一边黄，这就不仅罗四姐，连胡雪岩都是见所未见。 “这叫'金银鱼'，”古应春说，“进贡的。”胡雪岩大为诧异，“哪个进贡？”他问，“鱼做好了，送到宫里，不坏也不好吃了。” “自然是到宫里，现做现吃。”古应春说，“问到是什么人进贡，小爷叔只怕猜不到，是山东曲阜衍圣公进贡的。”“啊！”胡雪岩想来了，”我听说衍圣公府上，请第一等的贵客，菜叫'府菜'，莫非就是这种菜？” “一点不错。府菜一共有一百三十六样；菜好不稀奇，奇的是每样菜都用特制的盘碗来盛。餐具也分好几种，有金、有银、有锡、有瓷；少一样，整桌台面都没用了，所以衍圣公府上请贵客，专有个老成可靠的老家人管餐具。”“那末进贡呢？当然是用金台面？” “这是一定的。”古应春又说：“宫里有喜庆大典，象同治皇帝大婚，慈禧太后四十岁整生日，衍圣都要进京去道喜，厨子、餐具、珍贵的材料都带了去。须先请台，预备哪一天享用府菜，到时候做好送进宫；有的菜是到宫里现做——这要先跟总管太监去商量，当然也要送门包。好在衍圣公府上产业多，不在乎。” 胡雪岩听了大为向往，“应春，”他问：“你今天这个厨子，是衍圣公府出身？” “不是，他是广东人，不过，他的爷爷倒是衍圣公府出身。这里面有段曲折，谈起来蛮有趣的。”说着，他徐徐举杯，没有下文。 “喔，”七姑奶奶性争，“有趣就快说，不要卖关子！”“我也是前两天才听说，有点记不太清楚了，待我好好想一想。” “慢慢想。”罗四姐挟了块鱼敬他，“讲故事要有头才好听。” “好！先说开头，乾隆末年——” 乾隆末年，毕秋帆当山东巡抚；阮元少年得意，翰林当了没有几年，遇到“翰詹大考”，题目是乾隆亲自出的，“试帖诗”的诗题是“眼镜”。这个题目很难，因为眼镜是明朝末年方由西洋付入中土。所以古人诗文中，没有这个典故；而且限韵“他”字，是个险韵，难上加难，应考的无不愁眉苦脸。 考试结果，阮元原为一等第二名，乾隆拔置为第一；说他的赋做得好，其实是诗做得好，内中有一联：“四目何须此，重瞳不用他”，为乾隆激赏，原来乾隆得天独厚，过了八十岁还是耳聪目明，不戴眼镜，平时常向臣下自诩。因此，阮元用舜的典故“四目”、“重瞳”来恭维他，意思是说他看人看事，非常清楚，根本用不着借助于眼镜。 大考第一，向来是“连升三级”，阮一下子由编修升为詹事府少詹，不久就放了山东学政，年纪不到三十，继弦未娶。毕秋帆便向阮元迎养在山东的“阮老太爷”说：“小女可配衍圣公，请老伯做媒；衍圣公的胞姐可配令郎，我做媒。”阮元就此成了孔家的女婿。