45 Chapter 45
◎Eat the whole family◎
Manager Lei didn't come to Shangguan Racecourse often. He came twice three or five years ago, and this time he came again after two years. However, Shangguan Duan often sent him gifts during the holidays.
Whenever Chief Steward Lei came, Shangguan Duan was extremely respectful and considerate.
He was shown the 800 horses at the stables, 300 to 400 of which were newly bred stallions in the past two years, which needed to be trained and brought in to be fit for use.
Chief Steward Lei asked him what he had done in the past two years. Shangguan Duan naturally talked about how he selected and bred horses. His words showed how conscientious he was in the tasks assigned to him by the palace, but Chief Steward Lei seemed to be much more interested in him than in horses.
After dinner, a strong wind blew, bringing the smell of grass and heavy rain.
Chief Steward Lei said he was tired and wanted to rest first. Shangguan Duan sat alone in the conference room, playing with a pair of crystal balls in his hands.
Suddenly he remembered Cheng Mu's words, "Mr. Shangguan, please be very careful and pay close attention to the reception of Chief Steward Lei." Her face was hidden under the white veil, so he couldn't see it clearly, but her tone made him recall some warnings and hints.
He picked up the jade belt plate hanging at his waist and looked at it carefully.
During the meal just now, Manager Lei, for the first time ever, gave him a meatball, which rolled onto his collar.
Shangguan Duan moved his body, and a meatball rolled down from his chest. Lei Zongguan chased after him to catch it, but he didn't catch the meatball, but he caught the jade belt plate.
"Oh, what should I do? Master Shangguan's beloved thing is stained with soup and grease. Take it off quickly and I'll clean it for you."
"It's okay, it's okay. Don't bother me, Chief Lei. I can do it myself."
"I've drunk too much. I can't even hold a meatball. I need to take a break."
Not long after, Manager Lei stopped eating.
Shangguan Duan wanted to take him to his room, but he waved his hand, saying that he had two people on his left and right to support him and they couldn't help him.
Shangguan Duan felt that something was related to the jade belt plate, but he couldn't find the clue.
He asked his men to call Cong Xiao over.
"Owner."
Shangguan Duan grabbed the jade belt plate and asked Cong Xiao, "Do you remember what that person looked like and what his characteristics were?"
This jade belt plate was found by Xiao and his companions in the mountains. He recalled it carefully, "Master, the man had half his face bitten off by a tiger. It was quite horrifying. He was wearing fine brocade clothes, but unfortunately, they were also torn by the tiger. He was five feet three inches tall, beardless, and rather thin. Judging from the calluses on his hands, he was a writer and not a martial artist, otherwise he wouldn't have been killed by a tiger. Other than that, I can't find any other characteristics."
"You burned him?"
"Chop the dead branches and pile them up. It's easy to burn and can also ward off tigers."
"Do you remember the location?"
"I remember. Master, it's been so long, even if there were any bones left, they wouldn't be found."
Shangguan Duan held the jade belt plate and thought for a long time. Outside, there was a strong wind and thunder. A thunderclap sounded above his head, which suddenly frightened him.
"Congxiao, go to Chief Steward Lei to see if he has rested, and then ask Qingmu to come to my room."
After leaving Xiao, Shangguan Duan walked to the eaves of the corridor. A heavy rain was coming. Did he want to go and take a look?
He hesitated and thought for a long time.
After returning from Xiao, he reported to Manager Lei that he had gone to bed, and he hesitated, saying that it seemed a little strange.
"Do you really sense the presence of other people besides the four who came with him? Who are they, and how many are they?"
As he spoke anxiously, a flash of lightning flashed by, and the two words "take care" that Cheng Mu said before leaving, which were full of deep meaning, came into his mind again.
Han Chinese people are cryptic and full of witty words, and they usually don't say anything in vain. Why did she ask him to take care of himself? Was their relationship good enough for them to say take care of each other?
"I can't estimate it. I vaguely saw a black shadow flash by. He was good at concealing his aura. He must be an expert."
He called Cong Xiao forward and whispered something.
When the heavy rain fell, Cheng Mu was hugging Xiaoliu and Xiaoqi and being intimate on the kang.
This was the first time she had been away from the two little ones for such a long time. As soon as she entered the house, Xiaoliu threw herself into his arms, and Xiaoqi kept pulling at her clothes and followed closely.
"Mom, I miss you so much."
Cheng Mu hugged Xiaoliu tightly and asked Xiaoqi, "Xiaoqi, do you miss your mother?"
Xiao Qi nodded, but instead of saying "I want to", he said, "Ah!"
Cheng Mu taught him, "You say, think."
Xiao Qi: “Ah!”
The two little ones were very attached to her. No matter where she went, each of them would hold onto one of her legs.
After dinner, I cleaned them again and finally they lay comfortably on the kang.
No matter how strong the wind and rain are outside, as long as you have your own home, hot meals, and your children growing up vigorously, you will feel very warm and happy.
Yu and Gui'er also squeezed into this room with great affection.
When Cheng Mei was not around, they didn't know how to live. People in the village said that if they harvested too much, there would inevitably be people who would be jealous and bully them. As a woman, Madam Cheng would definitely suffer.
Yu was worried every day about how they would stand up if something happened to Madam Cheng.
Now that Cheng Mi is back, I have a backbone and can breathe easier.
Two lamps were lit in the room, but it was still dark. Yu picked up her needlework as usual, but Cheng Mu snatched it away, "Don't do that anymore. Gui'er, are all the doors closed?"
"It was locked up when the storm started, and the animals were driven into the shed and the door was bolted."
Yu suddenly thought of Widow Xu and asked, "Why did Xiuying come back with me?"
"She still has the nerve to come back?" Gui'er was furious. This was her first time being drugged. She had actually been drugged! She had been holding on, thinking she was just sleepy. When had she become so sleepy that she passed out?
Widow Xu murdered them secretly, yet she dared to come back pretending nothing happened?
If Mu Yun hadn't held her back, she would have gone up and beaten the guy.
Yu said to Cheng Mu, "Everyone in the clan knows that it was Xiuying who harmed you, so they went to her house and divided up all the things and the land. Now Tieniu and his men are occupying the house."
"Ah?" Cheng Mu finally understood and sat up straight. "Then where is she now?"
There was nowhere to go and it was raining heavily.
"Aunt Yu, why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Yu asked, "Madam Cheng, you're still concerned about whether she has a place to go. You really don't blame her for this suffering you've endured?"
"These are two different things. I still remember her grudge," Cheng Mu observed the movements outside. "She has nowhere else to go, so she'll come looking for me, right?"
There was only the sound of rain outside.
"Madam Cheng, are you going to get involved in her affairs? It's not easy to get back what the people in the clan have already divided up. She has been waiting for this opportunity for years just for what she has in her hands."
"Those who bring disaster upon themselves will suffer, but those who bring disaster upon themselves can still be defied. It wasn't that she had evil intentions to harm me; she was also a victim. I heard clearly that day that she had been poisoned and collapsed in the house before me."
Cheng Mu recounted the details to them, speaking earnestly, "She's well aware of the clan's eagerness these past few years, eager to pounce and wipe out the entire family. We're all widowed women, each with our own challenges in living an upright life on our own. It's fine if we don't help each other, but why make things difficult for each other?"
Yu fell silent.
She had originally taken Gui'er with her only intention of dying together with the criminals, and she had probably completely forgotten how she felt in that situation.
Yu: "Well... do we want to go check it out now? If she has nowhere to go, let her come here?"
"Let's talk about it tomorrow." It was raining heavily and it was night. "She's not that stupid. Can't she find a place to hide from the rain?"
It rained heavily in the middle of the night and the water tank under the eaves was filled with water.
Gui'er opened the barn, and the sheep and cows were the first to squeeze out, rushing to stand by the vat under the eaves to lick the water.
The air is fresh in the morning and it is a nice day.
Cheng Xi was looking at her vegetables in the greenhouse.
The roof of the greenhouse has been rolled up since the summer began, and the rain has poured directly onto the vegetable field. Fortunately, the ground had been washed and a drainage ditch had been made before, so the accumulated water from last night was drained out.
The loofahs and cucumbers climbing on the shelves were growing the best. Cheng Xi picked a tender cucumber, broke it in half, and started to eat it directly. It was crisp, fresh, and full of fragrance.
There were two old pumpkins, and one of them was a particularly large winter melon, almost as long as an arm. Yu was reluctant to eat it and wanted to see how big it could grow. This was also a strange story in Zhaojia Village.
Yu picked the old pumpkin and carried it into the house. She said, "Madam Cheng, how about some smooth noodles with shredded cucumber for topping?"
Cheng Xi actually wanted to eat the old pumpkin, but she had to finish her meal quickly and go to Mr. Zhao's house, so she did whatever was easier. "Okay, give me some more cabbage leaves."
Mr. Zhao sent someone to invite her early in the morning, saying that their clan was holding a meeting today and Cheng Xi should not have been invited, but because of Widow Xu's matter, Widow Xu asked to invite Madam Cheng as well.
As soon as Widow Xu came back yesterday, she rushed to Mr. Zhao's house. If she hadn't pressed him hard, Mr. Zhao wouldn't have gathered everyone this morning.
When Cheng Mu went to Mr. Zhao's house, she took with her the thirty-four taels of silver that Shangguan Duan had paid as compensation.
Everyone in the village knew yesterday afternoon that the people from the horse farm had made a special trip to bring Madam Cheng and her group back. Madam Cheng also told the person who brought the letter in the morning to ask Mr. Zhao to gather the heads of several other households whose crops had been damaged by the horses.
Everyone gathered together and first talked about Widow Xu's fields and land.
There is no one in her husband's family, and the other three families are eyeing his house and land. Her husband's family is doomed, while the other families are very prosperous. There are many people and little land, and there are not enough houses to live in. This time, they even fought over her house and land.
They are the first to get it, and they are not willing to obey the mediation of the tribe, so this matter is worth discussing.
Widow Xu argued that she had no intention of harming Madam Cheng. If she was guilty, she should have been judged by Madam Cheng, who had already forgiven her. Instead, Madam Cheng had secured justice for everyone involved. The people who had seized her house and land were taking advantage of the situation, acting like robbers. Not only should they return the house and land to her, but they should also compensate her for other losses.
The reason for murdering Madam Cheng, which was initially accepted by others, could no longer be used because of Madam Cheng's appearance. The other three families then said that Widow Xu had no descendants and her family was extinct, so she should not occupy their houses and land, and asked the clan leader to drive her away.
If this happened in the Central Plains or the South, where etiquette is strict, her family would have been wiped out the day her husband died, and it wouldn't have dragged on for three years. The fact that it dragged on for so long was largely due to the kindness of the clan leader and the strength of Widow Xu.
This issue has been debated for three years and will continue to be debated.
Need to break the deadlock.
In full view of the crowd, Widow Xu knelt before the clan leader and said firmly, "I want to adopt a child to continue my late husband's family line."
Mr. Zhao asked her, at such a young age, do you really want to live with the dead Zhao Shu?
But Widow Xu said that Zhao Shu treated her well when he was alive, and she didn't want Zhao Shu's family line to be cut off. She could only do this for him.
Widow Xu may not want to keep the house forever, but she will never let the other three families divide up the house and land like this.
The desire to continue the incense is shared by all the Zhao family members, so who would oppose it?
No matter how much the other three families quarreled, they could only try to choose a nephew from their own family to adopt by Zhao Shu.
If you adopt your own child out, you can get all the houses and land, which is definitely more than what you stole.
Since Widow Xu wanted to continue the family line for Zhao Shu's family, she naturally had to use Zhao Shu's house and land. So the matter ended with them returning the house and land, and Widow Xu choosing someone from the three families.
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