Chapter 536 Let's each discuss our own issues
The carriage stopped.
Cheng Wanwan lifted the curtain of the car and saw Manager He standing in front with a humble look on his face, holding a beautifully wrapped gift in his hand.
She couldn't help but twitch her lips. All the things she had said to Old Master Qian before had turned out to be for nothing. She really hadn't expected Manager He to kneel so readily.
However, in a way, she benefited from Zhao'er's fame. If Zhao'er hadn't been so famous, Manager He wouldn't have bowed down so easily.
She said calmly, "I didn't take that day to heart, Manager He, you don't need to come again."
Shopkeeper He quickly presented the generous gift with both hands: "Thank you for your generosity, people of Sui'an. This is a century-old ginseng. Please accept it."
"No need." Cheng Wanwan lowered the carriage curtain and calmly instructed, "Cheng Jia, let's set off."
The carriage moved slowly, and three other carriages immediately followed, driving out of Dahe Village and gradually disappearing from everyone's sight.
Manager He was extremely flustered as he held the ginseng gift box.
The fact that Sui'an refused the gift shows that he hasn't let go of that matter at all. If Sui'an arrives in the capital twenty days later and encounters the He family, and inadvertently brings up the matter of him stealing business, the head of the family will not let him off the hook, and his life will be over.
What to do, what to do...
Manager He's fingers suddenly paused; how could he have forgotten such an important thing?
When he came to Dahe Village that day, he saw a portrait drawn by the son of Sui'an. The person in the portrait was none other than the second young master of the He family.
Two years ago, the second young master betrayed the country and was punished by the court. The head of the family upheld justice and even killed his own son. The wife was powerless to change the emperor's mind. Only the eldest young master knelt in front of the palace gate for three days and three nights, but he still failed to change the emperor's mind. Later, the eldest young master tried to send the second young master away, but the second young master escaped halfway. Later, news came back that the second young master committed suicide out of fear of punishment. Because of this incident, the eldest young master lost ten pounds and became emaciated. The eldest young master's brotherly love for the second young master moved everyone in the capital.
If the eldest young master knew that the second young master might still be alive, he would be overjoyed.
He knew the whereabouts of the second young master. Well, whether it was true or not, it was considered a merit in the eyes of the eldest young master, and the eldest young master would definitely spare his life.
Shopkeeper He immediately turned around and went back to write the letter.
Four horse-drawn carriages soon arrived at Chengjia Village. Old Mrs. Cheng and her entourage were already waiting at the village entrance, each carrying large and small bags, the contents of which were unknown.
Uncle Cheng Er and Uncle Cheng San helped carry the luggage onto the two horse-drawn carriages behind, while the two elders of the Cheng family bid farewell to the villagers.
When the Cheng family went to the capital, most of the people in Chengjia Village came out to see them off. The village entrance was packed with people, and everyone's eyes were filled with envy.
"When you go this time, you must remember not to cause trouble for Zhao'er," Clan Chief Cheng instructed again. "There are too many wealthy people in the capital; you can easily offend someone without realizing it. Always take a step back to avoid trouble. You mentioned going to the capital to do business, but this can't be rushed. After Zhao'er gets married, you can discuss this with his wife. Under no circumstances should you make decisions on your own..."
Grandma Cheng nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, Uncle Six. We're all over a hundred years old combined, so we understand these things. If there's anything we're unsure about, we'll write back and ask you."
Chief Cheng laughed and said, "I'm just an old man from the countryside and I don't know anything. Instead of asking me, you should ask Aunt Cheng Zhao more."
Grandma Cheng nodded again. Her second daughter was truly different from before. She used to think that they should keep to themselves, but now it seemed that there was no way for them to remain uninvolved. Zhao'er was an official, and her second daughter was also an official. Only when the two of them worked together could their Cheng family prosper.
"Madam Cheng, it's time to set off." Magistrate Shen rode up to see her off, sitting on his horse and saying, "If we leave now, we can reach the post station before sunset, otherwise we'll have to travel in the dark."
Madam Cheng said repeatedly, "Let me explain the family matters again... Uncle Liu, I'm entrusting my two good-for-nothing sons, the second and third sons, to your care. They have some money; if they use it for gambling and womanizing, punish them according to family rules. Don't give Zhao'er any special consideration..."
The Cheng family lingered there, reluctant to part, while Magistrate Shen rode his horse to Cheng Wanwan's carriage.
He spoke through the carriage curtain: "If Sui'an man runs into Zheng'er on his trip to the capital, please help persuade him. I wrote to him asking him to come back and study for another three years, but he stubbornly refuses. He doesn't have much education; what good job can he get in the capital? He might as well try again. He's still young; maybe he can become a Jinshi..."
Cheng Wanwan lifted the carriage curtain and said with a smile, "I will definitely convey Lord Shen's words, but whether Xiao Zheng is willing to listen to me is not something I can decide."
Magistrate Shen hurriedly said, "He always listens to his godmother and will make a serious decision."
After the Cheng family finished their conversation, everyone boarded the carriages, and the convoy officially set off. Magistrate Shen and four constables escorted them to the official road before stopping. Only after the convoy disappeared into the horizon did Magistrate Shen let out a long sigh, turn his horse around, and return to the county office to handle official business.
Cheng Wanwan sat in the carriage. Because she had taken motion sickness medicine in advance and was already used to traveling by carriage, she did not feel carsick this time and even had the mood to appreciate the scenery along the way.
The first post station was Huzhou Post Station. We arrived just as it was getting dark. Because Magistrate Shen had given prior notice, the people at the post station immediately came to greet us.
As soon as Cheng Wanwan got off the carriage, she heard the people in the two carriages behind her squatting by the roadside, vomiting violently. After vomiting, the Cheng family members all looked pale and helped each other walk into the post station.
Cheng Wanwan couldn't help but admire the Cheng family. They were so dizzy, but they didn't say a word halfway through. They were really strong.
She went in first and booked rooms at the counter. There were seven of them: Si Dan, Xiao Hai, and Cheng Jia shared a room, the two old women shared a room, and she and Ning Lan shared a room. They booked three rooms in total. After booking, she looked up at Old Madam Cheng and asked, "How many rooms do you need?"
Although Old Mrs. Cheng was terribly carsick, she had been listening to Cheng Wanwan's conversation. She heard that Cheng Wanwan had booked three superior rooms, and the superior rooms at the post station were ridiculously expensive, costing one or two taels of silver per night. Three rooms would cost three taels of silver, and with food and hot water, it would easily cost four or five taels of silver.
The old lady immediately perked up when she calculated the cost.
She held onto the counter and walked to Cheng Wanwan, saying slowly, "Although we're going to the capital this time for Zhao'er, you're spending money so lavishly that our Cheng family can't afford it. How about this? Let's change the rooms into lower-class dormitories with large bunk beds. We can just open two lower-class rooms, separate for men and women, isn't that good too..."
Cheng Wanwan: "..."
The long journey had taken its toll on her health, and she was feeling unwell. If she didn't sleep well at night, the journey during the day would be even more uncomfortable. She didn't want to make herself suffer while traveling.
She said, "Although I am traveling with you, it doesn't mean you have to pay for my travel expenses. We'll split the bill."
Mrs. Cheng was obviously relieved and immediately looked at the counter: "Then we can just ask for a lower-class room."
After all, we are a family, so there is nothing wrong with men and women sleeping on the same big bunk bed.
The two paid separately. Cheng Wanwan led her people upstairs to the superior rooms, while Old Madam Cheng and her entourage were taken to the inferior rooms next to the stables in the backyard. Not only were the rooms dark, but the smell of horse manure made things even worse for the Cheng family, who were already prone to motion sickness.
After vomiting for a while, Sister-in-law Cheng complained, "Mom, why does she stay in a superior room while we stay in such a bad place? Couldn't she have booked a few more rooms for us? She's so stingy."
Grandma Cheng took a sip of hot water and said with a stern face, "Logically speaking, her room fee should be paid by the Cheng family. She is already very generous by not needing the Cheng family to pay. How can you expect her to pay for you? What kind of daydream is that? Besides, we should have paid for the carriage in the first place. She didn't care about these things. What if we take advantage of her and she abandons us halfway through the journey?"
Although Sister-in-law Cheng was dissatisfied, upon careful consideration, she realized that this made sense, so she could only sigh and lie down on the communal bed.
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