Golden Branch

"Achi has met his cousin!"

Zheng Chi bent her knees and saluted, her movements smooth and flowing, her attitude well-behaved and quiet, a typical young lady from an aristocratic family.

Lou Yu smiled gently, nodded slightly, and called her "cousin" as a return gesture.

In his heart, he was secretly comparing them. Both were well-behaved, but the fat girl was pure and natural, and she was likable just by looking at her.

But this bean sprout has some acquired stereotypes, and Lou Yu just feels it is "fake".

Although it was the first time they met, Lou Yu didn't know much about Zheng Chi, but he just had this intuition.

And...cousin?

Lou Yu had just had a sudden thought: if we count from Cui's side, he, who has no blood relationship with the fat girl, is also a cousin.

Lou Yu even simulated the scene in his mind, where the ignorant and naive fat girl called him "cousin" sweetly.

But, the next second, he heard Zheng Chi calling him cousin.

Oh no, not only Zheng Chi, but also the other young men and women of the Zheng family, all came forward one by one to pay their respects as instructed by Madam Lou.

Some people call Lou Yu cousin, while others call him brother.

Seeing this, Lou Yu couldn't help but think that the Lou family was a prominent family with many in-laws, and there were countless cousins, both legitimate and illegitimate.

The Wang family is an aristocratic family. When the Wang family was at its peak, the ancestors of the Lou family were still herding horses on the grassland.

Although the world was in chaos a hundred or two hundred years ago, most of the old clans such as the Wang family moved south, and the aristocratic families left in the north were almost extinct.

But Wang Heng's lineage managed to survive. Even though it had its ups and downs and no longer had the glory of its ancestors, it was still a prominent family.

Over the past few hundred years, the Wang family will have more relatives than the Lou family.

The fat girl has countless cousins.

When Lou Yu thought about the fat girl sweetly calling many people "cousin", he suddenly disliked the title of "cousin".

Forget it, I'd better not get involved with these messy relatives of the fat girl.

He is the fat girl's brother, the one and only.

The host and the guest greeted each other and exchanged pleasantries. Then, the host, Lou Yu, escorted Madam Lou back to the carriage.

The other members of the Zheng family also returned to the carriage.

Lou Yu rode a horse and led the way in front.

Gurgle, gurgle.

The wooden wheels rolled over the bluestone floor, making a dull sound.

Pass through the city gate and enter the outer city of the fortress.

There is a wide road in the middle, farmlands on both sides, and scattered farmhouses around the farmlands.

Those living in the farmhouse are all farmers of the Lou family.

Most of them were descendants of military officers, or slaves who did not work in the palace.

They are all Lou Yu's private property.

When the master is not in need, they either farm or work.

If the master of the house called for conscription, the men in these farm households would join the army and the women would serve as servants.

Across the vast tracts of fertile fields are rows of houses.

There are shops, workshops, and residents.

These are the families of the soldiers and slaves. Some of their family members work in the main courtyard of the Lou family, and their residences are just outside the main courtyard.

Further in, there is a large house with many courtyards.

The vermilion gate has flying eaves and pointed corners.

Through the high courtyard wall, you can vaguely see the pavilions, towers and colorful flowers inside the wall.

The main courtyard of the Lou family fortress exudes grandeur and luxury just by looking at its exterior.

Although Zheng Chi and other younger generations of the Zheng family were born in a wealthy place, the Zheng family had really fallen on hard times.

A large family of nearly a hundred people squeezed into a large courtyard with seven entrances and exits.

This kind of mansion is really not small.

But, it can’t withstand the large population.

The master had nearly a hundred people, plus the slaves around him, and the servants who did the cleaning, kitchen, and other rough work, there were at least three or four hundred people.

Mrs. Lou was the ancestor and was able to occupy an independent courtyard.

Zheng Chi was the most favored and also had a small courtyard in the lady's yard.

Zheng Chi's other sisters were not so lucky. Some of them even had to squeeze two or three little girls into a small courtyard.

If you turn over, the sisters in the next room will know.

When they have a quarrel, it's like a chicken coop and duck house, with everyone in turmoil.

There are also people living in the same attic, upstairs and downstairs, quarreling all the time.

Accustomed to the narrow little cage, even Mrs. Lou felt a little dazed when she suddenly came to such a vast courtyard.

Before she got married, as the only legitimate daughter of the Lou family, she owned an entire three-courtyard house.

The Zheng family is indeed more elegant and noble than the Lou family, a family of military honors. They are not so-called bumpkins or nouveau riche.

However, after hundreds of years of inheritance, with three or four generations not dividing up, the house is really crowded and really... in chaos.

This is just one of the many industries of the Lou family.

It is a fortress, not an ancestral home.

Madam Lou knew that Lou Yu had received half of the Lou family's ancestral property, and she also knew that this ten-year-old nephew was worth a lot of money.

But, after all, it was just "hearing" and I didn't see it with my own eyes.

Now, entering the main courtyard of the Lou family with its layers upon layers and a different scene at every step, Mrs. Lou Tai finally realized how wealthy Lou Yu was.

His determination to marry his granddaughter to Lou Yu became even stronger.

……

Lou Yu still didn't know what Madam Lou was planning. He was indeed precocious and had indeed become the head of the family, but he was still young after all.

At the age of ten, he had no idea that his marriage had been targeted by someone.

And he has become someone's satisfactory son-in-law.

Lou Yu secretly disliked the Zheng family for being uninvited bad guests, but on the surface they were polite and hospitable.

He ordered people to clean up a large courtyard in the southeast corner to use as a guest house for the Zheng family.

The courtyard has two entrances, each with three main rooms and two east and west wing rooms.

Mrs. Lou did not bring her entire family with her. The Zheng family was divided into three groups.

Some members of the Zheng family have already followed Zheng Henian to the capital.

This is the second wave of Madam Lou, and she mainly brings the younger generations of the family and valuable furniture.

There was another group behind, escorting some larger and heavier equipment.

This is the result of the Zheng family's population plummeting after several ups and downs.

A few years ago, the Zheng family was still a "prosperous" place with four generations living under the same roof, and even if they were divided into three groups, they would not be able to complete the journey.

Madam Lou's group included more than ten young masters, twenty or thirty personal servants, and forty or fifty menial servants. The two-entrance guest house was barely enough to accommodate them all.

In addition, another fifty troops were arranged by Lou Yu in the courtyard outside the hospital.

Mrs. Lou: ...Although Lou Yu’s arrangement is not perfect, it is not bad.

At least, Mrs. Lou felt respected.

After all, it is one's own family. Even though the brother is gone and the nephew is away from home, the ten-year-old nephew is still thoughtful and respectful.

Mrs. Lou was satisfied and took her grandchildren to the guest house.

After settling down temporarily, washing up and changing clothes, it was already afternoon.

It's time for dinner.

Lou Yu personally came to the guest house to welcome Madam Lou and others to have dinner in the main hall on the central axis.

The main hall consists of three rooms, all of which are connected, making it spacious and bright.

The wooden floor is polished to a shine, and the tables, armchairs, candlesticks... the subtle fragrance of rosewood and the glittering gold exude the ultimate luxury.

It may seem a little bit outdated, but it is full of wealth.

As a guest and an elder, Mrs. Lou was given the main seat by Lou Yu.

Mrs. Lou didn't say anything polite and just knelt down without even refusing.

On both sides below, Lou Yu was kneeling in the first seat, and opposite him was Zheng Chi.

Lou Yu remained calm, but was secretly dissatisfied in his heart:... What's the meaning of putting a bean sprout in front of Ye Ye?

If he were to sit opposite the fat girl, Lou Yu would happily eat an extra bowl of rice.

But... Lou Yu glanced at Zheng Chi inconspicuously. Douyacai was so thin, he must not eat much.

After a few grains of rice and a few bites of food, he will put down his chopsticks.

Maybe I'll even say "I'm so full" in a pretentious way.

Lou Yu felt that if he just looked at similar scenes, he would lose his appetite!

Besides, it is not against the rules for Zheng Chi to sit in the first seat instead of his cousins.

Could it be that this cheap great-aunt of mine has reached the point of being senile and confused, and has disregarded the dignity of the male members of the family in order to dote on her granddaughter?

Lou Yu secretly complained in his heart, but his fair face still looked gentle and calm.

He did not order the dishes to be served directly, but respectfully asked Madam Lou for permission first.

Mrs. Lou nodded modestly.

Only then did Lou Yu turn his head and glare at the housekeeper behind him.

Soon, more than a dozen maids came in one after another.

They carried trays and began to serve the food.

Meat, fish, eggs, vegetables, as well as staple foods such as Hu pancakes and rice.

The Dayu Dynasty followed the Zhou Dynasty and adopted the separate dining system.

Each person has a food table, and the host and guest kneel behind the table and eat quietly.

Don’t talk while eating!

The aristocratic families who pay attention to rules and pursue perfection not only do not talk while eating, but even their chopsticks, cups, etc. do not make any noise.

In the huge main hall, more than a dozen people were dining at the same time, but there was not a single sound.

The food was average, and Lou Yu didn’t bring out any of Wang Mian’s new dishes.

First of all, Lou Yu didn't welcome the Zheng family, so naturally he wouldn't bother to entertain them.

Secondly, Lou Yu did not understand Madam Lou and others. If he was too "innovative", it would be easy to get in trouble.

After all, new dishes mean "not sticking to the old ways". Reasonable people, even if they feel that the dishes are not to their taste, will only think that it is the host's intention.

But in this world, there are too many unreasonable people who act like they are ungrateful after getting something for themselves.

Lou Yu felt that there was no need for him to suffer for a group of bad guests.

It’s just average, that’s good!

Even if you are not outstanding, you won’t be criticized.

Sure enough, Mrs. Lou was very satisfied.

The dishes are all commonly used by the powerful and wealthy. They are not novel, but they are solemn.

Lou Yu is a good and well-behaved child!

Mrs. Lou was secretly satisfied, but before she could open her mouth to praise him, she saw Lou Yu staring at Zheng Chi.

Madam Lou's eyes flashed. Why was this boy staring at Achi like that?

Could it be... he is only ten years old!

How could a half-grown child have such messy thoughts?

Even though Mrs. Lou has already listed Lou Yu as a candidate for her grandson-in-law, she cannot stand Lou Yu being "frivolous".

Matters of marriage are decided by the elders.

Lou Yu, at such a young age, yet...

Mrs. Lou's face darkened.

She placed the silver chopsticks heavily on the dining table.

boom!

There was a sudden noise in the quiet main hall, and all the people who were eating quietly were startled.

Lou Yu also seemed to be startled back to his senses.

However, he did not feel terrified, but opened his mouth smoothly.

Don’t talk while eating!

However, if the elders break the silence, the younger generations naturally cannot remain silent either.

A trace of confusion flashed across his delicate face, as if he was hesitating whether to say it or not.

The sound of Madam Lou tapping her chopsticks reminded him. A glint of determination flashed in the boy's eyes, and he said, "Achi, is the food not to your taste?"

Mrs. Lou was stunned for a moment. Lou Yu's tone sounded very much like an elder brother who was taking care of his younger siblings.

He, doesn't have any dirty thoughts towards Ah Chi? !

Zheng Chi was also stunned for a moment, blinking his dark almond-shaped eyes. After a while, he seemed to understand what Lou Yu said.

She quickly shook her head, "No! The food is excellent!"

Lou Yu pursed his lips, as if hesitant, but still spoke again: "If it suits your taste, then why do you eat so little?"

While Lou Yu was eating, he did not ignore Zheng Chi sitting opposite him.

He was not interested in Zheng Chi, but wanted to confirm his guess - how much appetite this bean sprout had!

As a result, he guessed right!

Zheng Chi really only ate a few mouthfuls of rice and took two pieces of each dish with his chopsticks.

Lou Yu estimated that with this amount of food, not to mention compared with the fat girl, even the ugly girl Wang Mian’s meal could feed Zheng Chi for a whole day.

Wow, just like a bird, no wonder she’s so thin!

Not cute at all, and not blessed at all.

Zheng Chi's little face suddenly turned red.

Well, eating less is normal.

Grandma once said that beauty lies in a woman’s slenderness and fragility.

Even if you are young, you should not indulge in food.

If you eat too much, your stomach will expand and you will become obese. It will be difficult to lose weight.

Ten-year-old Zheng Chi has already begun to love beauty and knows the importance of maintaining body shape.

She doesn't want to turn herself into a fat person who is despised and laughed at by everyone just for a few bites of food!

But Zheng Chi couldn't say these words directly to Lou Yu.

say what?

That she loves beauty and wants to be a slender and graceful beauty?

She couldn't say such shameful words.

It was Madam Lou who understood Lou Yu's good intentions and her granddaughter was too embarrassed to speak, so she smiled and said, "I thought it was something else? Haha, Dalang is just concerned about Ah Chi!"

Seeing that my cousin didn’t eat much, I was worried that she wasn’t eating well, so I asked her.

Although Lou Yu's words and actions were a bit offensive, considering that he was only ten years old and had no reliable elders to teach him, Mrs. Lou was relieved.

Lou Yu has good intentions, at most he is just a little unruly.

Rules and such can be taught later.

What’s important is the “thought”.

Mrs. Lou glanced at the dozen or so children in the two rows below.

This time, she brought several legitimate and illegitimate grandchildren, and more than one granddaughter, Zheng Chi.

Madam Lou really favored Zheng Chi and looked down on her illegitimate granddaughters.

But she also knew that even if she was born out of wedlock, she was still a daughter of the Zheng family.

When they grow up, they can all marry into the Zheng family.

During this trip to Beijing, Madam Lou selected several of her illegitimate granddaughters who were either good-looking or talented.

It’s not that I like it so much, but that I can use it.

Among these granddaughters, Zheng Chi is not the most outstanding one.

She has a pretty face and a slender figure, but she looks more like a child.

Unlike the illegitimate granddaughter sitting in the last seat, who was twelve years old but already had the figure of a young girl.

She has a beautiful appearance and a delicate temperament, which is exactly what men like.

Even though he was sitting at the same table with such a more attractive girl, Lou Yu still only paid attention to Zheng Chi, which made Mrs. Lou particularly satisfied.

"...That's right! Dalang is not a superficial person!"