After settling down Xiao An, Yang Ruoqing returned to the yard of her house next door and began to eagerly read the letter.
There wasn't much content in the letter, and it probably related to matters in Tianhai County, so Tang Yazi only mentioned the matter of sending off the bride in the letter.
To put it bluntly, he was explaining his whereabouts to his wife.
The situation was probably similar to what he told her earlier when he was at home. The procession leaving the capital on the sixth day of the fifth lunar month.
Traveling all the way across the state and counties, if we follow the original plan, we will be able to reach Tianhai County in more than a month, that is, in mid-June.
But this ninth princess is a golden girl. She has never left the imperial city since she was so old. The farthest place she has been to is hunting in the Western Mountains.
This trip to marry in Tianhai County is nothing to Luo Fengtang and others who have been marching away all year round.
But for the Ninth Princess, this was a journey across thousands of mountains and rivers, traveling overland along the way, and she got carsick.
When changing waterways, she became seasick, vomited until she was almost dehydrated, and almost lost her life.
The entire bride-to-be team had to stop and go because of this delicate and elegant Ninth Princess. The journey that was supposed to take more than one month ended up taking more than two months.
I left Beijing on the sixth day of May and arrived on the eighth day of July.
"Today is July 12th, and the princess's escort team has already settled down at the post house in Tianhai County," Yang Ruoqing thought silently in her heart.
"The date of the wedding is set on the Dragon Boat Festival on the 15th day of the eighth lunar month, which means there is still a whole month left."
"It has been nearly four months since Tianhai County in Da'an District. I don't know how the investigation into the whereabouts of the money that was lost due to corruption by the Tianhai County Sheriff went?"
…
Xiao An's return to the village happened to coincide with the Ghost Festival on July 14th.
The Ghost Festival is about worshiping ancestors. Before the Ghost Festival last year, Sun and the others had left Changping Village for the capital under the escort of Yang Ruoqing.
Yang Huazhong was left alone at home to take care of all this, and it was deserted.
But this year is different.
Although Da'an was not at home, Xiaoan happened to be back and was able to help Yang Huazhong do these things.
In addition, Feng'er, the eldest grandson, is also at home, so the Yang Huazhong family is busy.
On the Ghost Festival, the people from Sanfang followed Lao Yangtou and went to Mianniu Mountain behind the village to worship their ancestors.
The day after the ancestor worship was completed, Xiao An left for Qing'an County.
Before leaving, Mrs. Sun stuffed autumn clothes into Xiao An's baggage, as well as Xiao An's favorite food.
After seeing off Xiao An, Mrs. Sun looked at the end of the road, still a little reluctant to leave.
Yang Ruoqing put her arms around Sun's shoulders and comforted her: "Mom, people's hearts are not as strong as snakes swallowing elephants. In the past, my brother followed Tang Yazi to the battlefield. You were so worried at home that you never had a good night's sleep."
"Now my brother has found a good job in nearby Qing'an County, and you are here again, saying that you are far away from home."
"If you are like this, how about I go get my brother back and tell him not to go anywhere, and just stay at home and take care of the crops with our father?"
Mrs. Sun quickly shook her head: "No, no, no, no, no, I'm just talking casually, that's just my habit..."
Yang Ruoqing smiled and said nothing.
Sun continued: "This is the best thing right now. I can come back every quarter. I am very satisfied and relieved."
"That's right. Come on, let's go back to the house. Your eldest grandson will wake up later. I want you, the grandma, to take him to the village to play in the afternoon!"
Under the old maple tree at the entrance of the village, every morning before the sun rises, and every evening after the sun sets,
A group of old women with children gathered under the old maple tree.
The daughters-in-law have to go out to work and have no time to stay at home to take care of the children. The grandmothers are basically responsible for taking care of the children.
So the bottom of the old maple tree became their paradise, and Mrs. Sun also joined in. Pushing a small cart made by Yang Huazhong made of green bamboo, Feng'er took Feng'er to enjoy the cool, play and listen to gossip under the old maple tree.
"Qing'er, you are still here eating watermelon, you are still in the mood to eat watermelon, something is going on at the old house!"
Yang Huamei ran out of breath and came to find Yang Ruoqing, just in time to catch up with Yang Ruoqing eating watermelon.
When she eats watermelon, she just cuts it in half, holds it in her arms with a spoon and eats it.
Seeing Yang Huamei coming in, Yang Ruoqing directly pushed the other half of the watermelon next to her.
"Auntie, eat watermelon," she said.
Yang Huamei said: "I won't eat if I don't want to eat. I'm not in the mood to eat. There's something going on at the old house again. Someone's coming from the Hu family!"
"Hu family?" Yang Ruoqing spit out the watermelon seeds in her mouth, "Which Hu family?"
"Which Hu family can there be? Of course it's the Hu family in Jishui Town, the Hu family where He'er went back last time!" Yang Huamei said.
Yang Ruoqing suddenly understood and put down the spoon: "What, what are the people from the Hu family doing? That Hu member was beheaded in Washikou right after spring."
"Mrs. Hu also died of illness. Her daughter-in-law ran off with the housekeeper's son and took the money. There is no one in the Hu family. Why are you still here? Visiting relatives?"
The latter sentence was originally a joke, but Yang Huamei said: "You are really right, I really came here to visit relatives. A brother from the dead member Hu's clan came to see your fourth uncle by name, and And with the kids.”
"Child?" Yang Ruoqing opened her eyes wide, "Could it be... the son born to He'er?"
When Yang Ruoqing was dragged over by Yang Huamei in the old house of the Yang family, villagers who came to watch the excitement gathered around the front and back yards of the Yang family.
Even the women whose territory was supposed to be under the old maple tree moved here with their children to watch the excitement.
There are many stools placed in the backyard of Lao Yang's house. Lao Yangtou, Tan family, Liu family, and Yang Ruohe are all there.
Xiaojuan also stood far away with Goudan in her arms, tying up her ears to listen.
There was also a middle-aged couple sitting on a bench in the middle of the yard. Judging from the clothes they were wearing, they didn't look wealthy.
The man's elbows are still patched, and the woman has a bamboo hairpin stuck in her bun.
In the woman's arms, there was also a child. The child looked to be about ten months old. He was held in the arms of the woman. He did not cry or fuss. He opened his eyes and looked up at the sky. It seemed like these strange things were in front of him. The adults have nothing to do with him.
"Look at that kid, he looks so much like He'er!"
Yang Huamei secretly touched Yang Ruoqing's elbow and whispered.
Yang Ruoqing said: "This child is so courageous. If other children had seen this scene, they would have cried."
Yang Huamei said: "Children without a father or a mother are probably like this. My Dabai and Xiaohei are pampered by the whole family, but they are still so timid."
Yang Ruoqing said: "I think Dabai and Xiaohei are quite good. Auntie, you have too high demands on the two younger brothers."
However, Yang Ruoqing felt that there seemed to be some truth to her aunt's words.
Chen'er has not grown up beside his parents since he was a child, but Chen'er's potential, looking at the whole Daqi, can you find how many children of the same age can compare with it?
