The structure of this villa is very different from that of the houses in Beijing. It is not the shape of a classic courtyard house, but rather has the feel of a Jiangnan garden.
It's just that these courtyards are distributed differently, and they are all built around a courtyard with a pond in the middle. For example, the girls' family now lives on the east side of the entire courtyard by the old lady's courtyard.
Passing through several pavilions and corridors, there are two or three larger courtyards, where four ladies and their servants live now. After going around to the west, Xie Langhua and his young friends live
place.
There are lotus roots planted in this relatively wide body of water. Although it is not yet full of endless green leaves, the lotus leaves have already begun to spread out on the water.
There is also a lake center pavilion in the middle of the lake, with a winding wooden corridor passing through it.
It was getting late now, and the orange glow was scattered on the water surface and the pavilion. It looked a bit like the Jiangnan charm that others had just mentioned.
When a group of people passed by, they disturbed a few water ducks hiding under the lotus leaves, and suddenly they dived into the water, creating circles of ripples on the water.
The girls were already in a very good mood, but now they were all affected by the beautiful scenery in front of them, chatting and laughing all the way to the old lady's house to say hello.
"They really went wild as soon as they came out. I even asked them to find something fresh from the ground for you sisters to eat. Who wants to wait until I call someone to see that all of you are gone?"
The old lady smiled and deliberately made fun of them.
Xie Sihua said quickly: "Grandma wanted to get us something fresh to eat, so we also specially caught a lot of peach fish for grandma to eat! The maids had already sent the fish to the kitchen earlier, so we caught it with our own hands
Yes, it must taste extremely delicious."
Seeing that they all looked happy, the old lady was obviously very satisfied, so she smiled and said: "It's obvious that I was naughty, and I said it was for my grandmother! Okay, hurry up and pack away! Otherwise, your fish will come up later.
I have to wait for you to get cold."
Everyone then went to their own yard to change clothes. After they all left, the old lady turned to them and asked them, "How was it?"
My sisters-in-law looked at me and I looked at you, but they didn't say anything.
Xie Wenyuan smiled and said: "They are all still children! I'm afraid I haven't understood what you are thinking, so I'll just let them play for two days. When I get back, will you ask again?"
Anshi and Yushi also nodded in agreement.
Mrs. Qi sat aside blankly, her eyes and face full of worries.
The old lady's eyes fell on her, and when she saw this, she said: "Second daughter-in-law, you are in good health. If you feel tired, you don't have to sit here according to the rules. Anyway, you are out now, so there is nothing wrong with relaxing."
Mrs. Qi came back to her senses, sat upright quickly, and said with a forced smile: "What are you talking about? I was just thinking about the young people talking and laughing just now, and I felt a little emotional."
As for what they were feeling, the other people could all guess it, but no one took the topic in that direction.
The old lady then said: "We have many girls in our family, let alone Girl Lin. It depends on the Lin family's wishes. Now the fourth and fifth girls are all close to hairpins, the sixth girl is almost there, and even the seventh girl is about to be ten.
Fourth, it’s time to make arrangements. The first few sisters are married, and then the following ones can continue.”
Xie Shuhua was not mentioned. The veil in Qi's hand tightened again. She still couldn't hold it back. "Could it be that mother and master are planning to look at each other among these four Jinshi girls?"
This question was somewhat strange to ask, and even Anshi couldn't help but glance at Qishi.
No matter how much she doesn't care about Xie Songhua, she is still her biological daughter. After hearing this, she actually intends to ignore it completely?
The old lady didn't seem surprised by her question at all. She raised her eyelids and said calmly: "The fourth girl doesn't need your attention. Her father has his own arrangements, but the fifth girl needs you to worry more.
Her biological mother is your personal maid, and you hold her in high esteem. You know very well what kind of situation the mother and daughter are in. If you don't help her take care of each other..."
"Don't worry, mother!" Ms. Qi felt a little uncomfortable after hitting a nail that was neither soft nor hard, but she still had to put on a smile, "Based on Wu Yatou's situation, being able to be said to be a serious Jinshi is quite worthy.
.
Before going out, her aunt came over to tell me about this and asked me to thank my mother."
"They are all our own girls, so what can I say to thank you?"
The old lady said this lightly, but she actually meant that she didn't want to say anything more. The few of them changed the topic again and started talking about the scenery outside.
But these people knew it in their minds. In fact, the meeting this time was for Xie Li and Xie Shuhua. The other sisters were either not from their own family or were not yet old enough.
As for Xie Songhua, it is obvious that Xie Yuncang has his own arrangements.
This is true, speaking of which, Xie Songhua is Xie Yuncang's only legitimate daughter.
My father was the second minister of the dynasty, so how could he be matched with an ordinary Jinshi?
Unless this Jinshi also has a family background like Xie Langhua, after all calculations, only Mr. Lan can barely get it.
But according to what the old lady meant, Xie Songhua's marriage will not fall on Mr. Lan.
The elders have their own plans in mind, but the younger ones are all kept in the dark.
Xie Sihua is the most carefree one. In her words, this meal was particularly delicious because she ate the fish she caught.
In the evening, several sisters gathered together and then dispersed. They were really tired from playing today.
Xie Tu came to Xie Songhua's house.
"Sixth sister, do you have something to tell me?"
"A few days ago, my second uncle went to Shou'an Hall to talk to my grandmother. I vaguely heard something."
This is how Xie Tu talks. Even if the news is sure to come to her, she must first put a layer of smoke in it. This is not to be considered imprudent.
Xie Songhua was used to it and knew what she heard.
"Second uncle said that he would like to choose one or two of these people to be his son-in-law, and let my grandmother help me control the eyes."
She looked at Xie Songhua seriously as she spoke, but there was no hint of surprise on her face.
So Xie Tu continued: "Originally, there was such news in the house. I thought I was choosing for you and the third sister, but later I heard that it was for the third sister and the fifth sister."
This surprised Xie Songhua. In fact, she was still carefully observing the young disciples during the day!
I want to see which of them has a personality that is more suitable for me.
It's a pity that there is an older young woman living in her body. In her eyes, these young people today really feel like younger brothers!
Thinking about it this way, it seems that Chen Liu's naturally mature character can make her feel less inconsistent.
Who would have thought that at this moment I heard Xie Tu say that he was not here to choose a husband for her.
Seeing her dumbfounded look, Xie Tu couldn't help but frown and said, "Did you listen to me carefully?"
Xie Songhua finally came to his senses, "Ah?! Listen, I heard everything you just said."
"Then don't you understand? My second uncle is already choosing a husband for my fifth sister! What does that mean?"
"Say, what does it mean?!"
Xie Tu was a little stunned. It took her a while to come back to her senses and said helplessly: "You are usually so smart, why don't you think about it now? It means that my second uncle has already decided on your marriage!"
Chapter 256:
"What?! Who?!" This time Xie Songhua really reacted.
Xie Li is younger than herself. In this era, except for special circumstances like Xie Qionghua, the rules of large families are based on order.
Now that she is ranked fourth, she cannot marry earlier than Xie Shuhua.
The same goes for Xie Li.
Xie Tu shook his head gently, "I don't know who it is. My maid was also listening under the window at that time. When she said this, she really didn't hear it clearly, but what is certain is that the second uncle
The candidate has been decided, but we just haven’t been told.”
"No! No, it's not!" Xie Songhua was caught off guard by the sudden news, "You've made your choice, don't you even need to tell me?"
There are still marriages here and there! People are being bought and sold here!
Xie Tu was afraid that she would disturb others, so he quickly asked her to keep her voice low, "I'm telling you this to prepare you mentally. The second uncle didn't tell you right now, so naturally he has his own considerations.
It's just that marriage is a lifelong matter for a woman. Since you came back, your second uncle has always been kind to you, and you have been left out. Otherwise, when you go back, you can find a chance to get together with your second uncle.
If your uncle talks openly and honestly, he may not blame you for not following the rules."
Xie Tu went back for a while, but Xie Songhua didn't even come back from his thoughts.
She knew that she was going to get married soon, and she had been doing some mental construction for herself during this period.
but……
When this day really stood in front of her, she was still in a daze.
What does it mean that Xie Yuncang has chosen?
This means that the person she will spend the rest of her life with already has a specific name and has become a specific person.
She couldn't help but think of the words she said to Yu Ruzhuo. They were what she felt in her heart, and they were also the living facts that she had to face.
"What? Are you scared?"
Yu Ruzhuo's voice suddenly appeared, and Xie Songhua was no longer afraid, but suddenly felt a strong desire to talk from the bottom of his heart.
"Do you know who it is? My father...may have actually identified the candidate for my future husband!"
"I just heard it." Yu Ruzhuo's voice was as calm as ever, as if there weren't many things in the world that could surprise him.
"You...then what should I do now?"
"Aren't you curious who your father chose for you?"
When he asked this question, Xie Songhua suddenly realized that she really didn't seem to have thought about who it was, but was completely uneasy about this matter.
She hesitated before asking: "Do you know?"
"I can tell."
These words made Xie Songhua fall silent. She turned around and looked at the night sky outside the window as if she was escaping from something.
This place is no different than in the city. There are no night lights on the streets all night long. The starry sky seems brighter, but the two or three sparse stars on the dark night also look colder.
"Or do you still want to marry Chen Liu?"
"Ah?" Xie Songhua came back to his senses from his vague thoughts, shook his head after a long time and said, "Actually, I don't know, is it really good to marry Chen Liu?"
She actually had no romantic feelings for him, and she didn't even have the kind of flutter when meeting him that was theoretically required.
What's more, because of the relationship with the original owner, she always feels like she has usurped the original owner's things.
But this kind of emotion seems to be of no use to Yu Ruzhuo.
Although their relationship can be called friends, it doesn't seem good to let him do everything for her.
After a long while, Xie Songhua still smiled and said: "Forget it, let's take it one step at a time! I don't know which choice is better right now, so why not just leave this choice to God and let God choose for me!"
Not sure whether he didn't understand or didn't agree with her idea, Yu Ruzhuo was silent for a while.
Xie Songhua had no choice but to say: "But thank you for thinking about me, but... we will eventually part ways, and I can't always count on you! By the way, you said last time that you were leaving? Did you mean... that
?”
"Um."
Xie Songhua suddenly felt melancholy, "This time... is it true?"
"Um."
There were not many words, and such an empty word made Xie Songhua feel a little uncomfortable. She looked around, shrugged and said with a smile: "This is a good thing, but... please don't do it again."
"Probably not."
At this point, there seems to be nothing more to say.
During this period, he became more and more busy, and occasionally he was away for a whole day, which showed that he had a lot of things on his side.
He has never stopped researching on those weird and mysterious things. According to his character, he is probably almost sure of it!
Of course, she should be happy for him about such a thing, but there was always some lingering loss in Xie Songhua's heart.
I don't know if it's because of this or because of the marriage.
On the second day, Xie Langhua took the lead and suggested that everyone go hiking. While everyone was in high spirits, Xie Songhua was a little listless.
Xie Tu probably noticed this, and intentionally or unintentionally stood in front of her when she was in front of people outside.
It was said that it was a mountain climb, but it was actually just a small hillside. It was said that the scenery at the top of the mountain was good, and the weather was good. The birds were singing and the flowers were fragrant at this time. It was indeed a good choice to go out, so Xie Songhua came with us.
Except for Xie Qionghua, who is not in good health, everyone else is here.
The vast group of young men and women is a beautiful sight.
Fortunately, this area is a land specially designated by wealthy families to build their own courtyards. On weekdays, the people here are all servants of wealthy families. Although they are surprised to see them, they are not surprised.
As for the lively onlookers.
After getting along yesterday, and traveling together today, we no longer feel so strange to each other. Even with an introverted temperament like Xie Tu's, he can occasionally have a word or two with someone.
"It seems that Fifth Sister has already chosen someone."
Xie Tu and Xie Songhua fell behind. Seeing that neither of them paid attention to them, they lowered their voices and nuzzled Xie Songhua's ears next to her.
Xie Songhua had noticed it a long time ago. From the moment he left home, Xie Tu's attention seemed to be focused on Master Nasu. The two of them talked the most. Although they were both within the rules, if you pay careful attention, you can still see the bias in it.
.
"She is a good match. The fifth sister was born to my aunt, so she is not as good as others financially, but she is also a girl from the Xie family, so she complements Mr. Su perfectly."
Xie Songhua said this sincerely, and Xie Tu was a little surprised, "She has always been with the third sister. Not to mention how bad she is, but she can be regarded as an accomplice. I thought you wouldn't expect her to be well!"
When Xie Songhua heard this, he smiled and pinched her face. Xie Tu turned away and begged for mercy while smiling.
It was lively and busy here, but after all, it was on a mountain road, covered by fine leaves, and the morning dew had not yet evaporated. Xie Songhua didn't pay attention, his feet slipped, and he immediately fell to the side.
"careful!"
Anyone who noticed the situation on their side couldn't help but exclaimed.
Xie Songhua herself was startled, and then she felt a push on her waist. When she turned around, she saw Chen Liu's hand reaching over and grabbing her arm.
The strength on her lower back suddenly relaxed, and Chen Liu pulled her over with all his strength.
As soon as the shock subsided, everyone gathered around and asked, "Are you okay?"
Xie Songhua finally stood firm, breathed a long sigh of relief, shook his head repeatedly, and raised his eyes again, he found Chen Liu looking at his hands with a little doubt on his face.