Chapter 8 Calculation in the Dark

In the yard, Li Xiaozu, the eldest son of the Li family, stretched out his neck and waited in the porch. As soon as he saw Zhou enter the courtyard door, he hurriedly picked her up and helped her sit on the kang. He smiled with concern, "She came back so late, did you lose her temper again? I heard about the fifth sister's return. Don't take it to heart. Are you hungry? You drink a bowl of soup first. The food is cold. I'll ask someone to heat it up.

"If you don't drink soup, you will be full of gas and your feet are very sour. Rub it for me!" Zhou's voice was soft and rubbed Li Xiaozu with his feet coquettishly. Li Xiaozu smiled and was about to reach out his hand to rub it. Mother Xiao coughed heavily. Zhou pouted at Mother Xiao and patted Li Xiaozu and said, "I didn't really rub it, I'll say it."

"Then I'll rub it for you at night." Li Xiaozu looked back at Mother Xiao, leaned over to Zhou, laughed in a low voice, and looked at him an angry and said soft 'um' from his nose.

......

There are five houses in the north city, with flowers and trees, carved beams and painted buildings. The red lanterns are gently shaken by the wind, shining on the quiet courtyard. The warm red light actually illuminates the courtyard with a bleak winter chill.

In the landlord's room, only a thin red candle was lit on the five-headed candlestick in the corner of the room. The candlelight steadily fell on the new and ink-bright official's letter of appointment on the kang. On one side of the kang, a middle-aged man sat cross-legged, bowing his head and his shoulders and motionless. Opposite the middle-aged man, a 20-year-old young man in brocade was anxious and sitting anxiously. Staring at the middle-aged man uneasily, Junxiu's face was ferocious.

"Dad!" The son couldn't help shouting. The middle-aged man slowly raised his head. The son picked up the commission of the official and raised it to the middle-aged man, and eagerly complained, "Dad, don't you think about it for your son? This is the future of my son and the future of our Huang family! You have worked hard for half of your life as a slave, don't you just want to earn a future for the Huang family and your son, so that our Huang family will be stronger than the next generation? Dad!"

"The old lady treats us well..." The middle-aged man said with difficulty, "You let me think about it. You go out first and let me think about it."

The son held the appointment of the official in his hands and suddenly knelt straight in front of the middle-aged man. He looked up at his father and gritted his teeth and said, "Dad, your son is your son. If you agree or not, your son will never dare to have a complaint, but this future... If the son has no future, it's better to die!"

"You..." The middle-aged man looked at his son anxiously and painfully, raised his hand feebly, and his voice was hoarsely: "Get up, the old lady treats us well, not to mention the importance of trust. Since your father, he has been free of us. It is the grace of the old lady that you can call slaves and maidservants..."

"Big father and father have been making cows and horses for her for two generations. This is what we deserve. Besides, the old lady is dead!" The son stared at his father and gritted his teeth and said. The middle-aged man held his head in his hands. The old lady treated the Huang family well, but she died. The son had the appointment of the county magistrate of Ningyuan County. With this start, the Huang family will also be the official eunuch family. The fifth lady Li... In the past two years, she has sold seven or eight shops and smoked so much. Flowing water, where is the money? Who is in charge of her? As the saying goes, once the emperor and the courtier, Li Wuniangzi is not the old lady after all. The old lady is dead, and she can't be blamed...

"I... quit this big shopkeeper, but let's do nothing else. We can't do anything else. We can't break our conscience." The middle-aged man said with difficulty. His son's face was full of ecstasy and nodded like a mess: "Master Dai said that as long as my father would follow me, Master Dai would like to say a few words to you, just a few words, nothing else! My son is going to invite Master Dai."

Looking at her son running out with ecstasy, the middle-aged man sighed and looked up at the dark window. Li Wu's wife was only thirteen. It's not a good thing to have too much money. Even if she doesn't leave, she can't keep those shops for her. Sooner or later, she is a stewistrate. What can I do? You can't blame yourself. Besides, you are also a person with children. Who doesn't think about himself first...

"Master Dai, please!" The son respectfully let Master Dai, who raised his chin up and the corners of his mouth, and was dressed in gorgeous clothes. Master Dai stood in the room, put his hands behind his back, narrowed his eyes and looked around first. The middle-aged man had already got off the kang and politely arched his hand and said, "Master Dai, please sit down."

"Shopkeeper Huang, please sit down." Master Dai said perfunctorily, sat down rudely, took a few pieces of paper out of his arms, patted it on the kang and pushed it in front of the shopkeeper Huang, "Please take a look at the omissions. Who else can use it? Please give me some advice."

The big shopkeeper looked down at the paper and scratched a few times on it with his fingers and said, "These families have been separated from other families a few years ago," and then pinched a few times with his nails and whispered, "I dare not say if I can use it. Try it."

"Good! The shopkeeper Huang is really a cheerful person! Next, I will say a few beautiful words to the owner for the shopkeeper Huang. I don't know when the shopkeeper Huang plans to leave? When will you resign from your master?

"Let's leave in ten days. Let's resign before we leave, but it's just a piece of note." Huang Da's shopkeeper's face was relaxed. Dai stood up with a smile and arched his hand casually and said, "Huang Da's shopkeeper is a smart man who knows the current affairs! Well, I'm leaving. Manager Huang has a long journey here, and his future is bright!"

The shopkeeper Huang looked at his son who sent steweller back, sighed and ordered, "Quietly let someone pack your luggage. The two houses in the capital have been sold. We will never come back from the capital."

Early the next morning, Li Tian stood in the porch and looked at the plum tree in the yard. She was hesitating whether to go and say hello to Mrs. Yang. The little girl Yin Hua turned into the hanging flower door to report: "Five lady, the eldest lady of the Yu family has come to see you." Li Tian hurried along the eaves. Not waiting for the two to enter the house, she heard Lin Ke's crisp voice coming from outside the weeping flower door: "The eldest sister of the Yu family has arrived? Her feet are so fast! I'm late again!"

The two stopped at the door of the main house and waited for Lin Ke to come in before entering the house together.

Lin Ke frowned and looked around at the furnishings in the room. Yu Yaofang pulled Li Tian to sit on the kang and first reached out to touch the kang. Seeing that the heat was just right, she asked her family if she was okay with Li Tian? Have you seen the sisters? Is it easy to get along with... And so on, Lin Ke's rooms turned around, jumped over and sat down next to Li Tian. After listening to a few words, he pulled Li Tian and said, "Tsiao'er, your room is too cold. When you have filial piety, let's arrange it together. By the way, there is something that I couldn't ask you yesterday. How do you know that they were going to release the night before yesterday? Fire?"

"Did I tell you that they were going to set fire?" Li Tian was angry and smiled. Yu Yaofang reached out and flicked Lin Ke's forehead and said, "Tian'er said that as long as there is something unusual, she will go there. How can she set it on fire?"

"I mean, how do you know there is something unusual?" Lin Kebai glanced at Yu Yaofang and shook Li Tian to ask. Li Tian sighed, "How do I know? But just in case, when grandma was there, they hurt me more than once or twice. Now that grandma is gone, you can think about it with your heels!"

Yu Yaofang's smiling eyes bent to a place. Lin Ke pouted and muttered, "Your heels are more than I thought." Yu Yaofang laughed out loud, and Li Tian rolled her eyes at Lin Ke speechlessly.

The three were talking and laughing when they heard Yinhua raise their voices at the door: "Five Lady, the Fourth Lady has come to see you." Li Tian was stunned, quickly motioned the two to sit down, and lifted the curtain to greet him.

Li Yutang, the second daughter and fourth wife, wore a gorgeous new pink and blue dress, describing her face as a young second wife. As she walked, she turned her head and looked around. She kept curling her lips. Seeing Li Tian coming out and standing at the door, she ignored her. She just looked into the window and said with a grinant face, "I heard that you are here. The guest is coming. Which little lady is it? I'll help you accompany the guests. Don't lose your courtesy.

Li Tian sighed depressedly and secretly. This fourth sister, like her mother, was sharp, mean, stupid and stupid, but she still felt extremely shrewd. This arrogant person wanted to accompany her. It seemed that she had the idea of making a noble daughter.

Alas, Li Tian sighed secretly and had to politely let Li Yutang go and followed him into the room.