After the prosperous Tang Dynasty

The itinerary of Xiao Song and Xiao Yansui's grandfather and grandson was somewhat sudden, even Xiao Hua, Pei and others felt a little unexpected, let alone people outside Xu Guogong's mansion.

In the Lu residence, Mrs. Xu Guogong's wife, Mrs. He, did not go back to her hometown with Xiao Song in order to spend more time with her elder sister, a compatriot of the same mother.What's more, Xiao Hua and Xiao Heng are both still in the Xiao Mansion, and Xu Guogong's wife, Mrs. He, lived with her two sons, so that the old couple separated as a matter of course.

On this day, when the He family of the Lu family had just taken the medicine and regained some energy, Mrs. Xu Guogong's wife, the He family, Lu Fan, and Lu Ji, who stayed at home to accompany his grandmother for the past few days, were sitting by the side. When several people were talking, without Xiao Song's interruption, the He family of the Lu family naturally mentioned Lu Ji's marriage again as if nothing had happened.

It's a pity that Xu Guogong's wife, Mrs. He, looked down on her granddaughter Xiao Yansui in every possible way. When her sister-in-law brought up her grandson's marriage, Mrs. Xu Guogong's Mrs. He, although she was in high spirits, wished she could count on her fingers the right family in Chang'an city. A young lady of the same age, but she never expected that the one her elder sister took a fancy to was actually Xiao Yansui, the granddaughter of her and Xiao Song's direct relative.

Lu Fan looked at his mother with some embarrassment. The He family of Lu's face was haggard, but his eyes were very stubborn.Lu Fan sneaked another glance at his aunt, Mrs. Xu Guogong, Mrs. He Shi. The aunt's expression was warm, and the eyes she looked at Lu Ji were also quite loving. Obviously, Xiao Song never took the initiative to mention this matter to her, so that the other party Didn't realize anything at all...

A few years ago, Lu Ji, who had seen how Xiao Song refuted his grandmother, was actually not optimistic about this marriage. After all, Xiao Yansui was several years younger than him!

The younger the boy who has just grown up, the more he pays attention to this age. Every time he sees Xiao Yansui, Lu Ji just thinks that she is like a little sister, not the same age as him at all... …

What's more, although Lu Ji and Xiao Yansui are not familiar with each other, they have met each other during banquets and outings. It is natural to know that Xiao Yansui also has playmates of the same age around him, and Zhang Dai, the Jiulang of Duke Yan's mansion, also Well, regardless of Li Tan from the East Palace, although he doesn't know who the grandson-in-law Xu Guogong Xiao Song will prefer in the future, at least he understands that that person is definitely not him.

Lu Ji is not a person who likes to be affectionate, Xiao Song's attitude is clear, although the two families are family friends, but the marriage of children must always be based on your love and my wishes, otherwise, getting married may be no different from getting married .

However, Grandmother He's is getting old, and in this matter, she became more and more stubborn.No matter how much his father tried to persuade him, he would not give up at all. If he spoke in a hurry, the He family of the Lu family would weep silently. Instead, he forced Lu Fan to kneel in front of his mother's sick bed. Under filial piety, he never dared to speak slightest……

Seeing Xu Guogong's wife, Mrs. He, dragging the topic farther and farther, even without knowing what Xiao Song had done, after talking about the many little ladies in Chang'an City, he remembered Xiao Nianru's family that she also loved very much. There is a younger sister, Xiao Shu, and her natal family, the young ladies He Qingyuan, He Mingyi and others who are the grandchildren of the He family in Kuaiji.

Mrs. Xu Guogong's wife, Mrs. He, is continuing to tease one by one. The little lady she knows has not been engaged so far, and she is a good match for Lu Ji. As a result, when she mentioned the Xiao family's A Shu, she naturally did not mention Xiao Yan at all. Sui's attitude immediately reminded Mrs. He of Lu's family of those words that he choked back after being flatly rejected by Xiao Song, and his complexion was a little bad at that time...

However, what the He family of the Lu family is facing now is his own sister after all. She is not like her brother-in-law Xiao Song who seems to be gentle on the surface and has a lot to discuss, but in fact, she will definitely not do anything beyond his bottom line. , Some words were stated clearly, and he said directly: "...Actually, my sister actually wanted to marry Liu Niang of the Xiao family for Lu Ji. , it might not be a good—”

The word "marriage" could not be uttered from the mouth of He Shi of Lu Mansion at all. Mrs. He of Xu Guogong's wife raised her voice in an instant and interrupted the words of He Shi of Lu Mansion, not daring to say: "Sister, you say what!?"

Everyone knows that the relationship between Xiao Yansui and Lu Ji must be Lu Ji's high-ranking now. However, for Xu Guogong's wife, Mrs. He, who has always been at odds with Xiao Yansui since he was born, if Xiao Song hadn't calmly suppressed She probably wanted to put the label of mourning star on that annoying granddaughter's head. In contrast, Mrs. Xu Guogong's wife, He Shi, loved her sister's grandson Lu Ji more, but treated her granddaughter Xiao Yansui Very disgusted.

Although the ideas of the two parties are completely contradictory, but as a stubborn wife who has been married to Xiao Song for a long time, at this moment, Mrs. Xu Guogong's wife He Shi and Xiao Song have reached a high degree of agreement. She glanced at Lu Ji pitifully, and felt that if Xiao Yansui married into the Lu family, not to mention the joy of getting married by the younger generation, I am afraid that her poor sister would not be able to make it to the day of her grandson's wedding, so she would immediately speak decisively , because she and the He family of the Lu family are sisters, and there is no need for them to see each other too much, so her attitude is more determined than that of Xiao Song who was somewhat tactful at the beginning, and she said decisively: " No! I absolutely disagree with this marriage!"

The He family of the Lu family was almost choked by her words, but Mrs. Xu Guogong was confident and self-sufficient. Because of Xiao Song, she was facing her own sister, who was not in the Lu family. Publicly complaining and complaining about Xiao Yansui, a particularly unpleasant granddaughter, took the hand of the trembling He family of the Lu family, looked at Lu Ji with pity, and said lovingly: "Marriage is for a lifetime." Big things, don't worry about these things, I will definitely help choose a gentle and virtuous lady for Lu Ji."

Lu Ji was so embarrassed that he didn't know what to do, and looked at his father several times for help.

Although Lu Fan was a generation older than him, in front of his mother and aunt, even if he could speak well, he was still a junior, so he had to be more lenient, and could only smile wryly for a while.

In fact, the family traditions of the Lu Mansion and Xu Guogong's Mansion are quite different.Back then, Lu Xiangxian was a man of integrity, he was particular about a gentleman who was not a party member, and the He family of the Lu family was congenial to him, with a bit of lofty stubbornness as well.

However, Xiao Song, who is a close friend with Lu Xiangxian, is quite a moderate person. It's a little more self-willed.

In this way, the descendants of the Lu family are all self-denying and respectful people, and they also obey filial piety. In contrast, the younger generation of the Xiao family, under the laissez-faire of Xiao Song, the feudal patriarch with the highest voice, Naturally, they are active in their minds and each has their own ideas. It is normal to pretend to be stupid and act obediently, even to act obediently and secretly.

Mrs. Xu Guogong's Mrs. He held her elder sister's hand, seeing her unstoppable cough, hurriedly called someone to bring a cup, carefully helped her to drink the water, and when the Lu Manor He finally managed to get her breath evenly After that, Cai just mentioned dislikedly: "What's more, Liu Niang has returned to Lanling's hometown with her Aunt after her Aunt retired, so it's rare to be a bit filial, tsk. Look at them The meaning of the grandparents and grandchildren, I am afraid that they don't plan to come back in the next few years, sister, why are you still mentioning her..."

How did the people in the Lu family know the news.It was not surprising that Xiao Song became an official, but no one would have thought that he had brought his only little granddaughter back to his hometown, He Shi of the Lu Manor was stunned when he heard this.

Lu Fan, father and son Lu Ji, who were also surprised, glanced at each other quietly, knowing that this time, the He family of the Lu family had no other choice, but heaved a sigh of relief.

Inevitably, Lu Fan couldn't help but wonder if Xiao Song allowed his aunt He to stay here, but took Xiao Yansui away with him, whether this move made his mother completely give up on this unreliable marriage ...

·

Xiao Yansui, who hated Mrs. Xu's wife, Mrs. He, probably would never have imagined that her grandmother, whose attitude was so inexplicable that she had to keep a respectful distance, would one day replace her more simply and neatly than Xiao Song out of loathing her. Stopped such a trouble.

At this time, Xiao Yansui and Xiao Song had already abandoned the carriage and took a boat instead.Although some wind and waves are unavoidable in the big river, for those who don't get seasick, it is easier and more stable to take a boat.

As time passed day by day and summer came, the clothes on Xiao Yansui and Xiao Song's respective bodies gradually became thinner. Every evening, on the horizon where the water and the sky are almost uniform in the distance, the setting sun fell like a falling, rich golden color. The evening glow sprinkles all over the river, and at a glance, the floating light leaps into gold and stretches for thousands of miles.

"Tomorrow will definitely be a good weather." Sitting beside the chess table, Xiao Song raised his head slightly, looked at the sunset glow in the sky and the fiery setting sun, and said with a leisurely smile.

"..." Xiao Yansui, who was still staring at the chessboard in deep thought, raised her head when she heard the words, and her eyes were slightly narrowed by the golden afterglow. Suddenly, a Chinese text learned in junior high school or high school flashed in her mind. "Looking at the Clouds and Knowing the Weather", however, I can't remember the specific content at all.

He was still holding two black jade chess pieces in his hand, and after pressing one out of thousands of choices on the chessboard, he responded casually: "Those old farmers working in the fields, or the boatmen on the boat, think about it. Judge the weather by the clouds."

Xiao Song touched his white beard and sighed: "These are things only experienced old people understand. In fact, the same is true for marching and fighting. The more steep the terrain, the more complicated and changeable the weather, The easier it is for surprise soldiers to come out frequently, as the saying goes, when the weather is favorable and the location is favorable, only when the descendants harmonize can the enemy be defeated."

While talking, Xiao Song looked at his granddaughter's stupid moves in chess, and was immediately amused. He directly dug up the chess piece just now, helped her put it elsewhere, and muttered to help analyze why the chess piece could not be placed there. , and finally couldn't help laughing and said: "When you were young, Saburo told you to teach you how to play chess. It seems that your brother is not qualified as a master."

According to Xiao Song's prompt, Xiao Yansui returned from the good-natured repentance game, and smiled at Xiao Song with one hand resting on his chin: "This is not my brother's business, the life and death questions he gave me back then have not been finished yet. .The master leads the door, and the practice is up to the individual—well, I’m really not good at these.”

Xiao Song didn't care either, and while playing chess casually with his granddaughter, he said with a smile: "I see you have been asking about the boatman for the past two days, but what else are you trying to do?"

Xiao Yansui nodded, and pointed to a simple movable pulley under the sail, "Well, that thing, it can save some effort when raising and lowering the sail, but there are not enough materials on the boat, so I installed one for fun. .”

"..." Although Xiao Song was a little curious, but after looking carefully, he didn't quite understand it. He just stroked his beard and wondered, "Is that a block? Why is it still hanging up and not fixed on the ship?"

"Pulley—well, the pulley will save more effort when moving." Xiao Yansui threw the other black jade chess piece in his hand back into the Go pot next to him, and then directly used the pot as a pulley, simply making gestures with Xiao Song I looked at the working principle of the movable pulley, "But relatively, if you use this kind of movable pulley, when pulling the rope, the distance of the rope that needs to be pulled is longer."

Only then did Xiao Song nod his head in understanding, and took another look at the messy chessboard, and couldn't help laughing: "The hobbies you've been pondering all day are somewhat similar to Qin Shimo's tricks."

"Huh?" Xiao Yansui raised her head. She had two impressions of Mohism, one was "rejecting all schools of thought and respecting Confucianism alone", and the other was the core idea of ​​Mohist philosophy "universal love, non-aggression". As for mechanism art, she always I thought it was the most common legend and anecdote in history, believable or not.

Xiao Song laughed lightly and said, "Mohists' ideas are not prevalent, but those who study ordnance in the army, there are some who will go through those piles of old papers, and get a little bit of it."

"..." Xiao Yansui blinked her eyes, and asked Xiao Song sincerely, "Ah, do you have any books from the Mo family?"

She also suddenly realized that she had always thought that there were very few natural science books in the Tang Dynasty at the moment, so that Xiao Yansui focused on those Taoist temples who liked alchemy.

Some alchemy techniques passed down from Taoist priests to apprentices, especially written records, can actually just solve the problem of how to conduct the simplest physical and chemical experiments in today's agricultural society without an industrial foundation.As for the mechanism technique of the Mohist school that Xiao Song just mentioned, there is no doubt that these ancient books should be more inclined to answer simple mechanical problems.

Facing the beautiful eyes of his granddaughter who suddenly lit up, Xiao Song scratched his beard, smiled slightly, and then said with a smile: "Most of those books are those I have seen in the army, but I don't have many collections at home. , when we arrive at the next pier, I will write a book and send it to Wang Zhongsi, and ask him to find a few copies from the army for you!"