All Hail Cousin Brother

The Xie family is also used to seeing good things, making things with their own hands, and they are more caring and close to others than others. The family who were a little stranger before became close immediately.

The people in the Xie Mansion were worried about Yu Youyao's exhaustion all the way, so they didn't make any fuss, and let Yu Youyao go back to rest after confirming their relatives.

As soon as she returned to the big room, the old lady Xie took Yu Youyao to the courtyard where she was resettled without stopping: "I will live in the Yishui Garden where your mother used to live, surrounded by mountains and rivers, no worse than the Tiaoyu Courtyard in Beijing."

When Yishui Garden was built, it imitated the pattern of Suzhou gardens. Mountains, water, houses, and gardens are integrated, and the scenery is unique.

As soon as Xie Roujia was born, Xie's mansion invited a famous gardener from Suzhou, spent a huge sum of money, and spent seven years building the garden. Because there is a stream passing through the garden, surrounded by mountains and rivers, the old man named it "Yi Shui". garden".

It is the best yard in Xie Mansion.

Behind the Tiaoyu Courtyard, Xie Roujia also built it after the Yishui Garden.

Mrs. Wang also said: "The Yishui Garden remains the same as it was when my aunt was married, and she specially sent maids to clean and take care of it. The old lady was worried that you would not get used to it. After returning from Beijing, she specially invited someone to rectify and renovate it. back."

The Xie Mansion has lived in Quanzhou for generations, and the house occupies a larger area than the Yu Mansion.

Walk along the undulating, zigzag, and Lingbo-passing water corridors to change the scenery, or see small bridges and flowing water, winding paths leading to secluded places, and winding peaks.

On the garden mountain, the stone path circles, the ancient trees are verdant, the bamboo and cypresses are green, the vines are hanging, the wild flowers are overgrown, and the wind suddenly blows, and the poles are shaken into the sky, dripping green and green, refreshing.

As the old lady Xie walked, she introduced the scenery in the garden, and she had to mention some interesting things about Xie Roujia when she was not out of the cabinet.

Ever since she was a child, Yu Youyao liked to listen to her grandmother talking about her mother. She could never tire of hearing many things, even over and over again. From these words, she pieced together bit by bit, a delicate and flaming, generous woman. Bright woman.

The mother-in-law her grandmother spoke of was more vivid than she had imagined.

After walking for a while, Yu Youyao saw that there were high and low scattered buildings not far away, looming among the overlapping mountains and rivers, red flowers and green vines, green cages and green trees, quiet and elegant.

Mrs. Xie pointed to the front: "That's the main courtyard."

After passing through a cave, the eyes suddenly open up, with blue stones and black tiles, the nature is natural, and every scene and everything are natural.

Wang explained: "The houses in the main courtyard are all made of bluestone from Lantian Mountain. The bluestone produced there has the quality of jade. It is cool in summer and warm in winter. It is used to build houses and raise people comfortably."

Yu Youyao was very surprised.

Lantian Mountain is located at the northern foot of the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi Province. It is beautiful because of its rich jade. Lantian jade, one of the four great jades in the Great Zhou Dynasty, was produced there.

Bai Juyi has a poem "Blue Stone": "The blue stone comes from Lantian Mountain, and it is also transported to Chang'an by car."

Bluestone is very good, and the bluestone from Lantian Mountain is not uncommon. What is rare and rare is that it is transported by horses and horses, which is laborious and wastes money.

Entering the courtyard, Yu Youyao saw a tall purple elm tree with a majestic crown and intertwined roots, resembling a dragon lying on the ground. On the old and powerful slanting pole, there was a green cover like a cloud, covering it with thick shade.

Yu Youyao suddenly thought of the chopped green wu plant in Yaoyuyuan.

At the beginning, when my mother built the Tiaoyu Courtyard, she probably wanted to plant an elm in the yard.

But the elm money tree, which means "surplus money", Yu Zongzheng looked down on his original wife's family background. In his eyes, the elm money tree is indeed not as elegant as the Qingwu tree.

Yu Youyao found it ironic.

Beech in the northern elm, the elm is an auspicious tree, whether it is in front of Wang Xietang or in the backyard of the common people, they like to plant elms. The elm is both elegant and popular, and it is tough and heavy. It has been widely used since ancient times.

Seeing her standing under the elm tree, Mrs. Xie sighed softly: "This purple elm was transported from the north. It has grown for more than a thousand years. It was originally intended to be planted in the yard. When your mother grows up, I will give it a try. So I cut down the tree, used the wood, and built an old elm bed for your mother as a dowry, how could you know, your mother would not be willing to part with it."

Elms are divided into yellow elm and purple elm.

Yellow elm is more common, purple elm is naturally black and purple, and those with heavy color are similar to old redwoods. They are very rare, and their price is comparable to boxwood.

Elm is also called longevity tree. It can last for thousands of years without decay or deformation. The longer it is used, the more moist it will be. It is said that using old wooden elm as a bed can prolong life.

Mrs. Wang also expressed emotion: "This old elm tree was grown by watching my sister-in-law grow up. My sister-in-law used to like to play under the tree the most. Every year when there were strings of elm money on the tree, my sister-in-law always picked the elm money and made elm money cakes to eat." , Xiao Yaoer has eaten elm money?"

Yu Youyao shook her head: "I haven't eaten."

But she knew that the elm tree is called a "life-saving tree". The roots, bark, leaves, flowers and fruits can be eaten. The elm tree is resistant to drought, ridges, and waterlogging.

In normal times, elm money can be fed to cattle and sheep.

The bark can wash clothes and wash hair.

In the age of famine, the skin is taken as powder, and eaten as food, which will not harm people.

The whole body of elm can be used as medicine to calm the nerves and invigorate the spleen.

Elm trees are ready for use in 30 years, and one elm can be sold for ten taels of silver.

The old lady Xie hurriedly said: "Eat elm money raw, with a little sweetness, it can not only satisfy your hunger, but also delicious when made into elm money egg pancakes, next spring, when elm money grows on the tree, I will make it for you to eat."

Yu Youyao is looking forward to it, but she knows that she probably won't be able to eat the elm money on this tree.

Seeing her feeling a little sad, Mrs. Wang thought she was thinking of her own mother, so she hurriedly said, "Let's go into the house and have a look."

Yu Youyao found that the layout of the house was similar to that of the Tiaoyu Courtyard, but more elegant. All the furnishings and decorations were in accordance with the Tiaoyu Courtyard.

Entering the room suddenly, she thought she was back in Beijing again.

The old lady Xie said: "I am worried that you will not be used to living in Quanzhou when you first come to Quanzhou. All the arrangements in the house are based on the Tiaoyu Courtyard. Living in a familiar environment will make you feel more comfortable."

Yu Youyao was very moved: "I like it very much, thank you grandma."

Everything is so similar to Tiaoyuyuan.

But it is more meticulous than Tiaoyuyuan.

It's not that my grandmother is not as careful as my grandmother, but it's mainly because she is more particular about her life in Beijing, and she has more scruples. She has to pay attention to rules and etiquette everywhere.

Mrs. Wang looked for Aunt Xu to see if there was anything missing in Yishui Garden.

The grandparents and grandchildren are in the house, talking about themselves.

The old lady Xie said: "Since your mother married far away and moved to Beijing, I haven't had a peaceful day. I used to think about your mother, but then your mother left." When she said this, her eyes turned red, and she couldn't help it. She shed tears, and even her voice became hoarse: "I just thought, my poor little waiwai lost her mother not many days after she was born, good girl, born earlier than others, skinny monkey is smaller, It seems that if you blink your eyes, you won't be able to raise them for long. My father is a heartless and ungrateful person, and my stepmother is useless. In the days to come, what should I do..."