Chapter 58: Xu Yaozu hurried to the teahouse to listen to opera

With tears in her eyes, Xiao Wang held Xiao Liuzi's hand and gave him instructions one by one.

"Once you get there, you must listen to your grandparents and not act naughty or cause trouble. Mother will come to find you in a few months."

Xiao Liuzi nodded and solemnly asked his mother to take good care of his little sister. Xiao Wang agreed helplessly.

"Don't worry, sister-in-law. I will take good care of Xiao Liuzi. Just rest assured and take care of the baby."

"Yes, sister-in-law, I am still here. Just keep your heart at ease. I will definitely give you a chubby boy in a few months."

Little Wang was amused by Zheng's tone and nodded.

"Of course I trust my two sisters-in-law."

Mr. and Mrs. Xu Youliang knew that it would take time to travel quickly, so they didn't say anything more. After giving their instructions, they watched the convoy go away.

Xu Nian sat in the carriage at the back with Wang, and was filled with emotion as he watched the scene going backwards. Looking at Lingshan Mountain in the distance, he couldn't help but regret that he had never been to see the famous Lingshan Temple.

It has to be said that ancient horse-drawn carriages were really not shockproof. After sitting in the carriage for a whole day, Xu Nian felt that his body was about to be shaken apart, not to mention the elderly Wang.

The group rested at the post station at night. Although the post station had clear regulations on the treatment of officials of different ranks, it was not without flexibility. For example, when the postman heard that Xu Yaozu was going to Wansheng County to take up his post, he arranged two small courtyards for him.

There was a small kitchen in the inn. Xu Nian used some money to borrow the small kitchen and cooked a pot of vegetable porridge for his family, using the rice and vegetables in the space.

After cooking, she asked Aunt Zhang and Zhao Lan to take the porridge to other people respectively, and she took two bowls of porridge to the room of Old Man Xu and his wife.

"Grandma, are you asleep?"

Old Man Xu opened the door and said with a smile, "Come in quickly, big girl. Your grandma is talking about you."

Xu Nian put the porridge on the table and used his hand to test the temperature of the untouched food on the table.

"Grandma, I cooked some vegetable porridge. Come over and have some. It's a good idea to have some as a side dish since it's not cold yet."

Wang held her waist and groaned, "I've really gotten used to living in luxury. I feel like my soul is almost gone after sitting in a carriage for a whole day. Think about how we were nimble when we were escaping."

Xu Nian helped Wang sit down, massaging her waist with his hands and said with a smile: "It's more tiring to sit still. We were in a hurry today and didn't get much rest. Let's just walk slowly tomorrow."

"That's impossible," said Old Man Xu, "Your father's appointment is a big deal. Your grandma and I can handle this little bit of hard work."

Xu Nian had actually asked the postman, and he was told that it would take another four days to get to Wansheng County from here, but that would be at a very high speed, and since Old Man Xu and Mrs. Wang were old, they might not be able to handle it.

After leaving the old couple's residence, Xu Nian went to her parents' room. Fortunately, the two of them did not go to bed.

"Your mother and I just finished eating the porridge you made. I have to say, your cooking skills are still so good."

Xu Nian lowered her head and smiled. It was really not because of her cooking skills, but it could be said that the things in the space were indeed more delicious.

"Mom and Dad, I came here to discuss something with you. Grandma is already a little exhausted from rushing today, not to mention that we still have to walk for four days, so I thought you should go to Wansheng County first, and I will take Grandma and walk slowly behind."

Xu Yaozu also knew that the two elders had been tired today, so he thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll leave a few people for you."

Tian was a little worried, "Why don't I go with you guys? Otherwise, mother will be worried."

Xu Nian'an soothed her, "Don't worry, mother. Besides, you have to follow father to the county government office. Once there, you will have to worry about managing the backyard and hiring servants."

"Dad, just let Uncle Zhang, Aunt Zhang and Xiu'er follow us. We don't know how many days it will take us to arrive. Letting others follow you can help you run errands."

After the three of them finally reached an agreement, Xu Nian took the two elders on a leisurely stroll the next day.

Because they were not in a hurry to get on the road, they walked and stopped as they pleased, and sometimes even visited the nearby county town.

"Grandma, I heard from passers-by that the Zhike Teahouse here is very famous and that they even have operas in it."

After hearing this, Old Man Xu laughed and said, "Then let's go there and have a cup of tea and take a break."

Wang saw through it but didn't say anything. The old man must want to listen to a play. He had told her many times before about the plays he had listened to, but later on, one, he no longer had the opportunity, and two, his family didn't have the spare money.

Zhang Bo drove to the Zhike Teahouse, and before they even entered the door, the teahouse's waiters came to greet them.

Originally, Xu Nian wanted a private room, but the teahouse was so popular that private rooms had to be booked in advance, so they simply didn't pick and choose and found a seat in the lobby and sat down.

Neither Old Man Xu nor Mrs. Wang knew much about tea, and Xu Nian was only a half-knower, so in the end they ordered a pot of the signature "Autumn Dew Fairy Buds" and a few plates of ordinary pastries.

The servant did not look down on the group of people just because they did not know how to drink tea. He met all kinds of people here. You could tell they were not ordinary people just by looking at their clothes, especially the young lady, whose clothes and accessories were all exquisite.

After a while, tea and cakes were served, and with a gong, the show began.

Old Man Xu perked up, put down his teacup and listened to the opera attentively. When he was excited, he even said "good" twice, which made Wang and Xu Nian laugh.

The play on the stage tells the story of a foolish man and a resentful woman. It tells the story of a rich girl who falls in love with her brother's bodyguard, but they cannot be together because of the difference in their status.

In the end, the rich girl was betrothed by her father to the son of an old friend, and the guard joined the army in order to marry the girl, but eventually died on the battlefield.

Everyone was fascinated by the play. Not only did Mrs. Wang shed tears, but even Aunt Zhang and Xiu'er beside her choked up while listening to it.

Xu Nian took out a handkerchief from her bosom and wiped Wang's tears, saying to her, "Grandma, wipe your tears quickly and stop crying, or you'll get your face blew by the wind when you go out later."

Wang wiped the tears from her face with embarrassment and sighed, "This young lady and this young guard are really a pity. The same is true for this old man. Why does he have to separate lovers?"

Xu Nian looked at Wang who was looking at him with regret and said, "I think the father's behavior is understandable. Think about it, if this young lady was me, then my father would definitely do the same. If one loves his son deeply, he will plan for him in the long run. I think that's the truth."

Wang nodded, looked at Xu Nian with a smile and said, "I wonder what blessing your parents had in their previous lives to have such a sensible daughter like you."

Xu Nian looked at the woman on the stage collecting the reward money and handed a piece of silver to Xiu'er.

Xiu'er must have mentioned the reward, but then the woman on the stage bowed from a distance in the direction of Xu Nian.

After Xu Nian greeted them with a smile, the group left the teahouse, but during the rest of the journey, Wang was still discussing this tragedy with Aunt Zhang.

Xu Nian really doesn't think this is a tragedy. The real tragedy is that things are happy at the beginning but end in separation.