Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 442 Gathering in Phoenix City

After eating dumplings on New Year’s Eve, the 22nd year of the Guangxu period arrived.

From the first to the fifth day of the New Year, the Qu family had constant visitors, and Qu Shaoyang was busy entertaining the guests.

We had agreed before that we would go to the Phoenix Hall after the New Year.

So on the sixth day of the first lunar month, Qu Shaoyang led Chen Xiuyun, several children, and Xiaozhi, as well as a number of guards and gifts, and set off.

This trip will not be too short, and the family must be without someone in charge. Meng Lanxin volunteered to stay, and Qu Shaoyang had to take Zhenwu with her.

Anyway, Zhenwu is close to Chen Xiuyun, and also gets along well with Zhenbang, Zhenye and the others, so there is no need to worry.

We traveled from dawn to dusk and finally arrived in Phoenix on the afternoon of the 13th day of the first lunar month.

The Chen family had received the news long ago, and the brothers Chen Yunzhe and Chen Yunhan brought people to greet them outside the city gate.

Seeing the convoy coming from afar, the two brothers hurried forward to meet them.

"Big brother, second brother, Happy New Year." Qu Shaoyang was riding in front on horseback. When he saw the Chen brothers, he clasped his fists on his horse and greeted them.

Xiao Zhi was riding a horse behind the team. He hurried forward and met Chen Yunzhe and Chen Yunhan.

"Let's go into the city. Mom and Dad are waiting."

The two Chen brothers immediately returned the greeting, then smiled and invited Qu Shaoyang and the others into the city.

After repairs, the city walls of Phoenix, which were ravaged by war, have basically returned to their original appearance.

After entering the city, we found that most of the houses that were destroyed by artillery fire had been repaired or rebuilt.

There are neatly built houses on both sides of the street, and pedestrians walk calmly and steadily.

From this we can see that the people of Phoenix have come out of that catastrophe and are living a stable life again.

To restore a city to this level in just over half a year is enough to prove that Chen Yunzhe has put a lot of effort into repairing, maintaining and governing it.

Before Shen Lizhen and Doctor Chen and his wife arrived in Phoenix City, Chen Yunzhe lived in the yamen.

Later, Doctor Chen was persuaded by Zhang Xiulan to open a clinic in Fenghuang City, so he spent money to buy a large courtyard in the city.

Chen Yunzhe also moved in to accompany his parents.

When Qu Shaoyang and his party arrived at Chen's residence, they saw the housekeeper and the servants standing outside the gate waiting.

"Greetings, Lord Qu. I wish you a happy new year and good health." When the butler saw Qu Shaoyang dismounting from his horse, he immediately came forward with his men to pay his respects.

"Hey, big brother, why are you making such a big fuss?
I'm here to accompany my wife to her parents' home, you're making it seem like such a big deal." Qu Shaoyang said, not knowing whether to laugh or cry when he saw this.

"Of course, of course. When the aunt and uncle come back from their trip, they are honored guests and must be received with the highest standards.

No matter what time it is, the rules and etiquette must not be violated. "

Chen Yunzhe smiled and waved his hand, and the housekeeper quickly brought people forward to meet Chen Xiuyun and the children.

It is really a torture to go out in the winter. After traveling for days, everyone is not in a good spirit.

When Chen Xiuyun got off the car, she felt sore in her back and waist, her legs were weak, and she felt unsteady when she walked.

Fortunately, with the help of the maids and wives, I walked a few more steps and slowly got used to it. "Big brother, second brother, happy new year."

Seeing her relatives, even if she felt uncomfortable, she felt happy. Chen Xiuyun smiled and wished her two brothers a happy new year.

Compared to Chen Xiuyun, the children were in much better condition. After getting off the carriage, they came to their two uncles chattering and wishing them a happy new year.

"Uncle, uncle, happy new year."

"Okay, okay, Happy New Year. Come with uncle, let's go find your grandma and grandpa."

Chen Yunzhe held Jialing in one hand and pulled Zhenwu with the other. Chen Yunhan held Zhenjie and pulled Zhenye. Zhenbang followed his two uncles, and the group quickly walked into the Chen family's gate.

Qu Shaoyang also got off the horse at this time, and he and Chen Xiuyun walked into the yard hand in hand.

As soon as everyone walked around the screen wall, Shen Lizhen and He Qingzhu came out with a few maids to greet them.

"Sister, brother-in-law, you are finally here. Come on, come in quickly, my parents are waiting inside."

As they spoke, they each reached out and took the two smaller ones.

Led by Zhenbang, the kids hurriedly greeted their aunt.

Shen Lizhen and He Qingzhu were so happy that they said they had already prepared the red envelopes and would give them out as soon as they entered the house.

Just like that, everyone went into the front hall, chatting and laughing.

Doctor Chen and Li were both sitting on chairs. When they heard the noise outside, they stood up and stretched their necks to look at the door.

The girl lifted the cotton curtain, and several little kids came running in, "Happy New Year, Grandpa. Happy New Year, Grandma."

Led by Zhenbang, followed by Zhenye and Zhenwu, the three older kids knelt on the ground as soon as they entered the door and began to kowtow to wish a happy new year.

"Oh my, you are finally grown up and sensible.

OK, OK, you guys too, hurry up and get up, grandpa has red envelopes for you."

When Doctor Chen and his wife saw it, they couldn't stop smiling. They quickly asked the maid to take out the red envelopes that they had prepared in advance and give one to each child.

The children jumped for joy after receiving the red envelopes and ran to Qu Shaoyang to show off.

At this time, Xiao Zhi also came forward, bowed politely, and wished a happy new year to Doctor Chen and his wife.

"Oh, is this Xiaozhi? My god, I haven't seen him for a few years. This kid has changed a lot.

If I were outside, I wouldn’t recognize him.” Doctor Chen called Xiao Zhi over and looked him up and down. The more he looked, the happier he felt.

"This child has made great progress. If your grandfather, father, and uncle could see what you look like now, they would be so happy." Doctor Chen couldn't help but sigh.

Speaking of Zhang Guozi and his son, everyone couldn't help but sigh, and Xiao Zhi looked a little lonely.

"Look at you, why are you bringing this up on New Year's Day? It's rare for your children to come over, it would be great if you could just be happy."

Li reached out and poked Doctor Chen, stopping him from speaking any more.

"Yes, yes, it's New Year's Day, let's not talk about this. Xiaozhi, how are you doing in Fengtian? Is it time to take the Tongsheng exam?"

Doctor Chen quickly changed the subject and asked about Xiaozhi's schoolwork.

Xiao Zhi didn't know how to say that he didn't want to go to school anymore, so he could only look at Qu Shaoyang, smile awkwardly, and give a few simple answers.

Fortunately, Doctor Chen didn't ask any more questions and let the matter pass.

On the other side, Shen Lizhen and He Qingzhu also distributed the red envelopes and some small items that they had prepared in advance to the children.

Over there, Chen Yanchuan, the son of Chen Yunzhe, and Chen Jingya, the daughter of Chen Yunhan, also went to pay New Year's greetings to Qu Shaoyang and Chen Xiuyun under the guidance of their adults.

Qu Shaoyang also quickly took out the gifts for his nephews and nieces to make the children happy.

"Zhenbang, Zhenye, you guys take the red envelopes, bring your brothers and sisters, and have fun over there. We'll chat with your grandparents for a while."

Zhenbang and his friends are all very outgoing. When they see their cousins, they like them very much and start chatting with them about all kinds of things.

Zhenjie and Jialing are still young and can’t speak fluently, but they also want to express their joy of seeing their relatives.

Seven children gathered together, and the scene was so terrible that it made people want to lift the roof of the house. Chen Xiuyun saw it and hurriedly told her eldest son to behave himself and not to disturb the adults with his chattering.

"Zhenbang? Zhenye? Have you two given your child a name?" Chen Yunzhe reacted quickly and asked Qu Shaoyang immediately.

"Well, my parents went back to their hometown a few years ago. They said they were going back to compile the family tree, so they gave the child a big name.

Gensuo is called Zhenbang, Genyou is called Zhenye, Youqing is called Zhenwu, Genquan is called Zhenjie, and Lingdang is called Jialing." Qu Shaoyang explained with a smile.

Chen Yunzhe frowned slightly after hearing this, "Who named the child?

Especially the eldest brother, how can he be called Zhenbang?
The book says that when naming a child, it is not appropriate to use words like "国", "邦", "天", etc."

Chen Yunzhe didn’t tell anyone what he said next.

It is not advisable to give a child a big name. If the child's fate is not strong enough, it will not be able to control the fate and the child will be prone to illness or accidents.

"Ah? I don't know. I asked Mr. Fang to come up with the name. He wrote down a lot of names, and I liked Zhenbang at first sight.

The ones behind are all named after the boss. What? Is there any reason for this?"

Qu Shaoyang really didn't think about it that way. In his opinion, a name is just a code name. As long as it sounds nice and pleasing to the ear, there is no need to be so particular about it.

There are so many people in later generations named Jianguo, Weiguo, and Zhiguo, aren’t they all doing well?

Chen Yunzhe opened his mouth to speak, but Doctor Chen on the other side spoke first.

"Okay, that's good. I think it's good. But I think the name you gave my eldest grandson is too elegant and lacks the manliness of a man."

After hearing what his father said, Chen Yunzhe didn't know what to say.

Everyone has his own destiny. Others may not be able to bear such a name, but maybe his eldest nephew can.

During the Chinese New Year, when families get together, there are naturally countless things to talk about.

However, Qu Shaoyang still had important things to do. He had to go and visit his adoptive father Zhang Xiulan.

In theory, it would not be impossible to go and pay a visit tomorrow, but Qu Shaoyang had just arrived this afternoon and he went to pay a visit immediately, which showed his sincerity.

Everyone understood this, so Qu Shaoyang led his people and brought a lot of gifts to Zhang Xiulan's residence.

It was not yet the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the government office was closed, and Zhang Xiulan was resting at his residence.

Of course, although it is a rest, officials from all over the country always want to take advantage of the New Year period to move around and enhance their relationships, so Zhang Xiulan has been very busy these days.

After seeing off several groups of people in the afternoon, Zhang Xiulan was just about to take a rest when his servant reported that the Inspector General Qu had arrived.

When Zhang Xiulan heard it, he knew it was Qu Shaoyang and immediately asked someone to invite Qu Shaoyang in.

"I, your son, pay my respects to your adoptive father and wish him a happy new year, peace and prosperity, and freedom from worries."

As soon as Qu Shaoyang entered the room, he kowtowed deeply and wished Zhang Xiulan a happy new year in a serious manner.

"Hey, get up quickly, get up quickly. Look at you, do we really need to be so polite when we meet?
Come on, come and sit down, I have something to tell you."

As soon as Zhang Xiulan saw Qu Shaoyang, he immediately smiled and waved to Qu Shaoyang to get up and sit next to him.

"It's the New Year, so I'm going to wish my godfather a happy New Year and bring him good luck. Who knows, you might be so happy that you'll give me a red envelope."

Qu Shaoyang stood up with a grin on his face, waved behind him, and his followers put a pile of gift boxes on the table.

“These are some supplements prepared by your daughter-in-law. They are all recipes passed down from their ancestors and are the best for nourishing the body.

"My foster father has been a soldier for half his life and has made great contributions. Now that everything is peaceful outside, my foster father should pay more attention to his health."

Of course, the gift box contained not only supplements, but also various gold, silver, jewelry, and rare antiques. Qu Shaoyang was just using the supplements as a cover.

Zhang Xiluan was very pleased with Qu Shaoyang's words, so he nodded repeatedly, "Okay, okay, you are thoughtful, kid.

By the way, are you here alone this time, or are you here with your wife and children?"

"I came here with my wife and children. I just arrived this afternoon. They are at my father-in-law's place.

I didn’t know if it was convenient for my adoptive father, so I didn’t bring them here.” Qu Shaoyang explained with a smile.

"Look, since they are here too, bring them over so I can see the children too."

Zhang Xiluan glared at Qu Shaoyang, then smiled.

“Well, you’ve come a long way and must have been tired on the road, so let the children rest and relax.

How about this, you guys take a good rest tomorrow, and spend the holiday with your father-in-law the day after tomorrow.

On the sixteenth day after tomorrow, I will hold a banquet in my mansion. Invite Lord Chen, your father-in-law, mother-in-law and others to come together, and we will have a good time."

"Okay, I'll follow my godfather's instructions."

It was a great favor for Zhang Xiulan to host a banquet for Qu Shaoyang and his family. Qu Shaoyang was naturally happy about it, so he happily accepted it.

Immediately afterwards, Zhang Xiulan told Qu Shaoyang the good news.

Shengjing General Yiktang'a has already submitted a petition to the imperial court, requesting the establishment of a county seat in Maoer Mountain. It is estimated that the imperial court's reply will arrive after the new year.

Another reason is that because the war was over and all Japanese troops had withdrawn, in order to reduce the pressure on military expenditure, Yiktang'aben intended to submit a petition to the court to disband some border troops.

Qu Shaoyang's memorial coincided with Yiktang'a's idea, so the Shengjing General's Mansion had agreed to Qu Shaoyang's request.

After listening to what Zhang Xiulan said, Qu Shaoyang couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

If he had submitted the memorial later, the outcome would have been different. It would not be certain how many people the Dingbian Army would have been able to retain by then.

He took the initiative to submit a memorial, which set a good example. The higher-ups took advantage of the situation and laid off some people to set up a forest inspection team.

As for the rest, they can retain the name of Dingbian Army, and Qu Shaoyang, the commander of Dingbian Army, can continue to do his job.

"Fortunately, my godfather intervened, otherwise, this matter would not have been accomplished so easily. Thank you, godfather." Qu Shaoyang hurriedly thanked Zhang Xiulan.

Afterwards, Zhang Xiulan inquired about the details of Qu Shaoyang's expedition to suppress the bandits, as well as recent matters such as the defense of the upper reaches of the Yalu and Songhua Rivers.

Qu Shaoyang told Zhang Xiulan everything, and Zhang was very satisfied with it. He reminded Qu Shaoyang to manage the defense along the river well and not let those with ulterior motives take the opportunity to cause trouble.

Qu Shaoyang naturally did not dare to be careless. He agreed to all the requests and expressed his attitude.

Zhang Xiulan was very satisfied with Qu Shaoyang's respectful and humble attitude, and he valued this adopted son more and more.

Qu Shaoyang sat with Zhang Xiulan for a while. When they had finished chatting, he said goodbye and left, returning to Chen's house.

The Chen family has already prepared a sumptuous meal and is waiting for Qu Shaoyang to return.

Seeing Qu Shaoyang coming in, Shen Lizhen immediately gave orders to serve the wine and food and prepare to start the meal.

After spending some time chatting with her parents and sisters-in-law, Chen Xiuyun felt much better, so everyone had a reunion dinner while talking and laughing.

Not long after dinner, the children all felt sleepy and started rubbing their eyes and dozing off.

Chen Xiuyun also felt tired, so she said goodbye to her parents and took the children back to her room to rest.

As for Qu Shaoyang, he had nothing to do and he didn't drink too much at night, so he went to the study to discuss matters with his two uncles.

(End of this chapter)