Nightwatcher

My aunt was angry, and her beautiful face was covered with frost, the kind that couldn't be coaxed well.

Second Uncle Xu's scalp was numb, and he complained: "Ning Yan, how good is it that you have money to subsidize your family, is it worth buying these flashy things?"

He planned to diss his nephew to regain his sense of identity with his wife and dispel her anger.

Xu Lingyue said indifferently: "There is no shortage of food and clothing at home, and Daddy's meal includes eldest brother's salary in it."

Uncle Xu was so choked by his daughter that he couldn't speak, so he changed the subject again: "Ning Yan, where did you get the money?"

Xu Qi'an said: "I think the jewelry on my sister's head is too cheap, so I kept it in my heart, cut down on food, saved up some money, and in addition, Bao Qi Xuan has half-price crossword guessing games."

It's hard to say that the jewelry came from whoring for nothing, and he doesn't want to be socially dead like Xu Cijiu.

Xu Lingyue's hand holding the bowl trembled slightly, her heart softened immediately, she stared at Xu Qi'an with full eyes.

In this family, only the elder brother puts her on top of his heart. The father and the second elder brother never thought there was any problem with her wearing cheap jewelry.

The daughter's house also needs appearance.

"Brother, does it look good?" She put the golden step rocker on her hair, and the candlelight reflected the girl's sharp melon-seeded face, with exquisite features, black and bright eyes, and lively and fragrant.

Aunt is even more sour.

Xu Qi'an was also sore, he glanced at Xu Erlang on the left, the younger brother was wearing a navy blue robe, his long black and beautiful hair was tied up with jade hairpins, his lips were red and his teeth were white, he was extremely handsome.

He also glanced at the radiant girl after wearing the gold step shaker, and at the plump and beautiful woman, the aunt.

The face value of the whole family has been kissed by angels, but I am ordinary?

When he saw Xiao Douding, who had facial features resembling Second Uncle Xu's, and looked iron-faced, he was no longer sour.

"Come on, Lingyin eats meat." Xu Qi'an picked up a piece of fat meat for her, and then picked up lean meat for Xu Lingyue.

"Brother is so kind."

"Brother sees you the most pleasing to the eye."

"Then why didn't the big brother save me just now?" Xiao Douding remembered that the big brother not only didn't save her just now, but also laughed loudly.

"Only by enduring hardships can one become a master, and only by enduring hardships can one become an invincible master in the world."

"Is there anyone who is invincible without enduring hardships?"

"Yes, in a dream."

When the meal was almost finished, my aunt said calmly: "After the new year, Ning Yan will be twenty."

"Yo, auntie still remembers my age." Xu Qi'an expressed surprise.

Aunt arrogantly ignored him, turned to Second Uncle Xu and said, "Master, we have to match Ning Yan with a marriage."

Xu Lingyue and Xu New Year raised their heads at the same time, staring at their mother.

Xu Qi'an himself was the slowest, he was stunned for a few seconds before he realized it, and then he couldn't believe it.

The unlucky aunt is actually interested in my nephew's marriage, will the sun come out from the west tomorrow?

You know, marrying a daughter-in-law is a very grand event, and three books, six ceremonies and eight sedan chairs are all money.

The aunt glanced at the unlucky nephew, and continued: "I think Lu'e is good. She was raised in the mansion since she was a child, and she and Ning Yan are also childhood sweethearts."

And it doesn't cost any money, aunt is still aunt

The pretty Lu'e let out an 'ah', and Xiafei felt a little bewildered on her cheeks.

Love came too fast like a tornado, which blew her away.

In his heart, he was shy and embarrassed, but also concealed a trace of joy.

Xu Lingyue glanced at the maidservant who looked bleak in front of her, feeling a little unhappy, "Mother, don't make up your own mind, let him discuss the marriage with Daddy himself."

The subtext is, mother, what position do you have in the elder brother's heart, I don't know.

The aunt hated her daughter for stealing hairpins, and scolded: "Ning Yan and Lv'e are both talented and beautiful, and they know the bottom line, so it's your younger sister's turn to object?"

Xu Lingyue looked away aggrieved.

No, no, it's too much to know the basics, and Xu Qi'an just wanted to express his opinion before he reached that point, when he heard the little brother beside him speak.

Xu Xinnian said: "My mother thinks that when Lu'e marries the eldest brother, the gift money will be avoided, and there will be a reason for the eldest brother to move out to live."

One hit hits.

The aunt said angrily: "You child, you can't speak since you were a child."

Uncle Xu closed the coffin and concluded: "Okay, okay, you don't have to worry about this matter, if you don't step into the Qi training state, Ning Yan won't be close to women."

Lu'e looked disappointed and lowered her head.

Except for the wife who has served since childhood, the whole family seems to be against her marrying Da Lang.

Second Uncle Xu finished his dinner, went to the imperial sword guard, and then discussed tomorrow's matters with his nephew and son in the study.

Back in the room, I saw my wife sitting by the bed, looking angry.

"What are you doing? You're so angry now." Second Uncle Xu said helplessly.

The aunt turned her head and stared at her beautiful eyes: "That little brat of yours has no conscience at all, when I took him from you, he was still as big as a kitten, who raised him up?

"If you know how to piss me off, you know how to piss me off. Why bother raising him so much, it's better to feed him to mice."

While she was thinking about it, she suddenly saw her husband take out a wooden box from his arms and hand it over. The word "Baoqixuan" was engraved on the surface of the wooden box.

The rosy little mouth opened, and she looked at her husband in a daze and astonishment.

"Ning Yan asked me to give it to you." Second Uncle Xu said helplessly: "Anyway, neither of you is willing to bow your head and admit defeat, and he is too embarrassed to give it to you. That's why I didn't bring it out on the table just now."

The aunt opened the box anxiously, and inside was a golden step rocker that was heavier than the girl's and more exquisitely crafted.

Holding her precious one in her hand, she walked to the bronze mirror in small steps, sat on the dressing table, and put it on for herself.

An oval face will make a woman look dignified, especially after becoming a woman.

A woman with an oval face is delicate and pretty, but once she becomes a woman, she is glamorous.

Aunt belongs to the latter category.

She stared happily at herself in the bronze mirror, and snorted softly: "That little bastard still has some conscience."

Uncle Xu stood by the window on the other side of the room, staring at the quiet yard outside the window with a serious expression, with the imperial sword guard's standard long knife in his hand.

The night was safe and sound, Xu Ershu and Xu Qi'an, who were sleepless all night, felt relieved.

Waking up early in the morning, Xu Lingyue was still wearing her unlined clothes, opened the window, and stretched her beautiful figure in the cool air.

"Miss, what are you looking at at the window?"

"I didn't see anything."

after a while

"Miss, what are you waiting for?"

"No waiting."

"Miss, come over and do your makeup."

"I know you're bored to death."

Second Uncle Xu left the house at dawn to gather his sword guards. Xu Qi'an went out to rent a carriage, while Xu Erlang stayed at home and directed the servants to tidy up and salute.

At around noon, two carriages and dozens of riders left the city gate and headed towards the northwest where Yunlu Academy is located.

The carriage was not fast, and it took two hours to reach the foot of Qingyun Mountain.

The three men of the Xu family breathed a sigh of relief at the same time.

"Is it too grassy and woody?" Second Uncle Xu frowned.

Xu Erlang, who is good at the art of war, said slowly: "If the people who followed the elder brother yesterday were really from the Zhou family, then they have already missed two best opportunities to attack.

"But it is also possible that in the eyes of Zhou Shilang, we are just ants that can be crushed to death at any time, and we are not in a hurry to deal with it. He has even bigger troubles."

It is a taboo for military strategists to underestimate the enemy, but the premise is that the two sides are evenly matched, or the difference is not so great.

Compared with the Zhou family, the Xu family is really not enough.

"But there is one thing we must face, that is, if Zhou Shilang is not eliminated, we will surely die." Xu Qi'an said in a deep voice.

Xiao Douding's happy laughter interrupted their conversation. She poked her head out from the curtain, looking excitedly at the suburban scenery.

Xu Lingyin always thought that she was out to play.

Xu Qi'an found her annoying, pointed to the outline of the Yunlu Academy building in the distance, and said, "Do you know where it is?"

"I don't know, brother." Xu Lingyin giggled, her round face was like an apple.

"That's Second Brother's Academy." Xu Qi'an said.

The word academy made Xu Lingyin vigilant, and she looked at her eldest brother.

Xu Qi'an nodded: "We are going to send you to study, and you will not be allowed to go home in the future."

The smile on Xu Lingyin's little face disappeared little by little, and she looked at her eldest brother in a daze.

She silently retracted into the carriage, and a few seconds later, there was a sound of crying inside.

"Mom, I don't want to go to the academy, I don't want to study, oh oh oh"

"It's so noisy, your elder brother lied to you."

"Brother, why did you lie to me?"

"Because he's a bastard."

So Xu Qi'an became happier.

Arriving at the foot of the mountain and climbing up the stairs, Xu Qi'an and Xu Cijiu visited Zhang Shen, but the great scholar Li Mubai greeted them.

"Where's the teacher?" Xu Cijiu asked.

"It's closed." Li Mubai glanced at Xu Qi'an, and said calmly, "I have already arranged the courtyard."

Xu Cijiu bowed to thank him, and said: "My sister is in the enlightenment stage, sir, can you allow her to study in the academy for a while."

This request is not too much. If Xu Lingyue wants to study, the academy will definitely refuse, and Xu Lingyin is a five-year-old child. In this era, scholars do not reject enlightenment for children, and even advocate such things.

It's just that children from ordinary families can't afford to read books.

Li Mubai nodded in agreement.

Two days passed by in a hurry, and in the early morning of this day, Xu Cijiu, who was visiting his classmates, Xu Ershu, who was inquiring about news, and Xu Qian, who hadn't listened to music for three consecutive days, gathered in the study.

Lu'e had already accompanied her to Yunlu Academy, and none of the three elders wanted to serve tea and water.

For the first time, they gathered the information they had collected and planned to formulate a plan to deal with Zhou Li.