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

Chapter 813 Reunion

I don't know what Xie Wenzai was thinking that night, but the next morning, when Haitang was having breakfast with her grandmother Ma, he came over and brought a reply letter to Haijiao. It was a thick letter with a small envelope inside a large envelope. Haitang would not believe it if he said there was no letter to his good friend Tao Nanshan inside.

Ma didn't ask what was written in the letter. She thought her uncle would never harm her grandson. She immediately sent her trusted butler Cui Shu to deliver the letter to the "Huo Shengchang" branch on Chenghuang Temple Street nearby. She paid a large sum of money and asked the Huo family caravan to deliver the letter back to the capital.

It just so happened that the Huo family caravan arrived in Chang'an yesterday, and someone had to send a letter back today to report safety to the Huo Shengchang headquarters in Beijing, and also took the Hai family's reply letter along the way. We had to go back anyway, so what was wrong with making some extra money?

After the reply was sent, the Hai family returned to their peaceful life.

Xie Wenzai continued to teach students, Mrs. Hu continued to keep an eye on her son's food, clothing and studies, Haitang continued to study, practice martial arts and take time off, and Mrs. Ma continued to visit the third branch of the Zhou family from time to time to assist Zhou Jinlin and his wife in preparing Zhou Yajun's dowry.

Zhou Jinpu's daughter did not dare to cause trouble again, and even Zhou Jinpu was detained by his uncle Zhou Shicheng and sent back to the farm on the mountain. Even if he only passed the examination and became a scholar, and the title of Juren was far away, the elders could still keep him at home to study until he was old and gray. If this matter were to be spread out, no one would find fault with it. The elders were doing it for Zhou Jinpu's good, and if he didn't appreciate it, it would mean that he was ignorant. With his reputation in the clan and the city, no one would support him. Even his son Zhou Lianghou repeatedly persuaded his father to be quiet and his sister to be obedient, so as not to hinder his future.

Now Zhou Lianghou was arranged by Zhou Jinlin to study in the attached academy of a famous scholar in the city. He thought he had a bright future and would be more promising than his father in the future. He did not allow his parents and sisters to hinder his future, and joined hands with his mother to control the family more tightly. Zhou Jinpu was suppressed by his uncle above and stabbed by his wife and children below. Even the servants dared not stand on his side, and his daughters were taken back by their husbands' families. He was isolated and helpless. What else could he do except stay in the study room every day in impotence and rage?

His father, who was most likely to love and spoil him, was more than 2,000 miles away in the capital, and had no idea that he was suffering!

No one could understand Zhou Jinpu's pain, but Uncle Ma was there to share the pain of his wife.

Haijiao's reply mentioned the experience of Ma Lusheng and his wife in Beijing. Although everything was generally good, it was too rough and not detailed enough to fully satisfy Ma's wife's love and concern for her youngest son. However, what the sister-in-law Ma said made sense. Haijiao did not live with Ma Lusheng. He just knew that his elders had come to Beijing, so he went to pay his respects and greet them, and learned about their experience in Beijing. How much inside information could he know? Moreover, he had sent a letter home just a few days after meeting Zhou Shigong and his wife. He did not know what happened later, so naturally he did not know what Ma Lusheng experienced after moving out of Cheng'en Marquis Mansion. This kind of thing can only be explained clearly after Zhou Ma or Ma Lusheng and his wife send a letter home.

However, Zhou Ma fell ill when she came to Beijing, and it was unknown when she would recover. It was normal that there was no letter for a long time. On the other hand, Zhou Shigong had already reported his safety to the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion through the channel of the Cheng'en Marquis Mansion, only two days later than Haijiao's letter. Zhou Shigong never had a good impression of the Ma family. He only wrote letters to his brothers and sons, and the part that mentioned Ma Lusheng was not as many as the words in Haijiao's letter. It was already very good that Zhou Jinlin could send a letter to his uncle Ma and his wife. Faced with such a military general who held real power and exuded a bloody aura, even though Uncle Ma knew that he was his own nephew, he did not dare to find fault with him, and he had to stop his wife from doing stupid things.

So, Uncle Ma and his wife could only wait anxiously for their son to write a letter, but they still hadn't received any news until the end of March. In the blink of an eye, Ma Lusheng had been in Beijing with Zhou Shigong and his wife for more than three months, but he hadn't sent a single letter home. Even though the Ma couple knew that he was safe, they were still worried about him. They had no energy to do anything, and naturally had no time to look for trouble with others.

Malu Yuan and his wife also spent some rare quiet time at home.

As long as her family didn't cause trouble, Ma had no more worries. As Zhou Yijun's wedding date approached, she began to take her granddaughter Haitang to the Zhou family's third room frequently so that the sisters could get together more often.

On the last day of March, Zhou Wenjun and his wife returned to Chang'an. She rode as fast as she could to catch up with her younger cousin Zhou Yijun's wedding, which was why she came back at this time. Because the capital had already issued a summons and a deadline, they could only stay in Chang'an for a few days before continuing on their journey.

Zhou Wenjun was busy talking to her parents after a long absence, sending her younger cousin off to get married, and being filial to her grandparents. In just a few days, she was so busy that she naturally had no time to take care of other things. Haitang was unable to invite her to a gathering. She only saw her at the banquet of the third branch of the Zhou family on the day of Zhou Yijun's wedding.

Zhou Wenjun looked very healthy. Although her skin color was two shades darker than before, her face was more beautiful and rosy than when she was a girl. She had not gained weight and had grown taller and stronger. She spoke and acted as cheerfully as before. When she saw Haitang, she smiled and said, "You have grown a lot taller now. Have you been practicing martial arts all these years? I see that you look like a delicate lady. I am afraid you have fooled many people, right?"

Haitang raised her sleeves to cover her mouth and chuckled, "I don't know how many people I've fooled. Anyway, no matter whether they are familiar or not, they all seem to recognize that I'm a gentleman. This is good! Others don't know my background and think I'm a soft persimmon. If they are blind and get close to me, and I pinch them, their expressions will be funny!"

Zhou Wenjun laughed out loud: "That's really funny! After I got married, I put away my shyness too early and showed off my toughness too much. Now I can't fool anyone. No one dares to be presumptuous in front of me. I can't find an excuse to teach someone a lesson. It's so boring! If I had known this, I might as well pretend to be a lady for a few more years!"

Haitang chatted with Zhou Wenjun for a long time at the banquet, but unfortunately she was not satisfied, so someone took Zhou Wenjun away. She was now a married woman, and she was not as restrained as when she was in the boudoir. Naturally, the female relatives of her clan and friends would talk to her and get close to her.

However, seeing that she lived a more carefree life after marriage, she must have lived a happy life in her husband's family. Haitang looked at her husband from a distance and saw that he had a handsome appearance, a tall figure, and agile movements. He was very gentle and considerate in front of his wife, so she felt relieved. The husband chosen by General Zhou for his beloved daughter seemed to be quite reliable.

Zhou Wenjun walked around the circle of young women, then returned to his original position and said to Haitang, "I will definitely meet Yuqi when I go to the capital. Do you have any letters or gifts to send to her? If so, please send them to me as soon as possible. I will leave the day after tomorrow."

Haitang said hurriedly, "I'll send someone to deliver it to you right away. But are you leaving so soon? Wouldn't that mean you won't be able to catch up with Yijun's return in three days?"

Zhou Wenjun sighed. She also felt it was a pity, but there was nothing she could do. The imperial edict was there. If she left late, she was afraid that it would delay her husband's official duties. Her husband had always been very good to her, so of course she couldn't hold him back. Besides, her father, General Zhou, had expectations for his son-in-law's new position, and her grandfather, the Duke of Zhenguo, had also given instructions. Even for the sake of the Zhou family, she couldn't delay her husband's schedule to go to Beijing for personal matters.

She gave a few vague explanations without going into detail. Haitang quickly understood her implication and did not ask any further questions.

But Haitang was also a little curious about what position Zhou Wenjun's husband would take after arriving in Beijing?

(End of this chapter)