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

Chapter 770 Visiting Friends
Whatever the unspeakable secret is, Haitang has no way to find out, not to mention the reef. Now that they are more than 2,000 miles apart, she has no way to find out.

She could only accompany her grandmother Ma to complain about the clansmen in her hometown, and then find another way to inquire when she had the chance in the future.

The next day, Ma took Hu and Xiao Shitou to visit Mrs. Gu's house. Haitang stayed to look after the house. Lunch was prepared, but it was not used. Mrs. Gu insisted that the Hai family stay to have dinner, and held Ma's hand, and she was reluctant to let them go. Later, it was her daughter-in-law who persuaded her that her family would leave Chang'an after the beginning of spring, and there would be plenty of opportunities to meet in such a long time, so she let Ma go.

However, when Ma said goodbye, Mrs. Gu made an agreement with her that they would meet again at the banquet when the fourteenth branch of the Zhou family held a wedding in a few days.

The eldest grandson of the 14th branch of the Zhou family will get married in a few days, and the family will hold a big banquet. The 3rd branch of the Zhou family will definitely go. Mrs. Gu's family is also a member of the Zhou family, and has a close relationship with the 14th branch, so naturally she will also go to show her support.

As for the Hai family, it was because when dealing with Madam Ma, the old lady of the 14th branch of the Zhou family stood on the same side as Ma and the Zhou-Ma sisters, and thought that they had a good relationship with them. They didn't interact much on weekdays, but when there was a happy event at home or during the New Year, they would exchange gifts. The old lady of the 14th branch was going to marry her grandson's wife, so how could she not send an invitation to Ma? Ma's eldest sister, Zhou Ma, would also help the 14th branch entertain guests as the elder of the family that day, and the two sisters could also meet and chat.

This was an occasion that both Mrs. Gu and Ma were invited to. Mrs. Gu had been away from home for a long time, and her relatives and friends had become distant. It was naturally better to have someone familiar accompany her when she went out to a banquet than to sit alone.

When Ma returned home, she was still sighing: "Mrs. Gu has aged a lot in the past few years, and she looks darker and thinner. I don't know if it's because she had a hard time in the border town these years, or because she suffered too much on the road. General Gu went to Shanhaiguan to take up his post in advance, and his eldest son was stationed elsewhere. Mrs. Gu led such a large family on the road, and she had to worry about everything. It was also very hard."

Mrs. Hu said, "There have been no major wars in Suzhou City for many years, and life is relatively peaceful. Although there are fewer merchants coming and going than before, life should not be difficult. Madam Gu looks haggard, probably because of the hard journey. I heard from his daughter-in-law that the transfer order came very suddenly, and General Gu left within three days after receiving the order. His eldest young master is not at home, and his eldest daughter-in-law has just given birth and is in confinement. All the family affairs fell on Madam Gu, how could she not worry?"

Ma sighed and nodded, "That's right. It's really not easy for her. When she was in Suzhou, she didn't have a good life, but General Gu and his son took care of everything. She just took care of the family and raised her daughter. How could she have suffered so much?!"

Haitang asked Ma: "Grandma, has the Gu family been doing well in Suzhou City these years? There haven't been any major wars in Suzhou, so there have been some minor wars? Are the Hu people still causing trouble from time to time?"

Ma replied, "There are bound to be sporadic bandits and horse thieves. Whether there is a war or not, there will always be people coming to cause trouble. It just depends on whether those people dare to cross Jiayu Pass. Suzhou Guard is not just responsible for guarding the city, but also for the surrounding hundreds of miles. General Gu and his son also have to go out of the city from time to time to patrol. His eldest son was transferred away just when he was able to take charge of his own affairs. Now that General Gu has gone to Shanhai Guard, his son's future is unknown. If he stays in the northwest, thousands of miles away from his family, it would be too pitiful!"

Mrs. Hu whispered, "His eldest daughter-in-law had just given birth, and she started traveling right after she left the confinement period. She had a hard time on the way. She was reluctant to leave her husband, but given the situation at home, she didn't dare to abandon her child and go to accompany her husband to the border, so she had to go with her parents-in-law. But this way, the couple will be separated by thousands of miles, which is not a long-term solution. I just hope that the young general of the Gu family can be transferred to Zhili as soon as possible, even if he is not in Shanhaiwei, it is good to be closer to his parents."

Haitang felt quite sympathetic after hearing this: "It's okay. As long as General Gu settles down in Shanhaiwei, there will always be a chance to transfer his eldest son there. He is new here, and Shanhaiwei has just been purged because of a major case. They are short of manpower. Why can't he find a position for his eldest son?"

Both Ma and Hu thought it made sense and smiled.

The problem of the Gu family was not serious. Mrs. Gu was just very tired on the road. She rested in Chang'an for a while and recovered her vitality. After the spring, the weather was warmer, and it was not so hard to go to Shanhaiguan. She also knew that the Hai family's hometown was in Yongping Prefecture, not far from Shanhaiguan. Before Ma took the initiative to ask, she made a promise and said that she would take good care of the Hai family. She also asked Ma if Hai Xiya wanted to write a letter to her relatives in her hometown. If she was not in a hurry, she would give the letter to her. When they set off next year, they would take it with them.

Ma was so moved that there was no reason for her to refuse.

In the past, the letters he wrote to his hometown never received a definite reply, which made him feel very anxious. Hai Xiya wanted to send someone back to his hometown to ask what was going on, but he couldn't spare anyone. This time when Hai Chang'an and Hai Jiao went to Beijing, he specifically asked Cui Dazhuang and Cui Xiaodao to accompany them, not only so that they would have someone to serve them after they arrived in Beijing, but also so that Cui's father and son could go back to Yongping Prefecture to find out what was going on. If the Hai family members really encountered difficulties in their hometown, Cui's father and son would report to the capital, and Hai Jiao would be able to make a decision on what to do.

Now with the help of the Gu family, as long as the clansmen in my hometown are not in life-threatening danger, I should be able to cope with it.

Ma told Hai Xiya the good news, and Hai Xiya was relieved. His grandson had just sent a letter to his family to report that he was safe, but he hadn't replied yet. The messenger sent by the Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion in the capital will return to the capital in two days, and he needs to take the letter from the Duke of Zhenguo back. After that, it will be the coldest season, and the roads will be blocked by ice and snow. Unless there is an extremely urgent matter, the Zhou family messenger will not travel between the capital and Chang'an until the beginning of next spring. Hai Xiya decided to ask the messenger to help him take a reply letter to his grandson and adopted son, mentioning the Gu family's affairs.

Since Hai Jiao has agreed to help General Gu to investigate the old accounts of Shanhaiwei, he should not be timid and hesitate, but do this job well! This is not only for the long-term friendship between the Hai and Gu families, but also because General Gu is upright and loyal to his duties. The accounts he wants to investigate must be necessary. The truth must be found out so that General Gu can gain a foothold in Shanhaiwei smoothly.

Once General Gu has established a firm foothold in Shanhaiguan, not only Shanhaiguan will be stable, but Yongping Prefecture and Jianghaitun will also be stable!

After dinner, Hai Xiya began to think about writing a reply to his grandson, and notified Haitang: "Go tell the young man from the Jin family that if he wants to write a letter to the capital and doesn't want to use the messenger from Guard Lin, he should prepare to write. The messenger from the Cheng'en Marquis's Mansion will leave at dawn the day after tomorrow, so don't delay."

Haitang responded, and then went out openly on her grandfather's orders, took Xiangcao to the front yard, and sent Dunzi to pass on the message to the Jin family.

However, Jin Jiashu did not come over. Chunyu came over instead: "Miss Hai, I'm sorry, our nanny and the young master just received the letter and went out. They are not at home now."

Haitang noticed that she had a worried look on her face and asked hurriedly, "What happened?"

Chunyu paused and said, "It's not that something happened at home. It's that... Young Master Wu went out to visit a friend and accidentally fell into the water..."

(End of this chapter)