Chapter 249: What Is the Meaning of Love (Second Update! 10,000 Words Reached!

Chapter 249 What is the meaning of love (Second update! 10,000 words reached!)

This time when they returned to their hometown, ancestor worship and buffets were indispensable. Because they were in a hurry, all the Chen family members went out together. On the first day, after cleaning the ancestral house, Old Zhou was busy preparing things for ancestor worship.

The next morning, Chen Gaishan led the men in the family out and walked along the muddy path towards the ancestral hall. Chen Heng had walked this road several times before, but Qingyue and Yindi had not walked it much.

They were all carrying shoulder poles and baskets, or carrying plaques and other things. As soon as they arrived at the entrance of the ancestral hall, they saw all the men with the surname Chen in the village standing there. As soon as everyone met, they couldn't help but exchange greetings.

The process of ancestor worship was presided over by the clan leader. Chen Gaishan led his children and grandchildren, holding incense and bowing three times and nine times, to comfort the ancestors. In the ancestral hall, smoke lingered, there was the smell of incense, and there was also the mist from the firecrackers that had just dispersed.

Chen Gaishan couldn't help sobbing, and he kept saying, "The ancestors of the Chen family are spiritual. The eldest grandson of the second branch of the fifth generation of the Chen family is named Heng. He is fortunate to have won the first place in the imperial examination, so I want to comfort the ancestors."

The old man couldn't read, so he had to ask others for advice. If it were a more elegant family, they would also add words such as "first place in the imperial examination" and "generation after generation of clothing".

But in front of Chen Heng's great glory, some words of courtesy are just embellishment, and there is no need to go into details. The climax of the sacrifice was to hang up the plaques of "three consecutive first places" and "first place in the imperial examination" with the help of the clan members.

As the covering ribbons were torn off. Looking at the plaque standing in front of the tablets of the ancestors, Chen Heng was also touched. After a hundred years, as long as the incense of the Chen clan continues, the descendants of the future generations will see it here every time they worship their ancestors and recall the deeds of the Chen ancestors.

In the solemn atmosphere, Chen Qingyue and Chen Yin suddenly understood why their brother said that after the enlightenment ceremony, his desire to learn became deeper.

After this matter was done, considering that Chen Heng was about to return to Beijing to get married. The Chen clan set the date of the buffet for the next day, and the location was still in the ancestral hall.

The good thing about the countryside is that the ingredients for the banquet are everywhere. The clan members came out in full force and quickly prepared a buffet for Chen Heng that was enough for the scene. This time it was a big happy event, and the people to be invited were not only from the same village, but also the villagers from the neighboring villages who came to celebrate. They also had to be entertained.

The Chen clan was prosperous, and with their help, it could be completely handled. During the banquet, everyone couldn't help but talk about the matter of setting up a memorial archway at the entrance of the village. The village official immediately said that the village should pay for this matter to make Chen Heng and the village famous.

When Chen Heng participated in the county examination for the first time, this little old man joked that "going to the examination room to fart is also a face for the ancestors." Who would have thought that Chen Heng would win the title of the top scholar? It was really unexpected.

Chen Heng was stopped by several drunk uncles before he could tell the village head that his family could pay for it. They took advantage of the wine and brought their younger generation to Chen Heng, talking about the children's intelligence and understanding, and the past friendship between the two families.

The meaning behind their words was nothing more than hoping that Chen Heng could bring their children with him. There were even distant relatives who were drunk. When they heard that Chen Heng was going to marry the beloved daughter of a second-rank official in the court, they asked Chen Heng directly if he could ask for a small official position for them.

Chen Heng was really amused and cried. Fortunately, Chen Gaishan had expected this to happen, and he stayed with Chen Qi from beginning to end. Hearing this, he made a few cold and sarcastic remarks, which made the distant relatives retreat.

After the event, the Chen family, who had finished the buffet, returned to the ancestral home to rest. Once these two things were done, the Chen family didn't have to stay in Shanxi Village for long. During the break, everyone was discussing the good things of going to the capital in the future, and Gu even pulled Zhou to discuss Chen Heng's betrothal gifts.

This time Chen Heng married two wives. Naturally, he had to prepare double the things he needed. Among them, there were high-ranking officials in the court, and Gu couldn't figure out the right balance. The Chen family had a weak foundation, and it was only in recent years that they made their fortune.

Although they had some business in hand, they were frugal on weekdays and had some savings. But if they continued like this, they would have to pay attention to the scene, and they would inevitably be stretched. They couldn't favor one over the other, resulting in a situation where the Lin family had more and the Zhen family had less. In this way, Gu couldn't help but feel a little annoyed.

During the chat, Zhou said that many distant relatives took the opportunity to send gifts this time. This money was different from the money sent by people in Yangzhou, and it was normal interpersonal exchanges. Chen Heng returned all the things from Yangzhou. Zhou was willing to accept the money and use it as a betrothal gift for her child.

Chen Gaishan came back from outside in a huff. Hearing Zhou's gossip, he immediately got angry and slammed the table and said, "You ignorant woman, what nonsense are you talking about? Heng'er passed the exam with a clean record, how can he be humiliated like this?"

Zhou was shocked, but Chen Gaishan didn't care about her. He summoned all the family members, young and old, and ordered Xinda to close the door before sitting in the main hall with a gloomy face.

The most common thing in a farmer's house is benches. In addition to Chen Qi and Gu, Chen Huaijin and Li sat on chairs. The two brothers-in-law's families and several grandchildren all carried benches to sit.

Chen Heng held his eldest sister's daughter Yuanyuan and sat between his two younger brothers. The whole family was silent, waiting for the head of the family to calm down. Chen Gaishan said, "While your mother and I are still alive, let's settle the division today."

"What?" Chen Qi and Chen Huaijin were both shocked. Although they often quarreled, they had a very good relationship. They both said anxiously, "Dad, no. If the children have done anything wrong in the past few days, just tell them directly."

"That's right. It's unreasonable for brothers to divide the family when parents are around. This is against the rules. Our family is not the same as before. Dad, if this matter gets out, it will not be good for Heng'er's reputation."

After Chen Huaijin finished speaking, Chen Gaishan's anger rose again and he immediately cursed, "Heng'er, Heng'er. If you really have Heng'er in your heart, you should consider it for him. Success is achieved by children who work hard day and night. , you elders just take advantage of it and raise your tail to the sky. "

"Look at you, during this period, you were either going to the Wang family to have a drink, or listening to a play with the Li family. Before Heng'er won the first prize in the exam, did these people pay attention to you?" Chen Gaishan was so angry that he couldn't help but slap the table, "You Dad, I don’t know how to read, but I understand the truth. People like us are afraid of getting rich."

"The wealth that God can give you today can also be taken back to you tomorrow. I see you all dreaming of wealth when you go to bed, so why not come here and let you wake up."

When Chen Gaishan became angry, his two sons did not dare to say anything. Although their father's health has improved over the years, he still feels uneasy thinking about the scene where he was knocked unconscious before, fearing that the old man might get angry again.

"Dad, I know what you're worried about. I really can't avoid going out to drink, but when I eat with them, have you ever seen me drunk? My son knows it well and will never cause trouble to Heng'er."

Chen Huaijin patted his chest and said sincerely. He was telling the truth. During this period, when he went out to eat, he rarely drank too much.

"You have made progress over the years." Chen Gaishan nodded, but still said worriedly, "But as the old saying goes, if you are not afraid of thieves, you are afraid of being missed. Heng'er will go out to be an official in the future, and he can't stay here every day. All around you, I’m watching you. How many people’s wealth has been ruined by their own good deeds.”

"You have seen the banquet at home this time. The distant relatives in the fifth house don't move around much during the holidays. This time I have the nerve to ask Heng'er to take up an official position." Chen Gaishan sighed.

"Families like ours are afraid of poverty, and even more afraid of wealth!!!"

Everyone who heard these powerful words fell silent for a while. However, Chen Gaishan intended to use this to wake up the confused family, "When Heng'er is not at home from now on, others will come to you and tell you one, two, three. When you go out, you will say that you have the instructions of the Number One Scholar. If trouble is caused then, who of you will Come to prove Heng'er's innocence? Have you ever thought about Heng'er's difficulties as a junior? "

"I have made up my mind." Chen Gaishan waved his hands and said without any doubt, "When Heng'er is consummated this time, I will go back to the village with your mother. We are both in good health and we don't need you to wait on us. I went with you last time. The patriarch also said that if any relatives act in Heng'er's name in the future, they will come to see me immediately. If the family is not in peace, disaster will come. I only hope that you will truly listen to what I said today and take it to heart. ”

Both sons did not dare to speak, so they could only look at their mother, hoping that she would say something to persuade Chen Gaishan to change her mind. Unexpectedly, the old woman said: "Your father is right. The richer you are, the more cautious you must be." She looked at Gu and said, "I was wrong about your mother just now. The Lin family can take a fancy to her." Chen Heng naturally knows the details of our family."

"How much money we have, we can buy as much betrothal gift. There is no need to flatter ourselves, even if it's less, it's okay to gossip. People who are innocent will use their own hands to get everything. We will do our best. If you follow your own mind, you don’t have to look at other people’s eyes to do things.”

She looked at Chen Heng apologetically and said, "I just want to wrong my eldest grandson. If you had married a few years later, maybe our family would be better off."

Chen Heng shook his head and said seriously: "Everything goes well with the family. Grandma, the family tradition of our family is worthy of rare treasures. The teacher will be happy if he knows."

Seeing that everyone had reached an agreement, the two sons looked helplessly at Chen Gaishan. The latter smiled cheerfully and said: "I'm not dead. If you miss me, just go back to the village and see me. Otherwise, there is no need to persuade me."

"Master Qing'er, Master Xian'er, as well as Qingyue and Yin'er, grandpa will sort out everything in the house in front of you today. You all have a share, and you are not allowed to go back on your word afterwards."

How could the grandchildren dare to talk too much. Nodding no, no, shaking head no. He could only freeze in place, like a few chickens in a daze.

"We live our lives with the door closed. We just go out to do things and talk, and think about today's family separation. Don't think that you can do whatever you want if you have brothers and sisters who are officials. As long as I still have breath, I can beat him back then." Chen Gaishan pointed at Chen Huaijin, which made the latter blush, "I can use sticks to deal with you in the future."

Only then did everyone dare to nod. The scene back then was still fresh in everyone’s memory. Only Chen Yin, who was young at the time, looked puzzled.

After Chen Gaishan finished speaking, he asked everyone to come out one by one, and then waved the juniors to leave and exit. He, an old man, and Mr. Zhou were the only ones left in the huge room.

The two couples had been together for decades, and now they were facing each other. The old man smiled cheekily and stepped forward, holding Zhou's hand and saying, "Xiaoyun, don't blame me for being cruel to you just now."

"Why are you talking about this?" Old Zhou shook his head and sighed, "I also have my own mistakes. Sigh... I feel uncomfortable when I think about the separation of our two children."

"It's not like we can't see each other." Chen Gaishan chuckled, "They are all good children and will remember what I said today. How many rich families have failed because they don't know how to deal with things. Neither of us has read a book, so we can't help. Heng'er, I just hope that my children and grandchildren can live in peace and harmony in the future. You said no..."

"I saved it." Old Zhou nodded, "In the future, if outsiders have any ideas, I will also say the same thing when I go out."

"That's right. At our age, we can't enjoy any wealth for a few years. It's better to settle them down and keep their relationship alive."

The elders in the room were rubbing their hair together, but Chen Heng was holding his niece in his arms and sitting in a daze in the yard. Yuanyuan was still young, so he only knew that his great-grandfather spoke so loudly that he was a little scared.

Liu Xianglian had just returned from hunting birds outside. When she heard about the Chen family, she rushed to Chen Heng, threw the newly obtained bird eggs to Yuan Yuan to play with, and smiled directly at Chen Heng: "Zhi Xing, I really want to congratulate you. You. No wonder the old saying goes that a family has a treasure. If your grandfather does this, your family will last for a long time."

"Yeah." Chen Heng nodded.

Seeing that he was not in a good mood, Liu Xianglian thought she was feeling sad about it, so she tried to comfort him, but she made Chen Heng laugh. The latter said: "I'm not thinking about this anymore. Even if we separate our families, our family is still our family. I was thinking just now that I need to provide better ethnic education for the children in the village."

"This is a great thing." Liu Xianglian said in surprise, "What do you want to do?"

Chen Heng also nodded, "I can still put some tax-free land in my name, and I have more than ten acres of land at home. Let's wait until I get married and have a year and a half of money to buy some acres. Then I will buy some land. All the proceeds are used in the village school so that children from nearby villages can come to study.”

"Okay, okay." Liu Xianglian couldn't help but clapped her hands and said with a smile, "But you still have to accept this bunch of repairs. If you don't borrow the book, you won't read it. People's hearts are like this, you can't just think about being a good person. The clan knowledge of a wealthy family in the capital , the bad thing is that there is no distinction between good and bad people, as long as they have the same surname, they are all included, it is not a place for good people to study. "

Chen Heng nodded, he also had this idea. It happened that Chen Qingyue, Chen Yin, Xinda and others were passing by, so he simply gathered the brothers together to discuss the matter, in order to give everyone some advice and broaden their horizons.

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In Yangzhou City, the Zhen family also has many things to worry about. The matchmaker invited by the Chen family has been gone for a few days. Feng Shi still hasn't made a decision yet.

Many people in the neighborhood had heard the news. During these days, whenever they met Feng, they would inevitably congratulate her and envy her for getting a son-in-law who would ride a dragon for nothing. But Feng knew her own difficulties, and Yinglian was not disrespectful to her superiors, so why did she marry into the Chen family and become a subordinate wife.

As long as they broaden their horizons, find a decent family to marry, and the couple can live a peaceful and smooth life behind closed doors. The Feng family didn't understand the Lin family, so they were worried that the Lin family's legitimate daughter would bully others, and she even regretted her hesitation and obstruction that day.

If I had known that Chen Hengzhong would become a Jinshi so quickly, I should have made an appointment to get married that day. But who would have thought that Chen Heng could be so successful, and who would have thought that Chen Heng would suddenly go to Beijing and stay there for three years. The two families wanted to get married, but the rightful owner was not there, so they couldn't make a deal rashly.

Feng was so hesitant, thinking that it would only take one day. The Chen family hadn't returned from their hometown yet, so she still had some time to think about it.

But while she was still waiting, a caring person already came to the door with gifts. Baoqin knew the situation of the Zhen family and would definitely not be able to come up with a good dowry. Taking advantage of the absence of the Chen family, I called a few porters to come to deliver gifts. She prepares everything in advance, which can not only give the Zhen family a strong impression, but also not be too exaggerated.

Mother and daughter Feng are now helping out in Baoqin's shop, and they didn't turn away customers when Baoqin came to the door. Only when Baoqin smiled and congratulated, did Fengshi show some hesitation.

Baoqin's intelligence can guess at a glance that something will happen. She first took Yinglian to find out the situation in the girl's boudoir, then got up and went to Feng's room to sit around and act as a lobbyist.

"Auntie." Baoqin still pretends to be a man. In early spring, her folding fan has not been unfolded.

In recent years, their family has received a lot of care from Baoqin. Mrs. Feng asked Baoqin to sit down and asked Lvshui to bring a pot of tea. The two of them were both friendly and sophisticated, and after chatting for a few words, the topic fell on Yinglian's marriage.

Baoqin's ability to deal with things has been developed outside. She only looked at the problem from the perspective of the Zhen family and asked, "If you ask your aunt to find someone else for your sister, have you ever thought about what kind of person you want to find?"

Feng thought about it distressedly, and then said: "When her father was here, our family was also a scholarly family. Naturally, I want to find a family for my child who can study, have fame, and have a bright future."

Parents' plan is all about their children. Xue Baoqin nodded, spread his hands and said, "Then what's wrong with me, my eldest brother?"

Feng was speechless for a moment and couldn't find the words to refute. Xue Baoqin then persuaded: "Auntie, I know you are worried that the Lin family will put pressure on sister Yinglian, and you also feel that your sister's appearance is just that of a lowly wife."

"But I have been walking around a lot in these years. Those men said that they treated their first wives as if they were guests. They either kept concubines outside, or they hung out in brothels all day long. I don't need to say more about my eldest brother. He doesn't even listen to the so-called scholarly style. He has such a temperament and is full of fame and talent."

"Now, for the sake of Sister Yinglian, he went to His Majesty to ask for his will, and also asked his mentor to accept his sister as his adopted daughter. Does the aunt know that the eldest brother, the wife of his mentor, will be called by Sister Lin when he comes to the Lin family? Aunt. Sister Yinglian has these two people by her side. What else does aunt have to worry about? "

Baoqin's words left Fengshi speechless. The latter took a long time to say: "Because I blocked Yinglian for so many years with one thought back then. I put her in the dilemma she is in today. I just... I just blame myself and feel ashamed, so I want her to marry a better one."

Saying this, Feng burst into tears.

Thinking about what happened back then, she still feels guilty now. If she hadn't stared at the wooden board on the window, would she have been able to propose marriage when Chen Heng passed the exam?

At that time, she seemed to be worried that her family would be accused of marrying into a wealthy family, so she waited for the Chen family to come to her house. As a result, Chen Heng was immediately called to the capital by His Majesty, and there was no news from then on.

Baoqin walked forward slowly, took the handkerchief from Lushui, handed it to the sobbing Feng, and comforted her: "Aunt, the past is a foregone conclusion, and you should still pity the person in front of you."

She said this, and she also had unspeakable feelings in her heart. Who can predict the world's difficulties, only the word love is the most unsolvable. It can be said that I occasionally open my eyes to look at the world, and I am the person in my eyes.

Who is not?

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Five days later, the Chen family returned to Yang, and when they arrived at their home, they heard the matchmaker come to report that the Zhen family agreed to the marriage. Not only Chen Heng, but the whole family breathed a sigh of relief.

It would be great if Feng agreed. The family prepared the betrothal gifts more carefully, and chose a date to go to the capital to prepare for Chen Heng and Daiyu's wedding.

The palace was also busy preparing at this time, and there was a surprise waiting for Chen Heng.

The new keyboard is very useful, hahahaha, thank you Capricorn Xiyun for the reward, I promised you to add more chapters, and it's done.

Originally, I planned to hold the wedding together, but later a book friend said that he wanted to give Daiyu a separate wedding. Let me water the word count openly, I thought, there is such a good thing, hum, then look at me.