Chapter 5 Chapter 5 Making a fool of oneself and bringing shame to the Sun family
Starting from the tenth day of the first lunar month, all the restaurants were closed, and Zhen's father hung a sign at the door saying that the restaurant was temporarily closed.
When neighbors came to inquire, the Zhen family members were vague and covered up the matter. When asked in detail, Xu said it was for Dalang's wedding. Hua Pozi naturally didn't want to publicize it. Her reputation was not good at the moment. If it became known, other girls would have to avoid her. If the news of this marriage really got out, it would be difficult for her to make money from it in the future.
The Sun family has many eyes and ears, and they can sell the second restaurant on the pretext that their parents want to enjoy themselves and don't want to work hard. But selling the first restaurant would be too conspicuous. After much deliberation, they decided to keep this restaurant. If they can come back after this matter is settled, this shop will be the foundation of the family's livelihood.
Everyone in the Zhen family had packed their luggage. Dalang hired someone to take the boat they were going to take at night, but he didn't dare to ask the boatman for fear of implicating others.
On the night of March 17th, an inconspicuous blue cloth mule cart loaded with a family's belongings headed for the ferry.
Baozhu had her own thoughts. This time, she had played a trick on the Sun family. That Hua Po was bound to suffer the consequences. She didn't know how many evil things that Qian Po had done. It would be best if she didn't dare to come out again. Thinking of this, Baozhu felt relieved. As for the Sun family...
If the whole family can hide, they should hide first.
The mule cart was swaying, and in the dark, it was impossible to make out the expressions on the family's faces. All one could hear was the thunderous heartbeats. Baorong huddled tightly in Baozhu's arms. If only he could avoid this trip, it would be great. If not, who knows what kind of trouble would arise.
Zhen's father and Mrs. Xu also had solemn expressions on their faces. They couldn't help but startle at any noise outside. Grandma Zhen cursed the Sun family all the way, saying that they would never be able to eat vegetarian food at Ciyu Temple again.
Not to mention how miserable and exhausted he was in this dark night.
It is said that on the second day, the West Market was bustling with activity. The eldest master of the Sun family was wearing red flowers and riding a tall horse with a smile on his face. A flower-loving woman followed beside the sedan chair with a cheerful look on her face. Servants of the Sun family scattered copper coins, peanuts and red dates along the street, and a group of people followed behind them, beating gongs and drums. From the noise, one could tell that it was a wedding, and immediately both sides of the aisle were crowded with people watching the fun.
The carriage circled Xifang City and stopped at the back gate of Zhenjia Restaurant.
The Zhen family first said that all those complicated rituals could be omitted and that they could just do it quietly, but Mr. Sun was too smart for his own good and insisted on having a grand ceremony to marry his beautiful bride.
After this circle, a group of people followed behind to watch the fun, and the neighbors of the Zhen family were also discussing it.
"I only vaguely heard that it was a wedding for Dalang."
"No wonder the Zhen family was so secretive and wouldn't say anything. The other day I went to give them a red envelope but they refused to accept it. It turns out that Mr. Sun has taken a fancy to the eldest son of the Zhen family."
"That's right. First I heard that Mr. Sun was a Rabbit..."
…
The door of the Zhen family was closed, with only a crack showing. Hua Pozi wondered why no one was at the door to greet them on such a happy day. She went up to knock, but accidentally pushed the door open. In the yard, all the boxes and crates that the Sun family had sent were neatly arranged, but there was no one at home.
Aunt Hua looked back tremblingly. Mr. Sun still had a smile on his face, but her legs were shaking.
Perhaps because there was no movement for a long time, Mr. Sun also realized that something was wrong. He dismounted and looked inside. The courtyard was empty and there was no one in sight. The gift list was placed on the box. There was a circle of people watching outside. The musicians were unaware of the situation and just kept playing.
Mr. Sun felt like something was making a rumbling sound in his head.
There is a big joke going around in Gusu City these days. In short, the more the story spreads, the more outrageous it becomes. It is said that the eldest official of the Sun family has taken a fancy to the eldest son of the Zhen family, and he even went around the West Market in a grand manner to carry the eldest son of the Zhen family into his house.
——As a result, the Zhen family ran away overnight.
After this incident, the head of the Sun family returned home and had the second master beat him. He also imprisoned the playboy in the ancestral hall for three days and three nights, and even had the second wife slapped hard. The eldest master of the Sun family also returned home because of this incident. Rumors could not be suppressed, and he had heard the rumors in Zhejiang. He returned to ask the second wife to discipline the younger generation. Although he now holds a high position, there are still many who want to bring him down. If the family affairs reach the ears of the censors, they may even think that the Sun family is not falling fast enough.
"So the Zhen family just let it go?"
The second master of the Sun family has always been lazy, and this time he was very angry.
"If something really happens to the Zhen family now, the Sun family will be the real target of gossip. We can only deal with them after the rumors die down." The eldest master of the Sun family had been flattered for a long time and had a certain amount of prestige. He did not take the Zhen family seriously and only frowned and said, "Why hasn't that slanderous woman been dealt with yet? She was the one who instigated the case last year, and now she's stirring up trouble again. You should also keep Shi'an under control. What kind of behavior is this, as he keeps making trouble all day long?"
Master Sun Er nodded in agreement.
From then on, Hua Pozi and her family disappeared from Xiahu Lane, and no one ever saw them again.
Of course, the Zhen family had no idea what had happened in Gusu City, and they had no idea that such a story would be spread by accident later.
The waterways were well developed in this dynasty. The family took a boat from Suzhou Ferry to the canal and headed north. Except for changing boats a few times, they never stopped along the way. They were afraid of pirates and robbers, so the family followed the big ships. Although it cost a lot of money, they had more money on them, so they didn't dare to delay on the road for a moment. They picked up the most ordinary clothes to wear and took turns to keep watch at night, so nothing went wrong.
Although the water route was much faster than the land route, it still took until the end of April to reach Bianjing City.
The pink walls and red gates can be seen from three miles away. Looking at the magnificent city gate, one can't help but sigh. After traveling here for so long, I can finally see how prosperous this Bianjing city is.
The boats had to go through the West Water Gate to enter the city. The boatmen had already started pulling the mast. Their strong and skinny arms were pulling the rope to slowly lower the mast. The sailors seemed to have calculated the time well. When they arrived in front of the West Water Gate, the mast had been completely lowered.
This was a passenger ship, not a cargo or merchant ship, so the soldiers guarding the city wall briefly checked it and then let it pass.
In April, the banks of the Bian River are shaded by willows, the riverside is bustling with people, and there are frequent boats on the river. It is already a bit hot at this time of year. The sun is scorching overhead, and sweat sticks to clothes and body, which always makes people feel an annoying dryness in their hearts.
The journey was long and winding, and even with all the caution, it was inevitable that they would feel a bit awkward. Baozhu first found an inn, where the family put down their belongings, washed up, and then hired a car to go look for their aunt. Grandma Zhen had caught a cold on the way, and the old lady, already exhausted from the journey, fell asleep as soon as she touched the bed.
Baorong and Dalang stayed in the inn to take care of the guests and look after the luggage.
Baozhu went to her aunt's house with her parents, and A Zhong followed behind, carrying the fabrics and cloths he brought from Suzhou.
My uncle has been an official for more than ten years and is now the supervisor of the Guanglu Temple. It is said that there were seven or eight such minor officials removed from office in the city of Bianjing, and these officials had no real power, so Baozhu's family did not intend to trouble my uncle and aunt.
Even though my uncle's family has lived in the capital for more than ten years, this house was bought with the money paid by the Zhen family. Although the annual salary of officials in this dynasty is high, the expenses in the capital are even higher. My uncle's annual salary is only more than 70 strings of cash, and some subsidies are barely enough for the family to live decently.
There are many minor officials like him in Beijing, and their entire families have to live together in rented houses.
Nowadays, the population of Bianjing is increasing. The original city has expanded outward, so it is divided into inner city and outer city. My uncle's family bought the house earlier, so they bought a small house in Jinxiu Lane in the past of Inner City Street. Now, this small house may cost at least three thousand strings of cash to find.
This house wasn't even as big as the Zhen family's in Gusu. A knock on the door brought it to a close, and it was opened by Old Man Hua, who had come from Gusu. Old Man Hua had also been a Zhen family member. After my aunt married Uncle Dong, he had gone to help out at the Dong family. It had been over ten years since we last met. Old Man Hua's hair and beard were all white. My uncle and his family had treated him well, and now he was staying at Uncle Dong's house to retire, doing only light work.
When Mr. Hua saw that it was the Zhen family, tears welled up in his eyes with excitement. He had no children, and he watched Zhen's father grow up, get married, and have children. The Zhen family's children also wrote letters every year to ask how he was doing.
Mr. Hua's voice trembled as he said to Aunt Zhen who came out to greet him,
"It's my uncle and his family!"
The brother and sister had not seen each other for many years. When Aunt Zhen saw Zhen's father, she felt that her brother had aged a lot. Tears welled up in her eyes, "My eldest brother has white hair."
Zhen Shide's eyes also turned red, his temples were frosted, and there were shallow marks on his forehead. Time is unforgiving.
"Come into the house quickly. I've cleaned up the rooms since I received the letter. I've been counting on your arrival these days, so I've asked the servants to wait for you at the dock every day. But I don't know where you'll get off the boat. I'm just looking forward to your coming." Aunt Zhen sobbed and held Xu's hand. They grew up together. Her brother and sister-in-law were a few years older than her. They had treated her very well since she was a child. Since her father passed away, her brother and sister-in-law were even more worried about her and had been supporting her with financial support over the years.
"Is this Baozhu? She was still in your belly when I left! Now she has grown so beautiful?" They share the same blood, and even though they have never met, the closeness in their bones is inevitable. Aunt Zhen looked Baozhu up and down with love in her eyes, and Baozhu also greeted her aunt openly.
"Where's mother?" Seeing that only A Zhong was following behind, Aunt Zhen asked anxiously why Grandma Zhen didn't come.
"He caught a cold on the boat and is resting in the inn." Zhen's father shook his head.
Aunt Zhen was about to leave. "Which inn? Why don't you just come over? There are plenty of rooms at home. You haven't served me for decades, so why don't you even come into my daughter's house?"
Zhen Shide quickly grabbed her and said, "Mom just saw the doctor and went to bed. It's not good to ask her to go back and forth again."
The side rooms on either side of the main hall of the Dong residence connected to the east and west wing rooms. The courtyard was not large, but there were many houses. There were more than ten east and west wing rooms and ear rooms. Aunt Zhen frowned and said, "The house is all packed. Which inn are you staying at? Ask Uncle Hua to check out and bring A Niang, Bao Rong, and Da Lang over."
Zhen's father no longer refused and told the name of the inn. Hua Bo immediately drove to pick him up.
There were not many people in the Dong family, so they did not hire too many people. In addition to the cook in the kitchen, they also hired two maids and a servant. The two maids were asked to go to the dock to wait for the Zhen family. The servant was named Zao'er. Aunt Zhen gave her money and asked her to hire a sedan chair to go to the school to call Erlang and Heng'er back. She also asked her to call the master home on the way. When asked, she said that it was her uncle who came, and asked them to take leave and go home immediately.
After receiving the order, Zao'er did not dare to delay. He went out and rented a sedan chair to rush to the school to call people. After calling his two brothers, he went around to the government office to call his own master.
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