Chapter 339 The Zeng Family
As soon as they entered the door and were about to kneel down and kowtow, Aunt Guo saw with sharp eyes that Aunt Zhang was about to struggle to get up to avoid it, but she was held down by Mrs. Zeng's hand.
She was probably worried about her big belly, so she avoided it because it was troublesome.
She pretended not to see it at that time and knelt down anyway.
After getting up, she pretended not to recognize Aunt Zhang and stood beside Xia Shiming silently, being a well-behaved and obedient daughter-in-law.
Xia Shiming was very satisfied with her performance.
However, when he saw Xu's ferocious expression, Xia Shiming's eyebrows twisted slightly. Seeing that Xu was still polite and did not get angry, he did not reprimand her.
"Old Madam, Lord Song and Prince Song are here to pay New Year's greetings to Old Madam."
As soon as Xia Shiming and his family sat down, the maid outside the door came in to announce.
"Let them come in." Zeng said with a smile.
The people coming from the Song family are Song Huai and Song Boqing.
Today is the second day of the Lunar New Year. Song Baiqing was supposed to take his son and daughter-in-law to the Pei family to pay New Year greetings to his brother-in-law. However, a few years ago, the Song family sent a steward to deliver New Year gifts, but the Pei family turned them back.
The steward also came back with a message to the effect that the Pei family and the Song family should cut off all contact.
And Song Baiqing had made some money in the past few months. He no longer had to use Pei's money as before, but had to live by looking at Pei's face.
Seeing that the Pei family was acting arrogantly, Song Baiqing stopped putting his hot face on the Pei family's cold skin.
The two families thus broke off all contact.
And the reason why he visited the Chu family again and apologized to Mrs. Zeng howling like a wolf was because he saw that the emperor had rewarded two more Zhuangzi to Xia Zihan, and he thought that Mrs. Chu had face in front of the emperor.
Ever since he was ordered by the emperor not to be an official in the future, his friends had avoided him like a snake and a scorpion, staying away from him. Even his tribesmen complained about him and reprimanded him.
He made good friends with his aunt, and he also hoped that after he finished the funeral, he could ask his aunt to intercede with the queen and the emperor for the sake of his mother, so that he could continue to serve as an official.
In this way, his hope of the Song family's comeback increased by nine points.
As for Song Huai, ever since he broke up with Shi Wenting, he has always felt that he was ashamed of Xia Zihan and always wanted to see her.
Unfortunately, every time he came to pay his respects to Mrs. Zeng, Xia Zihan would avoid him in advance so that he would never see him.
Shi Wenting seemed to be aware of his thoughts.
Today, ostensibly because there was no one in the Shi family and no place to go on the second day of the Lunar New Year, she followed Song Huai to the Chu family to pay New Year's greetings to the Zeng family.
In fact, she was worried that Song Huai and Xia Zihan would rekindle their old relationship, so she clung to him and did not give him a chance to start over with Xia Zihan.
After this group of Song family members with ulterior motives finished kowtowing, Mrs. Zeng sat down and then told Hongmei, "Give the red envelopes I prepared to a few children."
This year Xia Zihan received another reward from the emperor. Mrs. Zeng was very happy. The money given to her children as a gift was 30% more than in previous years.
"Thank you, grandma." Xia Zilan took the red envelope and thanked her crisply, then secretly went to the side and opened it.
Seeing that there were twenty taels of silver notes inside, her eyes narrowed with joy. She grabbed Xia Ziqing beside her and whispered, "Sister, it's a silver note, it's a real silver note."
Every year, the old lady of the Xia family gives her grandchildren a few dozen copper coins as New Year's money, and never gives any banknotes.
During last year's Chinese New Year, due to the refugee issue, the emperor advocated frugality, so Zeng didn't give many red envelopes to the younger generation.
Speaking of which, this is the biggest red envelope Xia Zilan has ever received since she was so old.
She was so carried away with joy that she raised her voice so that everyone present could hear her.
Xia Zihan said, "Fourth sister, when you go to bed at night, put the red envelope under your pillow, and you will have smooth sailing throughout the year."
"I know, I get lucky money every year." Xia Zilan said with a smile. However, when she thought of something, she pursed her lips and said, "Huh, my grandmother gives me copper coins every year, which makes me feel uncomfortable every year after I get up on New Year's Day. The back of my head hurts.”
"Poof..."
Mrs. Zhuo was the first to hold back and burst into laughter.
This kid is so funny.
Even if grandma is covered with copper plates, can she still tell others?
Xia Shiming's ears turned red with embarrassment.
Fortunately, Ms. Zeng spoke up and relieved his embarrassment. She said, "When I was a child, my mother's New Year's money was divided into two types of red envelopes. The ones given to her daughter were all silver ingots. It was said that if a girl is in her mother's family, she must be rich. , Pamper yourself, and only when you leave your natal family and become a daughter-in-law in someone else’s family will you remember the goodness of your natal family.”
"I gave my son all copper coins, saying that my son should stay at home and support the family. He should develop the habit of thrift from an early age, and he should also know the value of money..."
Therefore, the Zeng family developed so quickly after they left the capital and settled in Yuanzhou, thousands of miles away.
In just ten years, he became the richest man in Yuanzhou with countless money.
But no matter how much money you have, it still belongs to others, and they are still so far away. Even if you want to borrow a few flowers, you can't.
Song Baiqing looked sad and said, "When my mother left the year before last, I sent a letter to my grandfather's family. I don't know if my uncle received it, and I still haven't heard from it."
There was so much chaos in Jiangnan last year, and then there was chaos in the capital again. Even if the Zeng family sent people, they would probably be stopped halfway.
Zeng glanced at Song Boqing lightly, "I received a letter from your uncle some time ago, saying that your uncle's grandson will come to the capital after the spring this year."
"What, someone from the Zeng family is coming?" Song Baiqing said in surprise, "Besides my cousin, who else is coming? Will my cousin come?" Cousin refers to Xiao Zeng's nephew, his uncle's nephew The son is the eldest son of the Zeng family.
When Mrs. Zeng was a girl in her parents' family, the eldest son of the Zeng family was only one or two years old. At that time, she did a lot of coaxing him, and she had a very good relationship with him.
Even when little Zeng got married, she would go back to her parents' house from time to time to see her nephew.
Later, after the Zeng family moved away, the aunt and nephew often exchanged letters, which continued until the death of little Zeng.
After Xiao Zeng passed away, Song Baiqing didn't want to sever the relationship, so he sent several letters to Dalang. But until now, those letters have all disappeared, and there is no news from the Zeng family.
He was still guessing that something had happened to the Zeng family when there was a flood last year.
But Yuanzhou is not in Jiangnan, so Yuanzhou should be fine.
But what if?
Even the capital was in trouble, how could Yuanzhou escape?
This year, he has been worried about something happening to the Zeng family.
Unexpectedly, he would actually hear the news that the Zeng family sent people to the capital. No wonder Song Baiqing was so excited.
Zeng said, "The letter doesn't make it very clear. We won't find out until someone comes."
After a pause, he added, "Da Lang is not young anymore. I'm afraid he won't be able to bear the bumps on the road."
Someone from the Zeng family would come, no matter who it was, Song Baiqing was very happy.
You know, the Zeng family is the richest man in Yuanzhou, with mountains of gold and silver. Just a little bit from their fingers is enough to feed and drink the Song family for decades.
In the past, the Zeng family would send stewards to deliver several large carts of things to the Chu family and the Song family every year, but last year and the year before that... they didn't arrive.
Just when Song Baiqing was happy, the Chu family's concierge ran out of breath and reported outside the door, "Cousin, sir, someone from the Song family is here. They say... they say Mrs. Song went... to my cousin." The master’s villa, I want my cousin to come over quickly.”
Where does the Song family have another courtyard?
Isn't it the yard where Peony lives?
When Song Boqing thought about this, his face turned pale with shock. He hurriedly said goodbye to Mr. Zeng and left in a hurry.
He even forgot to say goodbye to Xia Shiming.
Song Huai and Shi Wenting looked at each other and hurriedly left and chased after them.
Mrs. Zeng frowned and said, "During the Chinese New Year, something happened to the Song family again?"
"In the past two years, the Song family has not stopped." Zhuo said disapprovingly.
Only Xia Zihan glanced at Song Baiqing's departing back, a smile flashing deep in his eyes.
Haha...
This is a New Year gift she specially gave to the Song family and his son.
Song Boqing, Song Huai, you two, father and son, must accept them well.
Haha...
Song Huai, Song Baiqing, don't think that you can make a comeback just by making a few dollars.
If you two, father and son, want to live a good life, it depends on whether the county master is willing or not.
The County Lord is not happy. Even if you can make a fortune, the County Lord will still let you live your life without stopping.
Xia Zihan smiled sadly in his heart.
It turned out that after the Song family father and son made money, they often went to Mudan's place to have sex. Several times, Song Huai went there early, and when he was having sex with Mudan, Song Baiqing happened to go there too.
When the servant came to report, Song Huai quickly put on his clothes and secretly left through the back door of the yard.
If Song Baiqing left early, the concierge would not let Song Huai enter the courtyard.
Father and son, each playing his own way, had never met head-on. However, Xia Zihan was not happy to see Song Huai living so happily and carefree.
How could a hypocrite like him live so well?
No, absolutely not.
She sent someone to secretly give Pei the address where Mudan lived.
Mr. Pei is disabled at home, has a changeable temperament, is moody, and has a bad temper that is more powerful than firecrackers and will explode at a moment's notice.
In the past, she was petty by nature and could not tolerate other women around her husband, not even having a first wife.
Now that she was disabled, she was even more afraid that Song Baiqing would divorce her.
She and her mother's family had already fallen out. If Song Baiqing divorced her, she would be truly homeless.
Ms. Pei was scared, so she paid more attention to Song Boqing on weekdays. She gave a maid who was sweeping the floor two taels of silver and asked her to monitor Song Boqing every day.
Through this surveillance, she discovered that Song Baiqing always went out during this period, and stayed out all day.
Mrs. Pei suspected that he had contact with the previous outhouse, but she couldn't find the other person's address.
However, Ms. Pei was worthy of being the mistress of the house for decades, so she immediately ordered her maid to find Ren Yazi.
She bought ten tall and strong rough women for her to use.
(End of chapter)