Please Take Leave and Make up Tomorrow!
At the village chief's house, she really saw her husband Zhao Jue, whom she thought about day and night. We haven't seen each other for several years. Zhao Ju is dressed much more elegantly than before, and his actions and tone of voice all have a strong sense of being a foreigner. Su Xiu's nose became sore and her eyes turned red. Unexpectedly, Zhao Jue just glanced at Su Xiu coldly, his face expressionless, as if he was looking at a stranger. As soon as Dabao in Zhao Jue's arms saw Su Xiu, he called her mother and rushed towards Su Xiu, but Zhao Jue grabbed him. Zhao Ju's eyes widened and he shouted angrily: "Who is your mother? Your mother is already dead!"
After hearing her son's cry, Su Xiu decided to clear her son's name and risk her life to save her son's life. After leaving the cell, Su Xiu knelt in front of the cell leader and cried sadly. The jailer got her money and felt compassion for her, so he said to Su Xiu: "Tomorrow the imperial envoy will come to inspect. You can stop the sedan chair and complain. Maybe you can save your son's life."
It turned out that these bearers were disguised as Cheng Ziqing's men.
This year, there was a severe drought in northern Jiangsu, and the cotton in the fields withered into matches. Su Xiu, who was spinning and weaving to make a living, was suddenly cut off from his source of livelihood, and all his savings were spent. Her two seven-year-old sons were about to eat and drink, but her husband, who was away on an expedition, had not been heard from for a long time. Su Xiu secretly sighed that her life was miserable, and she couldn't help but feel sad and sad.
It turns out that since that day when Dabao went to the brothel and said those heartless words to his mother, he changed schools, studied hard, and improved his studies. This year coincided with the big exam. Dabao passed the test and became the top scholar in high school. He also married the daughter of Cheng Ziqing, the Minister of Civil Affairs, and became an imperial envoy.
Su Xiu sat down on the ground and cried loudly. When she stopped crying, she realized that Xiaobao had been taken away by Zhao Jue. She hurriedly chased Dabao to the pier, but where were the shadows of Zhao Jue and Xiaobao?
"No -" Su Xiu threw away the money, yelled, and fell to the ground in pain. The old madam had seen this kind of thing happen many times and did not dissuade her. After Su Xiu had cried enough, she said: "People in this world laugh at the poor but not at the prostitutes. If you sleep with a guest for one night, it is worth half a year's wages. This kind of place , you can’t be innocent even if you want to. Everything is difficult at the beginning. After this first time, the following things will be easier to handle. Which of the ladies here didn’t come here like this? Don’t think about it. I heard that you were not the same in Qian’s wife’s family. Just embroider clothes and pillows?" This sentence hit Su Xiu's vital point, and Su Xiu was speechless.
"When I saw my virtuous son-in-law taking the paper, I kept looking bad. Could it be that the case is difficult and embarrass you? My virtuous son-in-law, don't be afraid. Tomorrow your father-in-law will stand up for you, so you can rest assured to interrogate him. Besides, this kind of questioning is already a capital crime. Don't take the case seriously. You have just started your career, so there is no need to offend some officials and make enemies for yourself. Even if there is indeed injustice in the case, it can only be blamed on his bad fate. Are there not many innocent souls who have died in the underworld? ?”
"But what? Is there something else my virtuous son-in-law is hiding from his father-in-law?" Cheng Ziqing looked at Zhao Dabao doubtfully. "Please father-in-law forgive my stupid son-in-law." Zhao Dabao knelt down in front of Cheng Ziqing and told his life story in detail. After hearing this, Cheng Ziqing pondered for a while and said to Zhao Dabao: "Tonight, you can ask someone to quietly bring your mother into the study through the back door. Don't let anyone know. Don't worry, dear son-in-law, I will handle this matter."
"Mom, my husband praised me today and said that I wrote a good composition. Mom, look, this is an essay I wrote, and my husband approved it." Dabao said as he gave Su Xiu a piece of paper in his hand. "My mother has beautiful eyes, please read it to her." Dabao read the composition once, and Su Xiu was filled with admiration. She stroked Dabao's head, sighed and said, it would be great if Xiaobao also studied.
"Mom, why did you lie to me, why did you do this shameless job? Do you know how the people in the academy laughed at me? They called me the son of a bastard. Look at the scars on my hands, that's me It was left behind after a fight with someone who scolded me. I still don’t believe the rumors outside, so I came here to verify it today, but I didn’t expect it to be true. How can I hold my head up when I’m in front of someone behind my back?”
The person enjoying the flower wine was a merchant from the capital. He was in his fifties and looked like an official. His eyes were constantly staring at Su Xiu who was serving wine and food. The flower-wine dinner ended at midnight,
After Su Xiu put away the dishes, she was going back to Lin's mother's house to rest. At this time, the madam came over with a glass of wine and said to Su Xiu: "The guest praised you for your thoughtful service, so I would like to propose a toast to you." Su Xiu hurriedly said that she did not know how to drink. The old bustard said unhappily: "If you ruin the customer's interest, there will be no repeat customers in this store. For the future business of our store, even if I respect you, you should drink it, right?" After Su Xiu heard this, she felt that both the madam and the customers were worried. I couldn't afford to be offended, so I took the wine and drank it in one gulp, then said goodbye with a smile. But before she walked out of the door of Qichunyuan, she felt dizzy, her limbs were weak, and she fell down at the door in a daze.
Lin Ma's words revived Su Xiu's heart. She thought about it, then sighed and said, "We two have nothing now, how dare we trouble Mother Lin?" When Mother Lin saw the time came, she said, "Why are you so polite? You people, who has nothing to do in life? My Home is your home, so you can stay here with peace of mind." "Thank you, Mother Lin. I would also like to thank Mother Lin for taking the trouble to help find a job of cleaning, cleaning, sewing and mending." "Don't worry, I'll take care of it." Mother Lin patted He raised his chest and said with a smile.
"You know what you did. There is no need for me to tell you! Dabao, let's go, dad will take you to Hankou." Zhao Ju pushed Su Xiu in disgust and pulled Dabao towards the door. Dabao refused to leave, so he kept holding on to Su Xiu while crying. The mother and son immediately burst into tears. Upon seeing this, Zhao Ju was so cruel that he dropped a piece of silver in front of Su Xiu, picked up the crying child and walked towards the village entrance pier. Unexpectedly, in the darkness of the night, he mistakenly thought Xiaobao was his son Dabao.
The weather in Hankou is hot, and spring is as sultry as summer. Xiaobao is still wearing the same reed flower dress. Since he has no replacement clothes, the clothes are dirty and he is infested with lice. On this day, Xiaobao was catching lice. When Zhao Jue saw the inside of the cotton-padded coat, he felt something was wrong. He took the cotton-padded coat and looked at the cotton wool carefully. When he took a closer look, he found that it was filled with reed catkins. This was a reed cattail coat! Zhao Jue was shocked. Only then did he realize that he had wrongly blamed his wife Su Xiu. He immediately felt regretful and regretful. He hugged Xiaobao and shed tears of guilt.
A few days later, the sedan stopped in a remote forest. The bearer said he was too tired and wanted to take a rest, so he asked Su Xiu and Xiaobao to get out of the sedan for some fresh air. Su Xiu and Zhao Xiaobao got off the sedan. When they first walked into the woods, the bearers suddenly pulled out their knives and pointed them at Su Xiu and Zhao Xiaobao.
"Thank you, father-in-law, for your advice, but..." Zhao Dabao said awkwardly.
Su Xiu recognized this old woman as Mrs. Lin, who sold rouge flower vermicelli thread on the street. She had gone to Qian Yuan's house to sell needle thread and thread. Su Xiu called "Mother Lin" and cried, unable to speak.
Su Xiu was washing and washing herself in the backyard and rarely went to the front yard. That evening, the old bustard came to the backyard with a smile and said to Su Xiu: "Tonight there is a guest coming to have flower wine. Xu Ma, who is responsible for delivering wine and food in the front yard, has something to go back to. You can go and replace her tonight." Su Xiu. Not knowing what the plan was, he happily agreed.
"Hmph, the most poisonous thing is my mother's heart. The old saying is true. From now on, you are you and I am me. We will not harm the river. I will take Dabao with me." Zhao Jue said to Su Xiu in a vicious voice.
However, one day half a year later, a strange thing happened to the Qian family. Qian's third aunt lost a gold bracelet, but the gold bracelet was found in Su Xiu's baggage. Facing the dumbfounded Su Xiu. The third aunt cried and scolded, and scolded Mr. Qian for being an old fool who had found a vixen-like thief, a shameless lowly servant who actually thought of herself as a grandma and stayed in the Qian family. Don't weigh your own weight either. Su Xiu was hard-pressed to argue, and she was too embarrassed and angry to express her anger. He picked up Dabao, picked up his change of clothes and walked out of Qian's house. As soon as she went out, the door slammed shut behind her.
"Mom, where are we going? I want to study, I want to study!" Dabao pulled Su Xiu's clothes and cried repeatedly.
The next day, Su Xiu was accompanied by Lin’s mother to Qichun Courtyard. As soon as she entered the door, Su Xiu realized that she had been cheated. But he had already agreed, so how could he have the nerve to go back on his word? Fortunately, the laundry room was in the backyard and the environment was relatively quiet, so Su Xiu settled down and worked. In order to avoid letting Dabao know that she was working in a brothel, Su Xiu made an agreement with Lin Ma to hide it from Dabao.
"You..." Su Xiu was shocked, and then she understood something in her heart. There was a "whoosh" sound, and the knife in the bearer's hand pierced Su Xiu's chest, blocking her next words. "Master Cheng asked us to take you back to your hometown. We just obeyed the order. We are not to blame." After the bearer finished speaking, he pulled out his knife, and Su Xiu sprinkled her blood into the desolate sky.
It turned out that Zhao Ju didn't have time to take a closer look that day and hugged Xiaobao by mistake. He didn't realize it until he got on the boat. Because he believed that Su Xiu abused his son Dabao, he felt resentful and prepared to vent his resentment on Xiaobao. Zhao Jue had a sweetheart named Xiao Taohong in Hankou who was a prostitute. Zhao Jue was greedy for her youth and coquettishness, so he redeemed her body. When Xiao Taohong saw that Zhao Jue had brought back a son, she was very dissatisfied. She also saw that Zhao Jue treated his son like a murderer, so she didn't regard Xiaobao as a human being.
"What? You have been away for several years and left your child to me alone. I came in the wind and rain, and worked hard to bring your son up. When you came back today, you didn't see a single smiling face or heard a single good word. Could it be that Do you have another woman outside? I, Su Xiu, am not a soft persimmon to be manipulated or bullied by you. Now you can speak clearly in front of the villagers!" Su Xiu scolded and cried, Dabao and Xiaobao said Seeing my mother crying, they all hugged each other and started crying.
When Su Xiu heard this, she was overjoyed and quickly agreed. Cheng Ziqing said: "You have also seen that Dabao has a bright future, and your identity will hinder his future. For the sake of the child, I only ask that you take Xiaobao back to your hometown tomorrow to buy some things to live in. Don't worry about Hankou. Tell others, I think you understand what I mean?" Su Xiu looked at Dabao on the side, and then at Cheng Ziqing, whose smile was majestic. She hesitated for a moment and then agreed.
"Dabao, I..." Su Xiu wanted to explain, but had nothing to say, so she couldn't help crying.
Su Xiu asked anxiously: "Just what?" Lin Ma sighed and said: "It's hard to find a job now. I went out and ran for seven days in a row before I helped you find this job. For the sake of two taels of silver a month, I made the decision and agreed for you, but the reputation of the family you are going to is not very good, so I am afraid that you won't want to, which makes me embarrassed." Su Xiu just wanted to get to work early, how could she think so much? She quickly said: "I have the strength to eat and make money, what does the reputation of other people's families have to do with me?" "Yes, yes! The lotus emerges from the mud without being stained, and the white radish can be washed in the muddy water, because of your words If you say that, I will feel relieved." After Lin Ma finished speaking, she took out a tael of silver from her body and handed it to Su Xiu. "Well, this is the salary advanced by the owner of the house. You can send your children to school first."
The days passed like water, and in the blink of an eye, it was already two years. Although Qian Yuanwai always pestered Su Xiu, Su Xiu could only knock out her teeth and swallow it for the sake of Dabao. On this day, after Su Xiu finished embroidering a pair of mandarin duck pillows, she returned dizzy to the side room where she lived. She just sat down and Dabao, who had just finished school, called her mother and ran into the house happily.
Cheng Ziqing said: "You bought your son's future with your own blood and tears. You are really a rare good mother in the world. Tomorrow night, I will give you a living baby. But I have a request. I wonder if you will agree to it. ?”
For several days in a row, Lin's mother deliberately went out early in the morning and returned home in the evening. Every time she came back, she would beat her legs and sigh to Su Xiu, saying that her trip was in vain. Su Xiu felt very sorry. She said she was not in a hurry, but she was so anxious in her heart. On the evening of the seventh day, Mother Lin came back with a smile and told Su Xiu that she had found a job. She was working as a laundry worker for a wealthy family. The wages were not low. She got two taels of silver per month, but... That's what Mother Lin said. , deliberately speaking hesitantly to whet Su Xiu's appetite.
Lin's mother's home is at the west end of the street, and she only has her half-blind wife at home. This Lin Ma was once born in a brothel, but now that she is older, she has left the Fireworks Courtyard. She usually visits the boss's house and the west's house. She sells rouge and pollen, which is fake, but she pimps the romantic men and women. This year when she visited the Qichun Courtyard where she lived, the madam asked her to find a servant to wash her. The madam specially asked that the person should be clean and fresh, have some good looks, and should not be more than thirty years old. Mother Lin asked puzzledly, why should you be so particular about finding a servant? The madam curled her lips and said, "Which of the women here is not very beautiful?" Besides, if there are many customers and there are not enough ladies, she can fill the gap. Some men are not interested in young children, but they prefer mature women. Mother Lin followed the order and happened to meet Su Xiu who was kicked out by the Qian family. She saw that Su Xiu had a good-looking face, delicate nose and eyes, neither tall nor short, neither fat nor thin, good-looking, with a good figure, and was twenty-six or seven years old, which met the requirements of the madam, so she With a thought in her heart, she stepped forward and enthusiastically pulled Su Xiu home.
That night, the moonlight was dim, and Su Xiu was taken into the prefect's study. She walked in the door tremblingly, called "Sir", then knelt on the ground, not daring to raise her head. Cheng Ziqing gently asked Su Xiu to get up and sit aside to talk. Su Xiu thanked her and sat aside with her head lowered. Cheng Ziqing asked her to raise her head and speak. Su Xiu raised her head obediently and looked at Cheng Ziqing, who was sitting on the Grand Master's chair, wearing a black veil on her head, a purple robe, and a jade belt around her waist. She felt that the adult in front of her looked very familiar. When she thought about it again, she couldn't help but be shocked! It turned out that this gentleman was actually Cui Ruqing, the "merchant" from the capital. I never expected that he was pretending to be a merchant. Cheng Ziqing also recognized Su Xiu at this time, and couldn't help feeling embarrassed. The prostitute back then was now her own in-laws. But he quickly composed himself, walked over, and held Su Xiu's shoulders. He said emotionally: "I didn't expect that it was you who stopped the sedan chair to complain. How have you been these years? Is the jade cabbage I gave you still there?"
"Miss Su, Miss Su, these are the ten taels of silver that the guest gave you, please keep them." At some point, the madam came in, stuffed the silver into Su Xiu's hand, and said excitedly.
As the new year approaches, Su Xiuzheng is secretly sad that she cannot celebrate the new year. On this day, she asked her two sons to stay at home while she went out to find some mending work. When she returned home in the evening with a few coins she earned in exchange for some rice and noodles, she saw that only Xiaobao was at home, but Dabao was missing. After asking Xiaobao, I found out that a strange man came to the house this afternoon and took Dabao away. Su Xiu was surprised and thought: Could it be that her husband is back? My husband has not been back for several years and is homesick. Perhaps he is visiting with his son in his arms. Thinking of this, she took Xiaobao anxiously around to look for him.
That night, Su Xiu came to the cell. When she saw her son, who was imprisoned in iron bars, handcuffed and shackled, and covered with scars, she burst into tears before she could speak. I haven’t seen him for more than ten years, but today I saw him in a prison cell. Afraid of admitting her mistake, she called her son's name in a trembling voice. Zhao Xiaobao, who was in prison, heard the shouting, stayed for a moment, and agreed. Su Xiu asked: "My child, your mother made you a cotton-padded coat. Do you remember what it was?" Zhao Xiaobao dragged out: "It was a reed-flowered coat." When Su Xiu heard this, she knew that the young man in front of her was hers. The son couldn't help but cry out in pain: "My poor son!" Xiaobao trembled all over, and then the blood connection between mother and child made him immediately recognize that the woman in front of him was his own mother, and he immediately cried: "Mother , Mom, help me, I didn’t kill dad. I was wronged.”
"Isn't this Sister Su? Where are you going with all your crying?" An old woman blocked Su Xiu's path and asked with concern.
"Oh, thanks to me I saw that you were looking wrong and took a little notice, so I saved you. As the old saying goes, it's better to live than to die. Why are you doing this?" the old bustard persuaded.
Su Xiu took Dabao and lived like a year. Fortunately, Su Xiu knew how to embroider with her own hands, and the flowers, birds, fish and insects she embroidered were vivid. This skill was seen by the village official Qianwai. He invited her to his home to embroider his daughter's dowry. Mr. Qian's wife has a big business. Not only does she own hundreds of hectares of fertile land, but she also has a pawn shop in the city. He opened a school at home and hired an old gentleman to teach his four sons and three daughters at home. Although Mr. Qian is over fifty years old, he has an old heart and an old heart. Not only does he have two concubines, but he also has an outhouse in the city. As soon as Su Xiu entered Qian's house, he was attracted by Su Xiu's delicate face and delicate figure. If the two concubines hadn't been keeping a close eye on her, he would have hugged Su Xiu immediately.
Su Xiu woke up the next morning and was surprised to find that she was sleeping on a large carved bed with a fat man sleeping next to her. In desperation, she stood up suddenly and realized that she was naked. She looked closely at the fat man, who turned out to be the merchant who had invited him to dinner with flowers and wine last night. When Su Xiu knew she had fallen into the madam's trap, her mind went blank. She was stunned and stupid.
"Mom, do you miss my brother Xiaobao? When I finish my studies and become an official, I will definitely bring my brother back to my mother." Dabao said as he snuggled into Su Xiu's arms.
On this day, Mr. Qian went to the school to see his husband teaching. Suddenly, he saw a child standing at the window, listening attentively to the lecture and mumbling to himself. When he took a closer look, he realized that it was Su Xiu's son Dabao. As soon as Qian's thoughts changed, he walked over, touched Dabao's head lovingly, and asked Dabao with a smile if he wanted to study. Dabao nodded, and Mr. Qian said, go and ask your mother. If she agrees with your study, ask your mother to come to the study room tonight and tell me.
From then on, Zhao Jue's attitude towards Xiaobao changed and he let Xiaobao learn how to do business in the store. During this period, Zhao Jue even went to his hometown to pick up Su Xiu and come to Hankou, but the place was already empty. Later, Zhao Jue put away the reed flower dress and said to Xiaobao: "My child, this is the certificate that you will recognize your mother and your brother in the future." Ten years later, Xiaobao grew up to be a young man, and Zhao Jue intended to transfer the family property to Xiaobao. He handed over Xiaobao and went to his hometown in Subei to look for his wife and children to make up for his debt to Su Xiu. However, his action found a dead end for himself. That little peach red flower had already colluded with the housekeeper in the store. In order to seek the property of the Zhao family, they planned to kill Zhao Jue and then frame Xiaobao as the blame. Xiaobao was caught, beaten in the lobby, and put on death row.
Half a month later, Cui Ruqing returned to Beijing. Before leaving, he gave Su Xiu a jade-carved cabbage as a souvenir.
Su Xiu didn't expect that things would take such a turn of events. Not only would her son be saved, but she would also be able to see another son. For a moment, it seemed like she was in a dream.
The merchant stayed for half a month. Su Xiu knew that the merchant's name was Cui Ruqing and that he was in the antique business. Cui Ruqing behaved elegantly. Seeing Su Xiu forcing a smile all day long, with a hint of sadness on her brow, she asked her why. Su Xiu told him that she came here to let her son study. Su Xiu asked Cui Ruqing in confusion: All the girls in this courtyard are young, beautiful and gentle, why do they want to abuse me, a washerwoman? Cui Ruqing said truthfully: I don't like those vulgar young children, but I like more mature women. As soon as I entered Qichun Courtyard that day, I saw your beautiful figure hanging clothes. You are so beautiful. I don’t know how much prettier you are than those smeared hair. I fell in love with you. The flower wine that night was actually designed for you. , but you are kept in the dark.
Yes, where to go? My husband is far away in Hankou. They had an angry goodbye last time and the couple didn't even exchange a serious word. Moreover, I don't know his specific location in Hankou. How can I find it? Su Xiu wanted to go all the way and cried all the way, but she really didn't know where to go.
Late the next night, Su Xiu really saw her son Xiaobao. Cheng Ziqing and Dabao each sent a bag of silver to Su Xiu. Su Xiu took Xiaobao to the two green cloth sedans Cheng Ziqing had prepared for them, and left the prefect's Yamen through the back door.
"Dabao, Dabao—" Su Xiu chased him out, but Dabao didn't look back, leaving only a desperate figure behind. Dabao's words were like a knife, piercing Su Xiu's heart deeply. Looking at Dabao's back, Su Xiu couldn't help but burst into tears. For several years, I had forced myself to smile and exchanged my flesh and blood for silver for Dabao to study. I never expected that this would be the result. She thought for a while and cried for a while, but she felt that life was no longer interesting and it would be better to die. So she took out a piece of white silk and tried to hang herself on the beam, but she was met by the madam who came in through the door.
Two years later, Su Xiu finally redeemed herself with the silver she earned, and then came to Hankou alone to look for her husband Zhao Jue and son Xiaobao. She once heard someone say that most merchants from out of town do business in Hanzheng Street, so she came to Hanzheng Street to inquire. Su Xiu walked into a shop and explained her purpose. She just said the names of Zhao Ju and Xiaobao. Unexpectedly, when the shop owner heard this, he asked Su Xiu who Zhao Ju was with a face full of surprise. Su Xiu said that she was Zhao Ju's wife. The shopkeeper sighed and said, "You came here half a year ago and you could still see your husband and son. Now your husband is dead and was killed by your son. Your son is now in prison and will be executed in the future."
When Su Xiu heard this, it was like a bolt from the blue and she almost fainted. She never believed that her son would kill his father. The shopkeeper sighed and said, "It's useless for you to cry. Why don't you spend some money to buy a cell and see your son?"
Su Xiuwan did not expect that the person in the sedan chair was Zhao Dabao, the new champion of the current dynasty and the emperor's imperial envoy to the seven provinces. Zhao Dabao was sitting in the sedan chair with doubts in his mind. The woman who just stopped the sedan chair to complain was very much like his mother, but how could she come to Hankou, thousands of miles away from home? Could it be that I am blinded?
As soon as these words came out, Su Xiu was immediately shocked. She didn't understand why her husband said such evil things. Could it be that he had changed his mind because he had money outside? Thinking of this, tears couldn't help but roll down.
It was really rainy and the house was leaking, and the winter this year was also extremely cold. Chi-long ice pillars were hung on the eaves, and the ground was covered with ice flowers. Seeing that her two sons were livid from the cold and shivering all over, Su Xiu wanted to make cotton-padded clothes for them, but she could only find a few taels of cotton left over from spinning after rummaging through boxes and cabinets. She was so cruel that she took apart the old cotton-padded jacket she was wearing and changed it into a cotton-padded jacket for her child. After Dabao's cotton-padded jacket was finished, the little cotton left was not enough to make a cotton vest for Xiaobao. Su Xiu was in a dilemma when she suddenly noticed the reed boots she was wearing. I thought that since reed catkins can be used to make shoes to keep out the cold, maybe reed catkins can also be used to make cotton wool. So, she picked a lot of reed flowers, mixed with a little cotton, and made a reed flower dress for Xiaobao and herself. Unexpectedly, this reed flower dress looks warm but has no insulation. When I put it on, the northwest wind blew straight into my body, making me shiver with cold.
In the evening, Su Xiu came to the study and told Mr. Qian that the salary would cover the tuition. Unexpectedly, Mr. Qian not only agreed, but also took out three taels of silver and said it was an advance salary. Su Xiu quickly declined. Officer Qian stared at Su Xiu with lustful eyes and hugged Su Xiu involuntarily. Su Xiu was shocked and ashamed. She struggled desperately, but couldn't get away. Officer Qian told Su Xiu that as long as she obeyed him, the Qian family would be Su Xiu's safe haven, and Dabao's tuition fees would all be borne by the Qian family. After saying this, he blew out the oil lamp.
Su Xiu was in a panic and didn't know how to answer. When Cheng Ziqing asked about the souvenir, she quickly took it off her neck and handed the jade cabbage with body temperature to Cheng Ziqing. Cheng Ziqing took it, put it into his sleeve, and said with a smile: "As the saying goes, a couple's love lasts for a hundred days, and besides, we have been destined for half a month. Don't worry, I will definitely save your son. Do you want to see him now? Meet your other son Dabao?"
Cheng Ziqing called Dabao and asked him to recognize his mother. Dabao came in, knelt in front of Su Xiu, and called out: "Mother." When Su Xiu saw that the son she had missed all day long became a high-ranking official, she couldn't help but have mixed feelings and didn't know how to deal with it for a while.
"Study hard, I hope all your hard work has not been in vain." Su Xiu looked into the child's eyes and said quietly.
On this day, a handsome young man wearing a mask came to Qichun Court and asked Su Xiu to receive him. In Su Xiu's room, the young man pulled off the mask on his face. When Su Xiu looked at the person, she was shocked. The person standing in front of her was her son Dabao!
Su Xiu choked with sobs and recounted her story intermittently. After hearing this, the madam tried to persuade her: "Dabao is not your biological son. You are stupid to seek death for a son who is not your biological son. You have a son of your own, so you can earn more." Yinzi, go to Hankou in the future to find your biological son Xiaobao."
"Father-in-law." Zhao Dabao called out and quickly stood up and gave way to his seat.
I found Dabao sitting in the study room of the magistrate's yamen. I took out the paper and looked at it carefully. I realized that the person who blocked the sedan chair and complained was really my mother. She came to Hankou to find her father and younger brother Xiaobao. With the petition in hand, Zhao Dabao fell into deep thought. It turned out that when Zhao Dabao married a lady from the Shangshu family, he said that he was an orphan with no parents or siblings. This time I went on a tour, and my father-in-law also came to defend me. Tomorrow, when I go to court, my father-in-law is also listening to the trial. What will happen if my mother recognizes me in the hall and starts crying? What's worse is that once my mother's identity as a prostitute is exposed, how can I still be an official in the court? After thinking about it, Zhao Dabao couldn't help but frown and sigh.
A few days later, an urgent document was submitted from the prefect's Yamen to the Ministry of Punishment, stating that Zhao Xiaobao, the son of the murderer of his father, escaped from prison and was arrested while resisting arrest and was to be executed on the spot...
Dabao was very happy after hearing this. He quickly ran to the embroidery room and clamored with Su Xiu to study. Since Xiaobao was taken away by Zhao Jue, Su Xiu's heart has been dedicated to Dabao. She saw that Dabao was handsome and smart. If he is allowed to study, he might be able to gain fame in the future. With an official position, he might have something to rely on. But when he thought about the fact that he needed money to study, he couldn't earn the tuition even if he was busy all year long. How could he support him in school? Thinking of this, Su Xiu sighed deeply and shook her head. "Mom, Mr. Qian said that if you agree, you can go to his study in the evening and speak. Mother, you go and speak, you go and speak." Dabao's pleading touched Su Xiu's heart, and she thought that even if she was here The Qian family worked for nothing for a year, and this little wages should cover Dabao's tuition.
Su Xiu didn't know it was a trick, so she followed Lin's mother into her house. Lin's mother warmly entertained her with food and vegetables, which made Su Xiu extremely grateful. She recounted what she had experienced at the Qian family. After hearing this, Mother Lin sympathetically asked Su Xiu about her future plans. Su Xiu hesitated and said that she wanted to take her children to Hankou to find her husband and ask why her husband left so heartlessly. After hearing this, Mother Lin shook her head and asked: "It's a long way from northern Jiangsu to Hankou. How can you, an orphan and a widower, get there? Besides, the war is in chaos now, and there are strong men everywhere. If anything goes wrong, you and your children will be looking for death. I Seeing that your son is smart, why not find a job here, earn some money, send the child to a private school to study, and gain fame in the future. You will be prosperous when you are old, and you will have a hard time. Isn't it a hundred times better than going to Hankou? Besides, even if you go to Hankou and find your husband, after so many years, he may find another woman and have a child. Wouldn’t you feel sad to see him?"
It turned out that Zhao Ju returned home happily today. When he opened the courtyard door, he didn't see Su Xiu, but saw two children huddled in the corner to bask in the sun. When his eyes fell on his son Dabao, he saw that Dabao was wearing a thin and old shabby cotton-padded jacket, while Su Xiu's son Xiaobao was wearing a bulging cotton-padded jacket. Zhao Jue's joy immediately turned into anger. He picked up Dabao and turned around to leave. Unexpectedly, as soon as he went out, the village chief saw him and took him home to reminisce.
"What's wrong with a good son-in-law and why he's frowning?" Cheng Ziqing, the official minister, walked into the study.
The next morning, the imperial envoy's sedan came to the prefect's Yamen. Su Xiu, who had been waiting at the yamen gate for a long time, saw it and immediately rushed to the sedan chair with a piece of paper on her head to cry out for injustice. The sedan was blocked, and the soldiers rushed forward to catch up. Su Xiu refused to get up, and shouted to Mr. Qingtian to redress the grievances of the common people. When the people in the sedan saw this, they opened a corner of the sedan curtain and ordered their men to take the paper. When his eyes fell on Su Xiu, who was kneeling with her head bowed, he was secretly shocked. He hurriedly lowered the sedan curtain and ordered the sedan to be lifted up.
From then on, Su Xiu began to go to the sea to receive guests. For fear that Dabao would know about this, she sent Dabao to Jiangnan Academy, which had better conditions, and lied that she was going to move out of town with her master's family, and rarely came to see Dabao. Dabao nodded sensibly.
Su Xiu was a native of Lianshui, northern Jiangsu, during the Daoguang period of the Qing Dynasty. When she was nineteen years old, Su Xiu's husband died of illness, and she took her two-year-old son to remarry Zhao Jue, whose wife had just died in Lincun. Zhao Jue also had a three-year-old son named Zhao Dabao, so Su Xiu changed the name of the son she brought to Zhao Xiaobao. Half a year later, the quick-thinking Zhao Ju pawned his two acres of cotton field for a few taels of silver, said goodbye to Su Xiu, and went to Hankou to start a small business. Unexpectedly, there was no news from him for four whole years.
Mother Lin rolled her eyes and understood something in her heart. She took Su Xiu's hand and said, "Hey, there is no river that cannot be crossed or a mountain that cannot be climbed. Let's go sit at my home first and tell me anything sad." As she said this, she pulled Su. Xiu and Dabao left.
"I am also a scholar now, and I will win the imperial examination in the future. I can't have a mother who is a prostitute to ruin my future. From now on, you are no longer my mother!" After Dabao finished speaking, he slammed the door angrily. And go.