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

Chapter 630 Invitation

Zhou Xiaojian is a smart man. His life as an errand boy in the market has given him a lot of experience.

He quickly guessed that Kan Jinbao's wife had some shameful secrets, and immediately came back to report it to Jin Jiashu and Haijiao. He thought that such private matters had nothing to do with them, so it was better to stay away from them and there was no need to get involved. Even if they were kind enough to tell Kan Jinbao the news, he would definitely not feel grateful.

Jin Jiashu thought it made sense. When he lived in the countryside, he had seen this kind of thing before, but it was all hearsay. This was the first time he had seen it so close. He turned around and said to Haijiao, "Let's forget about it. Anyway, Tu Jinbao has no ill will towards our two families. He has followed Captain Kan and has slowly learned some real skills. Tu Tongzhi has already known about Kan Jinbao's contributions and will definitely promote him in the future. Even if he has any disputes with his wife, he will not be the one to suffer with Tu Tongzhi's support."

Jin Jiashu had realized that he might have misunderstood Tu Jinbao and Kan Jinbao after he knew that they had become friends and no longer came to their alley. Just as Ma Shangyi would suggest that he make friends with Tu Jinbao, Tu Rong probably also mentioned him, the "nephew of Concubine Xu", to his eldest son. Tu Jinbao ran to the entrance of their alley to peek around, most likely targeting him. It was only when Haijiao saw him and Ma Shangyi happened to suggest a marriage to Ma that Haijiao misunderstood. He discussed with him to send Zhou Xiaojian and others to investigate Tu Jinbao's whereabouts. Now that the misunderstanding has been clarified and everyone is happy, there is no need for them to continue investigating.

Hai Jiao was speechless. At this point, it was even more necessary to continue to pay attention to the matter, because Kan Jinbao's wife was having an affair, which meant that Kan Jinbao could kill his wife at any time. If Tu Jinbao was nearby at the time, he might be implicated at any time.

But Hai Jiao couldn't say that Kan Jinbao would do such a thing, so how could he continue to let Zhou Xiaojian keep an eye on the two Jinbaos? Zhou Xiaojian was very smart and capable, but he was not a servant of the Hai family. He couldn't continue to command the other party without going through Jin Jiashu.

Gritting his teeth, Haijiao made up his mind: "Alright, it's unlucky to find out about this. Xiaojian, you don't have to keep an eye on him anymore. I'll pay you and your brothers for your hard work later. Just stay away from the Kan family in the future." He said to Jin Jiashu, "Tu Jinbao is always with Kan Jinbao. If they accidentally expose their family scandal, wouldn't it be embarrassing? Should we tell Tu Tongzhi? So that he can know what's going on?"

Jin Jiashu hesitated for a moment: "How can we say this kind of thing? Even if we tell Mammy, she can't explain why we sent people to follow Captain Kan's wife!"

To be honest, this was Haijiao's order, and he couldn't figure out the reason, but he knew that Haijiao would not harm him. Therefore, no matter what Haijiao asked Zhou Xiaojian to do, he would let it go, as long as the result was good.

Looking at Jin Jiashu's trusting eyes, Haijiao touched his nose and said, "Then I'll think of a way."

How could one easily come up with a solution to such a situation? Hai Jiao didn't dare to let Kan Jinbao know about his wife's affair, nor could he tell Tu Tongzhi or Ma Shangyi, so he could only worry about it. But if he left it alone, he was afraid that Kan Jinbao's wife's affair would be exposed sooner or later, and someone would die.

When Haijiao was worried about this, Ma Shangyi and Tu Rong somehow discussed and felt that Tu Jinbao had been quite motivated recently and could definitely be a candidate for Jin Jiashu's friend. So Ma Shangyi once again suggested that Jin Jiashu get to know Tu Jinbao, and the two could practice riding and shooting together in the training ground, just to have fun and relax.

Although Jin Jiashu chose to take the imperial examination, there were many scholars in Chang'an who were skilled in archery and horse riding. In their spare time, scholars would gather together to hold poetry and tea parties, or ride horses out of the city to enjoy the spring scenery. Therefore, he started learning horse riding from Haijiao early on. He has learned it well now, but he cannot be said to be proficient.

Although Ma Shangyi was born in the palace, she was also a native of Chang'an and was proficient in riding and shooting. She was in favor of Jin Jiashu practicing more riding and shooting, so that he could relax when he went to Beijing to take the exam. Recently, Jin Jiashu studied very hard. She was pleased, but she also thought that he should go out more often to take a break. Combining work and rest is better than burying his head in study.

Jin Jiashu couldn't refuse, but he didn't really want to associate with Tu Jinbao. He heard that the Tu family had accepted the invitation, and Tu Jinbao himself had made an appointment with him for a time and place. He would probably have to have a meal at a restaurant next to the school field. He felt his scalp tingling, and hurried to find Haijiao for help, hoping that Haijiao could go with him. Haijiao has been very busy recently, and the end-of-year exam is just around the corner. But when he heard that Tu Jinbao would also go, and was going to bring a friend, his heart suddenly skipped a beat, and he suspected that the friend was Kan Jinbao. He immediately lost any thought of refusing, and immediately accepted Jin Jiashu's invitation. On the appointed day, he specially put on his newly made soft leather armor, made full preparations, and lent his old leather armor to Jin Jiashu, suggesting that he also put it on, just in case.

Haijiao's reason was: Tu Jinbao had just learned horse riding and archery and didn't know how good he was. If he was a fool, wouldn't it be dangerous for people to get close to him? Therefore, they had to take precautions to avoid getting hurt.

The reason Haijiao used was a bit far-fetched, but Jin Jiashu was very convinced by him. He took the leather armor and put it on. Like him, he tied the cuffs of his clothes tightly and did not leave his leggings untied. He seemed to be much more agile.

Ma Shangyi looked over here for a few times and said nothing. She was also from a military family, so she knew that riding a horse and shooting arrows would be very inconvenient in wide sleeves. As long as Jin Jiashu was warm enough, decent enough, and didn't get hurt outside, why should she care too much about other things?

She smiled and said to Haijiao, "Go ahead and have fun. Shu'er, don't worry about me, and Jiao'er, don't worry about home. I'll go talk to Ma's sister in a while. I'll take care of everything!"

Jin Jiashu and Haijiao responded, then left, taking their horses.

Ma Shangyi dealt with the affairs of the family first, and then asked Chunyu: "Did Guard Lin say that he would be back from meeting his old subordinates at the Dusi Yamen today?"

Chunyu replied, "Guard Lin said that he promised to treat the brothers to a drink today, so he will not be back until dark. If you have any instructions, you can ask Zhou Dachang to do it. If Zhou Dachang can't do it, you can send someone to the big restaurant on East Street to find him."

Ma Shangyi smiled and said, "Let him go and have a good drink. What could possibly happen at home?"

She packed her things and went to Hai's house.

Ma had received the news long ago and had prepared tea and snacks at home. But at this moment, Zhou Ma sent someone to find her and said that the two children born to Zhou Shuyi, the second wife of Yingchuan Marquis, had arrived in Chang'an. However, one of the girls was seriously ill and it was difficult to see a doctor while living in the farm, so Zhou Shigong personally drove the car and sent the two nephews back to the ancestral home in the city to recuperate.

The person was arranged in the west courtyard of Madam Ma's former residence, and Zhou Shigong also asked the housekeeper to take his letter to invite the best doctor in the city. Madam Zhou was very angry and worried that his actions would anger the Duke of Zhenguo and the clan members, but Zhou Shigong reprimanded her and told her to go back to the main courtyard to reflect on herself.

Zhou Ma was full of grievances and could only complain to her sister. Now she was eager to invite Ma to her home!
(End of this chapter)