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

Chapter 800 Glad
As soon as the news reached the Hai family, Ma jumped up immediately.

"Why?!" She was so angry that her face turned red. "Who owes them?! Most of their grandmother's dowry was taken away by Madam Ma, and there is nothing valuable left. It was because their father made a lot of trouble that the eldest brother-in-law kindly gave him a lot of the private money left by Madam Ma, but he didn't let Zhou Jinpu suffer any loss! But Zhou Jinpu kept the things and refused to give more dowry to his daughter. Does the eldest sister have to pay for them out of her own pocket?! They don't treat the eldest sister with much respect on weekdays, and they always talk behind her back. Who would worry about such an ungrateful person?! They have been married for so many years, and they have nothing to complain about. Now they are taking advantage of the fact that the eldest brother-in-law is not at home, so they start to act like a demon. Do they think that Jin Lin's wife is young and easy to talk to, and want to bully her?!"

Ma immediately refused to accept this and immediately ordered someone to harness the carriage so that she could go to the third branch of the Zhou family in person to support her nephew and his wife. She was determined not to let Lin be bullied by Zhou Jinpu and his daughter at all costs.

When Haitang heard the news and rushed to the upper room, she saw her grandmother changing out of her coat, cursing non-stop. Haitang smiled and said, "Don't worry, grandma. My cousin is not as weak as you think. After my aunt left Chang'an, the third branch of the Zhou family has always been headed by my cousin. She has always handled it well and has never been timid. If she is really irritated, she can just withhold the monthly salary of the first branch next month, which will be enough to make Zhou Jinpu's family jump up and down. Even if they want to complain to my great-uncle and write a letter to Beijing, it will take at least two months to go back and forth. Can they starve to death for such a long time? If they can't hold on any longer, they will naturally give in. Besides, the third branch of the Zhou family is not without elders, so Zhou Jinpu and his daughter will not really make a big fuss!"

Ma was reminded by her words: "Yes, their second master is still here!"

Zhou Shigong's half brother Zhou Shicheng still lived in a farm outside the city. After he finished mourning for his mother, he was not able to be reinstated, probably because of the crimes of his mother, Madam Ma. But he was not in a hurry, because his elder brother Zhou Shigong was also reinstated with the emperor's grace. After all, he was Madam Ma's biological son, so he could not expect too much. He concentrated on living in the countryside, supervising his nephews and nieces to study, and also cultivating his own children.

His son has already entered the Wei School, and it is estimated that he will stay in the Northwest Frontier Army in the future, and his future will not be affected too much. He has no hope for his own future, but he is also very satisfied that his children and grandchildren can have a bright future. At present, he is seeking to enter the Wei School for a position, but there is no result yet. In order to facilitate the transmission of information, he is likely to move back to his old house in the city.

Ma said hurriedly, "When I get to the third room of the Zhou family, I have to remind Jinlin's wife to send a message to their second master. Don't think of anything that would disturb the elders. Zhou Shicheng had promised to discipline Zhou Jinpu's family and the Zeng brothers and sisters. Now that the Zeng brothers and sisters have gone to Beijing with their eldest sister and husband, he doesn't need to worry about them. He has to use all his energy to discipline Zhou Jinpu's family! It's more effective than anything else to have the elders come forward. If Zhou Jinpu's two daughters dare to disobey, they will be thrown back to their in-laws for discipline!"

Haitang asked, "Can I go with grandma?" Although she was not good at arguing with people, Zhou Jinpu was a very good person, and his daughter was probably not a good person. If there was a conflict between the two sides, with her presence, there would be no need to worry about her grandmother Ma getting hurt.

Ma disagreed, "Why are you following me? Don't let their nonsense dirty your ears! I sent someone to tell your aunt to take charge of the quarrel. Ma Lusheng went to Beijing with your aunt. Your aunt will definitely be willing to help your cousin Jinlin for the sake of her precious little son. She is very good at scolding people, which is much better than you doing it yourself!"

As she was talking, she sent Ma Changnian to deliver the letter to her parents' home, and she called Aunt Cui and Aunt Ma, and asked Qiu Baisheng, a young and strong man, to follow the car, and drove to the third branch of the Zhou family in a menacing manner.

Haitang saw her grandmother off, still thinking about the mess in the third branch of the Zhou family, wondering how her cousin Zhou Yijun was doing. It was a pity that her grandmother refused to take her with her, otherwise she would definitely go and comfort Zhou Yijun.

She went back to her room to read a book. She thought that Ma would not be back until lunch time. She also wanted to go to the kitchen to give some instructions and prepare lunch. Unexpectedly, Ma came back with her people after only half an hour. When Ma came back, she was in a good mood. She told Haitang: "Your cousin is a capable person. When we arrived at the third branch of the Zhou family, she had almost subdued Zhou Jinpu's family. When I and your aunt arrived, they ran away on their own. We didn't need to waste our breath at all!"

As for the half an hour they spent in the third room of the Zhou family, they were mainly there to listen to the gossip of Zhou Jinlin's wife, Lin. They discussed Zhou Yijun's wedding and dowry, agreed on a time to add dowry to the child, and even discussed the dishes for the wedding banquet, and then left and went back, which was very convenient.

Ma was quite pleased with this: "I used to think your cousin was a kind person, and I was worried that your aunt wouldn't be able to handle the situation alone when she wasn't at home. Now I know that my worry was in vain! If she didn't have some real ability, how could your aunt trust her to hand over the family? She just didn't care about it before, and respected her mother-in-law. If she really let her be the head of the family, she wouldn't be easy to bully. Who are Zhou Jinpu's family? How can they be her opponents?!"

Haitang found it funny and asked hurriedly, "How did my cousin aunt subdue Zhou Jinpu's family?"

Ma couldn't explain it clearly: "Let Ma Youli's family ask about it later. Anyway, it's enough for your cousin to control Zhou Jinpu's family. What kind of rules and etiquette are needed to deal with such a shameless villain?!"

Ma was in a good mood. After dinner, she discussed with her daughter-in-law Hu what to buy for Zhou Yijun. The wedding was still two or three months away, but she was already happy now.

Throughout February, the Hai family's life was very peaceful. Hai Xiya was out on a business trip again, and would not be back until late spring. Little Shitou was the only child in the family, so he could focus on his studies. With Mrs. Hu watching over his daily life, no one else had to worry about him. Mrs. Ma was bored without Ma Shangyi, who often visited her. She simply went to the third room of the Zhou family from time to time to help Mrs. Lin with Zhou Yijun's dowry.

By the end of February and the beginning of March, the weather had completely warmed up, and merchants from other places returned to Chang'an.

The return of the caravan also brought letters from relatives and friends. After Hai Jiao asked the messenger of Cheng'en Marquis' Mansion to bring the first letter home, he now asked a caravan acquaintance to bring the second letter. This time, he no longer had to worry about writing too long a letter and causing trouble for the messenger. He could write longer and more detailed letters, and even write different letters to different people in the family. Even his second uncle Hai Chang'an wrote a personal letter to his wife and children.

As her grandparents were not at home, Haitang gave her second uncle's letter to her second aunt, Mrs. Hu, and returned to the west wing study with the remaining letters, opening the one her brother had written to her.

(End of this chapter)