novelhk Chapter 153 They all made their decisions
Chapter 153 They all made their decisions
On his first day back in his hometown, Zheng Hao went to a banquet hosted by Prefect Zhen, and the next day he visited his teachers and Mr. Zhou at the prefectural school.
After he had taken care of everything, he and Gu Lin took a car back to Xiahe Village on the third day.
Brother Zhao sat at the front driving the carriage. Every month, he would return from the prefectural city to Xiahe Village to check on his family.
As he drove the carriage, he turned around and said to the people inside, "Ever since the county government sent word to Xiahe Village that Mingzhang had become the top scholar, the village chief and the head of the hamlet have been overjoyed."
Later, the county government sent over a stele commemorating the top scholar, which was erected at the entrance of Xiahe Village. Whenever the villagers saw people from other villages lingering before the stele, they felt incredibly proud!
Now, Zheng Hao is different from before; he is no longer a commoner.
Upon his return, Gu Lin clearly sensed that Zhao's wife and the others were now more cautious in their treatment of Zheng Hao, and their calls to Zheng Hao were no longer as natural as before.
Zhao's group was deeply influenced by the traditional values of scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants, so Gu Lin didn't blame them for their unfamiliarity with Zheng Hao.
He was thinking about how to solve this problem.
On the night he didn't want to return home, when everyone gathered for dinner, Zheng Hao raised his wine glass and said gently to everyone, "You are all my elders, relatives and friends, and this will never change no matter where I go in the future. On the day of the palace examination, I was fortunate to receive a name from the Emperor, so you may call me Mingzhang from now on."
Gu Lin sat to the side, watching as the other party eased the slightly polite atmosphere with just a few words, and the two people resumed their usual interactions.
Upon hearing Brother Zhao mention the Scholar's Stele, Gu Lin became interested and urged Zheng Hao, "Let's go down and take a look."
After saying that, the carriage door opened, Zheng Hao got off first and stood still, then turned around and helped Gu Lin down.
After standing still, Gu Lin looked up at the Zhuangyuan Stele standing at the entrance of Xiahe Village. The stele was made of bluestone and was about two to three meters high. The top of the stele was carved with dragon, phoenix and auspicious cloud patterns. The inscription contained Zheng Hao's name, place of origin, year of passing the imperial examination, etc., and was carved in regular script. It was very grand and majestic.
Before Gu Lin could turn his head and praise Zheng Hao a few times, they heard several footsteps coming from not far away.
He turned his head and saw the village chief leading several villagers running over, stopping just before they reached the two of them.
The other person stepped forward, his old, hunched back bent, and bowed respectfully to Zheng Hao: "This humble subject greets Lord Zheng."
The village elders behind him moved in unison.
Zheng Hao stepped forward, reached out to help the village chief up, and said gently, "You are all elders who have watched me grow up, there is no need for such formalities."
Picking up where Zheng Hao left off, Gu Lin said to the village chief, "Mingzhang is right. We are all from Xiahe Village, and Mingzhang is someone you all watched grow up. Let's not be so formal."
The village chief got up as instructed, but the official standing in front of him was even more powerful than the county magistrate, so the village chief couldn't treat Zheng Hao the way he used to.
He said cautiously, "Are you hungry, sir? A simple meal has been prepared at home. Please come to my humble abode."
Gu Lin and Zheng Hao exchanged a glance, and then Gu Lin said to the village chief, "Village chief, there's no need to trouble yourself. We've come back this time to pay respects to Mingzhang's father. The imperial court grants newly appointed Jinshi a month to visit their families, so we can't linger in the village and the prefectural city for too long. We'll be setting off for the capital in a few days."
"This..." The village chief hesitated upon hearing this, but seeing the gentle expressions on Gu Lin and Zheng Hao's faces, he tentatively said, "Then this old man will not disturb Lord Zheng's ancestral worship."
Zheng Hao nodded slightly, and Gu Lin smiled: "You may all go back now."
The village chief bowed again, then led several elders away.
Watching the other person's figure gradually disappear into the distance, Gu Lin was filled with many emotions. Brother Zhao had gone home first, and there was no one else around.
He turned his head slightly to Zheng Hao and said, "When you were in the capital, you became the top scholar. I felt nothing but surprise. But when I came back and saw the reactions of Sister Zhao and the village chief, I realized that things were really different."
What's different?
Zheng Hao was still Zheng Hao, but he was no longer the same Zheng Hao. People began to respect his status and identity.
Worried that the other person might be upset, Gu Lin comforted them, saying, "Sister Zhao and the others just can't get over it right away. After a while, they'll realize that you're still the same as before, and they won't be afraid of you anymore."
Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly to meet the young man's light brown eyes, and said in a low voice, "It's enough that Uncle Gu isn't afraid of me."
Zheng Hao didn't care much about how others viewed him. However, Uncle Gu cared about them, so Zheng Hao could put on a facade of kindness and friendliness for his sake.
Upon hearing Zheng Hao's words, Gu Lin's expression faltered slightly.
At this moment, Zheng Hao spoke up, "Uncle Gu, let's go back."
The two walked home. Although they hadn't been back for a long time, Brother Zhao would clean their house every time he returned to Xiahe Village, so the house wasn't very dirty.
The incense, candles, and wine for the memorial service for Hunter Zheng had already been purchased in the prefectural city. Zheng Hao carried a basket of incense, candles, and paper money, raised his hand to press down on the young man's shoulder to stop him from getting up. Meeting the young man's puzzled look, Zheng Hao lowered his eyes slightly and explained, "The midday sun is scorching, and it's easy to get heatstroke. I'm strong and healthy, so I can go alone. Uncle Gu can wait for me at home."
Looking out at the blazing sunlight, Gu Lin pondered for a moment and felt that what the other person said made sense, so he said, "Remember to walk along the shade of the trees, don't walk in the sunlight, and go and come back quickly."
Zheng Hao turned and left the house.
Walking up the mountain under the shade of the trees, Zheng Hao, tall and long-legged, was not hindered by the weeds and earthen slopes. The tomb of Zheng the Hunter was not built on the top of the mountain. Soon, Zheng Hao arrived at the tombstone of Zheng the Hunter.
Ever since Gu Lin made money in business, he specially hired someone to rebuild a tombstone for Zheng the Hunter. Zheng the Hunter's tomb is the most luxurious in the whole village.
Zheng Hao arrived at the tombstone, lifted his robe, and knelt down.
He looked up and stared straight ahead. On the clean, white tombstone, his father's name was clearly visible, along with other names.
With his eyes slightly lowered, Zheng Hao lit incense, candles, and paper money, then poured the strong liquor he had brought onto the ground in front of the stone tablet.
Then he bowed his head and kowtowed three times towards the tombstone. After that, Zheng Hao looked up and stared at the tombstone with a firm gaze.
His eyes were deep, and he said in his heart, word by word: Father, my mind is made up. Gu Shuhe should be a member of the Zheng family. If you have a spirit in heaven and want to blame someone, blame me alone!
Then the young man stood up, his gaze falling on a line of words on the tombstone. He raised his hand and drew a sharp iron sword from the scabbard at his waist, slashing at the tombstone. After a few flashes of sword light, Zheng Hao withdrew his hand and returned the long sword to its scabbard.
Looking up at the tombstone again, Zheng Hao noticed that the inscription "filial son Zheng Hao, widow Gu Shi weeping" had disappeared from the original inscription. He paused for a moment, then turned and left.
Back home, Gu Lin used the mung beans he had traded with his neighbor to cook mung bean water and handed it to Zheng Hao: "Drink a bowl quickly, lest you catch a heatstroke."
Zheng Hao took the warm mung bean soup, drank it down in one gulp, and then said to the young man in front of him, "Uncle Gu, we will set off back to the prefectural city tomorrow."
Gu Lin asked with slight surprise, "Why are you in such a hurry?"
My excuse at the village entrance, that I had a limited holiday to visit relatives and needed to get back to my hometown, was just that—an excuse.
To prevent Uncle Gu from discovering that the inscription on his father's tombstone was incomplete when he went up the mountain, Zheng Hao said calmly, "We should hurry back to the prefectural city so that we can resolve the affairs there before heading to the capital."
Upon hearing this, Gu Lin felt that Zheng Hao's words made sense, so he didn't go back to his room to pack his luggage, since he was going to leave early the next morning anyway.
However, he thought of something, and Gu Lin looked up at Zheng Hao and asked, "Will we not come back much after that?"
Zheng Hao said, "If nothing unexpected happens, I should not return until I retire."
Gu Lin nodded, then asked, "After that, who will sweep your father's and mother's graves every Qingming Festival and Lunar New Year's Eve?"
Zheng Hao was taken aback upon hearing this. When he saw the young man's concerned eyes in front of him, his fingertips twitched, and he wanted to raise his hand to touch the other man's eyes. Then, Zheng Hao gently clenched his fist and restrained his desire.
He parted his lips slightly and said, "Every year on Qingming Festival and Lunar New Year's Eve, I send people back to sweep the tombs. Before leaving, I also leave some money for the village chief to take care of."
Zheng Hao: "On this trip to Beijing, I will bring my father's and mother's memorial tablets with me so that I can pay my respects in the capital in the future."
At this point, Zheng Hao intentionally replaced "I" with "we." He lowered his eyes slightly, observing the expression of the young man in front of him. Seeing that the other man's expression was as usual, without any sadness at not being able to pay respects to his father, his slightly tense heart relaxed.
I thought I had nothing to do and could spend the day in peace and quiet until I returned to the prefectural city tomorrow, but unexpectedly the county magistrate arrived with his yamen runners.
Seeing Zheng Hao entertaining the other party, Gu Lin quietly returned to his room. He had just traveled from the prefectural city back to Xiahe Village and was exhausted from the journey. As soon as Gu Lin touched the bed, he couldn't help but fall asleep.
Gu Lin finally got enough sleep when it got dark, and then got up and went out of the house.
Upon arriving at the main hall, Gu Lin saw Zheng Hao and the village chief sitting inside, seemingly discussing something.
Suddenly, Zheng Hao, who was talking to the village chief, looked up and glanced in their direction. Before Gu Lin could react, Zheng Hao looked away.
Not knowing when they would finish talking, Gu Lin went to the kitchen to get some food.
Lifting the lid, Gu Lin's mouth watered at the sight of the roasted chicken and braised meat inside, along with the slightly chilled mung bean porridge. His stomach also began to rumble.
Gu Lin picked up the food, intending to take it back inside to eat. As soon as he stepped out of the kitchen, he saw Zheng Hao, who had been sitting in the main hall, appear at the kitchen door.
He glanced towards the main hall and asked, "The village chief is gone? What did he want to see you about?"
Taking the tray from the other person, Zheng Hao walked towards the lobby, saying to the young man beside him, "I'm the one who looked for him."
Crossing the threshold into the main hall, Gu Lin and Zheng Hao sat at the table. After placing the dishes in front of Gu Lin, Zheng Hao said, "Now that I have passed the imperial examination, I will not return to the capital. Although the villagers of Xiahe Village are not from the same clan, they have always supported and helped each other. Their ancestral tablets are all enshrined in the same ancestral hall, so although they are not from the same clan, they are more like family. The most taboo thing for an official is a tarnished reputation. If I leave without showing any consideration for my fellow villagers, people will inevitably find fault with me and impeach me for not being on good terms with my clan."
I then gave the reward money given to me by the county and prefectural governments to the village head, instructing him to establish a school in Xiahe Village, hire scholars and teachers to instruct there, and allow all residents of Xiahe Village to attend for free.
While eating, Gu Lin listened to Zheng Hao speak. After swallowing the mung bean porridge, he said to Zheng Hao, "You did the right thing. Giving up some money for a good reputation is good for both you and Xiahe Village."
Zheng Hao nodded slightly and gently told the other party to continue eating. In his heart, however, he was thinking that if the people of Xiahe Village were to become ungrateful and take advantage of him in the future, he would have other ways to deal with them.
The next day.
Gu Lin, Zheng Hao, and Brother Zhao returned to the prefectural city by carriage. Apart from confirming that Gu An would go to the capital with them, the others did not give a clear answer, but Gu Lin did not go to urge them.
Two days before departure, Gu Lin called everyone to his side and asked for their thoughts.
"Do you want to stay, or come to the capital with me?"
Lin Xiaoyao and Xiao Cui exchanged a glance, then stepped forward and said to Gu Lin, "Master, we'll go with you!"
They made this decision without much hesitation. Although they were reluctant to give up their achievements in the prefectural city, looking at these achievements only strengthened their resolve to follow Gu Lin to the capital. They understood very well that they had come this far thanks to the devoted cultivation of their master.
Gu Lin smiled with satisfaction and said, "Okay."