Republic of China: Guandong Ginseng King

Chapter 471 Gathering in Jilin City

In Jilin City, every household hangs up lights and decorates with colorful lanterns and sets off firecrackers to celebrate New Year's Eve.

But at this time, Fengtian City was completely silent, without even the sound of firecrackers.

The reason is simple. Fengtian City is still under the occupation of Japan. The people are confused and uneasy. How can they have the mood to celebrate the New Year?
New Year's Eve has passed, and the 32nd year of the Guangxu period has arrived.

During the first month of the lunar year, the Qu family visited relatives and friends, and from the first day onwards, they had an endless stream of guests.

This year, Liu Dongshan and Lin Ruolan are in the provincial capital, so every family has to come over to wish their elders a happy new year, say hello, and keep in touch with them.

The marriage between Liu Xinyuan and the third daughter of the Zhao family has been arranged, and they will be engaged soon, which means they will be in-laws.

Before the New Year, Liu Dongshan and his wife sent their son to give many New Year gifts to the Zhao family. After the New Year, they quickly instructed Xinyuan to go to the Zhao family to pay New Year's greetings.

Show your face in front of your future father-in-law and mother-in-law and leave a good impression.

Because Zhang Tianzhi and Liu Xinyuan were both getting married in February, Chen Xiuyun and others didn't have a few days to rest and immediately became busy.

The two sons are getting married, and they can't hold the wedding in the general's mansion.

After much deliberation, Liu Dongshan and his wife decided to pay to buy the yard that Qu Shaoyang had purchased in Jilin City a few years ago, so that Tianzhi and Xinyuan could get married.

Qu Shaoyang originally wanted to give the yard to his master, even as a gift for his two younger brothers' weddings, but Liu Dongshan and his wife refused to accept it.

They have benefited a lot from following Qu Shaoyang over the years, and the money they have accumulated is more than they can spend in two lifetimes. It's just a yard, there's no need to take advantage of it anymore.

Qu Shaoyang couldn't persuade his master and his mistress, so he had to agree.

Anyway, it's just a token of my appreciation, just some money.

Someone has always lived in the other end of the courtyard, and the furniture and furnishings are all ready. I just need to clean it up inside and out and add some items for the wedding.

Even so, everyone was busy for a while.

On the twelfth day of the first lunar month, Qu Shaoyang and his wife, accompanied by the Liu family, brought a generous engagement gift and went to the Zhao family to arrange the engagement between Liu Xinyuan and Zhao Yinglan, the third daughter of the Zhao family.

With Qu Shaoyang present in person to save face, the entire Zhao family was delighted and did not make things difficult for the Liu family at all. The marriage was arranged smoothly.

In a blink of an eye, the Lantern Festival was over and the government office resumed, so Qu Shaoyang no longer had much free time.

The first thing done after the New Year was to set up a school of official studies in Jilin City at the instruction of the imperial court, which taught subjects such as history, geography, criminal law, treaties, finance, police, and education, and trained local officials.

In addition, a school for bannermen will be set up to teach public law, private law, criminal law, civil law, politics, finance, commercial law, geography, history, military strategy, gymnastics, and Eastern language (Japanese) to cultivate talents for the Eight Banners.

In addition, the Qing court decided to train the Jilin Army in the territory of Jilin General, selecting from the eight garrisoned banners, and Zhang Tianzhi and others were responsible for the training.

In addition to these, Jilin Province also established the General Bureau of Mineral Survey to investigate the province's mineral resources and solicit investment and hosting.

Branch offices were established in Xifeng, Hailong, Kuandian, Hunchun, Sansheng, Tonghua and other places to identify mineral reserves and develop them as early as possible.

In this way, the provincial government can increase a lot of income, avoid the covetousness of Japan and Tsarist Russia, and prevent the mining rights from falling into the hands of the great powers.

These alone were enough to keep Qu Shaoyang busy. Add to that the daily affairs of the local bannermen and the recruitment of refugees to open up wasteland and resettle them, and the general's office was busy all day long.

In the blink of an eye, it was mid-February. Doctor Chen and his wife, and Qu Laokouer and his wife, who had already received the news that Tianzhi and Xinyuan were going to get married, came to Jilin City one after another to congratulate them.

"Oh, my dear relatives, congratulations! It's a double blessing. Congratulations!"

On February 18, Doctor Chen and his wife, along with their grandson Chen Yanchuan, granddaughter Chen Jingya and others, arrived in Jilin City.

As soon as they met, Doctor Chen congratulated Liu Dongshan and his wife.

"Congratulations, I'm sorry for disturbing my in-laws. You've come all the way here. Thank you for your hard work."

Liu Dongshan and his wife were filled with joy and bowed in return.

After waiting for so many years, their son finally got married. These days, Liu Dongshan and his wife were so happy that they couldn't stop smiling.

"Why bother? Our child is getting married, it's a big event in life, we must come and join in the fun."

Doctor Chen smiled and waved his hand, then turned around and greeted Qu Laokuoer.

"Oh, dear, you came earlier than me.

I haven't seen you for a few years. You look much better than before and look a lot younger."

"That's right. I haven't done anything in the past few years. I've been enjoying my retirement with good food and drink and not worrying about anything.

I have gained weight and my facial wrinkles have become more prominent, but doesn’t that make me look younger?”

Mr. and Mrs. Qu Laokouer arrived two days earlier and had already settled down in the mansion.

"You are right. Shaoyang is now a general in Jilin. Do you still need to worry about him?
My dear relatives, just remember this, taking good care of them now is better than anything else.

If you can live to be eighty, ninety, or even a hundred years old, Shaoyang's future will be secure."

According to court rules, when an official's parents passed away, he had to observe mourning for three years.

Qu Shaoyang is now at the most critical moment in his career. If anything happens to Qu Laokouer and his wife, Qu Shaoyang will have to return to his hometown to observe mourning, which will delay important matters.

What Doctor Chen meant by those words was that Mr. Qu should stop messing around and live a good life.

The longer he lives, the more secure Qu Shaoyang's position will be.

"Yes, yes, I understand this, I understand. If we live well and live a long life, it will be a blessing for our children."

Qu Laokouer has made some progress over the years, and he has some understanding of the customs in the officialdom.

So now he dared not do anything rash, for fear of ruining his son's future.

A few old men were chatting animatedly over here, and over there, Mrs. Li, Lin Ruolan, and Mrs. Chen were also chatting animatedly.

"Is this the child of Yunzhe and Yunhan? Oh my god, I haven't seen him for a few years, and he has grown so big?"

Lin Ruolan saw the two children, a boy and a girl, beside Li and asked hurriedly.

Chen Yanchuan was born in September of the eighteenth year of the Guangxu reign. He is fifteen years old now and is not short.

He has the good looks of both Chen Yunzhe and Shen Lizhen, and has grown into a handsome and elegant young man.

Chen Jingya was born in the 19th year of the Guangxu period. She is fourteen years old this year and looks more like He Qingzhu.

She is tall and slender, with a heroic look between her brows, and a bold and neatness that is different from that of ordinary girls in the boudoir.

"Yes, yes, in the blink of an eye the children have grown up.

Yanchuan, Jingya, come and meet your Grandpa Liu, Grandma Liu, and your Grandpa Qu, Grandma Qu."

Li smiled and called the two children to come forward and pay their respects.

Chen Yanchuan and Chen Jingya came forward and greeted the elderly people with great courtesy.

When Liu Dongshan and Qu Laokouer saw this, they hurriedly called the child over, asked him a few questions casually, and he nodded repeatedly with curiosity.

"My dear, why did you bring only two children with you? Where are the others?

Didn't I hear that the family has had several grandchildren in recent years?" Lin Ruolan asked Li casually. "Those others are all young, and it's not convenient to bring them so far away. These two are older and can stay with us and take care of us.

Another thing is that my old man and I want to send these two to Jilin City Middle School, so they can study together with Zhenbang, Zhenye and others.

These kids, if they don't see each other often, they will become strangers. It's better for them to spend more time together. "Li explained with a smile

Brothers Chen Yunzhe and Chen Yunhan got married late and their children are not that close. Now Chen Yunzhe has four sons and two daughters, while Chen Yunhan has three sons and one daughter.

Those kids were still young, and it was inconvenient to take them out, so Li brought the two older ones over so that the family could meet them.

"Yes, yes, what my dear brother-in-law said makes sense.

Children grow up together and develop deep feelings for each other. Younger generations should spend more time together.

You see, I brought Zhenquan, Zhensheng, Zhenwen, Zhenmin, Zhenqing and others with me this time.

I want them to study in the provincial capital and learn from Zhenbang and Zhenye.”

Upon hearing this, Chen slapped her thigh. Sure enough, they were thinking the same thing.

At present, among Qu Shaoyang's generation, Qu Shaoyang is the most capable, and the Chen brothers are also doing well.

If the younger generation wants to have a bright future, they must be cultivated from an early age.

No matter what, the provincial capital is better than the prefectures and counties below. Now that the children are old enough, it is just right for them to go to middle school in the provincial capital.

Especially those in the Qu family, they will have to rely on Qu Shaoyang's care in the future.

Send them here early, build up a relationship with Zhenbang and Zhenye and others, and give them a little support in the future, and the children's future will be bright.

This is also a common idea among Chinese people. No matter who in the family is successful, they will try their best to help their brothers and nephews within their ability.

This matter was proposed by Qu Shaoyang when Qu Jiang came here before the New Year. He asked his family to send his nephews to study together in school.

We haven't seen each other for a long time. When we met unexpectedly, we felt so close and had so many things to say.

For a moment, the house was extremely lively.

When Chen Xiuyun saw this, she simply sent someone to the school to call back Zhenye, Zhenwu and others to meet their grandma, grandpa, and cousins.

As for Zhenbang, he is preparing to study abroad. He is not at home and will not be back until the evening. Let's meet then.

Not long after, Zhenye, Zhenwu, Zhenjie and others came back from school and met with Chen Yanchuan brothers.

These children often played together when they were young. Although they haven't seen each other for a few years, they still communicate through letters on a daily basis, so they don't feel unfamiliar with each other.

Soon, everyone was playing together, making so much noise that they almost blew off the roof of the house.

There was no other choice, Chen Xiuyun had to let the children go out to play.

Anyway, the general's mansion is big, they can go anywhere they want to act wild, but just don't make noise in the house.

By the evening, Qu Shaoyang and his son, Zhang Tianzhi, Liu Xinyuan and others had also returned. Everyone gathered together and it was lively again.

Tianzhi and Xinyuan's wedding was scheduled for February 26th, and the news had already spread.

Next, generals of the Dingbian Army from all over the country, members of the forest patrol team, leaders of the rebel army, and others came to the provincial capital to congratulate.

On February 23, Zhang Xiulan, who was recuperating in Phoenix City due to illness, came to Jilin City with brothers Chen Yunzhe and Chen Yunhan.

"Oh, godfather, why are you here too? How are you now? Are you feeling better?" Qu Shaoyang went to greet him after receiving the news. After seeing Zhang Xiulan, Qu Shaoyang hurried forward and supported his godfather.

"Much better, much better. The old mountain ginseng and goat blood you sent me are quite effective.

Plus, your father-in-law's medical skills are quite good, and after resting for these days, you are much better than before.

Look at my complexion, am I okay?"

Zhang Xiulan was also very happy to see his adopted son and said with a smile.

"Oh, I'm ashamed to say that before Tianzhi went abroad to study, I boasted that I would take care of his marriage.

As a result, you see, I was unable to fulfill my promise, and my sworn brother's daughter has already been married off."

Speaking of the past, Zhang Xiulan said with guilt.

Zhang Xiulan had a sworn brother named Sun Baoqi, who had five wives and concubines who gave birth to many daughters for him.

Before Tianzhi went to study in Japan, Sun Baoqi was only a candidate for provincial governor, working under the Governor-General of Zhili, handling matters such as the Silver and Money Office, Yucai Hall, and Military Academy.

Sun Baoqi is a good parent. All the girls in his family are talented, beautiful, well-behaved and polite.

At that time, Zhang Xiulan was thinking that when Zhang Tianzhi came back from studying abroad, he would choose one of his brother's girls to marry, which would definitely be a good idea.

Unexpectedly, during the Boxer Rebellion, Sun Baoqi accompanied the Empress Dowager Cixi and Emperor Guangxu in fleeing to Xi'an. He served and cared for them wholeheartedly along the way, and won the favor of the Empress Dowager Cixi.

After the two palaces returned to the palace, Sun Baoqi was highly valued by the court.

He first entered the Military Affairs Council, and later was exceptionally appointed as the Minister to France and concurrently as the Minister to Spain. He returned to China last year and was directly appointed as the Governor of Shuntian Prefecture.

This is not the most important thing. The most important thing is that in February of the 28th year of the Guangxu period, the Empress Dowager Cixi abolished the rule prohibiting intermarriage between Manchus and the Han people.

Immediately afterwards, Prince Qing Yixin went to ask for the second daughter of the Sun family's marriage.

Through this marriage, Sun Baoqi went from being an ordinary official to a royal relative.

The value of his daughters also increased, and prominent families from all walks of life came to propose marriage to Sun Baoqi.

Sun Baoqi's eldest daughter was chosen by Sheng Xuanhuai, the richest man in the Qing Dynasty who was rich enough to rival a country. Sheng Xuanhuai came to propose marriage and she became the fourth lady of the Sheng family.

You should know that although Sheng Xuanhuai had four sons, the first three died young, leaving only the fourth son, who was treated like the apple of his eye.

The third daughter of the Sun family was betrothed to the grandson of Wang Wenshao, the former governor-general of Zhili and minister of Beiyang.

The fourth daughter of the Sun family was betrothed to Baoxi, a member of the royal family and a descendant of Dorgon.

The other girls were still young and not suitable for Tianzhi. Even if they were of the same age, Zhang Xiluan did not dare to ask for Tianzhi's hand in marriage because of the four previous marriages.

As for the families of other sworn brothers, either their daughters were already engaged or their ages were not suitable, so Zhang Xiulan had to go back on his word.

Qu Shaoyang laughed when he heard it, "This is destiny. If my adoptive father arranges the marriage, I don't know where my sister's life will end up."

It's hard to say what's going on in this world. If it weren't for Zhang Xiulan's words, Tianzhi might have married a long time ago, and there would be no place for Wanyu.
"Yes, yes, it's a good thing it didn't happen, otherwise I would have missed a good marriage." Zhang Xiulan finally felt relieved and laughed.

"Come on, godfather, come back with me. I have already found a place at home. I will ask you to stay with me for the time being."

Zhang Xiluan came to Jilin City to attend a wedding and congratulate others, so naturally he couldn't let them stay in an inn. Fortunately, the general's mansion was big enough so he could stay there.

"What's wrong with that? It's the same wherever you live."

Zhang Xiulan laughed out loud when he heard this. He was born a military man and had lived in the wilderness when he led troops in battle. He didn't care about these things at all.

(End of this chapter)