The Xia family sent people to guard the gate of the city, and when they saw the emblem of the Bai family's carriage, they immediately went up to inquire, and then enthusiastically invited them back to Hongtian Village.
Zhou Man declined, thinking it would be most convenient to live in the post station in Shangzhou City, and go to Hongtian Village the next day.
Most of the contacts with Shangzhou are with Xia Rui's family, and Hongtian Village only has sporadic contacts with Patriarch Xia, and the relationship is not deep.
The family stayed at the inn, and then sent someone to Xia Rui's shop to inform.
Xia Rui quickly brought the eldest son over, "When did you arrive? Why didn't you mention sending a letter home? We can pick you up..."
Zhou Man smiled and said: "It's the same when we arrive and contact you again. I've talked to the patriarch about it."
Xia Rui rubbed his hands awkwardly, "Did you bring the child this time?"
Zhou Man agreed with a smile and asked Wu Yue to bring Wu Yuan over.
Wu Yuan looked like his mother at this time, with a round head and a round face. He shook off Wu Yue's hand, ran over by himself, plunged into his mother's arms, and looked up at Xia Rui with his flushed face. .
Xia Rui was overjoyed when he saw it, "It really looks like Sister Xin."
Bai Shan: ... The Bai family saw that he looked like his father, and the Zhou family saw that he said that he looked like Man Bao, the mother. That's all right now. The Xia family saw that he looked like him. Like little mother-in-law.
Zhou Man looked at his youngest son's face, "Really?"
"Really, your mother has a round face..." Xia Rui stared at the child with piercing eyes and asked, "What's his nickname?"
"Wu Yuan."
"This name takes shape, good!"
Zhou Man smiled slightly and said, "My name is Xia Mu."
"The name is nice too." Seeing Madam Liu and Mrs. Zheng, Xia Rui quickly stood up and saluted, "Thank you for your success."
Seeing him bowing to the bottom, Mrs. Liu quickly stretched out her hand to stop her, and said with a smile, "This is a covenant that I made with my in-laws early in the morning. We are just keeping our promises, and we don't deserve such thanks from Master Xia."
Zhou Man said: "I came back this time for the purpose of dividing the clan."
Xia Rui was startled, "Are you going to divide your branch?"
Zhou Man nodded, "Yes, let's start with my grandfather's lineage. After all, Wu Yuan will not be in Shangzhou often in the future, so it is enough to link up with the clan here."
Xia Rui pondered, "I'm afraid the clan will not agree easily."
Zhou Man said indifferently: "As long as the patriarch agrees, it will be considered a success, right?"
Xia Rui nodded, "That's right, but how do you get the patriarch to agree?"
That's not easy, just throw money at it.
Although Xia Clan in Shangzhou had successfully recognized Zhou Man in recent years, they had never benefited from Zhou Man.
It's also a coincidence that after so many years, the county magistrate Zhai was slowly promoted, and he is still in Shangzhou, and now he is Sima in Shangzhou.
With him who knew the details of the Xia family, everyone inside and outside Shangzhou knew that although the Xia family was Zhou Man's natal family in name, she had no relationship with the Xia family at all, and even had some conflicts in private.
So even if someone wanted to use Zhou Man's name to do things, it would not work. In addition, Zhou Zhou Lang would go to Shangzhou at least twice a year. With him watching, it would be even more difficult for the Xia family to do things.
It couldn't be easier to choose between a clansman who doesn't benefit and a sum of ready money.
These years, Zhou Man has been in contact with Xia's family coldly, except that she invited Xia's family once when she got married, and never again after that, just for today.
Xia Rui is not his father, so he will not force Zhou Man to stay. In his opinion, it is better for Zhou Man to branch off, then she will be the one to decide which branch of them, and she can do whatever she wants.
"Then... when will you go back to Hongtian Village, do you want me to go with you?"
Zhou Man laughed and said, "I'm about to ask Uncle Xia for help."
Zhou Man and Bai Shan prepared a box of silver ingots, which were used to bribe Patriarch Xia.
The next day, the husband and wife left the child with Mrs. Liu and Mrs. Zheng. They took Xia Rui with money and went to Hongtian Village together.
Patriarch Xia had been waiting for a long time, and he looked back after welcoming him in, "You didn't bring the child?"
Zhou Man smiled and said: "The child is young, and taking him is a burden. We mainly talk about things today, and we will bring him here after the discussion is over."
"That's right," Patriarch Xia said with a smile, "Worshiping the ancestors and publishing the family tree are both important matters. We can discuss the matter first and then bring him to worship the ancestors."
Zhou Man sat upright, "Patriarch, since the ancestral hall is going to be opened, I want to separate my branch and set up another ancestral hall. How about doing it together this time?"
Patriarch Xia was startled, "What, you want to divide the clan?"
Zhou Man nodded and said: "Yes, you also know that we are mainly in the capital now, and we don't have much business in Shangzhou, so we plan to establish the ancestral hall in Chang'an, and we will join the clan in Shangzhou in the future."
"No, your line of people is withered, how can you divide the clan?"
Zhou Man said: "This is just now. When this child grows up, he will naturally be able to spread branches and leaves for the Xia family. I didn't mention the division of the clan before because I followed my father's surname, but now we have a boy from our lineage. That division is a matter of course."
Patriarch Xia didn't agree, he said: "The capital is not far from Shangzhou, your grandparents' tombs are here, if your lineage doesn't go back to your hometown, the clan can also help to sacrifice and sweep. If you divide the clan, ten years If you don't come back for eight years, will the grass on your grandparents' graves grow wildly?"
It's not like it hasn't happened.
Zhou Man thought to himself, before she came back, Xia Xia remembered to sweep the graves of his grandparents, who in the clan would burn a stick of incense for him
Zhou Man looked at Xia Rui.
Xia Rui waved at them and said, "Go out first, I'll talk to the patriarch."
When they left, Xia Rui held Patriarch Xia's hand and said, "Patriarch, what's the use of forcing her to stay? Look at how high an official she is now, who knows that she is a descendant of our Xia family?" ?”
Xia Rui said: "It's okay if I don't know. If I know, I don't know how to make fun of us. Their bloodline is like this now. Who doesn't laugh at us behind our backs for bullying the weak, which pushes the bloodline of the first relatives far away and even takes care of us. The clans are not willing."
Patriarch Xia's face turned red.
The Xia clan is not a big clan in Shangzhou, but it is just because there are many clansmen gathered, but most of them are poor people and their influence is limited.
It doesn't matter much about reputation.
But no matter how much you don't pay attention to, being looked at like this, I still feel very sick, especially when talking about kissing.
Xia Rui also said: "Look at the young people in the clan talking about their relatives over the years, how many of them can say something particularly good?"
"It's okay not to borrow Zhou Man's name. Everyone has spotted her and married her quietly. Once they borrowed her name, they asked a little bit. What kind of people are they attracted?" Xia Rui Said: "They are all snobs who seek advantages and avoid disadvantages. There are not many good people."
Patriarch Xia's complexion became more and more ugly.
"So instead of keeping her, it's better to let her separate from the sect, so that everyone can get together and break up, and at least there is still a sense of incense, right?" Xia Rui lowered his voice: "And she didn't want to separate the sect in empty words, she This time I also brought some silver... "