The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 191 Entering the Mansion

Chang Ping saw Xu Dagui sitting on the ground with tears streaming down his face. He was even more upset, but he reluctantly advised: "Uncle Xu, don't worry, I'll think of a way."

He was thinking of going to the palace to ask for news. Perhaps his family had taken refuge in Mrs. Zhang's house for safety.

After all, that was the Tongzhi's residence. As long as Longnan City was not breached, it would be safe enough.

However, he suddenly thought of something. He looked around in the alley first, and seeing that there was no one around, he lifted the large stone on the side of the door, and there was a key lying underneath.

He quickly took out the key and opened the door. Seeing this, Xu Dagui hurriedly wiped his tears with his sleeves and went in carrying their luggage.

When Dahuang and Xiaohuang saw their master coming in, they barked even more happily, but Changping didn't bother to pay attention to them. Instead, he strode towards the main room.

The door to the main room was not locked and opened immediately. He saw a letter in the middle of the table and quickly went forward to open it.

This was Chen Cui's handwriting, written in a hurry. It briefly stated the reason for their departure and where they were going, and told Changping to go to the palace to find Zhang Ruomei after reading the letter.

"Master, Master, what does the letter say?" Xu Dagui couldn't find his family members, so he hurried over and asked.

Changping was about to explain the whole story to him when a voice came from the gate: "Master Changping, Master Changping..."

The person who came following the voice turned out to be a servant from Zhang Ruomei's family. He often came to Chen Cui's house to run errands, and everyone in the family knew him.

"Yuanbao, why are you here?" Changping asked.

"It was my wife who asked me to wait for you in the alley. I took you to my house when I saw you. I had diarrhea and left for a while. Then I saw the door was opened, so I guessed that you must be back!"

Yuanbao's face was slightly pale, and there was a thin layer of sweat on his forehead. He had just squatted in the toilet for a long time, and now his legs were numb.

Seeing this, Changping said to Xu Dagui: "Uncle Xu, let's go with Yuanbao. I'll talk to you on the way."

The three of them left the yard and when they reached the door, Changping saw Dahuang and Xiaohuang wagging their tails at him and making whining sounds. They looked so pitiful that he felt sorry for them.

"Yuanbao, can I take these two dogs with me?"

Yuanbao felt guilty because he was not there when Master Changping came back just now. He was afraid that he would mention the matter in front of the mistress. If the master wanted to punish someone, he would not care about the reason for leaving the post, so he deliberately tried to please him.

"If you are reluctant to leave, then take it with you. There are two dogs in the mansion and we can tie them together when the time comes." Yuanbao answered quickly.

They had enough supplies in their house, and it was just two dogs that they could afford to keep. Besides, it wasn't his food that was wasted, so he naturally didn't feel bad.

The ropes of Dahuang and Xiaohuang were untied, and they obediently followed Changping into the carriage.

At this time, Wang Hengzhi was very busy in the yamen, and Zhang Ruomei was the only one in charge of the family. When she saw Changping, tears welled up in her eyes.

"Okay, okay, as long as you return safely, you can live peacefully in the mansion, don't be shy, just treat it as your own home, and wait for your mother and the others to come back, and then you can reunite as a family!"

"Thank you Aunt Zhang for taking me in. I will certainly obey your orders!" Changping bowed deeply.

"Don't be polite, I should be the one thanking your mother. By the way, can you tell me about the situation in Jincheng?" Zhang Ruomei was worried about the situation and still wanted to know more information.

"As soon as Uncle Xu and I got the news that day, we hired a carriage at a high price and prepared to return. Fortunately, we acted quickly. As soon as we left the city, the city gate was closed. We have no idea what the situation is like inside Jincheng now."

Changping is still in shock. If he hadn't acted decisively, he might have been stuck at the city gate and couldn't get out.''

Jincheng is only two hundred miles away from the border and is the largest city closest to the border. With the speed of the Western Rong cavalry, it can reach the border in less than a day at full speed. Once the border is breached, Jincheng will definitely be the first to suffer.

Zhang Ruomei sighed. How could the situation in Longnan be any better now?

"By the way, are the results of the provincial examination out?" She suddenly thought of Changping's purpose of going to Jincheng, and couldn't help asking.

"It's out. Fortunately, your name is on the list, ranking fifth!" Changping showed a rare smile on his face.

"That's great! Your mother will be very happy when she knows about this!" Zhang Ruomei was truly happy for Changping's achievements.

Zhang Ruomei had met many scholars, but many of them only reached the level of scholar. Changping only studied for a few years, but he was able to pass the imperial examination and become a juren in one go. This is really rare!

When Changping heard her mention her mother, he felt a little disappointed.

But he also understood that his mother's approach was right. According to the current situation, leading his family to Sichuan was the best way to protect them.

If Longnan was not affected by the war in the end, it would only be a long journey, but if Longnan was dragged into the war, this action would be equivalent to saving the whole family.

Zhang Ruomei saw that he looked haggard and his clothes were wrinkled, and knew that he must have worked very hard in the past two days to get back home: "Good boy, go and have a rest. I will send someone to look for you when the master comes back in the evening."

Changping was indeed exhausted, so he did not refuse and returned to his temporary residence to rest.

Zhang Ruomei arranged for him a separate courtyard in the outer yard, with three main rooms and two side rooms. The house was fully equipped and he could move in directly, which showed that it had been prepared long ago.

At the moment he relaxed his body and mind, he felt aches all over his body. He lay on the soft bed, closed his eyes, and soon fell asleep.

When Changping woke up, it was dark outside. Xu Dagui was waiting at the door. When he heard Changping get up, he hurried forward to light the lamp.

"Young Master, the kitchen staff came to deliver the meal just now. I asked them to take it back first. Do you want to eat now?" Xu Dagui asked.

"Well, let them bring it in." Changping had slept for most of the day and his stomach was already empty.

"By the way, is Lord Wang back?"

"He probably hasn't come back yet. I'm keeping an eye on him!" Xu Dagui replied.

Living in someone else's house, he would definitely pay more attention to the owner's news. Mrs. Zhang lived in the inner courtyard, so it was difficult for him to ask about her, but it was not difficult to know what was going on in the outer courtyard.

The two families had frequent contacts, and he knew many of Mrs. Zhang's useful people. The master's return home was not a secret, and they would not deliberately conceal it.

The food was served, and the portions were quite large. Changping asked Xu Dagui to come and eat with him: "Uncle Xu, don't be polite. There are only two of us here, so let's sit down and eat together."

Xu Dagui waved his hand quickly: "Master, I just ate it. Please eat it quickly before it gets cold."

Seeing this, Changping stopped insisting and started eating.