Becoming a literary master starting from the story of Minglan

Chapter 328 A Change Upon Meeting
Sheng Changquan took the jade pendant and examined it under the sunlight.

In the sunlight, the jade pendant appeared milky white, smooth to the touch, like a ball of cotton, giving it a soft and warm feel.

The mutton fat jade shimmers with sparkling brilliance under the sunlight, resembling an ethereal fairy.

The carving, in particular, is exceptional; the lifelike chubby baby is clearly the work of a master.

"What a fine jade pendant!"

Sheng Changquan exclaimed in admiration, then thanked on behalf of his nephew, "Such a beautiful jade, I must thank Uncle Gu!"

Although the jade pendant was intended for Sheng Changbai's unborn child, Sheng Changbai was not present, so Sheng Changquan, as his uncle, naturally had to express the Sheng family's gratitude to Gu Tingye.

"Hehe, no need!"

Gu Tingye laughed heartily: "This favor must be repaid by your second brother himself!"

"Not to mention that my Rong'er and Chang'er received gifts from your second brother in the past, even if I have another child in the future, your second brother will have to pay a heavy price!"

"Come to think of it, I'm the one who benefited!" Gu Tingye joked, his face full of smiles.

Sheng Changquan smiled and said nothing more, only saying, "Second Uncle Gu, this is between you and my second brother, so I won't get involved. However, I really have to thank you for this!"

"If it weren't for your help, the Canal Gang wouldn't have agreed to escort us, allowing us to travel smoothly to the capital!"

"Therefore, please accept my bow, Uncle Gu!"

As Sheng Changquan spoke, he bowed deeply to Gu Tingye, seemingly wanting to express his gratitude.

As for what Sheng Changquan said, it was actually the second half of the story of this trip to the Han River.

After repelling the first wave of river bandits, Sheng Changquan and his men encountered the Canal Gang. At that time, Uncle Wang led Sheng Changquan to ask Shi Qiang and others for help, hoping that they could lend a hand.

However, considering that this situation was different, Shi Qiang and the others were unwilling to get involved.

After all, it was a collective action by the entire Han River bandits. Even though the Canal Gang was quite powerful, it was impossible for one person to fight against a hundred and resist the entire force by one's own strength. Therefore, no matter what conditions Wang Bo and his group proposed, the Canal Gang did not agree.

Just as Sheng Changquan and his group were about to leave disappointed, they happened to run into Gu Tingye.

Because of Gu Tingye's close relationship with the Grand Canal Gang, Shi Qiang and the others finally made a concession in this matter and were willing to lend a helping hand out of respect for him.

However, there are conditions attached to this.

Not to mention that Fulai Shipping Company had to pay a sum of money for this, they also owed the Canal Gang a favor. Even the Sheng and He families should remember the Canal Gang's kindness and repay them handsomely in the future.

As for the escort method of the Grand Canal Gang, it was also very simple. Since Shi Qiang and his men still needed to transport goods and did not have time to accompany Sheng Changquan and his men to the capital, they came up with a plan: to have Sheng Changquan and his men plant the Grand Canal Gang's flag on their own fleet along the way to resist river bandits.

The fact that they raised their flags meant that they belonged to the shipping gang. Therefore, even if Sheng Changquan and his men arrived in Bianliang, it was not considered that their passenger ship was crossing the border, and it did not affect the struggle between the river bandits and the merchants on the Han River.

As a result, out of respect for the Grand Canal Gang, the river bandits led by Liang San naturally turned a blind eye and let Sheng Changquan and his men go.

Therefore, Sheng Changquan made this statement.

"Changquan, what are you doing?"

Gu Tingye caught Sheng Changquan, his brows furrowing slightly, a hint of displeasure in his heart.

“Our two families have been friends for generations, and your second brother and I are as close as brothers. How can our two families be so distant?”

Upon hearing this, Sheng Changquan was immediately stunned!
If you only said the second half of the sentence, that would be fine, but what about the first half? What kind of family friendship is the Sheng family and the Gu family?
Even if we start from the Sheng family's Yongyi Marquis residence, these two families are not comparable!

After all, the main base of the Marquis of Yongyi's mansion was actually in the former capital, Jinling, and it was really not on the same page as the Gu family of Bianjing.

"Ah? Haha!"

Since this person had helped him, Sheng Changquan was too embarrassed to say it outright, so he could only laugh and say, "Second Uncle Gu, no matter what, I'm still indebted to you for this journey!"

"From now on, if there is anything that needs our help, the Sheng family will not hesitate to ask!"

Sheng Changquan smiled secretly, but his thoughts were quite peculiar.

“I admit I owe you a favor this time, but it's not something I should have to repay.”

Seeing Gu Tingye's nonchalant attitude, Sheng Changquan thought to himself, "Since you and my second brother are like brothers, you should ask him for this favor in the future!"

In fact, the main reason why Sheng Changquan tried so hard to keep Gu Tingye was that he wanted Gu Tingye to meet with Sheng Changbai so that his second brother could accept the favor and save him from having to repay it later.

However, Gu Tingye did not want to return to the capital, so Sheng Changquan had no choice but to bring up his nephew's matter, hoping to get one or two items from Gu Tingye to give to Sheng Changbai, and then pass on the favor.

Fortunately, Gu Tingye and Sheng Changbai were truly best friends. Before Sheng Changquan could even point it out, he had already prepared a gift and asked him to deliver it to Sheng Changbai.

Since that was the case, Sheng Changquan happily agreed, in order to make the best of a bad relationship between the two.

……

ashore.

"Ah! I'm finally standing on solid ground!"

"Next time, I'm afraid there won't be another chance to ride this boat, right?"

As soon as she landed, Old Madam Sheng expressed these sentiments.

After all, Old Madam Sheng is getting old, and she certainly won't be traveling around like this anymore. So, this is probably the last time she will take a boat trip.

"By the way, Ru'an, are you alright?"

At this moment, Old Mrs. Sheng suddenly turned around and asked Fang's mother with concern.

"Grandmother, watch out!"

Minglan helped Old Madam Sheng up, whispering reminders to her.

Actually, Grandma Sheng was helped off the boat by Minglan, while Mama Fang was helped down by Xiaotao. As for Danju, there was no need to count on her, because she herself, like the two old people, was extremely unaccustomed to getting off the boat.

As for Minglan and her servant Xiaotao, one had a healthy physique due to Sheng Changquan's strict requirements, while the other was naturally gifted with a good body, so they did not have the same violent reaction as others.

"Oh, ma'am, don't worry, I'll be fine in a little while!"

Unlike her previous demeanor on the ship, Fang's mother now looked somewhat pale, clearly unable to adapt to the sudden change from the ship to land.

After all, suddenly moving from the swaying river to stable land is indeed too difficult for those who are frail or elderly.

"Hehe, you!"

Grandma Sheng smiled helplessly and joked, "When we were on the boat, she told me to be careful and not to get tired from this sudden change in environment."

"But look at us, who's stronger this time?"

Perhaps because she was about to go home, Grandma Sheng felt very relaxed and even had a playful air about her.

"Grandma, you..."

Mrs. Fang was both amused and exasperated by Old Mrs. Sheng's words, so she simply turned her head away and stopped looking at her, as if she were sulking.

"Hahaha!"

Upon seeing this, Old Mrs. Sheng burst into laughter.

"You old codger, always bragging about how you're stronger than me, now you know who's really tough, right?"

Grandma Sheng pressed her advantage and continued to attack Madam Fang.

"Grandma~"

Minglan, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it anymore.

"Grandmother, Aunt Fang was only trying to help you. Why are you saying such things?"

Minglan looked at her grandmother reproachfully, feeling sorry for Madam Fang. "Yes! Yes!"

Hearing someone speak up for her, Madam Fang quickly turned around and chimed in, "Sixth Miss is right! Old Madam, she just doesn't appreciate kindness!"

"Hmph, you lost, and that's that!"

Grandma Sheng refused to admit defeat and continued to argue with Madam Fang, saying, "From now on, you should take care of your own health first!"

"Stop nagging me all day long. You can't even protect your own body, yet you have the mind to worry about others!"

"You really have nothing better to do than worry about things!"

Upon hearing Old Madam Sheng's words, Minglan immediately understood what Old Madam Sheng meant. It turned out that this was her grandmother's proud and affectionate concern!
Minglan was both amused and exasperated by this.

"Grandmother, you..."

"Son greets Mother!"

Just as Minglan was about to say something, a deep, familiar voice suddenly rang in her ears.

"Shh!"

Others may not know, but Minglan only felt a flash before her eyes and immediately saw a tall figure in a dark green robe walking quickly towards her.

The figure was tall and broad, unfamiliar yet somehow familiar.

When this person walked up to the group, he suddenly bowed.

"Son greets Mother!"

After another greeting, Minglan finally understood the identity of the visitor.

"Greetings to the Lord!"

Xiao Tao reacted quickly; upon seeing the newcomer, she immediately greeted him with a bow.

"Lord!"

"Lord……"

Fang's mother, Danju, and others nearby also spoke up.

The person who arrived was none other than Sheng Hong, Minglan's beloved father.

"Oh? It's Hong'er?"

Grandma Sheng was old and had just traveled a long distance, so her reactions were a little slow for a moment.

However, upon seeing Sheng Hong approaching, Old Madam Sheng immediately stopped her "interaction" with Fang Mama and her expression turned serious again.

At this time, it was located near the dock, and there were many pedestrians and merchants around.

"Mother has suffered so much!"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Sheng Hong remained bowed, displaying an extremely respectful attitude!

“Your son is unfilial. Over the years, I have failed to serve my mother and have left her to live alone in our old home in Youyang. This is truly my fault!”

"Please forgive me, Mother!"

Sheng Hong's demeanor was extremely "sincere," even his eyes were glistening with tears, as if he was so remorseful that he was about to burst into tears.

I'm so heartbroken!
"It's alright, matters of state are more important!"

Grandma Sheng smiled in agreement, her face full of tolerant kindness, and explained to Sheng Hong, "My son's ability to serve the country is the greatest filial piety he can show to this old woman!"

Grandma Sheng leaned hard on her cane and warned, "My son, you must not act like a child now, lest you become a laughingstock!"

"Ah? Yes!"

Sheng Hong wiped his eyes in a panic, trying to hide his disheveled state and suppress his tears.

"Mother, you must be tired from the journey. Please hurry back home!"

"So that your son and daughter-in-law can host a welcome dinner for you and help you tidy up!"

"Ok!"

Of course, Old Mrs. Sheng would not refuse.

Because Madam Wang was far away and couldn't walk as fast as Sheng Hong, she was still some distance from Old Madam Sheng. Seeing this, Sheng Hong couldn't help but whisper and scold, "Madam, why aren't you hurrying up!"

"Ugh!"

"I'm coming!"

With Liu's mother's help, Madam Wang quickly ran over.

"No hurry, no hurry!"

Seeing Wang Da Niangzi's disheveled appearance as she ran away, Old Madam Sheng was both amused and exasperated.

"Wife, slow down, don't fall!"

Old Madam Sheng was worried that Madam Wang would make a mistake in her haste, so she simply waved to her, signaling her to slow down, lest she fall and lose face for the Sheng family.

"Whoo~"

"Whoo~"

"Mother……"

Fortunately, Madam Wang was not a "delicate woman" like Lin Qinshuang. She quickly ran over and greeted Old Madam Sheng, saying, "Mother...Mother...Mother...Greetings!"

Madam Wang was still a little out of breath, but she eventually made it across safely.

"Mother!"

After pausing for a moment, Madam Wang said, "The carriage at home is ready. Please get in quickly."

"It would be good to get back to the manor quickly and get some rest!"

As she spoke, Madam Wang helped Old Madam Sheng walk toward the carriage.

Old Madam Sheng was also a little tired, so she nodded and, with the help of Madam Wang, walked towards the carriage.

However, while serving her mother-in-law, Madam Wang also secretly glared at Sheng Hong.

"It's all your fault! If you hadn't been so slow, I wouldn't have been late!"

After all, they had been husband and wife for many years. Sheng Hong immediately understood the meaning behind Wang Da Niangzi's fierce gaze.

On this point, Sheng Hong was not right, so he simply pretended to be deaf and dumb and quietly fell to the back to avoid being caught by his wife.

"Daddy!"

Just then, Minglan, who was at the very back, finally called out softly.

"Hehe, Minglan!"

In fact, Sheng Hong had already met Minglan, but in order to show his filial piety, he could only have a "formal" exchange with Old Madam Sheng as soon as possible, so as to demonstrate the Sheng family's reputation to outsiders.

In a society where filial piety is the foundation of governance, the Sheng family cannot be unfilial!
Happy Mid-Autumn Festival everyone! (Thanks to Nan Jun Ruiming, reader 20170930063745155, Hong Yixi, reader 170331081517255, and saynol for their generous donations!)



(End of this chapter)