Nine idlers

Chapter 140 Six: Zhou Family Archway

Although Zhoujiazhai is deep in the mountains, due to the criss-crossing mountain roads around it, the transportation is convenient, and it avoids checkpoints like Chen Jiachong, so a large amount of goods are transported from here to Zhili territory, resulting in the prosperity of this place.There are many restaurants, teahouses, and theaters, and there are also many prostitutes and opium dens in the deep streets and dark alleys. The population of a small town is larger than that of a large town like Xuanhua.Most of the people living here are more or less related to the Zhou family. They are either hereditary long-term workers of the Zhou family or distant relatives of the Zhou family. sense of belonging.

Due to the relationship between the brothers and sisters of the Huang family, during this period of time, many wealthy businessmen and dignitaries in the vicinity all ran over to ask divination.However, since Zhoujiazhai was haunted by ghosts, the number of people coming here has decreased a lot, but there are still people who come to Zhoujiazhai during the daytime.During the period when these wealthy businessmen and dignitaries lived in Zhoujiazhai, Zhoujiazhai became more prosperous in a disguised form, and all the large and small shops next to Zhouzhuang made a lot of money.Different from other aristocratic families, the Zhou family accounted for only a small part of the large number of shops in Zhoujiazhai, and most of them were opened by outsiders. There is fresh blood coming in.Although I don't know which member of the Zhou family thought of this approach, but the Zhou family can distribute wealth to the people in this way and use the people to strengthen themselves. No matter how you look at it, the Zhou family has a courage that other big families do not have.

The people in Zhoujiazhai are obviously very familiar with Zhou Zhenglin, and the relationship is also very good. Many people came up to greet Zhou Zhenglin when they saw Zhou Zhenglin riding by, just like meeting their relatives and friends. The identity and appear cautious.Zhou Zhenglin returned the salute one by one, and he was able to call out the names of almost all the people who greeted him, and he was able to know their current life conditions, and promised to solve their problems one by one.Seeing such a scene, Xu Changqing could only think of the four words of the people's aspirations, and couldn't help feeling more fond of Zhou Zhenglin.

When a group of people walked through the outlying town in front of Zhou's village and formally entered the residence of Zhou's family, Xu Changqing froze as if struck by lightning, and stared straight at the front door of Zhouzhuang.I saw that Zhouzhuang was surrounded by a moat, and the street stretched forward to a small bridge. The small bridge was a moon arch bridge that is very common in the south of the Yangtze River. What really attracted Xu Changqing's attention was the huge chastity archway on the other side of the arch bridge.This archway was built in an ancient style, at least two or three hundred years old. On the archway, dragons and phoenixes are exquisitely carved, and there are all kinds of birds and beasts. , and in the center of the archway are the four characters of Zhenxin Yongjie, and the lower part is written in Kangxi's own handwriting in four languages: Manchurian, Mongolian, Tibetan and Chinese.

Xu Changqing has seen this archway before. When he used Zhou Tianling's signature to reverse his mother's fate, he saw a lot of information about his mother's identity, and most of the memories were blocked by heaven because of watching fate against the sky. .Only this huge chastity archway and some things around the archway remained in his memory, and became the only clue for him to find his mother's natal family.The chastity archway in front of him is exactly the same as the chastity archway in his memory, even the stone turtle carrying the archway and the arch bridge in front of the archway are the same.There was an unprecedented excitement in his heart. Although the expression on his face was still calm, there was a scorching gaze in his eyes that could burn everything.

"Mr. Xu, is there any problem?" Different from Xu Changqing's heart, his body exuded a chill at the moment, which was vaguely felt by the extremely sensitive Zhou Zhenglin, so he looked at Xu Changqing puzzled and asked.

"Nothing!" Xu Changqing took a few deep breaths, calmed himself down with his years of Dao Xin cultivation, and said expressionlessly: "I didn't expect your Zhou family to have a memorial archway written by Emperor Kangxi himself. It's really shocking." Surprised!"

"Oh! This is actually a chaste woman who died for her husband in my ancestors. Later, Emperor Kangxi found out about it, so he gave it to this memorial archway." Zhou Zhenglin obviously didn't want to show off his family background, and he also obviously felt this kind of chaste archway. Very disgusted, said in a low voice: "This is actually not a reward at all, but a shackle like a prison!"

"Master Zhenglin, please be careful," the servant who had been following Zhou Zhenglin hurriedly stepped forward after hearing this, and said, "If the master and elder master hear this, I will punish you again."

"Punish it! It's not the first time anyway!" Zhou Zhenglin dismounted with a look of indifference, made a gesture of invitation to Xu Changqing, and said, "Please, Mr. Xu!"

Xu Changqing nodded, and followed Zhou Zhenglin to Zhouzhuang with complicated emotions after dismounting.After passing the archway, there is a long porch composed of two walls. Both sides of the porch are hung with gossip mirrors, money swords and other objects to ward off evil.At the end of the porch, a group of people had been waiting there for a long time. After seeing Zhou Zhenglin, they were led by a middle-aged woman who was not much older than Xu Changqing, and quickly surrounded them. He has been out for more than ten years.Xu Changqing was pushed aside by these women, and stood there quietly, looking at these people with cold eyes. From the words of these people, it can be heard that they are almost Zhou Zhenglin's father's wives and some aunts and cousins.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way! What a group of women are talking here!" Just when Zhou Zhenglin was tired of dealing with the women at home, a rather dignified voice yelled at the crowd, and they immediately fell silent.

Then the crowd automatically moved out of the way, and a middle-aged man with a long beard and thin, about 30 years old, came over. He was wearing a black silk gown, and his steps were square. He looked quite official, but his spirit Slightly sluggish, with a pale face, it should be because of frequent opium smoking.The man walked up to Zhou Zhenglin, looked up and down seriously at Zhou Zhenglin, saw that he was not injured, relaxed a little, and said, "You're back!"

"My son is back!" Zhou Zhenglin hurriedly saluted respectfully, lowered his head and said, "It's a crime for my father to welcome you!"

"Get up!" The middle-aged man nodded, and then asked: "I heard that you encountered a little trouble on the road this time, did that thing entangle you?"