Old Madam Qu didn't say anything, but the slightly relaxed corners of her mouth revealed her inner relief: It's not that she doesn't like He Xianjin. Even if she doesn't like him, she can't deny that this girl has a good face and figure, is smart, has a good tongue, knows when to advance and when to retreat, and can coax people into a state of confusion when she wants to - if a man intentionally seduces a girl like this, she will just smile and keep silent!
Both children are good children, but one wants to promote the Chen family's reputation, and the other wants to increase the Chen family's profits.
It's impossible to hold them together!
What’s more, He Xianjin comes from such a background!
No, no, no, even if He Xianjin has a clean background, he is not worthy of Erlang!
Erlang's father died early, and he had already become a fourth-rank prefect. If he worked for another twenty years, he could enter the six ministries and come to Beijing to serve as an official, and it would not be impossible to cross the natural barrier of the fourth rank! By then, Erlang will be able to make a name for himself, and both father and son will serve as officials in the court. The father will support the son, and the son will help the father. Why should the Chen family not prosper?
Now that Erlang's father is dead, who can still support Erlang in the officialdom...?
Madam Qu's face suddenly showed great sadness.
The only thing I can do is to find a father-in-law who is an official in the court for Erlang!
The higher the official position, the better; the more important the position, the better; the more prominent the family background, the better...
Does it matter whether a girl is pretty or not?
Does being tall matter?
Is being tactful and eloquent important?
None of it matters.
The important thing is to have a good father.
Only if Erlang takes this path, will he have a smooth journey!
She heard from Aunt Qu that there was something wrong between Xianjin and Erlang in the corners of their eyes and eyebrows. She was so scared that she tossed and turned that night. Whenever she closed her eyes, all she could see was Erlang and He Xianjin laughing and making noises together. She opened her eyes immediately and could not fall asleep again. She wished she could call He Xianjin over on the spot and make him kneel on the stone road in front of the hall!
That's why on New Year's Eve, she deliberately gave the two of them a chance to be alone.
When a pair of mandarin ducks are deeply in love, no matter how calm they try to be, they can't help but show some timidity and closeness when they are alone.
Wait, timidity?
Madam Qu suddenly remembered something, narrowed her eyes, straightened her back and asked the little girl in a low voice, "Think carefully, does Shopkeeper He look different from usual?"
The little girl still had her hair cut short, not to mention her innocence, she hadn’t even had any pimples yet. She didn’t understand what he meant, and just said blankly, “It’s a little different.”
Second Aunt Qu's grip tightened, and she immediately glanced at Old Madam Qu.
Madam Qu's expression suddenly turned cold, and her voice was as sharp as a thousand knives. "What's the difference?"
The little girl looked up and thought, remembering that Shopkeeper He became silent at the end and ignored Er Langjun, which was completely different from his usual smiling face. So she hesitated and answered, "He didn't look very happy and didn't pay much attention to Er Langjun..."
Aunt Qu loosened her grip: I almost sent He Xianjin into the ditch just now!
Madam Qu's expression also relaxed. She frowned and waved her hand to signal the little girl that she could go down.
The little girl ran away very quickly without looking back.
Old Madam Qu looked at the candles in the house that were dimly lit by the wind, and felt a little sad. She knew that the glass lampshades were beautiful and practical. When they were placed outside the oil lamps, no matter how strong the wind was, it would not blow out the oil lamps. But a glass lampshade cost three hundred coins. Except for Erlang's yard, no other yard in the family had this precious thing...
She had worked hard all her life, was reluctant to eat and wear. Her husband died young. To save money, she walked from Jingxian to Xuancheng every month, which took two days and two nights, just to save 40 coins on the mule cart. She saved 40 coins, and her eldest brother had 40 coins more to buy paper and pens.
When she was thirty years old, her legs were already very bad. They could not bend or straighten, and were as hard as a piece of wood. She declared that it was not easy to make a living in the family. She suffered a lot of losses when she opened a workshop for the first time, and had only two cents on her. The eldest son was about to take an exam, and she could not raise enough money, nor had the money to hire a doctor to see his legs. She was so desperate that she wanted to jump into the river. It happened that an old man in his forties was seriously ill and wanted to marry her. He offered a betrothal gift of fifty taels of silver. She cried so hard that she wanted to sign the contract, but Chen Laoliu's wife sold the last two cows in the family and put the silver into the bamboo basket of the eldest son's exam.
It’s so difficult, but we’ve gotten through it.
She would never allow anyone or anything to influence Erlang.
He Xianjin had no impact, and there were others, He Xianyin, He Xianyu... She was not bragging, Erlang's talent and future were second to none in Xuancheng Prefecture, especially after the eldest son of the Qiao family disappeared, who among the younger generation could compete with Erlang? There were so many young girls and maids in Xuancheng Prefecture... How could he fail at the last minute?
Madam Qu turned to Aunt Qu and said in a hoarse voice, "Have Erlang pack his things and go to Shuntian Prefecture. I bought a small house at the gate of the academician's residence before, which is enough for him. Buy two long-term servants and prepare 500 taels of silver to ask Lord Xiong to find a teacher from Shuntian Prefecture to teach Erlang. The exam will be held in November, and you need to do your best. If you fail in the first year after the mourning period, it will be difficult after that!"
Aunt Qu agreed, "I'll do it after the New Year."
"Let's go tomorrow! It's convenient to travel during the New Year when there's no one on the road! After the New Year, there will be more people and it will be very difficult to travel on the road. There will also be a lot of people outside the good teacher's house..." Old Lady Qu interrupted.
Aunt Qu was dumbfounded. "Tomorrow... tomorrow may be too late!"
Madam Qu was depressed. "Then send He Xianjin to Xiaocao Village, Jixi Workshop, Qin and his son, and Boss Shang to pay New Year's greetings... Don't let her go home. Go to Shuntian Mansion to clean up the house in the next few days. Once you settle down there, send Erlang over immediately."
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