The Plow

If the box left for Yue Dingtang is bigger than the others, then the old man will jump up right now.

Seeing that small box now, although I feel uncomfortable, I feel that it is barely acceptable.

The label in Lao Yuan's mouth is an iron plate nailed directly on it, and it is distinguished by the words "qin", "chess", "book", "painting", "poetry", and "Yue". The old man and the others will naturally recognize that this is the old man's handwriting, and the possibility of fraud is extremely small .

The old man wanted to complain a few words, to the effect that the old man had saved his entire life, how could there be so few and such small boxes left behind, but seeing that no one else spoke, he didn't want to be the one who got ahead, and silently took the things that came his way. Tucao and swallowed back.

The fourth master kept his mouth shut, and his mobility was no slower than others. He walked over quickly, lifted his own box and hugged him in his arms.

"Why so light?" He looked at Lao Yuan with suspicion.

Lao Yuan didn't speak, he found the key to the fourth master's box, and opened the box.

It was only then that the fourth master realized that the box was full of land deeds and bank notes, and there was nothing solid, no wonder it was light.

"Chuangzi in the suburbs, [-] acres of high-quality land, Fengtian house, rouge shop, rice shop..."

The fourth master picked up one by one and finished reading one by one, then raised his head.

"that's it?"

Old Yuan didn't answer, but said: "The old man left a letter for each of you, he wrote it himself, the content of the letter is the same, you might as well open it and read it."

While he was speaking, other people also opened their boxes one after another.

Yue Dingtang was the last to go to get the box.

It feels a bit heavy when you start it, which is not quite as light as other people describe.

He didn't show it either, he added some strength without showing any signs, hugged the box in his arms, and walked out of the warehouse.

The things in the boxes of the eldest, second, third, and fifth are similar to those of the fourth master, except that they are land deeds and bank notes.

The sum of these things, large and small, cannot be considered small.

Not only is it not small, in Ling Shu's view, the property of the average small rich man's family is probably what a master of the Guan family got. They are so rich that if they live frugally, they may not be able to carry forward the family business by themselves.

But judging from the expressions of several masters, they are not very satisfied.

The old man even stared at old Yuan, and said in a rough voice: "Why did the old man leave such a little thing for us? Honestly, are those antique calligraphy and paintings of the old man secretly sold by you?"

Old Yuan calmly said: "I have been in the Guan family for so many years, what is my nature, the old lady knows, and all the gentlemen also know that these things are handled by the old lady alone, and I have never intervened. As for the antique calligraphy and paintings, the old lady did collect them during his lifetime. Quite a few, but half of them are true and false. One day, while he was in good health, he called me away and asked me to take those fakes to the suburbs and burn them. You all saw that when I pulled them out of the car that day. The master didn't believe it at the time, so he came with me and saw with his own eyes those fakes were smashed and burned."

The second master nodded, showing a heartbroken expression: "I saw it, but why do you say that the old man would rather smash and burn things than give us some, even though it is a fake, it can still be worth something..."

Old Yuan interrupted him in a harsh tone: "The old man said that these fakes are spread around the world and will only cause harm to others. Although our Guan family is not a family of good deeds, it is definitely not the kind of family that deceives and abducts and brings disaster to future generations. Think about it, If you sell the counterfeit to someone, and that person is powerful, wouldn’t it have brought disaster to the Guan family in the end?!”

The fifth master was a little unconvinced: "Why do you think it's a fake? I didn't even see it. Maybe the old man mistook pearls for fish eyes!"

Old Yuan said: "The identification of these counterfeit products was made by the old man after he screened and picked them out, and then invited Fengtian's respectable pawnshops to appraise them. The real ones they identified were auctioned off by the old man on the spot, and they were exchanged for bank notes and stored in the bank. Or buy Zhuangzi’s house, and now it’s all in the boxes of the lords. You were studying abroad at the time, so of course you weren’t there, but the first and second lords were all present.”

The second master murmured: "I thought Dad would at least keep some, but I didn't expect that they would all be burned and sold..."

Among the members of the Guan family, only the third master Guan had a dull expression on his face, and he didn't open the box. He just put his hands on the box, closed his eyes and rested his mind, as if he was waiting for Lao Yuan to announce the end of the meeting. He immediately lifted his legs and left. Not for a moment.

Yue Dingtang's eyes fell on the box in front of him.

He had an intuition that the things inside would definitely not be land deeds.

Yue Dingtang thought to himself that he was not a hesitant person, but now he felt that it might be better to take the box back and open it again.

"Master Yue."

Lao Yuan's voice sounded suddenly.

"You haven't opened the box yet."

In an instant, everyone looked at Yue Dingtang.

Yue Dingtang: "The old man's will does not stipulate that the person who gets the box must open it in public, right?"

Old Yuan said: "Second Master, please read the letter in your box."

The second master pondered for a moment, opened the letter, read it, and read it aloud.

Since the old man left everyone the same letter, he didn't have to worry about it.

There is not much content, the old man does not have mother-in-law and mother to express feelings, and what he said is all plain and straightforward.

The general idea is that the Guan family moved to Fengtian, which was really forced by the current situation. Because of the turmoil in the world, in order to settle down the family business, he has spent a lot of money on human relations over the years. The so-called rich family has squandered all the way , It’s almost the same. The old man knows that time is not long. Recently, he sorted out the family property and found that most of the things that can be left to his children and grandchildren are flashy antiques, and these things are difficult to price.Therefore, in order to avoid chaos among his children and grandchildren after his death, while he was still able to walk around as a director, he quickly took out these things, sold them off, destroyed them, discounted them, and distributed them equally to the Guan family.

Of the other two boxes, one is for public expenses. If the families do not separate, the expenses will be taken from this box. If they want to separate, the things in the box will be divided equally.One mouthful was reserved for Yue Dingtang's mother, Guan Shi. The old man said that Guan Shi ran away in anger, and the Guan family had never given a dowry. He and Guan's father didn't talk about it. The things belonging to the Guan family should be regarded as making up for the dowry of the year, and no one other than the Guan family and their descendants is allowed to touch it.

After his death, the keys to these boxes will be kept by Lao Yuan, and the keys to the warehouse will be distributed to the five brothers of the Guan family. The warehouse can only be opened when members of the Yue family are present and all the members of the Guan family are present. It is also necessary to open it separately under the witness of everyone, and confirm that it is correct before leaving, so as to avoid disputes in the future.

As for the Guan family's old house, if the members of the Guan family insist on separating the family, the house is not allowed to be sold, because the Guan family's ancestral tablet is enshrined here, and if it is sold, it is equivalent to losing the ancestors. .

After the second master read it, everyone digested it carefully, and the flavors in it were different, which is not enough for outsiders to understand.

Old Yuan said to Yue Dingtang: "Master Yue, the old man's last words are so, now you can open it."

Before Yue Dingtang could move, the third master Guan Shuzhi opened his own box first.

Not surprisingly, it is also land deeds, money and other things.

Guan Shuzhi's face was indifferent, neither happy nor angry, as if the box in his hand had nothing to do with him, he even took out a file and a wooden board from his pocket, and began to carve on it, wholeheartedly Immerse yourself in your own world.

No wonder everyone said that the third master of the Guan family is a lonely and weird person. With this behavior, not to mention the servants of the Guan family, even the brothers are unwilling to get close to him.

Ling Shu had previously inquired out of gossip, and it was said that among the brothers of the Guan family, the eldest and the second child were born of the same mother, that is, the old man's original spouse, and the third child was born by the old man's stepmother.

This stepwife's temperament is similar to Guan San's, she's a stuffy gourd, she can't get a fart even with eight sticks, and the old man doesn't like her, so this stepwife is always depressed and depressed to death.

The fourth and fifth children were born to the old man's two concubines respectively.

Now that the old man of the Guan family, together with these women, have passed away one by one, the old man himself is the longest lived, and only his offspring in the Guan family are prosperous. No matter what happens, the five brothers have at least grown up and are alive and kicking.

Lao Yuan handed over the only key left in his hand to Yue Dingtang.

The moment Yue Dingtang inserted the key into the lock, he suddenly had a strange feeling.

He had a hunch that the things in the box were not only different from others, but also unexpected.

The lid of the box was lifted up, revealing a gleam of golden light from inside.

It was too late for Yue Dingtang to close it again.

Because everyone saw that ray of golden light.

The elder yelled first: "What's inside!"

When the box was fully opened, everyone was stunned.

Under the sun, a ball of golden light dazzled them so much that they couldn't open their eyes.

The second master couldn't help taking a step forward, avoiding the direct light, and finally saw the true face of the thing.

A pagoda.

A colorful pure gold stupa.

It is colorful because it is inlaid with various gemstones, sapphires, rubies, and tourmalines.

The pagoda has seven floors, and the height does not exceed two feet. At a glance, at least it uses silk, filigree, micro-carving and other techniques.

There are even reliefs of various Buddhist stories on the walls on each floor. Ling Shu took a closer look and could vaguely discern the content of Mulian saving his mother, cutting meat and feeding eagles, etc. If he had a magnifying glass in hand, he should be able to recognize more.

Golden bells are hung under the eaves, and when the wind blows slightly, there is still a slight tinkling sound, which shows that the carvings are meticulously crafted and reached the peak.

Gold is naturally valuable, but such an ingenious pure gold pagoda can no longer be valued by the value of gold itself. If it is placed in a dynasty with an emperor, it may be used as a tribute, and it will also win Longyan's joy. Come for a job.

But such a rarity, the old man actually left it to a person with a foreign surname.

He is also a person with a foreign surname who ran away from home in his early years and severed ties with his family.

Look at the box, under the pagoda, there are several other items.

Pure gold lotuses, vases, Dharma wheels, conch shells, sterling silver umbrellas studded with precious stones, jade pendants with auspicious lotus patterns on Pisces, etc., and scattered red, yellow, blue and green gemstones on the bottom, visually grasping them with two hands, Those gems can't be fully grasped in the hand.

Jin Yu Lin Lang, dazzling.

It is also shocking, but compared to the pagoda, it is somewhat inferior after all.

If the pagoda is the masterpiece of a famous craftsman in the world, the rest are at best the best curiosities.

But, even so, it's enough to make people jealous.

Looking at the elder again, a pair of eyeballs are about to pop out of their sockets. Others are not as exaggerated as him, but they are not much better.

"What's going on here! Why did he take these, but we only have a land deed for money?!"

The fourth master suddenly turned his head and questioned Lao Yuan.

Old Yuan said indifferently: "Didn't the old man just say in the letter that the Guan family's aunt was the most favored by the elders before she was alive. Although she ran away in anger and ignorance at a young age, the elders have been guilty for half of her life. These things are the dowry of the aunt. If you don't agree , you can question the old man, the villain is just following orders."

The old man: "I object! Before the old man was alive, none of us knew that he had hidden these things. If we knew, if we asked for it as a son, would he still refuse to give it? I was still in debt, but the old man gave away the valuables. Giving the stuff to outsiders all at once, no, I don't agree!"

The courtyard is full of swords and swords, and there is a posture of imminent explosion.

The old man looked like a fighting cock, his heels were already off the ground, ready to spread his wings and pounce on the box in front of Yue Dingtang, swallowing all the treasures inside into his stomach.

Although the second master didn't speak, his expression was not much better, gloomy, very much like the few days when women came to live a little life.

The fourth master was expressionless, and forbearance did not say anything.

The fifth master didn't say anything, but at some point, he was already standing near the door, holding his own box in his arms. Ling Shu guessed that the other party might be preventing Yue Dingtang from running away suddenly.

The third master was still concentrating on chiseling his own little plank, and he was also the only Guan family member who didn't pay attention to the pagoda.

As for Ivanov and Yingzuo, they didn't show greed, they were just like ordinary people who saw rare treasures. Yingzuo also asked Yue Dingtang if he could go up to appreciate the pagoda carefully, and after obtaining the latter's consent Afterwards, three steps away in a measured manner, he took out his magnifying glass and looked at it with a probe, tsk tsk and exclaimed.

"Although I haven't been able to meet the old man with my own eyes, I feel the same for the old man's love for my mother. However, the Yue family is doing well now. These things are too precious. It is inconvenient for me to travel a long distance to transport them back. It is better to keep them for my cousins." , I took a few gems as thoughts, and that’s all.”

Yue Dingtang finally opened his mouth, intending to give up the property completely.

The elder was overjoyed, and was about to speak, but there were two people rushing ahead of him.

"No!"

"Ding Tang can't do it!"

It was Lao Yuan and the second master who stopped him.

Lao Yuan glanced at the second master, then turned back to Yue Dingtang.

"Master Yue, you don't want to be greedy for property. This kind of disposition is very precious, but this is the will left by the old man, and mortals must abide by it. After you bring it back, how to deal with it is your Yue family's business, but now Since the old master has given away the things, there is absolutely no reason to take them back, so I ask Young Master Yue to speak carefully."

Yue Dingtang frowned: "So, if I take this box, I have to take it, or if I don't take it, I have to take it away? A man is innocent, but he is guilty of carrying a jade. If someone covets it and wants to take the treasure, he will plot against me." , so what should I do?"

Old Yuan said: "There are many people out there, things are really not safe. Before you leave Fengtian, you can temporarily stay at Guan's house. I will send some people to protect you. Make sure everything is safe and you are safe."

The second master also said: "Yes, Dingtang, since Dad said so, you should be obedient, the things belong to you, and none of us will touch them, so you can stay at home with peace of mind. The house you lived in before Burning the kang, today the public has money, so I will send someone to buy it, and move a house for you, which has everything in it."

The second master is so reasonable, it almost refreshes Yue Dingtang's previous understanding of him as stingy.

But some people are sensible, and some people are foolish for money.

"No! The money in the office belongs to everyone. When did I agree to use it to buy a guest room?!" The old man yelled first, "He has divided so much, let him find a way to settle it by himself, his mother is not a family member. Why are you still using the money from the Guan family!"

The second master's face darkened: "Brother, although Dingtang's surname is Yue, he is our nephew who is related by blood. If you say that, where do you put the old man and where do you put a relationship? He didn't come to beg, but Come to attend the old man's funeral, do you still want to drive him out?!"

The old man pouted his neck: "I am the boss, and I share as much as you. Daddy didn't even leave me the ancestral house. I haven't said anything yet. Without my approval, I don't allow a dime of the public money anyway." !"

Yue Dingtang said indifferently: "Second Cousin, it's okay, I'll pay for it myself, please help me set it up, tomorrow I'll go up the mountain to kowtow to the old man, and then I'll leave, I won't bother you uncles."

Second master: "You, here, hey!"

He spent a long time without uttering a regulation, Yue Dingtang glanced at Ling Shu, the latter understood, took out a few dollars from his pocket, and stuffed them to the second master with a smile.

"Second Cousin, I'll trouble you, let's not talk about it, the quilts come first, and the kang has to be burned. We almost died of the cold last night! Thanks to the donkey meat pot you invited Don’t be hungry, otherwise I definitely couldn’t make it through last night!”

It was good that he didn't mention the donkey meat pot, but when he mentioned it, the second master's face turned green and pale.

Ling Shu didn't care what the second master and the others thought, he directly closed the box under everyone's staring eyes, and hugged it again.

"Old Yue, let's go!"

When he came to the door, Ling Shu staggered, and fell forward. He was about to fall into the mud. If the box in his arms fell out, it would definitely be torn apart, and the precious pagoda inside would also be damaged in an instant. .

Everyone couldn't help and could only watch this scene happen.

The second master's heart was in his throat, and he, who loves treasure like his life, felt so distressed when he thought of the ingenious pagoda falling into four or five petals, he couldn't help but groan.

The expected scene didn't happen, Ling Shu just spun around, the tiger landed on the ground, his legs were as stable as Mount Tai, his expression was not at all panicked, the box in his hand just shook, and there was a sound of gems colliding inside.

Everyone in the Guan family: ...

"Who tripped me just now?" Ling Shu looked around, but naturally no one admitted.

Yue Dingtang glanced at the fifth master Guan Shi, who avoided Yue Dingtang's sight and turned to look elsewhere.

Except for this little episode, Ling Shu and the others went back to the room very smoothly, no one stopped him, and Manager He also sent news quickly that the new guest room had been cleaned, the bedding was being prepared, and the kang was on fire. , you can move in this evening at the latest, and he also asked someone to bring food, saying that the two young masters got up early today, and they didn't bring in anything, so they can eat something to fill their stomachs. If you want to go to the flower hall for lunch, you can have it delivered separately You can also come in the room.

Two bowls of hot and sour soup noodles, a plate of jelly with pork skin, and a plate of hot and sour potato shreds. Compared with the Guan family's hospitality in the past two days, this meal can be regarded as an upper-middle-level sumptuous meal.

Manager He also specifically said that this is what the second master invited the two young masters to eat, and they will not go to work.

The implication is that the Eldest Master couldn't get past that, and the Second Master had to pay for it out of his own pocket.

Manager He came and went in a hurry, and soon disappeared.

Yue Dingtang was hungry, and was about to pick up his chopsticks, but Ling Shu stopped him.

"Be careful it's poisonous."

Yue Dingtang: ...

He looked at Ling Shu speechlessly as he got a silver needle from somewhere, and stabbed it left and right.

"Have you sterilized your silver needles, where did you get them?"

Ling Shu: "Didn't the second master invite you to eat the pot last night? I went to the hut in the middle, slipped out to buy it, and roasted it carefully before coming out."

Yue Dingtang: "Silver needles can only test arsenic at most. There are many poisons in the world that silver needles cannot test, such as potassium cyanide. One drop can kill you. When you die, you don't know how you died."

Ling Shu was really frightened.

"Then what to do? Is there such a poison?"

Yue Dingtang nodded: "More than 200 years ago, the Germans discovered that it is colorless and tastes like bitter almonds, which can easily be overwhelmed by the smell of other things."

Ling Shu: "Since one drop kills you, how do you know it smells like bitter almonds?"

Yue Dingtang: ...

Ling Shu: "Don't move, I'll be the first to eat crabs, poison me first if you want to poison me."

After finishing speaking, he picked up the bowl and Hululu took two bites first.

Yue Dingtang wanted to get another bowl, but he stopped him.

"Don't worry, some poisons take a long time to act, so you have to wait a while, I'll try this bowl for you too."

Ling Shu snatched the other bowl and ate a few mouthfuls, then showed an expression like waking up from a dream, and said hypocritically: "Oh, I'm so sorry, my saliva is in both bowls, why don't you eat something else , I think that plate of hot and sour potato shreds is quite suitable for you."

"It's okay, I don't mind, we have to die together."

Yue Dingtang snatched back his own bowl, put more than half of the jelly pork skin and hot and sour potato shreds into his own bowl, and began to bury his head in eating.

When Ling Shu first came to Yue's house for dinner, Yue Dingtang was an aristocrat who could clearly distinguish between soup bowl and rice bowl, and would never confuse them, let alone share a bowl with others.

"Old Yue, Lao Yue, you have learned badly!"

Ling Shu shook his head, serious about it.

"My elder sister taught me all day long, saying that I am not as good as you. She should really let her see how you look like a starving ghost!"

Yue Dingtang didn't raise his head: "I learned that from you. Even if Sister Ling Yao knew about it, she must have scolded you for teaching me badly."

Ling Shu still wanted to run on him a few words, but the second master came to visit.

And he didn't come alone, he brought his own wife, who was Yue Dingtang's second cousin, aunt.

This second cousin aunt was young, beautiful, and graceful, and she was obviously not in the same age group as the second master. It was said that she was the second master's continuation and was very much loved.

The second master put his hands together and smiled kindly.

"Did I interrupt your meal?"

Ling Shu: "A little bit."

Second Master: ...

He forgot that Ling Shu didn't understand polite greetings at all, so there was no need to waste time, the second master skipped this link directly and got into the main topic.

"Dingtang, I have something I want to discuss with you."

Yue Dingtang put down the bowl and wiped his mouth.

"Second cousin, please tell me."

The second master didn't say a word, he squinted at Ling Shu vigorously, winking at Yue Dingtang.

He felt that he had made it obvious enough, but the two of them still seemed to have no eyes.

One has roots under its feet, and the other has its mouth shut.

The one with roots at the foot also leaned over, showing more concern: "Second Cousin, are your eyes cramping? You need to take care of them as you get older."

"You have cramps in your eyes! I want you to avoid it. I'm going to talk to Dingtang about some housework. Why can't you read colors!" The second master finally couldn't help jumping up.

Ling Shu said with a smile: "Then you understand that if you say it, it's over, and you keep winking there, no one can understand it!"

"I'll throw you away..." The second master took a deep breath, "Okay, you go out, let's talk about something."

But Yue Dingtang said: "Second Cousin, don't let him go out, if you have something to do, just tell him."

Seeing that Ling Shu was motionless, the second master wondered why this man was so thick-skinned, and the young wife kept poking him with her elbow, signaling him to get down to business, but the second master had no choice but to get straight to the point.

"That's right, I want to pay a high price to buy this pagoda in your hand."