Jiang Pengji was surprised. She lifted her hand to help the woman up and said with a smile, "This isn't a good place to talk. Why don't we sit in the restaurant next door?"
Judging from the woman's appearance, she lived a hard life. She lived frugally and only ate one meal a day.
The child beside her was raised well. He was fair, chubby, and adorable. Even the clothes he wore were made of fine cotton.
Fine cotton was not expensive, but for a peasant family with an average family, it was a huge expense.
The woman hesitated for a moment, then beamed with joy. She carried the child in her arms and followed Jiang Pengji to the nearby Reception House.
The Reception House was opened in all the towns and cities in Wanzhou. Its reputation was improving day by day. The dishes developed by the chefs were also changing day by day.
Although it was geared towards middle and high class customers, ordinary people could occasionally have a meal if they gritted their teeth.
The woman followed Jiang Pengji to a private room. She and the old housekeeper lived frugally to support their young master. They had never been to the Reception House.
"Order more of what you want to eat. This child … If I remember correctly, is he the one protected by his mother?"
How many people had Jiang Pengji saved during the earthquake in Shangjing?
Most of the people in Xiangyang District today had followed her to escape from Shangjing to this place.
The woman nodded with tears in her eyes. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she did not look like she had been wronged. Instead, she looked excited.
She had always remembered Jiang Pengji, but she was a busy person. How could she remember her?
She had just reminded her, but she did not have high hopes. She did not expect Jiang Pengji to be right.
"Yes, it is my young master."
The woman nodded excitedly. The chubby child in her arms twisted in confusion. He looked at Jiang Pengji and then at the woman who was holding him.
He did not understand what had happened. He could only step on the thigh of the woman who was kneeling. He tiptoed and tried to wipe her tears with his chubby white paws.
"How have you been all these years?"
Jiang Pengji looked at the child and dug out the relevant fragments from her memory.
She remembered that when she rescued the child from the ruins, the child was protected by a woman who had her back curled up.
If the woman had not protected him with her body, her spine, and her head, arms, and chest, he would have died a long time ago.
A pure smile appeared on the woman's face. "It's all thanks to the Prefecture Overseer's good governance that I was able to survive in this world with my master."
In the past, there were twenty people in the mansion, but after the earthquake, only three survived.
A wet nurse, a housekeeper, and a two-month-old child.
The world outside was too chaotic. The three of them were old, weak, women, and children. There was no way for them to seek refuge with their relatives. They could only follow Jiang Pengji to Xiangyang district.
The old housekeeper did the accounting and outside work, while she knitted sweaters or embroidered some patterns at home to sell. She lived frugally on weekdays. After deducting the small amount of rent paid to the county headquarters, the remaining money was enough for them to live on. The two of them were loyal and devoted servants. They would rather work themselves a little harder than suffer the slightest injustice to the child. Therefore, among the three of them, only the child was wearing clothes made of fine cotton.
Jiang Pengji said, "You're the wet nurse? If I remember correctly, there was an old man who survived. "
The woman said, "Prefecture Overseer, you have a good memory. That was my wife's dowry butler."
Jiang Pengji said to the child, "Come here."
The child was very guilty. He had just bumped into someone. How would he dare to take the initiative to approach her?
The woman encouraged him, and he ran to Jiang Pengji hesitantly.
Jiang Pengji carried him and bounced him up and down. The two-year-old child was quite heavy.
"I remember that the child's family seems to be extraordinary. Have you never thought of bringing the child to look for his relatives after so many years?"
Before the earthquake, land in Shangjing was expensive. Those who could buy property there were either rich or respectable.
Logically speaking, the child's parents were not ordinary people.
The woman said, "I had this plan for a long time, but there were wars everywhere in the past. The housekeeper and I didn't dare to bring the young master to take risks. Therefore, it has been delayed until now. I plan to save enough money in a few years to set off to look for my relatives, so as not to delay the young master's initiation. "
In the whole of Dongqing, what place was safer than Wanzhou?
The lion was entrenched and heavily guarded. The prefecture magistrate loved the people like his own children. He governed the whole of Wanzhou in an orderly manner.
Outside the boundaries of Wanzhou, there were either wars or all kinds of disasters. How could she and the old housekeeper protect the young master?
Jiang Pengji carried the child and put some food in his bowl.
"What is this child's background? Since I saved him and met him on the street today, it seems that we are fated. If I can help, I can send someone to pass a message to the child's relatives and ask them to bring the child back as soon as possible. Looking at you, these years have not been easy. "
The woman's eyes turned red again. She kowtowed and said, "Thank you, prefecture magistrate. If there is a next life, I will definitely tie a ring to repay your kindness."
Wiping away her tears, the woman continued, "My master is from the Cui family of Chongzhou."
"The Cui family of Chongzhou?"
Jiang Pengji carried the child in one hand and ordered the food on the table with the other. What a coincidence.
Chongzhou was her father, Liu She's territory. As for the Cui family, Jiang Pengji had vaguely heard rumors about them.
The Cui family had been in Chongzhou for a long time. They were the local tyrants, but they were not a proper noble family. They had resources, but they were looked down upon.
The reason was simply because the Cui family had a close relationship with the northern borderline.
They did business in both places. They were even fence-sitters. They leaned toward whichever side the wind blew.
Jiang Pengji corresponded with Liu She. He did not have a high opinion of the Cui family.
He even said that they reeked of money. How could they be noble and virtuous like scholars?
At first glance, the Cui family was aligned with power and money. No wonder Liu She had such a bad impression of them.
The woman nodded vigorously. She said, "My wife is the eldest daughter-in-law of the Cui family's first branch."
Chongzhou and the northern borderline were borderline. It had always been a place of constant conflict. Even if the Cui family was on good terms with the northern borderline, they could not stop the bandits from running amok.
The Cui family sent the eldest daughter-in-law to Shangjing to await delivery. Who knew that they would encounter a rare earthquake!
Jiang Pengji had a change of heart.
"My father is the prefecture magistrate of Chongzhou. What a coincidence. I will write a letter to my father and ask the Cui family to send someone to bring you back. "
For the woman, it was a difficult task, but for Jiang Pengji, it was as easy as lifting a finger.
After the woman heard it, she kowtowed to Jiang Pengji a few times in excitement. She almost spoke incoherently.
Jiang Pengji looked at the child and smiled meaningfully.
She inquired about the residence of the woman and the child and accompanied them for dinner. Only then did she return to the district headquarters under the thin and cold moonlight.
She said to the people beside her, "Summon Wenzheng, Zishi, and Zixiao. Tell them that I have something to discuss with them."
The others were not in Xiangyang district. Jiang Pengji could only summon the three advisors first.
Jiang Pengji waited for a while. Qiguan Rang, Feng Zhen, and Wei Ci arrived one after another.
The three of them looked at each other. They did not know why Jiang Pengji summoned them alone.
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