Cui Jingzhong had met General Zhou several times, but he could not say that they were very familiar with each other.
At most, they were just interactions in the officialdom, and there was no connection between civil and military officials.
But now, when I was demoted to Youzhou and had no relatives, I was taken care of by my old friend. It would be a lie to say that I was not moved.
Cui Jingzhong hurriedly greeted the other party and sat down in the room, saying shamefully, "I have long lost my official status. General Zhou, there is no need to be so polite."
Zhou Chengyu immediately presented the Cui family with a gift: "Uncle Cui and my father and grandfather have dedicated their lives to the Great Yong Dynasty. How can a mere official position erase their blood and sweat?"
This sentence brought tears to Cui Jingzhong's eyes. He shook his head, the words stuck in his lips, unable to speak.
Zhou Chengyu quickly patted the other person's back and comforted him: "Uncle, you have been wronged!"
Cui Jingzhong could no longer hold back his tears, and Cui Shouqing and Madam Cui also raised their sleeves to gently wipe their eyes.
Ling Yi stood guarding the door, listening to everything in the room. He felt that Zhou Chengyu was worthy of being the descendant of a great general. With just a few words, he had completely subdued the Cui family.
No one else can have such empathy.
Zhou Chengyu waited until the Cui family calmed down before asking about their lives.
Cui Jingzhong smiled and said, "Although life is a bit hard nowadays, the environment is simple and I don't have to fight with those old hands, so I can live a comfortable life.
The food that General Zhou Xiao sent us earlier saved us from having to go out in the cold winter and snowstorm.
The Second Young Master Ling sent people to visit from time to time, which made many people around who were ready to make trouble give up the idea of looking for trouble.
Qingshan Village is even more positive and taught us the technology of growing mushrooms.
With just a few simple flower beds and careful care, more than ten kilograms of mushrooms can be produced every day.
Besides eating it ourselves, we can also sell it to Qingshan Village. During this period, our family has gained a lot of income.”
When the Cui family members talked about this, they all smiled. The previous sorrow disappeared, and they felt happy from the bottom of their hearts.
Zhou Chengyu nodded and talked about other things.
But the voice was too low and Ling Yi couldn't hear it.
He didn't care and stood at the door dutifully, fending off the curious glances from other cellars.
Someone recognized Ling Yi and naturally thought that the person coming was a member of the Lin family.
He even said to his family with a sour taste: "The Cui family is really lucky. They actually know the governor!"
When Cui Yujiao heard that the handsome man was coming, she quickly tidied herself up and went out to meet him.
Ling Yi blocked her outside the door and even raised his voice to inform the people inside: "Miss, my master is visiting an old friend and cannot be disturbed by outsiders. Please respect yourself!"
Cui Yujiao glared at Ling Yi and muttered, "He's not bad looking, but he has no good eyesight. No wonder he can only be a watchdog!"
She thought her voice was too low for the other person to hear, but she didn't know that Ling Yi heard everything she said clearly, but he was too lazy to argue with her.
A hint of disgust flashed across his face, and he thought that not all the people in the Cui family were upright.
At least this concubine's daughter is full of calculations, and she thinks that others can't see it. She is really stupid.
Cui Yujiao finished mumbling, not wanting to leave at all. She glared at Ling Yi and said, "I have something to ask my uncle, get out of my way!"
Ling Yi remained unmoved.
Zhou Chengyu heard the noise outside, cut to the chase, and then wrapped his cloak back around himself.
He pushed his hat down and covered his mouth and nose tightly with a scarf made of fox tail to prevent anyone from seeing his face.
Cui Shouqing saw him off. When they reached the door, Zhou Chengyu said, "Why don't you see Miss Cui?"
"Ah, my little sister is busy in the mushroom house. It's almost time now. I'll go pick her up right away!"
Zhou Chengyu nodded: "Let's go together. I also want to see what a mushroom house looks like!"
Cui Shouqing was a simple-minded person and immediately showed off his mushroom house to Zhou Chengyu.
He also praised his family for their good judgment and their quick decision to join Qingshan Village. Those who couldn't let go of their pride now regretted it deeply.
Zhou Chengyu didn't expect that Ling Jiheng would help the Cui family in this way.
He was quite calm and didn't try to take credit for it.
When I walked out of the cellar, I saw Cui Yujiao, whose eyes and eyebrows were somewhat similar to Cui Wan'er.
Although she is also at the blooming age, Cui Yujiao's face is full of materialism, which makes people dislike her.
Zhou Chengyu just glanced at the other person and walked to the side.
How could Cui Yujiao miss this opportunity? She immediately put on a smile and said in a pretentious voice, "Sir, I am Cui Yujiao. We have met before at the entrance of Dahe Village!"
Zhou Chengyu just said "hmm" and didn't even look at her.
I thought to myself that I was so blind that I couldn’t even tell the difference between myself and Ling Jiheng.
Cui Yujiao bit her lip unwillingly, and was about to say something when Cui Jingzhong called out to her, "Why are you here, Yujiao? Is there something wrong, old man?"
"Grandfather..." Cui Yujiao had to answer the elder's question. However, her eyes remained on Zhou Chengyu, and she seemed absent-minded.
Zhou Chengyu took this opportunity to leave with Cui Shouqing.
Cui Yujiao was extremely anxious, but she had to stay where she was to deal with Cui Jingzhong.
I don’t know why my uncle is so talkative today, he keeps asking her questions.
If there is something wrong, can't you go to the old man in person? Aren't you so annoying!
It's not like she guessed my little thoughts, she didn't seem to be in a hurry!
Cui Jingzhong indeed did not guess that his cousin was trying to curry favor with a rich and powerful man, but he did not want her to affect Zhou Chengyu's mood.
After all, that person is the most influential person they can currently contact. Even for the sake of their son and daughter, they cannot afford to offend him.
Cui Jingzhong didn't let Cui Yujiao leave until he could no longer see anyone.
He returned to the cellar, looked at his wife, and after a moment he let out a long sigh.
"I feel that Zhou Chengyu is coming for Wan'er." His previous thoughts were confirmed, and Cui Jingzhong felt indescribably complicated.
If he were still the Minister of Revenue, it would be a great idea for him to marry into the Zhou family.
Cui Wan'er was married in a formal ceremony. It didn't matter which boy of the Zhou family she married. With him as her backer, even if they couldn't live in harmony, they could still live a life of respect with each other.
But now, the gap between the Cui family and the Zhou family is so huge, can General Zhou really allow Wan'er to marry into his family as his legal wife?
I'm afraid that before it even gets to that point, Zhou Chengyu's mother will break up the couple.
Cui Jingzhong sighed again. He really didn't want his daughter to become someone's concubine.
But when will this servant's days end? If she misses the chance to marry the Zhou family, Wan'er may have no choice but to marry a country bumpkin.
What a contradiction.
Seeing him so distressed, Mrs. Cui asked what was going on.
Cui Jingzhong didn't want to make his wife worry, so he shook his head and said nothing.
On the other side, Zhou Chengyu asked about Cui Wan'er's situation intentionally or unintentionally.
"Wan'er is doing very well. She usually does needlework at home and works in the mushroom room for half an hour every afternoon. Her life is very fulfilling."
"Will the work in the mushroom house be very tiring? Are there no other young people in the Cui family who can come and help?"
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