Because the donkey cart broke down, the city gate was about to be closed when Cheng Jiaoniang arrived at Jiangzhou City. Banqin took out the name of the Cheng family, and the guards doubtfully let him go.
There is a river that crosses the city in Jiangzhou City. This river was the source of the flood. The Cheng family used all their strength to dig a river channel in Jiangzhou City. From then on, the river that caused disasters every year split into two parts in Jiangzhou City, and then
In order to prevent the city from being destroyed, the imperial court was grateful for the Cheng family's righteous deeds. Not only did it erect a monument and give it an archway, but also gave one-third of the west bank of the river across the city to the Cheng family. Therefore, the Cheng family was commonly known as Xihe Cheng.
The Cheng family lives here. A three-arched stone bridge divides the Cheng family into two parts. The south of the bridge is Nancheng, and the north of the bridge is Beicheng. The two Chengs are related by blood for three generations. Beicheng adheres to the ancestral precepts and does not separate families.
The property has continued to this day, but the south has been mixed with mixed people, and the north has become rich and noble, and the south has become dependent.
Cheng Jiaoniang's father is the second son of Bei Cheng's current eldest son.
So when Banqin went to the city gate, he specifically stated that he was a member of Beicheng's family, so that the guards would let him go more happily. If he was from Nancheng, he might not be so happy.
Today's river water is no longer as ferocious and overflowing as it once was. Even in summer, the river water is shallow and even boating is not possible. At this time, the weeping willows swaying by the riverside at night, the cool breeze is blowing, and the scenery is actually pleasant.
Standing on the other side of the river, looking at a tall green courtyard wall, Banqin pointed excitedly.
"Madam, that is our home." She said.
Cheng Jiaoniang looked at the green walls and white tiles, followed by the black tiled roof. At a glance, she estimated that it was at least five feet deep.
From here you can see a tall archway, but the words on it can't be seen clearly in the dark.
"That's the main entrance over there." Banqin led her across the bridge and said excitedly, "I've been here twice with the old lady. Madam, you've been in charge until you are three years old..."
It's no use even if you grow to thirteen years old, what do you remember?
Cheng Jiaoniang held her hand and slowly crossed the bridge. Because it was the boundary of the Cheng family, there were no idle people strolling around. People sitting along the riverside were all members of the Cheng family, men and women, old and young.
It was a little fun, the women were doing laundry by the river, chatting and laughing, it was very lively.
Seeing them approaching, especially one woman who wore a hood from head to toe at night, everyone looked over curiously.
"These are all people from Nancheng. Most of them rely on the care of the clan for a living." Banqin said in a low voice.
The two of them walked without stopping, crossing the bridge and heading north.
What are these two women doing in the middle of the night? Women of the Cheng family? Impossible, visitors? Two women are visitors in the middle of the night?
People who were resting here quickly started talking.
The door of the Cheng family was naturally closed, and the red lantern made the plaque on the Jishan House particularly eye-catching. This plaque was a gift from the imperial court, and it was not open here every day.
Banqin took Cheng Jiaoniang to the second gate on the west side, where the Cheng family went in and out on a daily basis.
"Madam." Banqin raised his hand and looked at Cheng Jiaoniang behind him.
The night wind blew, and Cheng Jiaoniang's clothes were fluttering as she stood in the shadow of the lamp.
"Knock it on." Cheng Jiaoniang said.
Banqin nodded and knocked on Cheng's door with some excitement.
Mrs. Cheng has not gone to bed yet because she has to go out tomorrow and is watching the girls choose clothes.
"This dress is too gorgeous, go get the purple one." She said.
The girl on the other side of the closet heard the sound and immediately picked it out, but Mrs. Cheng thought it was too dull.
In the end, the wife who was combing her hair in front of me chose a sandal-colored one from Guihai's family and finally settled on it.
"This is better. It's not too flashy or distracting, and it's not dull either." Mrs. Cheng said.
A girl hurried in outside.
"Madam, the housekeeper is here," she said.
housekeeper?
Mrs. Cheng was stunned for a moment. It was so late and she was avoiding her inside and outside. What was the housekeeper doing here in the middle of the night?
"Master, have you rested?" she asked.
Mr. Cheng rests in his concubine's room according to the day today.
"The housekeeper said that if there is something, Madam must decide first," the girl said.
Mrs. Cheng is now in her forties, and her mother-in-law is old, so she has basically left all the housework to her. In this case, there is no need to avoid some resentment.
"Please come in." Mrs. Cheng said.
After being served by the maid, he came to the living room, where the butler was busy giving gifts with a worried look on his face.
"What's the matter?" asked the eldest lady.
"There is a woman outside the door." The housekeeper said in a low voice.
After saying this, Mrs. Cheng's eyes jumped. She picked up the fan and fanned it gently to cover up.
The maid next to her knew what was going on, and hurriedly waved her hand and took a few girls down, leaving only the two closest to her to wait on her.
"She said she was looking for the second master," the housekeeper continued.
The eldest lady felt a little relieved. Fortunately, she was not from her own family. Although the second master was also from her own family, the feeling was still different.
"Second Master has only been back for less than half a year." She said, slowly putting down the fan.
"They say they are from Bingzhou," the steward said hurriedly.
Mrs. Cheng slammed the fan on the table.
The eldest man was invited over quickly. He was a little unhappy when he came in, thinking that his wife was jealous and deliberately prevented him from being affectionate with his concubine. When he saw that the housekeeper was there, his expression softened slightly, and after listening to the housekeeper's words,
His expression suddenly changed.
"Absurd!" he shouted, "beat him away!"
"Master, since we can chase you from Bingzhou, it's better to ask your second brother first," the eldest lady said.
"Why are you asking? He has no control over such ridiculous matters!" Mr. Cheng, as the eldest brother and the clan leader, was furious.
Mrs. Cheng shook her head, and while trying to persuade her, she sent someone to invite the second master.
"Avoid the Second Madam," she reminded.
But the person who went there came back soon and said that the second master was not at home and had not come back since he had been drinking with some colleagues.
"The second lady asked if it was an emergency, she would send someone to ask the second master to come back," the servant woman said.
Mr. Cheng was very sulky after hearing this.
"How unbecoming is it to eat and drink all day long!" he said angrily, "Tell him to come back!"
Mrs. Cheng thought of something else.
"Where is that woman?" she asked.
"It's still on the door," the butler said.
"Don't leave it on the door. If you encounter trouble, you won't be able to hide it. First, bring it in and let others watch." Mrs. Cheng said.
"No, don't even think about coming in and taking it away to watch." Mr. Cheng said.
The housekeeper was in a dilemma and didn't know who to listen to.
The girls' voices could be heard outside the door.
"The second lady is here."
The people in the room were shocked. Mrs. Cheng stood up subconsciously, the door curtain had been lifted, and a twenty-four or five-year-old woman walked in. She had exquisite facial features and shrewd eyebrows. She saluted the elder and his wife first.
"The imperial court let him go, so he got together with some of his classmates." The second lady said with a smile.
She came to rescue her husband. The elder became even more angry when he heard that such a virtuous and virtuous lady was still at home, but she still caused such a ridiculous thing outside.
"Yes, it's nothing." The eldest lady said with a smile, "You came all the way. Go quickly. Brother Xi is sleeping. You go and have a rest."
The second wife just gave birth to her eldest son two years ago, and the second wife can finally breathe a sigh of relief.
The second lady smiled, did not answer, and did not leave.
The atmosphere in the room was a little weird.
"Sister-in-law, since people are here, don't hide it from me. Everyone knows it. It's even more shameless for me to not know it." The second lady suddenly said, picking up the handkerchief, her voice was choked with sobs.
Living as a family, no one can hide any trouble from anyone.
The eldest man and his wife looked complicated.
"Qing Niang, don't be impatient. We haven't asked her clearly yet, so don't think too much about it." The eldest lady had no choice but to hold her hand and comfort her in a low voice.
While they were talking here, the sound of the second master coming was heard from outside the door.
"Brother, are you looking for me?"
Before anyone came in, the sound came in.
Mr. Cheng Er walked in wearing a dark green robe, smelling of alcohol, and smiling. He was startled when he saw everyone in the room.
"They're all here," he said, "What's a good thing?"
Before he finished speaking, his wife rushed towards him.
"What good thing? Cheng Dong, Cheng Erlang, you did a good thing!" Mrs. Cheng Erlang stretched out her hand to grab it.
Mr. Cheng Er was subconsciously caught off guard and unable to evade, and a nail mark suddenly turned red on his face.
No one expected that Mrs. Cheng, who had always been gentle, would strike so swiftly. The eldest lady came to her senses and hurriedly pulled her away, while the eldest gentleman also stood up.
The room suddenly became chaotic.
The maids outside were rushing the girls to avoid them.
Sure enough, knocking on the door in the middle of the night is no good.
Many years later, some maids still remembered the trouble caused by Cheng Jiaoniang’s knocking on the door, and this was just the beginning. (To be continued)
