Zhen Xiaozhi and her group arrived early, with an hour to go before the banquet.
Just when they thought it was just their own family eating today, several other families arrived at the main road at the entrance of Meizi Village.
They all sat in luxurious carriages, with many servants attending to them.
Upon seeing this, the villagers immediately guessed that they had come to attend Grandpa Zhen's birthday celebration.
The villagers who were concerned had already run to Zhen's house to deliver the news.
At that time, Grandpa Zhen was leading the herbalist and Han Lide out of the courtyard.
Seeing the villagers outside the courtyard in a panic, Grandpa Zhen stepped forward and asked, "What happened in Wude? Why are you all in such a hurry?"
"Grandpa Zhen! A lot of people have come from outside the village, all looking for you!"
"Looking for me?" Old Master Zhen was bewildered. He looked around and saw that everyone he wanted to invite had arrived, except for his son-in-law who couldn't come back due to military affairs.
He thinks a lot. Since arriving here, he rarely goes out, and even business negotiations are handled by the boss.
His daily tasks, besides looking after the factory, included clearing land in the mountains. As for people he knew, he only knew people from the village.
Grandpa Zhen didn't have to wait long; after only a quarter of an hour, he began to see carriages heading towards his house.
Han Lide stood to the side, his heart trembling as he looked at the carriage in front of him, which was far superior to his own.
He never imagined that his brother-in-law would rise to such a level in such a short time that he could no longer reach him.
Thinking of all this, he secretly rejoiced, thankfully he was afraid of his wife and dared not do anything wrong to Zhen Xiaozhi.
His only mistake was taking a concubine, who had taken advantage of his drunkenness to climb into his bed.
As they spent more time together, he began to feel more pity for her and gradually neglected his wife.
Han Lide suddenly realized this, his heart skipped a beat, and he secretly vowed that he would never dare to say another word if his wife said anything in the future.
I'll just continue being a henpecked husband!
He was absolutely certain that the person behind his brother-in-law was someone he, the son of the Han family steward, couldn't afford to offend.
"Excuse me, is this Zhencai scholar?"
A servant boy respectfully asked Old Master Zhen and Han Lide.
The two looked at each other, their eyes filled with confusion.
Old Master Zhen glanced suspiciously at the carriage behind the servant, then nodded: "Yes! I am Zhen Caixue!"
Seeing that the servant's attitude had become even more respectful, he said with a grin, "Master Zhen, I am a servant of Magistrate Wu from Wanfeng County in the neighboring county. I have come here specifically to deliver gifts to you to celebrate your birthday!"
As he spoke, the servant waved his hand, and the people behind him boarded the nearest carriage and efficiently unloaded the gifts.
Grandpa Zhen was already surprised when he heard that the person was sent by Magistrate Wu of Wanfeng County, but he was even more shocked when he saw the car full of gifts.
He hurriedly stopped the servant from carrying things into his yard: "Wait! Young man, your master has given me too much, I can't accept it!"
"Lide! Quickly, return the things!"
Grandpa Zhen nudged Han Lide, who was standing there dumbfounded, and told him to step forward and stop it.
Han Lide was completely dumbfounded. He never expected that his brother-in-law was not only familiar with the magistrate of Guangling County, but also with the magistrate of the neighboring county!
Fortunately, this wasn't his first time dealing with such a large-scale situation, and he quickly regained his composure.
Following Grandpa Zhen's instructions, he communicated with the person opposite him.
Zhen Fugui happened to be on her way home from get off work in the county town, and on her way back, she bought some fresh meat. When she saw the horse-drawn carriages parked in front of her house, she became anxious.
He had Ma Xiaosi drive the carriage behind the other carriages, then got off and ran back to the old house.
Upon seeing that Old Master Zhen and Han Lide were talking to a servant, he rushed over: "Father! Son-in-law, what's going on?"
When Grandpa Zhen returned, he had no one to help him with the socializing and immediately began to explain everything to him.
Zhen Fugui was alarmed. He knew why Magistrate Wu had sent the gift; it was because of his younger sister.
He stepped forward and politely greeted the servant: "We appreciate Lord Wu's kindness, but you have given us far too much. We absolutely cannot accept it! Please keep one or two items as a congratulatory gift, and take the rest back with you!"
Now, Zhen Fugui is a minor official, but for some time now, he has been subtly displaying the official demeanor of someone in a high position.
His words were meant to be a discussion, but his attitude was firm. The servant, seeing his official robes, became even more respectful.
"My lord, I am but a lowly servant, and I have no right to make decisions for my master. Moreover, these things were repeatedly instructed by my master to be given to Master Zhen. If I were to take them back, I'm afraid you would beat me to death!"
The servant looked bitter and flustered, as if he had already anticipated being punished.
Zhen Fugui pursed his lips. He had never met Magistrate Wu and did not know what kind of person he was.
However, they cannot accept these things.
"Here's what we'll do! You can pick one or two items to keep, and take the rest back with you. As for Lord Wu, I will explain. I'll give you a letter later, and you can take it back to Lord Wu."
The servant opened his mouth, but seeing that Zhen's family was determined, he stopped insisting on giving gifts and instead thanked Zhen Fugui with a face full of gratitude.
He then carefully selected two or three of the most valuable items from the gifts he had brought.
Zhen Fugui had gained some experience during this time and knew that the things the servant gave him were valuable. He only accepted one item, and had the servant take the other two back.
"Come in and have a seat, young man. Your food will be ready soon. Eat before you go back!"
Zhen Fugui invited the servant to join the feast, but the servant firmly waved his hand and explained, "After delivering the gifts, I have to rush back to do my work for you, sir, so I won't eat. Please help me write a letter so I can take it back with me."
Zhen Fugui tried to persuade him several times, but seeing his firm attitude, she stopped insisting.
He went into the study and finished writing in a quarter of an hour.
When Old Lady Li learned of this, she went to the storeroom and selected some of her family's specialty products as a return gift for Magistrate Wu.
These wealthy families have countless good things to offer; it would be better to send some local specialties for something new and interesting.
After Magistrate Wu's men left, the carriages that followed took them to the Zhen family compound.
Grandpa Zhen appeared dazed. He acted as a doorman, exchanging greetings with the other party before handing over the social duties to his son and brother-in-law.
Zhen Fugui and Han Lide exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with helplessness.
"Greetings, Lord Zhen. I am a servant of Magistrate Yang of Dahe County. This is a congratulatory gift from my master to Master Zhen..."
Having had their first social interaction, Zhen Fugui spoke with him skillfully.
Fortunately, Magistrate Yang only gave one gift. Zhen Fugui saw that although the gift was valuable, it was not rare, so she accepted it directly.
He gave the return gift prepared by Old Lady Li to Magistrate Yang's servant and asked him to take it back.
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