The group took a boat back to Taohua village. After a few years, Taohua village changed a lot. The carriage drove to the village through a wide road paved with bluestones. The village was full of blue brick houses and one-way courtyard. The farmland just harvested in autumn was full of rice piles, and the water swayed. There were fish swimming in it.
The carriage was divided into two routes. Lu Yunkai took song Xintong and some children back to Lu's courtyard. Dabao and Xiaobao took some servants back to song's courtyard.
Just entering the house, the villagers came to join in the fun.
"Oh, it's Lu Xiucai and his family who have come back to the village." I don't know who called.
Another person said: "what Lu Xiucai, is clearly the number one scholar."
"Right, right, look at my memory. Lu Fu Zi has already won the first place in the exam and has settled down in the capital."
"I don't know what I'm going to do this time."
Village head Wan went to the front and saluted Lu Yun.
Lu Yunkai helped village head Wan, "village head, don't ask for so many gifts. Please sit down." Then he led the man to a few stone tables in the front yard of the former school and sat down. "I just got home, but I haven't cleaned up, and I haven't cooked tea yet. Please forgive me, village head."
Village head Wan is a man from the countryside. He doesn't care about this. Besides, Lu Yunkai's status is different now. People in the village are willing to flatter him. "What's the reason for Mr. Lu's coming back to the village this time?"
Lu Yunkai said in a light voice: "I haven't been home for a long time to worship. This time I came back with my children to worship my elders."
"You've been out of the village for five years." Ten thousand village leaders as like as two peas, and two of them are very alike.
Some women looked at the twins, steamed bread and huajuan, and they all felt that they were good-looking. They praised them without money: "these two boys are really good-looking. They are as good-looking as Lu Zhuangyuan."
"Yes, he Xintong is just as good-looking."
"If parents are good-looking, their children are naturally good-looking."
"Nuan Nuan has grown into a big girl. Look at her silk skirt. It's really beautiful. We can't find such a beautiful cloth in the whole county."
Steamed bread and huajuan didn't know these people, but they were not afraid. They looked up at them and said, "who are you?"
"I'm your aunt Dahua."
"I'm your mother-in-law Liu."
"Child, I'm your grandma osmanthus."
"Come on, grandma, give you sugar." Then he took out two pieces of sweet scented osmanthus candy from his pocket. Now every family in Taohua village has a good life. It's common to carry a few pieces of sugar with them.
So when one person finds out a piece of sugar, seven or eight people immediately find out the sugar and use it to coax the twins.
Steamed bread and roll a face muddle, what big flower aunt osmanthus grandmother? They had never heard of it. One by one, they were so fierce, and they tricked themselves with sugar. They must be bad guys. They looked at each other, and then ran to hide in the yard.
"Mother, there's a strange mother-in-law out there who wants to abduct us." The twins fell on Song Xintong and looked back at the direction of the gate with a scared face. "They want to catch us and sell us to buy sugar. It's terrible!"
Huajuan nodded heavily, "Niang, we don't eat bad people's sugar, so we won't be abducted by them. If we are abducted, my mother will cry bitterly. "
"Yes, I can't accept strangers' food. Can I only know if my mother agrees?" Song Xintong patted their heads and let them go into the house to play. Then he got up and went out to greet the women in the village. "Children are timid. Don't blame your aunts."
Then she asked the maid to put out a lot of melon seeds, preserved fruits and other things to greet everyone. Now there is no lack of these things in the village, and every family has them, so they don't think they are rare. So they impolitely grabbed them and sat on the bench to talk with everyone.
Just sat down and talked for a while, mother-in-law Qiu and her family came.
As she gets older and older, her mother-in-law Qiu's health is not so good in the past two years. Fortunately, she can get more money at home. Otherwise, she may not be able to survive long ago.
Song Xintong busily called mother-in-law Qiu and others to sit down, "mother-in-law Qiu, I should have come to see you, but I asked you to come here in person."
Mother-in-law Qiu waved her hand with a smile and coughed a few times. "I'm in good health now. I can walk around the village with crutches. I can't waste much energy when I walk here."
Aunt Xie said with a hearty smile: "Xintong, you don't know. As soon as your mother-in-law Qiu hears the news that you are going back to the village, she can't sit still. She comes here immediately."
"I'm in good health. Don't listen to your aunt, Xintong." Mother Qiu patted her thigh and then asked, "have you had a good time? It's good to hear what you say in the letter, but I'm always worried about whether you report good news or not. "
Song Xintong nodded, "has been very good, but there is no time to come back to see your mother-in-law."
"Now that Lu Fu Zi is a senior official, it's normal that he doesn't have time to go back to the village. He doesn't have to come back to see us. My mother-in-law, I just hope you are well." Mother Qiu lovingly looks at Song Xintong and likes her as a granddaughter.
In fact, in the past, she just wanted to be entrusted by her old neighbor. She would help her family if she didn't starve to death. But later, she was taken care of by Xintong. The mud leg son, who only knows how to dig, built a brick house. It all depends on Xintong's help.
Over the years, I don't know whether it's because of interests or feelings. In short, the two families are getting closer and closer.
No matter what, mother-in-law Qiu likes the relationship between the two families to go on well.
Song Xintong nodded with a smile, "we are all very well."
"Xintong, how long will you stay here this time?"
Song Xintong said: "Xianggong is still busy with official business. We can't stay long, so we have to leave after worshiping his parents."
"I'm leaving in a few days? I also want to invite you to my old man's 60th birthday party in a few days. "
"Yes, my mother-in-law will have her 60th birthday in another month. Xintong, why don't you stay for the banquet? Now our village can become the most prosperous village in the eight townships, thanks to Xintong's help. "
"Yes, Xintong, you can stay. I should be 40 years old in a few days."
"Yes, Xintong, come to my grandson's full moon banquet in a few days."
"What are you doing with the Liu family? How many months is your grandson pregnant? I'll go to the full moon next year, won't I? "
"I'll make a reservation first."
Song Xintong is embarrassed and can't adapt to the enthusiasm of the villagers. She is closer to the Xie family and he family. The others are just casual friends.
Aunt Xie interrupted the crowd: "ah, what's the matter with you? Did you not hear Xintong say that Lu Zhuangyuan still has something important to do for a few days? Do you still want to keep Xintong to attend your family's birthday party? Is it your family's birthday party or Lu Zhuangyuan's official business
"Nature is an important event for Lu Zhuangyuan." Liu's wife was smiling.
Another humanitarian: "Lu Zhuangyuan left, Xintong can stay."
"How can this be? The couple are naturally together. How can they act separately?" Aunt Xie said with a smile: "Xintong, if you have something important to do, please go. Don't delay."
Song Xintong nodded and said yes.
Outside the man's place, Wan village head also said with Lu Yun: "you won the number one prize before, and you have never returned to the village to hold the water banquet. This time you come back, how can you be lively and lively?"
Lu Yunkai waved his hand and refused: "village head, today's sage does not like extravagance and waste, so it's better not to be a running water mat. Besides, I really have something important to do. I can't stay in the village for a long time. Please forgive me. "
"This... Does the Lord care about this?" The villagers didn't believe it.
The grandson of village head Wan is now studying in the Academy. He knows something and doesn't want to annoy the emperor. "Don't talk about it again. You can't cause trouble to Lord Lu."
"We don't want to cause any trouble. How about each family in our village gather some money to set up a running water banquet? Let's have a look at the other villages. Our Taohua village is the top one! "
"Yes."
"In this way, the emperor should not be in charge of it?"
Without waiting for Lu Yunkai to refuse, village head Wan felt that it was feasible. He clapped his hand and said, "let's go back and prepare. Tomorrow, Lord Lu will worship his ancestors. In the future, we will hold a water table."
The scholar was also helpless when he met people who couldn't listen. Lu Yunkai couldn't stop him, so he had to let them go. He just planned to send a few taels of silver later. He didn't want to let anyone talk.