GBP Chapter 1020 Death in infancy
Chapter 1020 Death in infancy
When the group arrived at the outskirts of the village from Jiming Temple, it was the middle of the night, and the villagers were fast asleep.
As planned, the crow went up and pounded on the door loudly. The old man guarding the door took a long time to come out and open it. When he saw a group of people outside, he was startled at first. But after taking a closer look and realizing that they were his relatives, he quickly stepped aside and welcomed them in.
With a somewhat flustered tone, he bowed and asked cautiously, "My lords, what's wrong?"
The crow didn't say much, but simply ordered, "Go quickly and find Steward Zhang."
Manager Zhang is Xiao Hu.
The old man didn't dare to delay, nodded repeatedly, and quickly went to the backyard.
A moment later, Xiao Hu, wearing his clothes, followed the old man out from behind, looking anxious. "Lord Niu, Lord Wu, what's going on in the middle of the night? Weren't you ordered to protect Young Master Sun at Jiming Temple?"
Although Niu Jiancao and Wuya were both from humble backgrounds in the martial arts world, they worked for Xiaoyuer and needed an identity when they were out and about. Therefore, they were given a sinecure in the government office without any official rank.
Having an official position makes a difference, and knowing that these two are capable and are Xiaoyuer's confidants, Xiaohu treats them very politely on a daily basis.
“The temple was attacked by bandits, and Young Master Sun unfortunately died. We were preparing to take Young Master Sun’s body back to the capital. The city gates are not open yet, and we just happened to be passing by here, so we came to the manor to pack up first. We also wanted to let you know that the children we sent to the manor before can stay if they want. If they don’t want to stay, I will take them back to my family home. They can help with the funeral arrangements. After we finish helping, we will see how to settle them.” Niu Jiancao held the children and said in a sorrowful voice.
Upon hearing this, Xiao Hu was stunned. He quickly stepped forward and, incredulously, rummaged through the swaddling clothes to look inside. Only then, by the light of the moon and the candlelight in the lantern, did he discover that the swaddling clothes were covered in bloodstains.
"Oh my god, what are we going to do? The baby isn't even a month old yet, and it's a grandson. What a pity," Xiao Hu murmured.
Niu Jiancao didn't let Xiaohu look at it for long, and covered the baby with the swaddling clothes again in a moment.
"It was our fault for not handling things properly. When we get back to the manor, we will definitely apologize to Master Zhang and the young master. But for now, please arrange a room for us. We should at least change the baby's clothes into clean swaddling clothes." Crow stopped his joking and tried his best to look guilty. After speaking, he lowered his head.
Xiao Hu didn't suspect anything. He wiped his face, forced himself to stay alert, and stepped aside, saying, "Of course, this way please!"
Children are the apple of their parents' eyes. He doesn't know how Ping An Ge and Xiao Yu Er felt when they saw their child die so young. He can only hope that the two of them won't be too sad!
He had heard the rumors in the capital. Having lived in the capital for so many years, he knew that the capital was a dangerous place, not as simple as life back home. Being an official was not easy either; one had to be cautious and tread carefully in the court, playing games with others.
He genuinely hoped that the Zhang family father and son would have a better and better life, and that everything would go smoothly for them.
The child ultimately couldn't escape the rumors about his birth chart.
Once inside the room, Xiao Hu tried to follow, but Niu Jiancao slammed the door shut on him.
The crow saw this and sighed as it stepped forward to smooth things over, "Forget it, let him clean it up by himself. We'll just wait outside. He must be feeling bad about this too. He's been taking care of this child most of the time, and he's grown attached to him."
Without making a sound, he led Xiaohu to another side, away from the guest room.
Xiao Hu was also a sentimental person; his eyes were red, and he was just short of tears. "I understand. Let him calm down first. I'll go into the city with you later."
"That would be perfect. You're family, so you can comfort them, especially since the old folks are getting on in years. Talk to them and comfort them," Crow said, patting Little Tiger's shoulder in a comforting gesture.
The summer weather was hot, and the two of them didn't feel cold talking outside. Before they knew it, they had been talking for quite a while.
The crow estimated that it was about time before letting the tiger go back.
The death of a child is neither a big deal nor a small matter. According to the regulations of the Book of Rites and the Book of Ceremonies, the death of a child under the age of 7 is considered a death without mourning, meaning that no formal funeral is held and the child is not even included in the family genealogy.
Confucianism emphasizes the coming-of-age ceremony, and only after a man undergoes the capping ceremony does he possess a complete and worldly recognized identity.
However, in real life, different social classes have different ways of handling this. For families like the Zhang family, which have a strong background and someone in a high position in the government, even if an infant dies, they will usually hold a small private memorial service, inviting close relatives and friends, and asking monks to help with the rituals to help the child pass on. This is not a formal funeral; it is just an expression of their respect for the child.
As a member of the same family, Xiaohu felt obligated to help with the arrangements, so he started packing as soon as he got back.
After he had finished tidying up, he went to the bedside and nudged his wife and two children: "Wake up, get up quickly."
"Huh? What's wrong?" Little Tiger's wife rubbed her eyes and slowly sat up.
She was an honest farm girl from a nearby village. Her father was the village chief, and she had always lived a good life. She was also a kind-hearted person. After getting married, Xiaohu treated her well, and the two of them were of one mind and lived a prosperous life.
After hearing Xiaohu's account of what happened, Wang was instantly wide awake. She covered her mouth, both shocked and frightened, "How could this be? We haven't heard of any bandits in the outskirts of Beijing for so long!"
"Let's not talk about that now. Quickly get the two children dressed and get up. We'll go with them to our family home to help out. We can't stay out of the way at a time like this."
As he spoke, Xiao Hu nudged the two children to get up, urging them, "Wake up, get up quickly, let your mother dress you."
The two children are young and at the age where they like to stay in bed, so they dawdle and have to be coaxed by Xiaohu.
Wang's temper wasn't as good as Xiaohu's. Seeing the two children still drowsy and reluctant to get out of bed, she slapped each of their little bottoms. In no time, she dressed the two children like they were being kneaded in mud and put them on the stool.
Then they hurriedly checked their belongings. This time they were going to their ancestral home and would stay for at least two or three days before returning. In the sweltering summer, they would need a lot of things like toiletries and clothes, so a quick pack would make a huge bundle.
In addition, you can't go empty-handed; you have to bring some things with you. After packing them up, you end up with several large baskets full.
When the couple carried their two children into the main room, Niu Jiancao had already come out of the guest room, changed the children into clean swaddling clothes, and covered their faces so that their complexion could not be seen.
As Wang sat down, she glanced at the child through the gap in the swaddling blanket and felt that the child's face was somewhat bluish, not like someone who had just died.
But she was always easygoing and didn't think much of it. She just sighed to herself, "This child is lucky to be born into wealth and privilege, but what good is it? His birth chart is bad. Not only can he not live with his parents, but he also suffers a sudden misfortune. It's all fate!"
Thinking of this, her gaze softened as she looked at her two children.
The group sat in the main room and silently drank several cups of tea. When they saw that it was getting dark, Crow stood up and said, "It's about time, let's set off!"
After speaking, he instructed the attendant beside him: "Help Steward Zhang put the bundles and luggage he brought onto the carriage."
"Oh, you're too kind, let me do it," Wang said, feeling flattered.
Upon hearing this, the crow smiled slightly, and said firmly and without room for refusal, "It's alright, just have the servants do it!"
As she spoke, she blocked Xiao Hu's hand that was about to help.
Xiao Hu paused for a moment, then withdrew his hand, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you very much!"
There's still a headman on the estate, so there's no need to worry too much about leaving for a few days. The autumn harvest is just around the corner, and Xiao Hu usually goes to the fields every day, but he doesn't feel like it anymore.
The creaking of the carriage wheels echoed in the silent night, making one feel heavy-hearted and restless.
The crow's timing was perfect. When the group arrived at the city gate, it had just opened, and there were very few people in line. There were only a few farmers preparing to enter the city to sell vegetables. It was the lean season, and the vegetables were not in good condition. The faces of the people in line were full of sorrow, bent over by the burdens of life.
The carriage bore the Zhang family's insignia. In the past, the soldiers checking at the city gate would not have paid much attention to it; they would have just asked a perfunctory question and let it pass.
But today he was very impolite to everyone, thoroughly inspecting the carriage from front to back, and even taking the local specialties that Wang had prepared for the Zhang family.
"Hey, those are peanuts! Be careful, don't scatter them everywhere!"
"Hey, hey, that's a soybean cake. You can't squeeze it, or it'll crumble into crumbs. What could possibly be hidden inside?"
"Hey, hey, that's a winter melon! Don't pat it! If you pat off the white fuzz, it won't last long," Wang said anxiously and irritably.
These peanuts, soybeans, and other items were all carefully selected by her and her team from the warehouse, one by one; not a single one was bad.
In addition, it's not easy to find winter melons this big at this time of year. They're great for making soup, cold dishes, or even as a refreshing winter melon pillow.
The soldiers didn't answer. After searching the basket, they went to unpack the bundle. Wang was a little embarrassed. Inside were her change of clothes, her undergarment, and the like. If someone opened them, she would be so ashamed!
"Hey, these are all my personal clothes. Are you guys, grown men, going through my private clothes? What could you possibly be hiding in there? We're just law-abiding citizens."
"Exactly!" Crow narrowed his eyes, then suddenly crossed his arms and chimed in. "Our carriage has a Zhang family sign on it, yet you're still searching us like this. Are you doing this on purpose?"
After revealing the Zhang family's identity again, the soldiers hesitated for a moment, exchanged glances, and finally stopped rummaging through the luggage. They cupped their hands in greeting and said politely, "Excuse me, we are just following orders. But we need to check the swaddling clothes in this carriage. The child is so small, why haven't we heard him cry?"
The crow sneered inwardly, knowing that this was their ultimate goal.
He replied coldly, "Last night, Jiming Temple was attacked by bandits, and this child has unfortunately died. We are now taking the child back to our residence to handle his funeral arrangements."
"I see, please accept my condolences! But as is customary, we must see the baby in person," the leading soldier said, his eyes fixed on the cowherb next to the baby.
Seeing that the other party did not react, the soldier mustered his courage and got into the carriage. He untied the blanket and quietly checked the baby's breathing and pulse at the neck. Only after confirming that the baby boy was indeed dead did he get out of the carriage.
"Can we leave now?" the crow asked coldly, raising an eyebrow.
"Alright, everyone, please!" The soldier smiled and stepped aside.
Wang looked at the lowered curtain of the carriage next to her, scratched her head. Just a few hours ago, when she checked on the child in the main room, his face was pale and bluish. Why did he seem different now? Oh well, she was too lazy to think about things she couldn't understand, and she turned her head and forgot about it.
After entering the city, Crow sent someone back to the mansion to report the news. When everyone arrived at the mansion by carriage, Madam Li had already disregarded etiquette, had prematurely ended her confinement period, and was waiting at the door, holding onto her maid's hand, crying uncontrollably.
Occasionally, a neighbor's carriage would pass by the gate, and people would inevitably stop and ask a few questions.
Before long, the whole alley knew that the Zhang family's grandson, whom they had sent to Jiming Temple for foster care, had died.
Just as the fortune-telling had been circulating before, it was indeed a very bad omen. It died before even reaching the full month of life, truly lacking in good fortune!