I don't know who leaked the news. In the past few days, many people from the village have come to the Duan family, all coming to inquire about the Duan family's departure.
People from the village came to visit, many with nothing. Some were carrying fish they had just fished out of the river, some were picking handfuls of wild fruits from the mountains, and some were offering umbrellas and baskets.
This gift was only delivered to the door, but they were not willing to invite them in for tea, and did not even go to the yard.
"Mom, what should I do with the things sent by the villagers?" Duan Mingjing was a little confused.
Qiao Lan looked at the things in the room and sighed.
They were leaving but they didn't prepare any gifts for the villagers.
"Please write it down. Write down what each household gave you." Qiao Lan ordered Duan Mingjing.
Duan Mingjing nodded in agreement.
While packing their things, the Duan family gave a time to leave. They would leave on the sixth day of October.
It's too late to leave. It's too cold and freezing in the north.
The old man in the village counted on his skinny fingers, "How many days will it be on the sixth day of October?"
The neat man immediately understood, "October is only eight days away. At the beginning of October, there are about ten days. Watering the ground twice is enough..."
Those who didn't understand said "oh" and immediately had an idea in their minds.
The Duan family determined the time of departure and sent letters to the county and Tongzhou in advance to say hello and say that their family was returning to the capital. By the way, they also wrote in the letter that there was no need to make a big fanfare to see them off.
The letter had been delivered, but what happened to other matters was not something they knew clearly.
-
When I heard that the Duan family was leaving, the Du family was happiest.
Du Qingyuan has been packing his things in recent days, planning to move to the county town in a few days to enjoy the blessing of his grandson.
He has lived to such an old age and has always had enough food and clothing to live smoothly. Nothing has ever caused him to stumble.
But it was only the issue of the Duan family that troubled him for a long time.
He thought that the Duan family would never come back in this life, but who knew that not only did the Duan family come back, but they also fell into despair. Their two hundred acres of land were taken away, leaving his family with no income.
It would be fine if that was all, but this family seemed to be against him.
He can cultivate a bright house even when he is farming at home, and the adults in the county come to visit his home frequently!
But where can farming compare to studying?
In Du Qingyuan's eyes, his grandson is the most capable, and he was admitted to the Juren Examination at such a young age!
You have only been farming for a few years, and you don’t even have a scholar in your family, so you expect to return to the capital to farm?
What kind of bright future can you get by going to the capital to farm? It's just a swollen person who pretends to be fat.
When Qiao Lan was first awarded the reward, there were many guards guarding the two imperial envoys around the house. Ordinary people stood far away and could not hear the conversations in the yard and had no idea what was going on inside.
Even if they heard about it, the only high-ranking officials that the villagers knew were the county magistrate and the emperor, and they had no idea about other official titles.
Coupled with the low profile of the Duan family, this matter has never been publicized to the outside world.
The people in the village basically don't know the identity of Qiao Lan's queen. The Du family hides far away, and they don't know much about it, let alone the fact that there are two members of the Duan family.
In Du Qingyuan's eyes, the Duan family had saved some money by farming and raising chickens, so they planned to go to the capital to live their good life.
No matter what the Duan family is like now, what kind of future can be achieved by farming?
With jealousy and contempt, Du Qingyuan packed up all his belongings for his retirement before sunrise one day and drove a donkey cart to the county seat.
-
"Sister-in-law Wang, Sister-in-law Shang? Is anyone here?" The voice of the woman next door sounded in the backyard, accompanied by a knock on the door.
"The backyard door is unlocked. I still have work to do, so you can come in by yourself!" Mrs. Wang shouted while shaking the well.
The door opened with a creak, and the woman came in carrying a small bundle.
"I made some rice cakes and brought them over for you to try. These rice cakes can withstand hunger and can last for a while when the weather gets cold."
Mrs. Wang finished her work and hurried to pick it up, "Why are you so polite? Why don't you keep it for yourself?"
The woman smiled and said, "This is my mother's family's craft. I went to my mother's house to make it. Our family makes the best food in the entire county. My father also carved this pattern himself. You have to try it."
As the woman spoke, she opened the baggage, revealing pieces of white rice cakes packed in the baggage. Just as the woman said, each piece was printed with flowers, just like pieces of warm, white jade.
Rice cake is different from the expensive and exquisite cakes on the street. It is a kind of food made by grinding glutinous rice and brown rice into powder, steaming and drying it in different proportions. It is as white as jade and has a hard texture.
It can be eaten cooked or eaten raw. It mainly depends on whether the teeth are in good condition.
Many families in the south will make a large piece of rice brick called a rice brick when their children and grandchildren travel far away, and put it in their luggage as a backup food.
Holding it in your arms at night can not only be used as a pillow, but also relieve the pain of homesickness. It can also defend yourself at critical times. It can be said to serve multiple purposes.
There are more and more people making them, and there are many different styles. The rice bricks get smaller and smaller as they are made, so they are called rice cakes.
"It looks delicious!" Mrs. Wang praised, twisting a piece, "I made a big pot of cold radish today, and the family can't finish it. I'll put a plate for you..."
Saying it was a plate, Wang brought the woman a soup bowl and filled it full! She also added a small jar of fried rice and beans.
"Too much, too much. You have a lot of people at home, why are you pretending to be so much for me?" the woman quickly refused.
"It's okay, I still have plenty at home. You haven't tasted my craftsmanship yet, try a few more bites." Mrs. Wang said with a smile.
The two of them looked at each other and smiled, then went back to the kitchen to settle down and eat.
-
Qiao Lan wasn't very busy at first, but because she was leaving, she couldn't let go of her home and the land on Zhuangzi, so she went to give her some instructions.
A few days later, Mo Qiming replied, saying that the elders in the family agreed that he would leave his hometown and go to the capital. The children of the Duan family were very happy. After a few days of this, time passed by and it was time to leave.
-
The road to the capital was long and difficult, so just in case something happened, the Duan family went to Tongzhou to hire several bodyguards who had been traveling all year round to serve as bodyguards.
The bodyguard arrived at Duan's house the day before and was waiting for the carriage and horses outside the yard. Many people from the village also came.
Qiao Lan took the children at home and offered a stick of incense to the ancestors of the Duan family in the ancestral hall, telling them that they were leaving and asking for their forgiveness.
After leaving the ancestral hall, the family reluctantly looked at the autumn colors in the garden.
Duan Siyu trotted to the tree and grabbed the swing, not wanting to leave. After some coaxing from the adults at home, Duan Siyu asked, "Is there a swing in the capital?"
"Yes!" Duan Yutao said loudly.
"Is there a yard with flowers?"
"some!"
Qiao Lan stepped forward and touched her granddaughter's head, and said to the family, "Everything will be available!"