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

Chapter 885 The First Day in the Capital

For breakfast, Cui Xiaodao bought mutton soup and steamed bread from a nearby restaurant. It tasted good and was affordable.

Although Hai Xiya was somewhat disgusted by the fact that the fire-baked bread in this shop was not very authentic, except for him and three generations of his uncle Cui's family, no one in the family had ever tasted the truly "authentic" Yongping fire-baked bread, but the mutton soup was really good. Haitang drank two large bowls of it, and felt that the taste of the mutton was rare in the old shops in Chang'an City. When he asked Cui Xiaodao, it turned out that the shop owner was indeed from the northwest, and his ancestors were border residents. The mutton soup in the family was a secret recipe for several generations, but the fire-baked bread was just a side dish. It was said that it was because the shop owner married a daughter-in-law from Yongping Prefecture that he added Yongping Prefecture dishes to the shop.

Haitang now understood why her brother, second uncle and the Cui family father and son liked to go to this store to buy breakfast after arriving in the capital.

After breakfast, Hai Xiya took the necessary documents and seals, and led Cui Shu and Cui Dazhuang to call for a car to go out. Although there was a carriage at home, it was more convenient to hire a car directly from outside because the luggage in the carriage had not been unloaded yet. Secondly, the driver at home might not know the road. Cui Dazhuang had been in the capital for nearly a year and was familiar with the road conditions. Naturally, he chose the simplest and most convenient way to travel for his master. He even knew which driver had the cleanest and best car and which driver was the most skilled and experienced among the nearby hired drivers.

After Hai Xiya left home, Haitang returned to her own courtyard and began to pack her luggage. After she had packed a large box of books, Xiangcao arrived in a hurry. Xiangcao had already washed up and had a simple breakfast. With a guilty look on her face, she apologized to Haitang: "I got up late and delayed my work. Please forgive me, young lady."

Haitang smiled and said, "What's the big deal? We're not in a hurry. You've walked over 2,000 miles, you must be exhausted, right? You couldn't rest well on the way, now that you're home, you naturally need to settle down and have a good rest. You don't have to get up early these days, Mother Li gets up early and will bring me water, and I can handle the rest by myself, even breakfast will be bought from outside. You don't have to worry about me, just take a good rest. Otherwise, if you accumulate too much fatigue and don't rest well, you will get sick easily when the weather gets cold. What should I do then? Where can I find someone who is more caring and reliable than you?"

After hearing this, Vanilla lowered her head and smiled embarrassedly: "Don't worry, girl. I will take good care of myself and will never get sick!" She was actually glad in her heart that her mother was used to working hard when she was at home. She would always wake up at dawn and therefore get up early. She lived in the same yard with her and could help her share some of the chores. Otherwise, if her mother really delayed the girl's washing, even if the girl didn't mind, she would be too ashamed to see anyone.

She saw Haitang packing her bookcase, so she stepped forward to help. Haitang then discussed with her: "Your room is more spacious, do you want to let Mother Li live with you? The east wing room is certainly warmer, but it's still a bit too crowded for two people to sleep on a small kang."

Xiangcao thought it was nothing: "The weather is not too cold now, so it's fine for my mother to live in the same room with me. But when winter comes, I'm afraid she can't stand it. She hasn't been in good health in the past few years. When it rains or snows, she always feels uncomfortable. Sleeping on a warm kang will be better." Anyway, Shi Liu will not stay at home for long. She may go to the old lady of the third branch of the Zhou family next year, and then she will go back to Chang'an with the third branch of the Zhou family to reunite with her family. Her mother will only squeeze with Shi Liu for a few months, and then she will have a warm east ear room to herself. What's wrong with that? If her mother moves to her room, then once Shi Liu leaves, someone else will have to live in the east ear room. The mother and daughter are very satisfied with the current layout of the courtyard and don't really want to add new people.

Of course, Xiangcao would not tell Haitang about this little thought. But Haitang did not care. Since Xiangcao thought it was better for the mother and daughter to live separately, then let her do it. Young girls, of course, also want to have private space. Haitang herself would rather occupy the three main rooms alone and not share with her personal maid, so she could naturally understand Xiangcao's unwillingness to live with her mother.

Haitang and Xiangcao spent most of the hour packing their luggage, and then Mama Li was sent over to the main courtyard to pass on the message for Haitang to go over. When Haitang arrived at the upper room in the main courtyard, she saw that her grandmother Ma had already gotten up, washed up, and had breakfast. She smiled and went up to greet her, asking her if she slept well last night.

Ma sighed, "I slept well. I am already an old man, and although I didn't suffer much on the way, I was still a little exhausted. When I got home, I could finally sleep peacefully, so I overslept. I heard that your grandfather had breakfast with you? What about the other people in the family?"

Haitang replied, "My brother went back to the Jinyiwei Yamen early in the morning. I heard that he took breakfast with him. When I came out, my cousin and Grandpa Lu were still not awake, so I asked the kitchen to leave breakfast for them. I'm not sure about my second uncle, but I heard that he went on duty before dawn. The people of their Banner Guards have to go to court in the middle of the night and are responsible for the palace guards. Although they don't have to go to court now, they still have to take turns on duty."

Ma was not worried about Hai Changan. After all, he had been in Beijing for almost a year. Even without his wife to take care of him, he would not starve. But when she heard that he did not have to attend court, she asked, "But the emperor is ill, so he does not have to attend court? I don't know how Tao Ge Lao and the others are doing. Your brother said that he has informed the Tao family, and Tao Ge Lao will definitely meet your cousin, but I don't know when he will be available?"

Ma called Aunt Cui over to ask her questions, and Aunt Cui replied, "Mr. Lu is still at home. He has already had breakfast and is packing his luggage. Mr. Xie went out early in the morning after breakfast and has not returned yet."

Haitang asked hurriedly, "Is there anyone following my cousin?"

Aunt Cui replied, "I sent Dunzi with him. I wanted to ask Ma Changnian to go with him, but Mr. Xie refused, saying that the family needed help. Besides, Ma Changnian had never been to the capital, so he would just run errands. Dunzi would be enough. Mr. Xie said that he hadn't been back for many years and planned to just walk around the area. It was in broad daylight and he wouldn't run into any danger. He would have lunch outside and would be back before dark."

Xie Wenzai originally had several servants around him, but he sent Wang Defa to deal with the matter of sending the coffins of Jin Jiashu's family to the temple, and Wang Xiaoqing was sent back home with Cao Gengyun. The remaining Wang Defa's wife was a woman, and she had to take care of domestic affairs at home, and Xie Zhong was still in Yongping Prefecture. He had no one around him, but fortunately he lived with the Hai family and could borrow the Hai family's manpower. Although Dunzi was young, Haitang taught Jin Jiashu martial arts, and he also learned a few moves. He could deal with ordinary hooligans and ruffians, and he was still competent to be a follower of Xie Wenzai. If Xie Wenzai was really just strolling around, he would not encounter any danger in the prosperous area of ​​the city and the commercial center in broad daylight. Even if he met someone from the Sun family, the other party might not be able to recognize Xie Tanhua more than 30 years later.

Ma thought of the glorious years when Xie Wenzai was in the capital, and couldn't help but sigh. She said to her granddaughter, "Forget it. Your great-uncle has a few old friends in the capital, and some familiar places. Maybe he wants to go and take a look. We can't disturb him at this time. Anyway, he knows the way, so let him go. If he encounters trouble, Dunzi will come back to report it. We should send someone to ask your cousin later to see if it is convenient for them now. You and I should go to see your sister Baozhu. I wonder if her condition has improved."