"Auntie, what's wrong with Mrs. Lin San?" Kumquat asked curiously.

Aunt Fang came back to her senses and smiled softly at her as if she was soothing: "Nothing, I just remembered one thing."

Auntie Fang is a little good, she never loses her temper to those who serve her.

At all times, she was kind and considerate, a gentle woman like water, so the maids around Aunt Fang were very dedicated to her.

"Serve the pen and ink, I have a letter to write." Aunt Fang sat for a while, finally got up and went to the study.

Jinju persuaded: "Auntie, it's already late, but you have to pay attention to your eyes."

Aunt Fang shook her head: "It's okay."

Aunt Fang knew that her brother would be promoted soon, and she also hoped that Fang Yacun could come to Yanbei, so that her position in the Ren family would be more stable in the future.

Fang Yacun mentioned a few things in a letter to her about official affairs. This time her sister-in-law came to Yanbei to find out about the residences and preferences of various officials. This time, there were five or six vacancies in several rich prefectures and counties in Yanbei, but there were more than five or six people competing for these seats. Fang Yacun mentioned in her last letter that an in-law of the Su family was also interested in coming to Yanbei.

Aunt Fang is a clever person who knows everything. The second wife Su Clan helped Mrs. Lin Da this time for no reason. There must be a reason. Now it seems that the biggest and most likely reason is that the Su family wants to take the line of Lin's third wife for his natal sister-in-law.

Auntie Fang is very thankful that she has learned of the matter now, so there is still room for things to change. She needs to tell her brother the Su family's intentions as soon as possible, so that he can prepare early.

Things have finally moved in the direction Ren Yaoqi hoped. This is just the beginning, and as long as everything has a beginning, everything will be easy.

The Ren family decided to set off for Yunyang City on the day of the Duanyang Festival. Anyway, it is a long journey, not too far.

This time, Ren Shijia returned to Yunyang City with the Ren family. She happened to have finished her confinement, and it was not like hiding in her family. This time I was able to catch up with the full moon banquet prepared by the Lin family for Brother Xiao Cen. So this time the old lady Ren will stay at Lin's house for a few more days.

This time Mrs. Ren stayed at home, and Mrs. Ren took her grandchildren over. Originally the old lady Ren planned to chill the fifth wife without taking her and Ren Yaoyu, but then somehow changed her mind. As for the third wife Li, Mrs. Ren has always refused to take her out.

"My grandmother said today, Aunt Fang and Ren Yaoying will also go with him." Ren Yaohua said to Ren Yaoqi when he was pleased with Li's in the evening.

"Because that Mrs. Fang is coming?" Ren Yaoqi raised his eyebrows slightly, not surprisingly.

"Yeah." Ren Yaohua was in a bad mood, her face was cold.

At the time of parting, Ren Yaoqi heard her forbearingly and unwillingly: "Who is the concubine and the decent wife in the three rooms! This is what our Ren family calls? Really ridiculous!"

Ren Yaohua said this and didn't want to hear the answer from anyone. After speaking, she walked away with her back stiff. Ren Yaoqi stood in the courtyard and watched her figure gradually disappear in the shadow under the porch. Only the dark red skirt appeared and disappeared under the light of the lantern in the hand of the maid, and disappeared in the front corner door in a short while .

On the second day is the Duanyang Festival, Ren's family is preparing to travel.

Although Li didn't go, he was busy packing things for Ren Yaoqi and Ren Yaohua sisters.

The daughter fights against Li's injustice, but Li is already used to it. He doesn't care about being left at home, but is in a good mood.

Seeing that Ren Yaohua had been sober and unhappy these days, she seemed to be able to explode as long as a small matter provokes her.

Ren Yaoqi was worried that she would not be able to control her temper. On this day, she finally pulled her aside and smiled and persuaded her: "Sister, why are you vomiting here? You have been vomiting for a few days and should stop. Yes. As long as the mother is happy, isn't it?"

When Ren Yaohua heard it, he became angry: "Whatever the mother is happy! I don't believe that she is really happy! I went to beg my grandmother yesterday, but my grandmother just opened the conversation and turned the subject off."

Although Ren Yaohua was very angry on her face, there was aggrieved voice in her voice.

Ren Yaoqi knew her temper. He didn't get angry when he saw her angry at herself. Instead, he smiled and said, "I don't think my mother looks like a strong smile because...Isn't my father going this time?"

Ren Yaohua was stunned for a moment, her anger turned into a daze.

"So I think it's okay if my mother doesn't go this time. You know my father's temperament. He can forget about the horizon when he draws a picture and eats. Even if my mother went to Yunyang City with us, she I will also miss my father." Ren Yaoqi blinked at Ren Yaohua, with some teasing expressions, "Sister, you can't live without your mother when you are so old. Are you ashamed!"

"I, I'm not..." Ren Yaohua subconsciously had to defend herself. After seeing Ren Yaoqi's smirk, she realized that she was teased by her sister.

"You can talk nonsense!" Ren Yaohua put on the posture of the eldest sister, after thinking about it, she asked uncertainly, "Is father really not going?"

Ren Yaoqi nodded: "Of course, I have asked. Otherwise you go ask your mother?"

Seeing Ren Yaohua's face finally looked better, Ren Yaoqi couldn't help but smile.

Whether Yunyang City goes or not is actually not that important to Li. Is it possible that Li's presence can show the identity of the main room in front of Aunt Fang? Even if Li was wronged, he would only do it for Ren Shimin.

Therefore, when Ren Yaohua was irritated by this matter, Ren Yaoqi secretly asked Yuan Dayong to help her buy an old painting from the previous dynasty from a depressed scholar.

Every one of his beloved paintings in the hands of Ren Shimin in the previous life, Ren Yaoqi, knows the source. Originally, this painting was to be bought back by Ren Shimin’s steward this autumn and be honored to him. Ren Yaoqi bought this painting in advance. come back.

Because Ren Shimin has a hobby, every time he gets a good painting, he spends half a month carefully studying it, and then copy it by himself.

Sure enough, Ren Shimin couldn't move his feet as soon as he saw the painting. The Dragon Boat Race of the Duanyang Festival was full of smoke in the heart of the three masters. He wouldn't neglect his own heart for the sake of smoke. So the third master gave a big hand, Yunyang City Master is not going, and the master is going to retreat at home to paint.

In this way, Li was happy, and Aunt Fang was depressed.

If Aunt Fang and Ren Shimin went to Yunyang City to watch a dragon boat race, the main room Li was left at home instead, and there would naturally be speculations on the status of Ren's wives and concubines in the third room, and Li would inevitably be looked down upon. And Aunt Fang with the treatment of the main room, it is more convenient to drop by in Yunyang City.

Now that Ren Shimin can't choose to go, Aunt Fang is not so convenient.

In the afternoon, the old lady Ren also sent someone to find Ren Shimin, and wanted him to go to Yunyang City with him. After all, this is an annual event. Everyone in Yanzhou will pass by, and the men will be able to intervene. Talk about family friendship.

But who is the third master, the third master said that he would not go, and the cows would not go, and no one could force it. In the end, he simply lay down in the main room and pretended to be sick. The old lady Ren was too angry, but she couldn't help it.

Li cooperated and waited in front of the third master's bed, serving water when he was thirsty, and eating when he was hungry, doing his best.

Now Yaohua re-elected to be happy too, her face that had been stinking for a few days finally cleared, and she bent her mouth to watch the maids clean up.

Ren Yaoqi also watched the maids tidy up in the room, saying that she was watching, but in fact, it was Mother Xu who directed the maids and she read on the kang.

Just then, Mother Zhou came over.

Seeing Mother Zhou coming here, Ren Yaoqi thought that something was going on with Ren Shimin and Li from the main house, so he couldn't help putting down the book in his hand and sitting up on the kang.

Mother Zhou came forward to salute, but she whispered: "Miss Fifth, Luo Lao is here."

When Ren Yaoqi heard this name, he didn't react for a while: "Lord Luo?"

"It's the old lady on Zhuangzi you said you wanted to see a while ago." Mother Zhou explained in a low voice.

Ren Yaoqi immediately remembered.

It was the woman who lived in Zhuangzi. The last time she was in Yaoqi, she asked Mother Zhou about Qu's family. Mother Zhou said that there was an older woman living in Zhuangzi who knew everything about Baihe Town. .

It should have been invited long ago. I didn't want this woman named Luo to be bitten by a wild dog outside Zhuangzi, so she delayed. Ren Yaoqi also temporarily put the matter on hold because of the mess of the Ren family.

"What about people?" Ren Yaoqi asked.

"The house is busy at the moment. I asked the little maid to take her to dinner and rest. After all, she is getting older, so I am afraid that there will be something wrong. Do you want to see her now?"

Ren Yaoqi thought for a while: "Let her rest first, and bring me back later."

"The slave maid originally ordered the people in Zhuangzi to wait for her to be delivered before she recovered. I thought it would take some time. I didn't want to catch up with your request for Yunyang City at this time. The slave maid's arrangement was improper." Madam Zhou pleaded.

Ren Yaoqi waved his hand and comforted: "It's okay, I just want to ask her something. It's the same for coming early or late."

Mother Zhou went down to make arrangements, and Ren Yaoqi asked her to bring the old woman surnamed Luo over after dinner.

Lady Luo is already in her seventies, and she has been working at Zhuangzi. Her hair is gray, her complexion is tawny, her face is full of folds, she is limping while walking, and she looks pretty good.

Supporting her was an eight or nine-year-old girl, who looked pretty but had a dark complexion, she wore a pair of buns and braids, and she wore a red coarse cloth shirt with smart eyes.

Seeing Ren Yaoqi's gaze staying on the little girl, Mother Zhou hurriedly said: "This is the granddaughter of Luo Pozi. The grandparents and grandchildren depend on each other for life, and Luo Pozi left her on the Zhuangzi and brought her together."

Although it was strange that Luo Luo was so old and her granddaughter was still so young, Ren Yaoqi didn't ask much, smiled and nodded, avoiding the gift of Luo Luo, and asked Mulberry to get a stool for Luo Luo to sit on.

Lady Luo said the sin, and carefully sat down next to the half of the stool, trembling not to speak first. The little girl who followed her was a little curious about the things in the house. Seeing that her grandmother was restrained, she didn't dare to be presumptuous, and stood next to her in a regular manner.

Ren Yaoqi said gently to the little girl: "Will you follow this mulberry sister to have a snack first?"

From the corner of her eyes, the little girl glanced at the red lacquer inlaid snail octagonal food box on the table, which contained various sweets such as Baiguo ton, sugar ears, bean noodle cake, honey twist, sugar lotus seeds, sunflower seeds, and swallowed. Then he glanced at his grandmother and didn't move.

Lady Luo patted her hand gently: "Listen to the master, go."

Mulberry picked up the red lacquered snail-tin eight-sided food box and beckoned to the little girl, leading her outside.

Lady Luo watched her granddaughter leave one step at a time, shook her head, and said to Ren Yaoqi: "Miss, it's no wonder that the child grew up in the country and has never seen anything in the world."

Ren Yaoqi smiled slightly: "I see it is very good, and the body is strong, she usually goes to work with you on weekdays?"

A deep crease appeared on the face of Luo's wife: "This child has a good heart. He just learned to walk and wanted to help me with work. She would follow me behind me on weekdays. I have no children in my life. Girl, I picked up a treasure when I got old, and my life is worth it."

Ren Yaoqi was taken aback, and it turned out that the little girl was not Luo Po's granddaughter.

Lady Luo seemed to know what others thought, and said, "I found this child on Tian Kan'er seven years ago. At that time, he was only six or seven months old."

Mother Zhou was a little surprised: "So she is only seven years old? I thought she was nine years old."

The little girl is sturdy and tall, and she looks clever, almost like an eight or nine-year-old child.

"No, she has a lot of appetite! Fortunately, she can do the work on her own, otherwise I can't raise her." Luo Pozi shook her head and smiled.

Ren Yaoqi was looking at this lady. She was very old and looked no different from the average peasant women who worked in the fields all the year round. However, Ren Yaoqi felt that her speech was not as vulgar as the peasants outside. Even her adopted granddaughter knew how to measure.

"Have Mother Luo always been on our Zhuangzi? Where is the house?" Ren Yaoqi asked.

Luo Pozi squinted her eyes for a moment before she said: "The slave and maid are in the suburbs of Baihe Town. Her parents starved to death during the disaster year, so she has been working on the village since she was a child, but originally the village was not owned by the Ren family."

"Oh? Which one did Zhuangzi originally belong to?" Ren Yaoqi asked.

The several large villagers of the Ren family were bought when the former head of the family Bao Ming was there, and they were bought almost together with the house of the Ren family.

"Before Ren's family, that Zhuangzi belonged to a Tang family." Luo Po said.

Ren Yaoqi remembered that this house seemed to have been bought from a family named Tang. It may be that this family bought the ancestral house by the way and bought the Zhuangzi under the name to Ren’s family. This is very common. thing.

Seeing that Ren Yaoqi was asking Lady Luo, Mother Zhou thought for a while and called out all the maids in the house, but she herself stayed in the house to guard.

"I don't know if Mother Luo remembers a family named Qu? It should be a wealthy household in Baihe Town decades ago. Later, I don't know why the family has fallen for what reason." Ren Yaoqi looked at Luo Pozi and asked softly. Tao.

Lady Luo squinted again for a moment. This seems to be her usual expression when thinking about things: "The slave servant has never heard of such a wealthy household."

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help frowning: "Really not? Think about it again?"

Luo Pozi really thought about it again, or shook her head: "No. Is it sure that the lady is near our Baihe Town? Could it be another place?"

Ren Yaoqi couldn't help being disappointed, and nodded: "Maybe I remembered it wrong." After thinking about it, she asked again, "In my grandfather's generation, has the Ren family ever feuded with any other family?"

After hearing this, Luo Pozi glanced at Ren Yaoqi and said with a smile: "What are you talking about, Miss? The Ren family has always been friendly to neighbors..."

Mother Zhou stood beside Ren Yaoqi and interrupted coldly: "Lady Luo, our fifth young lady came to you so far away, not to listen to you talking nonsense. You can answer whatever you ask. After the answer is complete, the lady will reward you with silver, and she will send you and your granddaughter back."

Lady Luo had a meal, looked at Mother Zhou and then at Ren Yaoqi, who was indifferent to laughter. After thinking for a long time, she thought about it and said, "If it doesn't agree... it's not without it. Ren's family bought Xishan a few years ago. A coal kiln was built on a mountain, and he once fought a lawsuit with a nearby mountain owner, because the mountain owner wrote a case and went to the county lord to sue Ren’s family for digging the coal kiln to the bottom of his mountain. However, the Ren family paid a high price for the mountain. The Lord’s mountain was also bought, and the two families reconciled. In addition, a coal mine collapsed one year, and many people were buried. One family’s son took the lead in making trouble and was eventually arrested by the government. I ran away on the way to escort. Before I left, I even preached that I would not be at odds with the Ren family, but no one appeared after so many years. It is estimated that it has become a pile of loess."

Ren Yaoqi listened quietly, making mental judgments.

Luo Pozi went on to talk about several families, all of whom had had big and small festivals with the Ren family decades ago. In the end, Lady Luo racked her brains and couldn't think of anything. She looked at Ren Yaoqi with a smile and said, "Miss, the servant girl only remembers so much."

Ren Yaoqi looked out the window. By this time, it was past the lamp-sharing time. Lanterns were lit outside the courtyard, and candles were also lit in the house.

"Come here first today, you go back and rest first." Ren Yaoqi smiled and served tea, and motioned to Mother Zhou to send the people out first.

Mother Zhou sent Luo Pozi out to the maid, who asked the maid to take the person to the outer courtyard to rest, and then turned back.

"Miss, does this woman still stay in the house?"

Ren Yaoqi was leaning on the Kang to think about things, and raised his head when he heard the words: "Well, let her stay in the house for now, and wait until I come back from Yunyang City to make plans."

She always felt that she could ask something from Luo Pozi, but she was leaving for Yunyang City tomorrow morning, and Ren Yaoqi didn't have time for detailed questioning today.

"The servants arranged for their grandparents and grandchildren to live in the outer courtyard first. The young lady will take a rest early this morning, and she will set off as soon as tomorrow's mao." Madam Zhou retired with a cry, confessing that the servants would come in and wait for Ren Yaoqi. Wash. RS