Zhao Xiu stood at the gate of the city with some anxiety, tiptoeing up from time to time to look into the distance to see if the carriage where his grandmother and brother were sitting had arrived.

She waited from early morning to nearly noon at the city gate, but there was no trace of her family, and she was a little anxious. Lu's mother persuaded her: "Girl, the sun is drying outside, you should sit in the sedan chair and wait, right?" ”

Zhao Xiu shook her head, although the sun was shining, she had an umbrella and a chair to sit on, and she was not tired, but why did her grandmother and brother disappear all the time? Counting the date, they should have arrived a long time ago, right?

As soon as this thought flashed through her mind, Ding Ding, who had been sent out to the front in advance, ran back and reported: "It's coming, it's coming!" The old lady and brother have arrived! Zhao Xiu was shocked when he heard this, and hurriedly rushed in the direction he ran from. Lu Ma Bilian and other male and female servants hurriedly followed.

Several carriages and several riders appeared at the end of the road, Zhao Xiu recognized at a glance that the person riding in front of him was his brother Zhao Wei, who had not seen him for a few months, his skin was darker, but the whole person was very energetic, and he added a little stability. Zhao Xiu was overjoyed, waved his hand and shouted: "Brother! Brother! ”

Zhao Wei saw his sister coming from afar, and he also showed a big smile, immediately turned over and dismounted, and ran over: "Sister! ”

The brother and sister finally met, and Zhao Wei excitedly held her sister's hand: "Why did you go out of the city to pick us up?" What if I get a heat stroke on such a big day? ”

Zhao Xiu smiled and said: "I'm in good health, which day won't I go out to bask in the sun?" It's not so weak and windless! Then he looked at the carriage behind him: "Grandmother, how's that?" How is my brother? It's been a hard journey, hasn't it? How are you doing in the capital? Have you ever been bullied? ”

Zhao Wei smiled: "Where can it?" Grandmother and I are fine. It's just a little tiring on the road, but it's not too hard. Coincidentally. We met Lord Tao of Fengxian County, who was about to take office in Yangzhou, and we went with him, and there were even trivial matters along the way. Let's take it easy. However, after getting off the ship, he heard that Fengxian had just suffered a disaster, and he was in a hurry to report to the Yamen, so he parted ways with us. He turned back and pointed to the two horsemen at the back of the carriage queue: "He sent to escort my grandmother and me, we are locals, so we don't need to escort us, but he is worried that our group will have too many women." I'm a half-grown teenager, and if I meet someone who doesn't have long eyes, I'll suffer, so I insist on sending someone to escort me. My grandmother and I had no choice but to accept his kindness. ”

The new Fengxian County Commander? Zhao Xiu was surprised, in the past few months, the entire Zhao clan was concerned about who the new county order would be and what his temperament and character were, but as soon as the rain came. I don't care about it. I didn't expect my grandmother and brother to meet him on the way back to my hometown. It seems that my brother has a good impression of this person, and he must not be difficult to get along with, and the Zhao clan should be able to breathe a sigh of relief.

Thinking of this, she smiled and said, "This Lord Tao seems to be a good person, let's talk to Brother Jing in a while, and let him go to thank Master Tao on our behalf." ”

This is to give Zhao Jing a chance to have a relationship with the new county commander, he is the son of the Zhao family, and he is the male junior who has the closest relationship with Xiao Erfang. Zhao Wei is still underage, and he will come forward to entertain. It makes sense. Zhao Wei nodded, agreed, and said, "I'll go and tell Brother Jing in a while, I've been with me for many days, and I still know a little bit about Master Tao's preferences." ”

Zhang's carriage approached, Zhao Wei took his sister's hand and walked over, and the brother and sister got into the car together. After a few months of absence, Zhao Xiu finally saw his grandmother Zhang again. Somehow, seeing her grandmother's loving face, her eyes suddenly turned red, and she felt as if she suddenly had someone to rely on, and she didn't have to support herself anymore, so she directly hugged Zhang and cried: "Grandmother, you can count it back, I miss you so much!" ”

Zhang was stunned, his eyes were slightly red, and he touched his granddaughter's hair and said softly: "I said that I am a big child, not a little doll, and I am spoiled today." ”

Outside the carriage, there was a sound of Lu Ma and others saying hello, Zhang looked at the happy smile on Lu Ma's face, his mood was a little complicated, and he smiled slightly: "You have all worked hard in the past few months, go home first, and talk about it later." ”

Mother Lu hurriedly bent her knees in response, and said with a smile: "The family is ready, the old lady and brother will go back and eat first, they must be hungry all the way." ”

Zhang nodded slightly, and Lu's mother sent someone back to the old mansion to report the news, and she took Bilian and others to follow the carriage slowly.

Zhang hugged his granddaughter and asked her how she had been doing in the past few months. Zhao Xiu made a concise report on what he did every day. By the time they arrived at the old mansion, the Zhang family already knew that their granddaughter had led the clan to change many clan rules, add a lot of new rules, buy dozens of acres of land, and let people inquire about peach seedlings and other things.

Zhang's heart was a little complicated, she asked her granddaughter: "Peach is a good thing, but how did you think of planting it?" ”

Zhao Xiu said: "I didn't want to do anything, but I just sympathized with Zhao You, so I bought the land in his hand, and then I found that the wild fruit trees on that land grew well, and the fruit was delicious, although it was soaked a lot now, but it was enough to prove that the land was suitable for planting fruit trees, and it was more convenient than reclaiming rice or cotton, isn't it good to plant fruit trees?" The peaches in Luxiangyuan are good, I saw them from a book, and I always wanted to know what they tasted like, and Uncle Lu bought a few of them that day, and I ate them well, so I wanted to plant them. ”

"Really?" Somehow, Zhang's always felt that his granddaughter's words were not entirely true, but seeing her frank face, he didn't ask anymore, and said with a smile, "Well, it's just an accidental land, but it's only thirty acres, and you have to toss it." ”

Zhao Xiu asked her with some curiosity: "Grandmother, aren't you from Songjiang?" This peach is a specialty of Songjiang, why haven't you mentioned it? ”

Zhang smiled and said: "I also ate this when I was a child, but my father didn't like to eat it, and the family rarely bought it, and then I went to the capital and forgot about it." ”

Zhao Wei interjected on the side: "What does this thing smell like?" I haven't eaten it yet. ”

"If you want to eat, ask someone to send a letter to your second uncle, and ask him to bring a basket over. It's just that this thing can't be put up, and it will break down in a few days, so it needs to be chilled. It's a lot of trouble. Speaking of this, Zhang couldn't help but say to his granddaughter, "It's good for you to eat this fruit." I want to plant 30 acres, why don't I think about it, and when it is planted, it will be a few years later. What should I do if there are too many fruits to eat? Do you want to sell it outside? In case it can't be sold, it's rotten there, and it's not enough to lose money. I really want to grow it and eat it myself. A few trees are enough. ”

Zhao Xiu disagreed, did she grow peaches to satisfy her appetite? Of course, she wanted to add a source of income to her family, but her grandmother didn't like to do business. So she didn't mention it yet. But when the peaches are grown, they can naturally be sold, and the peaches on the side of the Songjiang Yellow Clay Wall are in short supply. A few years is enough time for her to form a sales channel. It's a big deal to ask the outer six rooms to help. If you have a business to do and money to make, are you afraid that there will be no one to help you sell things?

The three grandparents and grandchildren entered the old house, and Lu Changxiu greeted him with his subordinates and kowtowed to Zhang: "The old lady has worked hard all the way, and the hot water for lunch has been prepared, does the old lady want to eat first, or wash first?" ”

Zhang looked at him. sighed again: "Let's go back to the room and freshen up first, this body is dusty." I don't have an appetite for food. Lao Lu, Xiuju (Lu's mother's maiden name), I won't tell you anything, I brought Dashou and his daughter-in-law back this time. Seeing the look of surprise on Lu's mother's face, Lu Changxiu was stunned, and she frowned again: "But don't go to see them for the time being, and don't talk to them." They are very good, but they made a mistake this time, and I brought them back to teach them a lesson, and I will talk to you about them after I have eaten. ”

Mother Lu's face was worried, but she had always been loyal to the Zhang family, and she would never question Zhang's words at all: "Yes, old lady, I will wait for you to go back to the room." As for my son of law and daughter-in-law who is not angry, if you dare to do something that violates the rules of the old lady, how you want to punish it is all right, I will never complain, and I will help you scold them! ”

Zhang nodded, her trust in Lu's mother would not be reduced because of Lu Dashou's actions, and she was still a little sorry in her heart, if it weren't for her order, Lu's mother would not have been separated from her son for many years and failed to teach her son well. She decided that Lu Dashou's mistake was a lack of upbringing, otherwise how could she not see his parents and siblings doing such a thing?

Lu's mother helped Zhang's back to the room, Zhang's walked halfway and stopped, turned back to Zhao Xiu and said, "I also brought someone back, in the carriage behind, let your brother take you to see it, see if you recognize it." ”

Zhao Xiu was depressed in his heart, but Zhang had already left without looking back, and turned around to see Lu Changxiu commanding his subordinates to carry luggage, his face was straight, his face was not very good-looking, and Zhao Wei was staring at him without speaking. She stepped forward and pulled her brother's sleeve: "Brother, who did grandmother ask you to take me to?" ”

Zhao Xiu retracted his gaze and smiled again: "A person you can't think of, guess?" ”

Where could Zhao Xiu think of it? He left him and ran to the carriage alone, there were already people unloading the luggage on the carriage, and a yard was set up full, and there was a girl waiting for the woman to get out of the carriage and join the ranks of tidying up, only a small carriage of inconspicuous men, which fell at the end, no one seemed to get down from the carriage, but there was a couple of servants standing in front of the carriage, one led the horse, and the other asked the people in the carriage softly: "Does it matter?" Will you still get dizzy? Can I get off the bus? ”

Zhao Xiu didn't recognize the couple, but felt that the eyes were very raw, could it be the new people who bought a small house in Beijing? Who exactly is the person in the car? Looking at the appearance of this carriage, it does not look like a relative or anything, but more like a servant. Since they were in a carriage, most of them were women, but listening to the servant's questioning, it was also possible that she was a sick person.

Just when Zhao Xiu was puzzled in his heart, the curtain of the car was lifted, and a boy came out, thin, with an unhealthy pale face, wearing a cloth that did not fit well, and his hair was yellow.

"Dongsheng, what's wrong?" A somewhat weak woman's voice came from the car, and then a thin and pale face looked out, and when she saw Zhao Xiu, she was stunned at first, and soon her eyes turned red: "Big sister? Is it the eldest sister? ”

Zhao Xiu looked at this face, and his memory instantly returned to that cold and bloody night: "Sister-in-law Pearl? Her eyes were hot, and she immediately rushed up: "Nurse!" (To be continued......)

PS: I suddenly feel that the title of this chapter is appropriate......