The wind is gentle and the fun is endless

He poured a cup of tea for his aunt with great courtesy, then stood there and asked, "I wonder what brings you here to see me?"

There was an unfathomable smile on my aunt's face. She said, "Please sit down." Then she picked up the teacup and pretended to taste the tea.

Naturally, Huanhuan didn't bother to be polite with her in her own room. She sat opposite her aunt and watched her aunt sip her tea quietly.

After drinking half a cup of tea, the eldest aunt put down the teacup and said nothing. She just raised her eyebrows and looked at Huanhuan unscrupulously. Huanhuan also said nothing, but looked back at her calmly.

After watching for a while, the eldest aunt suddenly said, "I can tell at a glance that someone like you has climbed up from the bottom of the market."

Huanhuan knew that she was here with ill intentions, so he said calmly, "That eldest aunt is really smart. May I ask what secret does the eldest aunt have that she can tell the origin of a person with just one look?"

"Hmph, what secret do you need? People like you, no matter how you disguise yourself with sweet words, will always appear panic-stricken when faced with certain situations. Even if it's fleeting, it can't escape my eyes. The poor air in your body can't be compared with Bihua's inherent calmness." The eldest aunt's words were quite snobbish.

He smiled slowly but faintly, "I've never seen it before, so it's inevitable that I feel a little overwhelmed. It's better than seeing it more often. I'm sorry to make you laugh, aunt."

The eldest aunt raised a scornful smile at the corner of her lips and said, "The Xu family and the people we interact with on a daily basis are all upper-class families, while your mother's family is just a lowly market family."

Huanhuan was very unhappy that her family was ridiculed, and she quickly responded: "It's a little low, but definitely not cheap."

The eldest aunt raised her eyebrows and snorted, "Hmm? Still not convinced?"

She pointed to the mother-of-pearl cabinet at the door of the study and said, "This is a mother-of-pearl lacquer cabinet. It is made of shells that have grown for decades. It is as thin as a cicada's wing and dazzling. It is matched with lacquer that has gone through seven processes. It will not fade for a hundred years. It is a must-have dowry for every woman when she gets married." She glanced at Huan Huan and said in a cold tone, "Oh, by the way, you don't have a dowry."

Her face slowly changed, and her aunt was very satisfied with this reaction.

Then she stretched out her wrist, revealing the incense string on her right hand, and asked, "Do you know what this is?"

Slowly suppressing her fluctuating emotions, she said calmly, "It's a bracelet of incense beads."

The eldest aunt used her left hand to rub the bracelet in her right hand and said in a noble manner: "This is ambergris! Have you never heard of it?"

He looked at his aunt's wrist slowly and remained silent.

The slow silence made the aunt very proud. She raised her eyebrows and continued, "The reason why ambergris is more precious than other incense beads is because of the spice of white ambergris. White ambergris has a soft fragrance and lasts for a long time. It is a rare thing in the sea. It floats on the sea and may take decades or even hundreds of years to form. It is known as the best fragrance among all fragrances, better than musk and sandalwood. It is a precious spice that is hard to come by and its value is comparable to gold."

The eldest aunt paused, stared at the bracelet in Huanhuan's hand and said disdainfully: "The agate should be bright red, full of color and full of flesh. This kind is rare and valuable. The next best is ice red. The one you are wearing is a useless scrap. Calling it floating flowers is a name borrowed from jadeite. This is the least valuable. And you don't even know such a simple thing. So, even if you can get into the private vault of the largest silver shop in the city with the help of our Xu family, what does it matter? It's still because you don't have enough experience and choose a worthless cheap thing, which makes you laugh at yourself."

After hearing this, she slowly relaxed and said with a smile, "I really don't know what my aunt said, but as the "Salt and Iron Theory" said, 'A box full of jade dust does not mean you have treasures; a book full of poetry and books does not mean you have the truth.' Price is important, but if you only see the price when you have a lot of rare treasures, you are just a playboy who is obsessed with playing with things."

Hearing Huan Xu, who always acted humble in front of her, say such sarcastic words, the eldest aunt's face immediately fell. She said with some dissatisfaction: "If not value, what do you look at?"

He slowly became serious and said word by word: "I respect the preciousness of the creation of heaven and earth, and I admire the exquisiteness and ingenuity of the craftsman's skills and thoughts!"

After hearing Huanhuan's words, the aunt was stunned and speechless.

Ignoring her slowly, he continued, "In addition, if you have the opportunity to see more of what your aunt said, and have a long time, it may be difficult, but you can also learn and understand it. "On Teachers" says, 'There are differences in the order of learning, and there are specializations in skills and professions. That's all.' Some people are lucky. Because of the shadow of their ancestors, they have learned the profound insights of their predecessors, and can appreciate the elegance of the world's sounds and shapes, giving birth to noble interests, and have cultivation, insight, and pattern, which is naturally admirable. But there are also some people who, because of the shadow of their ancestors, have become rich and idle people. Not only do they have no skills, but they are also arrogant and extravagant, and have no knowledge or skills. Isn't this a laughing stock? What is there to be proud of?"

After hearing this, my aunt's face turned pale and she said in a lost tone: "Who are you talking about? What do you mean?" Listening carefully, the ending tone of her words actually changed a little.

He smiled slowly and looked straight at his aunt without answering.

The eldest aunt was so angry that she trembled, but she quickly pretended to be calm and said, "You are so arrogant at such a young age! Do you think you can learn everything? Do you know what fruits to eat at a banquet in spring? What songs to sing at a garden in summer? What clothes to wear for hunting in autumn? What wine to drink for snow viewing in winter? Even if someone teaches you and you are willing to learn, what's the use of you just barely knowing it? As a female family member, do you know who is the most powerful female family member and who no one dares to offend? Do you know what the relationship is between the mistress of the Zhang family and the second wife of the He family? What is the difference between the occasions for using silk flowers and fresh flowers? This upper-class family has many ways. Without more than ten or twenty years of immersion, how can you be at ease? One who broke in halfway will be walking on thin ice everywhere, and no matter how careful he is, he will not be able to learn it. Bihua is different. He grew up in it since childhood, and all the potential ways are easy to pick up and he can be like a fish in water everywhere."

After listening to this, Huanhuan fell silent.

The eldest aunt looked at Huanhuan coldly. She took it for granted that Huanhuan had been refuted and had nothing to say, so she continued with the speech she had prepared in advance.

He slowly but suddenly spoke, "Even the women of the upper-class families you mentioned probably have mixed understandings of these things, right? And there are many things they don't know, right? How many of them know what to sow in the fields in spring? What kind of insects grow among the seedlings in summer? What kind of fruits grow in the mountains in autumn? What kind of trees to plant before the snow in winter? Even if they know, do they know what to plant between mulberry trees to increase profits, and what to raise under mulberry trees to increase fertilizer? Do they know about intercropping, continuous cropping, mixed planting, and intercropping? Do they know that rotating beans and rice can nourish the land and produce more rice? I'm afraid they don't even know that wheat matures in summer instead of autumn? There are so many things in this world, and so many creatures. Who can be comprehensive?"

After hearing what Huanhuan said, the eldest aunt looked at Huanhuan with contempt and said with disgust: "I didn't expect you to be such a good hand at making trouble. But it's too funny. Everyone in this world pursues wealth and fame, and yearns to be the best. It's like climbing a mountain, chasing the top without fear of ruggedness and steepness. But we are born on the top of the mountain, why should we care about those lowly trivial matters?"

He raised his head slowly and said, "These 'low-level trivial matters' are the foundation of a country that must be taken care of even in the mountains and at the top of the temple! There are scenery everywhere on the mountains and below, and all the high and low grades are experiences. The gains and losses of life are all insights. Whether you are on the top of a mountain or born in the mountains, since you are in a high position, you should not live up to this position. You should have a broad mind that can see the world and everything around you. If you only stare at the top of the mountain, wouldn't the world you can see be narrow and small? You think you have seen the top of the mountain, but in fact you have only seen the top of the mountain. In the end, aren't you no different from a frog in a well whose scenery above your head is okay? The good scenery needs to be seen from afar and with your head down!"

The eldest aunt sneered and said through gritted teeth: "No matter what I say, you have something to say."

Huanhuan said without any fear, "Isn't it? If you don't look outside, how can you know if there is a unicorn lying in the countryside? I said that those who climbed from the foot of the mountain to the top of the mountain have their own unique experience and have seen different scenery. Auntie, you can't deny it, right? The climb may be difficult, but they also have a deeper understanding of the upward life. And those who have been in the mountains will not know the troubles and excitement along the way. How can people indulge in pleasure in this life? What matters is what they have done..."

The eldest aunt rolled her eyes at Huanhuan, looking annoyed, and interrupted Huanhuan, saying, "All this talk is about the minority who have climbed up the mountains. Those who can't climb up, can't reach the top, and can't get it, and can't appreciate the beauty of the mountaintop. This is still good. If you look into it more carefully, most of the others don't even want to make progress. They just want to be content with a small fortune, and they live a mediocre life all day long, without any knowledge."

He smiled slowly and said, "As an orange, the nutrients from the south of the Huai River played an indispensable role. As for the citron, it is not that it cannot grow, but the soil and water from the north of the Huai River are the reason. For a wealthy family, it is rare to maintain the status quo. If one's knowledge and behavior match the family name, he can be called a virtuous person. As for ordinary people, what's wrong with being content with what one has earned through hard work? Besides, seeing this thing, how can it be surprising? The key is to have understanding..."

"That's enough!" The eldest aunt slammed the table, stood up, pointed her finger and shouted slowly: "I have never seen such a shameless person, who is so ignorant and complacent, and has a sharp tongue and speaks nonsense!"

She took a breath and said fiercely, "No matter how much you argue, it's useless! Compared to you, Bi Hua is like the lofty white clouds in the blue sky on a sunny day and the lowly mud in the ravine on a cloudy day! Now that she wants to take a further step in the matter of marriage, you'd better retreat!"

Huanhuan was also very emotional, her chest heaving, and she said simply: "Forgive me for being dull, but what Auntie said is really puzzling. Miss Xie Jin is now the Crown Prince's wife and a concubine of the royal family. Her advancement in marriage is also climbing on the vines of the royal family. What does it have to do with whether an ordinary woman like me retreats or not?"

The eldest aunt had a cold expression and said, "Playing dumb, huh?"

"No, it's just that my aunt didn't explain it clearly." Huanhuan replied expressionlessly.

The eldest aunt was so angry that her teeth were itching. She raised her voice unconsciously: "I am not afraid to tell you clearly that I have persuaded Bihua. I will do everything I can to help Bihua and the prince divorce and let her marry into the Xu family and marry Qu'er."

Thinking of all the clues before, Huan Huan was not surprised that the aunt said such a thing. Although she was unhappy, she suppressed her emotions and said, "It is rare that the aunt likes Miss Xie Jin so much. But your opinion does not count in this matter. We still need to ask Xu Qu's opinion."

The eldest aunt sneered at the words and said, "That's even more of a problem. Bihua and Qu'er have been childhood sweethearts and have a deep affection for each other. They are a match made in heaven..."

"Then why is Xie Jin still running for the Crown Prince's Consort?" She interrupted her aunt mercilessly, and then said faintly: "I'm afraid this is just your wishful thinking, aunt."

The eldest aunt was at a loss for words for a moment, and then she became angry and said, "How can you, a poor girl from a wealthy family, understand the intricacies of this? Even after all this, you are still stubborn! It's useless! Look at your agate bracelet, it's not worth much, and then look at the Hetian jade bracelet with green painting. When Qu'er was young, he gave her such a valuable thing. The difference in your status in his heart is obvious."

Huanhuan laughed after hearing this and said, "A person's true love is worth a lot of money. Money can measure the value of treasures, but it does not necessarily represent a person's true heart."

The eldest aunt did not give in and retorted: "Money can represent a person's strength. I have reminded you before that a woman's status in the family depends on her strength. Ask yourself, what can you compare with Bihua?"

Huanhuan remained silent, lowering her head in deep thought. The aunt felt that she had finally made Huanhuan speechless, and a smug smile appeared on her lips, her eyes full of contempt for Huanhuan.

But Huanhuan quickly raised her head again and said in a firm tone: "What the eldest aunt said makes sense. A woman's strength is important. But what is more important between husband and wife is sincerity!"

"Huh?" The aunt opened her eyes wide, first leaning back in surprise, then seemed to finally react and slowly said something, then bent forward, holding her stomach and laughing.

She seemed to have heard some Arabian Nights fairy tale and kept laughing until tears oozed from the corners of her eyes. She then took out her silk handkerchief to wipe her tears.

Huanhuan looked at her aunt, not understanding what she meant for a moment, but she could still hear the mockery in her laughter. Her aunt laughed for a long time, so long that Huanhuan felt a little embarrassed, and then she stopped.

The eldest aunt laughed enough and sat up straight again. But after sitting up straight, she couldn't help laughing twice more before she spoke again: "Summer insects can't talk about ice. I'm really playing the lute to a cow! No! I'm playing the lute to a donkey! And a stupid donkey at that! Let me ask you, how much is sincerity worth? How can you show your sincerity without money and status?"

Without waiting for a response, the eldest aunt patted her sleeves, stood up, and said, "Okay, I won't waste time with you. Let me tell you, I have written to my eldest cousin many times to inform him about the shabby business you did with brothels, and he has now agreed to divorce you and find Qu'er another match. Qu'er can disobey us, but he cannot disobey my eldest cousin. I am still keeping you now because I consider Qu'er's feelings. I kindly advise you to have some self-knowledge. It is also a way to save yourself if you retreat when you know it is difficult!" The eldest aunt's eyes were cold, and her words were like whizzing arrows.

Great uncle? Huanhuan had never even met the powerful elder in the family, but was rejected just like that. Huanhuan couldn't help but feel a little disappointed. She looked at her aunt, thinking about what to say.

The eldest aunt added, "Families like ours are not afraid of ambitious daughters-in-law, but of incompetence. Qu'er's situation is different from others, and he needs a stronger helper. With Bihua, Qu'er and our Xu family will be even more powerful. Bihua is the virtuous wife that our Qu'er needs. What can you do for Qu'er?"

After hearing these words, the unyielding spirit with which she had argued with her aunt just now gradually dissipated, and a look of hesitation appeared in her eyes.

The aunt snorted coldly, which made Huanhuan's heart tighten. She then tightly grasped the cup on the table with her hands, hesitated for a while, and finally chose to remain silent.