Chapter 6 Chapter 6 (Catching Bugs) Two lines of tears and relatives gathered together...
It was almost noon when Uncle Hua picked up Grandma Zhen, Dalang and Baorong who arrived first.
Later, the second brother also rushed back. Baorong hadn't seen him for months, so she jumped around him, asking him to look at the holes in her ears and the new shoes on her feet. Baozhu saw that he had lost some weight and seemed to have grown taller. As usual, she compared her height with her second brother. She had always been tall, and every year she was taller than her second brother. In the past two years, her second brother had started to grow rapidly and was now a head taller than her. Zhen Erlang looked helpless and reached out to poke her forehead.
Xu also pulled him aside to look at him, and asked if studying was hard or tiring.
Erlang smiled, "It's not hard at all. I'm not exposed to the wind or rain. I'm just thinking about home."
He had been anxious to return home when he received the letter, but his aunt and uncle held him back, saying it was pointless to return and that it would only give them an opportunity to use their academic performance as evidence. They also said that the person who replied to the letter would definitely be heading to Bianjing. Only then did he give up the thought of returning. However, his mind had been wandering for days, thinking only of family matters. Seeing his parents and Baozhu and the others, he couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. He also secretly vowed to achieve a good academic performance and not let his parents and sisters suffer such humiliation again.
The family had seen and talked enough, and Baozhu finally noticed the person who had been standing by.
The second brother introduced him again, "This is my cousin Hengzhi. I'm studying with him now."
The cousin Erlang mentioned was younger than his second brother and one year older than Baozhu, so Baozhu should call him cousin. The two of them smiled and nodded in greeting.
As soon as my uncle and aunt saw Grandma Zhen, they knelt down and kowtowed. My aunt cried. When she was in her boudoir, she was loved by her brother, sister-in-law and parents, and had never suffered. After she married Uncle Dong, she became the head of the family. She had no parents-in-law to worry about, and no concubines or maids to worry about, so she didn't suffer much. It's just that she didn't show filial piety to my mother in these years, and she always felt sad when she thought about it.
My aunt's maiden name was Zhen Shiying. Just by looking at the name, you can tell that my grandparents loved their only daughter very much.
Bianjing, worthy of being the capital, had a daily supply of fresh fish, fruits, and vegetables. As long as one had money, even out-of-season items could be purchased. The kitchen maid was skilled in cooking mutton, so she was paid to chop ten pounds of freshly slaughtered yellow mutton and order a few dishes from the restaurant. The cook didn't know any southern dishes, so the table was filled with northern dishes. Aunt Zhen had asked her to cook whatever she was good at, so the dishes served were unpredictable, with braised mutton and roasted lamb legs piling up on the table.
Both Dong and Zhen's families were small and had few relatives. The two families were both in-laws and close relatives, and they had not seen each other for many years. Although they had separate tables for men and women, they all ate in the same room, which was a good opportunity for them to talk.
Baozhu often heard her parents talk about her aunt and uncle, but this was the first time she saw them. When her uncle and aunt got married, he was already 26 years old, which was considered an older bachelor in those days. He had no one at home and lived a poor life. He could only borrow a place in the temple to study hard. Her aunt was eight years younger than him and was only 18 when she got married.
Uncle Dong is forty-six years old this year, a few years older than Uncle Zhen.
Perhaps because he had not worked for many years, he had a scholarly air. He looked younger than Zhen's father, and did not look like those fat and arrogant officials working in the Guanglu Temple.
Zhen's father often said that this uncle was a man of good character, and now it seems to be true. He never showed disdain and casual attitude because of the Zhen family's business, but was particularly respectful to Zhen's father.
"When we moved to Beijing, Jian'er had just learned to recite poems, and Yan'er had just learned to walk. Now they have both become successful people." Uncle Dong picked up some food for Dalang, and Dalang stood up to toast him with a glass of wine.
My uncle's family is also simple, and Baozhu often heard her parents mention them along the way home.
My uncle and aunt have only one cousin, whose maiden name is Dong Yuanlin. She is twenty years old this year, the same age as my eldest brother, but a few months younger.
Last year, Yuanniang married the eldest son of Song Pingshi, a judge in the Dali Temple. In terms of official rank, the two families were considered well-matched. However, the Song family held some real power, and their families had been from Bian Jing for generations. There were many people in the family, and their influence was more complicated. They were much more respectable than the Dong family. My second brother was able to enter the Imperial College because of his relationship with the Song family.
The cousin of the Dong family is named Dong Hengzhi. He is two years younger than the second brother and is sixteen years old this year. He has a handsome face, is gentle and polite, and looks more decent than his uncle.
It turns out that this cousin wasn't born to my aunt, but was the match arranged by the mentor who had mentored my uncle before his death. His biological mother was the mentor's daughter, and although she was born out of wedlock, the mentor loved her dearly. He was afraid that after his death, his daughter would be assigned to someone else and suffer. Seeing that Uncle Dong was a decent person, he begged Uncle Dong to agree to the marriage, hoping to find a place where his daughter wouldn't suffer.
Since the official position in Bianjing was filled with the help of my mentor, I could not refuse this marriage.
My aunt felt very uncomfortable at first, but the lady was a very decent and kind person. My aunt had just come to Bian Jing and was born in a poor family, so she relied on the lady for advice in many interpersonal relationships. Although the lady treated everyone indifferently, over time my aunt had treated her as a family member.
It’s a pity that she became depressed and ill shortly after giving birth to her cousin, and later died of tuberculosis.
Therefore, this cousin was raised by my aunt. He was also very good at studying. He passed the academy examination last year. Now he is a student like my second brother. He will take the autumn examination next year.
Aunt Zhen lost her virility when she gave birth to cousin Yuanlin, and that woman also died after giving birth to cousin Hengzhi. My uncle felt that the relationship in this life was shallow, so he never asked for children again.
When asked about the Sun family during the meal, Uncle Dong's words made the whole family feel relieved.
"The Sun family used to have some capabilities, but it was because they were arrogant and overconfident that they offended Emperor Taizong, which led to their relocation to Gusu. Although they can still be called an earl, they no longer inherit titles. After the emperor ascended the throne, they let go of past grudges, and the eldest master of the Sun family took the position of Deputy Envoy of the Liangzhe Transport Bureau. After all these years, I'm afraid he no longer has any connections in the capital, so there's no need to worry about their revenge. Now the eldest master of the Sun family just wants to stay in office peacefully and doesn't dare to cause any trouble for the time being."
Zhen's father was a little afraid. "After playing such a trick on the Sun family, who knows what kind of trouble will happen in Gusu City. It would be better for our family to change our household registration documents and change our names so that we can feel more at ease."
The room fell silent when the household registration issue was mentioned. Uncle Dong sighed, "The government is very strict these days. Last month, dozens of students were caught impersonating their parents to take the exam. It implicated so many people that the Minister of Revenue was almost dismissed. The Ministry of Revenue is in a state of panic right now. No matter how much money is involved, they dare not get involved in such trouble."
"Mao Guan" means faking one's place of origin. The number of successful candidates registered by the military supervisors in various prefectures and cities varies, so some people have faked their place of origin to take the imperial examinations. The Zhen family probably guessed that this would be difficult to handle. Uncle Dong then said, "Now that you've arrived in Bianjing, the Sun family has nothing to fear. Although I'm only a lowly official, if he dares to cause trouble, I can't stop him. I have some influence with the censors, and if a disturbance really comes, the Sun family will suffer."
Zhen's father reluctantly let go, "But Erlang can't go back home to take the exam. This time he has brought shame upon the Sun family. Now he is in Bianjing, far away from home and can't do anything about it. But the Zhen family's household registration is still in Gusu. If Erlang wants to take the exam, he has to go back home. The Sun family is powerful, and no matter where they get in the way, I'm afraid all the hard work Erlang has put in these years will be in vain—"
Uncle Dong immediately added, "That's exactly what I was trying to tell you. If you buy a house and land in Bianjing, you can transfer your household registration to Bianjing. Then you can directly ask Erlang to stay in Bianjing to take the exam."
Although Erlang used his connections to study at the Imperial College of the Imperial Academy, his registered residence was still in Suzhou. He originally thought that he would have to go back when it was time for the exam.
"If we can transfer our household registration to Bianjing, we can directly wait for the Imperial College entrance examination." Uncle Dong explained the key points to everyone. There are generally several types of autumn examinations. The first is the examination held by various prefectures, prefectures, and military academies. Anyone seeking admission can take the examination in their own place of residence. The second is the Imperial College entrance examination, where students from the academy take the examination after being recommended. Of course, there are also the Transportation Bureau and Kaifeng Prefecture entrance examinations, which are also easier than the regular examinations. The examinations of various prefectures, prefectures, and military academies select only one in ten thousand students who can pass the examination, but the other examinations are much simpler.
Uncle Dong asked the whole family to move their hometown to Bian Jing, so that Erlang would have an easier time in the exam.
Baozhu heard that he was just a temporary student and would return to Suzhou when it was time for the exam. If he bought a house in Bian Jing, and his uncle was a Beijing official, he could stay in the Imperial College and have the same status as the other students.
My thoughts drifted away. It turns out that no matter what era, you have to buy a school district house for your children to go to school.
Zhen's father understood as soon as he heard it, and he felt relieved to hear that he could stay in Bian Jing to take the exam. Originally, he wanted to get a fake household registration and hide in Bian Jing for two years, but he didn't expect that he could settle down directly this time. However, the expenses in Bian Jing City were really high. He had spent a lot of money in just two days. If he wanted to buy a house or land, he would probably have very little money left. He had not yet figured out what to do for a living in the future.
Hearing that Erlang could pass the exam, the whole family felt relieved and changed the subject to talk about other things.
Baozhu was having a lively conversation. Grandma Zhen was the most open-minded. She had been eating non-stop all the way from Suzhou by boat. Whenever she got to a place, she would try the local food. Before coming, she kept complaining that her aunt had not been back for many years, so she specially went to buy cakes from an old pastry shop in the city. Yesterday, she saw that she had almost finished eating.
"There are so many lively places in Bianjing. There are countless brothels, opera performances, and old musicians from the Imperial Palace. The bustle inside is endless from morning to night. If you need to eat, go to the Zhouqiao Night Market. It's crowded even at night. From Zhouqiao south to Zhuque Gate, there are food stalls all the way. There are dried fruits, meats, fried foods, stews, iced drinks, and everything in between. There's a place that makes delicious braised offal. I'll buy some back for you to try."
"If you're going out, be sure to keep your wallet safe, or someone could steal it in the blink of an eye. It's not even the holidays yet, but they're always more lively. Rich families often set off fireworks. Next time during the holidays, I'll take you to see the lanterns."
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