Since Shen Zhou and his party had a short rest in Songjiang, the patriarch and the clan elders discussed it and drew up a list among the brothers in each clan.
Let Shen Zhou make his own decision as to which ones to decide on.
Shen Zhou looked at the list and saw that Shen Lin and Shen Ling were on it, and he began to think about it.
When he returned to the south in February, he traveled with Shen Lin and Shen Ling. They spent more than a month on the same boat and became quite familiar with each other.
Although Shen Lin is clumsy in reading and not tactful in her behavior, she is sincere in her treatment of others and has a simple temperament, which is quite suitable for Shen Zhou's temperament. He was a proud young man and spent more than twenty years in the Hanlin Academy. He met many smart people, like Shen Lin. Such innocent people are rare.
There is also Shen Ling, who is not very young, but is extremely considerate in her behavior. Not only is she a good person, but she is also motivated.
The other names looked familiar to Shen Zhou. When he came to Songjiang in spring, he had greeted him and greeted him, but he didn't have much impression.
After meeting several young people, Shen Zhou still felt that Shen Lin and Shen Ling were the two most compatible. In addition, they were also familiar with Shen Jue, so it would be easier for the clan brothers to get along with each other in the future.
However, before making a formal decision, he asked the clan master to inquire carefully about the third room.
The separation of the three families started when he came to Songjiang last time. It was really outrageous.
Shen Ling was of the younger generation, so the separation of the family had nothing to do with him, but Shen Zhou still wanted to inquire about the character of his father, Shen Yong.
The eldest son of the clan sighed and said: "Among the third eldest brother, only the second eldest brother, Shen Yong, is a real person. He respects his elder brother and caress his younger brother. He is not the eldest brother, but is better than the eldest brother... Without the second eldest brother, the third brother's house would not be what it is today." He was too kind, and he would inevitably suffer a loss. When the family was separated, he was the only one in the third house who cared about the kinship and did not want to separate the family. Fortunately, the second wife was a shrewd person and stood up, otherwise it would have been difficult to say that there would be no separation... …
Shen Zhou had met Shen Yong, but his impression of this clan brother was mediocre. Because Shen Yong was a merchant, he was a bit unappreciative.
However, after listening to the words of the clan elder, I knew that he was not one to spend money and money. When the division of the family was unfair, he did not quarrel with his grandfather or eldest brother, and even divided his meager property to his younger brother, Shen Zhou. I think Shen Yong is a gentleman.
"What about Shen Ling? Although she is a concubine, she acts well but is not petty and ambitious. Why did she delay her studies?" Shen Zhou asked next.
The eldest son of the clan said: "Brother Ling is the eldest son of Yong Lao Er. In his early years, Mrs. Yong Er had no children, so she raised him as her son... When Ling Ge was eight or nine years old, he had a legitimate son, and his situation changed. . If it were the other child, who had such ups and downs, his character would be distorted. However, Brother Ling was Xiao’s father, a filial and generous man, so he obeyed his parents’ orders and learned to do business. In the end, he was still delayed. If he met Sun It’s hard to say that a legitimate mother like you has already achieved fame a long time ago. It’s not that Yong Laoer doesn’t care about her eldest son, but she pays more attention to her legitimate son.”
Shen Zhou had been on the same ship with Shen Ling for two months and had given him guidance several times. How could he not tell that he loved reading?
Other young people of his age were studying for a living, but Shen Ling had learned from the clan at the age of ten. Shen Zhou couldn't help but feel a little sympathetic.
"Just Shen Ling and Shen Lin. They are familiar with Brother Jue and can be each other's companions... But do we need to tell them in advance how they will arrange their marriage and future?" Shen Zhou said. .
The clan elder smiled and said: "That's natural. These two children are good children, but we must also prevent these two families from causing trouble to the second brother Zhou... It is a great blessing for them that you have brought your clan nephew to teach you. Luck, it would be annoying if it causes more trouble..."
With the clan leader coming forward, Shen Yong naturally had nothing to say.
After the separation of the third house, Shen Yong's family moved out. All the properties they were allocated were taken by the second wife. The second wife was originally a merchant, and she had been working in the third house for twenty years and finally showed her talents. Naturally, he was tightly held.
Shen Yong had wronged his wife and children for more than twenty years, so he felt guilty about his wife and had no intention of caring about her.
Although he knew that his wife was doing this, it was probably because she was on guard against Shen Ling, but Shen Yong thought about his teenage legitimate son, so he turned a blind eye and secretly used his private property to subsidize Shen Ling.
However, because Shen Ling was already twenty years old, the second wife still didn't mention the marriage. Shen Yong couldn't help it, and was about to ask the clan elder to ask the clan elder's wife to help him choose a wife.
Now that Shen Zhou has taken a liking to Shen Ling and wants to take Shen Ling to his new post, it is truly a blessing from heaven for Shen Yong.
Regarding what the clan elder said, Shen Ling's marriage future is all a matter arranged by Shen Zhou, and Shen Yong is no different.
Shen Zhou was a fourth-rank official. Even if Shen Ling was just a nephew next to him, it was enough for him to get married into an official family. Even after a few years of experience, he could still get an official position with the help of his second wife's arrangement.
Therefore, Shen Yong wrote the document happily, clearly written in white and black, entrusting Shen Ling to Shen Zhou. Shen Ling's marriage, future and other matters were all arranged, and no one else was allowed to interfere.
When we got to Jiufang, the master of Jiufang was making a fuss.
"Why did you fall in love with Brother Lin? He is stupid and stupid, how can he serve others? It is better to let Brother Lu go. Brother Lu is experienced and is a supervisor, so it is easy to do things." The ninth master said plausibly.
The eldest master of the clan snorted coldly in his heart and said: "Brother Lu is not cheap to support the family. Second brother Zhou has to choose a junior who is not married..."
In the past six months, there has been a lot of good drama in the third room, and there are also jokes in the ninth room.
When Shen Lin came back from the capital, she brought several boxes of things with her. Not only were they taken by her brother and sister-in-law, but the clothes she was wearing were also made smaller and worn on her nephew. When others asked, Grandma Lu only said: It's good stuff I got from my mother's family.
Others don't know it, but Shen Qin and Shen Bao, who have seen the material of clothes, know it.
Shen Lin is so honest, but her nephew is unruly and cannot be regarded as an elder at all. She calls him "idiot" and "idiot" in front of her, and is bumped into by Shen Qin and Shen Bao.
Shen Qin was aggrieved and cried out. Only then did everyone realize that the things that the ninth house got were given to Shen Lin by the second house's eldest wife and had nothing to do with the other people in the ninth house.
In fact, not only Jiufang, but also Shen Qin and Shen Bao were jealous of the things they brought back from the capital.
The five fingers may be long or short, and the parents' intentions are also biased.
Mrs. Qifang Jie'er was okay, but she and Shen Qin agreed to negotiate and asked Shen Qinyun to give some things to her brothers and sisters. Shen Qin was not a stingy person, so she happily gave them to her.
The old lady of Bafangliu, however, directly "organized" the luggage that Shen Bao brought back, and packed everything away. It was the old lady of Bafang who came forward to get the things back, but in the end the relationship between mother and son was hurt. Even his half-brothers and several direct brothers complained about Shen Bao.
Shen Bao didn't care and just concentrated on studying next to the old man in the eighth room.
He didn't care, but Shen Qin felt wronged for him. It's just that no matter how inappropriate the elder of the eighth house was, there was no reason for him to speak out, so he was holding his breath in his heart. If a fight really broke out and hurt the relationship between the two families, his parents would not spare him.
When Shen Lin encountered something like this, Shen Qin deliberately made a scene, making everyone know that the Jiufang brother and sister-in-law were unkind and took away Shen Lin's things; the Jiufang little eldest brother was domineering and disrespectful to his uncle.
The ninth house was in disgrace, and Shen Qin didn't have a good time. In the end, she received twenty blows.
Others don't know why Shen Qin is making such a fuss, why doesn't Master Jie Er know?
The seventh and eighth bedrooms are located next to each other. The old lady took away the housekeeping rights because Mrs. Liu took away Shen Bao's belongings. This is a secret to outsiders, but the seventh bedroom doesn't know the secret.
Shen Qin caused such a scene. On the surface, it was Jiu Fang who was causing trouble, but in fact, he also slapped Mrs. Liu in the face.
Even Mr. and his wife felt uncomfortable thinking that they had begged something from their son.
If the ninth master is a sensible person and makes such a joke, he should teach Shen Lu and his wife a lesson and comfort Shen Lin. But he is confused. Not only does he not blame Shen Lu and his wife, but he blames Shen Lin. He is troublesome and has brought down the reputation of his brother, sister-in-law and nephew.
Since he was disgusted, how could he be willing to let him follow Shen Zhou to Nanchang to pursue a better future?
"If Brother Xianlu is eldest, then there is our little eldest brother... Our little eldest brother is smart. In the future, he may not be able to pass the imperial examination and shine on the family lintel..." said the Ninfang Taiye.
The elder of the clan sneered and said: "Uncle, don't make trouble. Second brother Zhou wants his nephew to run errands and deliver messages, but he doesn't want to take care of the children? Your little eldest brother is only ten years old, and he is still young even if he is just a servant. Some...
The Ninth House Master said sarcastically: "What's wrong with Xiaodian? I just want to keep Brother Jue company, so that Brother Jue will be lonely..."
The clan elder shook his head and said: "Forget it. Your little eldest brother is not an ordinary person. He can call his uncle a fool and shake his fist at his clan uncle. I'm afraid Brother Jue will be bullied..."
Although the ninth master was unwilling to give in and wanted to grind his teeth, the elder master of the clan was impatient to talk to him anymore and directly mentioned the gift from the second wife to Shen Lin: "Uncle, think about it, if the second brother Zhou pursues this matter, Is it as good as Shen Lu and his wife?"
After all, the Ninth House Master felt guilty and unwilling, so he straightened his neck and said: "If you want to take Brother Lin away, then Brother Lin will have to give up the family property here, and the future marriage will not be in the way... control him. Living with Shen Zhou, eating well and drinking spicy food, is better than living at home..."
The clan elder laughed angrily: "You won't give a cent of the family property to Brother Lin?"
The ninth-fang master cried and said: "The ninth-fang house is no better than the third-fang house. It is just a few acres of thin farmland. The family does not have enough to eat, and Brother Lu is the grandson..."
The clan elder thought for a while and said, "Then we will separate the family in advance and sign the documents so that we will not be in contact with each other in the future."
The Ninth House Master wanted to nod, but felt something was wrong. He raised his eyebrows and said, "How can that be done? Even though their parents are gone, there is still my grandfather here. Brother Lin will always support me and live with me till the end of his life..."
The elder of the clan said: "Since Shen Lu is the grandson who bears the responsibility, and she also wants to occupy all the family property, shouldn't she still support her elders in their old age?"
The Ninth House Master said shamelessly: "I am also in my seventies. When I die, I can't just drag Brother Lu down..."
The clan elder waved his hand and said, "In that case, Shen Lin should stay in Songjiang..."
The ninth master was just greedy for a moment, but when he saw the clan master acting like this, he gave in.
The next day, the ninth brother of the Shen family separated, and Shen Lin "cleansed herself and left the house."
The people who got the news didn't have time to complain about Shen Lin. They got the news that Shen Lin and Shen Ling of the third house had left Songjiang and went to work with the second master of the second house...