Zheng Ren and Xue Zhi were at an impasse, and Zheng Xiu was caught in the middle and it was difficult for her to be a good person. She understood her father's concerns and could also understand Xue Zhi's difficulties.
"Dad, Azhi doesn't want to say it, maybe he really has his reasons. He's not the kind of person who tells lies, otherwise he'd lie to fool us, wouldn't we be able to tell?"
Zheng Ren's anger had subsided a lot, but he still said, "Dad doesn't understand what can't be said, and I'm not the kind of person who talks too much, even if I know, I won't tell anyone..."
"Father-in-law," Xue Zhi said, "the family situation is really complicated, and we have some reputation in the capital, and we're not a shameful family. It's just that I left home for many years, and I don't want to live under the protection of my family anymore. I don't want to tell you, but I left home and promised my mother."
When he left the Duke of Qing's Mansion, he was only sixteen years old. He was exactly the age of Zheng Xiu now.
Before leaving, he went to the nunnery to visit his mother.
His mother had ignored worldly affairs for many years, but she unexpectedly received him that day.
Perhaps it was true that mother and son were connected by heart. His mother saw what was on his mind, but she did not stop him or say much. She just asked him to give up his identity as the son of the Duke's Mansion and live his own life.
In fact, Xue Zhi would have done the same without her saying it.
For many years outside, he was just living as an ordinary person, from being at a loss at first to being happy in the end.
The position of the second son of the Duke of Qing's Mansion was so far away from him, as if he was another person.
Zheng Xiu advised him a few more times, and Zheng Ren closed his eyes tiredly and said, "Since you don't want to say it, I can't force you. Just remember, if there is a next time..."
Xue Zhi immediately said, "Don't worry, father-in-law, except for my family background in Beijing, there is nothing else to hide!"
Zheng Ren had a day of classes in the academy and was naturally tired. After saying this, he let Xue Zhi and Zheng Xiu go out.
After returning to the room, Zheng Xiu did not mention this matter again, and urged Xue Zhi to go to the clean room to take a bath.
After the two washed up in turn, they turned off the lights and got on the kang.
Xue Zhi expected Zheng Ren's questioning, but he was surprised that Zheng Xiu didn't ask a single question. He thought that women would think too much, but his little girl was calm and composed.
"Axiu, don't you blame me?" Xue Zhi turned his head and asked her softly in the dark.
Zheng Xiu thought, what's so strange about this? She also regarded the Zheng family as her own family, but even so, wouldn't she tell them about her identity as a time traveler? She thought others were completely understandable.
"Okay, stop thinking about it and go to sleep."
Xue Zhi smiled slightly in the dark and responded softly.
After Princess Guihe came, the life of the Zheng family seemed to have not changed at all. Except that Zheng Ren no longer had the same friendly expression when facing Xue Zhi.
The days passed quickly and it was June. The sun was scorching the earth endlessly, and
the weather was so hot that people almost hated to not wear clothes.
Although the Zheng family was considered wealthy in the town, they were not the kind of family that could use ice, so they still relied on some traditional methods to cool down.
Zheng Xiu felt weak every day, too lazy to move, and began to miss the days in the air-conditioned room.
No one in the family had much appetite at lunch. In order to prevent heat stroke, Zheng Ren and the two children did not come back for lunch, but just ate a little in the academy and the school.
Zheng Xiu would sweat a lot just by getting up early and making breakfast every day. Their not coming back at noon also reduced her burden, so she simply made some cold noodles for lunch. However, Old Man Zheng and Old Lady Zheng had weak spleens and stomachs, so they could not eat too much cold noodles even though they liked their appetite, so Zheng Xiu made some hot food for them.
In this kind of weather, no one would want to go out unless it was something important.
So when Zheng Xiu saw Zhu, who was sweating profusely, at her doorstep that morning, her first reaction was not disgust, but surprise. She was surprised that Zhu, who was so lazy, would go out in this kind of weather. Zhu
, carrying a basket in one hand and wiping her sweat with a handkerchief in the other, arrived at Zheng's house and hurried into the main room - it was too hot outside, and she felt like she was going to be sunburned all the way.
Zheng Xiu followed her into the house. "It's so hot, Second Aunt came specially. Is there something wrong?"
Zhu put the basket on the table and said with a breath of heat, "Of course there is something wrong. Are your grandpa and grandma at home?"
Zheng Xiu nodded, "Grandpa and grandma are in the house."
Zhu sat down to rest for a while, and when she recovered, she smiled and said, "Then I will go find them, and Xiu girl will come with me."
Zheng Xiu looked at Zhu's face full of joy and was also curious in her heart, so she followed.
Zhu knocked on the door and entered the house. Old man Zheng was leaning on the kang, and old lady Zheng was fanning herself with a palm leaf fan.
When he saw Zhu, Old Man Zheng immediately sat up and said unhappily, "Second brother, what are you doing here?"
It was a hot day and people's tempers would be a little irritable. What's more, the person who came was the annoying Zhu, so Old Man Zheng naturally didn't have a good face.
No matter how thick-skinned Zhu was, she still felt embarrassed when he yelled at her in front of Zheng Xiu. However, when she thought of the purpose of her visit today, she straightened her back and said, "My husband asked someone to bring back some things, so I brought them here specially for my parents."
When she heard that it was the second son who brought back the things, Old Mrs. Zheng asked hurriedly, "Is the second son doing well outside? When will he be back?"
Zhu said, "He sent a message back saying that everything is fine outside and told us not to worry, but he didn't say when he would be back." As she spoke, Zhu lifted the blue cloth covering the basket, which was filled with things that Zheng Quan had someone bring back. There were medicine for old man Zheng, an embroidered eyebrow band for old lady Zheng, a small jar of tea for Zheng Ren, two plain locket handkerchiefs for Zheng Xiu, a dagger for Xue Zhi, and two inkstones for the two children.
Old lady Zheng couldn't help but smack her lips and said, "How much money must it cost to buy so many things!"
Zhu was also shocked when she saw so many things at first, but now she calmed down and said, "My husband said he could make money outside, so he brought some gifts for everyone in the family."
When she said this, Zhu subconsciously straightened her back and raised her chin, thinking that after marrying into the Zheng family for so many years, she finally felt proud! You have to know that two months ago, when Zheng Xiu got married, the Zheng family didn't ask her, the second aunt, to help. They just invited her to a meal on the day of the wedding. But now that her husband has made a name for himself, she can come openly and no one can say anything wrong about her! Of course, if it wasn't for this, maybe she wouldn't have been so eager to send so many good things, and maybe she would have secretly kept them for herself.
Zheng Xiu watched from the side, and felt even more strange. How come her second uncle had been doing nothing at home for so many years, and he went out to do business and became so successful in just a few months? Could it be that business has become so simple now?
It shouldn't be possible. History books said that the sprouts of capitalism appeared during the Ming Dynasty. Although the dynasty she is in now does not conform to any dynasty in history, it is very similar to the Ming Dynasty in terms of culture and economy.
Business in this era should not be so simple.
"Aunt, did Uncle tell me what kind of business he does outside?"
Zhu shook her head and said indifferently: "He only said a few words, and didn't say that much. But it's useless to say it. We may not understand those tricks even if we tell them to us." Besides, her husband sent money and gifts back every few months when he was away. It's such a good business. Even if she knew, she would never say a word to outsiders!
Zheng Xiu was not convenient to continue asking.
Old man Zheng also had a smile on his face, and he didn't scold Zhu anymore. After all, as parents, there is no one who doesn't want their children to be successful. Now that the second son has made progress, he is also happy in his heart.
After distributing the gifts, Zhu smiled and talked to old man Zheng and old lady Zheng for a while, then said that she had something to do at home and went back first.
After seeing Zhu off, Zheng Xiu took the handkerchief that her second uncle brought back for her and returned to her room. She thought that Xue Zhi was quite knowledgeable and wanted to ask him what kind of business could make money so quickly.
But although Xue Zhi had been away for many years, he had always been living on his own, relying on his own strength to hunt, and he didn't know anything about business. However, he could tell that this handkerchief was a popular pattern in Jiangnan. He had seen similar ones at home. Of course, the craftsmanship and materials were much more sophisticated than the one Zheng Quan brought back.
The two guessed for a long time and finally figured it out.
In the evening, Zheng Ren and the two children came back.
Old lady Zheng distributed gifts to everyone with a smile.
The two children were very happy to get the inkstone. Zheng Ren, however, had the same idea as Zheng Xiu. He originally thought that Zheng Quan was just following Chen Er to do some small things, but he didn't expect that he could actually make some money. Seeing how generous he was, he couldn't help but worry if he still couldn't make enough money in a few months.
Zheng Quan was a lazy and idle person, but although he was busy, he stayed at home and had never had the habit of stealing outside since he was a child. Moreover, he was not very courageous. He didn't have the courage to do anything illegal.
Thinking of this, Zheng Ren was worried but didn't want to intervene.
At the end of June, Zheng Xian's marriage was also settled. The man was a poor scholar named Zhang in the town.
Zhu had been hoping that her daughter could marry a rich man, and this was her wish come true.
Although the scholar Zhang was poor, he passed the imperial examination before he was 20 years old. He was also ambitious and well-mannered, and his future was limitless.
His family was really penniless. His father died early, and his mother did not remarry. She raised him with great difficulty and supported him to study and pass the imperial examinations.
The Zhang family was an orphan and a widow, and they all relied on the mother of the scholar Zhang to support the family. When her son became successful, his mother naturally found a daughter-in-law who could help him. A few years ago, before Zheng Xiu talked about her second marriage, her mother had thought about marrying Zheng Ren.
Later, Zheng Ren didn't like her family and promised Zheng Xiu to someone else.
When Zheng Xiu's second marriage failed and she was labeled as a "husband-killer", Zhang Xiu's mother looked down on her.
She even thought that Zheng Xiu was barely worthy of her son, let alone Zheng Xian.
When they heard that Zheng Xian was talking about this marriage, Zheng Ren and Zheng Xiu were very surprised.
Zhang Xiu's mother was ambitious and famous in the whole town.
Zhu was very proud and went to Zheng's house to show off after the marriage was arranged. From her words, everyone knew that it was because Zhang Xiucai's mother had recently fallen seriously ill and the family had no money to treat her. Zhu took the money brought back by Zheng Quan and came to help, and the two families finally made an agreement.
Zheng Xiu thought that this marriage was not good, but now the Zhang family was at the end of their rope and had no other choice, so they agreed to the marriage. But in the future, if Zhang Xiucai's mother recovered from her illness and Zhang Xiucai passed the imperial examination and became a judge or even a Jinshi, would he still be interested in Zheng Xian? In addition, Zhang Xiucai and his mother had been dependent on each other for many years, so he would definitely put his mother first in everything. His mother looked down on Zheng Xian from the bottom of her heart, so would Zheng Xian's life be good after she got married?
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