Chapter 142 Discovery
Zhao Xiao slept for three hours and when he woke up, the train was about to arrive at the station.
He sat up and looked outside. A huge building not far away caught his attention: "What is that?"
Song Yuzhu said: "Shangjing Railway Station, I remember I mentioned it to you before."
It was mentioned two years ago, but what is said and what is actually built are two completely different things!
With the whistle sounded, the train stopped steadily at the platform.
After getting off the train, both Zhao Xiao and the other people on the Hope were shocked by the magnificent architecture of the train station.
Charles looked up and said, "Is this...is this a palace? It looks even more magnificent than the Cathedral of Notre Dame in the Papal States."
Song Yutang murmured, "I don't know either. It wasn't even completed when we left."
Walking through the back door to the lobby, there were five huge gilded characters on the wall, which read "Shangjing Railway Station". Song Yutang then realized that this was just a place to wait for the train.
When I got out of the train station, the people waiting to greet me at the gate had been waiting for a long time.
Li Dehai stepped forward with a smile on his face: "General Zhao, you are finally back. We have been waiting for you for so long!"
Zhao Xiao couldn't help but smile when he saw his old face: "Virtue, hurry up and call a car to take the emperor back to the palace."
"Why!"
The eunuchs led the carriage over. Zhao Xiao helped Song Yuzhu get on the carriage. He asked his subordinates for a horse and walked beside the carriage.
After they left, other officials' carriages and sedan chairs dared to come and take their own masters home.
Song Yutang's parents, wife and children all came. As soon as Qin saw him, she hugged him and sobbed.
"Son, I miss you so much!"
Song Yutang looked at the white hair growing in his mother's hair and couldn't help but feel a lump in his throat. He patted his mother on the back and said, "Don't cry. Your son is back."
Song Qiao said, "Okay, Tang'er has been traveling for so long, let him go home and have a rest."
Qin let go of her son and wiped her tears, looking him up and down, her eyes full of love.
Zhang from the back called out softly, "Yutang."
When Song Yutang saw his wife, he hurried over and held her hand.
The two sons were looking at him timidly. The eldest son was five years old, and the youngest son was only two and a half years old. Neither of them remembered their father.
Song Yutang squatted down, picked up the two of them and said, "Xing'er, Chen'er, have you forgotten your father?"
The second child struggled to be held by his mother, and the eldest child blushed for a long time before he shouted, "Dad..."
"Hey!" Song Yutang excitedly kissed both of his sons on the face.
Song Qiao said: "It's so cold, let's go home quickly."
Song Yutang put his son down and said, "You go back first. I still have some official business to attend to. I will be back soon."
He had to first report to the Maritime Customs and work with officials from the Ministry of Works to arrange for the seeds, pigs and sheep brought from the West.
The weather is cold, so pigs and sheep cannot stay outside for too long, so we need to find a place to put them in as soon as possible. They are transported all the way from the West, and if one dies, everyone will be held responsible.
Although the seeds are not afraid of cold weather, they must be handed over to the Agricultural Department, who will keep them properly and cultivate them when the weather warms up.
And Duke Charles his daughter.
The two were supposed to be in charge of the Honglu Temple, but Charles only knew Song Yutang and didn't want to communicate with other people. Song Yutang had no choice but to do more work for them and settle them in the Kyoto Hall.
Charles had more than ten boxes of gifts, and he sent someone to deliver them directly to the Kyoto mansion.
This is a place specially provided for foreign guests to rest temporarily. If Charles intends to stay in Daqi for a long time, it would certainly be more convenient to buy another house.
After seeing his family off, Song Yutang took Charles and his daughter on a carriage and headed towards the Maritime Customs.
The three of them were looking out the window along the way. After not seeing them for two years, Zhengyang Street had changed a lot, with many new buildings.
There are flowers, plants and trees planted on both sides of the street. Although it is winter now, it is not difficult to imagine that this street will be very beautiful in spring and summer.
The prosperity of Daqi was too much for them to take in. They crossed Zhengyang Street and the carriage turned into the alley.
Charles finally understood what they were laughing at on the train. This place was much cleaner than Anton Tepe!
Whether it was the main street or the alley, the ground was paved with neatly laid bricks, without even a speck of mud, let alone feces or urine.
"Song, where do your people go to the bathroom?"
Song Yutang said: "Every household in the city has a toilet, there are also public toilets in the city, there are sewage pipes underground, and feces will be discharged outside the city."
"Isn't there anyone dumping manure into the city?"
Song Yutang shook his head: "No, this behavior is too bad and will be ridiculed by others."
Charles nodded, not quite understanding.
The carriage stopped in front of the gate of the Maritime Customs, and Song Yutang's immediate superior and officials from the Ministry of Works came out to greet him.
They were all stunned when they saw two barbarians coming out of the car.
Song Yutang explained, "This is Duke Charles. He was asked to help arrange accommodation for him, so I brought him along."
"Oh, welcome, welcome. Yutang, you are finally back. You must have had a hard time on this trip!" The boss held Song Yutang's hand and kept greeting him.
There is a high probability that Song Yutang will be transferred after the new year, and given his status, naturally no one dares to cause trouble for him.
The job report was simple, just go back and report. Song Yutang handed over a large bag of seeds to the Ministry of Agriculture and told the officials of the Ministry of Works about the habits of sheep and white pigs, and they would take care of them themselves.
After leaving the Maritime Customs, Song Yutang sent Charles and little Nina to the Kyoto Mansion.
On the way, I also bought chestnut cakes, red bean cakes and nougat from Shangjing for the two of them.
The soft, sweet and fragrant chestnut cake melted in the mouth, and little Nina screamed with joy.
“Wow, it’s delicious!”
She picked up a piece and handed it to her father. Charles tasted it and his eyes lit up immediately, shocked by the wonderful taste.
"What is this?"
Song Yutang introduced with a smile: "This is a pastry made of chestnuts. If you like it, you can ask the servants in the mansion to buy it for you."
Charles couldn't help but eat another piece, "Is this expensive?"
"Thirty coins a box, ten pieces in each box, converting to your currency, that's about thirty copper coins."
Charles was shocked again: “So cheap!”
Song Yutang said: "There are many kinds of delicious food like this in Shangjing. I will take you to taste them one by one when I have time."
"Thank you!" Charles picked up another piece of chestnut cake and ate it. He seldom ate too much due to his illness, so he had to say that Daqi's cake was very much to his liking.
Soon the carriage arrived at the Kyoto Hotel, and a servant at the door led them to the room that had been arranged in advance.
The mansion actually arranged a small courtyard for Charles. It was probably that Zhao Xiao sent someone to instruct him in advance.
Song Yutang sent the two here and prepared to go home.
"If you need anything, you can send the servants in the yard to call me. They all know where I live. Don't worry about your illness. My father and uncle are both doctors. They will help you treat your illness when they have time."
Charles reached out and hugged him: "Thank you, Yutang."
Song Yutang was not used to their etiquette, so he patted him awkwardly and said, "Have a good rest, I'll come back to see you in a few days."
After Song Yutang left, Charles took his daughter into the house.
The room had been lit with a stove and incense in advance, making it very warm. The servants had prepared tea and food and asked them if they wanted to eat.
The two of them had already eaten a lot of pastries on the way and couldn't eat anything else. Charles waved his hand and asked them to go out.
Nina sat on the bed obediently and said, "Dad, it's so nice here."
Charles asked, "Do you like it here?"
"Yeah!" Little Nina nodded heavily.
Charles also liked this place. He had lived in prosperous France when he was young, where there were magnificent palaces. But compared with Daqi, it was like a village and not worth mentioning.
Not to mention the Hope and the train they took on the way, Daqi was far greater than he had imagined.
Charles stroked his daughter's hair and said, "Let's stay here a little longer then."
*
In the palace, Zhao Xiao had just finished taking a shower and changed into comfortable clothes. Song Yuzhu brought a dry towel to help him wipe his hair.
In the past two years, because it is inconvenient to use fresh water on the ship, everyone uses sea water to bathe. After bathing in sea water for a long time, salt particles can be rubbed off the body.
Song Yuzhu also changed into casual clothes, and the two of them prepared to go to the Song Mansion.
When Song Bai learned that Zhao Xiao was coming back today, he sent Song Quan to the palace early to deliver a letter, asking the two to go home for dinner.
Because Zhao Xiao is alone and has no relatives around him, Song Bai and Jiang Rong are always concerned about him.
After drying his hair, Song Yuzhu took out a black jade crown carved with dragon patterns from her bosom and helped him tie it in his hair.
Zhao Xiao touched the jade crown in front of the mirror and said, "There is a dragon pattern on it. What if someone sees it and thinks I am plotting a rebellion?"
"Who cares? As long as Xiao looks good with him, it's fine."
"Don't be blinded by beauty."
"I want to be a tyrant." Song Yuzhu lay on his back and rubbed his neck like a kitten.
Zhao Xiao lifted him up on his back and shook his buttocks: "You've lost weight, did you not eat well?"
"Alas, my beauty is not here, I have no appetite or tea... Eh? Hahaha, stop it, stop it..." Zhao Xiao turned around and hugged him in front of him, tickling him.
Li Dehai, who was outside the door, heard the laughter inside and couldn't help but sigh in his heart, it has to be General Zhao, no one else will do.
After arguing for a while, the two of them took a car back to the Song Mansion.
Song Quan had been waiting there for a long time, and when he saw the carriage he hurried over to meet it.
"General Zhao, you're back!"
Zhao Xiao jumped off the carriage and said with a smile, "I'm back."
Song Yuzhu also got off the carriage by stepping on the horse stool, and the group walked towards the mansion.
"Master and Madam, the Young Master and General Zhao are back!"
Song Bai and Jiang Rong in the yard heard the shouts and hurried out to greet them, and Song Yutong also ran over behind.
"Brother Zhao, Brother Zhao!" the little girl shouted.
"Hey!" Zhao Xiao picked up Song Yutong and pinched her little nose.
"Remember me?"
Six-year-old Song Yutong smiled, revealing two hollow front teeth: "Remember, you took me riding a horse!"
Song Bai took his daughter and said, "It's cold outside, come inside."
After entering the house, the servants began to set the table and prepare for dinner. Song Bai took out his treasured wine and said, "No one usually drinks with me, so today, Xiao will accompany uncle for a couple of glasses."
"good."
He Xiang brought a large bowl of noodles and placed it in front of him, saying, "This is the noodles that Madam personally rolled for you. There is a saying in my hometown: eat dumplings when you get on the bus and noodles when you get off. Once you eat noodles, you are home."
A warm feeling flowed into his heart, Zhao Xiao looked at Jiang Rong with gratitude. He grew up in a circus troupe, and later wandered on the streets. No one ever cared about him. This scene was something he dared not imagine even in his dreams.
Jiang Rong said, "Eat it while it's hot. It won't taste good if it gets cold."
"Hey!" Zhao Xiao picked up the chopsticks and finished it in a few bites.
Plate after plate of delicious food was served on the table, and Song Yuzhu had a rare big appetite and ate until she was full.
Zhao Xiao had a better appetite. After finishing that bowl of noodles, he ate a lot of dishes and drank several glasses of wine with Song Bai, which made Song Bai drunk.
Song Yuzhu helped his father back to his room. Song Bai burped and said, "Brother Zhao has a good alcohol tolerance. Let's drink next time."
Jiang Rong didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "These two are drinking at different levels!"
Zhao Xiao smiled so hard that his teeth were showing.
After everyone left, Jiang Rong's face suddenly changed and she said, "Zhao Xiao, tell me the truth, what is your relationship with Yuzhu?"
(End of this chapter)
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