The road to wealth of a peasant widow

Chapter 207 Meeting

In fact, she and her sons all knew that Changping had passed the imperial examination and Wang Hengzhi had been transferred to the capital. These two things combined made it inevitable for Chen Cui to go to the capital.

Even though she was worried about her home, she could only comfort herself with the excuses given by her two sons. She would have to go there sooner or later, and the sooner she went, the sooner she could settle down there and adapt to the environment in the capital.

Because Wang Hengzhi had a transfer order, he hurriedly handed over his work to Lord Ma and set off for Beijing. As for Zhang Ruomei and Chen Cui, they delayed their departure because they had to deal with workshop matters and other chores.

Therefore, when Chen Cui and her friends actually set out for Beijing, it was already early June.

Zhang Ruomei brought her two sons and a group of servants to guard the house, while Chen Cui brought Suisui, the Ding mother and daughter, as well as Mr. Zou and her two servants.

Chen Cui didn't know how Zhang Ruomei persuaded Mr. Zou to go to Beijing with them and continue teaching Sui Sui. She was very grateful and took good care of Mr. Zou and the others along the way.

Because the team mainly consisted of women and children, and they had to take care of the children's physical and emotional health, their overall marching speed was not very fast.

Because of the hot weather, the team sets out early every day, finds a place to rest during the hottest time of the day at noon, and continues on their journey in the afternoon. They are guaranteed to stay in the best local inn at night.

Zhang Ruomei came from a wealthy family and never compromised on food and accommodation. The entire team centered around her, and the others were just incidental. The arrangements on the road were naturally focused on comfort, and the others followed suit and enjoyed the benefits.

Mai, Da Niu and Xiao Man stayed at home to take care of the two brothers Chang'an and Changfu. Chen Cui, Sui Sui and Ding's mother and daughter took a carriage. They all went to Shuzhong together last year, and couldn't help but sigh that the circumstances on the two journeys were so different.

Because many of the people following were elderly members of the caravan, who were familiar with this route, everything on the road was arranged properly and nothing went wrong. Every time they arrived at a place, there would be someone who would go ahead to book an inn and arrange for food and lodging. This was much more comfortable than previous trips.

But no matter how good the arrangements on the road were, traveling far away in this era was never a pleasant thing. After two months of trekking, they finally arrived in the capital.

Zhang Ruomei's house was bought many years ago and was big enough, so after arriving in Beijing, they stayed in her house temporarily and moved out after Chen Cui found a house.

Chen Cui was shocked when she saw Changping again.

"Changping, what's wrong with you?" She was speechless as she looked at her thin eldest son.

Chang Ping smiled bitterly. Before he could reply, Chen Cui glared at Xu Dagui: "Dagui, I entrusted the young master to your care, and this is how you take care of him? Tell me, what's going on?"

Xu Dagui had a sad face, and he knew that when the madam saw the eldest young master's look, she would definitely hold him accountable.

"Mom, don't blame Uncle Dagui. It was all because of my poor health that I fell ill after the palace examination. Thanks to Uncle Dagui's careful care, I was able to recover in time."

Perhaps it was because he was not well adapted to the climate of the capital, and he was so devoted to his studies that he was under too much pressure and his body could not bear it. He fell ill due to exhaustion right after taking the palace examination, and he was unable to even get up when the results were announced.

He had been in a coma for more than a month, and only recovered barely when it was time for him to join the ministry to observe government affairs.

Chen Cui touched Changping's arm through his clothes and felt that he was very thin. She didn't know how serious his illness was that he hadn't gained back any weight after several months.

Chen Cui glared at Xu Dagui fiercely, then looked at Changping: "I brought Aunt Ding here and asked her to make you some delicious meals to replenish your body."

Changping nodded happily. He missed Aunt Ding's cooking skills so much.

Although the capital is also in the north, there are still many differences in diet between it and Longnan. In addition, I was living in someone else's home, so my diet was not good and I was so self-centered. In addition, I was sick and had a poor appetite, so I lost a lot of weight.

"Wait until I ask your Aunt Zhang, and then I'll find a reliable house through a broker. Once it's ready, we'll move in. It's still more comfortable and at ease to live in our own home."

Chen Cui also thought of this. After all, she was a guest in someone else's home. No matter how good the relationship was, there had to be a boundary. She certainly couldn't be as casual as at her own home.

"By the way, which government office do you work for now?"

Chen Cui was just busy caring about her son's health, so she only had time to ask about his work arrangements.

"Working as a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue." Changping said with a smile.

Chen Cui's eyes lit up. What a coincidence! Wang Hengzhi was now in the Ministry of Revenue. They were in the same government office.

"Lord Wang is now a doctor in the Ministry of Revenue. Do you have any official dealings with him?"

"No, Lord Wang is a doctor of the Ministry of Personnel, and I am a clerk of the Ministry of Personnel, responsible for managing files and auditing official documents. We will only meet when Lord Wang needs to check the files."

"Oh, I see." Chen Cui nodded.

Even if they are not from the same department, they both belong to the Ministry of Revenue, so there is always a chance for us to meet. It’s just that the name of this “Terumosa” is a bit strange and doesn’t sound like the name of a department.

Chen Cui put aside her little worries and asked about her son's experiences in the capital over the past few months. Changping also asked about some recent developments at home.

When he learned that Chen Cui had donated the five acres of land in her family to the clan as sacrificial fields, he nodded in agreement.

"Mom, you're right. In fact, the income from those acres of land has been used by the clan over the years. The only difference is that the deed is still in our hands. Even if we hand it over to the clan now, it's not a big deal. It just makes them feel more at ease using it."

Chen Cui was worried about something else.

"All the land in the village is now in your name. Will this have any impact on your career? Will anyone use this to attack you in the future?"

Chang Ping smiled and said, "Mom, you're overthinking it. Everyone does this. It's a convention and no one will complain about it. Even Lord Wang does this. Those who don't do this are the odd ones out. Others will think they are being false and noble, and it will be difficult for them to integrate with their colleagues."

"As for your question about career and criticism, it's too early to say. I'm just a small 8th-rank clerk, who would have the time to pay attention to me? Only when I reach a high position in the future will it be worth it for others to attack me, but by that time, these things won't matter."

As Changping said these words, there was a lofty look on his face that Chen Cui had never seen before, and his eyes were far-reaching. It was obvious that he must have experienced a lot in the past six months in the capital and gained a lot of knowledge, which allowed him to say such meaningful words.