Chapter 1105 Meeting Hualan for the First Time, the Six Brothers and Sisters of the Sheng Family

"How old is Brother Chen?"

"Sixteen."

"Brother Chen, is your mother okay?"

"Grandma, my mother is very good..."

"…………"

Old Mrs. Sheng took Zhou Chen and talked about her family. In just a few words, she laughed several times and did not let go of Zhou Chen's hand, which seemed very close to her.

However, Sheng Hong and Mrs. Wang were a little restless and felt a little redundant.

Old Mrs. Sheng seemed to have forgotten the two of them, and only Zhou Chen was left in her eyes. Listening to Zhou Chen's words, her face was filled with a kind and kind smile.

When she heard that Zhou Chen had passed the provincial examination and won the title of Xie Yuan, she was greatly surprised.

Not to mention her, even Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu almost had their eyes popped out.

"Brother Chen is still Jieyuan, Hui Niang is lucky, she gave birth to two Wenqu stars."

Mrs. Sheng was so happy that she couldn't open her mouth from ear to ear. She was a noble daughter of the Hou family, so she naturally knew what Jieyuan in the rural examination meant. What's more, Zhou Chen was also the Jieyuan of the capital, which was extremely valuable.

Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu also praised her repeatedly, especially Wang Ruofu. Those eyes were staring at Zhou Chen closely. She seemed to see that Zhou Chen's whole body had begun to emit light, and there were countless voices calling in her head. .

'Where can I find such a good son-in-law...'

You can't blame Wang Ruofu for having wild thoughts. The main reason is that she doesn't care about the backyard and usually has nothing to do. It just so happens that her daughter will have haircuts in a few years. Suddenly, such an outstanding young man comes, and he is also the legitimate son of the Marquis Mansion. Isn't this a gift from God? What a great son-in-law.

The old lady chatted with Zhou Chen for a while, then turned to look at Sheng Hong and Wang Ruofu.

"You still have to go on duty. You can still catch up if you go now. If Madam is fine, you can go back first. Brother Chen will have dinner in my courtyard at noon today."

Sheng Hong's expression froze, and Wang Ruofu even shouted anxiously: "Mother..."

But before she could say anything, Sheng Hong pulled her and said to the old lady without changing her expression: "Mother, let's go first."

After saying that, he took Mrs. Wang away who still wanted to stay.

After walking outside the yard, Wang Ruofu said very dissatisfied: "Why are you pulling me? I still want to talk to Hua'er."

Sheng Hong really had no way to deal with Wang Ruofu, who had no eyesight at all. For a woman like him, it was useless to teach her, and she couldn't help her at all.

"The old lady has kicked her out, why do you still want to stay here?"

Wang Ruofu muttered: "Old lady, it's true. Why didn't you tell us about such a relative before? If they hadn't suddenly come to the door, we wouldn't have known about it."

"Okay, you, this is the old lady's business. What does it have to do with you? I won't tell you anymore. I have to go to the Yamen."

"Hey, why are you so anxious?"

Wang Ruofu stamped his feet angrily: "God, who am I in this family?"

In the Shou'an Hall, the old lady pulled Hua Lan beside her and introduced Zhou Chen with a smile.

"Brother Chen, this is the eldest girl from your uncle's family. Hua Lan is a few years younger than you. She is your cousin."

Zhou Chen had long noticed Sheng Hualan standing beside the old lady and guessed her identity.

"Sister Hualan."

Sheng Hualan was generous and called out crisply: "Third brother."

She knew that Zhou Chen ranked third, so she called him third brother as she was closer to him.

At this time, Sheng Hualan should be eleven or twelve years old, but she was already tall and graceful, with the temperament of a lady. She was not shy or nervous when facing Zhou Chen, her cousin whom she met for the first time.

On the contrary, she was very curious about Zhou Chen. At first, it was because of Zhou Chen's identity and the old lady's attention. But after knowing Zhou Chen's achievements, she was even more surprised.

This is the first time in her life that she has met such an outstanding young man as Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen is also sizing up Sheng Hualan. Ever since he learned about his main mission, Sheng Hualan has been his first target choice.

When they met for the first time, Sheng Hualan made a good impression on him and his senses were also good.

Although she is still young, she can still tell that she is a beautiful woman, and she is very calm when she is silent. As for her ability, Sheng Hualan, who grew up next to the old lady, is definitely no worse than Minglan. I can only say that their Experiences are different.

If we really want to calculate it, Hua Lan is the eldest daughter, and she is definitely better than the humble Minglan in terms of magnanimity and magnanimity. It is only the different circumstances later that created the gap.

The most important thing is that Hua Lan is not much different from him, and she is definitely the most compatible with him among the girls in the Sheng family.

The old lady asked Zhou Chen to talk, and Zhou Chen answered fluently and acted very close to her, which made the old lady even more happy.

Sheng Hualan occasionally interrupted, but most of the time it was Zhou Chen talking to the old lady.

The old lady asked the mother in the courtyard to serve the best tea, and when lunch time came, she asked the small kitchen to cook the best meals, and entertained Zhou Chen warmly.

After lunch, Zhou Chen specially helped the old lady to bask in the sun in the courtyard, and said a lot of witty words, which made the old lady happy. The old lady also knew that Zhou Chen deliberately made her happy, and praised her for being such a good boy.

When she learned that Zhou Chen was living in Li Xueguo's house, the old lady immediately asked Zhou Chen to move over. Zhou Chen's refusal was useless, so he accepted the offer and asked Shui Quan to go to Li's house to pack his things.

Although Zhou Chen is a man, because he is related to the old lady, he is not considered a foreign man. In addition, the old lady requested it, so in the end Zhou Chen stayed in Shou'an Hall, and the rest of Shui Quan and others were arranged to stay in the outer courtyard. .

Because Zhou Chen was staying in Sheng Mansion, Sheng Hong did not go to Lin Qige today, but came to Wei Ruixuan.

Wang Ruofu was very happy with Sheng Hong's arrival, but she didn't understand that Sheng Hong was just doing it for the face of Sheng Mansion, and was afraid that after Zhou Chen stayed in Sheng Mansion, he would find out that their family had a tendency to pamper concubines and destroy their wives. That is, for the sake of one's own face.

The naive Mrs. Wang did not expect this. She only knew that the official was staying with her, so she tried her best to please Sheng Hong.

It's just that these methods of hers don't please Sheng Hong at all. In terms of pleasing men, Wang Ruofu is not even a little bit worse than Lin Sushuang, and she can't satisfy Sheng Hong's machismo mentality.

Before the couple fell asleep, they talked a lot about Zhou Chen. When Wang Ruofu muttered that Zhou Chen and Hualan were a good match, Sheng Hong trembled in fright and stood up suddenly and sat down.

"My God, what are you thinking about? That is the Marquis Palace of Zhongjing, a Marquis Palace that has been inherited from generation to generation. Marquis Zhongjing is also a border general and a third-rank official. Even though Brother Chen cannot inherit the title, he is also a Marquis. The second son of the imperial family has such a noble status; not to mention that he is Qiuwei Jieyuan, and his future is so bright. You can choose a famous lady from a famous family in Tokyo at random, and you still want to marry him, what are you thinking about?"

It's not that Sheng Hong has never thought about this possibility, but it really just passed by in a flash. His family knew about his family affairs. Their Sheng Mansion was relatively wealthy in Yangzhou City, but compared with the dignitaries in Tokyo City, that Really different.

I'm going to marry you, a girl from a sixth-rank official family, instead of marrying a famous lady from Bianjing City. How can there be such a good thing in the world?

Wang Ruofu had a different opinion: "Why not? Our Hua'er family is not bad. Besides, my father deserves to enjoy the Ancestral Temple, and my Wang family is not bad now..."

"Okay, okay, let me tell you, you must not go out and talk nonsense. Brother Chen is the old lady's descendant, and Hua'er grew up next to the old lady. If it is really possible, no need to You said, the old lady will help, but if the old lady doesn't tell you, you are not allowed to mess around, do you hear me?"

In this kind of matter, Sheng Hong naturally trusts his aunt more. Even if he doesn't want to admit it, he still has to admit that the Sheng family has been able to gradually improve over the years. Although it is inseparable from his efforts, it is also inseparable. Open the old lady's strategizing.

Wang Ruofu may not be very good as a wife, but the influence of Mrs. Wang behind her is still helpful to him.

Therefore, when it comes to choosing a bride, he feels that the old lady's vision and strategy are far beyond what a foolish wife like him can do.

"I see that you really don't think about Hua'er at all. Hua'er is my first-born daughter. I definitely can't lose her. Am I wrong about thinking about Hua'er?"

Wang Ruofu vented angrily. Of course she knew that Zhou Chen's conditions were very good. That's why she had this idea. If Zhou Chen was someone who couldn't get on the stage, how could she mention it?

"It's so boring. Sleep, sleep."

Looking at Wang Ruofu who fell down with his head covered after being raped, Sheng Hong sighed, this lady, what could he do, just throw it into his hands.

"Sleep, sleep."

Linqi Pavilion!

Lin Sushuang was also very unhappy when she learned that Sheng Hong would not come over tonight. While putting her daughter to bed, she cursed Wang Ruofu in her heart.

After putting her daughter Mo Lan to sleep, she walked to the main room, and the most loyal housekeeper around her, Zhou Xueniang, immediately came over and helped her sit down.

Although Lin Sushuang is a concubine, she is a concubine with the power of housekeeping, and she can also keep her own son and daughter by her side. It is rare in the world for a concubine to be able to do this to her extent.

It's not that she didn't think about replacing him before, but now, she no longer has this idea. Wang Ruofu's natal family has a profound background, which she can't compare with, and the old lady will never agree.

What's more important is that the master, Sheng Hong, loves her very much, but for the sake of her own future, she will never really let him replace her.

She is a smart person and sees all these things clearly, so she settles for the next best thing. No, now the housekeeper in the house is not the eldest lady, but her young lady.

"Miss, there is an order from Shou'antang, asking Brother Feng and Miss Fourth to pay their respects early tomorrow morning."

Lin Sushuang fanned the fan in her hand charmingly, and said lightly: "The old lady has a big girl by her side, so she usually doesn't ask Mo'er and the others to pay her respects, but this time it's strange. It seems that it must be for the legitimate son of the Hou Mansion. ."

Zhou Xueniang said: "Yes, I found out that the old lady seems to get along very well with the young master of the Hou family. She said that the young master of the Hou family is the grand-nephew of the old lady."

Lin Sushuang pursed her lips and chuckled: "Our old lady is really capable. Even the Marquis of Zhongjing is her relative, and the eldest lady of the Marquis of Zhongjing is actually her niece. I have never heard of it before. Woolen cloth."

When she said this, her tone was full of jealousy. The old lady was so famous. She was born in the Hou Mansion, and even her descendants were the eldest wives of the Hou Mansion; but she was just a concubine, and she would be like this for the rest of her life. The only thing she could hope for was Whether your children can turn over or not depends on these children.

"What about the legitimate son of the Hou Mansion?"

"I haven't seen him with my own eyes, but I have heard about him. He is a handsome and elegant young man, very outstanding. I haven't heard much about him."

"Yeah?"

When Lin Sushuang heard that it was a young man, her expression changed slightly, and then she sighed: "What a pity, Mo'er is too young. If Mo'er was a few years older, maybe..."

The corner of Zhou Xueniang's mouth twitched unconsciously. Of course she heard what Lin Sushuang meant.

Although she is in charge of things around Lin Xiaoniang and is still a confidant, I have to say that this young lady really dares to think.

What is his identity? He is the legitimate son of the Hou family. It’s just that the fourth girl is young. She is just a daughter of a concubine. How dare you think about it?

"Let Brother Feng build a good relationship with the prince of the Marquis tomorrow. Maybe it will be useful in the future."

Although Lin Xiaoniang is a concubine, she is still thinking about her children. If her son can make good friends with the legitimate son of the Hou family, it may be of some use in the future.

A courtyard to the west of Sheng Mansion is where Sheng Hong's other concubine Wei Xiaoniang lives. Because Wei Xiaoniang also has a daughter, the old lady's people naturally notified Wei Xiaoniang.

Wei Xiaoniang is telling her daughter Minglan that when she goes to Shou'an Hall tomorrow morning, she should talk less and do less, and don't stand out and so on.

Now the housekeeper of the inner courtyard of Sheng Mansion is Lin Xiaoniang. She doesn't dare to do anything to the eldest lady, but she has no scruples about Wei Xiaoniang. In addition, Wei Xiaoniang doesn't argue, so Wei Xiaoniang's life in the mansion is very difficult.

However, for Wei Xiaoniang, she is already very satisfied. By becoming Sheng Hong's concubine, she has provided relief to her natal family and helped her natal family overcome difficulties, so even if life in the Sheng Mansion is difficult, she is still calm. Accept fate.

Zhou Chen talked with the old lady until very late. He didn't leave until the old lady showed signs of fatigue.

Lying on the bed, Zhou Chen was still in a good mood. After his insinuations during the day, he found out that Sheng Hualan hadn't started dating yet, which made him completely relieved.

Tomorrow he can also see the other children of the Sheng family. Although he is looking forward to it, he is not looking forward to it too much. After all, they are still very young.

Early the next morning, Zhou Chen came dressed neatly to greet the old lady, and had breakfast with the old lady and Sheng Hualan.

Not long after breakfast, Wang Ruofu took the remaining children to Shou'an Hall to say hello.

In this era, the status of concubines was very low, and they were not allowed to meet foreign guests at will. Even if something happened, the eldest lady in the mansion would come out to receive them.

Sheng Changbai and other five brothers and sisters all visited the old lady one by one.

At this time, Sheng Hualan showed her eldest sister's style and introduced Zhou Chen to her younger brothers and sisters, asking them to call Zhou Chen "third brother".

"Third brother."

The brothers and sisters all knew about Zhou Chen in advance, so they all looked at Zhou Chen curiously.

Zhou Chen also greeted them with a smile, took out the gifts he had prepared, and distributed them one by one.

The gifts were not valuable, but they were specially selected by him. For example, the gifts for Sheng Changbai and Sheng Changfeng were a few rare books, and the gifts for Sanlan were some girls' jewelry.

After getting acquainted with Zhou Chen, the old lady didn't let them stay longer, and was quickly taken away by Mrs. Wang.

Zhou Chen chatted with the old lady, and the old lady asked Sheng Hualan to accompany Zhou Chen around the Sheng Mansion.

After Mrs. Wang took her son Sheng Changbai back, she urged her son to study hard and come back with a Jie Yuan test like Zhou Chen.

After Sheng Changfeng and Sheng Molan left Shou'an Hall, Sheng Changfeng went to play by himself, while Sheng Molan returned to Linqige.

Lin Xiaoniang, who had been waiting for a long time, immediately asked when her daughter came back.

"Mo'er, have you seen anyone?"

"Yes, eldest sister asked us to call him Third Brother. Third Brother is so good-looking. Mom, look, Third Brother gave this to me."

Mo Lan took out the hairpin given by Zhou Chen as if offering a treasure.

Lin Sushuang took it over and took a look, and immediately showed disdain on her face: "I am the legitimate son of the Marquis Mansion. Is this the first time we meet?"

But Mo Lan didn't think there was a problem: "I think it looks good. There are beads on it."

But Lin Sushuang was very disdainful. She felt that Zhou Chen was the legitimate son of the Hou family and it was really stingy to give him a hairpin when they first met.

A few days passed in the blink of an eye.

On this day, Zhou Chen and Sheng Hualan were walking casually in the mansion when they suddenly saw a little girl playing hut in front of them.

"It's Sixth Sister."

Sheng Hualan recognized the little girl playing hut at a glance as her youngest sister Minglan.

Zhou Chen smiled and said, "Go over and have a look."

Sheng Minglan was playing hut alone and did not notice the arrival of Zhou Chen and Sheng Hualan. It was not until she finished throwing the arrows in her hand and went to pick them up that she saw Zhou Chen and Sheng Hualan.

"Third brother, eldest sister."

Looking at Sheng Minglan, who was only five years old, Zhou Chen smiled slightly. The young Sheng Minglan was quite beautiful and cute.

"It's not easy to hit the pot if you throw it like this."

Sheng Minglan raised her head and asked curiously: "Can the third brother also throw pot?"

Zhou Chen said with a smile: "Yes."

"Third brother, here you go." Minglan handed the arrow in his hand to Zhou Chen.

Zhou Chen was not polite, took the arrow, picked up one and threw it out.

"clang!"

The arrow entered the pot steadily.

Zhou Chen did not stop, but threw again. Four times in a row, all four arrows hit the mouth of the pot, and then the ears.

Minglan cheered excitedly, and Hualan also looked surprised. She can also throw pot, but this is the first time she has seen Zhou Chen so skilled.

Minglan said eagerly: "Third brother, can you teach me? I always fail to make a shot."

"OK."

Zhou Chen didn't refuse. There weren't many entertainment activities in this era. Hut throwing was barely considered one. Anyway, he had nothing to do, so he just played with Minglan.

Sheng Hualan also looked curious. After spending a few days with Zhou Chen, she found that this third brother was really a great person. He knew a lot of things and made her grandmother very happy every time. Her grandmother was laughing these days. Far more times than in the past year.

Zhou Chen patiently taught Minglan.

"The throwing posture is very important, and then you need to use your eyes to see and judge, and..."

Although he was teaching Minglan, Hualan also listened very carefully and was ready to learn.