Chapter 150: Let's do business (thousand-character chapter)
There was no other way, the Zhao family could be considered superior to the Lu family, and Mrs. Zhao endured it.
After Lu Wulang got married and the Lu family finally separated, Mrs. Zhao began to repair the Zhao family's dowry house in Piling City.
As a result, the families were separated but not separated. When the grandson's wife gave birth to a child, the child's wet nurse had to live in a separate room. There was not even a separate room for confinement. Lu Silang lived in the front yard for more than a month.
Mr. Zhao went to Mr. Lu and said that he wanted to live in a separate house and not give the Lu family a house. He would have a son-in-law and half a son. The Zhao family would naturally make preparations.
Mr. Lu refused without thinking, saying that dividing the government would only happen after his death.
Just like that, Liangzi formed a friendship again. When we meet later, we eat well and live well.
The so-called tough one is afraid of being cross. Mr. Lu is the hard one, and Mr. Zhao is the cross one. The two of them can never talk to each other, but they can always talk for a while.
Mr. Lu approached Mr. Zhao and said, "We are going to separate the houses. I will have more space in the future."
Mr. Zhao paused and looked at Mr. Lu, "Didn't you say that unless...why do you suddenly want to divide the house again? What do you have..."
As this person is getting older, death and illness are a bit taboo.
Mr. Lu laughed heartily, "You will live ninety-nine, and I will live a hundred. How can I survive you if you are not in good health?"
"Then what house do you belong to? I know a master, please ask him to perform two rituals for you?" Mr. Zhao approached Mr. Lu and said.
The previous dynasty perished because it respected Taoism, so some Taoist priests claimed to be true people and had the elixir of immortality. In the end, the entire court was controlled by the so-called true people.
So when we arrived in Dayong, the first rule of Emperor Gaozu was not to respect Taoism. Although it was not forbidden, the officials did not respect it, and how many people in the community dared to openly associate with Taoist priests and masters.
Mr. Lu glanced sideways at Mr. Zhao, "Don't you have anything else in your mind?"
"Yes, I want to see my great-grandson."
Mr. Lu didn't want to talk to him anymore, "Sanlang and Silang want to serve as officials, so they proposed a separate government."
Seeing Mr. Lu's face full of anger, Mr. Zhao was happy.
"Hahahaha, you can't, but you can't control it. Sure enough, your children and grandchildren are here to collect debts."
After saying that, he came closer to Mr. Lu and said, "Tell me in detail, what did my good son-in-law tell you to make you so angry?"
"It would be better if he told me himself. He asked Erlang to tell me."
Mrs. Zhao also knew about Mr. Lu, and she often saw him when traveling outside. He had more than enough integrity but not enough scheming. Fortunately, his son was a man of many tricks. With a combined total of 800 tricks, they managed to keep the business going.
If he has eight hundred tricks, then Mr. Lu is not bad at all, but he is totally wrong.
Lu Erye’s son, Lu Sanlang, has eight hundred and one, and Lu Erye is the one holding back.
Mr. Zhao turned around and said to the people behind him: "You go to Nannan's courtyard first, and I'll go and see the mud your Uncle Lu has been playing with recently."
Mr. Lu glared, "That's a clay sculpture, why are you playing with clay?"
"No matter what kind of sculpture you make, it looks like a pile of mud to me. I brought you a basket of sand and mud from Yixing."
As soon as he heard about Yixing sand and mud, Mr. Lu stopped talking. Just play with mud. Bring him some Yixing sand and mud every time he comes. You can say whatever you want.
The two old men went to the study room in the front yard, and Mrs. Zhao took the Zhao family to the backyard.
Mrs. Zhao kept pulling Lu Fenghe without saying a word, just holding Lu Fenghe tightly.
Mrs. Zhao was not a rich lady at first, she was just a silk reeling girl, but her family opened a workshop in the county, specializing in collecting silkworm cocoons and reeling them into silk.
Mrs. Zhao has been cooking cocoons and reeling silk since she was a child. Although she stopped doing it when she married into the Zhao family, she did it so much when she was young that her knuckles became thick and deformed. Even the decades of pampering can't change her bone appearance.
Although Mrs. Zhao's hands were soft and dry, they were larger than those of ordinary women. Lu Fenghe felt that her grandmother wanted to wrap her hands.
Naturally, Zhao Mingxin and his wife also came, but they just followed behind. It turned out that when they came to the Lu family, Huang Wenshan was still able to step forward based on her relationship with Lu Fenghe. Now even the unmarried Si Lang of Mr. Zhao's family is walking in front of her.
Zhao Mingxin didn't even want to answer Huang Wenshan and stopped talking to his cousin all the way.
Even if Huang Wenshan's veil is torn, it won't help.
When I walked to the door of the backyard, Mrs. Lu and Qin Ling'er were already standing by the flower wall waiting.
The atmosphere between the two old ladies was much more harmonious than that between the two old ladies. The younger generation of the Zhao family met with Old Mrs. Lu, and Mrs. Zhao Lai refused Old Mrs. Lu's invitation to have tea in the yard.
"Forgive me, mother-in-law, but I have to rush to see my great-granddaughter. Why can't we old sisters talk to each other?"
Mrs. Lu just mentioned it politely and was not upset when she was rejected.
"Let's go with that. I don't know what to do. Sister Zhen is really lovely. If my old arms and legs weren't afraid of something happening, I would have hugged her and kept her here."
Mrs. Zhao stroked her hands and said, "Then I have to hurry up and take my great-granddaughter away. I won't let you go easy."
After a few words of banter, the two parties said goodbye under the flower wall.
Mrs. Zhao told Qin Ling'er, "Balang's wife, please send your grandmother back alive."
Qin Ling'er helped Mrs. Lu, "Grandma, let's go quickly. I'll take you back as soon as possible."
Mrs. Lu glared at her, "Why, are you thinking about the good things your grandma brought?"
"No, if I go back late and my fourth sister-in-law and He Niang share the money, I will suffer a big loss. Don't worry, grandma, you will be indispensable."
The grandfather and grandson went back talking and laughing.
Mrs. Zhao looked at the backs of the two of them and said to Mrs. Zhao, "You are a lucky man, and both of your daughters-in-law are also well-behaved."
This statement is quite insinuation.
Ms. Zhao quickly changed the subject and asked Mrs. Zhao, "Mom, how long do you plan to come here this time?"
"I, your second sister-in-law, and several nieces-in-law will stay with you in Piling for a few more days until He Niang's full moon ceremony has passed. As for your father, your brother, your younger brother, and your nephews, just go with them and go get busy if you have anything to do."
Then he also lived in Piling."
Mrs. Zhao looked at her nieces and nephews and said, "I saw that you didn't take care of your children. I thought you would change your mind in a day or two."
Mrs. Zhao took her sister-in-law and said, "The child is very noisy. As you know, we have also found a few wives in our house. It took too long to get here. We will bring him over in two days to relax for a few days."
After hearing this, Mrs. Zhao said nothing more. All the people went into battle together, and Da Lang, who had been running around for many years, came over. He saw that he was here to do business.
Fortunately, Lu Fenghe's Yunhua Building was right behind Zhao's courtyard, and he couldn't walk a few steps. The weather was warm in the middle of the afternoon and there was no wind in the courtyard. Lu Fenghe simply asked the wet nurse to carry Sister Zhen down.
Sister Zhen has been traveling from south to north at a young age and is used to seeing people. Several elders of the Zhao family did not cry when they hugged her. They also pulled one's ears and tugged on that's bead chain, making everyone laugh.
She also grinned and drooled on her face.
After seeing the child, he stuffed gold, silver, jade, and even a few silver notes into the swaddling clothes.
Lu Fenghe pulled Zhao Silang and said, "Cousin, what are you doing? You might as well give the bank note to me directly if you give it to Sister Zhen. If she rubs it into pieces and makes it wet with saliva, it will be just a piece of waste paper."
Lu Fenghe said as he was about to stuff the banknote back.
Zhao Silang refused to accept it no matter what, "Cousin, you already said, why don't I give it to you, you can just keep it. I originally wanted my mother to help me choose a gift for the meeting, but I felt that what I chose for me didn't reflect my feelings.
, but I really don’t know what this little baby likes, so why not just give me the banknote, cousin, you can buy something for your niece."
Lu Fenghe had really never heard of this kind of remarks. It was so perfunctory to ask someone to help pick out a gift, but why not just give him a banknote?
Mrs. Zhao Er also advised Lu Fenghe, "Take it, take it. Whatever you gave to your niece as a meeting gift, you will give it to her in the future. From now on, ask Sister Zhen to ask her fourth uncle for banknotes."
Lu Fenghe knew that the children of the Zhao family were not short of money. Even Zhao Mingxin, who did not do business, had private property. If the family had a large business, he would invest in it. Zhao Silang had not yet gotten married, and his private treasury was even richer.
Lu Fenghe stopped refusing and accepted it, "Don't worry, Fourth Brother, when Sister Zhen becomes the governor, Sister will definitely tell her that Fourth Uncle is a rich man, and the gift he gave as a meeting gift was a banknote. If there is a shortage of flowers in the future, he will use it."
Go find your fourth uncle."
After Lu Fenghe said this, the elders were overjoyed.
But Lu Fenghe couldn't help but laugh. In his previous life, his fourth cousin was really what Lu Fenghe said. In addition to the dowry Lu Fenghe gave to Sister Zhen, his fourth cousin also gave half of the family's belongings to Sister Zhen.
Her dowry was several percent thicker.
My fourth cousin's marriage has never been smooth sailing. The girl he was engaged to be married to fell ill with cold the winter before last and had a cough all winter long. When he saw that spring was coming and the weather was getting warmer, he died.
In my previous life, I would have made a choice for a second girl tomorrow spring, but this girl had an affair with my client, and was even pregnant, so the marriage had to be abandoned.
In this regard, Zhao Silang has always been quite resistant to marriage, and his family did not dare to force him too much. It was not until he was in his thirties that he fell in love with a girl. That's all. He also had difficulties in having children.
He was in his early forties and still had no children. Even his wife tried to persuade him to take a concubine, but he had no idea at all. He felt that this was fate. Since it was fate, he would not force it. He had no children, so he asked his nephew
Nephew is twice as good.
Lu Fenghe looked at her energetic cousin and thought that she might not be able to change the destiny of her family and country due to her limited power, but she could always help her cousin in his wasted life.
It's just that the time hasn't come yet.
After seeing Sister Zhen, the group of people returned to Zhao's courtyard. Just after sitting down and taking a sip of tea, Mr. Lu came back with his two sons and Shen Nanxun.
There are about twenty people in total. Not to mention that Zhao's courtyard is not big. Even in Bailu Garden, these twenty people can't be squeezed into the hall.
Lu Fenghe stood up and wanted to take his cousins out with him to let the elders continue their conversation, but was stopped by Mrs. Zhao.
"Mother He, please sit down. If you can't sit down, just stand. Everyone is listening in the hall."
Mrs. Zhao had spoken. No one dared to go out, and no one could really stand. Mrs. Lu quickly ordered people to move stools and chairs.
"Uncle, go take a look at your father's yard in the front yard and ask the old man to come over quickly. We'll talk about it later."
Mrs. Zhao is the only one who can talk to the old man.
Mr. Lu took Lu Silang to the front yard.
The originally harmonious atmosphere was dampened by the old lady's two words, which made everyone afraid to speak for fear of disturbing Old Madam Zhao.
Over there, Mr. Zhao didn't stay in Mr. Lu's yard for long. He didn't even enter the house. He and Mr. Lu stood on the corridor of the study and talked about the matter.
"Sanlang really wants to serve as an official?" Mr. Zhao asked impatiently.
Mr. Lu nodded, "Not only Sanlang, but also Silang, Fourth Brother, and Fifth Brother will go to Kyoto with Shen Dalang after the full moon ceremony."
Mr. Zhao happily clapped his hands repeatedly, "Great, you are finally under control by your two sons."
Mr. Lu has one head and two heads. "The court is not simple."
Old Mrs. Zhao didn't care, "I married my daughter and came to your Lu family just because your Lu family are scholars and I want my daughter to be destined to be a wife. Now that San Lang is trying to make me happy, it's too late for me to be happy. Don't sigh, it's bad luck."
"Sanlang is already forty."
"So what, I'm also running on the boat. As long as I take care of myself, it won't be a problem to work for another ten years."
Mr. Zhao travels more than Mr. Lu. Although he looks a little older on the face, his spirit and body are indeed much better than Mr. Lu.
"Sanlang..."
"Fortunately, you are still a scholar. There is no point in trying to incriminate someone. My brother taught me this. Your Lu family is really an eyesore. The more you hide, the more likely it is to get into trouble. You stand openly in front of people, just because you want to touch them."
Porcelain also needs to take it easy."
Old Mrs. Zhao didn't let Mr. Lu continue to say depressing words, "Well, it's a good thing that the children want to go out and earn some money. There's nothing to stop them. It's business if you take good care of them and help them for a few more years. Now you're going to destroy your own prestige by letting others have their ambitions."
Can’t make it?”
Mr. Zhao was planning excitedly, "The yard was repaired halfway and then stopped. Now I'm afraid I have to start over. I have to ask Dalang to find someone to make arrangements quickly, so as not to delay my daughter's housewarming."
Mr. Lu really couldn't keep up with the old man's thinking. Why did he talk about going to the branch office again? He was heartbroken and was stabbed by the Zhao dog.
"I will arrange my son's residence myself." Mr. Lu said with a frown.
Mr. Zhao waved his hand, "Forget it, let alone your Lu family's house. Even in Manpiling City, you can't find a better house than my daughter's wedding house. We are all members of our own family. Why should we divide it between you and me?
You said you didn’t have this idea when we got married."
"Okay, the house is empty as well, so why bother your children."
Mr. Zhao was about to leave after saying that. There was something important coming here today.
"By the way, we will go to Sanbailou by the lake for dinner in a while. You and your family will also go to Xifu to say hello. It will be a greeting to Sister He and an apology for our sudden visit."
Mr. Lu raised his hand to refuse.
"Why are you refusing? Erlang has reserved eight tables. It would be a pity not to go and eat. It would be hard for the gentlemen to go to the free school."
Mr. Lu talked a lot, but in front of the talkative Mr. Zhao, he had no room to interrupt.
Next, Mr. Zhao was in a bad mood.
"The second brother's daughter-in-law is also careless. While Shen Dalang is here, we have to make a decision on this matter. It's true that Mrs. Huang is the granddaughter-in-law, and Sister He is also a granddaughter. The family has no reason to muddle through the past."
Mr. Lu was indeed well prepared for this matter and the mud. After all, there was no substantial harm and it was really difficult to deal with.
Mr. Zhao's next words made him feel a little ashamed, "The new brother has to go out for a walk. My wife can't be so confused and do everything according to her own wishes. This matter also hit other juniors at that time."
"Although He Niang wants to reconcile, this matter is not the main reason, and it doesn't seem to have much to do with it, but after all, the children of the Shen family are involved, and they always have to make it clear in front of Shen Dalang. It means that they have made a decision before talking to you. He said, just pretend you don't know anything, and the family scandal will be avoided if possible."
Mr. Lu bowed to Mr. Zhao and said, "My dear brother, you are just and righteous."
Mr. Zhao laughed heartily, "Okay, don't argue with me, knowing that I don't know a few Chinese characters."
However, Mr. Lu admired him from the bottom of his heart. He claimed to know the principles of the world in vain, but he never thought that some things should be explained clearly in front of Shen Dalang. He did not even think of breaking up with the Huang family. Master Huang asked someone to find him and find him. Third Master Lu, he only gave me one tactic to avoid words.
In the final analysis, this matter is not between Lu Fenghe and Huang Wenshan, but between the Shen, Lu, and Zhao families.
So what if there is no substantial harm? It is enough that she has done something substantial. If there is no harm, it is just that Sister He is lucky and the two children are lucky.
Even though the knife was stabbed in, it cannot be said that the person who stabbed him in the back is not dead, and the person who stabbed him with the knife is not guilty.
Mr. Zhao left Mr. Lu's yard and walked to the backyard.
"Let's go, let's not rush you. Did your grandmother ask you to come?" Mr. Zhao met Mr. Lu and Mr. Lu on the road.
Mrs. Zhao asked after the two men met.
Lu Silang nodded, "Grandpa knows things like a god."
"Hmph, don't compliment me. Who else will come to urge me besides your grandmother?" Old Mrs. Zhao said, "Has Shen Dalang come back?"
"Come back with us?"
"Sister He still wants to reconcile with him?" Mrs. Zhao asked again.
Mr. Lu sighed, "It seems like this. Sister He has no intention of letting go."
"Don't sigh. I always tell your uncle that children and grandchildren will have their own blessings. Mother He is blessed. Even if your Lu family can't accommodate her, she can still go to Suzhou to be with us. Kyoto is not a good place."
Mr. Zhao is used to seeing fathers and sons and brothers turning against each other in shopping malls. The only requirement for the younger generation is that the family be harmonious and discussable. As for the other things, they are just icing on the cake and are not forced.
"What did my grandfather say? How could he not tolerate their mother and son?"
"Can the Shen family let their children follow Sister He?" Mr. Zhao did not expect this.
"I've brought the children with me. I'm afraid it won't be easy to take them back."
"That's right, it would be great if you can take the child with you. I'm going to say something ugly first. Don't let Sister He and the child suffer any injustice, or I will take them to Suzhou Mansion."
Mr. Lu and Mr. Lu reiterated their assurances, but Mr. Zhao still looked suspicious.
Although Third Master Lu had married his daughter, he was married far away and for a short period of time, so his feelings were not as deep as those of Mr. Zhao, who had been married to his daughter for 20 to 30 years.
"Every time my daughter goes back to Suzhou, she always comes and goes in a hurry. She either has children at home or has to serve the elders. You are young and have nothing to do. This woman, if she marries into her husband's family, she is not her husband's family. It's not that Sanlang treats her badly, no matter how good he is. , except for you, your parents, brother and sister-in-law, she is a stranger to her, and she is becoming familiar with her little by little."
"When a woman gets married, when she comes home, she is not called home, but called her parents' home. Why? Because it is no longer the home where she lives day and night. It is always difficult for women, not to mention that Sister He came back from a divorce.
"The Lu family is different from other places. They probably don't like women to show themselves in public. There are so many people in your clan, so tongues are bound to be indispensable. You scholars care most about reputation when doing things, so why not..."
"What my father-in-law said is wrong. Did He Niang and Li Guijia ruin the reputation of the family? Not to mention that she was reconciled to Li, even if she was divorced by Shen Dalang, as long as He Niang did not violate the rule of seven outings, I, Lu Ziyan, would tolerate her
Hers." Mr. Lu interrupted Mr. Zhao.
After he finished speaking, he felt that his tone was a little bad.
"Forgive me, father-in-law, just now..."
"It's best if you think so. I'm just worried about Nannan. Sister He will have a bad life, and Nannan won't be happy. It's the best thing you have this intention."
Mr. Lu was silent and said nothing. It was indeed true. Everyone wanted everything to go well for their children. Mr. Zhao only had a love for his daughter.
"Your father said that you are going to separate houses, so go and live in the house where your daughter's dowry is. The benefits are real. Don't think that it will be embarrassing to live in the house where your mother-in-law is dowrying you. Real men, there is no need to be serious about these things."
When the family was separated in the early years, Mr. Zhao mentioned that although Mr. Lu didn't say it directly, he still had an awkward relationship with Mrs. Lu for a while. He, a dignified scholar, lived in the wife's house. Those who didn't know it thought that he, Lu Ziyan, had stepped in.
But as he got older, Mr. Lu no longer rejected the matter. The dowry house was really good. There were many children and grandchildren, and He Niang was back. It was not worth it to earn face so that the children could not live happily.
Indeed, the benefits are real. Maybe the fourth brother is even envious that he can live in such a big house after dividing the house.
Over the years, everyone inside and outside the family has relied on my wife a lot, so why should we divide this matter between you and me?
"I listen to my father-in-law. I just don't bother him with repairing the house. He always wants me to do something." Mr. Lu said.
As long as you agree to live in it, it doesn't matter who does the repairs. It's just the same if you secretly subsidize it.
"You and Shiro are both going to serve as officials. If you don't have enough money, don't go to my daughter. Just come to me. She is narrow-minded. She won't be able to sit still even if this large amount of money is spent."
Third Master Lu bowed deeply to Mr. Zhao, "I'd like to thank my father-in-law first."
Lu Silang followed suit, "Thank you, Grandpa."
"Okay, one is my uncle and the other is my grandson. I can't care about you. If you don't have money, you can make money. You should take good care of yourself. I don't understand things in the official world. I can always help you with things in the business world.
When you are well, my daughter will be well, and the Zhao family will also benefit from it."
Faced with Mr. Zhao's love for his daughter, Mr. Lu felt ashamed.
"It's my son-in-law's fault for letting his father-in-law suffer."
"Okay, don't tell others what we, my third son, have to say. If you say it, it will make people laugh. Saburo only wants to become an official at such an old age."
Of course, Mr. Lu and Mr. Lu knew that Mr. Zhao was just joking. If he really thought it was making people laugh, he would not say so much to them.