Master Yu's visit this time was relatively short. It only lasted for two cups of tea before he hurriedly said goodbye and left.
There are only women at home, so it is not suitable to stay for a long time, let alone to have a meal.
Mr. Yu knows the rules very well.
Liu Quan also behaved very generously. In addition to the normal return of gifts, she also added some generous gifts to reciprocate the favor.
This should be the case both publicly and privately.
In recent years, Mr. Yu has helped the Qi family a lot, and even relatives have benefited from him. Now that people are coming with gifts, naturally the "basket pressing" cannot be too shabby.
As for this mysterious female nobleman, Liu Quan did not hesitate any more and quickly let go.
She is the emperor's chosen servant, so she definitely doesn't have 'that kind of' relationship with her husband, so what is there to worry about?
Besides, my husband said to me personally: I only love myself in this life. We will live in the same quilt and die in the same hole. We will stay together with our gray hair forever!
You must believe in his oath and his character.
However, this matter is a bit strange, and you still need to be careful when dealing with it.
For example, that Wu Wanrong must have learned something, otherwise, he would not have thought about buying back this old house.
My husband once said that this man was a sycophant who acted according to the circumstances. His actions were most likely for the purpose of flattery, or even to take advantage of the mysterious nobleman.
No matter what, this house is determined not to be sold, and even if it is sold, it will not be given to him.
…
One day later, Mrs. Zhou couldn't wait to make arrangements to visit the grave.
Since you have returned home in glorious robes, you must offer sacrifices to your ancestors, otherwise, you will be said to be a home that has forgotten its ancestors.
Since Qi Yu is not at home, the only son Qi Xiao has to shoulder the responsibility of the 'young master'.
Fortunately, he has now learned to kowtow, and he can do it in a similar manner in etiquette, so he won't make a big joke.
Regarding ancestor worship, the Zhou family was very generous.
She burned pig heads, meat, fried fish, and various hard dishes for the ancestors to enjoy. In addition, she also bought a large basket of paper money to burn a generous gift for the whole family below.
Due to the need of custom, Mrs. Zhou specially asked her granddaughter to write a memorial poem, and then asked her grandson to recite and burn it in front of the grave, in order to convey the happy and important events from above to those below, so that they would also be happy.
Alas, what a pity, little Qi Xiao, who can barely recite a thousand-character essay, is just a bunch of words. How can he recognize all those rare characters?
Mrs. Zhou comforted her grandson and said: "Read it boldly. Even if you mispronounce the word, your grandpa and grandpa will not laugh at you."
Hey, okay!
Qi Xiao pretended to stand in front of the grave, holding on with a grimace and reading: "... And the memorial text said: Oh!... Would you rather know that this is the place where the bones are returned?... Oh, how sad! Shang Xiang!"
Generally speaking, this memorial text is concise and well-worded, so it is pretty good.
However, Mr. Zhou didn't even understand a word of it.
She felt that since she couldn't understand it, her parents-in-law and the dead old ghosts in the underground must not understand it either, because they were also illiterate.
What to do?
Forget it, let me talk about it in plain English!
"I said, dad, our family has changed a lot now! Our son Ah Man has become the prefect and is a dignified fourth-grade official! And my wife and I are also the imperial wives now... our family's
My granddaughter has become a disciple of the Grand Priest Winemaker of the Imperial College, and our grandson is also very eager to learn... In short, everything is fine with him, so you don't have to worry..."
If you don't vomit, you'll feel better. After vomiting, you will feel better. Mrs. Zhou happily helped her grandson burn the paper money and memorial inscriptions, which was considered a ceremony.
At the same time, Xiaotong also used the shovel to build some soil on the two graves, which was considered to be a grave building.
After worshiping their ancestors, everyone started to go home.
Now, everything in the city has been taken care of, and all that's left is to visit relatives.
When talking about this matter, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law couldn't help but sigh with emotion.
After careful calculation, I have not been back to Lanshan County for many years, and the longing in my heart has become more and more earnest.
For Liu Quan and Zhou, returning to Lanshan to visit relatives has another meaning - Guining.
In this world, how can any married girl not miss her mother's family?
There is a chicken in the left hand, a duck in the right hand, and a fat baby on the back. This normal way of returning to your parents' home can be seen almost everywhere nowadays.
However, things are different for officials. After all, they have to prepare a decent gift.
This is not only a benefit for the mother-in-law's family, but also a dignity for the mother-in-law's family. You know, the neighbors are watching! If you are too shabby, you will be looked down upon.
The Qi family is now a well-established family, how could they lose their etiquette?
Preparing gifts was not difficult for Liu Quan at all. She went shopping in Fucheng and quickly selected a large car full of gifts.
When I got home, I saw more than twenty scholars gathered at the door of my house. They were all wearing simple and elegant robes, standing there very respectfully and politely.
What's happening here?
Liu Quan got out of the carriage with confusion and walked up to see what was going on.
Unexpectedly, when the scholars saw her sudden arrival, they straightened their clothes and bowed hurriedly: "See you, Master!"
Master’s wife?
Where did this title come from?
Looking at this large group of literati who were older than himself, Liu Quan was stunned.
I was really confused.
Xianggong is currently far away in Qiongzhou, and it is impossible to teach students thousands of miles apart. If this is the case, why do they consider themselves students?
It doesn’t make sense!
However, Liu Quan didn't dare to show off to scholars. She hurriedly returned the bow and said, "You gentlemen, please forgive me. I really don't know why you call me Master's Wife. Can you tell me?"
In response to this question, one of the middle-aged literati named Long Shitong took a step forward, bowed and replied: "If you talk to Master Niang, we are all taboo, Shaocheng's disciple."
The meaning of this sentence is not difficult to understand.
The original intention was to say that they were all Qi Yu's disciples. However, as they were disciples, they could not directly call their master by his name, so they used the surname instead.
Liu Quan still shook his head, indicating that he still didn't understand.
Seeing this, Long Shitong quickly explained: "Master, have you ever remembered that a few years ago, my mentor taught arithmetic at Yongchuan Mansion School, and we were his students?"
Oh...so that's what happened.
Although Liu Quan had a smile on his face, he was thinking in his heart: Hey, in previous years, I didn't see you coming to visit me, but now you come to see me with a big ceremony. There must be something weird in this!
Could it be that he goes to the Three Treasures Hall without any trouble?
Yes, they must have something to ask for when they come here! Otherwise, they would never be so humble.
Nowadays, literati value integrity and will never bow their heads to ask for help if their own important matters are not involved.
This is basic common sense.
However, no matter what, you still have to treat each other with courtesy and not treat them lightly.
Then, Liu Quan made a gesture of invitation and said to everyone: "You are all my disciples, how can you stand outside the corridor and talk like this? Please invite me to serve tea, and we can talk about it slowly."
Yes, this is the way to treat guests.
When the scholars saw that the master's wife was so knowledgeable and sensible, they became more respectful.
When a group of people suddenly came in, the house was suddenly crowded with people.
Fortunately, the living room in the lobby is relatively spacious, otherwise there would be no room to stand.
Seeing that there were many guests at home, Xiaotong very wisely made tea and served them one by one. Then, she stood behind her mother and listened silently.
She was also curious in her heart, why did her father suddenly become so famous all over the world?
"Is Master's wife okay?"
"Very safe!"
"Is it safe to have teachers close by?"
"Yian!"
Liu Quan couldn't help but frowned and thought to himself: Although these scholars are very polite, they are really annoying when they talk in such a grinding manner, so why can't they be more open-minded?
Xiaotong was still more excited. She encouraged and guided her: "Brothers, if you have something to say, please tell me clearly. If you are so hesitant and unable to speak, when will you be able to express your intention? Don't you hear that Confucius said: Please, the gentleman is a sick man.
She said that if you want it, you must do it."
After reading what Confucius said, the scholars immediately became more candid.
Long Shitong coughed dryly and took the lead in saying: "We came here to ask the Master's wife to 'point out' a clear path for us to guide our lives."
Point the way?
What does this mean?
Hearing this, Liu Quan became confused again. When did he have this ability?