One hundred and forty-eight chapters one yuan return to the beginning (three)
Needless to say, the women's table, including the whole family, consisted of three ladies and a young lady. At the table outside the screen, the three masters and the five sons of the Shen family filled a round table.
The eldest master is in the front seat, with the second master, Shen Zhu, Shen Qin, and Shen Rui on his left hand, and the third master, Shen Lin, and Shen Bao on his right hand side. Although I pay attention to "eating without speaking" when eating, because this is New Year's Eve dinner , it was different again. The gentlemen were also friendly and chatted with their nephews from time to time.
Shen Zhu had been in Beijing for three days and finally met the second master. How could she not be happy?
When the second master talked to him, he couldn't help but flatter him, and his eyes towards the second master were full of reverence. However, when the second master asked about his homework and knowledge, he couldn't help but be flattered. When he mentioned his clan brothers, there was something in his words. Taken with arrogance.
Looking at Shen Zhu who was so proud, the second master raised his eyebrows. When he thought of himself as a young man and a talented person in the world, was he so shallow and ridiculous in the eyes of others?
He didn't dislike Shen Zhu, but paid more attention to him. He just felt that he saw himself thirty years ago in this young man. The second wife was worried that the eldest man and his wife would choose Shen Zhu, but the second man had never worried about this. .
For this young man who looks like an embroidered pillow, only the second wife would only see the surface and think that he is so outstanding that other people, the eldest master and the eldest wife would take a fancy to him.
Thinking of this, the second master couldn't help but look at Shen Rui.
Because the seats were photographed according to seniority and age, Shen Rui was seated farthest from the three gentlemen. He did not need to accompany them to talk, but concentrated on the table.
When we were in Songjiang, the food in Sifang was considered good. There was no shortage of chicken, duck, and fish, and the meat dishes also included pork. But after all, Beijing is a different place. The food here pays attention to the fine meat and fine meat, and many of the ingredients are new to Songjiang. , such as oriole, squirrel, pheasant, roe deer and other game. There are also a few cold side dishes, which look ordinary, but are made from wild vegetables stored in spring and summer. Used in this season, they have a unique taste.
In addition to the delicious color and aroma of the dishes, the utensils are also exquisite, including sets of fragrant lacquerware bowls and dishes. Five hundred years later, they will all be antique treasures.
He was just paying attention, and after all, he had a good education, and Shen Rui didn't show any inappropriate behavior. Even if there was a table full of delicacies, even if he felt that it was right for his appetite, he wouldn't take more chopsticks and stopped.
Compared with his calmness and ease, several other Shen family members also performed remarkably well.
Although the family backgrounds of each house are different, they all have a basic education and have been studying for many years, so they will not make a fool of themselves just for a few bites of food. It is just that they are cautious in front of a few elders. Even if they use chopsticks, they are just looking at what is in front of them. One or two dishes.
The three masters all paid attention to Shen Rui in unison, and they felt more and more that this son was good at cultivating Qi, which was very impressive.
A New Year's Eve dinner, even if it is a bit deserted, can be considered to be used up without incident.
The banquet was moved away, but because we had to watch the New Year's Eve, the eldest master did not let everyone go back. He ordered everyone to stay here to watch the New Year's Eve, so he took the eldest master and the second master to the study in the east chamber.
Mrs. Xu arranged for her maid to serve Yu Guo Xianguo, and asked her maid to bring Go, backgammon, dental cards, etc. for their brothers to play. She ordered Zhou's mother to bring two maids to serve, and took the second wife and the third wife to Xishao. Talk in between.
It was cold and windy outside, and it snowed before dinner, but inside the house was as warm as spring.
No one was in the mood to play cards or chess. Shen Qin was homesick and took Shen Bao to chat. Shen Zhu talked to Shen Lin every sentence. Shen Rui sat next to him, thinking about Shen Jue. There are two of them, and I can't help but feel a little distracted.
Every New Year's Eve, apart from ancestor worship and New Year's Eve dinner, the most interesting thing to do is set off firecrackers.
Since around dinner, the faint sound of firecrackers in the distance has not stopped. In contrast, taking advantage of the desertedness of Shen's house. Although the expressions of the several gentlemen are gentle, they can't hide their sadness.
It is estimated that the gloomy atmosphere in the second room will not ease until Shen Luo celebrates her anniversary.
Shen Rui was not a child, so he naturally noticed the absent-minded gazes of the gentlemen during dinner, and he couldn't help but feel strange. He looked at the window. Now that the second gentleman and the second wife had come out, should the gentlemen of the second bedroom mention the inheritance? Successor matter?
Among the three masters, Shen Rui felt that the third master was close to him, not because he knew that he would most likely adopt the third wife, but because the third master's unsullied scholarly character was very similar to his father in his previous life, which made Shen Rui feel close to him. Rui couldn't help but feel close to him.
In the study room in the east chamber, several gentlemen, just as Shen Rui thought, it was the first time the three brothers got together to discuss the issue of an heir.
The second master did not mention what happened to Shen Zhu as the second wife thought, but directly asked: "How many days have the nephews been here? Does the eldest brother have a favorite heir?"
The eldest man glanced at the third master and said: "Let alone others, Brother Rui is the first one. Not to mention that this child has extraordinary qualifications. Even because of the old relationship between Mr. Sun and Sister Min, we should pick him up." Jingzhong will take care of you."
After hearing this, the second master looked at the third master again: "Third master, I heard that you took Brother Bao back yesterday? But you have a crush on Brother Bao?"
Hearing this, the third master hurriedly waved his hands and said: "Second brother misunderstood, I just think that Brother Bao is quite talented in calligraphy, and I am happy to see him... I have discussed it with Rong Niang, and even we ourselves Big brother, how can I take care of a child when my sister-in-law is taking care of me? There is no need for the third bedroom to choose another heir. Once the eldest brother chooses an heir, he can also take care of the third bedroom."
The elder frowned and said: "Why do you think of having a mother-in-law again? The third brother and sister have been looking forward to raising a child for a long time. It's not your own decision.
The third master said hurriedly: "Brother, please don't accuse others of raising a child. It's not so easy to raise a kitten or puppy. There are so many things to worry about. Where did Rong Niang do this?"
The elder shook his head and said: "It is difficult to raise a single seedling... we should discuss this matter later."
The third master frowned and said: "This time, we don't want to have three wives. The eldest brother and the second brother each have their own heirs... As for me, aren't my nephews just flesh and blood? Wait for the eldest brother and the second brother to have their own heirs. I will do this." What's wrong with being filial to your uncle?" At the end of the sentence, I was quite excited.
When the elder saw this, he felt worried and hurriedly shouted: "Why are you so anxious? It's easy to talk."
The third master calmed down his mind and said in a deep voice: "I have made up my mind, brother, don't try to persuade me any more. My body has been a drag on the family since I was born. I have eaten countless ginseng and deer antlers... After my parents left, it was my brother again. , my sister-in-law raised me like a son. If it weren’t for the dowry supplement, I would have been struggling with the whole family... I shouldn’t have lived a shameless life, but ants are greedy for life, and they still want to live, so they shamelessly stick to me. Brother, sister-in-law... Even if I have an heir here, I don’t have the time to educate him because of my body, so I still have to bother my brother and sister-in-law, why bother to take care of him?"
The third master was born prematurely. In addition to heart disease, he also had congenital deficiencies. He was raised with ginseng since he was a child. Even now, ginseng and bird's nest are used for daily nourishment.
Hearing this, the eldest master glanced at the second master and said with a wry smile: "To be honest, the third one needs to be grateful is not your sister-in-law, but Mr. Sun. Our Shen family owes Mr. Sun another life."
There were some words that he didn't want to say too clearly out of consideration for the second master's face, but Shen Rui's adoption was imminent and he couldn't let the second master have any doubts in his heart. The eldest master still chose to tell the truth to his two younger brothers.
The second master's heart trembled, but the third master asked puzzledly: "Why does it involve Mr. Sun... Hasn't Mr. Sun been missing for more than 20 years?"
The elder said: "Although your sister-in-law is the legitimate daughter of the prime minister, the Xu family had already left the capital when she got married, and the dowry was also considerable. When I came back, I spent a lot of it... those big shops and rent-collecting shops under her name
, were all bought by Mr. Sun when he came to Beijing. They were originally intended to be used as dowries for Sister Min, but they were not used later, so they were given to your sister-in-law as a reward for educating Sister Min."
Living in the capital is not easy.
When the Third Grandpa came to Beijing alone, he bought a lot of properties, and later gave some of them to the Second Master and his wife. Although the Third Old Lady also left a dowry, it was still a small amount. After all, even though the Third Grandpa had the name of Master Shen’s great-grandson,
When he entered the capital, he was just a new scholar. Even if he was favored by his old friend Shen Xueshi, his wife was a granddaughter, but he was from a scholarly family, not a prominent family.
The third prince and the third old lady died early. Even though the eldest prince and the second prince have already entered official positions, one is in charge of the Sixth Ministry and the other is in the Imperial Academy, and they are all junior officials.
The period of filial piety for both parents is observed continuously for five or six years.
After people leave, the Shen family wants to continue to establish a foothold in the capital. It is not that easy, so they have to take care of everything.
Although the third master has not been an official and has no official expenses, the money he spends on health care is like running water.
The eldest master and his wife did not touch the property of Mr. Sun in the early years. Later, the third master’s expenses for health care increased and they couldn’t make enough money, so they started to use the money.
The three-year old man was a little dumbfounded when he heard this: "Could it be that all the money I spent in these years was left by Mr. Sun..."
The elder nodded and said: "That's right. Your sister-in-law was afraid that you would think too much, so she wanted to tell you the truth a long time ago, but I stopped her... Mr. Sun regarded our brothers as his nephews when he was alive. How could he be with us?"
It’s a lot to worry about.”
The third master said with a bitter face: "Even if those shops were left by Mr. Sun, since they were given to the elder sister-in-law, they are naturally the elder sister-in-law's private property. In the final analysis, it was me who dragged the elder brother and the elder sister-in-law down. Otherwise, given the nature of the elder brother and the elder sister-in-law, they would not
Go and touch the money, even if you don’t think so, you have made up your mind to return it to Sister Min.”
The elder didn't want to make his younger brother think too much, and said: "Don't think too much. When you first received the property, your elder sister-in-law really didn't want to take it and wanted to give it to Sister Min, but the elder didn't allow it. Now that Brother Rui has lost his mother, his situation is
No, we have to choose an heir here again, so your sister-in-law and I thought about letting Brother Rui take over the family, so that the property in your sister-in-law's name can be passed on to him in a legitimate and legitimate manner, and he can be regarded as the original owner of Japan."
The third master understood the reason, and the last bit of regret that Shen Rui couldn't adopt his third wife was forgotten. He nodded and said: "It should be so...