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

Chapter 992 Revealed
The next day, on Laba Festival, Haitang followed her grandmother Ma to her cousin Fang's house to deliver Laba porridge, and told them the mother and daughter the good news about Qiao Fu.

When Fang heard that Qiao Fu was actually the nephew of her second wife's sister-in-law, she was very happy: "This is a close relationship! The families are evenly matched!" What she worried about most in the past was that her daughter would marry down and her son-in-law would have an uncertain future. Now that she knew Qiao Fu's background and that he had been transferred to the Jinyiwei regular army, and that he would have his in-laws to look after him in the future, she didn't have to worry about his future at all. She had no worries in her heart and felt that the day had dawned.

She pulled Ma aside to ask in detail, wanting to know what plans Haijiao had for this cousin? Would he let Qiao Fu get promoted in a year or two? If her daughter got married, her husband's family had a rank instead of being a common soldier, then the marriage would be much more respectable! Even if he was just a small military officer of the eighth or ninth rank, it would not matter. If Qiao Fu was really as talented as her daughter and Ma said, there would be plenty of opportunities for promotion in the future. Her daughter's blessings were still to come!
Ma had already asked her grandson Hai Jiao about the details last night, and now she was not afraid of Fang's questioning. Qiao Fu had just been promoted to a regular soldier, so it was possible that he would be promoted in the next two or three years, but the Hai family thought that he should not be in a hurry for the time being, and it would be better to make up for the missed courses while his official position was not high, otherwise even if he was promoted, he would soon encounter a bottleneck.

Qiao Fu is now under Hai Jiao's command. With Hai Jiao protecting him, he has someone to support him even if the sky collapses. He doesn't need to worry about anything else, just study and gain experience. When he has learned everything he should learn and has gained experience, he will be able to rise to the top and take charge of his own affairs. In this way, his marriage to Hai Baozhu may not be glorious and respectable, but in the long run, this will be more beneficial to his career development.

Fang was quickly convinced. She actually only wanted her daughter to marry happily, not to pursue temporary glory. If she was such a vain person, she would not have been so picky about her daughter's marriage, fearing that her daughter would marry the wrong person and her life would be ruined.

After accepting the reality, Fang began to ask more about Qiao Fu. Where were his parents and relatives? Did he have any siblings? How was his relationship with his clan members? And so on. She also noticed that Qiao Fu was already 23 years old, which was past the average marriage age. In such a long time, had he really never discussed marriage? Did he have a lover?

Ma was a little amused and told her that Qiao Fu had never discussed marriage with anyone, nor did he have a lover. He had had some romantic affairs in the past, but he had been suppressed for many years because of this, and he didn't even have time to feel disgusted, let alone have any attachment. He had not married yet because his life was difficult, and he thought his future was uncertain, so he was afraid of bringing trouble to others. At the same time, it was also because the unmarried girls he could meet were very limited, most of whom were from the lower class, and he happened to be the descendant of an official family, and he had a few good years when he was a child, so he was very ambitious and didn't want to compromise on marriage. He didn't expect to marry into a high-class family, but he hoped that his future wife would be a well-educated and well-mannered girl. Given his past status, such requirements were not low, and it was not surprising that he would have difficulty in getting married.

However, Hai Baozhu just met his requirements. She was a girl of clean family, well-educated, beautiful, and had a good dowry. Qiao Fu had long noticed that Hai Baozhu was interested in him, and he was also quite moved, but he did not dare to accept it because of the difference in status. Now that all obstacles have been removed, this marriage will naturally come to fruition.

Qiao Fu had already told the Hai family that he would invite a matchmaker to propose marriage to Hai Baozhu. Ma was a little curious, thinking that if he didn't invite such a ready-made matchmaker, who would he invite?
Putting aside the matchmaker issue, Ma was more concerned about how Fang would discuss her daughter's marriage with Qiao Fu. In order to avoid any misunderstandings between Fang's mother and daughter and Qiao Fu, Ma told Fang in advance that Qiao Fu really didn't have much wealth now. Maybe after a year or two, he could save some money, but it was always limited. Qiao Fu was the only surviving child of the Qiao family's two branches, and it was impossible for him to marry into the Hai family's eldest branch as a son-in-law. Therefore, Fang's mother and daughter probably couldn't ask for too much in terms of betrothal gifts and the scale of the wedding. If Fang hoped that her daughter could live a well-off life after marriage, it would be more practical to prepare more dowry for her daughter.

Ma whispered to Fang, "Bao Shun asked someone to find out yesterday, but the details are still unclear. We only know roughly that the court actually returned his family's property. But none of his relatives were in Beijing, and he was young at the time, and he was still working for the Jinyiwei. He had no choice, and no one taught him, so he never asked for the property. Now the property must have fallen into the hands of someone else, who is related to a branch of the Qiao family in a roundabout way. In fact, they are not related at all. Just because a relative works in the Jinyiwei, he took advantage of it, and Qiao Fu doesn't know anything!"

Fang was surprised and asked hurriedly: "What should we do now? Can we get the things back?"

"If we go to ask for it ourselves, can we let that family continue to take advantage of us? We can definitely get it back!" However, Ma also sighed, "But it has been so long, and the valuables are probably gone. We don't know when they were lost. It's good enough that we can get the old house back in the end. For other things, don't count on it. Even if it is the fields, what we can get back is probably not the good fields we had before."

Fang frowned and sighed, "Qiao Fu is also a miserable person. His family has a good family and a good business, and he is the son of an official family, but he has been bullied for so many years... His grandfather saved his parents and raised him. He was thinking about them and couldn't bear to be separated from his flesh and blood, so he kept him in the capital. Who could have expected such a result? If they had known this, their family might as well have been exiled! If they went to the northwest, they would also be able to recognize good people like my second uncle and second aunt who could save them from danger. When the court's amnesty comes down, they can return to the capital a few years earlier, get back what they lost before, and live a good life again."

Ma smiled bitterly and said, "How can you be sure of such a thing? They were all exiled to the northwest, but your cousin Xie and his family were safe and sound. However, the Qiao brothers were not so lucky. One died in Chang'an, and the other died of illness before even reaching Chang'an. How do you know that if Qiao Fu's parents had left the capital, they would have been able to escape? They stayed in the capital and lived with their father-in-law, but they couldn't survive for a few years, let alone travel a long distance to the northwest? Not to mention, if Qiao Fu was born in the northwest and returned to the capital after being pardoned a few years ago, he would not have had this fate with Baozhu, and how could they get married now?!"

Fang thought about it and smiled shyly, covering her face with her hands: "I was wrong."

The past cannot be changed, but whether the future will be good or not depends on your own efforts.

Fang lowered her voice and discussed with Ma: "Second aunt, I think that since Brother Qiao has such a miserable life experience, although he is not a live-in son-in-law, he will have to be closer to our family after marrying Baozhu. As an elder, I should take better care of him. I wonder where his parents and relatives are buried? His grandfather and great-uncle died on the way to exile. Have the coffins been transported back to the capital? After he marries Baozhu, I want to give some money to help him move the graves of his relatives and find a good feng shui site for reburial. First, it will be convenient for him and Baozhu to pay homage to their ancestors in the future; second, it will also let him know our family's sincerity. As long as he is grateful in his heart and can treat Baozhu better, I have nothing else to ask for..."