Chapter 46

Winter is boring, wherever there is activity, there are people.

Zhu Yan Shu in this room to call friends, that side of the news also began to circulate outside.

Mrs. Liao is just getting up now, the eldest son played in the ballroom last night until the early morning, and is still not up, only the daughter and the two youngest son in front of the bed as a filial son.

The daughter is holding a hand towel and spittoon to wait for her to get up, the two handsome sons are standing in front of the door as door gods, and the hair dresser is waiting in front of the window with a full set of household utensils, waiting for Mrs. Liao to get up to give her a hair do. An old aunt accompanied her with a smile, while a new aunt, who was a popular dancer in the past, was going around the house, picking out clothes for Mrs. Liao to wear today, and praising “Mrs. Liao looks really good today” and “Mrs. Liao’s newly curled hair is really neat”.

At this time, a guest arrived, full of joy, and came in through the gate and called out before entering the house: “Mrs. Liao, Mrs. Liao, something has happened! Mrs. Ma has introduced a raggedy family to the eldest daughter of Ms. Zhu’s family, and that boy came to the door today!”

She said all the way from the door to the house, Mrs. Liao suddenly spirited, put on a coat to greet the guests, a room of people suddenly shouted Mrs. surrounded the past, this to Mrs. Liao shoes, that to Mrs. Liao to take the skirt shawl.

Mrs. Liao was attracted by the gossip, can not care about anything, not even combed, took the guests’ hands and sat on the sofa: “What’s going on? Isn’t Mrs. Ma quite good with Ms. Zhu? How to introduce a broken family?” The new and old aunts, the two handsome sons, and the silent and filial daughter all pricked up their ears.

Although the guest had only heard one part of the story, he seemed to be living in Mrs. Ma’s and Ms. Zhu’s stomachs, and said, “What’s so good about it? Mrs. Ma has long disliked Ms. Zhu in her heart, disliking her for not having a husband or a son, and everyone holds her in high regard. That broken family heard is a relative of her hometown, is also a small landlord, the whole family is in the hometown farming, only sent a son to the city to study, I do not know what Mrs. Ma said to him, today ran to the Zhu family to let the Zhu family to open the door to how much money to be willing to marry their daughters, aigoo, that big mouth, said that the Zhu family to just say, he can afford to shell out the dowry!”

The room was in an uproar, Mrs. Liao took a breath of cold air: “That kid’s parents are so rich?”

Anyone who is an official, there is no one who doesn’t like rich people.

The guest heard the words and immediately lowered his voice, adding to all the hearsay about Mrs. Ma.

“I heard that the Ma family fled here with their entire family only twenty years ago, and that the family was in trouble before they dragged their family away from home. But as soon as they arrived, they bought land and built a house, but they didn’t build a building, they built a bungalow, and they were even laughed at.”

Mrs. Liao immediately remembered this story she had heard and nodded her head, “I’ve heard of this!”

The guest added, “Later, their family opened another store and started to lose all their money, and then it was said that they found a way to start making money. Now that I think about it, it may be that people deliberately said that, it may not be a real loss.”

Mrs. Liao shook her head, “What kind of store doesn’t lose money? If you don’t take care of everything, a few hooligans can make it impossible for you to open.”

The guest said in a loud voice, “Yes, yes, yes, you still have a lot of insight. That is, although his family has lost money, they have a thick family foundation and can afford to lose money.”

This is what Mrs. Liao wanted to say, and smiled, “These families hidden in the countryside, hundreds of lifetimes of accumulated money can’t really pile up a mountain of gold to say the least.”

Mrs. Liao made up her mind to go to the Ma family to find out, all the people are busy waiting for her to change clothes and comb her hair, a room of sons, daughters, aunts, maids, old maids, combing women are instructed to go round and round.

The guests have a seat and a cup of tea in the midst of all this hustle and bustle, and they only care to talk to Mrs. Liao in an interesting way.

“I can’t see that Mrs. Ma’s family is so rich, but she only piles gold on her body, just like a bumpkin.” The guest’s eyes were full of anger.

Mrs. Liao laughed and said, “I don’t like her either, her voice is as loud as a gong, and she acts like a snarky person who loves to compare herself, so it’s better to get along with someone like you.”

The guest was so praised by Mrs. Liao, sweat pores are outward steam like comfort, modestly said: “Mrs. Liao, you’re such a talent to call people to admire it.”

After boasting to each other, and having talked about Mrs. Ma, the topic naturally turned to Ms. Zhu.

Mrs. Liao sighed: “Ms. Zhu is really a poor person, she doesn’t have a husband, she doesn’t have a son she can rely on, and at her age, she still has to be bullied by people like Mrs. Ma, it’s really hard to watch.”

The guests immediately agreed: “Alas, yes, we all have something, she did not have, mortals can only call her Ms. Zhu, I do not know how she feels in her heart.”

Mrs. Liao affirmed, “It must be bitter, astringent and sad.”

Guests usually can occasionally get together on the card table of Ms. Zhu and Mrs. Liao such characters, she does not think that Ms. Zhu plainly talk and do where can make people pity, but Mrs. Liao so said, she will not refute, not to mention that the woman does not have a husband or a son, and in the future there is no dependence in old age, it is indeed too pitiful.

When Mrs. Liao finished packing, the two of them hurriedly took the car to Mrs. Ma’s house.

Liao Er and Liao San also followed along, both of them were a little worried about Miss Yang, whom they had met last time.

Liao San whispered to Liao Er, “After New Year’s, let’s go and play with Miss Yang, okay?”

Liao Er nodded and whispered, “Okay, let’s ask her to go to the movies.”

In the back seat of the car Mrs. Liao was still telling the story of the Zhu family with her guest.

Mrs. Liao has a kind heart and worries for Ms. Zhu: “I told her long ago, she is a woman with two daughters will not have a good life, and at any time someone will come to the door to find their mother and daughter in trouble, or should find a man to sit at home, and the top of the family.”

The guest had long been curious as to how much was left of the Zhu family, so he asked, “Ms. Zhu’s family is quite rich, isn’t it? Today she was laughing at Mrs. Ma at home, saying that she has seen more money than the Ma family has saved in ten lifetimes.”

Mrs. Liao smiled and shook her head, “That’s not wrong. The Zhu family started early, before the Qing dynasty Qianlong masters when up, you count how many years this is a big family it.”

Guests at first glance: “Boy ……”

Mrs. Liao said slowly and methodically: “But then slowly not, the children and grandchildren do not compete, coupled with a number of other accidents, the family slowly fell down, but look still better than the next person. When the city, Zhu family is the first to buy land to build foreigner villa, color all kinds of things are according to the foreigner’s palace in the appearance of the building, a person high big clock, the palace has, Zhu family have, the palace does not have, Zhu family also have.”

The guests had been too shocked to speak, even Liao Er and Liao San sitting in front of them were listening to the back seat with bated breath.

Mrs. Liao laughed, “Back then, I wasn’t even born yet, I didn’t see the Zhu family’s great wealth with my own eyes. I remember …… it was in the year I was born that the Zhu family split up!”

The guest suddenly realized, “So Ms. Zhu is just a branch of the Zhu family.”

Mrs. Liao: “She is from the seventh house of the first line, not a side branch.”

The guest nodded, “I see.”

Mrs. Liao said, “The Zhu family has more than a dozen branches together, the Zhu family wealth will be divided cleanly, even a basin, a hairpin are not left behind, all divided. The big head is naturally the first branch of the take, the side branch of the also divided three melon two dates, and then all gone. Although Ms. Zhu’s father is the first branch, but is the youngest son, in the family originally also can not say, divided into his hands of the money is not much. He doesn’t do business, nor does he keep a concubine, so he just sits around and eats.”

The guests could not help but exclaim, “Isn’t this just waiting for the person to be gone before getting divorced? What a thing!”

Mrs. Liao laughed: “Zhu master is also in the heart of the matter, that Mr. Yang you have not seen, is a top incompetent man, a lifetime to eat the Zhu family’s soft rice, and wait for the old man to go before they dare to divorce. After the divorce, Ms. Zhu even more deep living, just focus on raising two daughters.”

The guest said, “So is Ms. Zhu rich or poor?”

Mrs. Liao laughed: “The money she has seen is really more than other people’s families save for ten lifetimes, but to say how much money the old man Zhu left her, it’s hard to say, and then that Mr. Yang before he left, it is said that while Ms. Zhu was not at home but also ran to move things two or three times.”

The guest had a moment of pity: “Master Tian, this is really a bad man!”

Mrs. Liao: “Ms. Zhu, concerned about conjugal love and face did not report the charges, but only with a few close friends cried a bit, I just learned about it, alas.”

A few discussions, the car arrived at the Ma family.

The Ma family house did not cover the building, all a water of brick houses. Ma Ma old lady is still alive, the little old lady as thin as a date palm is still alive, the family’s four sons all have to work in the store, Mrs. Ma and other family daughters-in-law, daughters-in-law also have to do housework at home.

It was the happiest time for Mrs. Ma when she could go out to visit the family during the Chinese New Year. She never thought that Zhu Yanshu would come to her door just because of this matter! She even brought her poker buddies with her.

A few small cars and many yellow carts suddenly came in front of the door, the Ma family was shocked, and Mrs. Ma looked strange in her dirt cloth clothes with the exquisite hair that the hair dresser had combed for her yesterday.

Ms. Zhu came down from the car, eyebrows and eyes delicate, a head of ear small volume, pink and white face, painted bright red lipstick, wearing a dark red cheongsam, draped in a white mink shawl, left hand, a nail cap large gold steel stone ring, with her watch, hanging around the neck a string of pagoda chain, the front of the three icing sugar like a square gold steel stone hanging in the dark cheongsam, even if the sunlight is not too good, but also dazzled people’s eyes.

Ms. Zhu came down and first looked Mrs. Ma up and down with her eyes, her eyebrows raised, meanness came out, she seemed to smile and not smile, slowly and methodically, spitting out one word after another: “Mrs. Ma.”

The people who followed her to see the fun also came over, all dressed to meet the guests, although not as rich as Ms. Zhu’s special dress, but also set off Mrs. Ma to be uncharacteristic.

Mrs. Ma immediately wanted to find a crack on the ground to drill down.

At this time, her sister-in-law also came, at first glance, stood in the house did not come out, just shouted: “Sister-in-law, mom said to let you bring the guests in to entertain.”

Mrs. Ma knew that today this joke was not only being watched by Ms. Zhu, but also by several younger siblings.

With her belly full of enemies, she had no choice but to go forward and say to Ms. Zhu, “Ms. Zhu, please also take a seat inside and have a cup of tea.”

Zhu Yanshu’s eyes swept toward the ground and then toward the darkened house, shook her head and laughed, “There’s no need to go in.”

Mrs. Ma was angered and shouted towards the back, “Turn on the lights! How can we let guests in when the house is so dark!”

The Ma family didn’t turn on the lights during the day, only at night, because Mrs. Ma felt it was too much of a waste of oil to turn on the lights during the day.

The maid hesitated for a moment, but listened to Mrs. Ma and ran to turn on the electric switch first, then ran back to turn on the lights. Just seeing the maid running forward and backward, running in and out of the yard just to turn on the lights, the people behind Mrs. Zhu had to laugh again.

One of Mrs. Ma’s faces burned.

The Ma family had money, but it wasn’t her money, it was all in Mrs. Ma’s hands. Her only pastime was to go play cards, because Mrs. Ma herself liked to play and had no problem with her daughters-in-law playing cards and gambling.

The Ma family’s money will only be returned to her when Mrs. Ma dies, and until then, she can only enjoy it so secretly.

Although Mrs. Ma looks like she is dying and will die soon, she still sits well every New Year and lets all her family and grandchildren kowtow to her.

All of Mrs. Ma’s goodies were left to wear to her poker buddies when she played cards; all of her money was spent here, and all of her scenery came from here.

Today, her cheeks were torn off. She could no longer say in front of her poker buddies that every dress she wore was the same as a picture girl’s, that she had her hair combed by a hair dresser every day, and that she went out to a restaurant for every meal.

Zhu Yanshu also did not expect Mrs. Ma to be so unforgiving, she had thought that she would have to go through at least five hurdles, but now so many people have seen what Mrs. Ma’s family is like, no one would believe that she would marry her daughter to a relative of this kind of family, even if that Gao what’s-his-name’s family really has a mountain of gold, when you see this kind of house, this kind of family, ten mountains of gold would be of no use.

Zhu Yanshu had originally thought of crying to get the words out, but now it seems that it’s better to do it in a different way, so she smiled and said to Mrs. Ma, “Actually, I’m here today because I want to clear up a misunderstanding. Mrs. Ma, although girls in your hometowns marry when they are old enough, we don’t have this rule here. Girls in your hometown don’t go to school, right? But here even girls from ordinary peddlers’ homes go to school. I’m not saying your side of the family is bad, but there are customs in each place. My family’s child is already marrying at an age that seems to you, but she went to college! Mrs. Ma, your son didn’t even go to college, did he? That’s why he can only work in your family’s store. Although my child is a girl, there’s no difference between girls and boys nowadays, they can work as officials! Now there are women in the government to take up official positions, your eyes should also be broadened a bit, do not always take the old eyes to look at people, this is very easy to make a joke!”

Mrs. Ma’s son did not go to university, what university! The family has several stores! If he didn’t work in the stores, wouldn’t it be cheaper for the other houses? So Mrs. Ma’s son at the age of fifteen went to the family store to follow the shopkeeper to study.

But all things are inferior, only reading is superior. Even if Mrs. Ma thought it was best for her son to take over the store without going to college, she knew she couldn’t say that. As for whether or not girls were the same as boys, and whether or not they could go on to become officials, what did that have to do with her?

Mrs. Ma only felt aggrieved and still wronged, even if she had one point of bad intentions, the remaining nine points were all good intentions! How could she have known that Ms. Zhu would not be so interested in Gao Wei Nan? Today, looking at Ms. Zhu’s posture, she almost thought that her introduction of Gao Wei Nan to Miss Yang was not a marriage, but a feud.

Mrs. Ma just wanted to pull the reasoning to her side and said to the crowd: “You see, I said that a man should get married when he grows up, and a woman should get married when she grows up, and that’s why I thought of introducing my nephew to Miss Yang! I had good intentions! Why do I seem to have gotten into trouble? Who would dare to introduce you?”

I didn’t want to, but what used to work today didn’t. The person who followed Zhu Yanshu laughed and said, “Don’t mention it, you don’t even look at the match before you talk nonsense!”

“Your nephew is a good match for the girl who sells cigarettes and flowers by the side of the road, but not any more.”

Zhu Yanshu didn’t even have to say it herself, it’s because Mrs. Ma’s dress today is too different compared to the past days, which made the people who would have stood on her side not stand, she stood with Zhu Yanshu, it’s just like Mrs. Ma taking the maid out.

Zhu Yanshu came out to round up the situation at this moment: ”Alright, let’s not disturb Mrs. Ma’s family anymore. Mrs. Ma, you are still welcome to play cards with me in the future, but if you come to my house in the future, don’t bring any more gifts, and it’s not good for me to accept your gifts anymore. Alas, your life is not easy.”

She took out another ten cents from her bag and stuffed it in Mrs. Ma’s hand, because the money was rolled up, other people couldn’t tell how much it was, but from her actions it was obvious that she was giving Mrs. Ma some money for “charity”.

“In the past, it was my fault, I won a lot of money from you, so I’ll give it all back to you.” Zhu Yanshu held Mrs. Ma’s hand tightly, so that she couldn’t spread the money back to her.

There are people around who have won Mrs. Ma before, see Zhu Yanshu “return” the money, also feel that at this time should show a little generosity and forgiveness and compassion, after all, Mrs. Ma usually swollen face, I do not know how much loss, look at her at home, what kind of life is this yo, really poor!

So they have unpacked, a piece of a piece of hair all stuffed into the arms of Mrs. Ma.

Mrs. Ma was so angry that the Buddha ascended to heaven and the Buddha came out of the world.

Zhu Yanshu saw that everyone had given money, so he spread his hands so–

Instantly, the heavenly maiden scattered flowers.

Mrs. Ma raised all the money, threw it all back, and scattered all the light paper money and Dingling coins.

The crowd was amazed.

You give money to the beggar, the beggar threw back to you, you are not going to say a “crazy”? Even if you do not say, you have to think so.

Not to mention Mrs. Ma angry face like Guan Gong, stuttering, cursing: “I I I do not need you to give money! I have plenty of money! I’m richer than all of you! I can bury you all with my money!”

Zhu Yanshu hid behind her friends, scared, “Is this crazy?”

Everyone agreed: “Really crazy?”

“Mrs. Ma is crazy?”

“Mrs. Ma is crazy?”

Words spread from the inside to the outside. Mrs. Liao and the guests had just gotten off the bus when they heard people say that Mrs. Ma was crazy, and that she had been crazy for a long time.

Mrs. Liao was surprised and asked the guest, “Mrs. Ma is crazy?”

Guests do not know, then improvised a gossip: “I heard people say ……”

Today this hilarious is considered to be too much to watch.

Mrs. Liao finally squeezed into the crowd, took a look at the crazy jumping feet cursing Mrs. Ma and the change on the ground, and then look at the crowd surrounded by the blossoming Zhu Yanshu, and then look at the crowd of people.

Finally came to the conclusion: Mrs. Ma lost her mind.

As for whether she is mad today or has been mad for a long time this is not important.

In the end, Mrs. Liao and others sent Zhu Yanshu home, comforting her not to be afraid of the crazy Mrs. Ma, as well as Mrs. Ma’s blind matchmaking, she is crazy, her matchmaking certainly does not count.

Zhu Yanshu has been seriously explaining: “It may just be a moment of anger, do not say that people who are angry will be confused? Alas, I shouldn’t have given her the money, people also have self-esteem.”

Mrs. Liao consoled her on behalf of the crowd, “You gave her money because you are kind, I haven’t heard of anyone in the world giving money to the wrong person!”

Everyone said yes, saying that it was impossible to give money to the wrong person, and that no one in the world would blame the person who gave the money, and if someone did, then that person was sick. In conclusion, Mrs. Ma is sick.

Yang Yuyan sitting Zhu Yanshu side, listening to the gossip to listen to dizziness, I do not know when Mrs. Ma crazy, and, Zhu Yanshu also gave Mrs. Ma money, then intervened: “Mom, you give money is to let her go to the doctor?”

Zhu Yanshu immediately stopped her, “Don’t talk nonsense, Mrs. Ma is just in a bad mood.”

Mrs. Liao followed, “Yes, Mrs. Ma is just in a bad mood, you don’t have to worry about her, good boy.”

Yang Yuyan accompanied Zhu Yanshu and watched everyone comforting her, until dusk fell and everyone was contented to leave, then she had the time to ask: “Mom, how much money did you give Mrs. Ma?”

Zhu Yanshu took off her shawl, poured tea and drank water, and said, “Ten cents.”

Yang Yuyan suspected she heard wrong: “Ten cents?”

Zhu Yanshu got up and stretched, frowning, “I folded it in my bag for half a day, afraid to be seen, luckily no one noticed!” She tiptoed around the room rather intentionally for an eight beat, da da da da, humming her way into the bedroom, “Night Shanghai, Night Shanghai, you’re a city that never sleeps~”