nucmednet Chapter 139 The same dream
Chapter 139 The same dream
On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, just as the sky was getting dark, the Chen Mansion in Pingyang City was decorated with lights and colorful lanterns, creating a lively scene.
However, the fifteenth day of the first lunar month this year was a little unusual. Since Chen Ruotong was not at home, the whole house was less cheerful and happy. However, this did not affect everyone's enthusiasm for the festival.
After dinner, Old Man Chen and Old Lady Chen returned to their room and started chatting. They talked about trivial matters at home and recalled bits and pieces of the past, and a warm atmosphere filled the air.
At the same time, Chen Jianshu took Zhang and his son and daughter-in-law to the streets to enjoy the beautiful lanterns and experience the traditional custom of "walking a hundred steps". Along the way, people were bustling and laughing, and it was very lively.
Although Chen Ruotong's absence made this fifteenth day a little lonely, the family ties are still strong and everyone hopes that she can return home and reunite as soon as possible.
It was late at night, and Mrs. Chen had a dream after she fell asleep:
Granddaughter Chen Tong went to Beijing to find Wu Qiming, but never returned and there was no news of him since.
Chen Jianshu had previously followed Wang Biaotou to the capital for a month, but when he did not find Chen Tong, he returned to Chenjiabao. Afterwards, Chen Jianshu took enough silver and went to the capital again to inquire about Chen Tong's news.
When Chen Jianshu came back, he was disabled and had a broken leg.
It turned out that when he came to the capital again, he found the princess's mansion. When the princess learned that he was the father of Wu Qiming's fiancée, she killed him and sent people to cripple him and drive him out of the capital.
Chen Jianshu used the only dozen taels of silver he had left to hire a farmer's carriage and returned to Chenjiabao.
When Mrs. Chen saw that her eldest son had broken his leg and her beloved granddaughter was missing, she could not bear the blow and fell ill. She passed away two months later.
The Chen family suffered a sudden change. Old Man Chen became anxious and angry and suffered a stroke. In the end, he also passed away with Old Lady Chen.
Due to the severe drought, the fields of Chenjiabao were completely barren. The Chen family quickly fell into decline, and the villagers of Chenjiabao did not buy food in time, and later did not receive the batch of food sent by Chen Jianshu. In the end, some fled from the famine, and some starved to death. The ending was tragic.
When Chenjiabao became a deserted village, Chen Jianshu reluctantly abandoned fifty acres of fertile land, left his hometown with his wife and children, and began his journey to escape famine.
When they arrived at Qingyang City, they happened to encounter a riot by disaster victims, and Chen Jianshu's family of five died in the riot.
On the sixteenth day of the first lunar month, before dawn, Old Mrs. Chen woke up in tears. She woke Old Man Chen up and told him about her dream.
Old man Chen also choked up and said, "Old woman, I had the same dream as you! Wuuwuwu..."
Old Mrs. Chen wiped away her tears and said, "I know that it was this granddaughter who saved our Chen family and the entire Chenjiabao. Otherwise, we would have been gone long ago!"
Old Man Chen nodded and said, "Yes, my granddaughter has changed the fate of the Chen family. I, an old man, have even been given a title. But why did we both have the same dream on the fifteenth night? Did God have any sign?"
Old Mrs. Chen said nervously, "Yes, could something have happened to our eldest granddaughter? This is so urgent! Let's see if she can come back today! If not, we'll send someone to the capital to look for her tomorrow!"
"Okay, I'll ask Lao San to get ready. We'll set off for the capital tomorrow." Old man Chen got dressed and went downstairs, calling the servants to go to the fourth courtyard to find Chen Sanhe.
As for Chen Ruotong, she also had the same dream on the night of the 15th. She felt as if she had experienced it herself, it was so real and so tragic.
In the dream, the lovely old man and old lady Chen, and the hardworking and kind brothers were gone, and she felt upset just thinking about it. She knew that it was her arrival that changed the fate of the Chen family.
She wanted to protect this big family and make every relative live a happy and fulfilling life. She was anxious to go home!
On the morning of the 16th day of the first lunar month, after having breakfast at Zizhu Garden, Qiao Zien and Chen Ruotong went to Qiao Zhenbang's courtyard together to pay their respects and explain that they were going back to Zhishan Academy in Pingyang Prefecture to go to school.
Qiao Zhenbang seemed a little reluctant and asked, "When will En'er come home after this departure?"
Qiao Zien said respectfully, "The examination will be held in August, and I will be back in June. Don't worry, father. I have a house in Pingyang Prefecture, and Uncle Qiao will take good care of me. If I pass the examination, I will not go to Pingyang anymore, and will stay at home with you."
Qiao Zhenbang looked at his tall and handsome eldest son and nodded with satisfaction, "Good, good, En'er will definitely be able to pass the imperial examination and bring honor to our family! We in the Qiao family have a scholar now, hahahaha..."
At this time, Aunt Yao lifted the door curtain and entered the room, followed by two maids holding trays in their hands.
Aunt Yao bowed and said, "Master, these two cloaks are for the eldest and Chen. Please accept them."
Qiao Zien and Chen Ruotong took the cloaks, said thank you, and put them on together, looking very beautiful.
Qiao Zhenbang looked at it and said happily, "It fits perfectly, looks good! My son has a figure that makes him look good in anything. My son has an extraordinary temperament, and he will definitely have a bright future, hahahaha... En'er is going to study, quickly give En'er 500 taels of silver for travel expenses and tuition!"
Aunt Yao seemed a little embarrassed. After hesitating for a moment, she said, "Yes, Master. I'll get it right away!"
After a while, Aunt Yao brought five hundred taels of silver and gave it to Qiao Zien.
Qiao Zien was of course not polite. He took the banknote and put it in his sleeve, then bowed and said, "Thank you for your love, father. I will not let you down. Brother Gu Chuan and I will bid farewell to you. I hope you take care of yourself. I will be back soon!"
Qiao Zhenbang wiped his moist eyes and said, "Okay, take care of your two children too..."
After the two men left the mansion, Qiao Cai was left in the mansion to look after the yard.
Chen Ruotong and Qiao Zien came to the Jucai Inn. Zhou Qian went out to look for a house, and Feng Liangyu stayed in the inn waiting for Chen Ruotong to come and give instructions.
Chen Ruotong said, "Old Feng, I have to go back to Pingyang Prefecture today. You and Zhou Qian will stay here for the time being. Go to the Princess's Mansion first and keep an eye on Nanny Xu and a maid named Zhihua. Find out where they went in a month, and then come home and tell me. If there is anything difficult to deal with, go to the Dali Temple to find Master Zhen, he will help you."
Feng Liangyu accepted the task and assured, "Please rest assured, Master. Old Feng will definitely complete this matter successfully! I wish you, Master Qiao, a safe journey!"
The two of them came to the Shuxiang Pavilion where they had made an appointment with Song Xuanyi. As expected, Song Xuanyi did not show up. Instead, a middle-aged man in his forties with a white face and no beard came.
The man spoke in a soft and gentle voice, "Master Chen and Master Qiao, right? My master had something important to do today and was unable to keep the appointment. I sent this old servant to apologize to you two. This is a gift from my master to you two."
Chen Ruotong and Qiao Zien each received a jade pendant with the word "Xuan" engraved on it.
The man continued, "This is a token of our young master's love. You can get help by taking this jade pendant to the government offices in the capital or other prefectures."
Chen Ruotong and Qiao Zien looked at each other and said in unison, "Thank you, Mr. Song! This gift is too precious!"
The man waved his hand and said, "You are too polite, my master admires you two very much. We will definitely meet again in the future. I have to go back and report. Goodbye!"
Chen Ruotong watched the man walk away, then turned around and smiled, "Zi En, we guessed right, Young Master Song is the current emperor, and he has started to pay attention to us!"
"Well, it's a good thing, but also not a good thing. It's a mixed blessing!"
"That makes sense, but it's better to be careful!"
At eight o'clock in the morning, the two of them went out of the South City Gate and headed towards the outskirts of the North City.