"Madam, Sanniang is missing." Early in the morning, the female steward hurriedly reported to Zhang Chuchen.
"Where are the people?"
Zhang Chuchen was furious. Not only was Sanniang missing, but several of her personal maids, swordsmen, scribes, scribes, qins, and paintings were also missing.
"How did they get out of the house when the city was closed at night in Chang'an?"
"Maybe he climbed over the wall last evening, or maybe he left this morning..."
"Hurry up and search everywhere in Chang'an City, and immediately send a team of servants to Sanyuan Lijiazhuang to search. Maybe they went there." Zhang Chuchen suspected that Li Sanniang would still run to the border.
"But the medicine Wu Erlang made last time has been sent to Wu Lang."
"Then quickly go to Huaiyuanfang to find Wu Erlang and Siqi. Maybe we can find them to prepare medicine."
It is adjacent to Lijiazhuang, but Longqiao Fort, which is mainly composed of soldiers from the Forbidden Army, is still far away from the nobles and county officials, and they have to look up to it.
But now seeing the situation, no one doubts it anymore.
"Yeah, mother, I want to take my eldest sister and Yingsu's two nieces back to Chang'an when I go back in a few days. I am currently opening a medicine shop Qianjintang in Dongshi with my brother from the Xuancheng family. I also need manpower very much. Sister
It's very hard in the countryside, so it will be easier for them to help when we return to Chang'an."
When he came back, Li Sian, Li Zheng, personally sent him back to Longqiao Fort. Not only did he bring an ox and a mule, but he also brought eight carts of the wooden furniture, quilts, clothing, kitchen utensils, pots, bowls, etc. that Zhang had promised.
Father Wu didn't say anything while drinking wheat float wine. He now recognized his second son very much and felt that he was capable and he was relieved.
The bride Chen Runiang came to see her mother-in-law for the first time. She was very nervous. She had met her father-in-law in Chang'an and was recognized. However, this was the first time she met her mother-in-law. Especially since she was just a concubine. Even without Li Jing's handwritten letter, she was still just a mere concubine.
She is Huaiyu's slave and has no right to be called uncle.
The courtyard of the Wu family was bustling with excitement, and the whole family gathered together to watch Run Niang returning with Huaiyu.
This scene immediately shocked everyone in the fort.
Taking advantage of the slack period, the project has already begun. They flattened the collapsed old kiln face, filled in the front yard to make it bigger, dug the half-built cave dwelling deeper, and even expanded it from three holes to five holes, mixed mud with grass, and tamped the soil.
Building a wall is not a big job, but it requires a lot of labor.
He specially selected a strong cow with a calf and a strong horse and mule as Runniang's dowry. Young female cattle are more valuable than bulls. They can give birth to calves every year, and they are worth a lot after raising them for one year.
Already.
Although Aunt Wang misses her son, she also knows that it is better to study in the Wu clan than to stay in the country, and she is very grateful to Brother Huaiyu.
Ma Zhou looked a little downcast in his long gown that smelled of alcohol and was stained with alcohol. However, when Huaiyu said that Ma Zhou was a former teaching assistant at a state school and a poet, the villagers in Longqiaobao couldn't help but change their attitude toward him and respected the poet very much.
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"Run Niang, come up and pay homage to your uncle!"
"The clan school is about to start, so I didn't bring Sanlang back this time. He's been studying at Xuancheng Palace recently, so he won't be able to keep up when the time comes."
Neighbors also came over to take a look.
There are even some pastries bought from the Western Market.
The locust leaf cold pottery made by my eldest sister is still so delicious, especially if you put it in the well to cool in advance after making it, it will be more refreshing and chewy when you eat it.
In the afternoon, Chen Xing specially took Huaiyu and Runniang to Lijiazhuang. He took Zhang's handwriting with him to receive Runniang's field mules, etc. He also went there to get acquainted with the Li family and the management of the village.
.
A group of young people looked at Chen Runniang and thought that this girl looked just like the daughter of Lijiazhuang. She was unattainable and she was actually the concubine of Huaiyu Xinna. But when they heard that this girl was actually the personal maid of the third lady of Lijiazhuang, they
Everyone said oh, some said it looked familiar to me, and some said it was indeed from a noble family.
"When I return to Chang'an, I can teach my sister how to work in a medicine shop, or manage a warehouse or money, without having to show my face. Chang'an is big, and I might be able to find a good family for my sister."
"This is Runniang, she is so handsome."
Huaiyi now returns to the camp to serve as a guard. His rank has been promoted from the eighth level to the lower level, and he has been promoted several levels in a row. This is very remarkable. The last time he came back, he showed off all over the village and never stopped. He also talked about Erlang.
It was passed down from generation to generation that his medical skills were so good that it was even said that the Duke and Mrs. Yongkang gave their adopted granddaughter to Huaiyu as a concubine.
"Erlang, please feel free to say hello if you have anything to do in the future." Li Sian was very polite to Huaiyu. Although he was the eldest brother of the Li family, he was only a concubine. However, Wu Erlang was now recognized as the adopted grandson-in-law by Mrs. Yongkang. Even though he was an outsider, he
Doesn't he know how close a relative is?
Lao Wu, who has always been stingy, had a rare opportunity to kill an old hen that no longer laid eggs to make soup today. He also had fish sent by Xu Erleng. He caught it by casting a net in the Qinghe River. Several kilograms of miscellaneous fish were fried, but they were also very crispy and delicious.
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"Yes, mother, sister, we are back."
Huaiyu actually hoped to move the whole family to Chang'an, but he knew that Lao Wu could not give up the Longqiao Fort business. The family was worth tens of thousands of dollars. The fields and cave dwellings here were the result of his hard work all his life, and he even risked his life to exchange for them.
Came back.
It was lively for most of the day, and in the evening the family could sit in the courtyard to have a meal.
Liu Cunzheng looked at the Huaiyu brothers riding tall horses with silver saddles, and the poet friend, who even brought back a beautiful concubine and many cakes. He picked up a few dried longans and peeled them there to try them, and he was envious.
To Lao Wudao: "You are the most blessed brother in our castle, and the oldest and most promising of your family are also the most promising."
Mrs. Liu was a little reluctant. She hoped to find a husband for her eldest daughter to remarry. However, Yu'e had three dead husbands and two children, so many people were unwilling to marry. Mrs. Liu who was willing to marry was not willing to marry her.
She despises others for being too poor and is afraid that her daughter will suffer hardship.
"We are all brothers. What do you think my aunt said?"
After Yu'e heard this, she lowered her head but did not object. It was not suitable to stay in her parents' house for a long time. Although if she could, she would rather not marry again and just raise her two daughters.
Ma Zhou took the sophora leaf cold pottery from his eldest sister but refused the wheat float wine. He said he planned to quit drinking for a while. "This cold pottery is really delicious, just like the one my mother made when I was a child." Ma Zhou ate it.
Looking at the cold pottery made by my eldest sister, I even shed tears.
Everyone was dubious.
However, Chen Xing was very agile and quickly took down many prepared gifts from his horse, including hairpin rings, jewelry, and brocade-wrought silk ribbons.
Huaiyu asked Runniang to distribute the pastries brought back to the neighbors. The children were the happiest. In fact, they were not very delicate pastries, but for people in the countryside, they were exquisite and rare, such as wheat starch candy and sweet-scented osmanthus.
Many people have never heard of cakes, date cakes, dried longans, dried lychees, and dried mangoes, especially those dried fruits from the south.
"Your sister doesn't know how to do anything, and it's not suitable for women to be exposed in public." Mrs. Liu said.
Xu Erluzi stood nearby with envy: "Erlang is really capable. I wish I could find such a handsome girl anytime." Today, he and some neighbors were helping Huaiyu's family repair the old kiln below.
Liu's wheat float wine made from summer harvest wheat is sweet and delicious.
The two dogs had been left at home for a long time and had not seen Huaiyu for a long time. Just now they saw Huaiyu coming back across the river. They ran across the bridge from a distance to greet them. They pounced and licked them, which scared Run Niang.
.
"Brother is the commander of the camp and has contact with a lot of forbidden troops. If you search more, you will definitely find someone who is suitable for my eldest sister. When the time comes, it will be convenient for me to discuss and even meet each other in Chang'an." Huaiyu said with a smile.
He also didn't expect that Wu Huaiyu just came back from a trip to the county town a few days ago, and then he came back to his house to go to Chang'an with Sanniang for a few days, and now it's even worse.
······
Sanyuan County, Qinghe Township, Longqiaobao.
When the Wu family provides food, everyone contributes and helps each other.
"I will stay for a few more days when I come back this time. I have sent a message to your second sister and third sister's house, asking them to come back tomorrow and the day after tomorrow to get together." Lao Wu said.
"Yeah, I'm the commander of the North Gate now. I have one day off and two days off. I'm going to change shifts when I come back this time. I can only stay for three days at most." Huaiyi said.
"Where's Erlang?" asked Liu.
"I can't stay for a few days. Qianjintang Pharmacy is being built in Chang'an, and ethnic studies are about to start. There are many things to do. I will stay with Run Niang for a few more days, and by the way, I can recruit some children from my neighbors to Qianjin.
Let’s be a buddy.”
"My son is older than his mother," Liu Xi sighed. Although he was reluctant to give up, he also knew that his sons were going to be successful and would have to fly far away. Fortunately, Chang'an was not too far away.
