Re-embroidering life

Knowing that Ji Zimo and his family were going to Beijing to take the imperial examination, Shen Yi asked Shui Minghua: "Why are you going to Beijing?"

"I'll go around and take a look. The world is so vast, but I've always lived in a small town. I don't think I should live like this." Shui Minghua smiled.

Shen Yi looked at her enviously. "If you want to travel, don't forget to come to the Northwest. The Northwest is magnificent and vast. Riding on horseback will surely make all your worries disappear."

As the two were chatting, Ji Zimo came back with an old doctor carrying a medicine box. Ji Zimo knew nothing about the shocking scene in the inn, but he felt that the atmosphere between Qinghua and Ji Wei had changed. Ji Wei was crying with grievance, snuggling in Shui Qinghua's arms, holding her mother's clothes with her little hands. Shui Qinghua hugged her tightly, her eyes were gentle as water, and there were faint traces of tears on her face. No one would doubt that this was a mother and daughter.

Hearing about the dangers the mother and daughter had experienced, Ji Zimo's hair stood on end, and he was filled with fear. He blamed himself for being too careless and actually ended up in a black shop. The couple thanked Shen Yi for saving their lives. Shen Yi took out a sign and said, "I learned martial arts when I was young, and I know quite a few people in the martial arts world. Tomorrow you can take this sign to find a Shunshui Escort Agency in Yuzhou and ask a few escorts to escort you. It's still more than ten days' journey from here to the capital, and most of you are women and children, so be careful."

Ji Zimo took it and saw that it was a small copper plate with the seal character "Shen" engraved on it. The Ji couple thanked them again. The doctor examined Ji Wei and said that she just had a cold and was frightened, and there was nothing serious. He prescribed medicine for her to leave.

After all this commotion, it was already dawn. Shen Yi and the group of soldiers found a random place to rest. Shui Qinghua and the others went back to their rooms and barely rested for more than an hour. When they came out at dawn, the soldiers had already disappeared.

The three coachmen who followed them were all servants of the Ji family. They had not come out during the chaos last night. Now they were rubbing their heads and yawning as they stood up. It was obvious that they had been knocked down by the bad guys with drugs last night. Ji Zimo shook his head secretly. He was a scholar, and these coachmen had no experience in the underworld. He should really find an escort agency.

The family stayed in Yuzhou for two more days, found Shunshui Escort Agency, took out the sign, and the other party sent out four strong escorts without saying a word. Each of them was agile and had a sharp gaze. At first glance, they were martial artists. Ji Zimo was relieved and continued on the road with his family. This incident also made Ji Zimo and his wife understand the background of the Shen family.

With the escort of Shunshui Escort Agency, the journey was smooth sailing. Children are the least memorable. Except for Ji Wei who sticks to her mother all day, the two older ones have completely forgotten about the inn for one night and are laughing and talking again. Shui Qinghua found that her eldest sister seemed to be much quieter. She usually took her two nieces to play crazy, but these days she was always watching the scenery silently. She didn't ask much. The eldest sister was the smartest and most stable person in the Shui family. She believed that the eldest sister handled her own affairs well. Sure enough, after a few days, the eldest sister returned to her usual cheerful and free-spirited self.

When we arrived in Beijing, it was already midwinter, and both adults and children were wearing thick cotton-padded clothes. Although it was cold, the weather was still sunny, the sky was blue, and the sun shone on the towering city walls, making the ancient bricks and stones sparkle. The city gate was tall and solemn, and the two heavy wooden doors were carved with exquisite patterns, and every line showed the vicissitudes of time.

In front of the city gate, vendors were hawking all kinds of goods, their voices rising one after another, and the streets were crowded with people. No matter they were nobles in gorgeous clothes or simple commoners, their faces were full of confidence, which was the pride and confidence that living under the feet of the emperor gave them.

The Ji family carriage slowly approached the city gate, and the children looked around curiously and marveled. Growing up in Yuquan Town, they had never seen such a grand city gate, such a prosperous city, and so many brightly dressed men and women. Although the adults maintained a dignified posture, their eyes could not hide their curiosity and yearning. Only Ji Wei was not as excited as her sisters. She lay in her mother's arms and looked out the window calmly. Ji Zimo pinched her little nose: "Our little fairy boy has the style of a general." The whole family laughed, and everyone just thought that "little fairy boy" was a compliment to Ji Wei's cute appearance.

The steward of the Dong family had been waiting at the city gate for several days, his neck stretched to a length, and finally the Ji family arrived.

When the escorts saw that their family had come to pick them up, they settled the fees at the city gate and then went their separate ways, returning to Yuzhou.

The steward of the Dong family told Ji Zimo that the county lady had helped them rent a small house not far from the Dong Mansion. Although small, it had everything needed for living, and was big enough for the family.

Ji Zimo sincerely thanked the steward. Under the steward's guidance, the three carriages passed through the city gate smoothly and drove towards the temporary residence.

The small house is located in a small alley in Renshoufang, which is the junction of the inner and outer cities, not far from the imperial city. The alley is long and quiet, without any noise. The door of the house does not face the main street, and it is shaded by vines and trees, which is very private. Pushing open the door, the old house and courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles, jade steps and red pillars, whether it is the mottled screen wall or the old well in the courtyard, all show the accumulation of time. The house is a typical quadrangle structure in Beijing, with two small courtyards, which is very clean, almost to the extent that you can move in after putting away the boxes and cages.

Ji Zimo was deeply moved, knowing that this was something his teacher and his wife had spent a lot of time preparing. Not only did he thank Manager Dong, he also stuffed a heavy purse into his hand.

Shui Qinghua brought Shui Minghua and Lan Xin, and they quickly opened all the boxes and put them in their respective rooms. The front yard was used for entertaining guests and as a study. In the backyard, Ji Zimo and Shui Qinghua lived in the main house, Shui Minghua, Ji Fei and Ji Rui lived in the east wing, Lan Xin and Ji Wei lived in the west wing, and the coachmen temporarily lived in the back house.

After more than a month of traveling, not only the children, but also the adults were exhausted. After putting the children to bed, Ji Zimo and Shui Qinghua were still busy. Ji Zimo was writing a visiting card to Dong's house and a letter to his mother and elder brother to report his safety. Shui Qinghua was busy writing down some new ideas she thought of on the road, and later wrote a letter to Dou Jianzhi, asking him to try to implement them in Shuixiufang. Imagining Dou Jianzhi's face wrinkled into a ball when he read the letter, Shui Qinghua couldn't help but smile secretly.

She planned to go shopping for daily necessities tomorrow, and of course, see how grand the embroidery workshops in the capital were.