Chapter 249 Returning Home in Glory Returning Home in Glory
A month later, Su Fengzhang, who had made preparations, indeed proposed to return home to visit his relatives. With the help of Prince Cheng, no one objected this time. The emperor waved his hand and gave him a two and a half month vacation.
When Su Fengzhang first came to Beijing, he only brought Su Arong with him, and he didn't even have much time to exchange greetings.
This time, they returned in a large group, with quite a few local specialties, all of which they were going to take back as gifts.
However, he is now an official in the court, and a third-rank official in the Ministry of Revenue. Naturally, he has official ships to ride. The ships provided to officials are new and large, and they travel faster than ordinary passenger ships.
Su Zhao was amazed and said privately, "Being an official is still good. This ship is big, spacious, and safe. It's much more convenient than our trip to the capital."
Isn't it? Otherwise, why would all the scholars in the world want to take the imperial examination and become an official in the court?
The trip back went smoothly, and Su Fengzhang even brought Liu Neng with him. Since he was already his adopted son, it was only natural to bring him home to pay homage to his ancestors.
They did not stay in Qingzhou for long, and the official ship took them directly to Hushan County.
Before they reached the destination, the boatman came in to report, "Master Su, we'll be in Hushan County in a cup of tea. Do you want to go to the county first, or go directly to Yuexi Village?"
Su Fengzhang smiled and said, "Go directly to Yuexi Village."
"Then let someone get ready." The boatman meant to send them to Yuexi Village.
Su Fengzhang said, "A letter was sent earlier. I guess someone must be waiting at the dock."
Before they even reached their destination, Su Zhaoshi and Su Huihui couldn't sit still anymore. They stood at the bow of the boat, looking toward Hushan County. One of them said, "I haven't been back in a few years. The dock has changed a lot."
Another person replied: "Although it's not as prosperous as the capital, the mountains and rivers of Hushan County are still very familiar."
Even Su Arong said, "That's right. It's too dry in the capital. I get a sore throat every autumn."
Su Fengzhang also felt a little nostalgic after hearing this. He was accustomed to the climate of the capital, but when he returned to his hometown after a long absence, he always missed it a lot. The green mountains and clear waters also seemed particularly charming.
Before the boat even got close to the dock, Su Fengzhang spotted his cousin with his sharp eyes: "Mom, Huihui, look over there, isn't that my eldest cousin?"
Su Zhaoshi was old and her eyesight was not good. Su Huihui looked over there and shouted happily, "It's Brother Ci Zhang."
On the other side, Su Ci Zhang also noticed this huge official ship. Hushan County was a small place, and the ships that usually came and went were passenger ships, and there were even small black-sailed boats like their own.
As soon as he saw the official ship, Su Cizhang guessed that it was his cousin's family. After a closer look, he was even more certain and shouted in surprise: "Aunt, Erlang!"
When Su Ci Zhang shouted, Second Uncle Su and Su Cao Zhang, who were originally sitting nearby to rest, also stood up, as well as their two sons-in-law, and even a few villagers who could be named.
As soon as the boat reached the shore, Su Fengzhang jumped off. Uncle Su grabbed him and shouted with a smile, "Erlang, you're back."
Su Fengzhang performed the junior's greetings and then asked, "Second Uncle, brothers, have you been waiting for a long time?"
Su Fengzhang took a quick glance and realized that those who followed him were all from the village with whom he was once quite close. They all looked in good spirits and seemed to be in good health.
Uncle Su and the others were beaming with joy and looked full of energy.
"Not long, not long. We guessed it would arrive in the next few days." But they had been waiting for a few days.
Uncle Su said with a smile, "Erlang, you have achieved great success now. The ancestral graves of our Su family are filled with smoke. Who would have thought that you could pass the imperial examination and become a high-ranking official now?"
"You should be secretly happy even in the underground. Now everyone in Hushan County praises you for your promising future."
Su Cizhang interrupted and said, "Dad, Erlang and the others must be tired after coming so far. Why don't we pack up and go back? We'll have time to talk later."
Uncle Su slapped his head and said, "Oh, yes, look at me, I'm so happy."
After saying this, he wanted to go over to help, but Su Fengzhang grabbed him and said with a smile: "Second uncle, the boatman will help unload the gifts, and we can hire a car to transport them back later."
The people at the back looked at each other in confusion. Su Caozhang glanced at them and said with a smile, "Erlang, we are idle anyway, so why don't we lend a hand together? It will be faster."
Su Fengzhang didn't refuse. Strength lies in numbers, and everything was packed up quickly.
Su Zhaoshi and Su Huihui got into a car, but Su Fengzhang pulled Liu Neng to sit next to Second Uncle Su, "Second Uncle, this is Aneng, and he is also my eldest son."
The Su family also knew that Liu Neng had become his adoptive father, so they were not surprised to hear this.
Second Uncle Su also took out a small red envelope and said, "You look like a smart kid. Here, this is a gift from Second Grandpa."
Liu Neng glanced at Su Fengzhang, took it with a smile and shouted, "Thank you, Second Grandpa."
"Oh, so good." Uncle Su touched Liu Neng's head and wanted to ask Su Fengzhang why he hadn't gotten married yet, but before he could open his mouth, Su Ci Zhang pulled him aside and he forgot about it.
Su Ci Zhang smiled and said, "Er Lang, you came at an unfortunate time. Lan Zhang and his aunt just left for Qingzhou to prepare for the exam."
Su Fengzhang nodded and smiled, "I know. It was me who told Lan Zhang not to wait at home and to go to Qingzhou early to prepare for the exam so as not to waste time. I'll bring him back when the time comes."
The time he arrived coincided with Su Lanzhang's provincial examination, which Su Fengzhang had already told him about.
Su Cizhang added, "That's good. I was just worried you might get lost."
"The house is all tidied up. The quilts and pillows have all been freshly dried. Lan Zhang came back a while ago and bought a lot of things. If you come and see if there's anything missing, just let me know."
In the past, Uncle Su's family had also been very warm and caring towards Su Fengzhang, but this time when he came back, this enthusiasm had obviously increased by more than one level, and even had a hint of flattery.
Su Fengzhang seemed unaware of this and just kept thanking him with a smile.
Seeing that his attitude remained the same, Su Ci Zhang and Su Cao Zhang both breathed a sigh of relief. Although they were cousins connected by blood, their status was now very different. It was natural for them to feel a little worried.
Su Caozhang chuckled and said, "Erlang is still the same as before, that's great."
Su Ci Zhang slapped his brother in frustration and glared at him, not knowing how to make amends.
On the other hand, Second Uncle Su laughed and said, "Erlang, don't blame your two brothers. They are both people who have never seen the world. They can't even speak when they see a high official."
Su Fengzhang laughed and said, "Second Uncle, Brother Ci Zhang, Brother Cao Zhang, just because I'm a high-ranking official doesn't mean I'm no longer your brother? Since we're brothers, just say whatever you want to say. I won't punish you if you're wrong. After all, if this gets implicated, the first person to be implicated will be me."
He said a naughty remark, but it made Uncle Su and his family feel relieved.
Su Cizhang even laughed and said, "Hey, Erlang, to be honest, since we knew you were coming back, not only your cousin but our entire village has been feeling uneasy. We want to see you and talk to you, but we're also afraid of doing something wrong and making you angry."
Su Fengzhang bumped his cousin's arm and said with a smile, "Brother Ci Zhang, do you think I'm someone who gets angry so easily?"
Su Cizhang chuckled: "Like, you don't know, before you were not even a scholar, your words were effective in the village. The villagers were always careful in front of you, for fear of making you angry."
Otherwise, why would he say that their Erlang has been a potential official since he was young? When he stands in front of him, even the most scoundrels in the village look like human beings.
What is this? This is the majesty and bearing of an official.
If Su Fengzhang knew what his cousin was thinking, he would probably be both amused and confused.
After talking for a while, they arrived at the door of the house. A group of people helped to unload the gifts. Aunt Su and her mother-in-law and daughter-in-law had also received the news early and were waiting at home.
Compared to the time when Su Lanzhang brought Aunt Bai back, Second Aunt Su was much more enthusiastic this time. There was not a single fallen leaf in the house, and hot water and tea were all prepared.
"Erlang~" The twists and turns of the tone and the warm smile made Su Fengzhang's mouth stiffen for a moment.
Su Zhaoshi knew her son's thoughts well. She walked up to him, shook his hand, and said with a smile, "Aunt, thank you for your hard work this time. Is it very tiring to be so busy?"
"It's not hard, not hard at all. How can it be hard if I can help Erlang?" Aunt Su said with a smile.
Seeing that most of the things had been moved, Su Zhaoshi called out again, "Huihui, take the two maids and pack up and take out the gifts we prepared. We can't let the young men who came to help go back empty-handed."
"Auntie, no need, we didn't help much." One of the young men said with blushing cheeks.
Su Fengzhang took another look at him and smiled: "This must be Tiezhu, he has grown so tall after not seeing him for a few years."
It turned out that this young man who looked a little shy was actually Wang Tiezhu, who was domineering in the village and was spoiled by Mrs. Wang at home.
Seeing that Su Fengzhang still remembered him, Wang Tiezhu's face turned even redder, and he said hesitantly, "Su, Lord Su."
Su Fengzhang smiled and said, "Just call me Mr. Su. After all, I have taught you for a few years."
Wang Tiezhu scratched his hair, not knowing what to say, and was unable to shout.
Su Fengzhang smiled and talked to them for a while. Surprisingly, he could call out everyone's name. You have to know that he has been away from home for many years and the children have changed a lot, so this is really rare.
When they came out of the Su's house with the local specialties, the cheeks of the young people were all rosy.
Wang Tiezhu, in particular, shouted as soon as he got home: "Grandma, look what this is."
Mrs. Wang was getting older, her hair was turning white, and her eyesight wasn't very good. She kept asking, "My dear grandson, did Lord Su give you any trouble?"
Wang Tiezhu immediately retorted, "Grandma, Prime Minister Su has a big heart. How could he still remember such trivial matters from so many years ago?"
"You don't know, he recognized me right away and told me to call him Sir instead of 'Sir'."
"Lord Su is very kind and speaks kindly, much better than some county magistrate."
"Grandma, look, this is a gift from Lord Su. It looks like something precious. Put it aside and eat it yourself."
When Mrs. Wang heard this, she was completely relieved and smiled, revealing her toothless gums: "That's good, that's good. I knew back then that this kid from the Su family had a lot of potential, and now he has achieved great success."
"If you have some free time these days, you can go to the Su family more often. There are many benefits here."
"Hide these things and eat them slowly. Grandma is old and can't eat them anymore."
-----------------------
The author has something to say: Second update
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
