"My dear nephew, please come inside."
Zhou Chen waved his hand, and Shui Quan and his guards followed him carrying two boxes. It was his first time to visit, so of course he couldn't be empty-handed.
Sheng Hong deliberately brought Zhou Chen to the main hall, and Wang Ruofu, the eldest wife of the Sheng Mansion, was already waiting in the main hall. When she saw the person coming, she immediately stood up with a smile on her face.
After Sheng Hong's introduction, Zhou Chen took the initiative to salute politely: "I've met the eldest lady."
Wang Ruofu smiled broadly: "You're welcome, please take a seat."
Zhou Chen asked Shui Quan to put down the things and said, "Uncle, Madam, I came from Tokyo. These are some specialties brought from Tokyo. Please don't dislike them, Uncle and Madam."
"What are you doing, my dear nephew? He came right after he came and didn't even bring anything with him. You're so polite." Sheng Hong's words in the scene were not bad at all.
"It should, it should."
After exchanging polite words, Wang Ruofu asked his servants to move the things away, and the three of them sat down in the hall.
"Actually, this time I specially sent the teacher back to his hometown. When I arrived in Yangzhou, I found out that Uncle Sheng was an official in Yangzhou, so I came here to visit him."
Sheng Hong was very surprised: "Oh, does my nephew's teacher live in Yangzhou? I wonder if he respects his teacher?"
"The teacher's surname is Li and his given name is Zhang. He was a Jinshi in the ninth year of Tiansheng."
When Sheng Hong heard this, he was in awe: "It turns out to be Master Li. I have heard of Master Li for a long time. He is a highly respected and admirable senior in Yangzhou."
He had indeed heard of Li Zhang, but that was all, he was not familiar with him, he was just talking politely.
"Teacher is indeed erudite and knowledgeable. Without him, my brother and I would not have the knowledge we have now."
"Oh, my nephew and brother also took the imperial examination?"
Sheng Hong became interested. Listening to Zhou Chen's tone, it was obvious that he had accomplished something in his studies. But after all, he was in the Hou Mansion. Could it be that he had actually taken the imperial examination?
As soon as you inquire about this kind of thing, you will know that Zhou Chen did not hide anything and said directly: "My eldest brother was the first-class Jinshi in the last year, and I just passed the Qiu Wei."
Sheng Hong's expression suddenly became solemn. Zhou Chen is the legitimate son of the Hou family, so wouldn't his eldest brother be the eldest son, the future Marquis of Zhongjing? It's really amazing that such a young Marquis can pass the first-class Jinshi examination.
As for Zhou Chen, he was even more curious: "My nephew is not very old, but he has also passed the Qiu Dynasty. He is really a young and talented person."
Wang Ruofu also regained his sense of presence at this time, and said with a smile: "Yes, I think you are only sixteen or seventeen years old. Have you passed the provincial examination so early?"
"Unsatisfied uncle, eldest lady, I have just turned sixteen."
"sixteen?"
Sheng Hong took a breath. He passed the provincial examination at the age of sixteen and became a civil servant. In a small place, it would not be an exaggeration to call him a child prodigy. Even if he was placed in Bianjing, it would not be easy.
He was shocked by the talents of Zhou Chen brothers and felt that these brothers would definitely be great in the future.
Wang Ruofu was much simpler than he thought. Her eyes kept looking at Zhou Chen, and the more she looked at him, the more she liked him.
He has a handsome young appearance, a talented person, a noble birth, and speaks and behaves like everyone else. Although he is young, you can tell at a glance that he is a promising person.
She couldn't help but think of her beloved eldest daughter Hua Lan, and thought that it would be great if Hua Lan could find such a husband.
Zhou Chen chatted with Sheng Hong and his wife for a while, and then took the initiative to say that he wanted to meet the old lady. Neither Sheng Hong nor Sheng Hong was surprised. They knew that this was Zhou Chen's real purpose, so the couple took Zhou Chen with them in person.
Went to Shou'an Hall.
Zhou Chen asked Shui Quan and the others to stay, and he followed Sheng Hong and his wife to the backyard.
Shou'an Hall is located in the backyard of Sheng Mansion. It is a relatively secluded courtyard. Zhou Chen followed him to the inner hall and soon met Mrs. Sheng, whom he had admired for a long time.
Mrs. Sheng appeared frequently in this drama and was one of the soul characters of the drama. For Sheng Minglan to achieve such achievements, the old lady must take half of the credit.
The old lady is a real wise man. To be honest, marrying the Sheng family is really a secret investment. This old lady is admired from the bottom of the heart and is also the anchor of the Sheng family.
Zhou Chen is not a person who likes to kowtow. After living for so many years, he has kowtowed only a handful of times. However, this time, after seeing his relationship with Mrs. Sheng, he still knelt down and kowtowed respectfully.
"My great-aunt Ci'an."
The old lady stood up hurriedly, walked over in a few steps, stretched out her hand and pulled Zhou Chen up.
"Good boy, good boy, the ground is cold, get up quickly, get up quickly."
He pulled Zhou Chen up with both hands, and then did not let go. He held Zhou Chen's hand with both hands and looked at Zhou Chen with tearful eyes.
"A good boy, so delicate. He looks a lot like Huiniang when she was a child."
In fact, the last time she saw her niece was when she was seven or eight years old, and her memory has long been blurred. But when she saw Zhou Chen, she felt close and similar to her.
Seeing the old lady pulling Zhou Chen to look at her, Sheng Hong coughed dryly and said, "Mother, let your nephew sit down and talk first."
The old lady immediately patted the back of Zhou Chen's hand: "Look, I'm so confused. Brother Chen, come on, sit next to me quickly and let me take a good look."
With that said, she pulled Zhou Chen to the opposite side of the Arhat bed where she was sitting, and continued to look at him with a smile on her face.
For the first time in decades, she saw a descendant of her mother's family who was related to her by blood. She was excited and excited.
Chapter completed!