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

Chapter 865 Farewell
With sufficient manpower and the assistance of the Hai family, Jin Jiashu was able to quickly resolve the matters he needed to deal with in Chang'an.

The house and shop were transferred smoothly, and the coffins of the relatives were loaded onto the car smoothly. Jin Jiashu also visited all the old friends in Chang'an who had helped him, gave them gifts one by one to express his gratitude, and left his address so that they could contact him when they came to Beijing in the future.

After all this busy work, the departure time set by Haixiya has arrived.

On the day the two families set out, Haitang got up before dawn, quickly washed and dressed herself, and took Xiangcao to the upper room in the main courtyard to have breakfast.

At this time, the sky was just turning white, and the lights in the Hai family's house were bright. Grandfather Hai Xiya quickly filled his stomach, then went to his cousin Xie Wenzai to see how they were preparing, and came back to stay in the front yard to take care of things. Grandmother Ma was still sleepy, eating cakes and making breakfast, nodding her head, ready to fall asleep at any time.

Seeing that she was very sleepy, Haitang quickly poured her a bowl of strong tea and gently pushed her.

Ma came to her senses, sighed, and poured strong tea into her mouth while saying, "Last night, I was always worried that I missed something, and I kept talking about it in my mind. I didn't sleep well all night, and now I can't hold on any longer."

Haitang smiled and said, "Just hold on for a while. Once you get on the bus and leave the city, just fall asleep in the car. The weather is neither too hot nor too cold, and the road outside the city was rebuilt less than two years ago. It's smooth and easy to drive on. I guarantee you'll sleep until lunch time and won't feel sleepy anymore."

Ma smiled when she heard this: "It's so boring to travel by car. At most, I can chat with your grandfather about family matters. Apart from that, there is nothing to do. I can only sleep to kill time."

The last time the Hai family went on a long journey was when they were returning to Chang'an from Suzhou City. At that time, their team had been walking in the wilderness for a long time, and they had to be on guard against sand bandits, horse bandits, Hu cavalry, snakes, insects and wild animals. The wind and sand were strong, and they did not dare to relax at all along the way, fearing that they would be attacked, and that they would miss the garrison point where they could stay overnight, and would have to spend the night in the wild.

This time, the long journey was different. They went from Chang'an to the capital, and they took the official road all the way. In addition to the caravan that the Hai family had originally agreed to travel with, there was also Jin Jiashu and his group. Both the caravan guards and the guards that Jin Jiashu brought from the capital had sufficient military strength to give the Hai family a full sense of security. There were several carriages escorting the coffin, as well as a large amount of luggage from the caravan and the Hai family. The team could not move fast at all, and they did not need to rush. They just needed to sit in the car safely. Except for the night when Hai Xiya needed to take servants to negotiate with the post station or inn, he did not have to worry about anything else.

Perhaps because they knew that this trip was safe and leisurely, everyone in the Hai family was very relaxed. It was just because they would not be able to see their relatives and friends in Chang'an for a long time when they went to the capital, so they were reluctant to leave.

After breakfast, Haitang persuaded Ma to take a nap on the kang to rest her mind, while she took over the affairs that needed to be handled before leaving on behalf of her grandmother. She had helped her grandmother manage the household for several years, and now she was very skilled in handling things, and soon she managed things in an orderly manner. When Ma finally recovered a little bit of energy, was able to cheer up, put on her cloak and go out to meet people, all the luggage at home had been loaded into the car, and she didn't have to worry about it anymore.

Haitang signaled to Mother Li to quickly put away the things on grandmother's kang and put them on the carriage. She went forward to support grandmother and said, "The Zhuang family is here to see you off. Grandpa and Second Aunt are entertaining the guests in the front yard." Ma hurriedly said, "Why didn't you say so earlier? The in-laws are here, but you're hiding in the house and sleeping. It's really rude!" After saying that, she immediately walked towards the front yard.

Haitang supported her and said, "Don't worry, grandma. The Zhuang family just arrived. Xiangcao just went to the front to help serve tea. She said that Aunt Geng came with Grandpa Zhuang, Uncle Zhuang and Sister Zhuang. They asked Second Aunt about the situation in Beijing and wanted to know when our family plans to marry my brother. My brother has become an official and bought a house in Beijing. He is not young anymore. It is time for him to get married. But the Zhuang family can't leave for a while. They are worried that if we leave, the marriage will change. There are some things that the Zhuang family can't say, so Aunt Geng can only say them for them."

Ma said hurriedly, "What's there to ask? Minyi is naturally the granddaughter-in-law that our family has chosen. How could we change our minds? The Zhuang family can't leave for the time being, but they won't be unable to leave forever. They will have to go to Beijing sooner or later, and we can arrange the wedding then. Your brother has waited for so many years, he can't be so unwilling to wait even for a year or two."

The old county magistrate Geng Zehuai had already left his post, but in order to wait for his cousin's family, he stayed in Chang'an with his children and grandchildren, and now lived with the Zhuang family. As for the Zhuang family, after Zhuang Shitong submitted his application for retirement, he had not received a response for a long time. So he asked Xie Wenzai to help inquire and found out that it was not because the court had any objection to him, but some old friends thought that he was not too old and could serve for another three years, so they withheld his application for retirement.

Now the old officials of Wumen have gradually recovered, but their numbers are still small, and there are not many high-ranking officials. Old officials like Zhuang Shitong, who have never been exiled and have always served in local government, have sufficient qualifications and experience in local governance. If they can return to the center, they will surely play a greater role. Tao Ge Lao does not want him to retire too early. He must at least return to the court for three years so that he can have the opportunity to realize his ambitions for many years.

Through Xie Wenzai's channel, Zhuang Shitong exchanged letters with Tao Yue twice, and finally he was willing to return to the court to serve. However, there is no suitable person to take over his position in Chang'an for the time being. If the court is allowed to appoint a candidate, it is possible that he will encounter someone who is not so friendly to the Northwest Frontier Army, which will bring uncertainty to the current quiet and peaceful Chang'an Prefecture. The Zhenguo Mansion hopes that Zhuang Shitong can stay until a reliable successor arrives in Chang'an, so the Zhuang and Geng families had to postpone their original plan and let the Hai family leave first. However, Tao has stepped up his selection in the capital, and it seems that it will not be long before the three families can reunite in the capital.

Haitang accompanied her grandmother Ma and met the Zhuang and Geng families in the front hall. She also talked to Zhuang Minyi for a while.

Unlike the worried aunt Geng, Zhuang Minyi never worried about her marriage. Haijiao made a promise to her before he left, and he never forgot to give her a copy of every letter he sent back to Chang'an. She knew what her fiancé did in the capital, and even participated in the design of their future new house. She felt at ease. Her cousin Geng was worried that Haijiao would have a bright future in Beijing and would be favored by the ladies of the rich and powerful families, and she comforted Geng in return.

Now Haitang knew what Aunt Geng was worried about, and she couldn't help but smile: "Aunt Geng, don't worry, my brother is devoted to Sister Zhuang, he won't change his mind! Don't be afraid that he will be favored by some noble lady. Noble ladies also have requirements for their husbands. There are so many young talents who ranked at the top of the military examination this year, and there are many unmarried children from military families. My brother is only ranked in the 20th or 30th, his family background is not prominent, and he is not handsome, how can others be fond of him?
"Besides, my brother is not completely without support behind him. The Duke of Zhenguo Mansion, the Marquis of Cheng'en Mansion and General Tu will all support him, and there is also Elder Tao in the civil service. With such a few powerful backers, which noble lady would want to seize my brother by force? If she really has that ability, she can marry any noble son. Why should she lower my brother to a small Jinyiwei?"

After hearing this, Aunt Geng felt relieved and even came over to persuade Haitang: "Your brother is no worse than those famous children. Don't be so disrespectful to him."

Haitang and Zhuang Minyi looked at each other and couldn't help laughing.

(End of this chapter)