Chapter XVIII. Reading

  It was close to lamplight time when Xu Shanran brought Green Parrot out of the Book Pavilion.   She took a deep breath into the somewhat cool evening air, letting her head, which was a bit muddled from reading for a long time, wake up a bit in the cool breath.   The green parrot next to her went to get Xu Shanran's cloak, and looked at the sky again and said, "Miss, I'm afraid that dinner will soon be served in the madam's courtyard, so we have to go back quickly."   Xu Shanran nodded her head and walked towards her own courtyard, not wanting to take a few steps before running into Red Parrot.   All the way fast running over the red parrot rushed slowly, finally rushed to see the girl, she stopped a little gasping for breath, then said: "girl, the afternoon master came to the courtyard to see, asked the girl where to go, the slave girls told the master girl in the pavilion, and then the master do not know if it is not to come, and just went back to a trip, into the girl's house to look at, when I left. ...... didn t look like he was unhappy, but it didn t seem like he was happy either."   In a few words, all the things that happened in the afternoon were said.   Xu Shanran although bumped into the red parrot, but not because of the red parrot's report and stop, as usual, with two maids forward, listen to the end of the also just said "know", because the side of the maid more than one, sent green parrot first will bring her from the book pavilion out of the book to bring back to the yard to place it well, their own red parrot directly towards the parents' yard He sent Green Parrot to bring the books she brought from the Book Pavilion back to the courtyard and arrange them.   When Hongmu heard Xu Shanran's arrangement, her heart was slightly relieved, and she couldn't help glancing at Green Parrot's back, and when she turned back, she felt that even the lantern in her hand looked more than a little bit brighter.   Without the delay of going back to the room to change clothes, Xu Shanran arrived at the Four Courts earlier than Xu Danqing and Xu Danyu.   The small kitchen was in the final preparations for the evening meal, a few maids were busy in the main hall, she walked to the back and saw He was sitting on the kang, gossiping with mama Gui while threading a needle and embroidering a pattern, she first went up to ask her mother how she was doing, and then she saw her father walk out of the suite next to her and called out to her:   "Sister Shan'er?"   "Father?"   "Come in for a moment."   "Yes."   He at the back was trying to talk to her daughter, and seeing that her daughter was cut off halfway by her husband, she couldn't help but be startled: "Why are you suddenly calling good sister-er over to talk?"   Mama Gui was also a bit strange, but it's not unusual for a father and daughter to say something, so she laughed and said, "Maybe she thought of something temporarily, it'll probably be fine in a while, ma'am, will the light be too dim? I light another candle?"   "No need, it's almost time, after a while they are all coming over ......"   Any further words from the back Xu Shanran didn't hear, by this time, she had already walked into the suite with Xu Peidong.   This suite and her courtyard changed the ear room is almost the same, all are placed with bookshelves and desks of the small study model.   Only Xu Peidong has always been a person of elegance, those desk offerings can be said to be nothing less than fine, rosewood small mountain brush bed, white jade gourd water note, are unusual. It is the bookshelf, in addition to paper bound books, but also put more bamboo and other imitation of ancient books.   Into the suite, Xu Peidong sat in front of the desk, Xu Shanran also find a chair next to sit down.   Xu Peidong coughed, his eyes towards the table spread out with his own annotated historical records glanced on, but also looked at the scriptures that were covered off half, conscious that the preparation is almost ready, and then turned his eyes to look at his daughter, just want to open his mouth to speak, but on his daughter's slightly too calm little face, somehow, suddenly do not know what to say.   "Father?" In the end, it was Xu Shanran who spoke first.   Xu Peidong woke up, searched his intestines, and only after half a day did he get a sentence, "I heard that you've been learning how to run a house recently?"   "Yes."   "Why?" Xu Peidong was actually quite incredulous.   "It's always good to learn more." Xu Shanran replied in a four-fold manner.   Then one should also learn the right things! Xu Peidong secretly returned a sentence in his heart, but when he thought about it, he also thought that his daughter seems to be really learning the right things, those books are idle people do not like to go to ...... think so, those words of teaching are not good to say, Xu Peidong finally could only say: "You're still young, if you want to learn in the future, there is plenty of time. There is a lot of time, now is the right time to play properly, you do not play at this time, later will never find back such a pure feeling."   In fact, he always felt that controlling this and that too early was not good for the child at all, and that it was too easy to wear his heart out.   This was not a bad thing to say at all.   How could Xu Shanran, who had been a human being for two lifetimes, not understand this? But although Xu Shanran understands, Xu Peidong does not understand that his daughter has long been through this time, and then through a lot of time, in a long, long time ago, will not be able to return to such a feeling.   Xu Shanran's heart had long been worn as cold and hard as stone by too many things.   She said, "Father has a good point, but my daughter thought that whether something is good or not can only be truly understood after going to understand it and experiencing it."   Huh, that's so true!   Isn't it the case that one can only realize what one has learned on paper, and one must know what one has to do? Although the words are not good, but the reasoning passes ah!   Xu Peidong couldn't help but agree for a moment, but then thought: say to say, to really know this reasoning ...... can be said so clearly, as if it is not like not knowing this reasoning?   "Why do you have to go to the housekeeper?" Xu Peidong couldn't help but ask.   He is not unaware of the reasons why daughters-in-law in big families love to compete for the right to run the house, it's just four words, power, interests.   But his daughter was a seven year old girl, what interests did she want? Managing some carriage and horse gift list transcription of this kind of marginal things and can have what interests? As for the power is even more joking, do not mention it. As a whole, it's really hard work. Before he heard the news, he thought his daughter had been taught bad, but now it seems that his daughter is not ignorant - then why do not the quiet and honorable girl to do, but to get these things that are not much necessary?   "Because my daughter feels that these things are meaningful to my daughter." Xu Shanran replied. Of course she could say another string of plausible sophistry, but for Xu Peidong, who had already seen what she was reading and was very reasonable, just this one sentence was enough of an effect.   Sure enough Xu Peidong was choked at once.   Xu Shanran waited for a while, heard the sound of Xu Danqing Xu Danyu asking for peace from outside, and saw that Xu Peidong never said anything, so she got up to say goodbye and turned out of this small suite.   Just came over, is asking for peace and He's talking and laughing Xu Danqing thought Xu Shanran has not come over, the results of a fierce look at Xu Shanran from the side of the room out, can not help but froze, not after a while, and then see Xu Peidong also frowned and walked out, the color is more some changes.   Xu Shanran ignored the several changes in color of Xu Danqing, walked to He's side, leaning on He's arm, pointing to the piece of cloth embroidered by He's just whispered.   Xu Danqing's eyeballs turned, came to Xu Peidong's side, and happily talked again.   Xu Peidong is thinking about his youngest daughter, did not pay too much attention to what his eldest daughter said, while responding to "hmmm ah ah ah", while sitting on the kang, but in a moment will have to look at the youngest daughter.   Not to mention Mama Gui, who was observing all directions, even He, who was talking to Xu Shanran, felt a little uncomfortable because of Xu Peidong's gaze.   But Xu Shanran only acted unaware.   She took her mother's hand and used her speech to divert her mother's attention, "Mother, this hankie of yours looks a little different from the usual."   Painting was done for the first time in the mountains, but needlework was something He had embroidered since she was a child, and He had some confidence in it, and when she heard Xu Shanran's words, she laughed and said, "Then where do you think it's different?"   Of course Xu Shanran knew what was different. However, she blinked and deliberately looked at the pad for a long time before saying, "I see that there is a distance between the mountain and the water! The leaves on the water aren't quite the same again."   He rejoices upon hearing this, "Oops, that's right!"   Gui mother chimed in, "Mistress, the slave girl said this earlier, but you didn't believe me, you had to wait until the girl came over and said it again, then you felt it was true!"   He said, "It's not the same, I told you beforehand, but I didn't tell Shan Sister Er."   This side of the big and small women talking lively, that side Xu Peidong can not help but feel more and more indescribably depressed.   Especially after seeing Xu Shanran carefully looking at He's handkerchief, he suddenly remembered - just now in the suite, his own daughter to his carefully arranged desk, but not even a tail of the eyes drifted past.   So think, suddenly feel more like a stone in the heart of the general, can not speak of gasping, and then listen to the side of the eldest daughter has been called "father, father", not a little impatient: "What is it, there are things to be said later."   Xu Danqing did not think he said half a day to get this sentence, suddenly a little dumbfounded, reacted when the eyes are slightly red.   Next to her, the always silent Xu Dan Yu raised her head to look at the crowd in front of her, and lowered her head again, just pretending that she didn't exist.   On the other end, Xu Peidong, who had finished speaking, didn't take the words to heart at all, and only continued to think: Isn't it just an embroidered handkerchief? What is there to look so focused on?   Thinking about it, still can not help but look at the place where Xu Shanran's line of sight stays, did not expect this look, Xu Peidong again "eek" a sound.   "Master?" This sound is too abrupt, of course He can't pretend that she didn't hear anything, not to mention that she and Xu Peidong don't have any conflicts, naturally she quickly turned her head to care about Xu Peidong.   Xu Peidong reached out and took He's embroidered handkerchief into his hands, and after looking at it carefully, "This is very different from the one that madam embroidered for me before ......"   "Just this one," He was busy laughing, "is the last time I drew a picture, idly wanted to embroider a picture according to the chart, did not think that this little girl knows, non-run over and I said that the picture picture is very false last time, painting is just, embroidery is certainly not good, not as good as embroidering her that yard of the Rockery and water ......"   Xu Peidong rubbed the jagged mountains, water ripples, and the dark shadows between the two, sighed: "Mrs. has great talent!"   Said that see that the pad is just a few stitches short of the last, and then think of this embroidered pattern is the scenery of the daughter's yard, maybe the pad is to give the daughter's, under the hunting heart under the so-called just do not know, withdrew the shed to their own sleeve stuffed, and did not return to the He.   He saw a little silly, busy: "Needle, needle is still inserted in it!"   "It's fine, it's fine." Xu Peidong was slightly embarrassed, and casually took the needle and put away the handkerchief again.   As he spoke, he wanted to discuss the combination of embroidery and painting with He, and at the same time, he wanted to find Xu Shanran to continue talking about the previous matter.   After a few moments of dilemma, he remembered that the conversation with He could be spoken slowly between the beds, and chose Xu Shanran to speak, and this time, he learned from his mistake and spoke directly, "Sister Shan'er has been reading books recently, right?"   "Yes." Xu Shanran replied.   "What books are you reading?" Xu Peidong asked again, and he was energized by the clear answer, thinking that he really should have asked this.   "Read the sutra, and mainly went through some of the main history and other history." Xu Shanran said.   Exactly what he thought ah! Xu Peidong was happy, "Bring books tomorrow, I'll see what you've seen."   Unexpectedly, when these words came out, a look of difficulty appeared on He's face.   With the previous painting and then the embroidery this time, Xu Peidong paid a lot of attention to He unconsciously, as soon as he saw He's face showed a difficult look, he asked, "What's wrong with madam?"   "Nothing ......" He said, "but tomorrow I'm going back to my mother's home with Sister Shan, I've already reported to my mother ...... and I've told the master before. It."   Xu Peidong just remembered that there is this section, excited about the time was poured a pot of cold water, he was not happy, said: "How can you study three days fish two days sunshine net?"   He was about to speak, but Xu Shanran interjected first: "It is precisely to find cousin reading."   Xu Peidong did know that his wife's mother's family had a child who was very good at reading, only two or three years older than Xu Shanran, called He Ming, he was even more upset: "Looking for him to teach you?"   "No," said Xu Shanran, "Compete with him to see who is better."