On this day of the new year, every family begins to clean their houses and worship the god of the stove.Qiao Zhiqing convened all the generals and officials, carefully told all the military affairs and government affairs, and held a year-end summary meeting, the commendation of the commendation, the criticism of the criticism, and finally gave everyone an early greeting in advance.In the afternoon, Qiao Zhiqing boarded a cargo ship at the ferry and embarked on a journey back to his hometown.Qiao Zhiqing's main purpose of returning to Shanxi this time was to inspect the steel factory founded by Ma Xun, and then to take Qiao Shanxing to recognize his ancestors and return to his ancestors by the way.The cargo ship is specially made for Qiao Zhiqing by Suzhou Steamship Factory, with a displacement of only more than 200 tons, which is no different from an ordinary small cargo ship from the outside, but it is equipped with a steam power system inside, which can travel thousands of miles a day.And the hull was wrapped in iron sheets, and in the aft and aft decks it was equipped with two expeditionary machine guns with two thousand rounds of ammunition.The whole thing is a miniature version of a warship.After Qiao Zhiqing left, the big and small government affairs in the house were taught to Yan Yuting to take care of.Because Jiangbei was not peaceful at this time, after Zhang Lexing's Twist Army was wiped out, there were still many small groups of Twist Army wandering in Jiangbei.In order to hide people's eyes, Qiao Zhiqing did not make a big show on this trip, except for a team of personal soldiers led by Huang Feihong, only Qiao Shanxing accompanied him.Qiao Shanxing has only been in Huaxing Women's Hospital for less than a month, but her progress is unusually rapid, and she doesn't carefully distinguish when she speaks Chinese, and she really doesn't know that she is a Dongying person."
Brother Qiao, your China is really big."
Qiao Shanxing saw the mountains and rivers outside the south of the Yangtze River for the first time, and she was excited all the way, standing on the deck and admiring the other side of the river.After the boat passed Yangzhou, along the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal all the way to the north, the more you walk, the colder the weather, both sides of the river bank have been covered by the vast white snow, a piece of silver, very magnificent."
The country is broken by mountains and rivers, and the city is deep in spring.When I feel the tears, I hate the birds. ”Qiao Zhiqing stood behind her and sighed, but what he saw in his eyes was a different scene.The fields on the riverbank are barren and sparsely populated, and only a few families can be found in a hundred miles.Frequent wars have taken a toll on the country's vitality, and it is difficult to regain its former vitality."
Brother Qiao, you don't seem to be very happy all the way" Qiao Shanxing turned her head and looked at Qiao Zhiqing's eyes with concern, she had quickly adapted to her role and was a very competent sister."
Shanxing, is your hometown beautiful" Qiao Zhiqing looked at her pure eyes, and his mood gradually calmed down, moving away from this painful topic."
My hometown is certainly beautiful.There are a lot of cherry blossoms there, and when they are in full bloom, they look like they are covered with snowflakes.The girls wear beautiful kimonos and watch the cherry blossoms with the boys she likes.Brother Qiao, if you have the opportunity to come to Japan, I will definitely accompany you to see the cherry blossoms. ”Qiao Shanxing's eyes lit up and returned to that pure love time."
Sakura" Qiao Zhi purified his lips and showed a strange smile.If that day, the cherry blossoms in Japan bloomed blood red, would you still be so happy to accompany Brother Qiao to see it All the way without incident, the boat traveled for three days, and then arrived in Luoyang.Because the Yellow River was in a frozen period, the boat was docked at the ferry, and the boatman waited here for the return.The group changed to a carriage and entered the territory of Shanxi after passing through Shaanzhou.Originally, Qiao Zhiqing also wanted to make a detour to Yan'an to see his second brother Qiao Zhiyuan and Wang Shijie, but Qiao Shanxing was bumpy all the way, and his little face had long turned pale color, Qiao Zhiqing temporarily gave up this journey, and the horses did not stop along the way, and more than a dozen horses rushed back and forth, and finally rushed back to Qi County on the night of the Chinese New Year's Eve.Along the way, there were lights and firecrackers everywhere.Shanxi did not experience major wars, and the people's lives were obviously much more stable and prosperous.As soon as the carriage entered Qiaojiabao, Qiao Zhiqing was like a fallen leaf returning to his roots, and his heart was steady.The family received the news that Qiao Zhiqing had returned home a few days ago, but it broke the eldest brother Qiao Zhiguangle.He was gradually recovering from his serious illness, and his complexion was obviously much better than before.In the past few days, in order to welcome this governor brother home, Qiao Zhiguang has put a lot of thought into it.The huge courtyard was renovated and cleaned inside and out, and all the festive Spring Festival couplets were posted, and red lanterns were hung in each courtyard.When he was a child, he had always been very troubled by this younger brother who was not doing his job, but he didn't expect that it was this younger brother who sat on the seat of the governor of Suzhou within a year, and even Qi Junzao, a university scholar in the court, personally inscribed a plaque for the Qiao family, with the four big characters of "Three Jin Proud Sons", which were respectfully enshrined in the main hall by Qiao Zhiguang.As soon as Qiao Zhiqing's carriage arrived at the door, some guys hurriedly rushed into the compound to report to Qiao Zhiguang.The courtyard instantly sounded in unison, and all the old and young of the Qiao clan came out of the gate to greet them.After Qiao Zhiqing got off the carriage, Qiao Zhiguang took the lead in kneeling and saluting, shouting, "Hail to the governor, Qiao Zhiguang and the children of the Qiao family warmly welcome the governor back to his hometown." ”"Big brother, what are you doing, everyone hurry up."
Qiao Zhiqing was a little unhappy on his face and hurriedly helped Qiao Zhiguang up, his eldest brother grew up reading the Four Books and Five Classics, and his mind was full of loyalty, filial piety and shame, and he had to talk about etiquette and humility."
Master Xie."
Qiao Zhiguang took the lead in standing up with the support of his subordinates, and the clansmen behind him also stood up with excitement on their faces.Everyone went to the main hall together to incense the ancestral tablet, and after three knocks and nine bows, they happily spread out everywhere and set up a banquet for Qiao Zhiqing to catch the wind and wash the dust.Qiao Zhiqing also pulled Qiao Shanxing to his side and introduced them to the elders in the clan one by one.Qiao Shanxing was dressed in a traditional plain skirt, and her black hair was combed into the style of cloud sideburns.A pair of big eyes are bright and bright, and the smile is charming and moving.After a while, he won the love of the elders, and it was naturally not a problem to join the Qiao Clan's ancestral hall.The banquet of the Qiao family on Chinese New Year's Eve every year is very rich, with as many as eight bowls and eight plates.Huang Feihong and other soldiers are all authentic Cantonese, and when they first tasted the delicious food of Shanxi, they all devoured it and praised it endlessly.Qiao Shanxing also sat at the banquet of the ladies and tasted the delicious food, and soon became like a sister with Qiao Zhiqing's sister-in-law.The dishes of Shanxi are the same as those of Shanxi people, they are really unassuming, although the style is not as exquisite as other cuisines, but they can make people eat and satisfy their stomachs.After three rounds of drinking, Qiao Zhiqing toasted the elders of the clan one by one, then returned to the table and chatted with the eldest brother while eating.The brothers hadn't seen each other for a year, and their faces were full of excitement.Since Qiao Zhiqing stepped into this door, the smile on Qiao Zhiguang's face has not been broken."
Big brother, didn't the second brother say when he would go home" Qiao Zhiqing picked up the wine cup and toasted Qiao Zhiguang, without Qiao Zhiyuan, he felt like something was missing.Although Qiao Zhiqing traveled through later generations, he retains all the memories of Qiao Zhiqing in this era.In my memory, whenever the eldest brother lost his temper and beat himself, the second brother was always there to protect him.He is naturally closer to his second brother in his heart."
You said the second child, I sent a letter to my family some time ago, saying that the rebellion in northern Shaanxi has just been settled, and the people are now displaced and can't even eat.He was so busy there that he couldn't even bother to go home. ”Qiao Zhiguang also frowned and sighed, without Qiao Zhiyuan, the family was like something missing, which made people's hearts empty."
Oh, by the way, where did Yaoguang go, why didn't you see him today" Qiao Zhiqing saw the sad appearance of the eldest brother, and quickly changed the topic.Yaoguang is the son of the eldest brother Qiao Zhiguang, who has just come of age, has clear eyebrows and beautiful eyes, is very smart, and has a very similar personality to Qiao Zhiqing.When Qiao Zhiqing was at home, he always pestered him to play around."
Don't mention that kid, I don't know what I've been messing around with a bunch of students lately.A few days ago, he came home and sued me, saying that my family was a big landlord class and wanted me to divide the land of my clan among the poor.I said a few words to him in a fit of rage, and the stinky boy turned his face with me, and I didn't know where to go. ”Qiao Zhiguang sighed and complained angrily to Qiao Zhiqing."
It's kind of interesting."
Qiao Zhiqing smiled, listening to the meaning of the eldest brother's words, Qiao Yaoguang's actions were similar to the purpose of Huaxing League."
That's right, Zhiqing.You are now the governor of Jiangsu, let Yaoguang follow you and do whatever you want, that is also an official family.He doesn't learn to do business with me for a day, and it's not a way to go on like this. ”Qiao Zhiguang raised the wine cup and toasted Qiao Zhiqing as he spoke."
Besides, I'll talk to him when I have time, maybe it will be of great use for him to stay in Shanxi.By the way, big brother, our family's current business turnover has opened up, are you busy now" Qiao Zhiqing raised his glass in return, he hadn't asked about the family's business for such a long time, and he felt a little guilty in his heart, after he used the money from selling tea to organize a group exercise, he didn't add a penny to the family."
You stinky boy, your family is almost miserable with you.Since you used your own family's money to do things for the official family, I had no choice but to use our family's house as collateral to borrow money from the Rishengchang ticket number.The business of Baotou has been slowly revitalized.However, after you became the prefect of Suzhou, the shopkeeper of Shengchang returned the mortgage note to me, and our Qiao family's loan only charged half of the interest.A few months ago, you asked Ma Xun to come back from Suzhou and set up a steel factory in the provincial capital.Our family's business is mainly focused on digging coal mines and supplying coal to steel mills. ”Qiao Zhiguang was extremely pleased with this governor brother, and now there are several big ticket numbers in Pingyao, but they are all rushing to invest money in Qiao's house, and they are not all looking at Qiao Zhiqing's face, and they want to take care of Jiangnan in the future."
That's good, so I can have peace of mind.Now we are digging coal mines, all relying on manpower and storage power.When I return to Suzhou this time, I will buy a batch of machines for my eldest brother, and if I use the machines, the mining efficiency of the coal mine will be 100 times higher than the current one. ”Qiao Zhiqing breathed a sigh of relief, the eldest brother has been in business for many years, and no kind of predicament can stop him.The two were talking happily when they heard a crisp shout from outside the door, "Dad, is the uncle back":