Chapter 697: First Meeting with Minister He
After packing their luggage, Manager He came over and led Sun Shan and others to meet the head of the family.
Sun Dingnan whispered, "Ashan, we won't go. You go by yourself."
The identities of Sun Dingnan and his three companions were actually quite awkward. They were not servants but had to do servants’ work, and they also considered themselves servants.
It’s up to you to go with them to pay a visit to the He family’s eldest old master, or it’s up to you not to go.
Sun Shan thought about it and decided to let them stay in the room to rest and not go with him to avoid embarrassment and more importantly, there would be nothing to talk about.
Sun Shan ordered: "Rest well, someone will arrange dinner for you later.
Sun Dali nodded repeatedly and said, "Okay, Ashan, don't worry, we will take care of it."
Sun Shan followed Manager Chen out of the courtyard, through the arched door, and along the corridor. After walking for a while, they arrived at the main hall.
It was only then that I realized that there should be two courtyards with a door in the middle.
Just like Mr. Hong’s school.
Manager He smiled and said, "Old Master, the Fifth Young Master and his men are here."
As soon as Sun Shan stepped into the hall, he saw a man and a woman sitting on armchairs, with many people standing beside them.
I secretly glanced at the man sitting there. I knew he was the leader of the He family without any introduction.
His figure and appearance are not exactly the same as Old Master He San, but they are 90% similar.
It seems that the He family inherited the obesity gene.
The three brothers are all fat.
Old Master He San is the smiling Maitreya Buddha, while Old Master He Da is the serious Maitreya Buddha with golden light and angry eyes.
No wonder He Shujun and He Shuqiang couldn't help but tremble when they mentioned their great-grandfather.
This image was so serious that Sun Shan took a glance and dared not look at it again.
Could this be the power of an official?
Sun Shan wondered if he would have the authority if he became an official.
Will he become hideous and stern?
Sun Shan couldn't help but let his imagination run wild, when suddenly Manager He said, "Grandpa, Madam, this is Miss Yun's husband, Sun Shan."
When Sun Shan heard his name being called, he immediately stepped forward, knelt on the mat, kowtowed to the two men and offered them tea.
Minister He and the old lady took the tea, looked at Sun Shan carefully, then nodded and took a sip of tea.
Minister He stroked his half-white beard and said, "Okay, I just arrived in the capital, so I'll rest for a few days, and then study hard to prepare for next year's examination."
Sun Shan quickly agreed and was then presented with a gift by Minister He.
The old lady was completely different from Minister He. She was thin, had a ruddy complexion, and a very kind smile.
She spoke softly, "Good boy, you've worked hard on this journey. This is your first time in Beijing, so it's inevitable that you won't be able to adapt. Take a good rest and get well. If you need anything, just ask. Don't be shy. We are all family, so there's no need to be so formal."
Sun Shan still quickly said yes, and then received a gift from the old lady.
Sun Shan stood up and met the He family members one by one, and also received gifts. As for meeting the younger generations of the He family, Sun Shan had already prepared for it and handed over small purses to each of them as a token of his appreciation.
There's nothing he can do. His family is poor and if people say he's stingy, then so be it. I believe the He family already knows his background and won't care too much about his gift.
Sun Shan discovered that Minister He’s second and third grandsons were also chubby. He wondered if the eldest grandson who was away was a fat man?
It seems that the grandsons are filial to their grandfathers, but the grandmothers are not.
At the same time, there were several children who were also chubby. One of them looked exactly like He Shuqiang when he was a child, which made Sun Shan almost laugh.
Sun Shan secretly glanced at He Shujun. Why did he have a well-proportioned body and not be fat at all?
Alas, it’s a pity that I didn’t inherit obesity from my father’s side.
Minister He has a wife, a son and a daughter.
The family size is smaller than that of the second and third rooms.
The son is an official in another province and the daughter is married in another province.
The son of Minister He was an average person. He passed the imperial examination and became a scholar. Through the policy of "conferring titles to his wife and sons", he became an official and worked in another place.
The son did not have a promising future, but the grandson did. After passing high school, He Shilang's eldest grandson, He Shuyun, first went to the Hanlin Academy for an internship and then worked there. Now he is a fifth-rank prefect, which is equivalent to the acting mayor of a city in modern times.
The second grandson and the third grandson are both juren and xiucai respectively. Minister He's grandsons are much more promising than his sons.
After Sun Shan met the He family members one by one, the old lady arranged a banquet.
It was dark outside, but the hall was bright and warm inside, and Sun Shan felt much more comfortable sitting inside.
After dinner, Minister He called Sun Shan and He Shujun in.
Sun Shan was stunned, not knowing why he was looking for him.
When water comes, we can cover it with earth; when soldiers come, we can only move forward step by step.
Minister He got straight to the point and said, "Ashan, the first time you went to Beijing to take the imperial examination, you ate puffer fish and got poisoned. How are you now?"
Minister He once again looked seriously at his third brother's grandson-in-law and shook his head secretly.
I really can't understand why my third brother chose such a son-in-law.
He has no height, no looks, and no particularly sharp talent, and his family background is even worse.
Then I thought of the letter from my third brother, in which he almost cried and told me that he had met Yun Jie'er many times and no one rejected him every time.
Maybe he was in a hurry to find Sun Shan, so he had no choice but to close his eyes and look for him.
Poor Yun Jie'er, she was white and plump when she was little, just like the fairy boy in the New Year pictures, why is it so difficult for her to get married when she grew up?
Minister He felt sorry for Yun Jie'er. After all, she looked exactly like him, so he had a certain preference for her.
Sun Shan said quickly, "Grandpa, the toxins have been removed. The doctor said my body is no different from that of an ordinary person. I am back to normal."
Sun Shan wanted to correct Minister He. He didn’t eat puffer fish. He ate crucian carp, crucian carp, and crucian carp.
As for why he was poisoned, it was simply bad luck.
Minister He nodded: "As long as you are fine."
After a pause, he continued, "I will arrange for a doctor to check on you tomorrow. It must have been very hard on this journey."
Sun Shan and He Shujun quickly expressed their gratitude.
Minister He said again: "Ashan, tell me in detail how Duke Xu dealt with the poisoning?"
Sun Shan understood that Minister He was concerned about Duke Xu's new policies in Nanjing.
So Sun Shan made a long story short and summarized the key points, telling the whole story of how Duke Xu handled the situation after he was poisoned, and how Duke Xu promoted the new policy in Nanjing.
Minister He nodded: "I understand."
Sun Shan was led back to the guest room by the servants. Minister He kept He Shujun and asked about the situation in his hometown.
He Shujun told everything and took out two letters, one from Old Master He Er and the other from Old Master He San.
Minister He took a look at his second brother's letter. It was just an ordinary letter, talking about family matters.
When he saw the letter from his third brother, the fat on his face trembled involuntarily.
The entire letter only contained a few words about his eldest brother, while 80% of the content was about his grandson-in-law.
The meaning of the letter was simply to ask him, as the eldest brother, to take good care of Sun Shan.
It is emphasized that Sun Shan is weak and needs careful care.
Of course, what is more important is to let him teach Sun Shan well, try to get Sun Shan admitted to high school, and let Yun Jieer marry an official to avenge the previous shame.
Minister He couldn't help but hold his forehead with his chubby hand. He once suspected that his third brother's surname was Sun instead of He, and he couldn't tell the difference between the big and small Wang.