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

Chapter 1099 Returning Home
Haitang didn't know that after meeting her today, Zhang Yingfeng would see the current decline of the Zhang family and quickly adjust her attitude towards the Zhang family's direct line in the future. She returned home in a carriage and was surprised to find that her grandparents and her uncle had already arrived. Even her brother Haijiao, who was out on business today, had returned home.

It was only after they got home that Hai Xiya and his wife and Xie Wenzai learned that Haitang had been invited to the palace for a banquet. Although they believed that Haitang was smart and witty enough and would not encounter any problems in the palace, they were still quite worried when they thought that it was their child's first time to go to such an occasion and there was no reliable elder or relative to accompany him. It was not until now that they saw Haitang returning home safely and bringing back many rewards from the Queen Mother that they were truly relieved.

After this, they began to wonder about Haitang's experience in the palace. Haitang hurried back to her room to change into some casual clothes, and then returned to the upper room in the main courtyard to tell her family what she had experienced today.

Haitang told her family members everything about the arrangement of the flower-viewing banquet, the ladies attending the banquet, the fierce talent competition, the empress dowager's loving words and generous rewards... She even did not hide anything about the fact that the empress dowager had specially asked her to stay for a private talk after the banquet.

She simply skipped over her unpleasant exchange with Concubine Zhang Gong and only mentioned how she unexpectedly became friends with Zhang Yingfeng.

No one in the family was suspicious. They were just very interested in the details of the palace banquet and the open and covert struggles among the ladies of various families. They also happily looked through the rewards that Haitang had received and made detailed arrangements for them.

Ma carefully put away the fabrics that Empress Dowager Xu had given her: "These are all top-quality fabrics. They are rare in the store in terms of patterns and designs. You may not be able to buy them outside with money. It would be a waste to use them to make clothes. I put them away and save them for Tangtang's dowry. When she makes clothes and wears them in the palace, she will look decent and will not be laughed at for being shabby." She also put away several boxes of expensive jewelry, leaving only a box of small hairpins with pearl flowers for her granddaughter to wear on a daily basis. Haitang picked out several ornaments from the box and gave them to her grandmother Ma and her second aunt Hu. They both happily accepted them.

After Haitang finished talking about her experience today, she asked whether the things her grandparents were going to do in their hometown were going smoothly.

Hai Xiya nodded, "Everything is going very smoothly. Everyone in the clan is willing to follow my orders, and the reconstruction of the clan school has also been planned. A teacher will come to teach in the spring. The sacrificial fields to support the clan school expenses have also been arranged. I also visited the county lord and the prefect of Yongping, and met Baozhu's mentor. I think no one in Yongping will deliberately make things difficult for our Hai family."

Although he had not been back home for long, he was very efficient. He had been in office for several years and had been in charge of the promotion of new grain in the northwest. He managed many officials and had accumulated some official power. When he put on an official air in front of his clansmen, he was very intimidating.

In the past, the Hai clan could obey Hai Dongling, who had no official position, and no matter how many little thoughts they had in their hearts, they never caused any trouble. Later, when they encountered the Jiang family who was trying to seize their property, they did not dare to disobey. They became cowardly very early and only persuaded the young woman Fang to take the blame. It can be seen that they were not bold people. They just thought that the Jiang family had lost power, the eldest son Hai Baozhu was young, and Fang had the stain of remarrying, and no one could take charge of the overall situation, so they dared to indulge their ambitions and jump out to seize the power of the clan. But once the second house returned, they had an official position, power, and were about to become royal relatives, they immediately retreated obediently. Even if they were unwilling, they still couldn't resist Hai Xiya at all.

If it were more than 30 years ago, some of them might still think that they can say a few words in front of Hai Xiya with the so-called clan affection and brotherhood. But now, more than 30 years have passed, and they no longer have this confidence. In the past, Hai Xiya was forced to flee to the northwest by his eldest brother Hai Dongling, and they did not dare to say a good word for him. How can they have the face to say that they are good brothers with Hai Xiya and ask the other party to give in for them? Hai Xiya quickly realized the thoughts of the clan members, and no longer put on a posture of peaceful discussion, but instead took a strong and one-man show style. Who knew that this would improve the efficiency of doing things. No one in the clan raised any objections, and things were done very quickly. Now, the Hai family's real estate that was once swallowed up by the Jiang family has all returned to the name of the Hai family, and the Jianghaitun land owned by the Jiang family itself has also been obtained by Hai Xiyan through the county government. Before the government office officially started in the spring, the household transfer and the documents had been completed in advance, and the contract was brought back to the capital.

The second branch of the Hai family has now surpassed the first branch and the Jiang family to become the largest landowner in Jianghaitun. No one, whether they are with the Hai surname or those with other surnames, dares to neglect them anymore.

Of this part of the property, some was designated by Hai Xiya as a public sacrificial field for the clan, and all the production would be used to support clan school expenses and the living expenses of the widowed, elderly and weak in the clan; some was given to granddaughter Haitang as a dowry; and some, which did not originally belong to the Hai family, was designated and given to niece Fang by Hai Xiya as a foundation for her living and retirement. As for whether Fang herself planned to give part of these fields to her daughter Hai Baozhu as a dowry, that was her own business and she had to decide for herself.

With the support of her second uncle Hai Xiya, Fang's situation in Jianghai Village has greatly improved. Many of her former relatives and friends have changed their attitudes towards her, no longer openly mocking or secretly scolding her, and can even chat and laugh in peace when they meet. As for whether there are still people gossiping about her in private, she doesn't care. As long as she doesn't hear it, and doesn't let her daughter hear it, she doesn't care so much.

She now has land in her hands, and her daughter got a share of the family's public dowry when she got married. She also took her daughter back to her hometown to sweep the graves of her parents and parents-in-law, and she was very satisfied. She entrusted her land to the family in the clan that was most friendly to her. She planned not to go back easily after leaving this time. At most, she would go back every year to sweep the graves of her relatives. She had decided to live with her daughter and son-in-law. Everything in Jianghai Village was no longer important to her.

Hai Xiya and his wife had no objection to this, and just let her be happy. However, in order to make it convenient to visit the graves in her hometown, Fang bought a small house in the county town with her own money, which she rented out on weekdays to earn some pocket money, and it was convenient for her family to stay when she returned to her hometown. If Hai Baozhu wanted to return to his hometown and didn't want to stay in the clan, he could also stay in that small house. When Hai Xiya and his wife returned to Beijing, Fang's mother and son did not go with them, but stayed in the county to deal with the newly acquired property. Even Hai Baozhu took on the important task of welcoming the newly invited teacher of the clan school, and he had to return to Yongping Prefecture City to continue his studies after the spring.

Hai Xiya smiled and said, "I left Lao Cui there to handle the follow-up affairs, and returned to Beijing first, so as not to miss the reopening of the government office. However, I will go back again during the Qingming Festival or the Mid-Autumn Festival."

That’s for later.

Haitang smiled and said to her grandfather, "I hope everything goes well. It's getting late now. Let's have dinner and rest early. Grandpa, grandma and cousin must be tired after all the traveling, right?"

The elders nodded one after another and ordered people to prepare the meal. Haitang left the upper room under the pretext of returning the gifts given by the empress dowager to her room, and turned back to wink at her brother.