old grace

On the second day, Jiang Erniang went to the pharmacy under the pretext of buying big tonic pills for her younger brother, picked up two soups and medicines according to the prescription written by Xie Qinghe, and prepared some pastries and snacks, and brought them together to visit Li's house.

Jiang Yuanniang has a high seniority in the Li family, and there is no mother-in-law on top, and she doesn't have to look at anyone's face. She is very free to receive her own sister.

Brother-in-law Li Changshu was busy on the cabinet, so Jiang Erniang went directly to the backyard to meet Jiang Yuanniang.

She didn't mention that it was her younger brother's idea at all, but said that she saw something wrong with the gift brought home by her eldest sister, and seeing that her eldest sister was wearing thick powder, she was worried, so she asked a doctor she knew about the situation, and then Bring medicine to the door.After all, Jiang Erniang deliberately asked Jiang Yuanniang, sister, do you have this disease?If not, you can’t take this medicine, and it’s better to prescribe the right medicine.

Jiang Yuanniang has never been cared about by her natal family in her life. Zhang Shi occasionally sends Jiang Youniang to bring her some sesame cakes and pickles, and also hints that it is not convenient for her to be handy here and there, and she wants her sister to make up for it. The pickles at home went to offer treasures to her husband, and they said that the pickles made by Mrs. Zhang were unique, and such clean and delicious things could not be bought in the county.

In fact, born in the Jiang family, where every bite of food has to be considered, the relationship between the sisters is also very indifferent.

That is to say, after getting married and living well, Jiang Yuanniang and Jiang Erniang seem to be more respectable.When I was young, my younger brother didn't dare to grab things. The relationship between sisters is purely a relationship where you eat more and I eat less. How can the relationship be better?After marriage, some good intentions were subconsciously returned to parents and brothers. How can I think of my sisters?

Jiang Erniang came to care for her with medicinal materials. Jiang Yuanniang was very surprised and moved. She couldn't close her mouth from ear to ear. She hurriedly opened the cage and took out the best frosting sugar and rose dew from the bottom of the box to entertain her sister.

Seeing Jiang Yuanniang set up a table full of snacks and syrups, she wished she could entertain herself with all the good things in the house, and even brought out a new pot of begonias to show herself, Jiang Erniang was also secretly startled.It turned out that the elder sister was so lonely and looked forward to the love of her family so much.

——On weekdays, she supplements chicken, duck, fish, oil, salt, sauce and vinegar for her natal family. Zhang's face, which is neither yin nor yang, has never shown any expression of gratitude.

Today, I just brought two soups and medicines to the door, and the eldest sister is so grateful to Dade, Jiang Erniang finally has the consciousness of spending money to listen to it.She silently pinched the purse, which contained the banknotes that the eldest sister gave to her younger brother, Jiang Erniang decided to return it to her younger brother when she returned.

Just because of the excitement of the elder sister, Jiang Erniang paid for the small money spent on these two medicines.

She silently thought that sisters also need to move around more.

Jiang Yuanniang wanted to entertain her younger sister for lunch, but Jiang Erniang couldn't even tell her that her younger brother was still ill and had to rush back to take care of her.

She is quite wealthy, and knows that Jiang Yuanniang has a gentle and indisputable temperament, and she doesn't see too many deviant things. She has not disclosed the reconciliation and separation planned by her family to Jiang Yuanniang, let alone discussing countermeasures with Jiang Yuanniang.After agreeing to meet again in a few days, Jiang Erniang left in a hurry.

Back home, Mrs. Zhang seemed to be in a bad mood, and sat alone in the main room wiping tears.

Jiang Erniang was also used to being harsh by her own mother, so she didn't dare to come in to persuade her, so she went to ask Jiang Youniang about the situation first.

When I entered the door, I saw my younger brother lying on the bed and my younger sister sitting on the head of the bed, with a book in their hands.

Jiang Erniang was very surprised.

Jiang Yingzhou has a very tyrannical temperament, his books are not allowed to be touched by his sisters, saying that women are very sly, and it will bring bad luck if they are stained with sage books. This word, when Jiang Yingzhou was four or five years old and ignorant, he really let Jiang Youniang learn a lot. Later, he found that Jiang Youniang always learned faster than him, and he became angry and refused to allow Jiang Youniang to learn to read.

Jiang Youniang winked at Jiang Erniang and said, "My brother is bored lying down. He taught me this, so I will read to him."

Jiang Erniang knew that this was an excuse to fool the old lady, after closing the door, she asked in a low voice, "Why are you crying, mother?"

Jiang Youniang pursed her lips and gestured for Xie Qinghe.

However, Xie Qinghe was willing to teach her how to read and read, and helped her embroider handkerchiefs, but he was unwilling to talk about trivial matters at home.

Jiang Youniang tried to persuade her, and found that her obedient younger brother did not cooperate with her, so she had to report to her second sister: "Last night, Dad drank two more drinks at An's house and didn't come back to stay. An's family sent someone to send him back this morning. Ho!"

The big families all have their own maidservants, but Jiang Zhanwen really has nothing to do with this Chunhe.

Firstly, Jiang Zhanwen was an accompaniment to the An family all the year round, and his family was not so rich that the maidservants of the An family were vying to seduce him. Second, Jiang Zhanwen rested in the An family, most of them were too drunk to leave, and everyone was drunk , What ambition does he have to think about the maid?

The bad thing is that Zhang's eyelids are shallow. The first time Chun He helped Jiang Zhanwen go home with the car, Zhang picked Chun He as if she was wary of a fox, and said that she saw a cheeky man behind her ear, and said that she was enchanting. Rao was restless in the room, so she threw Chunhe on her back, pointed at Sang and scolded Huai on the spot, and satirized Zhang's rural peasant women for not being able to get on the table, old and decrepit, only worthy of lying under the stove to light a fire...

Mrs. Zhang was so angry that she wanted to beat her, but Jiang Zhanwen gave her a hard look and scolded her for being unreasonable.

Chun He left with a smile on her face, and Zhang was dragged into the house by Jiang Zhanwen. At that time, Jiang Erniang was not yet married, and the two daughters and one son in the family could hear their own father roaring, scolding Zhang bloody.

Jiang Zhanwen is very knowledgeable about current affairs. He himself relies on the An family and other wealthy businessmen to earn a living. No matter how Chun He is a maid, she is also the An family's maid, not the Jiang family's maid. How can he easily offend him?Mrs. Zhang came out to criticize Chunhe, which had already made Jiang Zhanwen lose face, and it would be even more embarrassing to be ridiculed by Chunhe so that she couldn't fight back-Jiang Zhanwen would never let them really fight.

The second master of the An family is also a narrow-minded ghost. After hearing about this, he deliberately asked Jiang Zhanwen whether he should give Chunhe to you as a concubine?

Jiang Zhanwen had to resign for the sake of face.

From then on, the reputation of the Jiang family's jealous wife spread, and Jiang Zhanwen was so angry that he closed the door and beat Zhang.

Unexpectedly, the second master of An's family is still addicted to playing, but whenever Jiang Zhanwen couldn't go home after drinking too much, he asked Chun He to take care of him, and Chun He personally sent him home the next day.Whether Jiang Zhanwen and Chunhe had a relationship after going back and forth, only the two of them knew, anyway, Jiang Yingzhou didn't know.

However, every time Hui Chunhe sent Jiang Zhanwen back, he would deliberately behave intimately and perform a special show in front of Mrs. Zhang.

Zhang was recruited again in the morning.

Jiang Erniang sighed: "Mother too. Dad said that it has nothing to do with that Chunhe, so she doesn't have to think about it, and she insists on falling into the trap. If this happens again, it makes Dad unhappy. I'll go and have a look, so I don't have to wait a while." Father got up, seeing her like this is about to go into a fit again."

Jiang Youniang snorted and said, "Second Sister is a bit of a virtuous woman when she is married. That little temptress came to the door deliberately to annoy my mother, we are all daughters, not only did not think about my mother, but jumped out to blame her for being angry."

Jiang Erniang was scolded so much that her eyes were full of tears, and she said after a while, "I'm not blaming my mother for being rude. You are a girl in the attic, and you don't understand the difficulties of being a mother. Serving your parents and brothers at home, after all, you are the blood of your own blood. Don't have any bad intentions anymore. When you go out to serve your husband's house, how did people understand your hard work? You work hard, and people only think that you do it easily. The father and husband are both masters. Father kicked you I still have to keep my feet back, how can I have such pity when I arrive at my husband's house? The third sister said that I have become a virtuous woman, which family's virtuous woman is not stronger than others, and people have to bow their heads under the eaves?"

Xie Qinghe didn't want to deal with the trivial matters of this family at all, especially Jiang Zhanwen and Zhang's bad debts, he didn't want to deal with them at all.

Who would have thought that Jiang Erniang could say such a thing, she seemed to have awakened after a night's sleep, and dared to assert that good women in ancient and modern times were all forced by circumstances.Jiang Youniang was taken aback by what was said, and was greatly emotionally impacted.

——In Jiang Youniang's cognition, father and mother are still affectionate. After all these years, father, as a talented man, has never been promiscuous.

Jiang Erniang directly punctured her fantasy.What kind of affection is not affection?There are only conflicts between husband and wife, and there is no such thing as raising a case.If the mother loses her temper, the father will be angry, and if the father is angry, the mother will suffer. The reality is so simple and rude.

After Jiang Erniang dropped these ruthless and mean words, she rubbed her eyes and went out to persuade Mrs. Zhang.

Xie Qinghe saw that Jiang Youniang was slightly pitiful, and said, "May I teach you the next sentence?"

Jiang Youniang looked at him expectantly, and said: "Since you have a way to bring the second sister home, can you find a way to get rid of Chun He? Make her dare not to provoke A Niang again."

Xie Qinghe shook his head.

"Why not? Daddy loves you so much, if you protect mother and force daddy to ignore that Chunhe, daddy will listen to you." Jiang Youniang said eagerly.

Xie Qinghe stretched out his left hand slowly, there was still a bulging swelling on the palm of his hand, and fine scars had formed on the broken skin.

Jiang Youniang couldn't believe it: "That's it?"

"That's it." Xie Qinghe nodded.

"You can't be so stingy. Mother gave birth to you anyway, and raised you up with all kinds of hardships. Think about it for yourself. Since you are sensible, is mother partial to doting on you? If you want the star mother, she won't give you the moon. If you want She can cut your wrists immediately after drinking her blood. She is very good to you!——This is not hitting you, she is going to hit me. When I grow up so big, mother has never touched a hair of your hair ?you……"

Jiang Youniang tried her best to prove Zhang's goodness, and persuaded her younger brother to change his mind and stand up for Zhang.

Xie Qinghe interrupted her and said: "Mother is father's wife. She should ask her husband if she has anything to do. It was immoral to argue with Chunhe at the beginning. Since then, she has been angry and sad with Chunhe every time, but she has never discussed this matter with father. , to be suspicious of my father—naturally, my father never cared about my mother's feelings, nor did I fulfill my responsibilities as a husband. In the final analysis, this is a matter between their husband and wife, and they should not intervene as children."

Jiang Youniang was dumbfounded by what he said, thinking that he was simply ungrateful: "How can you say that about mother?"

Xie Qinghe closed the book and took a sip of tea.

"Then you, you asked the second sister to go home, why didn't you call the second sister, and went to ask the master about something, to discuss those things with the brother-in-law? You asked the second sister to come home?" Jiang Youniang was hit one after another today, and Sanguan was hit. Impact, in the chaos, it was decided to use the Spear of the Son to attack the Shield of the Son.

Xie Qinghe aired the scar on his left hand again: "Second sister never hit me."

"Why do you hold grudges like this! You—" Jiang Youniang didn't finish her sentence, and the door opened.

Jiang Erniang came in with her head down, her neatly combed hair was a little loose when she got up in the morning, and when she looked up, her cheeks were flushed.Jiang Youniang didn't care about quarreling with her younger brother, she hurried to help her older sister: "Mother hit you?"

Jiang Erniang nodded, depressed: "I advise mother to take it easy, she is so old and her younger brother has grown up, even if father has something to do with that Chunhe, it is nothing important. Mother just scolds me for not knowing how distressed she is. She joined forces with the goblins outside..."

This sentence obviously made Jiang Erniang very sad, and she broke down in tears when she said it: "I crawled out of her intestines, how can there be any reason to join hands with outsiders? Even if my mother is in a daze, she shouldn't use these words to kill me. She Getting angry with father, which time took advantage of it? I just love her..."

Suddenly I heard Xie Qinghe say from behind: "She doesn't love you."

Jiang Erniang was taken aback for a moment, and Jiang Youniang almost gasped at him: "Can't you say something less?"

Xie Qinghe put his wounded hand on the side of Jiang Erniang's blushing cheek, and showed it to Jiang Youniang, saying: "If you still want to compare your second sister with your mother, you don't have to ask me about it anymore. I really can't say no to you." clear."

Jiang Youniang gradually came to her senses.

The younger brother is full of sympathy and pity for the second sister, because the second sister is a pure victim, she has never harmed anyone.

The mother is different from the second sister.Mother is absolutely weak in front of her father, a pitiful person bullied by her father, but mother is an extremely ruthless perpetrator in front of the three daughters.So, my brother said, they are different.

"But she..." Jiang Youniang was still hesitant, "She is a mother."

Xie Qinghe was unmoved at all and no longer participated in this topic.

Jiang Zhanwen slept in the house and went back to sleep, Zhang was wiping tears again, Jiang Erniang still had hand marks on her face, so she took dozens of money and asked Jiang Youniang to buy some meat and vegetables, and the two sisters cooked lunch together.

At lunch time, it really broke out again.

Jiang Zhanwen saw that Zhang's face was gloomy and knew that she was angry. When he heard that the lunch was made by his two daughters, Jiang Zhanwen dropped his glass on the spot and cursed: "I called Erniang back to take care of my sick son, not to serve you lazy. Bones! Women have four virtues, virtues and virtues, look at you, a jealous and lazy shrew, which one of the four virtues is occupied? How do you teach your daughter, how do you behave as a mother?"

These days, the three obediences and the four virtues are the iron law that women follow. If the husband scolds the virtues, it is a very serious matter.

Mrs. Zhang had to kneel down and plead guilty.

In front of his married daughter, Jiang Zhanwen didn't do anything to his wife, but asked Mrs. Zhang to make a new meal.

Jiang Zhanwen has always adhered to the dogma of teaching his wife behind the scenes. Today, he asked his two daughters to accompany him for dinner, but asked the mother, Mrs. Zhang, to go to the stove to cook a new table of dishes. It is very humiliating. punishment.

Mrs. Zhang cried for a long time in the stove, and there were not many fresh vegetables at home, so she had to dry her tears and go out to buy vegetables.

Xie Qinghe watched Zhang's back with a vegetable basket going out through the window, and finally felt a little soft-hearted.

However, this soft heart did not last long.After Mrs. Zhang came back from buying vegetables, Jiang Zhanwen had already had lunch and went out for a walk to digest food. Erniang Jiang went to the kitchen to wash the dishes diligently. Hearing Mrs. Zhang's stomach growling from hunger, she hurried forward to help Mrs. Zhang chop vegetables and prepare ingredients. I want to say let Mrs. Zhang finish this table of meals quickly and eat lunch quickly.

I don't know that it hit Zhang's fragile and sensitive nerves, tearing her apart, and she cursed angrily: "Where did you learn the tricks of a whore, and the yin and yang are not yin and yang, and you provoke your father to punish your mother!" Did you take advantage of Chun He, that whore? You only cared about pleasing your father, who is a talented man, and you don’t recognize me, a mother who was born as a peasant woman!"

Jiang Erniang was torn apart for no reason, and couldn't stop apologizing and explaining: "No, mother, I didn't..."

Seeing Zhang's fierce appearance, Jiang Youniang didn't dare to go forward.

Xie Qinghe pulled her aside, whispered a few words, Jiang Youniang jumped up and said: "Mother, mother, stop arguing, my brother said that he had a headache from the quarrel, and his head was about to split..."

Xie Qinghe threw the cup in the room, imitating Jiang Yingzhou and roaring: "It's so noisy!"

Mrs. Zhang just let go of Jiang Erniang's hand, covered her face and went back to the kitchen, with a dull cry.

Jiang Erniang was still in shock, and was dragged back to her younger brother's room by Jiang Youniang.Only the younger brother's house is safer.Listening to Zhang's crying in the kitchen, the two sisters also had sad faces, sobbing while holding their heads.

The corners of Xie Qinghe's eyebrows curled slightly.

This place is really a miasma, and it doesn't stop for a day.

If it wasn't for the three girls of Jiang's family who made him feel compassionate, he would have packed two clothes and left home in the middle of the night.

■

Because of the matter of Chunhe, Mrs. Zhang was humiliated by Jiang Zhanwen, and she was very depressed for a few days.

Mrs. Zhang became depressed, and Xie Qinghe had two older sisters accomplices to cover up, and the days of pretending to be sick were very comfortable.

He was fast and good at sewing, so he took over all the work of Jiang Youniang, and finished it without much effort. In the rest of his time, he taught her how to read and write, compiled stories from the contents of the Four Books and Five Classics, and told them A sister listens.

For Xie Qinghe, learning embroidery is to cultivate knowledge, and explaining the stories of the Four Books and Five Classics is also to cultivate knowledge. All the principles of the world are known.

The only bad thing is that the family really picks on their daughter and only feeds him meat.He also can't eat alone, a portion of meat is divided among three people, eat for two more days, Jiang Youniang's small face is visible to the naked eye, and Xie Qinghe is really a bit gluttonous——

This skin bag has never entered Dao Bigu, and it is when the body is growing, the intake of nutrients has dropped sharply, and the whole body is clamoring to eat meat.

However, the town is small, so it is not convenient to steal a few catties of meat or buy two bowls of vegetables.

The fact that Jiang Erniang went to the pharmacy to grab medicine and sent it to Li's family did not escape the gossip woman's discussion. Mrs. Zhang even came to ask Erniang why she wanted to buy medicine for Yuanniang?Who pays for the medicine?Jiang Erniang said that the elder sister gave the money, but Mrs. Zhang actually drew a stream of water and asked Erniang to give her the rest of the money—she would return it to Yuanniang.

Everyone knows that the money is in Mrs. Zhang's hands, so she will never be able to spit it out.Erniang didn't touch the silver note that Yuanniang gave to her younger brother, and took a piece of silver to Mrs. Zhang herself, which is how she put the matter to rest.

Xie Qinghe pretended to be sick for a few days. In order to realize the effect of the plot afterwards, every time Zhang brought the medicine, he drank it in front of Zhang. So disheveled, even Jiang Zhanwen frowned deeply, thinking that he was seriously ill.

Doctor Qiu came again this day, readjusted the recipe and asked the family to cook some more nutritious food.

Jiang Youniang's small face was so fair and round that it caught the eye. Zhang was the first to suspect, "Did you steal my brother's food?"

Jiang Zhanwen also didn't like his daughters stealing his son's rations, so the couple took severe measures.

First of all, the cook will not allow Jiang Youniang to do it anymore, and the stove will be under Zhang's control from now on.Mrs. Zhang emphasized that she is in charge of her son's diet, and the young mother still has to cook the three meals at home.Secondly, the two daughters are not allowed to go to the son's house frequently, especially when eating, they must eat with their parents in the main room.Usually the second mother can go there for a longer period of time to give her son a massage and take care of her son, so the younger mother should not go there!

Xie Qinghe still kept some of the meat and vegetables, and asked the second mother to share them with the younger mother.

Jiang Erniang said worriedly, "What about you?"

The younger brother's haggardness can be said to be sick, but the younger sister's face is really too bright, and the parents will definitely see the flaws.

Xie Qinghe said: "Don't worry."

So, in the dead of night, Xie Qinghe changed into a pair of light soft shoes, put on cuffs and trousers, pushed the window and jumped out of the courtyard wall, and ran towards the lotus pond in the west of Zhenxi according to the memory left by Jiang Yingzhou.

There are fish in the lotus pond, and there are forests outside the lotus pond. If you are lucky, you should be able to find wild animals.

Stealing a chicken is of course not good, but Xie Qinghe vowed that when he solves his food problem, he will repay him ten times.

Xie Qinghe went around the forest first, but was unlucky and didn't find any wild animals.

After returning to the lotus pond, he circled along the lotus pond, identifying the fish shapes under the water.The bottom of the lotus pond is full of silt, and the fish around here all have an earthy smell, Xie Qinghe's pickiness, really can't arouse great interest.

Seeing the bright moon in the sky, the night is getting dark, so I don't hurry to decide what to eat, I am afraid that the sky will be bright after tossing.

Xie Qinghe thought about it, and decided to go to the big family's house to touch a fat chicken.

The most affluent family in the town is of course An Jia.Young Master An and Jiang Yingzhou are about the same age, and they often played together when they were young. Jiang Yingzhou has also been to An's house, and he is very familiar with the route pattern, and it is most convenient to touch the chicken.

Especially now that Miss Biao is a guest at An's house, the guards in An's house are more than twice as thick-basically they all go to guard Miss Biao, and other places in An's house, such as chicken coops and pigpens, are basically guarded by servants. Reasonable, the guards didn't have time to look at it.

Xie Qinghe touched Anjia's chicken coop lightly and skillfully, first covered the cage with a black cloth, and when he picked out the fat chicken he was looking for, he immediately wrung his neck when he picked it up. There is no chance.

Xie Qinghe was not good at roasting chicken at the scene of the crime, and carrying the fat chicken, he swept across most of the town and lit a bonfire by the lotus pond.

Ready-made silt, ready-made lotus leaves, killing the chicken and plucking the feathers, taking out the salt and mushrooms brought from home, rubbing the salt on the inside and outside of the chicken body, stuffing the chicken belly with mushrooms, wrapping it in lotus leaves, filling it with mud, and burying it on the way. Lower the bonfire and move it to the ground where the chicken is buried.

After doing all this, Xie Qinghe leisurely went to the lotus pond to wash his hands, found a stone and sat down.

The moonlight in the lotus pond is called Hua Feiji.

After staying away from the mess of Jiang's family, life is finally a bit decent.

...That is, there is still a lack of a junior brother.