After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 733 Shameless

After Jin Jiashu left, Haitang went to the west wing and thought alone about how to arrange martial arts lessons for him and what he should learn in a short period of time.

While she was editing the tutorial, she could occasionally hear the conversations of the maids in the yard. Aunt Cui followed Ma to the third room of the Zhou family, and the two new maids followed Aunt Ma to learn the rules.

Aunt Ma had no jealousy towards the newcomers. When teaching them, she never held back, just afraid that they would learn too slowly. She already knew that the Hai family would move to Beijing next year. Although the master's family would definitely have a better future in the capital, she also knew that Master Hai Xiya would only serve one more term in the capital before retiring. After that, he would return to his hometown in Yongping Prefecture and would never come back to Chang'an. If they, the servants who had lived in Chang'an for generations, did not want to leave their hometown, it would be better for them not to follow the master to the capital. The mistress Ma was kind-hearted and was willing to keep them, and the old master Zhou Ma was also willing to take them back to the third branch of the Zhou family. Of course, she had no reason to refuse.

No matter how good the Hai family's future is, it is not as rich and glorious as the third branch of the Zhou family.

This is a deeply rooted idea in the minds of Chang'an locals.

In the past, due to the tyranny of Old Madam Ma, Aunt Ma had to obey the orders of her former master and become a disciple of Concubine Ma in order to save her family's lives. Now that there is hope of returning, how could she miss this good opportunity?

Aunt Ma taught Qiu Shugen's mother and daughter Cuiguo in every detail, hoping that they would become skilled workers tomorrow and take over her job. Unfortunately, Qiu's mother and daughter used to serve in the imperial merchant family in Beijing. The rules and manners of that family were very different from those of the Hai family. It would take a long time for them to adapt to the life of the Hai family. Aunt Ma had no choice but to teach them patiently.

Haitang was in the west wing, listening to Aunt Ma's slightly exasperated voice. She lowered her head, suppressed her smile, and turned her attention back to the work of writing the course.

It was almost lunchtime when Ma came back. She looked unhappy, and Aunt Cui also looked serious. Aunt Ma thought something was wrong and asked her quietly if something had happened. Aunt Cui just shook her head and winked at her, and then Aunt Ma left obediently without mentioning the stupidity of the two newcomers, so as not to cause more unhappiness to the mistress.

Ma changed her clothes and ordered dinner, but she also told Hu to eat with the children in the courtyard and not to come to the main courtyard to accompany her. Haitang heard this from outside the house, so she lifted the door curtain and went in: "Are you in a bad mood, grandma? Let Xiao Shitou come and talk to you, and you'll be happier."

Ma's mood calmed down a lot after seeing her granddaughter: "Forget it, he went to the training ground today and practiced riding for half a day. He must be tired. Let him relax by himself. There is no need to waste energy to appease this old woman."

Haitang sat down next to her: "What happened? But Auntie refused to listen to your advice?"

"How could the eldest sister not listen to my advice? She changed her mind after listening to my words yesterday." Ma sighed, hesitated for a moment, and then told the truth, "It was your aunt and grandmother... I don't know where they heard the news, and they came to the door to persuade your aunt to bring her precious little son and grandson to Beijing to seek a future!" A few years later, Uncle Ma has now completely retired. Zeng Qingxi took over the Chang'an Front Guard, and it was impossible for him to stay as an old veteran who was just idling around. He made a deal with Zeng Qingxi's men through arrangements and sent his eldest son Ma Luyuan to the Chang'an Right Guard where he used to work. The latter still had some real skills, and with the help of Yue's family and relatives and friends, he made a few small contributions in the past few years and was promoted to the sixth rank, which was barely enough to support the family. Uncle Ma lived a retired life at home with peace of mind, and his old illnesses also improved. He could occasionally get off the kang and walk a few steps in winter, and he was no longer in the miserable state of bedridden rest as before.

But Ma's wife was not satisfied with this, because her beloved youngest son Ma Lusheng had not found a job yet! Ma Lusheng's son also had no good future. A few years ago, she had found a post as a postmaster for her youngest son. Ma Lusheng did a good job, but he was far away from Chang'an and rarely came home. He had to endure the pain of separation from his parents, wife and children. But within two years, Ma's wife could not stand it anymore. She thought her youngest son's job had no future and it was difficult to get promoted. She insisted that he return to Chang'an to find another better job. Since then, Ma Lusheng returned home and became idle. For more than half a year, he has not found a new job.

Although the third branch of the Zhou family had a scandal that year, and Uncle Ma and his wife became estranged from my sister and brother-in-law, the third branch of the Zhou family had no other changes in the past few years, and they still lived a rich and leisurely life. After Zhou Jinlin's mourning period ended, he was reinstated and his job was stable. Uncle Ma's wife felt that the third branch of the Zhou family would not fall, so she started to get in touch with Zhou Ma again. For the sake of her youngest son's job, she often came to talk to her eldest sister-in-law in the past few months. Now, she didn't know where she got the news that Zhou Ma had just been persuaded by her younger sister Ma to follow her husband to Beijing, so she immediately ran to fill in the gap.

According to Ma's uncle's wife's idea, Zhou Ma followed her husband to the capital. Her son had an official position and could not leave easily. Her daughter and son-in-law would not return to Chang'an until next year, and it was even more impossible for them to be free. No one would accompany her to run errands for her, for fear that she would be unfamiliar with the place and would not even have a helper after arriving in the capital. Her husband Zhou Shigong treated her badly, and Zhou Jinpu, Zeng's brothers and sisters and others were secretly stirring up trouble. Poor sister-in-law Zhou Ma was isolated and helpless. As her own nephew, Ma Lusheng had no reason not to help his aunt. It happened that Ma Lusheng's family was idle at home, so he simply accompanied Zhou Ma to the capital. If anything happened, he could also help his aunt...

Haitang's eyes widened when she heard Ma's retelling: "Not only did my aunt want my youngest son to go to Beijing with me, she also wanted her to bring his entire family with her?! Isn't this too much?!"

Isn’t that too much?

The more Ma thought about it, the angrier she became. "She wanted to find a good future for Ma Lusheng. If she couldn't find one in Chang'an, she would go to the capital to find one! But her youngest son went out alone, and she was afraid that he would be wronged if no one took care of him, so she wanted him to take his wife with him. Since the couple went with him, the children should also go with them, otherwise they would suffer the pain of separation. In the end, the whole family went with them, so that they wouldn't have to worry about each other. What a thick skin! If Ma Lusheng didn't know that it was embarrassing and kept persuading her, she would probably ask your aunt to take her with her as well, so that she wouldn't have to worry about her son. As for the men in the family, she just left them to her eldest son and his wife, and didn't care about his life or death! "

Haitang asked hurriedly, "Could it be that Uncle Grandpa will just let her do this?"

Speaking of this, Ma became even angrier: "Your uncle didn't come! God knows if he really didn't know or was just pretending to be confused! If your aunt agreed to this ridiculous request, it wouldn't be too late for him to come forward; if your aunt didn't agree, he could also come out and say that he didn't know and it was all your aunt's fault. He could apologize and go back to being a respectable uncle and interacting with the third branch of the Zhou family. Your aunt can't blame him as her brother! He has made such wishful thinking many times in the past. It's okay for once, but now he has used the same routine three or four times in a row. He really thinks your aunt is a fool!"

Haitang blinked: "Since Auntie knows that this is a trick used by Uncle Grandpa and Auntie, then I guess she didn't fall for it, right?"

"Of course I haven't been fooled. I'm still here!" Ma slammed the table. "I told my eldest sister that instead of bringing along her nephews and nieces who are not on the same page with her and have their own agendas, she might as well bring along her own grandchildren! Liangying and Liangxiong are both grown up, and have learned both civil and military skills. They don't have any official duties, so it's good for them to go to Beijing with their grandparents to see the world. Naturally, the flesh and blood of our own family are more reliable than anyone else!"

(End of this chapter)