The County Government Guesthouse is a small building not far from the County Government. Usually, the relevant departments of the county town arrange for superior leaders to rest here when they come to inspect their work.
At that moment, the clerk in charge of registration in the first-floor lobby saw a group of soldiers escorting three elderly officers in. He immediately came out from behind the counter to greet them. Those who work in this place are not afraid of being tactful.
Xiao Zhou and the others took out their IDs and were quickly processed. Everyone followed the waiter up to the second floor, looked at the rooms, and nodded in satisfaction. They left two large rooms for Elder Cheng and Elder Lin, each choosing a room on the left and right, and took the hot water brought by the waiter to wash and rest.
After the rooms were assigned, Zhou Xiaozheng left his wife Lin Lishan to accompany Mr. Lin and went to the end of the second floor. Zhou Xiaozheng knocked on the door and entered the room of the old couple Cheng. This room was a large living room. In the living room outside, in addition to the old couple Cheng, Cheng Sijin was already waiting for him.
Mrs. Cheng smiled and pulled him to sit down. "Is everything cleaned up outside? Let your wife do it. Some of our conversations are not suitable for outsiders to hear."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded with a smile and sat down. Many things happened today as he expected, but some things also exceeded his expectations. He still wanted to get to know his parents better.
Cheng Sijin said seriously, "Brother, you have to make time to talk to us tonight. Knowing I found you, I didn't even ask for leave to follow me. This is what my grandfather told me before he died. I also want to talk to you about some matters of your Zhou family and Gu family. You have to weigh the matters of the Gu family in your mind."
Old Mrs. Cheng patted Zhou Xiaozheng's hand, sighed, looked at him, and seemed to want to say something, but in the end she didn't say it.
Zhou Xiaozheng glanced at the old lady with an unpredictable look, and he understood in his heart that some things could not be explained in detail because of the crowd around. His aunt probably had something to tell him tonight.
Seeing him come in, Mr. Cheng asked Xiao Chen to guard the living room door and not let anyone in. He stood up and led them into the inner room. After everyone sat down, he picked up the two suitcases he brought with him and placed them on the table. He gently stroked the suitcases with his hands, his face full of memories.
After a moment, she turned to Zhou Xiaozheng and said, "After your mother passed away, your aunt collected your mother's belongings and some of their letters, intending to keep them as a souvenir. There's also a box containing documents donated by your mother and some of the Gu and Zhou family's property deeds, some of which are no longer valid. These two boxes are the only relics left by your parents, so keep them as a souvenir. Let your aunt tell you about the contents later."
Let's take advantage of this moment when no one is around to discuss the origins of our three families. You are the only descendant of the Zhou and Gu families. Your father should have told you many things about your ancestors, but now they and your uncle's lineage are gone. Sijin, you are the eldest son and grandson of the Cheng family. You know the stories of our ancestors best. Let me tell you about them first so that he can understand them. Your mother will explain the rest to your brother in detail."
Cheng Sijin nodded seriously and began to explain, "...That's how it is. The eldest sons and grandsons of our three main houses left wills for generations, and our three families secretly supported each other. When it came to my grandfather, seeing the Zhou and Gu families scattered and unable to help, he realized that the only way to protect himself was through military power. He gave up writing and took up arms, and started to let my father train in martial arts. Before he died, he was filled with hatred and repeatedly ordered that the child must be found. And before my uncle died, he also asked my aunt to find a way to let you learn martial arts so that you can have a stable life in the future."
After listening to this, Zhou Xiaozheng remained silent for a long time. After a while, he whispered, "Thank you, it's thoughtful. As long as we two brothers are here, we will definitely carry on the friendship between the Zhou, Gu, and Cheng families."
Old Cheng sighed and said with emotion: "Our three families have gone through three hundred years without any trouble, but in the end, the main branch still fell into the hands of the concubine. If it weren't for my generation of the Cheng family joining the army, I'm afraid all three main branches would have withered."
Zhou Xiaozheng chuckled mysteriously and said, "Aunt, can you tell me in detail how my grandparents were forced? And how my parents faked their death and escaped? Logically, the Eight-Nation Alliance had withdrawn at that time, and my father was at the Gu family in Jiangnan, so his life should not be in danger. Why did he have to hide in the dark? The two of them were at the Gu family, with bodyguards, money, and connections. There was no way they would be forced into a desperate situation by a few gangs of bandits."
Old Madam Cheng nodded in agreement, then spoke bitterly, "Something's happened to the Zhou family. I heard Zhou Jinyu had died. Your grandfather and your mother returned from the capital and saw something was amiss. They secretly transferred some of their assets, intending to send us abroad. But before they could make all the arrangements, they and your mother fell ill. Your grandmother isn't in charge of the household, so she relies on her husband and daughter. Now the pillars of the family have collapsed, and the servants are starting to lose control."
The clan leader and elders came to the house and said that if your grandfather's lineage did not accept a son-in-law, they would have to adopt a child. But if they adopted a child, they could only adopt a concubine. Besides, if they had adopted a child long ago, who would agree to it?
Your grandfather pushed back several times, and just as he was about to die, your father returned to the Gu family. Your grandfather saw through the allure of money, and even your father and mother couldn't resist the pressure from their clansmen. Before his death, he repeatedly urged us younger generations to leave and never return.
After he passed away, your grandmother blamed herself constantly, blaming herself for not giving birth to a son. Then, the clan members came to the house and kept blaming her for monopolizing your grandfather and not giving him a concubine. Her illness worsened, and she collapsed.
Your father and mother had to deal with the clan members and care for the old lady who had collapsed on the bed. Those people refused to give up, not even talking about finding a son-in-law, but insisting on adoption. Your father, despite his fame and connections with a few scholars, had no connections in Jiangnan. Some of them were from the capital, but distant water cannot quench thirst. And while there are those who add icing on the cake, there are few who offer timely assistance.
Aside from a few close family friends busy helping your father deal with official matters, who would have known that trouble would befall the Gu family, your in-laws? Your grandfather had some connections in Jiangnan, but they were all scholars. When they intervened, the Gu family claimed it was a family affair. Even your grandfather, Grandpa Cheng, a relative of the Gu family, went to the head of the Gu family, but he said I was just an adopted daughter and not considered a member of the Gu family. The Gu family has its own clan rules, and the lineage of the main wife cannot be cut off unless your father adopts. But how could the Zhou family adopt only your father's bloodline?
Your Grandpa Cheng repeatedly came to the house to persuade them, and they finally relented, saying that they would wait until your father and mother had a second son to adopt him into the Gu family. This stopped the clan members from forcing the adoption. But then, the clan members stopped coming to the house to talk about the adoption, but kept crying poor. The Gu family even spread rumors that most of the Gu family's wealth belonged to the main wife, and they just followed their words.
Just as your grandfather said, the tribesmen didn't help, and instead took advantage of the chaos to rob. Over the years, your grandfather saved and helped countless tribesmen. But once he left, those beasts stood aside and gloated over the misfortune.
By the time your Grandpa Cheng heard about the bandits coming to his house, no one was helping him except for a few of your father's literary friends. Even some of the Gu family's concubines who held government positions stayed out of the situation, sometimes even taking advantage of the situation. Your grandmother had also passed away, and the main branch of the Gu family had become everyone's favorite.
If we hadn't been forced into a desperate situation by those people, how could we have given up everything and hurriedly faked our own deaths and left home? It's a pity that we didn't listen to your grandfather and go abroad, otherwise my sister and brother-in-law wouldn't have died young.
Zhou Xiaozheng's expression remained unchanged upon hearing this, and he nodded slightly. "Except for the branch in Beijing, how are the other members of the Gu family still in their hometown doing now?"
Old Madam Cheng snorted disdainfully, "You even forced your own people, and you still expect to be treated kindly? Those who died died, and those who dispersed dispersed. There's no need for revenge. Except for a few families that still exist, all of them have suffered retribution. Even those few families will suffer retribution."
Old Cheng smiled helplessly and talked about the important topic, "Okay, let's talk about the next step first. After we go to the ancestral hall, we have to inform the higher-ups first. The most important thing is to publicize those donation letters. This document must be made public in our hands, otherwise the rumors about the Gu family will still be a hidden danger. In addition to the donation from my sister, the Gu family should have some assets, but now they are gone and there are no clues. So, Xiaozheng, the Gu family really has nothing left except the old house. Your aunt and I will take care of all the matters concerning the Gu family for you, but you have to follow me and make a tour so that people know that there are still people from the Zhou family in the capital."
Mrs. Cheng recalled the scene before Gu Mingzhu's death and closed her eyes in pain. "My sister must have wanted to tell me at that time, but I was too stupid. The only thing I thought about was that my sister couldn't die like this, and where the child was. I didn't think about anything else. Forget it, it's gone, as long as the child is well."
Zhou Xiaozheng nodded in agreement. "Money is something outside of our body. It's okay to lose it. We don't rely on our ancestors' wealth to make a living anymore."
Elder Cheng smiled with relief, "That's the right thing to think. Our ancestors also came from poverty, and you young people will eventually rebuild our family."
Cheng Sijin was also planning the next itinerary. "So, when do you plan to leave? We can still take a military plane back the day after tomorrow."
Zhou Xiaozheng secretly calculated that he wouldn't be able to make it to the baby's full month. Jiaojiao had also agreed to return to Beijing at the end of the year, and since she had nothing else to do at the moment, he thought it over and said, "We'll be able to make it the day after tomorrow. I'll settle Jiaojiao down in the next two days and she'll go back with you. The baby's full month is twelve, so he won't be able to make it anyway. We can celebrate when the three of them return to Beijing at the end of the year."
Old Cheng looked at his wife, wanting to hear and seek her opinion.
After hearing this, Old Lady Cheng said, "Jiaojiao and her husband are also going to the capital to pay respects to her grandparents. We'll discuss it after we see the child tomorrow."
Seeing that they had almost finished their conversation, Cheng Sijin pulled his father out and said, "Brother, why don't you open the box and take a look? This is a good time for you and your mother to have a good chat."
After Zhou Xiaozheng watched them leave, he lowered his head to open the box. Looking at the notebooks, letter paper, pocket watch, and pens neatly arranged inside, his eyes could no longer hold back their redness.
He closed his eyes, looked up and took a few deep breaths. After calming down, he stretched out his hands and touched them gently. Fearing that something might go wrong, he took out a handkerchief and wiped his hands. Then he carefully picked up the yellowed letter on top and listened to his aunt's explanation, as if the scenes from yesterday were replaying themselves.
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