She fell out after crying at the wrong grave

On June 16, the entire situation in the North suddenly changed.

At that time, Zheng Da and several mourners, together with A'an and Yunli, were heading to Changguan in Yuanzhou to take care of the funeral affairs of a famous seal carving master.

Thanks to A'an's identity, since returning to Kezhou, everyone knew that Shui Changdong was originally opened by a princess from the capital, and the business has been much better than usual.

Originally, I thought that during this troubled time, every family should stay indoors and not hold any weddings or funerals, big or small.

The rich people's idea was just to spend money on the princess's shop and buy a respectable reputation for their family by making her the wife of the upstart Marquis Zhao who had just pacified Pingzhou.

This trip to Yuanzhou was probably the farthest business trip Shui Changdong had ever made since it opened.

Ah-yi had hired an ox-cart in advance to transport the hastily made coffins as quickly as possible. The rest of the people had to take the official road and pass the checkpoint, so they had to wait a few days.

When people get older, there is no such thing as recovering from a serious illness. The old man was already terminally ill, breathing in more than out, so the family wanted to prepare for his funeral first, which could be considered a happy occasion.

It’s no use calculating it sooner or later. Now that I’m in my eighties, it’s only a matter of time.

When we woke up in the morning, the road was gloomy and the sky was low and cloudy. Even in such a dry hinterland like Yuanzhou, people could feel the moisture being squeezed in and felt uncomfortable.

In June, if it rains, it will rain.

Ah'ao walked out of the resting station and went to the stable to check on the horses.

It’s hard to say why, maybe because she doesn’t like rainy days, A’ao always feels uneasy and unhappy.

Ever since returning to Kezhou and settling down, Hengzhi had become attached to her. Day after day, he would toss her around until midnight, often leaving her sleepy at noon, and she didn't know how many things he had delayed.

As a result, my body has been sore and heavy for the past few days, and I am too lazy to move.

He was fine, and I don't know where he got the energy from. He took a light nap for an hour or two, then perked up and went about his inspections and work as usual, without missing a single thing.

Just like a newly grown foal, it runs wildly in the pasture every day.

Ah'ao really couldn't stand it anymore, so she took on this hard job of going to other places, to prevent her fragile frame from falling apart in the green tent sooner or later.

Although the possibility of rain cannot be ruled out, on second thought, perhaps I did not see Hengzhi when I went out three days ago.

Real life experience taught her that if there was a situation between the two of them where they didn't have time to say goodbye, nothing good would probably happen.

A'ao pinched the peace locket tied on her belt, breathed a sigh of relief, and reminded herself not to worry too much.

The rooster hadn't crowed yet and it was still light, but Zheng Dabian was already brushing the horse in the stable.

Ah-yi asked with a smile, "Now that you are half a big shopkeeper, why do you have to get up early in the morning to do a small task like grooming the horses?"

Zheng Da turned around and saw that the person coming was Ah'an with her sleeves rolled up, so he put down the horse brush and said, "It turns out to be the shopkeeper's wife." He smiled brightly, revealing a row of white teeth, "How can I be the shopkeeper? Look, you also got up early to brush the horse, so why can't you sleep?"

Brushing a horse is a good thing, especially when you are worried and upset, it is a good thing to help you calm down.

By the way, A'ao learned it from Hengzhi.

Once before, they had a quarrel over some minor matter, which then turned into a fight. Although the quarrel was short, Ah-yi still suffered from insomnia and irritability, and felt that she could be more forceful next time.

So I stayed awake all night and went out for a walk during the quiet dawn.

As I was walking around, I saw a familiar figure brushing a horse in the stable.

It was freezing cold, and Hengzhi was bare-armed, with his ears red. His hands were scalded red as he rinsed the towel in the steaming water.

Not long after the two of them finished arguing, they naturally looked at each other in silence.

Ah-yi thought that brushing the horse was not difficult, so she followed the example and rolled up her sleeves to brush the horse. Unexpectedly, she felt refreshed after brushing the horse. She also had a bowl of beef soup from East Street at Heng-chi. As the sun rose, she was no longer angry.

It’s hard to say whether the beef broth has a greater effect.

After that, he made a note of it and went there to groom the horses whenever he had time. Over time, his level became even better than Hengzhi's.

There were five horses in the stable, one for pulling goods, one for pulling carts as the porters could not ride horses, and the rest were ridden by Zheng Da, A'ao and Yunli, one per day, all of which were brought from home.

First of all, they are docile, and secondly, once you get used to it, you will feel more secure.

Ah-yi took a brush from the bucket and dipped it in water, while stroking the horse's back with her other hand. "It feels so deserted all the way to Yuanzhou. I'm afraid there might be some accidents like bandits, so we'd better set off as soon as possible."

Even the post house they were staying at was far from any village or shop. There were only a few traveling merchants and a young man who was going to Yuanzhou City to join the army.

When Zheng Da heard this, he slowed down his movements and thought about it carefully. It seemed to be true.

"Could it be that there has been some unrest recently?" Zheng Da pondered, "But judging from the shopkeeper's appearance, it doesn't look like anything has happened."

Suspicion is always hard to explain. Without any basis, everything is just a blind guess.

But it is always right to set off early, and not to miss other people's auspicious times.

"I see you've been much more considerate these days." Ah's expression changed and she smiled at him meaningfully, "You're still a year or two older than me, so it's time to put your lifelong affairs on the agenda."

Zheng Da's bronze face turned suspiciously red, and he returned to his usual taciturn self.

"Please don't laugh at me." He rubbed the brush in his hand and stood straight in front of Ah'an, "I do have some ideas, but I feel that I am not worthy of her..."

now it's right.

Five days ago, when preparations were being made for this trip, Ah'an saw Ruzui buying a lot of food and dried fruits from various shops and putting them all on the counter in the hall.

She walked over and curiously opened it. Ah-an saw some sweet preserved fruits inside. She thought that after being away for more than half a year, Ruzui had even forgotten her taste for sweet things. But then she thought something was wrong.

Although he bought it under her name, it seemed that Zheng Dachang bought the Li Ji honey fruit from the store on East Street. These should be his favorite things.

A'ao turned around in shock and shifted her gaze to Mrs. Zhou, who was fanning Fusheng to sleep. She pouted and nodded "yes".

After observing for a few days, I found that Zheng Da always got up early and came from the opposite alley. He looked familiar, and it turned out that he had breakfast with Ruzui.

One day, Hengzhi had finished his patrol early and Ah-yi had just woken up, so she wanted to go to the street to eat wontons together. She ran into these two people buying pies in a friendly manner, and they watched from across the street and admired them.

By now, it was a story that everyone knew about. Even when Mrs. Cui came to measure her size so she could make her two new dresses, she couldn't help asking about it.

How can it not be a good thing if a man and a woman are in love with each other?

A'an glanced at him. Zheng Da stood there awkwardly, lowering his head in embarrassment.

He had low self-esteem. The Zheng family had been a poor family for three generations. Although they were now living in Shuichangdong and had no worries about food and drink, the land they had mortgaged had not yet been redeemed.

Moreover, as the eldest brother, he still had a younger brother, Zheng Er, who had not yet started a family, so he still had a lot to live with. At least when his younger brother got married and had children, he could relax and think about his own affairs.

Ruzui used to be the top girl in Fengyue Gallery, and many scholars and wealthy businessmen would spend a fortune to see her. Even though her family was convicted and fell into such a state, she was still the wife of an official.

Not to mention that he once opened the Hu Ji Inn with Hu merchants in Qiujidao, and countless amounts of silver came and went every day.

Looking at myself again, from head to toe, even if I were sold to the Western Regions as a laborer by a foreign merchant, I wouldn't be able to exchange for even ten taels of silver. Naturally, I felt that I couldn't match it.

Ah-yi also expected him to think so, so she comforted him, "In love, the most important thing is the connection between the two hearts. If you only consider whether it is a match, then do you think Heng-chi is a match for me? And if I throw away my other identities, how can I, a small shopkeeper who runs a wedding and funeral business, be a match for him?"

It's not easy to say these things too clearly. When Ruzui stayed in Shuichangdong, he told Ah-yi that he was tired of wandering in the world. If he didn't want to be like a floating duckweed all his life, he should find a tree to shelter him from the wind and rain.

Although Ah'ao doesn't like matchmaking, according to Ruzui's personality, if she has no feelings for Zheng Da, she will not have much contact with him.

In this case, it is obviously a matter of mutual affection, so it doesn't hurt to mention it, but don't let them miss it.

But Zhengda’s concerns are not without reason.

Ah-yi added, "You are right. Ruzui spent the first half of her life wandering around, so a good girl like her should live a good life. If you like her, you should earn some money and ask her to marry you in a grand manner. No one gets married to live a hard life."

Zheng Da lowered his head, touched the back of his neck and smiled.

"This is nature, this is nature."

Ah'an knew him very well.

Zheng Da is a simple and honest person, who speaks little but does a lot. When it comes to making friends, he is always righteous and straightforward, and never has second thoughts.

Later, even though he knew Ah's identity, he never acted distant from her and they still got along as usual.

That was why A'ao felt at ease handing over the shop to him and Mrs. Zhou to run together.

Today’s results clearly demonstrate the wisdom of this decision, such as the branch store in Pingzhou that has just begun to emerge.

"When you get married, I will definitely give you a big gift." Ah'ao curved her eyes and couldn't help but smile.

This was something she had thought of early on.

How quickly it can be delivered depends on how hard Zheng Da works.

Zheng Da must have felt relieved. He continued to wash the horse's back. After a while, he said, "The master and you are just as harmonious and beautiful. We all see it and envy you very much."

Ah-yi was startled and then laughed, "Who? Are you talking about Heng-chi? You call him Dong-jia-gong?"

"Ah." Zheng Da responded, "You are my boss, so your husband should be the boss, right?"

Ah'ao leaned against the horizontal railing of the stable, lowered her head and laughed, her back shaking.

What a strange name, but it quite suits her taste.

Ordinary people either called her Madam or Madam of the Little Marquis, and they were all subordinate to Hengzhi in terms of status and position. This was the first time I had heard of Hengzhi being subordinated to her property.

She enjoyed hearing this very much, more than if someone called Hengzhi the prince consort.

I must tell him when I get back.

"In the spring, I traveled back and forth for your sake until I reached the capital..."

Before Zheng Da could finish his words, the inn clerk came running back shouting.

"Oh no, oh no, boss! Something happened!"

A'ao and Zheng Da were attracted by the shouting and put down the work in their hands.

The servant rushed to the shopkeeper's room on the second floor and knocked on the door hurriedly, "Shopkeeper! Shopkeeper! The city has issued a ban!"

ban?

"It's the Youbei people! The Youbei people are attacking us!"

(End of this chapter)