Chapter 3508: Extra Chapter 40
Yangzhou is sunny in May, and when the breeze blows, it is the best time to go boating on the lake and enjoy the scenery. Fu Wenyun rented a boat and invited Zhou Man and others to go boating on the lake.
"I know you like to have fun, so I won't take you to other places. But you must go to Yangzhou Lake Cruise. Sea bass is delicious right now. We can ask the boatman to cook two. Their cooking skills are very good."
She lamented, "It's a pity you came at the wrong time. If you had come two months earlier, it would have been the time when all the flowers were in full bloom. Yangzhou would have been so colorful and bright. It would have been so beautiful."
"Isn't it said that there will be a lot of rain in March?"
"The mist and rain are beautiful too, but I still prefer the sunny days of that time. The streets and alleys are full of flower vendors, and they are so bright and colorful."
Zhou Man was moved by what he said. He turned to Bai Shan and the others and said, "Let's find a chance and come to Yangzhou again in March or April."
Bai Shan readily agreed. After all, they had plenty of time in the future and plenty of opportunities.
Fu Wenyun smiled and said, "Besides me, I also invited someone else to accompany me."
Zhou Man: "Who?"
Fu Wenyun kept it a secret and said, "You'll know when you see him tomorrow. He's someone you know."
Zhou Man racked her brains to think about it. He was someone she knew, and Fu Wenyun knew him. He might also be in Jiangnan...
After thinking for a long time, she still couldn't figure out who it was, so she simply asked, "It can't be your brother, right? I don't know him well, right?"
Fu Wenyun: "...If it were him, I would have told you directly. Why keep it a secret? Just wait until tomorrow and you'll find out."
Zhou Man has never lacked curiosity about things that are not life-threatening, so she dragged Bai Shan and others out early the next morning. She wanted to see who her acquaintance was.
When Zhou Man saw Madam Mei standing by the boat holding a little girl of four or five years old, his mouth opened in surprise.
She called out uncertainly, "Madam Mei?"
Madam Mei smiled and took the child forward to greet Zhou Man. "Master Zhou, it's been many years."
Zhou Man looked down at the little girl she was holding and asked curiously, "Who is this child?"
"It's my eldest granddaughter."
Zhou Man sighed, "Chengzu already has a daughter?"
"Yes, and I have to thank Master Zhou." Madam Mei pushed the little girl forward and said with a smile, "This is Chengzu's eldest daughter. I want to bring her here for Master to see."
Zhou Man reached out and touched the little girl's chin. After looking at her carefully, he said, "Why do I look like Mr. Mei?"
Madam Mei squinted her eyes and smiled, "Yes, among the three children, she looks the most like her father." So she doted on her the most.
Zhou Man stared at the little girl. The serious look on her face really did resemble Mr. Mei. She couldn't help but smile, "It's good to be like Mr. Mei. You're blessed."
A group of people boarded the boat.
Zhou Man asked Madam Mei, "When did you come to Yangzhou?"
"After I gave birth, my father took my husband and me to Yangzhou, where we have lived all these years."
Mr. Mei was quite decisive. After breaking up with his ex-son-in-law in front of everyone in the capital, he devoted himself to taking care of his daughter's health and looking for her next husband.
After much deliberation, they finally chose a scholar.
The other party was from Yongzhou. His parents died when he was young, and he was raised by his brother and sister-in-law. However, his family was ordinary, so he only studied with his nephews for a few years. Later, his family conditions became worse and worse, so he came to the capital to make a living.
Because he had received education, he often ran errands for scholars in Zhuangyuan Building and Guozijian to earn some money. He would occasionally copy books, and his handwriting was quite good.
When he saw the Mei family's lawsuit in Zhuangyuan Building, he felt that Mei's ex-husband was really unkind. If he had such a good in-law family, he would definitely treat his father-in-law as his own father and be filial to him. His wife was so docile, but he actually wanted to take a concubine and have children...
Then he was indeed noticed by Mr. Mei and chosen as his husband.
This time, Mr. Mei was much more cautious in choosing a son-in-law. He observed the other party for half a year before he started to propose.
The other party was stunned, but Mr. Mei did not decide on him immediately. Instead, he let his daughter date him for half a year, and only after confirming that he was willing to return to Jiangnan to live with them did he decide on him with lightning speed.
At that time, Mrs. Mei's health had recovered, and less than three months after their marriage, Zhou Man confirmed that she was pregnant.
Mr. Mei was afraid that his daughter and grandson would be in danger, so he stayed in the capital until Mrs. Mei gave birth safely and had a good rest after the confinement period. Only then did he take his family back to Jiangnan.
Soon after, I moved to Yangzhou, not far from my hometown, to avoid some relatives at home, but I still have some old friends here.
Madam Mei spoke openly of the past, "He was quite good, listened to my father, and was good to me. After arriving in Yangzhou, my father took him with him to study. After more than ten years, he gained some experience, so he was hired as a teacher at the academy. We have lived in Yangzhou all these years and have had a good life."
Zhou Man looked at Madam Mei, whose face was rosy and without a trace of worry, and said with a smile, "I can see that you are indeed very blessed."
"My father said I was blessed by the adults."
Fu Wenyun smiled and said, "I've also benefited from your good fortune."
Zhou Man: "Hmm?"
When Fu Wenyun and his companions first arrived in Yangzhou, they were unfamiliar with the place. It was a place where Yang Heshu had to be careful even when he came.
Yue Lan had no roots or foundation, and even though the Yangzhou officialdom had been purged once before, it was still difficult for him to carry out his work when he arrived.
Of course, there are solutions. We can just follow the current situation and go with the flow.
But if that happened, he wouldn't be able to hold the position for long, and Fu Wenyun was unwilling to accept that, so she met Mr. and Mrs. Mei at that time.
Mr. Mei asked Madam Mei to take her to various banquets in Yangzhou, which opened up the situation.
As a world-renowned calligrapher and painter, Mr. Mei enjoys a very high status in the Jiangnan area.
Yue Lan, the governor of Yangzhou, may not have done the best, but he has definitely done well in recent years. At least he has not let down the trust of the court and the local people.
Fu Wenyun knew that Mr. Mei was doing this to repay a favor, the favor being Zhou Man, but the peach ended up in her hands.
"I told my husband that if I ever had the chance to return to Beijing, I would definitely thank you very much. But you guys came before we even left." Speaking of their resignation, Fu Wenyun sighed, "I didn't expect you to resign so soon..."
Without waiting for Zhou Man's explanation, she laughed again, "But you're retreating at the peak of your career, which is a good thing. Although it's a pity, it should be made public."
Zhou Man couldn't help but laugh out loud, "You've really told me everything, good or bad."
Fu Wenyun couldn't help laughing and clinked glasses with Zhou Man.
Zhou Man and his companions stayed in Yangzhou for a few days, visited many places, and bought many good things. Madam Mei gave each of them a piece of calligraphy and painting, both of which were written by Mr. Mei himself.
Not only Zhou Man and Bai Shan, but even Yin Huo was delighted and said, "This painting can be passed down from generation to generation."
Mingda also kept it carefully.
The group left with a lot of gains. Fu Wenyun found a boat for them to go north. They could take the boat directly to Qingzhou and travel by sea, which was much faster.
(End of this chapter)
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