Zhou Daqing drove the two of them to Raozhou City. He didn't think much about it. He was a simple and honest man and didn't ask too many questions. He just thought that Wen and Gui really had something to do in the city, so he responsibly sent them to Raozhou City.
The snow stopped this morning, but there was still some snow on the road, so we didn't dare to drive too fast.
Along the way, Wen and Gui didn't talk much.
Gui also kept trying to recall the clothes the little girl was wearing in her dream, her appearance, the appearance of the woman who called the little girl Shu Niang, and the situation in the yard after the gate was opened, but it was too vague and she really couldn't remember it.
Gui was very nervous, as she didn't know whether she could find her relatives on this trip.
If the Zhu family is really her blood relative, how will she face it? Can she still adapt after not seeing them for fifty years?
If not, how would my state of mind change?
Not only Gui was worried, but Wen was the same. She hoped that her mother could find her relatives, but she was also worried that the Zhu family was not her mother's blood relative, and her mother would definitely be disappointed and worried. She was also worried that Gui's body could not bear it.
In this way, they arrived at Raozhou City after more than two hours. It was already past noon and the city gate had been opened. The two said they wanted to go to the prefectural government office, and Zhou Daqing directly sent them there. The two thanked him, and then Zhou Daqing left.
Gui and Wen went to the backyard of the prefectural government house and knocked on the door. The doorman was an old woman who recognized Wen.
Wen said, "Please, mother-in-law, tell the governor that the family who cooked for the old lady yesterday has come to bother you again. They want to talk to you about something. If you're willing to see me, please come to the back door. I just have a few words for you."
The old woman nodded and asked the two to wait while she went to tell the prefect.
The prefect has put aside his official duties these days and stayed with Old Lady Zhu, worried that she might pass away at any time. With him by her side, she would have fewer regrets when she passed away.
After listening to what the old woman said, I was a little confused.
Zhu said, "Master, go and take a look. Perhaps someone in their family has some urgent matter and wants to see the governor. Thanks to the little cook, my mother had a full meal last night. She seemed to sleep better last night."
Zhu Taishou nodded and said, "I was planning to go there too. You stay with mother first. I'll be back soon."
Zhu Taishou followed the old woman to the backyard gate and asked, "Did the young cook come with you yesterday?"
He was thinking that if the young cook came, he would like to ask her to help prepare breakfast and dinner for his mother.
The old woman said, "In reply to your Excellency, the young lady did not come. It was another woman and an old woman who came."
Zhu Taishou became even more confused.
He quickly arrived at the side room in the backyard and saw Wen and Gui standing at the door.
When he saw Gui, Governor Zhu did not think about his elder sister.
When she saw the prefect Zhu, Gui was a little excited, and her hands and feet were trembling. Both of them were no longer young, with gray hair and wrinkles on their faces, but she still felt a little close to the person in front of her.
Governor Zhu stepped forward and asked, "Excuse me, is there anything you two need my help with?"
At first, he thought that the two of them might be looking for him to help with some personal matters.
If it's not against the law, he will definitely help if he can.
Wen glanced at the old woman guarding the gatehouse. Zhu Taishou knew what was going on, so he waved his hand to let the old woman leave and invited the two of them into the side room.
After entering, Wen took a deep breath and told the prefect what she had heard from the fat cook the day before: that the prefect had a sister who was kidnapped when she was young. After that, she looked at Gui and said to the prefect, "Sir, this is my aunt. She was kidnapped when she was young and later sold to a pawnbroker. She was bought by the Cheng family in the capital and became a maid for the Cheng family's eldest daughter. Later, she followed the eldest daughter Cheng to marry into the Wen family..."
She briefly explained Gui's identity, saying that she was the illegitimate daughter of the Wen family, and also talked about her own identity in the Wen and Pei families.
The prefect was a little shocked. He really didn't expect that the woman in front of him was the former queen.
He knew that the emperor in the capital had changed two years ago, and the new emperor had exiled the eldest prince's lineage on the pretext of the eldest prince's incident, and had also exiled the empress. At the time, he thought it was ridiculous, as how could the empress and the princes and princesses be exiled?
I didn't expect that the woman in front of me was the queen, who was helping with chores in the kitchen yesterday.
Wen revealed her identity in order to pave the way for what she was going to say next. She wanted to tell the prefect that she was not looking for an excuse to acknowledge her relationship with the prefect's mansion, nor was she greedy for fame and fortune. She was once the queen and would not be greedy for such petty gains.
In addition, I also informed the prefect in advance. If my mother is really the prefect's eldest sister, the prefect had better make plans first. This matter must not be told to others and must be kept secret.
Seeing the governor's shocked look, Wen continued, "I know your abducted elder sister has a small mole behind her right ear and a red birthmark on her lower back. My mother also has both, and she's probably between fifty-four and fifty-five. I think it's too much of a coincidence, so I came to talk to you about it."
After hearing this, the prefect was shocked and a little confused.
In fact, he felt that Wen looked like his mother yesterday, but he felt that Wen's age did not match. Now that he heard what Wen said, if the old woman in front of him was really the eldest sister, it would be normal for the daughter she gave birth to to look like his mother.
But could the old woman in front of me really be the eldest sister?
He couldn't make a judgment based on these two points alone.
It was too much of a coincidence, and he had been disappointed too many times. He was even more afraid that the old woman in front of him was not his eldest sister, and his mother would be disappointed too.
Gui asked in a trembling voice, "Sir, do you remember what the gate to your home looked like when you were a child? My memories of my childhood are very vague, but I remember that the gate to your home was a wooden door, worn and worn, with a few cracks and a hole in the upper left corner."
As soon as she finished speaking, Governor Zhu's expression changed.
Having lived in this house for more than ten years, he naturally remembered that there were indeed cracks and a hole in the wooden door.
What Gui said next brought Zhu Taishou to tears. He heard Gui say, "Because it's been so long, I can't remember anything else, not even my own name. But last night, I dreamed of a woman behind that shabby wooden door shouting. Outside the door was a little girl, about four or five years old, named Shuniang, who was calling her back to the house for dinner."
Zhu Taishou's head was buzzing. He wanted to say something, but found that he couldn't make a sound.
Zhu Taishou and his mother had never told anyone about the wooden door in their home or their eldest sister's maiden name, for they were worried that someone might come pretending to be their relative. Being able to mention their eldest sister's maiden name would naturally explain everything. Moreover, the old woman in front of them even described the appearance of the wooden door in their home, so there was no doubt about it.
Seeing the prefect like this, Wen and Gui already understood.
Gui also started to cry.
Zhu Taishou choked with sobs for a long time before he finally called out "elder sister".
Gui also covered her mouth and cried. It had been a full fifty years, but she did feel a little relieved. Although fifty years had passed, her mother was still alive, and she could still meet her mother. They had no regrets on either side.
If it weren't for the opportunity that Yu Niang got, she and her family would probably have missed it.
Wen also wiped her tears.
Even though he knew that the old woman in front of him was most likely his eldest sister, Governor Zhu still had to know what the birthmark on her lower back looked like.
The shapes of birthmarks are all different. In the past, he was able to expose those women who pretended to be the eldest sister because the shapes of their birthmarks were different. As long as the birthmark on the old woman in front of him matches, he can take her to see his mother.
Zhu Taishou wiped his tears and told the two about the birthmark. Gui also smiled and wiped her tears, "It's my duty."
Prefect Zhu led the two men back to the main courtyard.
He didn't dare to disturb his mother, so he invited the two of them to the side room, and then went to his mother's room to call Zhu.
He took Zhu to the side room and told her about this.
Zhu was a little shocked. It was such a coincidence, but all the other information matched. In fact, even without looking at the birthmark, she knew that the old woman in front of her should be her mother-in-law's lost daughter. It was also God's will that allowed her mother-in-law to fulfill her wish before she died.
After Zhu Taishou left, Gui took off her clothes, revealing the birthmark on her lower back.
Zhu had never heard the master describe what the birthmark on her eldest sister's lower back looked like. She just wanted to draw it down as soon as she saw it.
She drew the shape and size of the birthmark on Gui's lower back and showed it to Governor Zhu.
When the prefect Zhu saw this, he started to cry again and said in a trembling voice, "God has eyes, God has eyes, thank you, Lord." He allowed my mother to end the most regrettable thing in her life before she died.
Zhu breathed a sigh of relief.
After Gui had put on her clothes, Zhu Taishou knocked on the door and came in. When the two met, Zhu Taishou could no longer hold back. He knelt in front of Gui and cried, calling her "elder sister."
Gui was crying so hard that she couldn't speak, so she pulled the man up.
Both Wen and Zhu felt unhappy.
After both of them had finished crying, Zhu wiped her eyes and smiled, "This is good news. Let's go to my mother-in-law now."
After Zhu finished speaking, she hesitated and asked, "Master, my eldest sister and niece are of special status. Can you tell the children?"
"No need." Zhu Taishou's voice was still a little hoarse, and he waved his hand and said, "This matter cannot be told to anyone else. I will talk to you after you meet your elder sister. I am sure you will understand."
If this matter were to get out and the two people in the capital knew that he was the brother of the Queen's mother's family, he would have no chance of keeping his position as prefect.
He was not just doing it for himself, but also for his eldest sister's family. If those two knew that the queen had an uncle who was the prefect, and the prefect of the southwest, and that he also held some military power, he was afraid that the new emperor and the queen mother would find ways to get rid of the fourth prince and his eldest sister's family.
Therefore, this matter must be kept secret. Apart from Zhu, he did not intend to tell anyone else, including his children and grandchildren, for fear that they would tell the truth. He knew Zhu's character well, so he felt comfortable telling her.
Zhu nodded, knowing what was going on.
Several people went to the room of Old Lady Zhu next door.
Old Madam Zhu was still in a coma. Gui came to her cautiously and looked at her withered face and body. Tears could not help but fall down.
Even though she had forgotten many things from her childhood, the scene in her dream where the woman gently called her "Shuniang" and asked her to go back for dinner was still vivid in her mind.
"Mom." Gui called out softly.
No, it should be Zhu at this moment.
After Zhu finished shouting, she thought the old lady would not respond, but unexpectedly the old lady moved her fingers and called out in a daze, "But my Shu Niang is back?"
"Mom." Zhu couldn't help crying out.
The old lady was completely awake now. She could no longer see anything, but she could hear the word "mother" clearly.
She murmured, "Could it be that I have passed away?" She thought she was dead, so she could hear Shu Niang calling her.
Zhu stepped forward and held the old lady's hand, tears dripping onto the back of her hand. "Mother, I am Shu Niang. I am back, mother."
"Shuniang? Is it really Shuniang who is back?" The old lady was so frightened that she struggled to get up.
Governor Zhu stepped forward and helped the old lady up, letting her lean on a large soft pillow. He then told her the whole story in detail, and recounted to the old lady everything Zhu Shu had experienced in her life, not even hiding the matter of Empress Wen.
"So it is, so it is. I finally found my Shu Niang. I'm so sorry. I should apologize to you." Old Lady Zhu struggled to get out of bed. If she had been more careful, Shu Niang would not have been lost, and she would not have suffered so much.
Old Madam Zhu struggled to get out of bed, but the others tried to stop her, and there was another panic.
Fortunately, after a while, the old lady finally calmed down and held Zhu's hand tightly and refused to let go.
He just didn't say anything, just held Zhu's hand and called her Shu Niang.
The pair of eyes that had long been blind were crying out with tears in their eyes.
Zhu also responded one by one, not annoyed at all.
Governor Zhu looked at his elder sister and mother, then turned around and motioned for Zhu and Wen to move to the side room, leaving this place to the mother and daughter.
After going to the side room, the three of them discussed what to do next.
The old lady didn't have many days left to live, so Governor Zhu wanted his eldest sister to stay in the governor's mansion and be with the old lady.
But it would be difficult to find an excuse when the children and grandchildren asked about it. Although they were not staying with their mother, they would come to pay their respects every day. If they asked about it, he couldn't say that the eldest sister was a servant invited to accompany the old lady.
For a moment, Governor Zhu didn't know how to deal with it.
No one has had breakfast yet, so let’s go and have breakfast first.
Food was also delivered to the old lady, but just like in the past few days, she couldn't eat it. Even if she found her daughter, she still couldn't eat it.
Zhu coaxed the old lady to eat a few bites, but the old lady didn't want to eat anymore and fell into a deep sleep again. This time, she held Zhu's hand and refused to let go, so Zhu had no choice but to stay with her for the time being.
Wen was worried about her mother and Yu Niang at home. Yu Niang's restaurant must be opening today, and the owner should have asked Meng for help, but she was also thinking about her and wanted to go back to help Yu Niang.
The old lady was sometimes awake and sometimes asleep, and she kept calling for Shuniang. Every time she woke up, she told the prefect that she had a dream in which she found Shuniang. When she found out that it was not a dream, she would cry again.
It was not until dinner time that the old lady finally came to her senses. She knew that she had found her daughter. She still didn't eat much, because she just couldn't eat, not because she didn't want to eat on purpose.
Zhu felt that it was not okay for the old lady to not eat like this. Even if the doctor said that the old lady would not live for many days, she still had to eat. She thought that if the old lady could eat, her body might recover a little and she could live longer, and she could show more filial piety to her.
So Zhu thought that the old lady was willing to eat the food cooked by Yu Niang, but Yu Niang could not neglect her job to come to Raozhou City to cook for the old lady. In addition, it was not appropriate for her and her daughter's family to let others know that they were related by blood to the prefect's family. It had to be kept secret. It would be difficult to hide it if she stayed in Raozhou City. It would be better to let the old lady go back to Yuanbao Town with her so that she could eat the food cooked by Yu Niang.
They could also tell others that the old lady could only eat the food made by Yu Niang, so she was sent to Yuanbao Town to recuperate.
Maybe if the old lady eats well, her health can recover a little.
Zhu discussed the matter with Governor Zhu and Zhu.
Governor Zhu thought this was fine. The old lady was like this, so everything must be based on her wishes.
In the evening, Governor Zhu asked the old lady, and she was also happy to do so and told them to set off right away.
It was definitely not possible to set off now, so the prefect Zhu invited a doctor and asked if the old lady could take a carriage to another place to recuperate. He said that the old lady could only eat the food of a young cook in Yuanbao Town, so they wanted to send her there to be recuperated.
The old doctor said, "It's fine to go to Yuanbao Town. Just drive slowly on the road and put a thick mattress on the carriage. It will be fine to send her there. If the old lady can eat a few more mouthfuls, maybe she can live a few more days."
The old doctor agreed, so Governor Zhu asked Zhu to help pack the luggage. He would send the old lady over with him tomorrow and then stay there for a few days.
Naturally, this matter had to be discussed with the children and grandchildren at home. Governor Zhu also told them that the old lady only ate the food prepared by Miss Xu, so she was sent to Yuanbao Town to recuperate.
But the children and grandchildren all thought that it would be better to invite a young cook to the prefect's mansion.
Prefect Zhu told his children and grandchildren with a stern face that the restaurant opened by the other party was already doing well when they came here yesterday, so how could they use the status of the prefect's office to force others to come to the prefect's office? He taught his children and grandchildren a lesson, and they admitted their mistake obediently.
…
Yuanbao Town.
It was already dark when Xu Qinyu returned home after work at the restaurant. It was winter and it got dark very quickly. It was Cheng Ge'er who took her back.
After returning home, Xu Qinyu hurried to wash up. Ning Jie'er knew that she would be back at this time, so she helped prepare hot water. After thanking Ning Jie'er, Xu Qinyu went back to the house to wash up. She now smelled like a pot.
As soon as winter came, she made a copper pot to cook mutton hotpot.
A lot of copper pots were specially ordered, with charcoal burning inside and pots around them, to cook some clear soup, which was used to cook various mutton and other foods.
First, she would blanch the lamb tail oil so that the pot would have the smell of oil, then she would start to blanch various lambs. The mutton blanch pot would need the standard sesame sauce seasoning, which she also made herself, and paired it with the fermented bean curd she made in the wooden barrel, plus appropriate water, some other seasonings, sesame oil, and finally chopped coriander and chopped green onion, and a bowl of fragrant and refreshing sesame sauce seasoning would be ready.
The flavor of sesame paste is simply delicious. It smells good when you put it in your mouth and when you eat it in your stomach. You can smell the fragrance from far away.
The sheep tail oil has a strong smell of mutton. After being rinsed, the sheep tail oil is dipped in sesame paste and eaten. Although it is a bit oily, the smell of mutton is much less. It is oily, satisfying and fragrant.
After rinsing with the sheep tail oil, you can rinsing various muttons and black tripe. The mutton is delicate and tender. It can be taken out of the pot after being blanched for a few seconds and then dipped in sesame sauce. It is so delicious that you can't stop eating it.
Black tripe is wool tripe. It is also blanched for a few seconds and tastes crispy and tender. It is then coated with plenty of sesame paste. After you put it in your mouth, your mouth will be covered with sesame paste. The aroma of sesame paste and the crispness of the tripe are paired together, leaving you with an endless aftertaste.
There is also hand-cut lamb leg meat, which is blanched for a few seconds longer. When you put it in your mouth, you can taste the thick lamb leg meat wrapped in sesame paste and the gravy is rich.
Hand-cut lamb topsides, alternating between fat and lean.
Vegetables include cabbage, radish, bean sprouts, winter bamboo shoots, tofu, and lotus root.
When the mutton hotpot first came out, the waiters and Cheng Ge'er in the restaurant ate it for several days in a row, saying that they were dizzy with the delicious taste.
Even the diners in the restaurant ate there for several days in a row.
After the beginning of winter, this mutton hotpot is the most popular dish. Almost every table must order it, and few people order other foods. Only some diners eat it for several days in a row and then switch to other stir-fried dishes or stews until they are full, and then start eating mutton hotpot again after two days.
In fact, Xu Qinyu wanted to make hot pot.
But for hot pot, you must use butter to make the base of the pot.
Usually hot pot is a spicy beef oil hot pot with a different flavor of soup base, including tomato soup base, bone soup soup base, pork belly and chicken soup base, mushroom soup base, etc.
But there are no tomatoes here, and it is difficult to serve mushrooms to the table for diners. If it is a separate pot of bone soup, the taste of the hot pot will be much less.
When she can buy beef and butter in the future, she can make some spicy hot pot with beef and butter for her family.
After washing up, when it was time to go to bed, Wen and Gui had not returned yet. Xu Qinyu knew in her heart that Gui must be a blood relative of the Zhu family. Now that they had recognized each other as relatives, she would live there first. As for the subsequent arrangements, it depended on what they planned.
On the afternoon of the next day, Mrs. Zhu and her group arrived at Yuanbao Town.
They ran very slowly on the road, and it took them three and a half hours. Zhu Taishou and Zhu came together. They first settled the old lady in the Pei family. They originally wanted to buy a small house on West Street or East Street, but the old lady refused, saying that she also wanted to live in Guihua Lane. Later, they directly bought a yard in Guihua Lane that was almost the same size as the Pei family's, and hired someone to clean it up. Food, clothing and other necessities were also quickly prepared.
Originally, Mrs. Wen wanted the old lady to live at home, but there were still many of Yu Niang's jars and pots at home, and she was afraid that the old lady would feel a little crowded.
Moreover, living outside can also dispel other people's suspicions. Otherwise, the old lady came to Yuanbao Town to recuperate, but why did she live in Pei's house?
So after discussion, they decided to buy a yard nearby. It wasn't too far away, just a few dozen steps away, and Zhu moved in directly.
In less than two hours, the old lady moved into the new courtyard.
The evening meal was a pot of mutton hotpot brought from Wen’s old restaurant.
Wen went to the restaurant. Xu Qinyu was not busy at the moment because the mutton hotpot was very simple to prepare and Xu Qinyu did not have to worry about the ingredients. Cheng Ge'er and Xu Feng had already washed and cut the vegetables and prepared the side dishes. She only had to cook the clear soup and prepare the sesame sauce. The weather had been a little colder these days than in early winter, so there were more diners eating hotpot. Almost everyone in the restaurant came to eat mutton hotpot.
Xu Qinyu felt relieved when she saw Wen. They went to the storage room and talked for a while. She learned that her grandmother was really the lost daughter of Old Lady Zhu. Xu Qinyu was happy for them, but she couldn't help but curse the human traffickers viciously in her heart. No matter what era, human traffickers are worse than beasts.
In the evening, Prefect Zhu and Mrs. Zhu will also be here to eat and stay. They will stay with the old lady for a few days.
Xu Qinyu asked Gongge'er and Xu Feng to carry the pots and ingredients to Guihua Lane.
So the first night that Governor Zhu and the old lady came to Yuanbao Town, they ate mutton hotpot.
This evening meal was eaten in the old lady's yard. Sister Ning went with Brother Feng and Sister Yan.
This matter was not hidden from Ning Jie'er. When Ning Jie'er saw the old lady, she obediently called her great-grandmother. Although the old lady couldn't see her, she still touched Ning Jie'er's hand and said a few words to her, "Good girl."
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