In the peaceful little village, a different moment ushered in today. It was originally just a poor small village that had been farming for generations. Because it had two number one scholars, it was called the "number one village" by people in other villages. They are proud of the Lu family brothers. Whenever they go to prefectures and counties, they will become the talking points for the villagers to show off in front of relatives and friends. This small village, which is too poor to expose the blame, seems to be a scholarly family.
One or two hundred households in Lujiazhuang all ran out to watch the champion return home. The bluestone road by the stream was already crowded with one or two thousand people, noisily shouting "Brother" and "Uncle" ", "Master" and other honorifics, Lu Zuoye quickly nodded and smiled from time to time: "Fellow folks, please excuse me..."
"Come on, come on... Grand Master, your mother is here." Someone in the crowd suddenly shouted, "Everyone, give way and let Mrs. Lu pass first."
Lu Zuoxun looked out, and a lane separated from the crowd. An old lady's body was slightly stooped. Although her face was densely wrinkled, she still looked rosy and energetic.
"Mother..." Lu Zuo knelt on the ground far away, already crying. When An Jingruo saw this, he quickly followed and knelt beside him. Yin Ji behind him also knelt down with his master. Lu Xiuyuan and Qin Fu hadn't seen their sister-in-law for several years. When they suddenly saw her, they thought of their eldest brother who had been dead for many years, and tears burst into their eyes.
"Son!" Mrs. Lu's eyes were full of tears at this time. With the help of the villagers, she staggered to Lu Zuo and hugged him in her arms. The mother and son just cried bitterly.
Lu Xiuyuan cupped his fists and bowed to Mrs. Lu, "Sister-in-law, long time no see!"
Mrs. Lu looked up. Although she hadn't seen him for a long time, she vaguely remembered her. She choked for a long time but couldn't speak.
"Sister-in-law, it's me! Xiuyuan!"
"Sister-in-law, there's still me!" Qin Fu was also crying bitterly. He stepped forward and knelt next to Lu Zuo, "I am Qin Fu!"
"Okay, okay! Get up! Even though we haven't seen each other for several years, how could we not remember that you have helped us all these years? My two children are not at home these days, so I have to hire someone to help me, an old woman!" "When Mrs. Lu looked down, she saw a water-like woman kneeling beside Lu Zuo. She was confused, so she pointed at the woman and the young boy behind her and asked, "Who are these two?"
When Lu Zuo turned to introduce Jing Jingruo, his face became a little warm. Fortunately, no one else could see it. He introduced first: "The person behind you is the apprentice I took in the capital. His name is Yin Ji. He is also a child of a poor family. ." Then introduced Jing Jingruo, "This is the Princess Qiongxi whom the child mentioned to you in the letter."
Mrs. Lu was so excited that she had so many mixed feelings that they melted into two lines of tears and said, "Is this Princess Qiongqian? Please bow to me." After saying that, she was ready to kneel down to An Jingruo.
Jing Jingruo quickly supported the old lady and bowed hurriedly to salute, "This junior cannot bear such a big gift!"
Qin Fu smiled at the side and said: "Sister-in-law, now the princess is your daughter-in-law, so she should be the one to kneel down and worship you."
"Don't dare, don't dare, the princess is a rich man!"
Jing Ruo hurriedly bowed again, "Mom is joking, you should call me Jing Ruo!"
A group of villagers who were watching the excitement cheered, saying that the Lu family's eldest husband had become successful. Not only was he an official in the court, but he also had such a handsome princess.
Mrs. Lu looked at An Jingruo's handsome face and felt very fond of it. "Everyone, get up quickly. This is not the place to talk. Let's go home!"
After saying that, he was about to go back, but the village officials in Lujiazhuang were smart and quickly ordered the young people to get firecrackers to light them up, and welcomed the No. 1 Scholar home in a lively manner. So Lu Zuo and others walked across the bridge and alleys surrounded by the villagers, and returned home in a short time.
We had already visited the top of the mountain, and the villagers had watched the excitement several times, but they still refused to leave. When the senior officials from the village came out, they saw that the door of Lu Zuo's house was crowded with people watching the excitement, so they shouted loudly Said: "Everyone, give way, let's go, let's go! I have discussed it with the village officials. We will meet again at the ancestral hall tomorrow, and then let the Lu family master come and give us a few words of instruction. Now that he has returned from a long way, he wants to It’s time to rest, that’s all for today. Those who haven’t eaten yet, hurry back and eat. Hurry, they’re all gone..."
Accompanied by the sound of driving away from the senior officials and the scolding of his men, the villagers had no choice but to leave in low spirits.
Gao Yuanwai adjusted his clothes at the door and asked his men to wait at the door. He walked into the house with square steps. Lu Zuo came up to greet him. After Gao Yuanwai said this, he was about to kneel down to say hello, but Lu Zuo stopped him in a hurry.
"So it's the high-ranking member of the Communist Party of China!" Mrs. Lu stood up from the top to greet her, "Sit here, sit here."
The high-ranking member refused in time, "You don't dare, junior, you sit down. I came here just to pay a visit to Brother Gongfu. Knowing that he was tired from the journey, I specially sent some small gifts. I hope that Gongfu Brother, I can accept it!" Then he turned back to the servant at the door and said, "Come on, carry it in."
Three or four servants came in carrying two large boxes in pairs. The boxes were placed in the center of the hall. The originally small hall suddenly felt even more cramped.
Lu Zuozuo bowed and said: "Second Uncle Gao, how can this junior afford so many things?"
"Brother Gongfu is joking. These are the wishes of the villagers. I am just conveying them on your behalf. Brother Gongfu, please be sure to follow me. I will not spare the hearts of the villagers."
Anjing Ruoke, who was sitting aside, was dumbfounded. One called the other uncle, and the other called the other brother. This seniority was hard for her. She wanted to stand up and salute, but she didn't know how to say it, so she had to bow to the senior member. , "I've met Gao Yuanwai."
The senior official hurriedly returned the gift, "I have heard of the princess's name for a long time, but the common people cannot accept your gift." Then he clasped his fists and saluted everyone sitting in the hall, "Everyone, I have important matters at home, so I will stay here for now. I’ll take my leave now.”
Mrs. Lu stood up again and asked, "Can't you leave without finishing your meal?"
"No, I still have something to do, so I'll take my leave now."
After everyone saw the senior member walking away, Qin Fu felt a little uncomfortable and snorted coldly, "You can tell at a glance that he is a shameless snob."
Lu Xiuyuan glared at Qin Fu and said in a low voice: "Third brother, do you know that trouble comes from your mouth?"
Lu Zuo gave his third uncle a knowing smile, "He is a local rich man in our village. Third uncle is only half right. He is a powerful person outside the high officials, but it is still unfair to say that he is a villain. These years of high Yuanwai has supported many scholars in the village, and also helped build bridges and roads in the village, so he can be regarded as a great philanthropist!"
Yin Ji sneered and said, "I'm afraid doing these good deeds is also paving the way for you to build a bridge."
Everyone laughed and didn't pay attention to Yin Ji's words. Lu Zuo heard it and remembered it in his heart. He turned back and glanced at his apprentice. He didn't expect that this boy could see through so many accidental favors now. This was unlike him. His current age is extremely inappropriate. I really don’t know whether to be happy for him or worried about him.
Lu Zuo took the opportunity to tell his mother that he was planning to organize weddings again in the village and entertain the neighbors. Firstly, he wanted to be filial to his mother, and secondly, he wanted to formally welcome An Jingruo into the house as a sign of grandeur. At this point, Mrs. Lu shed a few tears. When everyone saw this, they couldn't help but look at each other.
