After the whole family was swept away, I lay down flat

Chapter 1052 Reminder
Haitang was unable to meet Jin Jiashu at the first opportunity.

Jin Jiashu came to visit the Hai family under the pretext of asking the teacher for help with his homework. As soon as he entered the house, he naturally had to see the teacher and hand in his homework. Haitang went to the front yard but found nothing. She wanted to go to her brother Haijiao's temporary room to wait, but was called back by her grandmother Ma.

Ma sent someone to wait in the front yard. Once Jin Jiashu came out of Xie Wenzai and Lu Bainian's room, she invited him to the upper room of the main courtyard to talk. Jin Jiashu told Empress Dowager Xu about Fang's experience, and then Empress Dowager Xu summoned Fang and gave her calligraphy, jade, and clothing. Ma was grateful to Jin Jiashu for his righteous advice, and she had to meet him and thank him in person.

Haitang had no choice but to be patient and wait with her grandmother in the upper room. Fortunately, Ma's attention was attracted by Jin Jiashu and she stopped complaining about her husband. Haitang was also much more at ease.

After less than half an hour, Jin Jiashu arrived.

Ma welcomed him into the house and thanked him immediately. Jin Jiashu said hurriedly, "I just said it casually. It was a coincidence that the Empress Dowager was paying attention to Madam Yu's deeds. The officials in the Ministry of Rites disliked Madam Yu for remarrying, and their words were contemptuous, which made the Empress Dowager unhappy. I thought that since the Empress Dowager could appreciate Madam Yu's remarriage, she would naturally not blame Cousin Fang, so I told her about Cousin Fang's story. The Empress Dowager believed that good things come in pairs. Since she was going to reward Madam Yu, why not include Cousin Fang as well? When Shoukang Palace issued an order to summon her, she called Cousin Fang Haifang, which I think is exactly what Cousin Fang wants?"

Although Fang had been married to the Jiang family for many years, she did not really consider herself a wife of the Jiang family. When she was in the Jiang family, she only pretended to be a virtuous housewife to confuse the Jiang family and lower their vigilance. She would rather be the eldest daughter-in-law of the Hai family for life. She originally planned to return to the eldest house of the Hai family after leaving the Jiang family. After all, that was where she had lived since she was a child. She did not expect to be blamed and insulted by the clan members. Her heart was cold, so she abandoned the Hai family and only regarded herself as a widowed "Fang" in the capital. But now even the queen mother recognized her as a wife of the Hai family. Can the Hai family still resist the order?

Ma knew Fang's thoughts long ago, and sighed, "Isn't this exactly what she wants? After her visit to the palace, her spirit and energy are different. The clan has also changed their tune and praised her as a good daughter-in-law of the Hai family. She can finally put her worries aside and have someone to rely on for the rest of her life."

Although Jin Jiashu thought that he had only done a small favor, Ma still thanked him very solemnly: "No matter what, without your kindness, my niece would never have the good life she has today. I should thank you. My niece and her daughter and son all said they wanted to thank you. I will send someone to deliver a letter to you and ask them to come and see you."

Jin Jiashu tried to dissuade them, "No need to do that. We are not strangers, why should we be so polite?!" He had spent so much time with the teacher today, and when he came out, he was summoned by Grandma Hai to the upper room to talk. He hadn't had a chance to talk to Sister Hai in private yet! If he called someone from the main room, he would have even less time to spend with Sister Hai. The New Year was coming, and he would see Sister Hai less and less. How could he ask others to share their time with him...

Jin Jiashu's forehead was covered with sweat. He tried his best to persuade Ma not to alarm the people in the Hai family's eldest house. He also said that Haijiao and Haitang told him all these things, and if Fang mother and son wanted to thank someone, they could just thank Haijiao and Haitang. Anyway, he and Haitang were an engaged couple and would be getting married next year. Husband and wife were one, so thanking Haitang was the same as thanking him. Why bother to mobilize so many people?
Ma blushed a little when she heard this. She glanced at her granddaughter secretly and saw that although Haitang's face was flushed, she was still sitting upright and her expression was very calm. She sighed in her heart that the young people nowadays are much thicker-skinned than she was when she was young. How could Xiao Jin have the nerve to say such a disgusting thing?

She thought that if her family heard such words, it would be fine. But if the people of the first house heard them, where would the face of the second house be? She had originally wanted the mother and son of the first house to come and see Jin Jiashu, but now she immediately changed her mind and said with a smile: "Forget it, I didn't say hello in advance today. Maybe his family has something to do. Let's not call them. Anyway, we will all live in the capital in the future, and it will be cheaper for relatives to visit each other. It will be the same when we meet and thank each other in the future." "Same, same." Jin Jiashu secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and suddenly felt something soft touching his leg. He looked down and found that there was a handkerchief in his hand. It was the one held by his fiancée Haitang today. He looked up at Haitang and saw that she looked nonchalant and lowered her head to drink tea. She smiled slightly, picked up the handkerchief to wipe the sweat on her forehead, and then put it into her sleeve.

Ma didn't pay attention to the handkerchief. She just thought that Jin Jiashu was using the handkerchief he brought with him. She didn't ask any more questions, but asked someone to bring more tea and snacks, and asked Jin Jiashu what he planned to do on New Year's Eve.

Jin Jiashu said that he was alone at home, and even though Ma Ma was there, it was still a bit lonely, so the Queen Mother ordered him to go to the palace to attend the banquet on the eve of the Little New Year. Because the national mourning had just passed and it was not the New Year's Eve, the banquet was kept simple and not a big event. The new emperor was only celebrated by the Grand Empress Dowager, the Queen Mother, and the concubines, and the King Kang and the King Qi accompanied him, the Queen Mother's nephew - of course, King Qi was young, so he was probably just brought out by the wet nurse to show his face, and then he would go back to the palace to drink milk. As for the royal family, none of them were invited, and those with lower ranks among the concubines of the previous emperor were not invited either, so they only had to eat in their own bedrooms.

Although this was only a small-scale palace banquet, in Jin Jiashu's opinion, at least there were several of his blood relatives present, and the others also got along well with him, so he probably wouldn't feel sad at the palace banquet.

When Ma heard that he had found a place to go and could celebrate with his only remaining family, she was happy for him, but she was a little worried that Ma Shangyi would be lonely in the Jin Mansion.

Jin Jiashu said, "It's okay. Ever since the Queen Mother sent the order from the palace, Nanny said that she would take Chunyu back to Jiyuan to have a banquet with the old sisters. Nanny even asked someone to buy a lot of good wine and food for this purpose. I have told Nanny not to rush back, and to stay in Jiyuan for one night after the banquet, and talk about it the next day after she sobers up."

Ma smiled and said, "That's good. They have been friends for decades. They are not relatives, but they are better than relatives. Being able to reunite during festivals can also alleviate some of the longing for family."

However, Jin Jiashu felt a little embarrassed to talk about his plans after the New Year’s Eve.

Just now at the teachers' place, Xie Wenzai explicitly reminded him that he should take his homework home today and not come again for the time being. Firstly, the teachers also wanted to spend the New Year in peace and quiet, and secondly, he came too often, which would easily attract criticism and bring a bad influence to Haitang. The teachers all felt that he and Haitang were a match made in heaven, a marriage bestowed by the emperor, and they only needed to get married step by step. After marriage, they could love and respect each other as they pleased, and there was really no need to cause outsiders to discuss it. Since Jin Jiashu had aspirations in the imperial examination and official career, he could not leave people with the impression that he was indulging in inner affairs and sentimental love. He had to take advantage of the quiet New Year to rest his body and calm down to review his homework, so as to resume his learning progress after the New Year and strive to pass the provincial examination next year.

Taking the provincial examination in the capital is not as difficult as taking it in Chang'an. Although Jin Jiashu was on the list in Chang'an last year, his ranking was low, and he was not sure that he would be on the list again next year. For his future, he should work harder!