"Ah, brother Wen Long finally received a letter!" Zhang Jinchao picked up the letter and shouted in surprise.
Zheng Lifang asked in slight surprise: "Brother Wenlong? Who is Brother Wenlong? Why haven't I heard you say that there is a person named Brother Wenlong?"
Zhang Jinchao said excitedly: "Brother Wenlong is my classmate. At the beginning, we took the imperial examination together and were appointed officials by the emperor together. In the blink of an eye, it has been three or five years since we broke up."
Wang Shaoxiang still didn't quite understand: "Husband, why did Brother Wenlong suddenly write to you?"
"Madam, let me ask you, how did I treat the people when I was an official in the court?" Zhang Jinchao asked without answering.
Wang Shaoxiang smiled: "You have never told me, how can I know how you are in the eyes of the people? However, judging from our family's current situation of poverty, lack of food and clothing, at least it proves that you are not a corrupt official."
"Our Zhang family has been officials for generations, and our ancestors even left a legacy to warn future generations to be honest and upright as officials. Back then, I, Zhang Jinchao, wanted to repay the favor of the imperial court and glorify the Zhang family family. I have always been diligent and honest in government. However, I was framed by a treacherous official and dismissed me from office and returned to my hometown. Therefore, I never gave up and refused! Before returning to my hometown, I asked Brother Wenlong to help me excuse myself from the court and look for opportunities to make a comeback. Later, I heard that If Brother Wenlong is promoted to Hanlin bachelor's degree, he will have a better chance to speak for me, so last year, I asked someone to send him a letter." Zhang Jinchao recounted eloquently.
Wang Shaoxiang was about to speak but stopped.
Zhang Jinchao opened the letter hopefully.
He was content not to look, but this look was like a bolt from the blue, and he stood there blankly.
It turned out that the letter said: Brother Nian has entrusted you with something that you must keep in mind. Brother's predicament in Handan is like a tiger falling on a flat sun, which Wenlong can only imagine. Wenlong teamed up with his colleagues, contacted the same year, and assured the emperor several times that the report was inaccurate...
In a daze, Zhang Jinchao seemed to hear Guan Zhenjiang mockingly say to him: You, Zhang Jinchao, have offended me, don't even think about being reinstated!
This sound struck Zhang Jinchao's heart like a heavy hammer.
He yelled "Wow", a stream of blood spurted out from his mouth, and his whole body fell to the ground...
Wang Shaoxiang and Xiao Shaofei exclaimed in unison: "Husband..."
"father……"
…
In order to save Zhang Jinchao's life, Wang Shaoxiang took Xiao Shaofei and staggered into Handan City.
Entering the north of the city, Wang Shaoxiang looked around, her eyes patrolling a store. Finally, she hesitated, walked to a grocery store, and asked the waiter, asking sincerely: "Brother, waiter, where is the pawn shop in the city?" "
The waiter looked at the woman and child and said impatiently: "Go, go, go and inquire about business elsewhere..."
Wang Shaoxiang pulled Xiao Shaofei and was about to turn around and leave when a middle-aged man walked out.
He is the owner of this grocery store, his surname is Zhang Daocheng. He kindly said to Wang Shaoxiang: "Sister-in-law, where are you from?"
Wang Shaoxiang said: "My mother and I are from Taizhen Village. The child's father is ill and has no money for treatment, so he wanted to go to the pawn shop..."
"Sister-in-law, you go forward to the fourth intersection, then walk north about 80 meters, cross the intersection and go west to the third intersection and then turn north..." Zhang Daocheng gave kind instructions.
Wang Shaoxiang was confused and said sheepishly, "Boss, which way is north? I was a little dizzy..."
"I'd better take you there to prevent you from going the wrong way." Zhang Daocheng said apologetically.
"Thank you so much!" Zheng Lifang bowed to Zhang Daocheng with great gratitude, and then followed him to the pawn shop.
When Wang Shaoxiang saw a shopkeeper at the counter, he handed over a bag of clothes.
The shopkeeper took out a new official uniform from the bag and looked at Wang Shaoxiang: "Where did this official uniform come from? Was it stolen from the Yamen?"
Wang Shaoxiang looked at the shopkeeper sternly and said, "Although our Zhang family has been abandoned, we would rather starve to death than steal other people's things!"
The pawnshop owner picked up his official uniform, looked at Wang Shaoxiang suspiciously, and asked, "You are a commoner, and this is your official uniform?"
Wang Shaoxiang looked at the official uniform and said seriously: "This official uniform belongs to my master. My master became an official in the court three years ago, so of course he has an official uniform."
The shopkeeper looked at the official uniform and estimated: This official uniform is the same as the one worn by Master Shangshu...
So, looking at Wang Shaoxiang, he asked tentatively: "Sister-in-law, your master once served as a minister in the court?"
Wang Shaoxiang nodded and said, "Oh, that was all three years ago."
The shopkeeper was puzzled and asked: "People say that once you serve as an official, you will become rich. Since you are a family of high officials, do you still need to be a clothesman?"
Wang Shaoxiang sighed, speechless.
"Big shopkeeper, three years ago, a senior official was demoted from the court to our Handan. It seems that these two women are his family. I think you should not make things difficult for her." Zhang Daocheng, who was standing aside, said to Wang Shaoxiang say.
"Since Boss Zhang said it, I will take away the official uniform." The shopkeeper took out a few pieces of broken silver from the drawer.
Wang Shaoxiang took the broken silver and, under Zhang Daocheng's guidance, took Xiao Shaofei into the Chinese medicine shop to dispense the medicine.
This is the first time Xiao Shaofei has been to Handan City since he was born.
…
The winding Taizhen Village is still full of clouds and colorful scenery, but the Wang family house in the village has lost the laughter and vitality of the past.
Xiao Shaofei sat silently in the kitchen, using a rotten sunflower fan to cook medicine in a small clay stove.
In the bedroom, Zhang Jinchao lay frozen on the bamboo bed, motionless, like a corpse.
After a while, he turned over, opened his eyes and rolled around. Two lines of tears fell from the corners of his eyes. "Alas, madam, there is no hope of reinstating my husband..." Zhang Jinchao lamented.
"Husband, if you don't want to be an official, just don't do it. God's power is unpredictable, and you live in fear all day long. If you are not careful, you will lose your black gauze hat." Wang Shaoxiang explained.
Just as Zhang Jinchao was thinking about something, a mouthful of phlegm came up and he coughed violently. His body was shaking and he couldn't breathe.
Wang Shaoxiang came over quickly, and while gently beating his back, he shouted sadly: "Master... Master, don't make it difficult for yourself..."
After a long time, Zhang Jinchao finally spit out a mouthful of phlegm, gasped for air, and fell asleep after a while.
In the kitchen, Xiao Shaofei, who was making medicine, seemed to be stuck in some kind of thinking that was constantly cutting and unorganizing, with an extremely confused expression on his face.
The rotten sunflower fan in Xiao Shaofei's hand kept fanning the wind.
Wang Shaoxiang shouted from inside the room: "Fei'er, is the medicine ready?"
But Xiao Shaofei didn't realize it, and he was still thinking hard.
Wang Shaoxiang called twice more, but still got no answer, so he walked out of the room.
Seeing that Xiao Shaofei was in a daze, she tapped him lightly with a fire stick.
Xiao Shaofei asked blankly: "What's the matter, Auntie?"
Wang Shaoxiang said angrily: "What's the matter! What's the matter? I asked you to make medicine, where did your soul go?"
Only then did Xiao Shaofei realize that the fire was almost extinguished.
After Xiao Shaofei fanned the fire in the stove, he looked at Zheng Lifang and asked puzzledly: "Mom, why do you still keep that official uniform?"
"Why are you asking about this? It's more scheming than making medicine." Wang Shaoxiang whitened at Xiao Shaofei.
"Can I get that official uniform back in the future?" Xiao Shaofei asked again.
Wang Shaoxiang said angrily: "Why are you coming back? Your father is daydreaming! He wants to be reinstated unless the sun rises from the west..."
Xiao Shaofei tilted his head and asked, "Dad vomited blood because of this and became so angry that he got sick?"
Wang Shaoxiang spread his hands and said: "Who says otherwise? He has been in Handan for three years, but he has been looking forward to being re-employed by the court one day. Now his hope has been shattered. Without this breath, he will not be able to survive..."
Xiao Shaofei blinked and said, "Why does Dad think so?"
"It's not just to gain a good reputation in front of others." Wang Shaoxiang said with a bitter face.
"Is reputation that important?" Xiao Shaofei looked at Wang Shaoxiang uncertainly.
Wang Shaoxiang was startled and didn't know how to answer. When the medicine was cooked, she poured it into a bowl and carried it into the house.
