Clam Pearl

In August in Beijing, after a few days of heavy rain, most households in the city were flooded. At the end of the month, when the weather cleared up, the Gu family found more than a dozen well-cleaning craftsmen from North Street, and built four large wells and more than ten small wells in the house. Turn them all over, otherwise, how could so much stagnant water enter the mouth of the Lord's house if it entered the well.

On the day of Taojing, Mrs. Lu took several grandchildren and grandchildren to Zhuangzi outside the city. The eldest master Gu Yan had already told his superiors to take a vacation. I went to my hometown in Pingzhou.

It was said that the little brother had already gone back and was still doing a lot of construction work there, maybe it meant that he didn't want to come, but the little guy was so stubborn that he didn't even reply to a single letter.

Don't look at the old man 66, he has been fighting continuously for many years, and his body is strong, so he arrived in Pingzhou in more than ten consecutive days.

When Mr. Gu arrived at his hometown, he went to kowtow on the old man's grave first, nagging for a long time, and made a deep self-criticism for his irresponsibility.After burning many sacrifices and bribing the deceased old man, he chatted with the old family relatives on the old grave for a few paragraphs, met many people, pushed more than ten invitations, and did not return his own in the countryside of Pingzhou. The old house, but went quickly to the foot of Mount Suo, his little brother's small villa. It was already dark after this busy work.

Gu Zhao's small villa was newly built in the past few years. Together with the 25 plots of land left by Mr. Gu earlier, he bought dozens of plots himself, made up a hundred plots, and surrounded his village in a semi-fan shape. Behind the fan tail are more than a dozen green hills, which now also belong to Gu Qiye.

There are a hundred or eighty tenant households in the farms outside the Gujiazhuang Villa. Because Gu Qiye's thinking is the modern thinking of horizontal and vertical, so his farm has its own plan. How you build the house is your business. The place is mine, and the road is mine. You must follow the plan on both sides of the road. Therefore, the buildings in the farm are made of mud, bricks and tiles, half bricks and half blue stones, but they all follow the five-meter-wide road. Walking, there are neat and tidy weeping willows on both sides of the road. From a distance, the whole piece of green trees is shaded, and the scenery is very beautiful.

As soon as Mr. Gu's group of people entered the village, the head of the village greeted them. After knowing Mr. Gu's identity, he kowtowed twice first, and then took them respectfully to a village more than three miles away from the village. Little Qiye's third entry into the mansion.

In the eyes of the country people, Gu Qiye's house is the largest in the world, but in the eyes of Master Gu, the place where his little brother lives can be called a bird village, the size of a bird's nest, it is impossible to turn around .His vision is so, even Gu Zhao knows it, and with his petty bourgeois demeanor, he can't tell a thing or two.

His Zhuangzi changed rooms every day, and he had to live back and forth for two and a half months before he could finish living in them. Furthermore, living in such a large area was a waste of time and money. From Gu Zhao's point of view, this was a bit unrealistic.Sometimes, the limitation of thinking makes him always out of tune with this world, even how to play this role, he still has some indescribable sense of entanglement with this world!

In Gu Yan's opinion, the identity of a person is reflected in the size of the house. His house in Shangjing stood half a block away from Pingzhou Alley.The ancients lived their whole lives in a house.

The head of the village patted on the door for a while, and a 50-year-old old servant in the villa opened the door. The old man was startled when he opened the door and saw so many tall horses. Understand, the little brother is not in the Zhuangzi, he lives in the Zhuangzi on the mountain.

Fortunately, the people in this village include two big girls and a few familiar old servants arranged by the old lady earlier. There is a school of law, and there is no panic.

After calling Huarui, Huali asked in detail, but Qiye never said a word to either of them.

Master Gu looked at the weather and saw that it was still bright, so he followed the old servant in the village and seven or eight other followers, and walked slowly up the mountain along the overlapping ladders behind the village.

The mountain road behind the villa is not rugged, and even this mountain road is very luxurious. The road is full of long strips of bluestones, and each piece of bluestone can walk three people side by side without feeling crowded. Hengyazi will not feel slippery even in snow or rain.There is a grass pavilion every few tens of meters on Qingshi Road. The pavilion is full of stone drums and stone tables, which looks very elegant.

After walking for half an hour, the sky was completely dark. The old servant of his own villa lit the wind lamp he had prepared and held it up high to lead the way. Along the way, insects hummed and the mountain wind blew, and even It is carefree and transparent.

Master Gu walked very comfortably, his steps were unhurried, and his mood gradually calmed down a lot.

His little brother is strange, and his actions are also strange. It is rare that in the past many years, he has never been in trouble. Nowadays, young people in the [-]th and [-]th years are mostly talking nonsense, but this little brother has become the master of the house and has done great things. .Then Tao Ruo came back and said, the little brother is in Zhuangzi in the south, the big one can't see the edge, and the management of the village is well done. His personality is weird, maybe he blames me, no matter what, he will treat him more kindly in the future, coaxing him with kind words and suppressing his grievances.

My family, Gu, should be a child who is tired from the world, with a free and easy mind, and a noble character.

They walked for a while, and the sound of musical instruments came from far away from the mountain. The music was clearly distinguished. There was a ensemble of pan flute and Yaoqin. The music was not familiar, but just a few simple rhythms , unhurried, neither arrogant nor impatient, repeated repeatedly, whether long or short, sounds very elegant and charming, if there is some shadow of Pingzhou slang, it's just that it's so soft, but it's rarely heard.

Most of the Pingzhou slang songs are sonorous and forceful, and they are sung in a harmonious way. I didn't expect to hear Xiao Yao's performance like this now.

Thinking all the way, in a blink of an eye, the bluestone road turned a bend, and a flat mountain suddenly appeared in front of me. On the mountain stood a beautiful and elegant courtyard, half hidden and half exposed, with plum fences and vine walls. The courtyard is not big. The mountains and rocks are scattered, mixed with flowers and plants, and there are seven or eight houses that can be seen, which are made of half blue stone and half whole big wood, an architectural style that Master Gu has never seen before.

This is the merger of China and the West, half ocean and half soil, I don't know, it is also natural.

The music is getting closer and closer, and there is still a thin sound of running water in the distance, connecting the house and the scenery into a mountain, interdependent.

The old servant at the foot of the mountain went up to knock on the door with a lantern, and after a while someone came out, but it was Bi Liangli, who was already in his 40s, whom Master Gu knew.

Bi Liangli was startled, and quickly knelt down. His tongue was gone, so he could only whimper.

"It's done, I can't understand what you said, where is Xiaoqi?" Gu Yan's tone could not hear the slightest anger.

Bi Liangli stood up, walked to the door and pushed the door wide open, knelt down respectfully to welcome Mr. Gu in, and led him all the way to the back of the villa. Along the way, there were green bamboos and flowers blooming in the flower garden. The delicate fragrance of the house poured into the nostrils in bursts of changing flavors. Master Gu was tired all the way, and at this moment he wished he could find a dwarf to sleep here, so as to relieve his fatigue.

Master Gu followed Bi Liangli to the back of the villa, and saw that there was a wonderful place there, under the half of the mountain rock that was dug out by hand, there was a place where a dozen or so people could go down and soak together without feeling crowded. A big soup pool that is semicircular but not round.

The water in this soup pool is hot spring water that is neither cold nor hot all year round. Outside the hot spring, there is a huge twelve-panel screen with landscape patterns. An embroidered skirt, and a delicate and delicate girl wearing a cloud crown that is popular among prostitutes in Beijing these days, these two people are both clean and watery, not flirtatious, with a clean and beautiful quality.

One of them was playing the pan flute, the other was helping the Yao Yao. When people came in, they didn't stop, they just nodded slightly.

Gu Yan walked around the screen, and felt a burst of water vapor coming towards his face accompanied by a strange smell. He sniffed, lowered his head to look carefully, and saw that the back in the water was facing him, and his face was covered with a piece of white silk. Towel, the very comfortable little brother.

Gu Yan sized it up for a moment, then burst out laughing: "Stinky boy, you can enjoy it, I'm so damn old...Brother, I didn't run away to death, so Xiaoqi will benefit from it."

The person in the water moved slightly, stretched out one hand, took off the silk scarf on his face, turned his head from the water, looked him up and down, with a look of surprise on his face, this person has the impression that his elder brother Gu Yan, Just why are you so old?

The two brothers looked at each other like this, and no one said anything for a long time.

Gu Yan naturally looked at his little brother carefully up and down, not to mention, there are seven brothers, but this little brother is the most neat and beautiful. This milky skin without scars and pits is not like the cub of the Gu family. Really, life is so moist!Look at this appearance, even in the aristocratic families in Shangjing, I can't find a few people who are more handsome than my little brother.With just one glance, he felt that it was more pleasing to the eye than others.

"Brother?" Gu Zhao has long forgotten what his elder brother looks like, but he just knows that this is his elder brother, and blood relationship is a strange thing, really.He called him like he did when he was a child, and after calling him, he laughed again: "I haven't seen him for many years, I'm afraid I won't recognize him if I don't look carefully. How is eldest brother?"

"Xiao Qi is blaming me?" Gu Yan smiled, stretched out his hand, and grabbed the outer robe very neatly, and took off the shirt twice, revealing all kinds of scars all over his body, and one He has a fat belly, and the most disgusting thing is that he still wears a bellyband with a bunch of flowers embroidered on it.How old is this old thing, and you still carry this?

He has wronged others. The old man is old and his stomach is easy to catch cold. If he doesn't take it with him, it is common for him to have diarrhea.

Taking off his bellyband, Gu Yan went into the water leisurely. Once he came down, he squatted down slowly, feeling comfortable all over his body. He couldn't help but moaned a long time and said: "It's a beautiful day! , I won’t be that bird official anymore, so my brother will bring your sister-in-law to live here, take a dip every day, and be happier than a god.”

Gu Zhao thought about a thousand situations where brothers would meet, but this kind of situation was unexpected. No wonder in his previous life, taking a sauna was also the main way of communication in society. He looked at his elder brother for a while and laughed.After laughing, he patted his hands twice. A boy of fourteen or fifteen years old came in. Gu Zhao didn't know what he had done. After he went out, he came in holding a low table with black lacquer and fine flowers and put it on the table. stone face.

There are two plates of dishes on the low table, one cold and one hot, one meat and one vegetarian, a plate of rice cakes cut into quarters, a jug of small wine, and a small wine glass.

Gu Zhao's tone carried a hint of kindness that he didn't realize. After all, he was connected with this person by blood. He said, "Big brother, you should buy something. It's not good to waste time on an empty stomach."

Gu Zhao's voice had a strange smell, not like Pingzhou's voice, a little soft, but pleasant to hear, with a low, clear, moist voice.

Seeing that the younger brother neither complains nor speaks ill, Gu Yan already has a good impression of him.He stretched out his hand to take the silk towel handed over by the little brother, wiped his hands and face, and felt caring again.Sitting on the low table, he ate four pieces of rice cakes in one go, and a plate of cold dishes. When his intestines were full, he held the jug and poured himself a drink. The taste seemed more comfortable than that of Gu Zhao, the master.

After drinking for a while, Gu Yan said: "Xiaoqi, I can't blame you for not going. The place in Shangjing is just an idea of ​​having more people, but there is no such good place."

Gu Zhao also picked up his own wine utensils from the stone surface, and drank slowly, saying while drinking, "It has nothing to do with this, brother knows, I have not been familiar with my brothers and relatives since I was a child, I have my own How to live, if we go, it will also cause trouble for the family, after all, Father will separate us, and it will be troublesome if we are crowded together."

"It's all my fault. Brother is a straight person. You should remember me when you were young. I said something. Just now, I have apologized to my father. I made an oath to pick you up. Naturally, I will treat you well. "

"Yes, brother and father are honest and straightforward people."

Gu Yan lowered his head and drank a full cup, hesitantly, but still said: "These years, following His Majesty, from the side of Jincheng, I can't care about anything. Five years ago, your fourth brother went with the first emperor in the same year, and the emperor couldn't stand the toss. Hey... the endless toss, the secret king fell, and the new emperor was worried about the six lands in the northwest and the six lands in the north. The new emperor Worried about Gu Jiajun again, wait for your brother to hand over power to me. This is no longer a war, and those bullshit literati have started to toss again. One said that it is good to govern the country this way, and the other said that the country is not rich because His Majesty has emphasized military affairs. My son is making a fuss about opening the Enke, the imperial examination is the imperial examination, so why only the civil examination is given, and there is no such thing as the martial arts examination..."

"Hmm..." Gu Zhao looked up at his elder brother, who was 66 years old, with wrinkles and folds on his face, tiredness in his eyes, unsatisfactory body, tired and anxious face...Look at the scars on his body, probably It is also life and death for decades, a lifetime of hard work.

"I'm sorry, it's been eight years, brother really forgot about you." Gu Yan apologized sincerely.

Gu Zhao was stunned for a moment, and then laughed out loud: "I know, I don't blame you. The other brothers probably didn't think of me. When the fourth brother passed away, I went to the south, and when I came back, the fourth brother had already been buried. No one from the fourth brother's side came to formally report the funeral."

When Gu Zhao mentioned the fourth brother's family, his elder brother Gu Yan suddenly frowned, looking very conflicted.

In fact, Gu Zhaojue thinks that once his father is gone, he should take care of himself and let no one get in the way. This is the thinking of modern people.

Gu Zhao continued to babble: "In the past few years, we have traveled all over the world. Although we have gone to safe places, we have seen rioters, starving people, and refugees. Although the south is sparsely populated, it is not uncommon for people to suffer. The whole family sees guests together. There are also households with decent clothes.

My brother eats well, wears warm clothing, has more than 100 yuan of money every year, and Lumi, and has a large piece of land for rent, which is a hundred times better than most people in the world, a thousand times better, how can I complain? "

"Your fourth sister-in-law is confusing. You went to Shangjing and I'm telling you in detail. It's better not to touch her family's affairs, but Xiaoqi really thinks so? Don't you complain?" Gu Yan raised his eyebrows.

"Brother, if you don't think this way, you will only feel more sad. The family is divided. I am still happy that brother can think of me, and I don't dare to complain. You know... my father still quietly left some property for me. of……"

Speaking of this, Gu Zhao's face turned red, with a hint of shyness that should be expected at this age, Gu Yan suddenly realized, and laughed loudly: "How many can there be, are those things in the old house?"

Gu Zhao's face was stunned: "How did the eldest brother know?"

Gu Yan walked slowly along the water wall to Gu Zhao's side, patted him on the shoulder and poured him a glass of wine. He didn't let go of his hand, and still hugged him intimately. He was already completely trusting and satisfied in his heart. He looked at Gu Yan. After drinking the glass of wine, he said with a smug look on his face: "I hid those things with my father, and the total looks like only [-] to [-]. Father... is afraid of losing the army. Home stays the way out."

Gu Zhao was dumbfounded, turned his face and stared at his elder brother strangely, Gu Yan, who only looked at him, became more and more proud, and laughed for a long time.

"Father will never hide anything from me. I am the eldest son. My father is worried about them. They are concubines, and they are a little bit unfair. They are also afraid that you will not be able to protect them. You know, they are the same as what we always think about." It's different, these past few years...it's become more and more like this, Xiao Qi..."

"Well, big brother?"

"I know, you are promising. This is like father. Even if you die of poverty or starvation, you will not beg for mercy. Back then, the great grandfather of our branch was, father was, and so was your brother and me. God, God Land, it’s really better to rely on yourself. You have tossed a lot in the south in the past few years, you can rest assured that the tomb is yours, and the elder brother doesn’t pay attention to it, but...how many things you put in your heart is... ... Even your sister-in-law, don't miss out. My eldest brother is 66 this year, and I don't know how many years he can take care of you. Although the business is under the name of Bi Liangli's family, but... the business is not a good thing, and it will be replaced by gold in the future. Yin, save it slowly and wait for the right time.”

Gu Zhao felt a little moved in his heart. No matter what, this person was thinking of himself.Gu Zhao nodded and clapped his hands, the music outside the screen stopped, there was the rustling of skirts, the sound of shoes being put on, and then those people left, leaving only the silence by the soup pool.

"Big brother, it's better to pay more attention to what you say." Gu Zhao looked at the drunk Gu Yan and reminded him.

Gu Yan didn't care, even he was very relaxed now, drinking by himself while continuing to chatter.

"Xiaoqi... don't buy the land. You are a country man, how much can you use? How much can you eat? Now that the new emperor is on the throne, the world has re-measured the land. Those who produce a lot that day will be worried about it. Can it be protected? The farm under my name and the family’s sacrificial fields are only a few hundred square meters. These are all entered into the archives. They were given by the late emperor in the early years, and the ones given by the emperor today are not more than one acre, not even one acre. few.

I used to buy it privately at home, but I asked your sister-in-law to arrange for someone to sell it a while ago. Now His Majesty is poor and crazy, and he wants to gain a good reputation and make money. How can it be so beautiful?It has been eight years of melee, and there have been several plagues, insect plagues, droughts and floods, inside and outside the customs, how many young and strong died, and how many families were extinct?There are no households in Qingzhou, there are no households in Nianzhou, there are only [-] households left in one county of Changzhou, and there are exhausted households everywhere in every prefecture and county.

Now, two-thirds of the fertile land in the world is in the hands of powerful families, and the remaining one-third is not in the hands of His Majesty, can Your Majesty not be in a hurry?A while ago, the higher-ups issued an order to relocate people from Wukang..."

Xu said it was done, Gu Yan poured another glass and drank it: "I don't know what your majesty thinks, don't buy the land, although the land is cheap now, but no one can buy a family like us, we have seven brothers, Together they make a big boss, you know?"

"En." This is the right thing to listen to, there are people in the court, there are inside information, and welfare is really good.

"Brother picks you up this time, so don't think too much about it. I'll be comfortable with you. How many years can I live, brother? You can just go back and live. If you have a good job, don't offend others and still be free. If you don’t have something to do, there’s nothing wrong with bento. If you don’t have it, you can play around with your nephews and men and women in Shangjing. Brother’s family has some, but you don’t have a lot. You can do whatever you want. Our old Gu’s family is still in Shangjing now. It’s fine, when you’re tired from playing and you want to start a family in Shangjing, ask your sister-in-law to look after a good family for you..."

"Not angry...just..."

"you say?"

"Everything else is fine, but for this marriage, do I have to nod my head?"

"Well, my brother can do whatever he wants. In the future, even if you fall in love with the princess, my brother will also ask you to go. Your Majesty... Your Majesty's brother is still okay..." Yes, it's okay now, but it's not as good as the old man At that time, the people who raised the army became closer, and the royal family is now more dignified.

Bi Liangli was half-kneeling outside the wall of the soup pool, warming the jug, and could hear the voices of the two brothers in the soup pool. For a loyal servant like him, the master would respect him 100%. It can be heard that Bi Liangli was both happy and sad when he heard the warm conversation between the master and his elder brother.

Now that the little master has a backer, he no longer needs to take risks in the wind and waves, but how many years can Master Gu live?The family in Shangjing was not stable in the early days. In the Founding Duke’s mansion, Mr. Gu had a wife and two concubines. I don’t know how many women there are. He is different from the old master. His reputation for lust is greater than his reputation for war, not to mention women. As far as the family is concerned, there are two sons and daughters born on the same day, two daughters born on the same day, and seven or eight other sons and daughters. Now that the little master is gone, more or less will be involved in these matters. The old relatives of the old clan, the Fourth Master's family is also in Beijing now, hey... Bi Liangli is really worried that his little master will not be able to cope with these parents' short-sighted things...