The casual life of the flat space

Bai Tieying had lunch with the uncle and his three companions, while Madam Zhou opened the wooden box that Bai Tieying brought to the old ancestor. The wooden box was really inconspicuous, so when Madam Zhou said that Bai Tieying brought it, Madam Zhou didn't take it seriously. It was not until the old ancestor had finished lunch that Madam Zhou remembered this and showed it to the old ancestor.

As soon as the box was opened, the old man sat up straighter, and Mrs. Zhou also exclaimed: "This, this must be a hundred years old, right?"

The box contained a ginseng. It was not placed in a box made of fine wood like the ones in their home. It was not lined with brocade, and it was not sealed. It was just a ball, rolled up together.

Madam Zhou sighed and said, "Oh, I really underestimated this child." Liking someone is a temporary thing, but she also understood that even for Doctor Bai's sake, she was only allowed to get by on the surface.

Unlike the Chen family, which was only concerned with making money, their Zhou family had already produced three people who served as officials in the imperial court, one of whom was her eldest grandson. Although the official positions were not high, and her eldest grandson was still waiting to be released, that was also a step into the officialdom, wasn't it?

So this time when the ancestor suddenly stopped eating and drinking, she was extremely anxious, fearing that because of this... her eldest grandson would not be able to catch up with this year's official release, and she didn't know when the next one would be, so the early investment would naturally be wasted.

Bai Tieying solved the problem, and she felt more fortunate than grateful. After all, Bai Tieying's greatest reliance was Doctor Bai. If the ancestor forgot about it after a while, she would forget about it too, and she didn't put any extra effort into it.

But when the ginseng was taken out, Madam Zhou felt that she had underestimated Bai Tieying. This move was nothing more than telling her that Bai Tieying really didn't need to curry favor with the Zhou family. Perhaps this could also be the work of Doctor Bai, but her intuition told her that it was that little girl. But she was just a country girl, how could she be so cunning? Madam Zhou couldn't figure it out, so she lowered her head and remained silent.

At this time, the old ancestor spoke up: "Jing'er's mother! My worry this time is actually a kind of worry. Although the Zhou family is now in a flourishing state, it has become a bit ostentatious. If I am alive, I will still be here to keep it in place. If I die, the Zhou family will soon fall apart."

The old ancestor raised his hand to interrupt what Madam Zhou was about to say, and continued: "We have suffered a lot since we were young, so we were able to work together with your father-in-law and his wife to lay the foundation of the Zhou family. Unfortunately, your father-in-law was an unlucky man and passed away early.

When a family has extra money, it is natural to hope that their children and grandchildren will not have to suffer the hardships they have suffered. However, I only realized when I got old that this is wrong. It is impossible for people who have never suffered to become successful.

I remember when Jing Geer was reciting to me when he was a child, he said something like "survival of the fittest". It was so well said! Good things in this world can only be obtained by fighting for them, and it is precisely because they don't need to fight for anything that they already have, that each generation is worse than the previous one.

You are a person with a clear mind, but you have been high and mighty for a long time, especially after Sheng Ge'er passed the imperial examination, you are not as calm as before. You are not young anymore, and you have reached the age of knowing your destiny. Let go. If I don't want you to feel the same way as I do now, just leave the house to Jing Ge's daughter-in-law!

We have wealth, and what fascinates you is power. But if you think about these so-called rights, can they really be called rights? The second son's family has used too much of the public property, and the third son has too many concubines. Are you going to be occupied by these things for the rest of your life?

"I was also confused before, it's not your fault. I was only thinking about making money and didn't educate them well, so you have been angry for so many years. I apologize to you!"

Mrs. Zhou really couldn't help it this time. These words, which sounded like a final exhortation, brought back memories of the past few decades. She put the box down, held the old ancestor's hand and burst into tears.

"I've had this idea for a long time, but I just can't make up my mind. You're also a mother, so you can understand my feelings. But seeing that Sheng Ge'er and the other two have made great achievements, if I, as their great-grandmother, really want to do good for them, I can't let the Zhou family follow the corrupt Chen family and end up dragging them down.

Jing'er's mother, tell them that they must all come back for the family dinner at the end of the month. I will divide the family property among you. Those who don't come back will not be eligible. You don't need to persuade me about this matter. I have made up my mind. Look," the old ancestor picked up the box of ginseng, "do you know what this means?"

"If it's a normal gift for a visit, it's too expensive. If you ask her if she wants something from us, she didn't say a word. She's a country girl, and this thing is enough for her to live a stable life. Apart from telling us that she doesn't need to curry favor with us, I really can't understand what she means by doing this?" Mrs. Zhou replied.

"Haha, this is exactly why I figured it out today! What you said is just the superficial meaning. In fact, this child is telling us implicitly that our Zhou family's reputation outside is not good. If we continue to be superficial, even a country girl like her will not be interested in us, and she will use this ginseng that is far more valuable than what we gave her to cut off contact with us.

This box looks like it was made with great effort, but it is not good looking and the workmanship is not fine, so it can only be considered as an item in ordinary people's homes. There is a valuable item inside, but it is a mess, so it doesn't look valuable at all.

Isn't this the same as our Zhou family? We seem to be much better than ordinary people, but in the eyes of those truly powerful families, we are just country girls. Although we still have some confidence, we are inevitably disturbed by a mess of things and don't look noble.

Tieying is such a sincere and thoughtful girl! How rare! If we didn't see her intention today, she would have never contacted us again. It's not that we don't contact her, but that she doesn't want to contact us anymore. Do you understand?

Jing'er's mother, I asked you to hand over the management to your eldest daughter-in-law because I wanted you to get out of this. The person in charge is always confused! The eldest son is still out there at this age. In fact, it is not that our Zhou family is only superficial. So we need you as an 'outsider' to help him and the children. Do you understand?"

Seeing Madam Zhou nod, the old ancestor was tired of talking, so he gave a final instruction: "Then I will say one more thing. If you are sincere to Tieying, she will be sincere to you! Okay, go back, I need to rest."