Sheng Hong was sitting in the main seat in the front hall, complaining: "Hey, didn't I tell you that Zhuang Xuexue went to have fun on his own, so you kids don't have to go there. The weather is very cold."

Qin Hao and Qi Heng looked at each other and smiled: "What did Uncle Sheng say? We have troubled the Sheng Mansion for a year, but we just came to pay our respects today, so what's the big deal."

"Haha, okay, it's rare for you to come here, so let's have lunch here." Sheng Hong stroked his beard and said with a satisfied smile.

Then Sheng Hong began to discuss calligraphy with Qin Hao and others. Sheng Changfeng was inevitably taught a lesson because his handwriting was the worst among the four.

Qi Heng was also very envious of Qin Hao's facial expressions: "I'm ashamed to say that my nephew Chi's eldest son Han is four years old. Zi Han's calligraphy already has the potential of a famous calligraphy, but I can't help but be impressed."

Qin Hao said with a smile: "No, no, Wang Youjun's handwriting is naturally talented and rich. I can't write such words. I just have more experience in facial expressions."

Sheng Changfeng finally found an excuse and said quickly: "Yes, I don't dare to practice Wang Youjun's calligraphy for fear of being discouraged."

"You're just being lazy." Sheng Changbai complained.

"Haha~~~" Everyone looked at each other and laughed.

The backyard is also very lively. Mrs. Yu and her family also came to visit today, and they also brought Yu Yanran, the eldest daughter of the Yu family, who was playing in the backyard.

Of course, Ru Lan and Mo Lan's thoughts were no longer in the backyard. Their eyes kept drifting to the front hall. Wang Ruofu glared at Ru Lan several times. Unfortunately, her daughter did not see it at all, which made Wang Ruofu

Very embarrassed.

Minglan actually had a lot of fun with Yu Yanran. The two were similar in age and had long been in love with each other.

After a while, someone came from the front hall and reported back to the old lady of the Sheng family: "Old lady, today the master is leaving the young marquis and the young prince to have lunch together. It's almost time to start the banquet."

Mrs. Yu asked with a smile: "But the two young masters from Dongchang Houfu and Qi Guogongfu?"

Wang Ruofu couldn't help but feel proud secretly, but he said: "Exactly, these two children are also true. They just studied at my house for a year, and Zhuang Xuexue was not here. It's so cold that they still have to come here."

.”

Old Mrs. Yu smiled with envy. Qin Hao was born this year and has attracted a lot of attention in the distinguished circles of Bianjing City. He has become as famous as Qi Heng.

Those who have girls of the right age at home want to recruit Qin Hao as their son-in-law, and those who have boys at home can use it to "motivate" their own dandy children, as well as other people's children.

Old Mrs. Sheng couldn't stand Wang Ruofu's face, and waved her hands and said: "It's other people's children who are trying to succeed. Speaking of which, it's also our parents, Bai and Chang Feng, who are taking advantage of others. I heard that this year's schoolwork has been reduced."

I have improved a lot."

"That's not necessarily true. As the saying goes, birds follow the phoenix and fly far away, and when people are accompanied by virtuous people, they are proud of themselves. It is still true that the Sheng family has a good family tradition." Mrs. Yu praised her.

Wang Ruofu's originally embarrassed face suddenly turned into a smile. She liked hearing this.

Seeing her look like this, Mrs. Sheng couldn't help shaking her head secretly, but she didn't say anything else.

Soon it was lunch time, and a screen was set up in the front hall. In ancient times, men and women had to sit separately. The female family members were inside the screen, and Qin Hao's table was outside the screen.

Before leaving the table, Qin Hao and Qi Heng came across the screen to greet Mrs. Sheng.

Mrs. Yu finally saw Qin Hao and Qi Heng, and her eyes couldn't help but drift to her granddaughter Yanran.

Mrs. Sheng kindly helped the two of them up: "It's cold here, so there's no need to be so polite."

Qin Hao and Qi Heng met with Mrs. Yu and Wang Ruofu before retreating.

But as soon as the two of them left, the souls of Mo Lan and Ru Lan were also taken away. They both ate absentmindedly, their eyes drifting to the screen from time to time, as if they had clairvoyant eyes that could see through the screen.

Minglan started eating and drinking without any scruples. The girl now looked like a hamster eating crazily. Her chubby face and cheeks also bulged, which made Mrs. Yu laugh out loud.

"This girl is the most interesting to have by your side."

Minglan's good interest in eating was instantly broken when she was told this. She could only pretend to be shy and lower her head, lamenting in her heart.

"My sauced elbow, my steamed sea bass..."

Seeing her look like this, Old Mrs. Sheng couldn't help but burst into laughter, and it was rare for her to burst into laughter.

Sheng Hong glanced behind him in surprise.

The meal was enjoyed by both the guests and the host. After sitting for a while, Qin Hao and Qi Heng left. Mrs. Yu also took Yu Yanran back home.

The Sheng Mansion returned to calm, but it was only calm on the surface.

Seeing Ru Lan's distraught appearance, Wang Ruofu decided to test Sheng Hong's attitude again.

"Sir, the house hasn't been so lively for a long time. Why don't you have a few more drinks today?"

Sheng Hong waved his hand: "How can we have a drink with a few children? It's just a couple of drinks."

"How about we drink together as husband and wife?" Wang Ruofu said and asked Liu's mother to prepare wine and food.

Sheng Hong became interested and agreed. After a few glasses of wine, Wang Ruofu pretended to sigh.

"Oh, these days go by so fast. One year has passed in the blink of an eye, and the children are also one year older."

Sheng Hong also nodded with deep understanding: "Yes, we made three mistakes when we moved to Bianjing. Now thinking about the situation of being a judge in Yangzhou, it seems like just yesterday."

Wang Ruofu gave her husband another glass of wine: "Guardian, seeing that the daughters in our family are all grown up now, and it's time to talk about marriage in a few years, shouldn't we make plans early?"

Sheng Hong hesitated: "Aren't you still young now? The eldest Mo Lan is only 11 years old."

When Wang Ruofu saw that her husband's first thought was Mo Lan, he couldn't help but be secretly jealous. However, she had a bigger plan, so she could only suppress it first and continue to induce her.

"You're not young anymore. This marriage is no less than a second reincarnation for your daughter's family. The officials and families in Bianjing City all start looking at each other from a very early age. If you wait until you are of the right age to look for someone, I'm afraid it will be difficult to find a suitable one.

Already."

Sheng Hong thought about it and said, "Well, in that case, Mrs. Lao will look at you first, and I will also pay attention."

Although Sheng Hong didn't treat his children equally, he was still unambiguous about life-long matters.

Wang Ruofu was secretly happy when he saw this, and put some side dishes into his husband's bowl: "My lord, I'm afraid I didn't see it today, but the old lady Yu stared at the young marquis and the young master for a long time, I'm afraid she meant to do something for her.

Her granddaughter is looking at me sweetly."

Sheng Hong was not stupid. He reacted immediately and frowned: "I told you before that our family's family status is not high enough. Why are you still thinking about it?"

Wang Ruofu refused to give up and said: "Guardian, I know that we are high-ranking, but the young marquis and the young prince are really rare talents. You see, they only attended our family for one year, and the scholar Zhuang has no words to praise.

He will definitely have a bright future in the future. Is the official willing to hand over such a good candidate for son-in-law to someone like this?"

Sheng Hong was struggling a little in his heart. To be honest, he was very optimistic about Qin Hao and Qi Heng. But because of this, he knew how many people were paying attention to them. With the status of the Sheng family, what could he do with them?

Fight?

"Okay, please stop thinking about this matter. Our family is not that lucky!" Sheng Hong stood up and left without any explanation.

Wang Ruofu was so angry that he swept away all the food and wine on the table afterwards, becoming a table-cleaning master.

Sheng Hong came out of Wang Ruofu's place and came to Lin Qige. It turned out that Lin Xiaoniang told him the same thing.

Sheng Hong scolded Lin Xiaoniang, and then went straight to sleep in another concubine's room.

In Shou'an Hall, the old lady was teaching Minglan a lesson.

"You will be 10 years old soon. You can't eat and drink like this anymore, otherwise your body will be out of shape in the future. You also need to comb your hair into a bun. You can't be so casual anymore."

Minglan lamented that the days of pretending to be stupid and good will be gone forever.

On the other side, Mrs. Qin Liu is also worried. Every New Year's Day is like passing a customs for her, the eldest lady of the Dongchang Hou Mansion. Not counting the exchanges of favors, just the receipts from the Chu Pavilion of Qin House after the Lantern Festival.

It gave her a headache.

The Dongchang Hou Mansion has been in decline for a long time since the death of the old Marquis. However, Qin Junye is used to spending a lot of money. He often spends a lot of money outside and talks about the Marquis's ostentation. These Qin Lou and Chu Palaces also know that Xun Gui's family is most concerned about face, and they don't know how to do it.

If you refuse to pay, you only need to sign the bill at ordinary times, and after the Lantern Festival, you will come to the door to settle the bill.

"Why is mother sighing?" As soon as Qin Hao entered the door, he saw Mrs. Qin Liu sighing there.

Mrs. Qin Liu forced a smile and said, "It's nothing. Brother Hao is back. Are you tired? Let's rest for a while and talk to my mother."

Mrs. Qin Liu was quite satisfied with this son. He could earn face for himself and was filial. He was praised by people wherever he went.

Qin Hao said seriously: "Mother, are you still treating me like a naughty boy?"

Seeing this, Mrs. Qin Liu sighed: "Brother Hao, it's not that my mother doesn't want to tell you, but you should focus on your studies now. When you become a Jinshi in high school, our Dongchang Hou Mansion will have hope.

It will get better.”

Qin Hao shook his head and asked, "Does the mother want to wait until the child becomes an official before leaving the mess of the Hou Mansion in the child's hands?"

"This..." Qin Liu was immediately asked.

Qin Hao took the opportunity to say: "Mom, running away is not the way to go when I encounter a problem. Otherwise, it will be difficult to get back. It may also hinder my future in the future."

Mrs. Qin Liu was shocked. Her whole life's hopes were pinned on her son. How could she hinder her son's future?

So Qin Liu told Qin Hao about the financial situation of Dongchang Hou Mansion.

To put it bluntly, they just couldn’t make ends meet. When the old Marquis was here, the Dongchang Hou Mansion had a lot of properties, but later they were almost completely defeated. It wasn’t all Qin Junye’s fault. There were also several people from the second and third houses.

He is also an expert at chewing up the old.

"Now the property in the mansion only has two silk and satin shops, one restaurant, three powder shops and some land. It seems like a lot, but it can't sustain such a large expenditure."

Qin Hao nodded and asked: "How much foreign debt does the family still owe now?"

The Hou Mansion of Dongchang could not make ends meet and was able to maintain its dignity for so many years. It mainly relied on cash flow. The output of several shops was not bad, plus the income from the land. But even so, it was inevitable to borrow foreign debts.

Mrs. Qin Liu wiped her tears and said, "I owe a total of eighty-seven thousand guan."

Qin Hao couldn't help but was speechless. In the Song Dynasty, copper coins were the main currency in circulation. A regular coin was one thousand copper coins. According to the calculation that a regular coin is equal to one tael of silver, that means he owed 87,000 taels of silver.
To be continued...