Li Qian was so worried about his wife's illness that he couldn't sleep at night. He wanted to cure her, but he didn't have the money. He couldn't bring himself to ask the Zhou family to pay for such a large sum of money.
If Zhou's brother-in-law was unwilling, he wouldn't blame him. After all, they had only recently been recognized and weren't very close. Even if they were close, it was rare for cousins to spend a large sum of money on medical treatment.
So the next day, when Li Qian learned that the Zhou family had decided to pay for his wife's medical treatment, he choked up and couldn't speak. He knelt down on the ground and kowtowed three times to Zhou Laoda and his wife.
They couldn't stop them no matter what.
After this matter was settled, it was necessary to discuss it with Zhao Guizhi and Chen Shunping. So Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua went to the county town again.
That day, they happened to run into Madam Zhong, who was having dinner. After exchanging pleasantries, Madam Zhong learned that they were planning to go to the prefectural city and offered to go with them.
“I’ll be returning to the capital in a few days. Business here is on track. I’ll leave the rest to the manager and shopkeeper. My family owns a boat, and I’ll be traveling by water this time. It will be faster if you come with me.”
This is great! Zhao Guihua was very happy. She looked at Zhao Guizhi, who nodded. It would be good to hitch a ride on the boat.
After making the appointment with Madam Zhong, the Zhou family began to arrange the people going to the prefectural city. Zhou the eldest, Zhao Guihua, and Zhao Guizhi were definitely going, and then there was Li Qian.
Li Qian also brought his three children back to the county town. The two little girls were not very old, and Li Congzhi was only twelve years old and could not protect his two older sisters. In addition, Mo Tianzhu's two sons were also grown up. If they lived under the same roof, it would be bad for their reputation. It was more appropriate for them to stay in the county town for now.
"Why don't we bring Xingxing and Ruru to the county town? It would be more reassuring to have my brother-in-law watching over them. Otherwise, I'm afraid those five brats will cause a huge mess if no one keeps an eye on them." Zhao Guihua actually wanted to bring Xingxing with her, but this trip to the prefectural city was for medical treatment and asking for favors, so she would definitely be very busy and wouldn't have time to take care of the little girl. Therefore, she had to give up the idea.
“That’s good too. To be honest, I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving the child in town,” said Zhou Laoda.
The family also needs to be settled. We'll have to continue to trouble the village chief and Zhou Fagen and others to help feed the livestock and poultry. The guards sent by the county magistrate to protect the pumpkin seeds can go and stay at the family home, since Zhou Laoda and his wife will definitely be gone for quite a while this time.
"Xingxing also wants to go to the capital city. Can I go with you, Mom and Dad?" Xingxing started acting cute and charming.
Unfortunately, the method that had always worked before failed this time. Zhao Guihua said firmly, "The journey to the prefectural city is too far. Besides, we're going there on official business. We're afraid we won't have time to take care of you. Who knows what might happen on the way? Maybe next time. We'll definitely take you next time."
Seeing her serious tone, which seemed to leave no room for negotiation, Xingxing obediently kept quiet.
She overheard her parents' and aunt's conversation. They were going to the prefectural city not only to take care of her aunt's medical needs, but also to buy a shop or house there. However, they hadn't decided yet and would only make a decision after they got to the prefectural city and found out the property prices.
So Xingxing isn't in a hurry. Once she has her own house in Fucheng, she, her brothers, and Ruru can all go to Fucheng to play.
Before setting off, Zhou Laoda and Zhao Guihua returned to Yegou Village and dug out 1,500 taels of silver from the cellar of their room. Of these, 500 taels were for Zhong Daya's medical treatment, and the other 1,000 taels were for buying a shop and a house. They didn't know if it would be enough.
“Forget about whether it’s enough or not, we only have six hundred taels of silver left in our family. I feel really uneasy and my heart is sinking. We can’t take any more. We have to keep this money, otherwise we won’t feel secure.” Zhao Guihua clutched her chest and said with distress.
After a moment of hesitation, Zhou Laoda gave up on the idea of keeping the remaining silver. "My wife is right. We need to keep some silver at home. Even if we're unlucky and squander all the silver we took with us, at least we'll still have money to make a living. That way, we won't panic."
"Pah, pah, pah! Can't you say something nice? You're already badmouthing us before we've even left the house. Your mouth is really unacceptable; you just spout nonsense." Zhao Guihua spat at Zhou Laoda, who awkwardly touched his nose and quickly apologized.
The couple slept with the box containing over a thousand taels of silver. Before dawn the next day, they set off in an oxcart to town, where they exchanged the silver for banknotes for easier carrying.
He exchanged two 500-tael silver notes, then one 200-tael note, and three more 100-tael notes. He also took some loose silver with him for easy use.
The night before their departure, Zhao Guihua and Zhao Guizhi discussed some conspiracy theories, worrying that Madam Zhong might try to harm them on the way.
After all, their family has a secret recipe, including brewing methods and recipes, so it's no wonder the two sisters were suspicious.
In the end, it was Chen Shunping's words that dispelled their suspicions: "I think Madam Zhong has very upright eyes, a gentle and dignified personality, and a very refined demeanor. I've also specifically inquired about the Zhong family; they are arguably the richest family in Nanyang Prefecture. They have restaurants in Nanyang Prefecture and various counties, and they are all the largest restaurants in the area."
The dishes and wine there are no less delicious than our bayberry wine and braised meat. Madam Zhong wouldn't stoop to such unethical practices for a few secret recipes; if she really wanted them, she would pay to buy them from us.
It means that they are extremely wealthy and wouldn't be interested in their methods of making money, so you can rest assured.
"That's good. It seems we can relax a bit on the way." Zhao Guihua smiled shyly.
As it turned out, the Zhao sisters were indeed being petty and judging others by their own standards. Madam Zhong was simply grateful for the life-saving grace she had received and also had a good impression of the Zhou family, so she was eager to help.
Throughout the journey, they took great care of the Zhou family. Zhao Guihua was a little seasick and became listless shortly after boarding the ship. When Madam Zhong found out, she had someone send her seasickness medicine and specially prepared light and non-greasy meals for her, showing exceptional thoughtfulness.
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