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

Chapter 520 Sigh
Ma's mood was not very good.

Although she looked normal on the surface, she could talk and laugh, and her speech was normal, Haitang could feel that she was in a bad mood.

Haitang could vaguely guess the reason.

They didn't stay long at Zhou Ma's place before saying goodbye and leaving. Mrs. Zhou Ma also wanted to keep them for dinner, but Mrs. Ma said that her husband Hai Xiya and her grandson Hai Jiao were still waiting for her, and it would be better to make an appointment another day. After hearing this, Mrs. Zhou Ma couldn't keep anyone else around, and specifically ordered Caijuan to send them out, while she stayed in the room and continued talking to her daughter Zhou Zhilan.

Her son-in-law will come soon, and she happens to be setting up two family banquets in the upper room. Even if there is a funeral in the family, it cannot hinder the reunion of her flesh and blood.

Mrs. Ma took her granddaughter out of the third room of the Zhou family and got into her carriage at the door. Husband Hai Xiya has been waiting in the car for a while. Sun Tzu Hai Jiao had been standing by the car. When he saw that his family had arrived, he got on his horse, greeted Caijuan, and ordered Ma Changnian to drive off.

In the carriage, Hai Xiya also immediately noticed that his wife was in a bad mood. They have been an old couple for decades, what else can't he see? But he remained silent for the time being. When the carriage left the neighborhood where the Zhou family lived, he asked, "What's going on? Someone made you unhappy today?"

Ma hesitated for a moment: "It's nothing, I'm just a little tired." She didn't want her husband to see the jokes made by her natal relatives.

Hai Xiya turned to look at her granddaughter. Haitang had no intention of covering up for her aunt and her family: "I just met my cousin Zhilan at my aunt's place. Although my cousin greeted us politely, she didn't intend to talk to us from the beginning to the end. She only talked with my aunt. Either she was pretending to be poor in front of her aunt, or she was very excited about the possibility that cousin Jin Lin would come back to inherit the family business. She would also talk to grandma and talk about how kind grandma was to her cousin when she was a child. I asked my cousin to get close to grandma, but my cousin always changed the subject and didn’t pay much attention to me. She even forgot the greeting gift. My aunt asked Cailuo to get something to make up for it. "

Ma's face turned slightly red and she said coquettishly: "Zhi Lan probably doesn't have any other intentions. She and her mother haven't seen each other for a few days, so naturally they have to have a good relationship when they meet. Besides, Jin Lin's coming back is also a big deal. She Of course I have to be concerned. She is just an aunt she has not seen for more than ten years, and there are few opportunities to meet her on weekdays. It is human nature for her not to be close to her, and she did not know that she would meet anyone from our family before she came back. I can’t blame her for forgetting Tangtang’s courtesy.”

Hai Xiya also knew that his wife had always wanted to show off her face, and was most afraid of letting him see the jokes made by her parents. He didn't say much, and just said: "I was waiting for you in the front yard just now. I met some old acquaintances and chatted for a while. Sentence. Zhilan's son-in-law's career has not been going well in recent years, and the couple are probably worried. In the past, it was just a matter of not being able to talk to each other in their natal family. Now it seems that the brother-in-law may pay more attention to Jinlin, and the status of the eldest sister is not the same as before. Zhilan naturally took notice of her. If you don't want to meet her, you should never come to see her. The disaster in the third room of the Zhou family is over, and the next step is to close the door. If you keep your filial piety, nothing big will happen within a year or two.”

Ma said somewhat sarcastically: "I see. I feel that Zhilan is becoming more and more snobbish now. It turns out she is worried about her husband."

Zhou Zhilan’s husband-in-law was originally a young man in the military who was very optimistic about the third wife of the Zhou family. Although his family was poor, he was capable and talented. He had outstanding riding and archery skills, and he also understood the art of war. He was not a stubborn person who did not know how to adapt. He is quite organized and his character is honest and kind. The old man from the third room valued him very much. Not only did he marry his granddaughter, he also supported him a lot. He was originally just a small general, but after becoming the son-in-law of the Zhou family's third brother, he rose to the sixth rank in a few years, which can be said to have skyrocketed. Unfortunately, after the death of the third wife of the Zhou family, he lost a backer in the army, and he never participated in any major wars and won military exploits, so his promotion rate slowed down. The head of the third room of the Zhou family became Zhou Shigong. He served as a civilian idle official in the northwest frontier army and could not intervene in personnel affairs. In the past, he was not close to the children of his stepmother and could not help at all. Mrs. Ma of the West Courtyard has no reason to help her step-grandson-in-law get promoted. Zhou Shicheng was far away at the Minzhou Guard, and Zhou Jinlin was at the Ningxia Central Guard, both of whom were beyond their reach. It is difficult for the Zhou family's third brother-in-law's connections in the military to benefit his grandson-in-law.

Zhou Zhilan's husband had to work hard on his own, and it took ten years to reach the fifth rank. It was with the help of the old man's old subordinates that he was transferred to Huashan Guard and his rank was promoted. Otherwise, he would stay in the realm of Chang'an for many years and have no chance to make meritorious deeds. He would have to spend another two years at the sixth level just by gaining seniority to reach this level.

Now he has almost stayed in Huashanwei for three years, and it's almost time for promotion. At this moment, the mother-in-law and brother-in-law showed signs of changing their status in the third room of the Zhou family. Of course, he wanted his wife to return to her parents' home more times. He has suffered enough hardships in his official career over the years, and it is inevitable that he will become more diplomatic.

Hai Xiya sighed: "He was originally a good young man, but it is difficult for him to have a good future if he just stays in the safe rear. If he has a good family background, he can just become a Taiping military attache after his qualifications. But with his family background, How can he get ahead by relying solely on his wife and family? The old man of Sanfang probably originally wanted to send people to the front line to make military achievements. He did have a good opportunity back then. As long as he can succeed, he will establish a foothold in the army. There are also people who can inherit the old man's connections, and in turn take care of the family until good children appear among the grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

"It's a pity that the old man of the third room passed away before he could make arrangements, and there was no one in the third room to worry about his grandson-in-law. His family, including Zhilan, didn't want him to go to the frontier and risk his life, so his future was naturally delayed. After all these years, I think he has lost the spirit he had when he was young, and it is impossible for him to follow the old path arranged by the old man of the third house. "

Hai Xiya couldn't help but shake his head and lamented that the third family of the Zhou family wasted their talents. However, Zhou Zhilan's husband-in-law himself lost his ambition, so it is not entirely the fault of Sanfang. Even if there is no one to support him, when there was a war on the border a few years ago, he could have invited himself to the front line to kill the enemy. Although there is a risk of losing one's life, it is also the road to success and promotion. Since he was persuaded by his family to stay behind and live a peaceful life, he cannot blame others for not giving him a chance.

Mr. Ma listened silently and couldn't help but say a few words of justice for his nephew and son-in-law: "It's not easy for him either. The whole family depends on him to support him. Although life is sad now, it can still be maintained. If he really gets better On the front line, the sword has no eyes. What will happen to this big family if something bad happens? Zhilan is still young and has a small child. Wouldn't it be even more difficult for the youngest of this big family to be widowed? , He doesn’t dare to be willful!”

Hai Xiya smiled and said nothing more.

Since you have chosen to compromise for your family, there is no reason to complain about the difficulty of your promotion. He was able to rise so quickly back then only because of the support of his great-grandfather-in-law. Compared with his old colleagues who were from the same background as him and who were working in the rear but who were not promoted as quickly as he was, and those colleagues who, although they were promoted, had actually suffered, been injured, and shed blood on the frontiers, what else did he have? What about those who are not satisfied?

If the children of the Zhou family want to be promoted, they must rely on solid military merit. Even those with the surname Zhou, who have no achievements and mediocre talents, often waste half their lives in remote wards. Becoming the son-in-law of the Zhou family does not mean that he will be able to achieve success. Not everyone in this world can become Du Boqin. Because the Yue family has no heirs, he takes countless advantages and complains that his talents have been buried. He has a crooked mind and seeks his own death.

(End of this chapter)