ordinary people's house

On the way back to the uncle's mansion, Xiao Yunlang didn't say a word. Xiao Dulang wanted to comfort him, but he didn't know how to speak. When they arrived at the uncle's mansion, the two of them still entered through the back door. Xiao Yuan took Xiao Ling'er and waited for him there.

Little Yuan looked at his attire and asked, "Have you gone back?"

"……Um."

Little Yuan smiled and said: "I originally wanted to come to you to hide in peace. Your father celebrated his 45th birthday, and even I gained a lot."

Xiao Yunlang asked: "Don't you like it?"

"They are all belongings outside the body, but there are a few that can be used by Xiao Ling'er, and I also kept them." Xiao Yuan smiled and shook her head, "I didn't even know that your family has so many relatives."

Xiao Yunlang also smiled helplessly, "The emperor was enthroned last year, and the foundation was still unstable. Now that the dust has settled, father and brothers are performing their duties, and there is no possibility of disturbance. These people have all joined together."

Little Yuan said with a smile: "I remember that a few years ago, the first emperor valued the second and third princes. At that time, I was still in Yuan's house, and those people walked around Xiao's house."

Xiao Yunlang didn't speak, just sighed softly, the current emperor is an infant prince, and the late emperor placed high hopes on him since he was born, but the late emperor doted on the young sons, not only did not pretend to be polite to the prince, but also repeatedly rumored that he would abolish the prince Feng Sheng, that's how it happened, the elder brother of the Lin family went the wrong way.

Xiao Su was conferred the post of Prince Taifu when the Prince was six or seven years old, and taught him martial arts for 20 years. After the Prince Taishi begged for the bones, there were fewer and fewer family members who stood firmly behind the Prince. He didn't think about anything else, the prince lives in the East Palace, unlike the other princes who can socialize with others at will, when he goes out of the palace occasionally, he mostly comes to the Jinjiang Mansion, and the cooks in the Manor's mansion still know his taste in food.

Little Yuan said: "It's a pity that the country's filial piety has not yet passed, and your father is not going to hold a birthday banquet. It's just a simple meal for our family."

Xiao Yunlang forced a smile and said, "Yes."

Little Yuan was silent for a while, and then said: "You and Lin Yulan, haven't you had a good talk?"

Xiao Yunlang said in a low voice: "He doesn't want me to go back."

"why?"

Xiao Yunlang said: "He said he didn't want him to suffer with him."

"Then are you going to go back?" Little Yuan asked softly.

Xiao Yunlang looked down at his hands for a long time before saying: "We are a couple, we are a family."

"Well," Xiao Yuan smiled, "You are actually a person with ideas, but your father thinks that you will never grow up."

Speaking of this, Xiao Yunlang also laughed, "I'm already 20 years old this year, and I'm the first one in the Xiao family to get married. Now the eldest brother and the second brother are all alone. Doesn't my mother have a good family?"

"Your father doesn't care about it. As a stepmother, it's really hard for me to interfere. I'm still in the country's filial piety, so I'm not in a hurry. Your father said occasionally that the emperor might designate marriage."

"Oh, that's it..." Xiao Yunlang understood.

Little Yuan laughed again, "You're not at home these days, I don't know, your eldest brother is the most interesting, he always meets those who come to propose marriages in person, chatting with each other, scaring the matchmakers into fleeing, not daring to Besides, your second elder brother has no one he likes even now."

Xiao Yunlang asked curiously: "What can big brother say to scare people away?"

Xiao Yuan covered her mouth with a handkerchief, and said with a soft laugh: "One time I couldn't help being curious and listened behind me. Your elder brother said, 'Since you praise me so much that there is nothing in the sky, then naturally the young lady of a certain family can't be It's commonplace, 'The matchmaker started to praise the lady again, and your elder brother said again, 'Since a certain family has long wanted to get married, and this lady has admired me for so many years, why did she wait until he was 26 to propose marriage?'"

Xiao Yunlang said with a smile: "Brother always doesn't like to save face for others."

"However, those who come directly to the door are mostly ordinary people who come to try their luck. However, if the family has any background, it is the elders who intend to inquire about it in private, and then ask the official media to follow the etiquette step by step. Your father has a cold face. Say a word of national filial piety, and those people will not come to the door."

The two talked for a while, and Xiao Yunlang's mood also eased, but after sending Xiao Yuan away, he still couldn't help but feel sad. No matter how difficult life is, the two of them will work together and have a bright future. When the time is good, why does Yulan reject this future?

He gave Lin Yulan enough patience, he could give him a long time to heal the pain of the past, half a year, a year, two years...it's fine, because Xiao Yunlang knew that they were going to live a lifetime, since they were going to live a lifetime, His waiting was nothing at all.

It was rare for the whole family to have dinner together at night. Xiao Su sat at the main seat and looked at his three sons. Little Yuan said, "We are all one family, so don't be so stern."

Xiao Su looked at her dissatisfied, and Xiao Yuan said: "You ask the eldest and second young masters to see if you look the same as in the barracks?"

Xiao Dulang let out a "puchi" laugh, Xiao Su glared at him, Xiao Dulang hurriedly held back his laugh, and held his job seriously, Xiao Yunlang had never been to a military camp, so he couldn't help asking: "Does father still want to train soldiers himself now? "He has always felt that training soldiers must be stern, to be able to scare people. His mother also told him that when his grandfather used to lead the army, she was also young. Once she was greedy for fun and secretly watched it. He just walked away, but was scared by the roar of his grandfather training soldiers and dared not go out, and his legs were frozen before he was rescued by his grandmother.

Xiao Mulang said: "In the past, the emperor, I, and my second brother followed my father in the Xishan camp, and they also suffered. They endured the severe winter and heat year after year."

Xiao Dulang sighed: "Father treats the three of us much more fiercely than others."

Xiao Su couldn't hold back his face after being told by his sons, and said angrily, "How did your mother teach you? You don't eat or sleep!"

The mother he mentioned was Mrs. Yuan, the mother of the three brothers. Little Yuan was not annoyed, but just sighed with a smile: "Sister is the most gentle and kind person. Fortunately, there is a sister. The three brothers are not like you." temper."

Xiao Su was speechless, eating in a muffled voice, and then Xiao Yuan smiled and said: "Eat all of them, hey, master, you don't want to go to Xishan these few days, just stay at home and rest for a few days, and then talk about it after your birthday is over." .”

"En." Xiao Su nodded.

birthday?Xiao Yunlang suddenly remembered that he hadn't figured out what to give to his father yet!

On the sixth day of Xiao Yunlang’s stay in Jinjiang Bo’s Mansion, it snowed again. Xiao Yunlang tremblingly dressed in Xiao Mulang’s altered clothes and went to pay his respects. At the gate of the courtyard, he saw a well-dressed Xiao Dulang, who seemed to have just finished training. When he came back, there was still sweat on his forehead, he turned somersault neatly, and lifted Xiao Yunlang's cloak with a smile, "How many layers are you wearing?"

Xiao Yunlang stomped his feet and said, "It's so cold."

"It's already the twelfth lunar month, the coldest time of the year." Xiao Mulang walked over slowly with his hands behind his back, "Let's go, Dad is probably already awake."

After the twelfth lunar month, more and more people came to give Xiao Su birthday presents. Later, Xiao Su had to close the door to thank the guests, and even the birthday gifts were not allowed to be brought in.

Xiao Su played a set of punches in his yard, changed his clothes and sat on a chair to drink tea. The three brothers went in to say hello. Xiao Su glanced at Xiao Yunlang and said, "Come here, I'll see your hands."

"It's all right now..." Xiao Yunlang walked over while talking, and stretched out his hand to show Xiao Su.

Xiao Su said: "You have to make an agreement with the people in your courtyard in advance, don't put you in cold water."

"I understand."

The sound of a child crying came from behind, Xiao Mulang said with a smile: "Xiao Ling'er is so energetic early in the morning."

After a while, Xiao Yuan came out with Xiao Ling'er in her arms. She put the ball of Xiao Ling'er on the ground. Xiao Ling'er rolled her eyes and walked towards Xiao Mulang. Xiao Mulang picked him up and said with a smile: "Why are you crying?"

Xiao Ling'er said vaguely: "Get out... get out."

"It's very cold outside, it can freeze your little hands to death." Xiao Mulang stood up and hugged Xiao Ling'er in a circle, "When it's warmer, I'll tell you to run outside all day."

Xiao Dulang sighed and said: "Look how big brother treats Xiao Ling'er, why don't you just get married and have a child of your own to play with."

Little Yuan also said: "It is said that after the new year, the eldest and young master will be 27. How can there be such a young master who is not married."

Xiao Mulang didn't care and said, "Why are you getting married? Father, mother, you should show your second brother a daughter-in-law first!"

Xiao Dulang said dissatisfiedly: "Every time you talk about you, you always involve me."

Xiao Yunlang knew that even if it was not a big deal, his family would have to prepare for many days to eat. He had forgotten to ask for money to prepare birthday gifts for many things before. , Most of them are for food... There are still a few things left at his and Lin Yulan's house, but after that incident, he didn't want to go back.

It's not easy for Xiao Yunlang to tell others about this kind of thing, but he was worried every day, until the eleventh day, Xiao Dulang knocked on the door early in the morning and asked him to go to the main courtyard together.

Xiao Yunlang forced a smile, and went with him to find his elder brother, the three of them went together.

Little Yuan wore a lavender double-breasted beanie, and sat beside Xiao Su with a smile. Xiao Mulang took his two younger brothers to kowtow to his parents, and then, starting from Xiao Mulang, he said birthday wishes to his father.

Xiao Su watched the three sons finish their toasts in turn with a serious expression. Little Yuan said with a smile: "There are no outsiders today, and there may be a few relatives who are not too far away later. Let's have breakfast first."

Xiao Su's family was the only one in Xiao Su's generation, and the closest relative was Xiao Su's uncle's family. Naturally, this uncle couldn't come to celebrate his nephew's birthday, so he sent his own son to bring his grandchildren over. Yes, Xiao Yunlang also has an aunt who married out of town, and they haven't dated for many years.

Xiao Yunlang went to the kitchen, the chef Uncle Huang was taken aback and said, "Little Master, why are you here?"

Xiao Yunlang rolled up his sleeves and said with a smile, "I'll make a bowl of noodles for my father."

"Oh, this..." Uncle Huang thought for a while, clapped his hands and said, "OK, Uncle Huang will help the young master."

Xiao Yunlang kneaded the dough skillfully, kneading the dough in a short while, Uncle Huang said with a smile: "Young master really did it out of practice."

Xiao Yunlang picked up the rolling pin to roll out the dough, and said: "Later, Uncle Huang will teach me how to make small wontons. I can't wrap them well no matter what I do."

Uncle Huang nodded, "That's easy."

Xiao Yunlang cut the noodles very finely, Uncle Huang praised: "Young master is really skilled."

While cutting the noodles, Xiao Yunlang said, "I don't like steamed buns, so I cook noodles all day long."

"Hey, steaming steamed buns is indeed not the easiest thing to do. You need to carefully calculate how much you need to wake up, how hot you want to be, and how long you want to steam."

While Uncle Huang was talking, he asked someone to bring over the chicken soup he had stewed all day. Xiao Yunlang washed some vegetables and put them in at the right time.

Xiao Mulang was listening to people's words with a smile at this time, Xiao Yuan took the female relatives to the back, and the two brothers in front accompanied Xiao Yanlang, Xiao Yanlang was warm and transparent, but Xiao Dulang was full of impatience. Xiao Mulang said, "Where's my little brother?"

"do not know."

Xiao Yanlang said: "So Brother Yun is here too?"

Xiao Dulang stood up and was about to go out to have a look, casually said: "Our own family, why don't we come?"

Xiao Yanlang's father, Xiao Li, was a petty official, and he could not be high or low. A few years ago, due to the tense situation, he failed to establish a good relationship with his family, and now he almost regretted it. When they got together again, Xiao Li had no choice but to say goodbye. His eldest son, Xiao Yanlang, was also in his 20s. If the relationship is good, the daughter will be much easier to marry.

Xiao Yuan sent out Xiao Yanlang's wife, Du, and younger sister, Qinglan politely, Xiao Yanlang hurriedly said, "Greetings to Auntie." Du also greeted Xiao Mulang's brothers.

Xiao Yuan smiled and said, "From now on, ask your wife to come and talk with me often."

Xiao Yanlang said: "My nephew understands, as long as my aunt doesn't dislike my nephew's daughter-in-law's clumsy tongue."

Little Yuan smiled and asked, "Why didn't you see Yunlang?"

Xiao Mulang raised his eyebrows, and was about to ask someone to look for him, when he suddenly saw his servant winking at the door, so he stopped talking and walked over.

The servant Xiaoqiao said softly: "Eldest young master, that... is here."

"Who?" Xiao Mulang frowned.

"That's right, the family of the third young master, Mr. Lin."

Xiao Mulang's face darkened, and he went straight out, Xiaoqiao followed behind him and said, "Yes, I want to take the third young master home..."

Over there, Xiao Li's family came out to say goodbye. The female relatives carried a small sedan chair. Xiao Li and his son walked together. At the door, they saw Xiao Mulang standing opposite a man. Can't see what it is, seeing the sedan chair stopped for a while, Qing Lan couldn't help but lift the curtain to take a look, and saw the man wearing a dark blue gown with a black belt around his waist that narrowed his waist, his face was handsome, his eyes were like Long Xing, she blushed and quickly covered the curtain.