Ling Xiulan's peony flowers have been "carefully" cared for by Zhen Zhen for half a month, and all of them have bloomed gorgeous flowers, not only purple spotted peony, but also red, yellow, purple, blue and other complex-colored peonies. Tianxiang.

Because the Ling family's old house was going to entertain relatives and friends who came to celebrate their birthday today, Xi Changbo and Ling Xiulan came with peonies early in the morning. As soon as pots of auspicious peonies moved into the house, Mrs. Xi came out wearing a flower mirror. , I couldn't hide the surprise on my face: "You really planted it?" As he said, he quickly let the place: "Move to the house quickly, don't freeze my flowers."

Ling Xiulan was also afraid that something would go wrong with the peony if it was frozen again, so she hurriedly asked people to move it in. The old lady Xi didn't even bother to eat breakfast, so she instructed Xi Changbo to put a basin on it, and she moved three or four times before she was satisfied. .

Xi Changbo looked at the old lady standing by the peony lace and didn't want to move, and quickly persuaded: "Mother, hurry up to eat and change your clothes, you should have guests in a while."

"Mmmm." Mrs. Xi nodded perfunctorily, and she was reluctant to blink, until Mrs. Xi came down to urge him, and Mrs. Xi reluctantly went back to her room. She hurriedly ate breakfast, changed her clothes, and combed her hair. No, the old lady hurriedly returned to the hall to sit again. It was so easy to see the delicate peonies in the freezing twelfth lunar month, but they had to be well guarded so that no one could destroy them.

After 8:30, Xi Changbo's brothers and sisters came with their children. When Xi Changbo's younger sister Xi Sumei entered the door and saw the peonies in the room, her face was very ugly. Ling Xiulan, who had always had doubts in her heart, was staring at her. When she saw her expression changed, she was sure that it was her fault.

Ling Xiulan has been upright and upright all her life, and hates those intriguing things the most. She really didn't understand, if the sister-in-law had an opinion on her, she would just say no, why bother with the flowers she gave to the old man. My mother-in-law loves peonies all her life, and being able to grow blooming peonies on her birthday will make the old man happy. She wanted to make trouble on her own mother's birthday. Ling Xiulan really wanted to pry open her brain to see if it was filled with paste.

Today is a good day for my mother-in-law, and Ling Xiulan doesn't want to talk about these troublesome things, she just glanced at her lightly, then turned her head and ignored her. Feeling her sister-in-law's gaze, Ling Sumei winced, and subconsciously moved her eyes away, but after a while, she didn't know what to think of, so she glared back confidently.

For this kind of person, Ling Xiulan has only one sentence: the brain is sick!

Sensing that his wife's breathing was a little rough, Xi Changbo turned his head to look at her, and said something softly in her ear. Ling Xiulan shook her head, the two smiled at each other, and turned to talk to Mrs. Xi. went.

Seeing that the third brother didn't even give her a look, Xi Sumei was both wronged and angry, thinking that Ling Xiulan must be speaking ill of herself behind her back. Xi Changbo has two older brothers, one older sister and one younger sister. Among the brothers and sisters, Xi Changbo is the best-looking, and he is also very well-mannered and well-mannered. He likes to pester him when he is a little Xi Sumei. After all, there is such an eye-catching brother, and there are many girls of the same age. They all flattered her with the idea of ​​getting the moon first, which made Xi Sumei feel that she had a lot of face.

As for Xi Changbo, he prefers to get along with his brothers and sisters. No matter what he talks or does, he is negotiable. He is close to each other but maintains a polite degree. He can help each other when it is difficult, and Xi Sumei is estimated to be This family is different. As the youngest child, her brothers and sisters were more willing to let her go when she was young, but when it was time to be sensible and humble, she didn't want to. She just wanted to make others treat her well, but nothing happened. Consider others. After the family found out about her problem, they did not blindly protect her. There were a lot of preaching and guidance, but no matter how they managed it, they looked like they couldn't get in. At that time, the young Xi Changbo was strange. All the brothers grew up like this. Yes, why is my sister so ignorant?

When Xi Sumei was eighteen or nineteen years old, Xi Changbo was just in his early twenties, and he looked like a jade tree and had an extraordinary aura. Xi Sumei likes to hang out with Xi Changbo when she has nothing to do, and she often brings her little sisters home to show off her brother's handsome and handsome, so as to improve her status among the little sisters. Xi Changbo, a person in his twenties, can see it at a glance. Seeing through her little tricks, she gave face once or twice, and when she saw her more often, she basically detoured away.

At this time, Ling Xiulan appeared in Xi Changbo's sight. Xi Changbo fell in love with her at first sight and began to pursue her wildly. Xi Sumei's classmates were not very happy after they came to the house a few times and did not meet Xi Changbo. The shameless Xi Sumei waited for Xi Changbo to cry and make trouble with him when he came home at night, so he had to go shopping with her classmates on weekends. .

Xi Changbo was furious and scolded Xi Sumei, and even her parents scolded her when they heard the news. A few days after the incident, Xi Sumei's classmates saw Xi Changbo and Ling Xiulan in the park and went back to talk about it. caused.

At first glance, this reason is the idea of ​​a brain-dead girl. When Ling Xiulan first went to Xi's house and saw this little girl who was crying and making trouble in front of her, she classified her as a kind of abnormal brain. Xi Changbo was annoyed by Xi Sumei, and was about to marry Ling Xiulan, so he simply bought a house and moved out.

When the event was held, Xi Sumei once again disturbed the scene, and was directly carried out by her brother and sister covering their mouths. After they got married, Xi Changbo and Ling Xiulan lived alone. After a few months, Xi Changbo was sent to France to work. away from Xi Sumei.

A few years ago, when Xi Changbo was forced to resign and return to China, Xi Sumei had already married and was released with her husband. When the exercise was over, Xi Sumei finally followed her husband from the border back to the imperial capital. Years of hard work not only did not make her mentally mature, but even more Bittersweet likes to dig into the horns. When she saw that the house Ling Xiulan lived in was actually a courtyard, the meaning in her words was that she almost had to give her the house to be worthy of her, and her sour appearance made Ling Xiulan not want to pay attention to her.

Half a month ago, Xi Sumei, who was uncharacteristically, brought her daughter to the door, saying that she was shopping for a rest. Thinking that the old lady's birthday was coming, Ling Xiulan was too embarrassed to send her out. She left, but her daughter Shang Qingran acted coquettishly and insisted on living, but she looked exactly the same as when Xi Sumei was a child.

A sixteen- or seventeen-year-old child, Ling Xiulan didn't take too much precaution against her. After dinner, she sent her to the Xiulou and came back. Thinking of the wilted appearance of the eight pots of flower jelly, and looking at the innocent-looking girl next to Xi Sumei, Ling Xiulan felt a little scared. A little girl in the middle of the night could go out in the dark to do this, but she couldn't see it at all after getting up in the morning. The expression is different, this scheming is much stronger than her mother.

Shang Qingran noticed her mother's eyes, and followed Ling Xiulan's gaze. Seeing Ling Xiulan frowning slightly at her, she only smiled lightly and turned her head away. The expression seemed to say: Oh, so it turns out You guessed it. There was no apology or guilt on his face, not even the slightest fear.

Ling Xiulan felt a chill in her heart, and the hand she held Ling Changbo slowly tightened, realizing that his wife was in a wrong mood, Xi Changbo turned his head and looked at Shang Qingran along Ling Xiulan's eyes. The years of experience are here, and Shang Qingran looked a little guilty with just a dull look, turned his head and ran towards Mrs. Xi.

Xi Changbo also knew that the problem with his wife's peony flowers was related to his sister and niece, but this kind of thing without evidence could not be said on the surface, otherwise his family would be in a bad position. Holding Ling Xiulan's hand, Xi Changbo whispered in her ear, "It's okay, there is me, I will tell her not to go to our house in the future."

Ling Xiulan was relieved to have a husband that she could rely on at ease, she no longer thought about her sister-in-law, and planned to quietly talk to the old lady about Zhen Zhen while there were not many people around.

He stood up and walked to the old lady Xi who was enjoying the flowers: "Mom, are you tired? I'll pour you a glass of honey water?"

"I don't drink it." The old lady Xi said with a smile: "I told you, I can't eat or drink when I see such a good flower. I'm so nervous. Xiulan, why are you so coincidental? It's a big winter. It's really hard work to be able to grow such good flowers."

Ling Xiulan smiled: "Oh, don't mention it, I almost lost face to see you."

"What's the matter?" The old lady looked down from the flower and glanced at Ling Xiulan.

"Half a month ago, this peony seems to have grown a lot of flower buds, and the flower buds were wilted and blackened overnight, and they couldn't support them. Junjie's object is still a researcher on flowers, and she brought back these eight pots of flowers. My family, I took care of it for ten days, and this is how beautiful flowers grow. To tell you the truth, I just moved back to the flowers last night."

Ling Xiulan's sister-in-law asked in surprise, "Junjie has a partner? Whose child is he?" "This child has always had eyes above the top, what kind of girl can he like?" "That girl is tall What's it like? Are you coming today?"

Ling Xiulan said with a big smile, "It's Junjie's classmate, and Junjie himself fell in love."

"Classmate? Are you a local?" When Xi Sumei heard that her most handsome nephew actually had a girlfriend, her mood was the same as when she knew that Xi Changbo and Ling Xiulan were dating, especially not the taste, especially when she heard what Ling Xiulan meant, her eyes stared at The dying flower was actually rescued by the girl, a look of disgust flashed on Xi Sumei's face.

Ling Xiulan didn't want to pay attention to her at first, but seeing the curious look on Mrs. Xi's face, she could only say: "My hometown is in a forest town in Hei Province, but this child's uncle is in the imperial capital. The whole family is here too..."

Before the words were finished, Xi Sumei covered her mouth with an exaggerated smile and said, "I thought it was some kind of angel, but it turned out to be a bumpkin from the ravines. Oh, I said sister-in-law three, when my brother was confused when he was looking for a partner, forget it. But Junjie is the most promising child of our Xi family, but he can't be as blind as my brother."

The face of the whole family changed in one sentence. Xi Sumei originally wanted to ridicule Ling Xiulan, but she didn't have any brains, so she offended the whole family in one sentence. Especially Ling Xiulan's two sisters-in-law belittled their children because of Xi Sumei's words just now, and they looked at her with angry eyes. Xi Junjie's cousins ​​missed the golden age of studying. Although they didn't go to university, they did a good job in all walks of life. Xi Sumei's words can be regarded as offending several sisters-in-law.

But Xi Sumei didn't know it yet, she looked at Ling Xiulan with some smugness, and she didn't know what she was so proud of. Before Ling Xiulan could speak, the old lady Xi was angry, her face sank, Xi Sumei thought her own mother was angry because Xi Junjie and the girl from Shangougou had an affair, so she leaned over and rolled her eyes at Ling Xiulan: "Mom, look look at her..."

"Shut up for me." Mrs. Xi stared at Xi Sumei with a dark face.

"Mom..." Xi Sumei took a step back in a hurry, not sure what the old lady Xi was really angry about.

Old Mrs. Xi was heartbroken and sad when she saw her little daughter. Although she was a little charming when she was a child, she had some spiritual energy. When she grew older, she became more selfish and unreasonable. Later, after getting married and delegating for so many years, when I came back, I became a shrew.

Remembering that today is her 80th birthday, she must not be angry. Madam Xi closed her eyes and tried to hold her breath down: "If you want me to be happy, talk less." Ling Xiulan stopped uttering a single glance.

After a few minutes of silence, relatives and friends came to the door one after another. The family quickly suppressed the discomfort just now, and smiled and greeted the people who came.

As soon as the people who came here sat down, the first thing they saw was the magnificent peonies in the hall. Some thought they were fake, but when they got close, they realized that they were actually tender and tender flowers: "Oh, at this time, the sky is so beautiful. Where did the peonies come from in the cold?"

The old lady Xi pointed at Ling Xiulan with a smile: "My daughter-in-law raised it specially."

All the friends who came for a while praised Ling Xiulan for her filial piety and attentiveness, Ling Xiulan laughed and laughed while looking at the watch on the wall, why Junjie and Zhen Zhen haven't arrived yet.

Just as I was thinking about it, I heard a relative's child shout, "Brother Junjie is here."

Ling Xiulan turned back quickly, and through the bright glass window, she saw Xi Junjie was holding a red envelope, which looked like a basin, and beside Zhen Zhen was holding a scroll and a wooden box.

Seeing that their hands were full, someone quickly opened the door for them.

Entering with the things in his arms, Xi Junjie bowed to Grandma Xi with a smile on his face: "I wish Grandma a long life like the East Sea and Nanshan." Zhen Zhen answered immediately: "The sun and the moon are prosperous, and the Songhe is in Changchun."

The old lady Xi couldn't close her mouth with joy, took the reading glasses and put it on and looked at Zhen Zhen: "Junjie, is this your partner? What's your name?"

Xi Junjie glanced at Zhen Zhen with a smile, and quickly introduced: "Mother, her name is Li Mingzhen, and her nickname is Zhen Zhen."

"Zhen Zhen, it's a good name." Madam Xi nodded, Zhen Zhen quickly put her things aside and smiled sweetly: "This is the first time I saw my grandma, I brought you some soil from my house. Specialties and paintings by myself."

Before the old lady Xi could speak, Xi Sumei couldn't help laughing: "As expected from the valley, the gifts are earthy." She glanced at Zhen Zhen with contempt, and Xi Sumei took it a bit. Proud and showy: "Our family gave her grandmother a wool blanket. The quality is good, pure wool!"

Zhen Zhen was stunned for a moment, looked at Xi Junjie, Xi Junjie quickly said in her ear: "My little aunt."

Zhen Zhen knew that this was the culprit who almost killed Peony from freezing to death. Thinking of what she did, Zhen Zhen knew she was stupid, so she ignored her and put the things in her hands aside.

The people who came to Xi's house to attend the birthday banquet were all close relatives and friends who knew Xi Sumei to some extent, but the old lady Xi still felt a little uneasy on her face, she didn't even look at Xi Sumei, and asked Zhen Zhen with a smile: "I I heard from your Aunt Ling that your hometown is Lincheng in Hei Province, it is a good place, with outstanding people and handsome daughters."

"That's not it." Xi Junjie's aunt said with a smile, "I just said that Junjie has a good eye, and the girl he likes is not bad." She glanced at Xi Sumei, and laughed very relieved. Everyone looked at Zhen Zhen's fair and tender skin, long black and shiny hair, a pair of curved eyes and a sweet smile and couldn't help but go to see Xi Sumei, just now she said that Junjie's target was a bumpkin, but a The girl who looks like a fairy, I don't know if she feels pain in her face.

Mrs. Xi remembered that her worry-free young daughter said that the girl gave her a gift. In front of so many people, she had to praise her child. Such a beautiful girl for her grandson. For Xi Junjie, Mrs. Xi knows very well and has a very high vision.

"What kind of picture did you draw for me?" Mrs. Xi smiled kindly and said, "Can you show it to me?"

Xi Junjie had admired Zhen Zhen's paintings for a long time, and he couldn't wait to open the scroll to show it to Mrs. Xi. Hearing the sound of gasping, Xi Junjie finally knew why Grandma Li and Li Muwu love to show their Zhen Zhen. The shocked look of others is simply too great a sense of achievement!

Looking at the painting "Turtle, Crane and Peony" painted by Zhen Zhen, Mrs. Xi said three times in succession, looked back at the wall, pointed to the scroll originally hanging on the wall and said, "Junjie, help grandma take this down. , hang up the painting "Turtle, Crane and Peony" drawn by Zhen Zhen, I like this picture."

Originally, Zhen Zhen painted very well, but Mrs. Xi clearly said that she likes Zhen Zhen's paintings. For a while, the room was full of compliments, until Xi Junjie hung the painting, and there were people who praised it from time to time.

To say that Xi Sumei is the most unconscious thing is that she is not good, especially Ling Xiulan's future daughter-in-law, in her eyes, she hates her as a class enemy.

"It's not bought with money, what's good." She mumbled unwillingly, and Xi Sumei saw the red furoshiki that Xi Junjie was holding at a glance, because it was put upside down, and the round gulu couldn't see what it was. , Xi Sumei sneered, pointed to the red envelope and asked, "What is this? Don't bring a pot."

Zhen Zhen was helpless, she glanced at Xi Sumei and didn't know what she was thinking, this is your mother's birthday, is it a disease of your mind if you keep tearing down the platform?

Old Mrs. Xi looked at the red envelope and couldn't guess what it was, and said quickly, "No matter what you give, it's the child's heart, and I like it."

Seeing Xi Sumei's bouncing temperament, Zhen Zhen was very willing to help Ling Xiulan slap her in the face, she said with a smile, "I went to the mountains to pick up some dirt when I was in my hometown..."

Sure enough, Xi Sumei's sarcastic laughter had already sounded before she finished speaking: "Is this a piece of dirt brought back from a thousand miles away? Don't soil our land."

"Little aunt seems to have forgotten that this is the Xi family. After Zhen Zhen and I get married, she will also belong to this family." Xi Junjie smiled lightly, which directly made Xi Su whiten her face.

When Xi Sumei had to marry Shang Zhicheng regardless of her family's obstacles, she was boastful, and she will no longer be a member of the Xi family, but she did not expect that the Shang family was not as powerful and powerful as she imagined, but instead flattered and liked it everywhere. A flattering family, so Mr. Xi didn't look down on Shang Chengzhi's father at all. During the movement, no one wanted to insure the Shang family, who seemed to be opportunistic. Shang Zhicheng took his wife and children to the frontier. Now that he came back, he was just a worker in a factory. Compared with Xi Sumei's brothers and sisters. It is the difference between cloud and mud.

Xi Junjie's words directly lifted the scar that Xi Sumei was tightly covering, and suddenly turned pale and took a step back. Shang Qingran pushed her slightly behind, and Xi Sumei suddenly regained her fighting spirit. For her daughter's future, she must get Press down all of them, and when Ran Ran becomes the old lady's favorite child, she will have an excuse to move back to Xi's house.

Zhen Zhen didn't pay any attention to what Xi Sumei was thinking, she untied the knots that were tied together, the furoshiki slipped away, and a Lingzhi bigger than a washbasin appeared in front of everyone.

In an instant, everyone heard the sound of their own saliva.

Zhen Zhen smiled a little embarrassedly: "I picked it from the mountain, don't dislike it."

"Hehe, this child is too good at talking, whoever dislikes him will not be ashamed?" A group of people winked at each other, their eyes full of mockery.

Zhen Zhen turned the ganoderma over and held it in front of Mrs. Xi: "It's quite common in the mountains for a hundred years of ganoderma. What's rare is that this ganoderma has a pattern that looks like the character for longevity."

As soon as she heard it, Mrs. Xi quickly put on her reading glasses to take a closer look. Sure enough, she saw the words on it at a glance, and suddenly exclaimed in surprise: "There are really words, come and see."

Everyone crowded around curiously, talking at length: "Really!" "What do you think it looks like?" "This is too amazing?" "Junjie, where exactly is your target? People, I want to take a look at it and come back with Lingzhi or something, you haven't heard that it's common."

Mrs. Xi's head was so big when they talked about it, she covered the ganoderma lucidum with her hand and didn't allow it to be touched: "It's broken for me, how can I fix it."

Immediately, Mrs. Xi's sister-in-law was delighted: "Such a big thing is not damaged even if it falls on the ground, and it is not allowed to touch it, it is stingy."

Mrs. Xi glanced at her very proudly: "Just be stingy, my future granddaughter-in-law gave it."

"Oh, my granddaughter-in-law's people are amazing." A group of people dispersed with a smile and returned to their respective positions, the old lady Xi looked at Zhen Zhen with a little embarrassment: "You said that it was the first time you came to the door, and I didn't give you anything. Well, if you gave me such an expensive gift, you should take it back and let your elders keep it."

"I still have it at home." Zhen Zhen waved her hand quickly: "It's not unusual that we saw this thing a lot when we were in Hei Province, my milk uses her to boil the water that she drinks every day, if you want to boil water Take a hammer and hit a piece when you drink it."

Mrs. Xi's mouth twitched: "I can't bear to boil water, I want to keep it as a family treasure."

"Then you can put it away." Zhen Zhen smiled and handed over another wooden box: "Together with this."

"What is this?" Xi Junjie's aunt couldn't help but ask, "It's not a local specialty again, is it?"

"Really, I dug it in the mountains." Zhen Zhen smiled and lifted the lid of the box: "There are three treasures in the northeast, ginseng, deer antler and Ula grass."

Seeing that there are seven or eight ounces of ginseng in the box, everyone has one thought: What kind of mountain is it, please tell me, I also want to dig it!