The First Great Ancestor of the Five Dynasties

Chapter 351

"First examine the spiritual position of Zhu Gongbao and his father Zhu Xiu."

Zhu Xiu held two spiritual tablets fished out of the mud and water, wiped off the mud, and murmured while looking at the writings engraved on them, feeling an indescribable emotion well up in her heart.

Is it possible that he really still has relatives alive in this world?
No, no, no, even if there is, it should be a blood relative of the original body, and it actually has nothing to do with him.
His biological parents and various relatives are all still in the distant future.
But why, seeing these two tablets, he felt an inexplicable pain in his heart, and his tears couldn't stop falling.
Pan Mei was shocked. She had known Zhu Xiu for almost four years. From Cangzhou to Jingzhou to Kaifeng, she had never seen him shed tears no matter what the situation was. Now she was holding two cards fished out of the mud. , I burst into tears, it was really scary
"Ahem~~ Mr. Zhu. Mr. Zhu. Jie, Jie, sorry, no, no, my old Pan didn't mean that! I mean, yes~~"

Pan Mei scratched her ears and cheeks anxiously, but he couldn't say a few words of comfort, so she glared at Hu Guangyue and motioned him to speak quickly.

Hu Guangyue saw that Zhu Xiu's face was full of sadness, and he didn't dare to interrupt at first, but he had no choice but to bite the bullet and said: "Master Hou, don't be sad, maybe, maybe it's just a coincidence! Maybe this family's life is not in danger. When we get to Jiangning, then Those named Zhou let them go."

Pan Mei couldn't stand listening anymore, she pushed him, and shouted angrily: "Get out of the way! What nonsense are you talking about, you can't speak better than me!"

Hu Guangyue stepped aside with a smile.

Pan Mei scratched her head and thought for a while, but she really couldn't think of how to comfort people. She slapped her thigh and shouted: "I say, Mr. Zhu, just listen to our old Pan's advice. It's useless to cry now. What's important is that we hurry up." Go to Jiangning and first determine what relationship this family named Zhu has with you, and then find a way to save them!"

Zhu Xiu sniffed, wiped the corners of her eyes, and said in a low voice: "I'm fine, don't worry, let's go!"

Zhu Xiu looked at the tablet in his hand and handed it to Pan Mei: "Put it away."

Pan Mei wrapped the bundle and carried it in her hand, and the three of them walked out of the earthen courtyard and prepared to leave Nanwazi.

On the way, Pan Mei glanced sideways at Zhu Xiu from time to time and found that his face was as normal, except that his eye circles were slightly red.

Pan Mei muttered worryingly: "If you want to cry, you can cry out. They are all children who were born without parents. Our old Pan knows the pain in your heart."

Zhu Xiu glanced at him and said nothing.

"Don't hold it in. I heard people say that the more sorrowful the emotion is, the more it has to be vented. Sooner or later, holding it in your heart will cause bad things." Pan Mei was worried, nagging like an old mother.

Zhu Xiu rolled her eyes at him and said angrily: "Who said I am sad? Just shut up and stop talking, and I will thank God!"

Pan Mei was stunned, curled her lips and muttered: "What a heartless person. My mother's life and death are unknown, but she acts like a normal person. She has a heart of stone!"

Zhu Xiu looked as usual and was too lazy to pay attention to him.

As soon as they walked into a narrow alley filled with filthy odor, a short figure sprang out from nowhere and rushed towards Pan Mei, as if to snatch the baggage containing the tablet in Pan Mei's hand.

"Master Hou, be careful!"

Hu Guangyue alertly drew his sword to protect Zhu Xiu. Pan Meiniu's eyes widened, and with a strange cry of "Hey, hey," he lifted the short figure up with his backhand, and it turned out to be an eight or nine-year-old baby.

"Whose brat? You are so brave! You dare to snatch Grandpa Pan's head? Don't you want your life?"

Pan Mei shouted in annoyance.

"Let me go!" The little kid was quite ferocious. He was grabbed by the collar of his neck and was still yelling with all his teeth and claws.

Zhu Xiu frowned. This little kid looked like a boy. He was in ragged clothes, covered with yellow mud marks, and his feet were bare. The horn buns tied on both sides of his head were loose, and his hair was dirty and stuck together. He looked like a real boy. Little beggars.

As soon as Pan Mei let go of her hand, the boy fell to the ground, his butt was smashed, and he was covered in mud. He got up and gritted his teeth and rushed towards Pan Mei again, snatching the bundle in his hand.

"You kid is looking for death!" Pan Mei got angry and lightly kicked the boy on the butt. The boy hugged Pan Mei's leg, opened his mouth and bit down hard on Pan Mei's calf.

"Ouch!~"

Pan Mei screamed in pain, grabbed the boy's neck and lifted him up.

"Brother!~" In the corner, a dirty little girl rushed out with a small wooden stick and beat Pan Mei fiercely.

". Damn it~ I stabbed a beggar's nest!"

Pan Mei was so angry that she took out her belt and tied the two dolls tightly.

"Big bearded white wax head, let me go as soon as possible, otherwise I will bring in reinforcements and will keep you under the Five Elements Mountain forever! You stinky hozen and monkey%%^#"

The boy yelled and cursed angrily, with a strange accent, some resembling Jiangning slang and some resembling Huaidong dialect.

This was the first time that Pan Mei was scolded by a little kid. She was so angry that she raised her hand to teach him a lesson. The two kids closed their eyes tightly in fear.

Zhu Xiu stretched out her hand to stop them, and Pan Mei said angrily: "These two little kids are really hateful. They learned how to rob them at a young age. What will happen when they grow up? Let me give them a good beating first!"

The boy raised his head and said loudly: "You stole things from my house, you are the villains!"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "When did we steal something from your house?"

The boy looked at the bundle in Pan Mei's hand and said angrily: "Those two cards belong to our family!"

The boy's eyes were red with anger, and the little girl was sobbing with her mouth puckered.

Zhu Xiu and the others were stunned. Pan Mei came to her senses and yelled with her eyes wide open: "Say that again, little bastard?"

With tears in his eyes, the boy said loudly: "Those two playing cards belong to our family! I can say it again a hundred times!"

Hu Guangyue said hurriedly: "Do you know what these two plaques are? Do you recognize the words written on them?"

The boy said: "Of course I know! Those are the cards of my grandpa and uncle! One is named Zhu Shouye and the other is named Zhu Xiu!"

Pan Mei patted her forehead and murmured: "The flood has washed away the Dragon King Temple. This matter has made our old Pan confused."

Zhu Xiu forced out a smile: "What's your name?"

The boy said loudly: "My big brother's name is Zhu Liang! My little sister's name is Zhu Fang!"

The boy said loudly, tears flowing down his cheeks in big drops, washing away the dirt on his face, leaving two clear tear marks.

He bit his lip tightly, his short body trembling, trying not to cry, looking stubborn and strong.

Zhu Xiu took a deep breath and looked at the beggar brother and sister with complicated eyes. After a long time, he sighed: "Take them with you and find a place to stay in Di Dian first."

~~~
In the afternoon, in a room of a di shop on the street side of Banqiao store, two freshly dressed babies stood nervously in front of Zhu Xiu.

The three strangers did not beat and scold them as expected, but instead gave them food, asked the women in the mansion to bathe them, and bought them new clothes.

The sudden kindness made the brother and sister very uneasy, wondering what this group of people wanted to do.

Zhu Xiu took a look. The eight-year-old Zhu Liang had a thick head and a thick head. He tied up his horns again, like a naughty doll who set off firecrackers in New Year pictures.

Four-year-old Zhu Fang wears her hair in a bun, has round black eyes, a turned-up nose and thin lips. She is already a beauty at such a young age.

It's just that the brother and sister haven't eaten anything good since they were young. After the family suffered a disaster, they hid in hiding and were afraid. They were hungry all day long. Their bodies were thin, their skin color was yellow, and their hair was yellow and dry. They looked like they were suffering from chronic malnutrition.

Zhu Xiu was silent for a moment and then said, "Tell me about your family." Zhu Liang said cautiously, "Do you know my parents?"

Zhu Xiu smiled: "My surname is Zhu too, maybe I am a relative of yours."

Zhu Liang scratched his head: "But, but I heard them calling you Lord Hou? Your surname should be Hou!"

Pan Mei, who was sitting at the table and wiping the blade of the sword, said angrily: "The marquis is the same as the county magistrate, they are all officials. You kid, answer the questions honestly. If you dare to tell a lie, I will throw you into jail." inside!"

Pan Mei grinned and gestured to the bright long knife in her hand, which scared Zhu Liang to the point of swallowing his saliva.

Zhu Liang muttered in a low voice: "My family is farming, but I have no relatives who are officials."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said: "I am from Dingyuan County, Haozhou. Where is your family from?"

Zhu Liang's eyes widened: "My family is also from Dingyuan County, Haozhou! Are you really a relative of my family?"

Zhu Xiu held back her laughter and said, "Who told you this? Do you know where Haozhou is?"

Zhu Liang shook his head blankly: "I don't know, I've never been there. It's just that my grandma often said that our family is from Dingyuan County, Haozhou, and told me that no matter where I go, I can't forget my roots. where"

Zhu Xiu nodded: "Do you know the names of your grandma and parents?"

Zhu Fang rushed to answer: "My father's name is Zhu Wu, and my mother's name is Yang Qiaolian! Grandma's name is..."

The little girl tilted her head, her face confused.

Zhu Liang was dissatisfied with his sister's interruption and reprimanded: "My grandma's name is Wu Youdi! You stupid girl can't always remember it!"

The little girl pouted in grievance.

Zhu Xiu smiled softly, and stretched out her hand to caress her lovely ring bun.

Da Ya shrank back in fear, trying to hide behind her brother, but seeing that Zhu Xiu was harmless, she poked her head out and looked at him curiously.

Seeing that he didn't look like a bad guy, Zhu Liang was a little confused, blinked and asked, "Are you really a relative of my family? Why haven't you heard about it from grandma and parents?"

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "You will know who I am when you meet your parents and grandma."

Zhu Liang said in surprise: "Can you find them?"

"Whether I can find it or not depends on whether you tell the truth. Tell me what happened in your family and say whatever comes to mind."

Zhu Liang scratched his head, wrinkled his face, and stuttered out everything that happened at home.

Although what he said was scattered and unorganized, when put together, it was basically the same as what Zhu Xiu had learned from the waiter in the store.

"My grandma and mother were beaten up by bad guys and taken away. I took Da Ya and squeezed through the gap in the wall and hid."

As he talked, Zhu Liang sobbed and wiped away tears. When Zhu Fang saw her brother crying, she also cried loudly.

Pan Mei hit the table with her palm and said angrily: "What a Zhou Ling, what a Zhou family, really bullying others! I would like to know how capable this Gong Sheng Army commander is! "

When the brother and sister saw Pan Mei getting angry, they were so frightened that they stopped crying. Zhu Liang stared at him with fear on his face and protected his sister.

Hu Guangyue said in a deep voice: "Master Hou, calculating the itinerary, they should be almost at Jiangning! Do you want me to summon the brothers in Jiangning and ask them to pay attention to the Zhou family's movements?"

Zhu Xiu was silent for a moment, then nodded slightly.

Hu Guangyue clenched his fists and went out to find a horse and carriage company to bring the message.

Zhu Xiu pointed to the two plaques on the table, and said softly, "Why did you grab these two plaques?"

Zhu Liang wiped away his tears and said with a straight face: "That is my grandma's lifeblood! Grandma said that you can throw away anything in our family, but you can't throw away these two cards!"

Zhu Xiu smiled, but her eyes were a little moist.

"Old Pan, ask the store to bring some food. After dinner, let's set off to Jiangning!"

Zhu Xiu said nothing, stood up, opened the door and left quickly.

Zhu Liang looked up at Pan Mei and said confusedly: "I seem to have seen him cry."

Pan Mei slapped her lips and touched his head with a big slap: "You know nothing, little kid! From now on, you will have a good time."

~~~
In the dead of night, a passenger ship raised its sails and slowly sailed away from Banqiaodian Pier, heading north along the Cao River.

Standing at the bow of the boat, Zhu Xiu leaned over the railing and looked out. The dark river surface in the distance was peaceful, and occasionally a few fireflies flew across the river surface in the night.

Pan Mei opened the curtain and walked out of the cabin and walked straight to the bow.

"Are you asleep?" Zhu Xiu asked softly.

Pan Mei stretched her arms and said, "Sleep. Zhu Liang is a good boy. His eyelids were trembling. He forced himself to coax his sister to sleep before he could sleep."

Zhu Xiu smiled and said, "They are all good kids."

Pan Mei chuckled and said: "Zhu Liang has a clever spirit, it's up to you!"

Zhu Xiu rolled her eyes, patted the railing lightly, and said quietly: "I still don't know if their family is the person I'm looking for."

Pan Mei smiled and said: "Nine times out of ten, you can't go wrong!"

Seeing Zhu Xiu's silence, Pan Mei hesitated for a moment and said, "It's human nature to be timid near home. We, Old Pan, can understand you! We have been away from home for many years and have not seen our close relatives for a long time. It is normal for us to feel a little distant!
But how can a person live without relatives in this world?It’s not like the Monkey King in your book who was born with long hair and jumped out of the cracks in the rocks.”

Zhu Xiu turned around and looked at him with a half-smile: "Why, are you worried that I don't want to recognize them?"

Pan Mei quickly shook her head and muttered: "It's not that it's just that your boy gave me a strange feeling. He was terrifyingly calm and not like the reaction that a person who is about to reunite with his relatives should have."

Zhu Xiu smiled, turned his head and continued to look at the river reflecting the moonlight, and said softly: "I have lived in seclusion with my teacher in Tanzhou for many years, and I have become more indifferent to the joys and sorrows of the world."

Pan Mei thought for a while and grinned: "That's right! Otherwise, you masters and disciples are hermits and masters, and we are all worldly people! However, now that you, hermits and masters, have also entered the world, and have been affected by the karma of the mortal world, it is even more... The founding marquis of my Great Zhou Dynasty official family, I must not be underestimated!

If the Zhou family dares to bully our Zhu family, they must make him look good!What are you going to do? "

Zhu Xiu slapped the railing, and the night wind blew her hair on her temples. She narrowed her deep eyes and said with a low smile: "Of course you can't let it go easily."

Pan Mei chuckled and geared up: "Great! These people from the south of the Yangtze River pride themselves on being romantic. I, Old Pan, would like to meet them and let them have a taste of the glory of our northern men!"

(End of this chapter)