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

Chapter 801: Family Affairs

When Haijiao wrote this letter, it was already the first month of the lunar year, which was around the Lantern Festival.

The news from the capital mentioned in his letter seemed a little outdated to Haitang now, but it was more detailed and in-depth, and also solved many of Haitang's doubts.

Uncle and nephew Hai Jiao and Hai Chang'an spent the New Year in their new house. Cui Dazhuang also came back from his hometown in Yongping Prefecture and brought more news.

The situation of the Hai family has improved slightly compared to a few years ago, probably because the news of Hai Xiya's promotion has been passed back, but the Jiang family still has an absolute advantage in the village. At most, they just don't press the Hai family so hard, giving the Hai family some breathing space. The ancestral house and clan fields of the clan have been preserved, which has ensured the livelihood of the clan members. Cui Dazhuang, under Hai Jiao's instructions, also successfully found Baozhu, the only grandson of his great-uncle Hai Dongling, and his biological mother in Yongping Prefecture. Their life is still acceptable. With the silver brought by Cui Dazhuang, even the problem of Hai Baozhu's study has been solved.

However, everyone in the Hai family knew that Hai Xiya was almost forced to leave his hometown by his eldest brother. For many years, there was no news about him. They thought he had died in the northwest. Unexpectedly, he was alive and well, and even got promoted and made a fortune. Now he even has the spare money to protect his relatives in his hometown. They all felt guilty and ashamed to face Hai Xiya. Therefore, no matter how many times he wrote back in recent years, the family never responded.

It sounds quite reasonable, but Haitang always feels a little weird. Is the situation in Yongping Prefecture really just like this? All the clan members feel sorry for Grandpa Hai Xiya, so they rely on his protection to avoid the pressure from the Zhuang family, but at the same time they are reluctant to write back to Hai Xiya, making him worry and worry all the time? Why does it sound a bit like an ungrateful person?

Haitang curled her lips, suspecting that her brother Haijiao was deliberately hiding something.

He obviously respected his aunt Fang from the eldest house, who also gave birth to a daughter, Hai Baozhen. However, in his letter, Hai Jiao only mentioned his illegitimate cousin Hai Baozhu who was sent to the provincial capital for safety, and did not mention a word about the situation of Fang and her daughter. Is this normal?

Hai Xiya knew nothing about where Hai Baozhu lived. He had asked someone to send a letter back before, but he didn't know that he had left home. This time Cui Dazhuang was able to find the place, so Hai Jiao knew the answer from his memory of his previous life. Now he found an excuse, such as claiming that he had heard about it from a fellow villager, and asked Cui Dazhuang to find him, and he would naturally be able to find him. But what is Fang's current situation? Has the predicament she is facing been resolved? Has anyone sought justice for her for the grievances she has suffered over the years? Hai Jiao only said that the livelihood of the old family members was not a problem, and did not mention anything else. How could there be no trick here?
But it doesn't matter. Hai Jiao is willing to keep it secret, but others may not. Didn't Hai Chang'an write to his parents and wife? Madam Gu also promised to help the Hai family take care of the clan members after arriving at Shanhaiguan. How long can Hai Jiao keep the secret secret?
Haitang continued to read the letter. Haijiao also mentioned that this time when Cui Dazhuang returned to his hometown in Yongping Prefecture, he met Xie Zhong, an old servant of his cousin Xie Wenzai.

Xie Zhong was the son of a servant in Xie Wenzai's family. He had been a servant to Xie Wenzai since he was a child. Before Xie Wenzai got into trouble, they released him in advance for fear of implicating him. Later, the Xie family was afraid of being implicated by Xie Wenzai, so they severed their relationship with him and no longer cared about his life or death. Only his cousin Hai Xiya lent a hand and rushed to Chang'an with his newlywed wife to pick up his cousin.

Xie Zhong was a loyal servant. He had lost his parents and relatives, and had become a good citizen. He had some savings, so he could have stayed in the capital and lived a stable life. However, he could not let go of his old master, so he resolutely used his savings as travel expenses to accompany Xie Wenzai into exile. Before Xie Wenzai left the capital, he could not bear to see him suffer with him, so he told him that he had an agreement with his cousin from the Hai family, and asked Xie Zhong to meet Hai Xiya. However, Xie Zhong fell ill on the way to Yongping Prefecture, which delayed his time. When he arrived at Yongping Jianghaitun, Hai Xiya had already left. The Hai family refused to tell him the exact whereabouts of Hai Xiya. When he returned to the capital, Xie Wenzai and other exiled prisoners had already set off. He had no money on hand and was unable to support the cost of the long journey. In desperation, he had to find some odd jobs to save enough travel expenses and then return to Yongping Prefecture. He thought that Hai Xiya would contact his family sooner or later, and then he would ask around and find out the address of Hai's cousin's young master, and he would be able to go and reunite with the young master Xie Wenzai.

However, Xie Zhong had been in Yongping for more than 30 years, but he never received any letter from Hai Xiya. He had been guarding the grave of Hai Xiya's mother, Xie Wenzai's aunt, and barely made a living by farming in the mountains and doing odd jobs in the city during the slack season. He had never been able to save enough money for the trip to the northwest, and he didn't know where to find someone. It was thought that Xie Wenzai would return to Beijing after being pardoned a few years ago, but there had been no news. Xie Zhong still lives near Xie's grave. Cui Dazhuang was reminded by Hai Jiao and successfully found him, and he learned the exact news about his former master over the years.

Haijiao was filled with grief over this. He used a secret code to express his complicated feelings to his sister. When he returned to his hometown in his previous life, this old man who was loyal to his uncle had passed away for several years. He was probably too sad to hear the news that Xie Wenzai and Haixiya's family were killed in the battle of Suzhou City. In this life, Haixiya's family and Xie Wenzai are still alive and well. There is also news back to his hometown that Haixiya was promoted. Therefore, Xie Zhong is also alive and well, and he is looking forward to Xie Wenzai's early return home. But the old man has never married and had children in his life. Now he is alone and still misses his old master. How can one not sigh with such loyalty?

Cui Dazhuang returned to his hometown on Haijiao's orders and had the courtyard of the ancestral house belonging to Haixiya's family renovated and some furniture and supplies added. Cui Dazhuang also arranged for old man Xie Zhong to live in the house as a caretaker and left him a living allowance. I think before Haixiya's family and Xie Wenzai return to Zhili at the end of the year, Xie Zhong's life in his hometown will be more stable and comfortable.

These are basically all the affairs of the old home. However, during Cui Dazhuang's stay in Jianghaitun, he also personally experienced how arrogant the Jiang family is now. Although Hai Xiya and Hai Chang'an both hold official positions, and Hai Chang'an directly serves in the Imperial Guards, he is a person in front of the emperor. The Jiang family only slightly restrains themselves in front of Cui Dazhuang, the servant of the Hai family, but they are not worried at all that they will be unlucky because of what they have done to the Hai family over the years. Their family seems to believe that the backing behind them is strong enough, and even the imperial guards can't do anything to them. They can be a little polite to the Hai family because of the official positions of Hai Xiya and his son, but if they want them to spit out the Hai family's property and industry that they have embezzled over the years, forget it!

After Cui Dazhuang reported the situation to Haijiao, Haijiao was naturally furious. Although he had not participated in the martial arts examination and did not hold an official position, it did not mean that he had no way to deal with the Jiang family.

It just so happened that he was entrusted by General Gu to check the accounts of Shanhaiguan in recent years. The Jiang family was so close to Shanhaiwei and had many dealings with them on weekdays. They had no way of denying their connection with the major cases that had occurred in Shanhaiwei in recent years. One of their family's backers was a person involved in the case, but he was able to escape the blame temporarily because he made a good fake account. Haijiao revealed the truth hidden in the accounts and helped General Gu find the real accounts. None of the guilty officials would be able to escape.

When this case is settled, the power of the two major families in Jianghaitun will increase and decrease, and the Jiang family will suffer retribution for what they have done over the years!

(End of this chapter)