Chapter 284 A Fierce Fight
Besides the news of Ma Dahua's death, Zhang Zhaodi also mentioned the incident where Xu Laosi and his wife, along with Xu Guilian's family, came to their door to cause trouble.
Later, Xu Cuilian inquired with her old friends in Xujiaba and learned the reason why they came to her door to cause trouble.
Upon hearing this, Sheng An frowned slightly: "Xu Huaining didn't even go back to his hometown."
Zhang Zhaodi nodded: "No reply, not even a letter. The villagers have been gossiping a lot, saying that he has become successful but forgotten his ancestors, and that he doesn't even want the parents who supported him anymore."
Sheng An asked curiously, "Jin Nian didn't go back either, and the villagers didn't gossip about him?"
Zhang Zhaodi laughed and said, "How could that be? You didn't go back, but the letter and the things were delivered. Besides, you even arranged for someone to escort us to the capital. The villagers are so envious."
Not only were they envious, but they also asked them to pass on a message to their cousin Jin Nian, asking him to go back and visit when he had time, so as to encourage the younger generation in the clan to strive for excellence.
"As long as they didn't say anything bad about Jin Nian, that's fine. But Xu Lao Si and his wife are probably going to be furious."
Sheng An had no complaints about the villagers of Xujiaba, especially since the clan chief was fairly fair in his dealings, and he didn't have any ill feelings towards their expectations.
"They deserve to be furious! They're such idiots!"
Zhang Zhaodi had never dealt with Xu Laosi and his wife, but she knew all about what they had done. She was extremely grateful that her mother-in-law had severed ties with such wicked people.
Sheng An was concerned about her best friend's bamboo weaving business. Knowing that everything was going well and two more apprentices had graduated, she was very happy for her friend.
"With someone making money for us, we can relax and enjoy life from now on."
When Zhang Zhaodi first heard the term "lying flat," she thought it was quite fitting: "Hahaha, that's right, we've become the rich women you used to talk about!"
She never dreamed she could live such a good life.
Meeting An'an, such a good sister, in this life must be the result of her accumulating good karma for eight lifetimes!
Sheng An asked with a smile, "Are you interested in coming to the capital? If you opened a bamboo weaving workshop in the capital, you would earn more money."
Zhang Zhaodi shook her head without hesitation: "No, it's hard to leave my homeland. I still prefer Qingzhou."
After saying that, she looked at Sheng An with some sadness: "I just can't bear to part with you."
The thought of not being able to see her best friend even once a year from now on makes Zhang Zhaodi feel very sad.
Sheng An was also upset, but she still comforted her best friend: "Don't be sad. It's not like we'll never see each other again. If you miss me, just write to me."
Zhang Zhaodi wiped her eyes and forced a smile, saying, "Okay, I'll try my best to learn to read when I get back and write you a personal letter."
As her bamboo weaving business grew, she realized the troubles of being illiterate. She spent a lot of money to hire an old scholar who had repeatedly failed the imperial examinations as her tutor, spending an hour every day teaching her to read and write.
Perhaps because of her mother's example, Yu Bao developed an interest in reading and writing, and became a little auditor.
The two sisters chatted and drank tea, feeling the gentle breeze, as if they had returned to the past.
Afterwards, Zhang Zhaodi led Sheng An into the room and opened the things that the family of four had brought for the couple.
The items weren't expensive; they were dried goods rarely seen in Beijing, including dried bamboo shoots, dried mushrooms, and dried fruit, totaling forty or fifty jin (about 20-25 kg).
Sheng An was dumbfounded.
Fortunately, Beijing is dry, so these dried goods can be stored for a long time.
At this moment, on the official road leading to the capital, a man and a woman, dressed in dirty clothes, were traveling in a disheveled state, exhausted, thirsty, and hungry.
The two were Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua.
Not long after, Xu Laosi could no longer walk and sat down on the ground, panting heavily.
Looking at the endless road, he was filled with remorse and angrily cursed Feng Lianhua:
"It's all your fault, you wretched woman! If you hadn't insisted on staying on the boat overnight that day, our silver wouldn't have been stolen by the pirates, and we wouldn't have been kicked off the boat by the captain. It's all your fault!"
The couple insisted on going to the capital to find Xu Huaining, to live in a house in the capital with him, and to enjoy a life of wealth and luxury that would be the envy of the villagers.
Therefore, they approached Scholar Zhao, asking him not only to buy them boat tickets but also to arrange for someone to escort them.
As a result, in order to save money, Feng Lianhua refused to go ashore to find an inn to stay at night and stayed on the boat with Xu Laosi and the guards every night.
Everything was fine until three nights ago when a group of bandits boarded the ship, not only stealing all their silver but also injuring the guards who resisted.
As a result, the couple actually abandoned their guards.
Later, they shamelessly mooched food from other passengers on the ship. When the passengers refused, they cursed and threatened them, prompting the passengers to complain to the ship owner and demand that they be kicked off the ship.
The boat owner, having reached his limit, kicked the two men off the boat and only returned two hundred coins to them.
With only two hundred coins, the couple endured wind and rain, sleeping outdoors, and made their way here with great difficulty.
Whether it was luck or misfortune, they didn't encounter any vehicles willing to give them a ride, nor did they encounter any bandits who tried to rob them on the road.
The bandits probably realized they had no money and didn't bother to show themselves or pay them any attention.
Feng Lianhua had been scolded a lot along the way, and she hadn't dared to argue back before, but this time she couldn't help but yell back:
"Hey Xu, do you have any conscience? I stayed on the boat overnight to save money, why are you blaming me for it all!"
Xu Laosi was furious and slapped her without thinking: "You damned woman, you deserve a beating!"
Having not eaten all day, the slap wasn't very forceful, but it still ignited Feng Lianhua's anger, causing her to scream and lunge forward:
"You dare hit me, you heartless bastard! I'll fight you to the death!"
The couple were locked in a fierce fight on the official road in broad daylight, causing passing carriages to swerve to avoid them.
Occasionally, a few curses could be heard, telling them to go to the side of the road and fight, so as not to obstruct passersby.
Several carriages had passed by, but not long after, the lead one turned back.
The car door opened, and a well-dressed middle-aged man leaned out, asking with a friendly smile:
"Your sons are both successful candidates in the imperial examinations this year and are now serving as officials in the capital. I am also going to the capital, and it just so happens that we are traveling the same way. If you do not mind that your carriage is simple, I can give you a ride."
Is there really such a good thing?
Xu Laosi and Feng Lianhua immediately stopped fighting, exchanged a glance, and got up from the ground.
Feng Lianhua held her head high and said to the middle-aged man in a condescending tone, "That's right, my son is a high-ranking official in the capital. You do have some discernment."
The middle-aged man still smiled, completely unconcerned about her arrogant attitude, and personally got off the carriage to invite her: "It's getting dark, please get in the carriage first."
Feng Lianhua became increasingly smug. Having a successful son was truly wonderful; even in their time of need, there were plenty of people to fawn over them!
The couple boarded the carriage covered in mud, leaving dirty marks on the brocade benches without taking off their shoes.
The middle-aged man glanced at them, his smile unwavering as he spoke to the two men. Soon he had a clear understanding of their background, and his attitude towards them became even more accommodating.
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