Chapter 1910 Evasion
The old lady looked at her daughter-in-law suspiciously, "Really?"
"Really!" Aunt Fan emphasized, "They really do look alike. The face is especially like Mr. Zhou, and she's as petite and delicate as Xin Niang..."
"Okay, okay," the old lady frowned and said, "Since they are back, why don't they just come over?"
Aunt Fan swallowed hard and lowered her voice, "Mother, do you think Mr. Zhou and Mrs. Xin...are gone? Otherwise, why would they let a child ask around? They haven't shown up in all these years."
After Xia Xin and Zhou Yin left, they never came back. The neighbors had all kinds of speculations. Many people thought that something might have happened to them; but some people thought that the couple had forgotten their roots and would never come back after leaving; some people also felt that something was wrong. After all, the Xia family's property was still here. When Zhou Yin left, he sold two pieces of land, but left three, not to mention that there was still a shop and a house.
How could the couple just disappear quietly without dealing with it?
Some people suspected that Zhou Yin was a liar and had deceived Xia Xin away. They didn't know what the situation at home was like.
Aunt Fan still had a lot to say, but her mother-in-law had already glanced at her and asked, "Where is that person?"
Aunt Fan was stunned for a moment and then said, "You went to the village head's house. I showed you the way."
When the old lady heard this, she frowned and said, "Why did you let them go to the headman's house first? You should have let them go to Xia Rui's house first."
Aunt Fan slapped her thigh and said, "Oh, I forgot."
The old lady turned and left, and Aunt Fan wanted to follow her excitedly. The old lady didn't want to take her with her, but she had met the old lady before, so she had to take her with her.
"Mom, should we go to the village head's house or Xia Rui's house?"
"Let's go to Xia Rui's house. He's already in the house. We're not related to each other, so why would we go to the village head's house?"
At this time, Man Bao and the other two were sitting in the village head's house drinking tea. When he heard that Bai Shan was looking for Xia Yan, he opened his eyes to look at the three people. Finally, after sliding his eyes back and forth among them, he stopped at Zhou Man and asked with a smile, "I wonder what your relationship is with Xia Yan?"
Bai Shan looked at Man Bao.
Manbao put down his teacup and said with a smile, "My mother's name is Xin, and she is Mr. Xia's only daughter."
Even though he had guessed it, the village head was still surprised when he heard Zhou Man admit it. He then asked, "Why didn't your father and mother come?"
He said, "I haven't seen them for many years. I don't know if they are doing well."
Manbao and Baishan looked at each other and said, "My father and mother are gone, so I am the one who is looking for them."
The village head sighed and said, "But your grandparents are long gone. It was your parents who buried them. Why didn't they tell you?"
Bai Shan's eyebrows jumped and he turned his head to look at Manbao, who happened to be looking at him.
Bai Shan shook his head slightly, and Man Bao smiled and said, "I know. I just thought that there are still some relatives at home, even if they are far away, we should visit them. That's why I wanted to ask the head of the village."
The village head laughed and said, "Young lady, you are kind, but it seems that the Xia family doesn't have many relatives left. I don't know much. Perhaps you can go to the Xia clan and ask?"
Manbao smiled and nodded, then asked, "Does the village head know where my grandparents' graves are? I'd like to go and pay my respects."
In the eyes of people in Shangzhou, Zhou Yin married into the family, and the Xia couple were Zhou Man’s grandparents, not his maternal grandparents.
The village head shook his head with a look of regret, "I really don't know about this. I still have to ask the Xia clan."
Manbao didn't force it. He nodded slightly and asked, "Then I wonder who is the current patriarch of the Xia clan and where his family is?"
"Xia Xiucai seems to be from Hongtian Village, but he moved to the city after passing the imperial examination. I'm not very familiar with Hongtian Village, so why don't you go there and ask."
Manbao smiled and agreed. After thanking him, he asked casually, "I wonder how far Hongtian Village is from the city?"
The village head laughed and said, "It's not close. If you want to go, it's better to wait until tomorrow morning."
Manbao smiled and nodded, said goodbye to the head of the village and went out.
The three men took the horses from Daji, bowed to the village head who came to see them out, then mounted their horses and left.
When the village head saw the horses they were riding, his eyes flashed slightly and he watched them leave with a smile.
After they walked away, Bai Erlang sneered sarcastically.
Bai Shan and Man Bao both glanced at him, letting him hold it in before saying, "Shall we go to the county government office?"
Manbao nodded and said, "He should have gone to the yamen by now. It's a pity that he left in such a hurry that he didn't bring anything for the magistrate."
Bai Shan turned sideways to look at Dae Gil.
Daji rode forward, took out two visiting cards from his arms and handed them to Baishan.
Bai Shan handed it to Man Bao: "Use my post or yours?"
Manbao thought for a moment and said, "Use mine. I'm the victim, and I should be pretty famous."
Bai Shan is now quite famous among the scholars, and his prestige must be on Zhou Man, because of his history of being "upright and fearless of the powerful", his "pure and filial" behavior, and his current qualification as a companion reader in Chongwenguan. I am afraid that in the eyes of others, he is a shining future star.
But his power lies in the future, while Manbao's power lies in the present. No matter whether others see her as a female official or not, her official rank is there. She is also a favorite of the prince and has a say in front of the emperor. So even if she is not a star, she is still a big mountain, which gives people a sense of oppression.
Bai Shan took her invitation and handed it to Daji, saying, "Send someone to deliver it to the county government office first. We'll be there soon."
Daji agreed and asked another guard to take the door invitation and deliver it first. They followed slowly on horseback and discussed the matter while they were at it.
"It's obvious the director is biased. I'm afraid it has something to do with the people living in your house now," Bai Shan said. "Fourteen years have passed, and things and people have changed. Who knows who got the land and house deeds your father collected? They might not be willing to give up what they've swallowed. Do you want them back intact?"
Manbao thought for a moment and said, "I need to find my grandparents' grave first and take a look. If anyone has paid homage to them in the past fourteen years, it would be my due if I gave them something. If... it's something that belongs to me, I'll naturally take it back."
Bai Shan said, "It seems that my uncle doesn't want to stay in Shangzhou any longer. I didn't even hear him mention these house deeds and land deeds along the way."
Considering Old Zhou's personality, this is actually a bit strange.
Manbao coughed lightly and whispered, "My father actually talked to my mother quietly. He is distressed at the moment, but also a little guilty."
Manbao didn’t know about it at first, but he didn’t know if Keke could always scan it, so he was a little annoyed and let Manbao know.
She said, "My father doesn't want me to change my last name."
See you at 6pm
(End of this chapter)
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