In the blink of an eye, after the first month, into February, the canal flowed.

The two brothers, Cao Hao and Cao Fu, with the chief of the guard, accompanied more than 20 people, boarded the boat at the Tongzhou wharf and went down the canal.

The boat is a big boat hired by Wang Lusheng from Xuzhou, with a total of four. Three cargo ships, one passenger ship.

Those silk silks won the bid from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, which are considered fine goods, although they are not afraid of pressure and fall, but they are afraid of moisture and cannot be placed in the open air, so each ship is loaded.

Hundreds of thousands of horses, three ships were loaded.

The passenger ship, although it is larger than a cargo ship, looks not small. Two deck cabins, dozens of rooms. There were a few large cabins, the size of one or two rooms.

This was arranged by Wang Lusheng because Cao Hao wanted to go along.

In several large cabins, all the furnishings have been arranged by the children of the Wang family to be replaced with new ones. Wang Lusheng's intentions towards Cao Hao can be seen.

Seeing this, Cao Fu sighed and quietly asked his brother: "Brother, if it's just a squire under the old rule of the eldest brother, this Wang Lusheng is too diligent, don't have any more plans?" ”

Except for the untruthful part of Yangzhou Wangfengzhuang, there is nothing else to hide, Cao Hao said that the auction of Jiangning in the forty-ninth year of Kangxi.

Only then did Cao Fu know the origin of the two families, which was traced back to ten years ago, so he didn't say more.

Cao Hao is not actually a picky person, but it is always good that this cabin is spacious and clean.

According to the plan, take the canal from Beijing to Yangzhou; When I arrived in Yangzhou, I went down the river to the estuary and took the sea route to Guangzhou. Even if the journey is smooth, you will have to stay on the ship for two or three months.

complained that Wang Lusheng spent money to hire a big ship, for fear of treating the distinguished guests slowly.

Cao Fu went to Beijing with Cao Yin and his wife that year, and he took the land route, which was the first time he had traveled by boat. In the end, he was young and energetic, and when he left Beijing, he pulled his brother to the deck to enjoy the scenery.

However, the water surface was windy, and Cao Fu was not a person who was used to taking boats, so he wilted in a few days.

Cao Hao is rare and clean, and he has a map found by Brother Sixteen on hand. Although it is not yet accurate, the southern provinces are already the outline of later generations.

Cao Hao was fine, so he put out the map, looked at the places marked in Guangzhou, and then looked at Macao.

The Sun family in Hangzhou, the Qingliang Temple in Jiangning, Cao Hao thought a lot in his heart, but he couldn't take care of it when he went, so he could only go to these places on the way back.

Cao Fu's seasickness became worse and worse, except for drinking porridge, what else he ate and vomited.

Now, he doesn't bother to go to Guangzhou with his brother, and he agrees to the proposal to let him go to Hangzhou to pick up Cao Ying's mother and son. Originally, he shouted that he would take his brother to Hangzhou with him, and then he also went south to Guangzhou.

The Wang family stayed in the capital to escort the ship is Wang Lusheng's righteous son Guo Quanyou, who has been by Wang Lusheng's side for more than ten years.

Even Cao Fu, who was a little wary of Wang Lusheng, got along with Guo Quanyou very casually.

Those who came with Cao Hao included Cao Fang's father and son, Wei Hei, Cao Jia, Cao Yi and others.

With a slight spring cold, a few days later, Cao Hao and others arrived in Xuzhou by boat.

The fleet was in Xuzhou and stopped for a day to replenish vegetables and water.

Wang Lusheng was already waiting here, and booked a seat at Hongyan Building, the largest restaurant in Xuzhou, to pick up the wind and wash the dust for the Cao brothers.

Although there are chefs on board and the ingredients are complete, I am tired of eating them. Cao Hao naturally had a great appetite and sacrificed the Five Organs Temple.

Cao Fu doesn't have a good appetite, and he doesn't have the energy.

Cao Hao saw that his cousin had lost a lot of weight, his eyes were sunken, and he couldn't bear it, and wanted to arrange for him to travel by land from Xuzhou.

Cao Fu refused, and said straightly: "Don't you take a boat in this life?" The more seasick you are, the more you have to sit, and you can't get through this bit of hardship, and you will really become a waste material. ”

Seeing that his cousin was so stubborn, Cao Hao didn't say anything, but just ordered someone to buy a lot of peppermint oil and prunes.

At this time, there is no seasickness medicine, and these two things can play a role.

After Xuzhou, the spring cold gradually subsided, and Cao Hao did not want to be bored in the cabin, so he put a few chairs on the deck and set up a shed to shade the sun.

After staying on the deck for a long time, Cao Fu's symptoms of seasickness disappeared, and his diet went on as usual.

Cao Hao's side is thinking about Yangzhou.

After the year, he wrote to the Sun family in Hangzhou, saying that the Cao family would send someone to pick up Cao Ying's mother and son in February.

Sun Wencheng also replied to the letter, mentioning that his daughter-in-law and grandson are fine, don't read something like that...... * Hangzhou Weaving Mansion, Inner Courtyard.

Cao Ying's situation at this time is indeed not bad. She took the Sun Li brothers and arrived in Hangzhou on the 27th of the lunar month. Then, it was to prepare for the New Year and Sun Wencheng's birthday, and he was busy for a whole New Year.

Originally, she was still nervous, afraid that she would make a fuss when she met her husband. If the parents-in-law put out the score of the elders, it will be disturbing.

Fortunately, the feared scenario did not arise. Sun Jue was still in Xuzhou and did not come back to live in Xuzhou.

Sun Wencheng still treats his grandchildren with kindness, and he is still the same as in the past for this eldest daughter-in-law. The housekeeper and daughter-in-law of the Cao family who escorted him back, Sun Wencheng, also asked someone to make proper arrangements.

Only her mother-in-law An looked at her eyes, like shooting a knife, but she didn't dare to snub this eldest daughter-in-law. No matter how resentful she was, she still obeyed her husband's arrangement, took her daughter-in-law with her, and socialized with the officialdom women in Hangzhou.

With Cao Ying's mother and son returning to Hangzhou, the rumors of the "righteousness" of the Sun and Cao families were self-defeating.

It's not bad, and Cao Ying can't be called good.

Not only is her mother-in-law cold, but her sister-in-law is not as close to her as she was earlier. On the surface, she is still the Sun family, but it doesn't seem to be like that.

Estrangement and alienation already exist.

Cao Ying was bored staying at her in-law's house, and thought about taking her sons back to Beijing, but An's hugged her eldest grandson and refused to let go.

Sun Wencheng also persuaded his daughter-in-law to keep more children, after all, Sun Li is fourteen, and he will only be able to accompany his grandparents when he goes to school in the future.

Although Cao Ying was anxious, she saw that her in-laws really felt sorry for her grandson, and her son also showed a little smile under the pampering of his elders, and he was no longer the same as a little adult before, so he was reluctant to say anything.

It wasn't until Cao Hao's letter arrived, Sun Wencheng told his daughter-in-law, and the Cao family would come over to pick it up, that Cao Ying's heart was steady.

This said, she was about to bring a gift list to her brothers and sisters, thinking that her sister Cao Yi loved to drink Longjing, so she hurriedly instructed someone to go to the tea garden to book some Longjing before the rain.

After the list was prepared, Cao Ying remembered something, asked the maid to weigh two hundred taels of silver, prepared a few sets of rulers, and asked someone to call a few daughters-in-law from the Cao family and said something about returning to Beijing.

When the daughters-in-law heard this, they all smiled more.

Although before coming out, the eldest grandmother had already explained that doing a good job would be indispensable for everyone's reward, but it has been more than two months since it came out, and everyone is also worried about the capital.

After finishing talking with several daughters-in-law, Cao Ying asked the maid to take the ruler, took out fifty taels of silver, and said, "It's hard for you to accompany me for the New Year." Originally, I wanted to buy some tuyi to reward the big guys, but the capital is prosperous, and there is nothing missing. This is a bit of a ruler, add clothes for everyone, plus ten taels of silver per person, and buy tea for everyone to eat, don't be too little. ”

Everyone bowed down and thanked them, saying that they had thanked their aunts and grandmothers for their rewards.

Among the Cao family who escorted her, Zhao An and his wife were the leaders. Zhao An took these people out, and his subordinates were extremely strict, for fear that the subordinates would make a mistake and ruin the reputation of the Cao family.

After coming to Hangzhou for two months, I detained everyone in the weaving house and didn't dare to let it out.

Cao Ying thought for a while, and said: "Now is a good time to enjoy the scenery, if you don't take a look at the West Lake, you will come to Hangzhou in vain." I discussed with Steward Zhao to see if I could let everyone go out to breathe. ”

Everyone thanked them again, and Cao Yingshan left Zhao An's family and sent the others down.

She handed over the remaining one hundred and fifty taels of silver to Zhao An's family, and said: "This is for the outside steward, you hand it over to Steward Zhao, ten taels per person for the steward, and five taels per person for the errand. ”

In addition to Zhao An, there were four other stewards and ten messengers this time.

Zhao An's family is the tortoiseshell who was an old lady and maid in the early years, and later waited for Cao Hao for six or seven years, also known as Huixin. She is the same age as Cao Ying, and before Cao Ying left the cabinet, the relationship was also familiar.

Cao Hao and Chu Yu chose their couple to bring someone to send Cao Ying for this reason.

After taking the silver, Zhao Anjia asked the doubts in his heart: "Aunt and grandmother, there are five people in charge of this matter, fifty taels of silver, ten people who are on the errand, fifty taels of silver, a total of one hundred taels is enough." One hundred and fifty taels, isn't it too much? ”

When Cao Ying heard this, she smiled and said, "It's not much, the fifty taels of silver are my reward for the two of you." Under the New Year, it is not easy to leave a few children behind and rush in the cold. Now that your man is decent in front of the uncle, your housekeeper and lady should be a good one, you shouldn't have taken such a drudgery and suffered this crime. ”

When Zhao Anjia heard this, he hurriedly got up and said, "Look at what the eldest aunt and grandmother said, the slave and maid were killed." It is our blessing to be able to serve our aunts and grandmothers...... The silver slave and maid don't dare to accept it, if the uncle and grandmother know, they can't blame us for being frivolous......"

Seeing her cautious, Cao Ying shook her head and said, "Sit down, we also know each other from a young age, there are many rules, and we are tired to look at." Earlier, my second sister and I thought that you would wait by your uncle's side for the rest of your life, but I didn't expect you to have an idea. I'll take it for you, a few dozen taels of silver, and I can still afford it......"

At this point, it would be disrespectful if he didn't accept it, and Zhao An's family could only thank him for accepting it......* Seeing that his daughter-in-law was preparing to return to Beijing, An's was a little anxious, and wiped her tears in front of her husband with a handkerchief, complaining: "There is a good wife in the family, and the husband will not cause trouble." If it weren't for the Cao family's urgency, the boss would not have lost his official position and resigned, and he would not have been able to return home. is plain and virtuous, and it is not a vinegar twist. The son can't come back, and she still wants to take her grandson away? Master, Li'er is the eldest grandson of our Sun family, what is this uprooted person? ”

Sun Wencheng was also reluctant to give up his grandson, and for more than a month, he secretly observed his eldest grandson and found that he was really a good boy with good conduct; is the concubine Sun Chu, at a young age, he is also well-behaved and polite.

These two brothers are not only much stronger than their father when he was young, but also a cut above Sun Wencheng's young sons.

His love for his grandchildren came from the bottom of his heart. It can also be seen that this daughter-in-law is not wrong, and she looks a little better, but in the end, everyone is from a background, but she can teach children.

Not for anything else, but for the future of his grandchildren, Sun Wencheng can only endure the pain of parting.

"Nonsense! Tell the children to hear carefully. What do you do with that shameful obstacle? Die early and be clean early, I'd rather not have this son! Sun Wencheng mentioned his eldest son, he was annoyed and angry, and said: "If you don't take anyone to the treasury yet, you should bring some for your grandson and granddaughter." On the in-laws' side, it's not good to lose the number of rudeness. ”

An Shi was scolded so anxious that his face turned white, and he muttered, "Do you want to give a gift again?" Boxing gifts have only been given for more than two months a year......"

"Huh?" Sun Wencheng saw that she was still verbose, glared, stopped his wife's nagging......* Cao Hao and others, along the canal, arrived in Yangzhou, it was already the beginning of March.

The ancients said well, fireworks go down to Yangzhou in March, you can see Yangzhou mid-spring, and the scenery is infinite.

Yangzhou is prosperous, the hub of water and land transportation, and is one of the freight distribution centers in the south of the Yangtze River, and the Wang family has children stationed here.

This time, because he transported three ships of silk silk, Wang Lusheng didn't want to buy other goods. However, because the fleet still had to go by sea, in order to be safe, it was necessary to enter the dock for repairs, so everyone went ashore in Yangzhou and lived in the royal courtyard.

Cao Fu is used to life on the ship, and wants to beg his brother to follow him to Guangzhou to see the world.

Cao Hao never let go, firstly, because it was not good for Cao Ying to wait in Sun's house for a long time, and secondly, Cao Xiang was left in the eastern and western prefectures of the capital, and he had to work as an errand in the yamen, and he couldn't take care of his family, which always made people worry.

After all, there will be some delay in arriving in Guangzhou, and it would be good to be able to return to Beijing before the year.

Cao Fu is not a person surnamed Ren, so he begged for success, so he got off the boat honestly and went to Hangzhou with a few elders to pick up his sister.

The Wang family is one of the top wealthy families in Shandong, and Wang Lusheng is well-known for his good popularity. I heard that he was in Yangzhou, so many close friends came to visit him, and invited him to eat and drink.

Cao Hao was impatient to see people, so he didn't socialize with Wang Lusheng, and took people to the market to take a stroll to see the cloth shops here.

This day, Wang Lusheng came back from eating and drinking, and brought two guests back, but he did not visit him, but came to see Cao Hao.

The person who came was the leading figure in Yangzhou City, Cheng Mengkun, the head of the Cheng family, and his cousin, Cheng Mengxing, a former Hanlin who returned to his hometown to guard filial piety.

Cao Hao was impatient to see them, but these two wanted to see them.

In the end, he is the head of the Cheng family who is rich in the world, and Cheng Mengkun does not have the slightest resentment on his face that the Internal Affairs Office has failed to meet the standards, as if there is no such thing.

After that failure, he begged to see the sixteenth elder brother and bought the dye. Today, the dyes are still in the warehouse of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and there is no intention of shipping them back.

Cao Hao accepted his favor in his early years, and he was always polite to him, and the two exchanged pleasantries for a while.

Cheng Mengxing was a person with a surname, and frowned: "If Fu Ruo arrived in Yangzhou, he didn't know that he would be deceased, which was really sad. Don't you think I'm vulgar and can't be a friend? ”

Cao Hao hurriedly said: "Brother Wu Qiao misunderstood, I haven't seen him for several years, and the younger brother even misses his brother, how can he not worry about seeing each other?" It's just that I have to go to Guangzhou in a hurry, and I will visit Brother Wu Qiao again when I come back, and I won't bother this time. ”

Cheng Mengxing glanced at Wang Lusheng and said, "Anyway, I asked Wang Qiye, how many days does your ship have to be repaired, isn't it just idle?" I was cheeky and went directly to the door to invite guests, and Ming'er wanted to invite Fu Ruo to my garden. If Fu didn't appreciate his face, I wouldn't leave today......"

He has long been filial and has lived in seclusion, but his reputation is more prominent than in earlier years.

Even when Cao Hao was in Beijing, when he heard people mention Jiangnan Shilin, there was also news of Cheng Mengxing from time to time.

Nowadays, a famous genius in Jiangnan is like a pranky boy, and everyone can't help but laugh......

(To be continued)