Nanyang Storm 1864

Chapter 35 Unity and Friendship
In the study

Zheng Guohui chatted with his eleventh uncle until dusk, still in high spirits, until the maid came to report, "Dinner is ready, the master asked the second young master to go immediately."

"Hahahaha... Today's harvest is really huge. Uncle Eleven has been very helpful. It's really rare. Today's family dinner is like a welcome dinner to celebrate Uncle Eleven's triumphant return. I hope you won't refuse!"

"That's why I don't dare to ask my ears."

"Hahaha, Uncle Eleven, please..."

"Sir, please ..."

At that moment, Zheng Guohui stopped being polite and stood up to leave first. His eleventh uncle Zheng Shouzhong followed closely behind him, always keeping one step away from him, and he knew the right distance very well.

In the lobby of the Central Courtyard

Five banquet tables have been set up here, one on each side. The central hall is more spacious and has three banquet tables.

There were chicken, duck, fish and meat on the table, all in big bowls and basins, full of oil and water, showing the family's strong foundation.

Several stoves half a person's height placed in the house are emitting steaming hot air. The big pots of hot dishes stewing on them are boiling, giving off a rich aroma of meat and vegetables, which makes people salivate.

First, you can heat up the food nearby, and second, you can keep warm.

The thick cotton door curtain blocked the cold outside. When Zheng Guohui came here, everyone inside and outside the house rushed out. The uncles bowed to him and the peers in the family knelt down and kowtowed.

"Don't be so polite, come in." Zheng Guohui waved his hand with extraordinary grace and took Zheng Shouzhong straight into the hall.

A group of relatives and clansmen separated to both sides like a tide, waiting for the two of them to enter, and then followed them into the main hall.

Master Zheng Shouren was sitting on a chair beside the fireplace, leaning on a cane. Several elders were around him, talking to him and smiling with compliments.

Zheng Guohui walked up, bowed to his father and greeted him, then stepped forward to support him.

The main table of the banquet was located in the middle of the lobby. Zheng Guohui helped the master to the main seat at the top and arranged for him to sit down first.

Then, he naturally stood beside the main seat at the top. This was his seat, and no elder in the tribe dared to compete for it.

After two clear coughs, everyone in the hall fell silent.

Zheng Guohui's expression became serious, and the majesty of his high position was revealed, intimidating the entire audience, and then he looked at Zheng Shouzhong.

Zheng Shouzhong understood immediately, then stood up and straightened his clothes. His face was filled with uncontrollable excitement, and he clasped his hands together and bowed.

Zheng Guohui looked at him and said loudly;

"Uncle Eleven shouldered the heavy responsibility of the family. His journey to Southeast Asia lasted over a year, during which he experienced numerous turbulent times, with life and death hanging in the balance. His hard work and contributions are immense.

I promise you a career as a captain, and reward you with five hundred taels of silver, ten taels of gold, ten pieces of silk, one fine horse, two fat pigs, ten sheep, and fifty dan of rice.

Those who accompany us to Southeast Asia will each be rewarded with 20 taels of silver and 5 dan of rice."

As soon as this statement came out

Everyone in the hall was in an uproar, and a buzz of discussion arose out of nowhere, and then it became more and more lively.

Everyone looked at Zheng Shouzhong with fiery eyes, mixed with jealousy and unwillingness.

I never thought that a mere illegitimate child would be so valued by Zheng Guohui and be rewarded with an official position and a large amount of gold and silver. This shows that he is on the verge of success.

"Thank you for your generous gift, sir. I am deeply grateful." Zheng Shouzhong was overjoyed and his voice trembled as he bowed deeply to the ground.

Why are you fighting so hard?
Now that he has the official title of Qianzong and a large amount of gold and silver rewards, it is a great honor for the family and enough to make him proud in front of his clansmen.

General Qian is a sixth-rank military officer, there is no doubt about that.

According to the court regulations, houses can use two layers of door lintels and eaves, which is much better than the gates of ordinary gentry. This is face!

Zheng Guohui stretched out his hand and pressed in the air, and the voices of discussion in the hall suddenly stopped.

He said;
"I have always been fair and just, and I will never mistreat any of the members of the Zheng clan who have worked hard for them.

However, he would not tolerate any ingratitude in his eyes and would not tolerate any rotten branches or leaves that would tarnish the clan's reputation, and he would get rid of them as soon as possible.

Merits must be rewarded, and faults must be punished. This is the way to uphold justice and build a prosperous family.

Today, the Zheng family in Tongzhou is flourishing. The members of the family are united and friendly, working together to make progress. The future is promising.

I will not hesitate to promote and employ anyone who has talent, and I will not avoid relatives when selecting talented people.

Come... please take a seat, relatives and friends."

After everyone was seated, Zheng Guohui raised the wine glass in his hand and said loudly;

"The Winter Solstice Festival, dedicated to our ancestors, is a grand event for our Zheng clan. It is of great importance and must not be neglected. With the full support of all clan members and relatives, and by filling in the gaps, we can ensure a successful start and a successful conclusion.

I would like to offer a glass of wine to my fellow tribesmen from afar, as the saying goes, many hands make light work.

As long as the Zheng family members are united and friendly and work together, we will surely be able to live better and more prosperous lives.

please……"

"it is good……"

Zheng Guohui picked up the wine glass and drank it first, which won thunderous applause from the crowd, and they all raised their glasses to drink together.

The atmosphere at the banquet immediately became lively.

"Dear friends and relatives, please take a seat. I'm sorry for the poor hospitality. Please enjoy your meal and drink." Zheng Guohui greeted them again before sitting down.

The people at the first table where he was sitting were either the clan leader or the clan elders of high generation, who were at least fifty or sixty years old, and could be called the old men for the meeting.

Of course, Eleventh Uncle Zheng Shouzhong was not qualified to sit at the first table. He had already sat down at the wine table in the two compartments. Amidst the compliments from everyone, he responded repeatedly with a happy face and a fist.

As the clan’s grand winter solstice festival approaches, Zheng clan members scattered across the country rush back.

Relatives from the surrounding counties, towns, and villages of Rugao, Qimen, Hai'an, Rudong, and Jinsha, as well as from as far away as Changzhou Prefecture, Weiyang Prefecture, and Huai'an Prefecture, arrived in an endless stream a few days ago.

Nowadays, all the clan members who have empty houses in their homes will use them for everyone to live in, so as to prevent them from going hungry or freezing.

The hotels and post stations in Tongzhou City were also overcrowded. Zheng even paid for several private schools and bought dozens of stoves to accommodate the clansmen who came to worship their ancestors.

Every morning
People from various ethnic groups who were resettled came in droves. The rich contributed money, the strong contributed their labor, the women helped with washing and cooking, and the men worked together to build the altar and do some physical work.

Winter Solstice

At around 4 a.m., the sky outside was still pitch black, the cold wind was howling, and the entire Tongzhou city was shrouded in the thick night.

The lights in the several mansions of the Zheng Mansion were already on. Everyone got up early, and even the children were dragged out of their beds and put on cotton clothes without knowing what was going on.

in the dark

Countless dark shadows gathered here in the cold wind, and it was unclear how many people there were.

Zheng Guohui also got up. With the help of two pretty maids, Qiao Yue and Qiao Xing, he took a bath in the big wooden barrel full of hot water, burned incense, changed his clothes, and put on a solemn black sacrificial robe.

"Don't waste so much hot water. You two little girls can also take a shower and soak for a while. Don't worry, no one will come to the house." Zheng Guohui said half in an order and half in a joking manner after putting on the black sacrificial robe.

Qiao Yue raised her head with a rosy face, a thin layer of sweat on her forehead. She looked at Zheng Guohui with charming eyes, without saying a word, but just bit her lip and nodded slightly.

Qiao Xing stood behind Zheng Guohui, fastened his belt, and then pushed Zheng Guohui out with all her strength, saying as she pushed him;
"Master, please go out quickly. I'm afraid you might be peeping here."

"What nonsense are you talking about, little girl? I, as a master, don't need to peek at you. Where on your bodies haven't I seen?"

"That won't work either. Get out." Qiao Xing's face turned red after being teased by this and she pushed Zheng Guohui even harder.

Zheng Guohui, feeling both distressed and sympathetic, walked out of the house and said, "Okay then. I'll order everyone not to approach the main house."

"I understand. Please leave now."

Qiao Xing pushed Zheng Guohui out of the door, then closed the door tightly. She turned around and made a playful face at Qiao Yue.

The maids and servants got up early in the morning, steamed cakes and boiled water in the kitchen, then brought buckets of hot water and poured them into large wooden barrels.

Sprinkle flower petals with essence, light incense, and prepare sacrificial robes. Although many things are done by the rough maids, Qiao Yue and Qiao Xing also help out.

Maids who do menial jobs are not allowed to enter the main house. Qiao Yue and Qiao Xing are responsible for serving Zheng Guohui themselves, and they will never give other maids a chance.

Staying close to the master is almost an instinct in my bones.

After everything was done, they asked the master to get up and take a bath. They were sweating from exhaustion, and they had long wanted to take a good bath.

The two maids quickly stripped off their clothes and jumped into the big bathtub one after another. Wrapped in the hot water, they moaned in comfort.

It would be such a pleasure to take a hot bath in this cold winter.

Ordinary days

Qiao Yue and Qiao Xing could only fill a basin with hot water, wipe their bodies carefully with a towel, secretly apply perfume powder, and then crawl into the master's quilt to warm the bed.

If one wants to boil a large bucket of water in such a luxurious way, the master can only do so when he wants to take a bath, and then he can report to the kitchen stewardess and arrange for the water to be boiled in advance.

The two greenhouse maids can benefit from this by the way.

(End of this chapter)