Free Web NovelChapter 394: Chapter 154: Commotion (2)
"But those two boys are insisting on not going to the Capital City. Your situation might be part of the reason, but it’s definitely not the whole story."
"Don’t be fooled by De’an’s carefree attitude; his pride is a match for yours. If you send him to the Imperial College with his current level of learning, he wouldn’t even be fit to carry someone’s shoes. Here in Qingshui County, he’s a Scholar, and his knowledge is considered respectable. But in the Capital City? Could he handle that kind of fall from grace? As for Jing, of course he’d rather go to the Prefecture than the Capital City. The cost of living is lower there, and everything would be within his control. Our daughter’s business is in the Prefecture, and she already knows the ropes. If he goes there, he can bring her along. But if he went to the Capital City, he’d have no money and no power, and our daughter’s business wouldn’t get off the ground. Wouldn’t she have to suffer a hard life with him there? Our daughter definitely won’t go to the Capital City right now, so Jing only wants to go to the Prefecture so he doesn’t have to be apart from our Qing’er."
Chen Song spoke with great conviction, adding that he had seen it long ago. Jing was the type who hated to be anywhere without Qing’er. If it were absolutely necessary, Zhao Jing might agree to a separation, but given a choice, he would never accept it.
"So, get over yourself a little. They’re thinking about their own situations. What’s it got to do with you? Don’t go thinking you’re dragging the boys down. You’re not that important."
Xu Suying was so irritated she jumped off the bed and started pounding on Chen Song.
As she pounded on him, the couple got tangled up together. It wasn’t until they were both covered in sweat and feeling utterly relaxed that Chen Song got up to fetch fresh water. After washing himself and his wife, they lay down on the floor and fell asleep.
Zhao Jing and Chen Wanqing left the Chen family home early the next morning.
They took some of the rewards with them, leaving the rest at home.
Xu Suying didn’t stand on ceremony with her daughter, simply accepting it as a gift of filial piety.
However, she had no use for the clothing fabrics, so she decided to save them and have clothes made for her daughter later.
This time, Chen Song and Chen De’an also went back with them.
Because of the Holy Decree they had received as a reward, the two families needed to return and discuss where it should be enshrined.
The group set out early and arrived at the village just as the sky was beginning to brighten. But Chen Dasheng, Chen Dalong, and elders from the Zhao Family like Mr. Zhao and his second brother were already waiting at the village entrance.
Seeing their ox cart approach, the men hurried forward to give them a warm welcome.
"You’re finally back."
"Where’s the Holy Decree? Let us see it, quickly."
"The news arrived yesterday just before dusk. We thought you’d be back, so we waited here until it was dark. When you still hadn’t shown up, we wanted to go to the county seat to get you. It was Mr. Zhao who said you were probably still drinking with the imperial envoy, so we didn’t go."
"Well, you’re back at last. Quick, let’s enshrine the Holy Decree in the ancestral hall."
While Zhao Jing and the others were away, the two families had already come to an agreement.
The Holy Decree would first be enshrined in the Zhao Family’s ancestral hall. However, on the empty plot of land next to it, piles of blue bricks and green tiles were already stacked, a clear sign that construction was about to begin on a new ancestral hall.
Chen Dasheng’s face was flushed with excitement. "We’re going to build a new ancestral hall for all of Zhao Village! Then the ancestors of the other families can be honored inside as well, and the Holy Decree will be kept there."
"That’s right! From now on, during festivals and holidays, we can all come here to pay our respects. The people of our village will truly become one big family."
With this shared ancestral hall and the Holy Decree, Chen Dasheng and the others finally felt like they could stand tall. They had truly put down roots in the Zhao Village. They would no longer have to worry about being bullied by the village’s long-time residents.
This was a good thing, a great thing!
Chen Dasheng and Chen Dalong were so happy they kept patting De’an on the back. "You’ve really made something of yourself."
"You’ve brought honor to our clan."
"This is incredible! We’ll give you your own page in the clan registry."
As they were talking, everyone in the village swarmed over.
Everyone was waiting quietly to see the Holy Decree, but Mr. Zhao said, "Not so fast. We need to choose an auspicious time and prepare offerings."
"I’ll go get them! I have pastries at home that I bought yesterday."
"Blind Granny is the best at picking auspicious dates. We’ll go find her right now."
"Shouldn’t we clean the ancestral hall first and find the best spot for the Holy Decree?"
The people of the Zhao Village were in a frenzy of activity.
It wasn’t just people from the Zhao Village. Folks from other villages had also heard about Zhao Jing and De’an and, expecting them to return today, had rushed over first thing in the morning.
The crowd grew larger and larger, becoming even more lively than the temple fair during the New Year.
And just before the crowd completely blocked the road, Mrs. Zhao and Xiang’er arrived as well.
