Taohuaxi

Chapter 21 The family moves north
"Bonus, reward, reward." The old lady called again and again.

For a time, Cheng's house was filled with excitement, and everyone was filled with joy.

Outside the gate, crowds of people came in waves to announce the good news.

I ordered the housekeeper to wrap up the snowflakes and silver one by one and hand them to the official who came to announce the good news.

The old lady ordered the boy to set up an incense table in the courtyard facing north, and burned a few sticks of incense to comfort the master, grandpa and the ancestors of the Cheng family.

"The distant virtues of our ancestors have taken care of Huai'er. The prosperity of the lintel is just around the corner." The old lady said tremblingly.

Finally, it is rare to cry once for the husband who died young.

"If you were alive, you could see how prosperous you are today..."

For several days in a row, there was an endless stream of guests in the mansion.

Old friends, relatives and friends all came to congratulate me.

Even the newly arrived Magistrate Geng came to sit for a while, drank a cup of tea, and admired the outstanding people in Yangzhou Prefecture, the old lady's skill in raising children, and Cheng Huai's talent.

At the end of the month, I heard someone say that under the care of Chief Assistant Zhang, Cheng Huaishi entered the Hanlin Academy to serve.

This is naturally a great thing.

I went to Hanlin to serve as a senior official.

The Hanlin Academy is a place where talents are nurtured and hoped for.Responsible for compiling books and histories, drafting edicts, serving as readers for the royal family, and serving as an examiner for imperial examinations.If you want to become an important minister in a noble place, you need to enter the Hanlin Academy as a stepping stone.

Let’s not talk about it far, let’s talk about Master Zhang. Before he became the Imperial Master, he worked in the Hanlin Academy.

The people in Cheng's mansion seemed to see a bright future for Cheng Huaishi.

The old lady clapped my hand, cried and sighed: "Sang Yu, my good boy, you have done well. Huai'er has a future, and your hard work in the house is not in vain..."

The servants looked at me differently.

In the evening, Hehua helped me wash my clothes, while Xiaoyin murmured to the side: "Miss, do you know what the wife with a long tongue at home said?"

I laughed and said, "Why bother listening to a woman with a long tongue?"

"I'm so angry for the young lady. They said that the young lady got a big advantage by marrying the second master. The old lady thought that the second master was dead, so she let the young lady match for the secret marriage. If the second old man is alive, the young lady is already a high-ranking person. . What's more, now, the second master is in high school and has become an official. With the foundation of a young lady, how can she become the wife of an official? Sooner or later, she will have to resign!" Xiaoyin said, her face turned purple with anger.

I pinched Xiaoyin's face: "You, you have followed me to Yangzhou for so many days, but you are still careless. The wind is like rain. Go and rest quickly, don't think too much."

Xiaoyin muttered and went away.

Spring night, the evening breeze is gentle.

I got on the couch.

He Hua suddenly said: "The second master is now an official in the capital, so the second young lady should go to reunite with her husband as soon as possible."

I am silent.

She added: "Although the second young lady trusts the second master, it is not appropriate for the couple to separate. Even if the second master is a decent person, he is afraid that others will become interested and want to occupy the magpie's nest."

I remained silent.

He Hua put down the bead curtain and went to make his own mattress to rest.

I turned back and forth on the bed several times.

Half a year has passed since I bid farewell to Cheng Huai at the ferry. I wonder what the situation is like in the capital now.
At the beginning of May, I received a letter from Cheng Huaishi.

He asked the old lady to go to the capital with me.

He has a mansion in the capital.He was alone in the Northland and couldn't worry about his family.

The words in the letter were sincere, and the old lady immediately made a decision: her family would move north.

The business affairs of Yangzhou Prefecture were entrusted to Wu Bi.

He is mature, prudent and always loyal, making him the most appropriate candidate.

The old lady asked him to come to Beijing every half a year to pay the account.

The third young lady quietly asked the old lady: "Mother, do you want Lu Gui to go to the capital with us?"

The old lady smiled and said: "He naturally stayed in Yangzhou with Shopkeeper Wu. Business in Yangzhou is our foundation."

After decades of ups and downs, the old lady sees far and thinks deeply.

The third lady went to the cabinet again.

When she saw Lu Gui, she said, "I'm giving you an advantage. I've left Yangzhou and no one will quarrel with you anymore."

Lu Gui's hand holding the abacus froze.

When the third lady saw that he was silent, she said, "You know I'm leaving, so you must be feeling very beautiful. It's time to set off the firecrackers later."

Lu Gui picked up a pen, wrote down the accounts on the paper, and said softly: "No matter how good the firecrackers are, they are not as beautiful as this year's Lantern Festival night."

The third lady was stunned.

Lu Gui looked up.

The two looked at each other for a few times.

The third lady turned around and walked away in panic.

She told me: "Second sister-in-law, I don't know why, but I feel very confused and confused."

I laughed: "What's the mess, what's the confusion?"

"I... I should hate Lu Gui very much. Me, the person I have liked since childhood is brother Mingxu. But... I don't know why, before I left, I was thinking about going to the cabinet to find Lu Gui , I quarreled with him, and kept quarreling... What I was thinking about was the time he saved me that day. He was so annoying, and yet... he didn't seem so annoying..."

She frowned and held her chin.

I gently tapped her forehead with my finger.

Bystanders clear, the authorities are fascinated.

The person you want to see with all your heart is your sweetheart.

"It's not that enemies never get together." I laughed.

She lowered her head.Lu Gui is a good businessman.

This time he stayed in Yangzhou, which was the time for him to show his strength.

And he and the third lady still need a chance.

An opportunity for the third lady to fully understand what is in her heart.

An opportunity for the old lady to accept him willingly.

What worries me the most about this move to the north is undoubtedly Hehua.

Before I left, I really wanted to see her cross the threshold in her heart and have a result with Wu Bi.

Wu Bi was widowed in his early years and had not married for many years, but he also fell in love with her. He was kind and attentive, and he was willing to accept her children and treat her children well, which was the most suitable thing.

The window paper between two people is always unbreakable.

I said to Wu Bi: "Are you interested in marrying He Hua?"

Wu Bi scratched his head: "Second Young Mistress, you don't know something. I have mentioned it to her several times, but she always stayed away. She is a strong person and always says that she was divorced by her husband's family. , has a bad reputation and is not worthy of a villain. The villain is weak-minded."

I thought for a while and said: "I have a way -"

So and so, said a lot.

Wu Bi hesitated and said: "Is this... okay?"

I laughed: "Just try it."

At dusk, I saw He Hua coming to me with red eyes: "Second Young Madam, I have been following you these days, and I really want to go to the capital with you. But... Shopkeeper Wu is suffering from a hidden illness. I'm worried. If he is in good health and can find a better woman to accompany him, I don't want to drag him down. But now... I have to take care of him, and I can't be an ungrateful person."

"What's wrong with Shopkeeper Wu?"

"The doctor has already told the maid, he, his illness...sigh..." He Hua was worried.

I solemnly said: "Shopkeeper Wu is ill, so he must be feeling unhappy. If you agreed to marry him at this time, he would be so relieved."

He Hua thought for a long time and nodded.

On the third day of May, the locust flowers were in full bloom.

After a rain, Yangzhou City is filled with a faint fragrance.

The sky is clearer after the rain, and white clouds swim leisurely in the blue.

I personally dressed He Hua in wedding clothes and married her to Master Wu Bi.

Howard's child, Pinecone, clapped her hands and smiled.

He Hua and Wu Bi, a man and a woman rolling through thorns, saw in their eyes the peace and desolation of a thousand sails passing by.

Marriage is indeed a woman's biggest bet.

However, if you lose the bet, you should not be afraid of reshuffling the cards.

Hold on to life.

Hold yourself tight.

This cold-faced woman finally gained warmth for the rest of her life.

After the Dragon Boat Festival, the old lady ordered people to choose an auspicious day and board the boat for a long journey.

Those who stayed in Yangzhou saw us off at the ferry.

He Hua, who was dressed in new clothes, stood next to Wu Bi, waving to me and crying: "Second Young Madam, please take care of yourself. I eat fast and recite Buddha's name every day, and ask Bodhisattva to bless Second Young Madam to have Lin'er soon..."

I nodded sourly.

Behind the big willow tree at the ferry, I vaguely saw a man in a green robe passing by.

The boat sailed.

The figure reflected in the water was shaken to pieces by the oars and slowly moved away.

The canal swayed with clear waves.

The flowers and willows in the south are prosperous, and the wealth and wealth of the water town recede behind them one by one.

A few days later, we arrived in the capital.

From a distance, I saw Cheng Huaishi standing on the shore waiting in official uniform.His eyebrows were still broad and resolute, and his lips were pursed tightly.I looked at it, my eyes filled with mist.

The boat is moored.

I helped the old lady ashore.

When the old lady saw her son, she sighed with joy, hugged her and called, "My son has lost a lot of weight..."

Cheng Huaishi said: "My child is really uneasy if my mother is busy traveling and traveling."

The old lady pulled me over and said to Cheng Huaishi: "Huai'er, when you were not at home, Sang Yu did a lot of great things for the family..."

Cheng Huaishi's warm eyes brushed over me, like willows brushing over a pond in spring.

Reunion.

When I saw him again, it felt like a warm fire in winter or a fan blowing in summer. He felt worried when he got closer and felt distant when he got closer.

"lady."

He shook my hand.

My palms were wet and I couldn't say anything, I just smiled.

The group got on the carriage and drove for about half an hour to Cheng Huaishi's residence in Beijing.

The servant woman supported the old lady, and he held my hand, and we walked into the house one after another.

But I saw that the house was in good order and the backyard was neat and orderly. It didn't look like there were no female relatives to take care of it.

(End of this chapter)