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

Chapter 853 Letter
Haitang was silent.

Now she is in Chang'an, thousands of miles away from the capital. Even if she feels something is wrong, she can't do anything.

She could write to her brother to remind him to be more careful, but Hai Jiao was always a little restrained when it came to Fang's affairs, perhaps because of the influence of his past life's memories. If he could solve Fang's problem, he wouldn't have to write to his grandmother Ma, who was far away in Chang'an, for help.

Haitang thought that she and her family would soon be leaving for Beijing anyway, so she could talk about anything when she got to Beijing and met her cousin Fang in person. By then, even if someone dared to say something nonsense to Fang and made her get stuck in a dead end, she would be able to think of a way to deal with it.

Hai Baozhu's marriage is not yet decided, she still has plenty of time!
Haitang temporarily put the matter in her heart, pretending that nothing had happened, and asked her grandmother Ma with a smile: "Grandma, have we decided on the date for our departure? Can we also tell my brother in the letter? That way he can calculate the date with my second uncle, and when we are almost in the capital, he can ask for leave and come to pick us up."

Ma thought for a moment and said, "You have to tell us the date, but you don't have to. Your second uncle is serving in the imperial court, so he may not be able to take leave to come. Your brother has just been appointed to office, and Tao wants to use him, so don't delay his work. Don't worry, with your cousin, Grandpa Cao, Grandpa Lu and others here, we will be able to find the place even if there is no one to lead the way in the capital."

The three grandfathers had lived in the capital for a long time. Xie Wenzai was preparing for the exam and serving as an official, while Cao and Lu were basically active in the capital area after entering the officialdom, and were familiar with the road conditions in the capital. The house that the Hai family bought in the capital was not far from Zhengyangmen Street, close to the power center of the court, and the layout of the nearby streets and alleys would not change much for dozens or hundreds of years. Hai Jiao detailed the address of the new house in his family letter, and it was impossible for the Hai family to not find the place.

At worst, there was Qiu Shugen's family. Before last year, they had been servants in the imperial merchant families in Beijing. Qiu Shugen was a follower who followed the master. The first requirement for taking up the post was to know the way. With him as a guide, the Hai family was not blind, so how could they get lost?
Ma was not worried that her family would not be able to find their home after entering the capital. She was just a little worried that the weather would be cold by then. Hai Chang'an and Hai Jiao, the two men, had rarely worried about household affairs. Would they forget to prepare winter supplies? Would the winter in the capital be colder than that in Chang'an? Did they have a kang in the new house? Would they prepare food for the autumn and winter festivals in advance?

Although Hai Chang'an and Hai Jiao, uncle and nephew, brought Cui Dazhuang and Cui Xiaodao to Beijing, and Cui Dazhuang was a reliable man who had been doing things for a long time, and now Fang's mother and daughter were also coming to Beijing, Fang, who had been used to managing the household for many years, could not help but remind the second room's uncle and nephew, but Ma couldn't help but worry, afraid that the two children who had just left home would not be able to take care of themselves...

She quickly added several more lines to the letter, giving instructions on everything from food, clothing, housing and transportation, fearing that her children and grandchildren might miss something and fail to take good care of her, and that her family would be in a mess when they arrived in the capital...

Haitang stared at her until she finished writing the letter, still muttering to herself, wondering if she had missed anything. She took the opportunity to excuse herself, went back to her room, and started writing her own reply.

After I send this letter, I probably won't receive a reply from my brother before I reach the capital. I hope nothing goes wrong during this time...

Jin Jiashu didn't know when he would arrive in Chang'an. He left later than Haijiao's letter and walked slowly on the road. He must have brought more detailed news, right? The reply letter was sent out quickly. In addition to grandmother Ma and Haitang, second aunt Hu, cousin Chang Baoyan, grandfather Hai Xiya, cousin Xie Wenzai, and grandfathers Cao Gengyun and Lu Bainian all sent letters. This time the letter was not thicker than before, but there were a few more than before. Although the recipients were all Haijiao, there were actually many small envelopes inside the envelope. After Haijiao received the letter, the letters would be distributed to the real recipients.

Haitang watched her grandfather hand the letter to the clerk of Huo Shengchang, and turned around to ask him in a low voice: "Grandpa, have you and your cousin written letters to the old friends from Wumen you knew in the past? Will you tell them when we will arrive in the capital?"

Hai Xiya turned around and smiled at her: "We have been friends for many years. We will meet again in Beijing soon. We must say hello. If they know that we are going back to Beijing without telling them, they may complain when they return."

He paused again and said, "Besides, your Grandpa Cao and Grandpa Lu have been away from home for many years. If they plan to go back, they should let their families know. If their families don't make any move, it's fine; but if their families still have some sense of shame and are willing to repent for their past ruthlessness and come to apologize to the two of them, they are still willing to give their relatives a chance."

This was actually the result of him and Xie Wenzai persuading Cao and Lu. Their families had severed ties with them when they were exiled, and had ignored them for many years. Even when the Wumen exiles were pardoned and many of them returned to the court to serve as officials, Cao and Lu did not send anyone to contact them.

After returning to Chang'an, Cao Gengyun wrote to his old friend in private to inquire about the family situation. He learned that his wife and children were safe. Two years after he was pardoned, his eldest son passed the imperial examination and became an official. His youngest son also passed the imperial examination. The Lu family was in a similar situation. Since his family was fine, they were reluctant to contact them. I'm afraid they still had resentment in their hearts. Cao and Lu were also very aggrieved and disappointed. Since their family was so ruthless, there was no need for them to go home and suffer. Anyway, it was good to live with the Hai family. With Haijiao, they didn't have to worry about no one to take care of them in the future. So they just lived like this.

However, Hai Xiya and Xie Wenzai could not bear it after all. They knew that they were actually thinking about their children and grandchildren, and they were afraid that there would be any misunderstandings, so they advised them to take the initiative to take that step and ask friends to help contact their families. If their families knew that they had arrived in the capital, but still did not intend to contact them, then it would not be too late to give up.

However, if the descendants of Cao and Lu really did such a thing, they would never make any progress in their official careers. How could an unfilial person be qualified to hold a high position, hold power, and educate the people?
Hai Xiya once said to his wife Ma in private: "In the past, the Sun family was powerful, and when the Wu family members offended the Sun family, their families did not dare to contact them. Now the Sun family is in decline, and both the father and son of the Sun family have lost their official positions. It is a wall that everyone is pushing down. Whether it is the Xie family, the Cao family or the Lu family, they should change their minds now. Since they are snobbish people who only know how to seek benefits and avoid harm, they should now know how to take the initiative to reconcile with my cousin, Lao Cao and Lao Lu, and act friendly and harmonious again. Otherwise, if the other Wu family members see it, what good reputation will they have? Whether for themselves or for the long-term future of their descendants, they should not ignore my cousin and his family anymore."

Ma sneered, "They are all snobs. Even if they are recognized, what good will it do? Our family has enough food for the three of them. It's good enough to continue living together like this. Why do we have to let them recognize their families? What if their families find out that they are old and don't want to return to the court to serve as officials and think it's not profitable? If they recognize them and give them a cold shoulder, wouldn't that be asking for trouble?!"

Hai Xiya smiled and said, "They are not officials, but they have many old friends who are officials. Even if it is for the sake of their connections, the three families will be kind to my cousin and try to please them. It's OK that my cousin has no wife and no children, but Lao Cao and Lao Lu both have children and grandchildren. I know that they are actually thinking about their grandchildren and looking forward to the happiness of family. No matter how close our family is to them, they are not blood relatives after all..."

(End of this chapter)