Records of the Lost Cases of Helaitang in the Ming Dynasty

After Wang Heng's college entrance examination was over, he went to Wang's Garden in Guoxiang to look for Zhang Xiru. However, Wang's servants told Zhang Wuye, Chen Dazun and the poet Wen Chongguang that they had gone to Yunjian County to discuss the merger of several Yunjian societies into Xingshe.

Mr. Zhang is worthy of being a social activist, full of energy and enthusiasm, and he is always surrounded by countless followers.

Wang Heng had no choice but to ask his servant to leave a message for Mr. Zhang, telling him that he had returned to his hometown at the end of the semester and would meet again at the Imperial College in early September.

When Xiaocai was packing his luggage, he found a brocade package in the cupboard. He suddenly remembered that it was the hundreds of taels of silver and banknotes that Huang Yuntai had stored here, and asked Wang Heng what to do with these taels of silver.
Wang Heng had long forgotten about this money. He was suddenly startled and said with mixed feelings: "Let's keep it for now. If we meet someone who needs help in the future, we can use this money to spend it."

Xiaocai was more familiar with the market conditions and said: "Brother Seven, it's unfavorable for money to get moldy at home now. Why don't we take two ingots of silver ingots back to Taicang for emergencies, and deposit the remaining 400 taels of silver certificates into the account?" Sister Feng’s shop is about making some profit. Sister Feng told me a few days ago that if you have any money, just deposit it with her. She relies on Dongtingchun Company and can’t lose money.”

Naturally, Wang Heng had no objection, so he left Xiaocai solely responsible for the negotiation. He solemnly said goodbye to several gentlemen and classmates he knew well in the academy. Mr. Xu, who was in charge of general affairs, and Mr. Yuan Shanchang also went to talk for a while. , Chief Yuan Shan had long known that he was going to the Imperial College to be imprisoned, so he really encouraged him a few words.

Mr. Chu has not come to the academy for a long time. I don't know who he heard from who said that Wang Heng was going to Nanjing Imperial College. At dusk, he rode on horseback to say goodbye.

The next morning the manservant sent by Mrs. Zhu to take Wang Heng back to Taicang arrived, and the Wang family's boat was still parked outside Loumen.

The two were about to leave when suddenly Xiaocai remembered something and said coquettishly: "Brother Seven, I forgot one thing. I want to go to Ma Yi Ke Lane to see if the Shi family's store is open."

Wang Heng pretended to be surprised and said: "It has been more than half a year since the Longxing lawsuit was settled. Haven't the Shi family received any news? Leave them a note and tell them to just come back. If any of the guards make things difficult, just go to Mi Si Zuo, the administrative envoy of Cangxiang, consulted the Chu residence and sought help from the eldest son of the Chu family."

Wang Cai responded one by one, wrote a few words quickly, and then went out to garden.

In less than half an hour, Wang came back sweating and his summer clothes were dripping with sweat. It was probably because he was worried that others would wait for a long time and he was in a hurry on the way.

The Shi family's shop was still closed, and the Shiyuan gate was covered with thick dust. Wang Cai still stuffed the note under the door of the shop. As for when the Shi family's father and daughter would find out, it would depend on their luck. .

The servants of the Wang family had already carried their luggage to the boat, and the two of them walked to Loumen to return home by boat.

The days are long in summer, and the boat rolls into Zhihe Pond at the beginning of Xu Shi. Looking from the lake to the shore, people are returning home in a hurry.

When the boat stopped under the Zhouqiao Bridge, the dusk clouds had not yet dispersed, and there were still a few streaks of afterglow in the western sky.Old Fulin, the Nanmen disciple, came up to Wang Heng with a smile and said that Mrs. Zhu invited him to have dinner at Baoxia Hall as soon as he came back.

Wang Heng asked Xiaocai to direct the male servants to move the luggage to Helai Hall, and then he walked through the hall, passed the verandah, and came to the three-room Baoxia Hall.

Wang Heng stepped forward to greet Madam Zhu, and Madam Zhu asked him to sit down and eat with her.

Mrs. Zhu has something to ask Wang Heng to help with. The busy season (in Wu language, the harvest season in the first half of the year) has just ended. The cotton and wheat harvests in Wangjiazhuang are very good. According to the old custom, the owner will treat the tenants to a meal to celebrate the harvest. Wine is called eating, talking, and praying (in Wu dialect). The host has a disciple to accompany him, and everyone toasts to each other.

The eldest son of the Wang family, Mr. Chenyu, went to Dong Xiangguang's place in Huating to practice his painting skills at the end of last month, but he has not returned yet. Therefore, he asked Wang Heng to come and have a drink the day after tomorrow.

Wang Heng naturally agreed wholeheartedly. He knew in his heart that Brother Chenyu was an only son. He had long been a high school student and was not suitable to attend such an event. The eldest brother was sitting on the table. No one among the tenants dared to eat or drink in a big way. Zhu Madam is actually considerate of the locals.He himself was penniless, so he should take care of the household chores.

Mrs. Zhu told Wang Heng that his father, Mr. Wang San, had returned to Taicang with his family not long ago. Several rooms in the ancestral house that his family had originally been allocated had been given to second rooms, so he had nowhere to live when he returned, so he rented a house in Taicang Prefecture. Lived in the Yu family's house on Ma Nong Street.The Yu family's house was not very spacious, so Wang Heng could just live in Helaitang with peace of mind.

Hearing that his parents had returned, Wang Heng was secretly happy. He left after dinner and returned to He Laitang. He talked to Xiaocai and the two decided to visit relatives in Ma Nong Street early tomorrow morning.

The next day, they got up at dawn and had porridge and rice early. Wang Heng and Xiaocai walked to Magong Street. Xiaocai carried several boxes of sugar sesame cakes. These were Wang Heng's filial piety to Mrs. Wang.

Ma Nong Street is not very far from Wang Yamen, so it still takes half an hour.

When I arrived at Ma Nong Street, I asked several more questions before I asked about the Yu family's house. The Yu family's house was located in a remote alley and was very dilapidated.

Wang Heng kept knocking on the door for a long time before someone answered the door. It was an unknown Cangtou. He told him that he was the young master in the mansion, and the two of them stepped through the door without waiting for him to tell him.

Early in the morning, the house was noisy. The women gathered around the patio, some crying, some making trouble, and some rolling around.

Wang Heng glanced over and saw his mother, Ling, sitting in front of the Eight Immortals Platform, trembling with anger.