473 Chang Jin gets beaten
Three years later, Ping An saw his stepmother again. Seeing her stiff and distant smile, he felt a little uncomfortable. Could it be that she had a quarrel with her biological father?
There's no need to treat him like this even if you're having a grudge. I haven't seen him for several years. The Zhang family's father and son are nice people, but it's a pity that they didn't educate this woman well. My father is not destined to marry a virtuous wife.
"Ping An, are you coming back to participate in the imperial examination next year? Please sit down. I will ask someone to call your father. Xiao Xia, go and call the master over and tell him that Master Ping An is here."
Master Ping An? Isn't he the eldest master?
This stepmother is interesting.
In that case, the gifts will be halved.
Chang Chunfeng came over in a hurry, and when he saw his son, who was a head taller than him, he smiled and said, "Ping An, you are much taller than your father. You must be tired on the way. Why don't you stay at home for a day to rest? Come and sit down."
He turned to Zhang Jinyu: "Where are Jin'er and Yan'er? Their eldest brother is here, call him over to meet him."
"Thump, thump, thump" the sound of children's footsteps was heard, and five-year-old Chang Yan came over.
"Dad, Mom, is this my eldest brother? I don't even remember him."
Chang Chunfeng smiled and said, "You were less than two years old when your elder brother left home, so naturally you don't remember it."
Ping An took out a very beautiful large conch from the cloth bag that Lin Feng was carrying and handed it to Chang Yan. She also gave him a small bird made of fine pearls, which could be hung around the waist as a jade pendant. It was very cute.
"Chang Yan, I found this on the other side of the sea. I'm giving it to you to play with."
Chang Yan took the gift and liked it very much at first sight: "Thank you, big brother."
Ping'an handed his stepmother a small wooden box, which contained only a pearl necklace. The small bag of pearls that he had prepared was not given to her.
When Zhang Jinyu opened it, a smile appeared on her face. This pearl necklace cost about one hundred taels of silver in the capital.
She likes pearl jewelry very much.
"Dad, look at this. Do you like it?" Ping'an took out a pocket watch.
Chang Chunfeng grinned and took it: "Pocket watch? There are pocket watches in Beijing, but not many are as exquisite as this one."
"Dad, I got this from a foreigner with great difficulty. This kind of thing is really rare."
Ping An taught his father how to use it.
The father and son were chatting and laughing, and even Chang Yan ran over to watch.
After a while, the maid came over and said, "Master, Madam, the eldest daughter said she had a headache and she won't come."
Chang Chunfeng's face suddenly darkened: "You were fine this morning, why do you have a headache now?"
Zhang Jinyu saw that something was not right: "I'll go check it out. He said he was feeling a little uncomfortable this morning."
Ping An said, "My sister is not feeling well. Do you want me to go and see her?"
"I'll go check it out first. If you don't have a fever, then you're fine."
Zhang Jinyu trotted out.
This girl is really something.
Come over and call out, then stand for a while and you can go. Today, Ping An brought some good gifts. As for Yan'er's bird, even though the pearls are small, they are numerous, so sixty or seventy taels of silver are still required.
"Ping An, are all your mother and her family here?"
"Well, we are all here. We are living in the farm now and will move into the city tomorrow. Dad, I will host a banquet for the master and his family in two days, so I will not invite you and Uncle Zhang."
Chang Chunfeng forced a smile and said, "Ping An, your mother and I were brought together by fate. If there is any fault, it is my fault. She is a good woman. If possible, please apologize to her and thank her for me."
"Dad, I understand. In fact, I think you and my stepfather can try to get along. He is an honest man, a very good person. You don't have to avoid seeing each other. In the capital, I believe that many people know about our family affairs, and no one can say anything."
"Son, I know. I've figured it out over the years. Your stepmother sometimes behaves in a way that's unpleasant. She's not a bad person, she's just a slow-moving person."
Ping An smiled lightly: "Mother is very good, that's good enough, Dad, don't think too much, your son knows how good you are to me."
Chang Jin finally came with his mother.
She was afraid of her father, and besides, as she had told her mother, no one had a grudge against gifts.
The little girl came forward and bowed to Ping An: "Jin'er greets big brother."
"Sister, please stand up." Ping An smiled and took out a small wooden box. "Sister, these are the beads and bracelets that big brother brought you. Do you like them?"
He had been planning to give the little girl a nice necklace, but since she looked so reluctant, he thought that was enough for now. He had no reason to spoil her.
Chang Jin opened it and found several pearl flowers in the wooden box, decorated with real pearls, and two pearl bracelets.
Mother was right. If I didn't come, the loss would be great. This eldest brother had no intention of giving the gift to mother to collect.
How stingy! Do you think you can take away the gift after bringing it?
"Ping An, go to the study with Dad. Yan Er, come over too."
Chang Yan followed obediently. Since the beginning of this year, he has been living with his father and moved to the front yard. There was nothing his mother could do even if she refused.
Ping'an finally had breakfast and dinner with his father, and then returned to the farm before the city gate was closed.
What he didn't know was that after he left, Chang Jin was beaten by his father for the first time since he grew up, and Zhang Jinyu was anxious but could do nothing about it.
That night, Chang Chunfeng lived in the front yard with his youngest son. His seven-year-old daughter had been accepting gifts from her eldest brother while rejecting those who gave her gifts over the years. If this child's personality doesn't change, she will definitely become an ungrateful person.
This is why he insisted on leaving his youngest son in the front yard.
He felt powerless towards Zhang, perhaps because of her personality. She was indifferent most of the time, which was completely different from her brother Zhang Jinping's personality. The eldest brother-in-law was a passionate person.
In fact, if the wife of an official is good at dealing with people in the circle of other ladies, it would bring many benefits to her husband. Unfortunately, Zhang Jinyu is now even more distant from Sun Sicheng's wife, and they should have the closest relationship.
He wanted his son to stay tonight, but Ping'an said they had to move tomorrow, and the move had to be early, so he, as the owner, couldn't stay there.
Never mind, there is still a long way to go.
Zhang Jinyu comforted her crying daughter. Her husband didn't hit her hard, but it was the first time Jin'er had been beaten since she was a child, so she felt aggrieved.
"Your father was right to beat you. Ping'an is your father's eldest son. Mother has told you the reason. Otherwise, I wouldn't have been Madam Chang, and there wouldn't be you and your brother.
If a woman dislikes her own father, what good can she have in the future? Your mother had some misunderstandings with your father several times, and it was your grandfather and uncle who mediated between them.
What's more, your elder brother Ping An is a capable man. If you are on good terms with him, you will benefit from it. Think about it, he has given you a lot of good things over the years. If you can win his favor, you will benefit a lot in the future."
Jin'er stopped crying, her face full of dissatisfaction: "Dad only has me as his daughter, why doesn't he like me? He is an outsider after all, how many times can he stay at my house in a year? He is a doctor, not an official, what benefits can he give me? Isn't it just some jewelry? Mother can give me these, right?"
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