Chapter 39 Chapter 39 Sudden foot disease on the wedding night

Li Hongzhang lived in Anqing for three days.During the three days, Li Hongzhang had meals with Zeng Guofan during the day and drank tea with Zeng Guofan after dinner; at night, he played chess with Zeng Guofan while discussing state affairs. Before leaving, Zeng Guofan handed him a few pieces of paper and said, "Shaoquan, you have to be more careful along the way. This is the draft of your notebook and the one written by the old man for you. The old man asked the copy to be transcribed. I give you a copy, you can take a look on the way. If there is anything wrong, you can talk to the old man when you come back.” After Li Hongzhang took the booklet, he said goodbye to Zeng Guofan.

Walking on the road, Li Hongzhang took out the booklet that Zeng Guofan wrote for him, and looked at it carefully. The title of the excerpt is: "Folding Chen Jinling, Anhui, Northern Jiangxi, and the Preparations for Military Affairs in Various Routes". Zhe said: "The performance is an imperial decree. I respectfully refold the performance and pray for the holy lessons. Since ten days ago, the thief has sent orders and Yin Yin instructions, but quickly suppressed the military affairs of Jinling and northern Anhui and Jiangxi. The recent preparation situation, reasonable analysis and detailed analysis, Chi Wei Chen Xin ①!

"The decree ordered Li Hongzhang to lead the army to assist Jinling after Changxing succeeded. The minister received Li Hongzhang to consult and coach the artillery team. Suppressing Huzhou, it is also said that the weather is hot, foreign guns are fired continuously, and they are red, and many of them burst, and the flowering guns are fired to more than ten, that is, they can't start. Li Hongzhang is the bravest in his work on weekdays and the fastest. This time he will attack Jinling , a little bit of delay, Gai absolutely no secular intention to avoid suspicion, almost have the heart to give credit, and do not want to be called the name. However, it is said that it is all-out to help suppress Jinling, except to stay outside the Soviet Union, and it is even more difficult to assist in the suppression of Huzhou. This is true. Under the circumstances, the minister did not repeat the urging. In the blink of an eye, when the new autumn heat recedes, the governor will surely come in person. At that time, Hu County may have already come down first. Suffering..."

Li Hongzhang read the excerpt twice, pondered for a long time, and sighed: "I will not recite the infamy of rewarding for the merits; I will not do things that harm others and benefit myself." Li Hongzhang immediately recited a test law that he had made during the local examination ①: "Being honest and speaking is especially prudent, and poetry is Ji Fugeng. Debate with a strict heart, and memorize it to show sincerity. Skills are ingenious, and people scoff at the dust." .The orpiment is not indiscriminate, and the white is full of disputes. Discuss the ban of Qi and Liang, and talk about the lightness of Jin and Wei. The asshole must be hoeed, and the grass should not be called a name. Train and worship, praise and encourage loyalty."

At this time, the weather is warm, and the flowers along the river are in full bloom, full of vitality. It is really endlessly colorful and beautiful, which makes people feel refreshed and full of energy, and there is an ambition that can only be felt but cannot be expressed in the bottom of my heart. Li Hongzhang was in a good mood, so his pace was naturally fast, and he rushed home after a few days.When the mother saw it, she was really overjoyed; the whole family was also full of joy. On the second day after Li Hongzhang arrived home, he went to his father's grave to cry and pray, and then took his two daughters to burn some incense in front of his dead wife's grave.

The grave of his late wife Zhou was covered with wormwood, and it was lonely. When Li Hongzhang saw it, he couldn't help crying.While melting paper in front of the grave, the two daughters said, "Mother, father came back from the governor's office to see you." Li Hongzhang felt emotional, and thought of the many benefits of the Zhou family for a moment, and couldn't help but use a quatrain: "I have a lonely orchid, and I will open a hundred flowers field first. The sky is full of kings, and people are charming. The fragrance of the country. It is beautiful and fluffy for a long time, and it is blessed with rain and dew." Long. Not happy in the empty valley, often provokes the imperial furnace. Entering the room, the heart is quiet, and the nose is raised to watch the feast. This flower is really rich, and the grass is also auspicious. Huizhi is difficult to compete for beauty, and Artemisia Lai refuses to hide. Will be like Yao On the top, the first to occupy the group." He compared the Zhou family to an orchid, and praised it greatly, which shows the depth of love.

Five days later, Lian Er, a young lady from the Zhao family, was married into the Li family in Hefei. Although the wedding ceremony was held quietly, congratulatory gifts from the governor of Liangjiang, Zeng Guofan, the governor of Zhejiang and the commander who besieged Jinling, Zeng Guoquan, the governor of Anhui Li Xuyi, the governor of Fujian and Zhejiang Zuo Zongtang, etc., continued to arrive from all directions. In fact, Zhao Lian, the eldest lady of the Zhao family, had been looking forward to this day for a long time.From the moment the marriage was settled, no matter where Li Hongzhang went, Zhao Lian's heart would follow.Especially after Li Hongzhang went to Shanghai bravely, Lian Er was even more restless, eating and drinking was tasteless, and she was worried all day long.She had heard people talk about Shanghai a long time ago.Not only did she know that Shanghai's downtown was bustling, but she also knew that it was a large commercial port where foreigners gathered.She also knows that in the streets and alleys of Shanghai, there are many dissolute women leaning on the door to sell their laughter, leading many good people's children into the fire pit, and you can't jump out even if you want to.

At that time, the big family paid attention to the virtue of women without talent, so Lian Er happened to read and write by her father's side since she was a child.She memorized a book of Tang poems by heart; she had written a book of filial piety so many times. Lian'er is good at writing poems, and she is also born with a thin waist and slender feet, with a creamy face, and she is also a very good female worker.Such a woman, knowing that her future husband has gone to a place like Shanghai, even if you have a heart made of iron, you will be worried; How many times have you covered your head and cried.

The old lady of the Zhao family saw her daughter's eyes were red and swollen for several days, and she couldn't keep up her spirits. She knew that her daughter was anxious about the marriage, so she sent a matchmaker to Li's house in Hefei to find out what happened.The matchmaker went several times in a row, but the old lady of the Li family was forced to write a letter to the eldest son Hanzhang, asking Hanzhang to take leave and go to Shanghai anyway, urging Li Hongzhang to finish the marriage. Later, the Zhao family really got a letter from the Li family: Li Hongzhang insisted on waiting for his late wife Zhou to marry after the three-year term expired.

After hearing this, the Zhao family couple became more and more reluctant, and suspected that the Li family would regret their marriage.According to the custom at that time, children had to observe mourning for their dead parents for three years, but no husband had ever heard of a three-year mourning for their dead wife.The old couple of the Zhao family believed that the reason why the Li family did not marry was unreliable. Could it be that the Li family thinks the Zhao family has a low threshold? With this thought in mind, the old Zhao family couple began to feel uneasy!But since then, Lian Er seems to have let go of a burden, eats well, sleeps soundly, and becomes happier every day.

Lian'er thought that Li Hongzhang was able to guard his dead wife for three years, which showed that he was a real man with love and righteousness.For such a person, it is worth waiting for him for thirty years, not to mention three years! With this thought in mind, Lian'er naturally stopped worrying, but her parents began to frown.With Lian'er behind their backs, the couple quarreled and argued back many times. On the wedding night, in order to test Lian'er's talents, Li Hongzhang wrote the following words on the table: A good woman has no talent, and she can't forget her three years after she left.Lian'er thought for a while, then took up a pen and wrote below: My husband has no regrets, and I will continue my love in five days after returning. Li Hongzhang praised his dead wife who had no talent and virtue, while Lian Er hoped that Li Hongzhang could treat her like his ex-wife.The two looked at each other and smiled, and quickly hugged each other. The next day, Lian'er helped Li Hongzhang get up, and accidentally touched the sole of Li Hongzhang's foot. Li Hongzhang couldn't help but said, "Lian'er, take a quick look at what's growing on my foot, why is it so painful?" Lian'er hurriedly turned Li Hongzhang's soles to look at them, and couldn't help but wondered: "Yesterday she was fine, why did she give birth to a lot of hard flesh in one night? Could it be that she contracted a strange disease?" Hearing that her son had a foot disease, Li's mother sent someone to invite the doctor quickly, and at the same time helped the maid to come to see him in person.After the doctor arrived, he looked at Li Hongzhang's feet for a long time, and said: "From my young point of view, it's clear that my lord's feet are corns, but this can't be cured by medicine. I know a pedicure guy at the front door, my lord." Please ask him to come and have a look.” As soon as Li's mother heard this, she hurriedly appointed the doctor to invite the pedicure man to come and have a look.Not a moment later, the doctor brought the pedicure master over.Mother Li first asked the housekeeper to pay the doctor five taels of silver, and sent the doctor away cheerfully, and then asked the man to lead the pedicure into his son's bedroom. The pedicure master came to Li Hongzhang's bed, squatted down to look at it, and said with a smile, "Please rest assured, my lord. My lord's foot disease is not difficult to cure, as long as you dig out the hard part, it will be fine. The little three-generation pedicure , the repair is the corn.” Li Hongzhang nodded and said, "I'm sorry to trouble you." The pedicure man quickly took out the knife, rubbed the tip of the knife against his clothes, and then squatted down to work.The female family members of Li's mansion went inside to talk, while two male servants stood by and waited on them. After working for nearly half an hour, all the corns on Li Hongzhang's feet were removed, and there were more than a dozen of them, large and small.The pedicure man put away his knife and smoked the soles of Li Hongzhang's feet with wormwood for a stick of incense. Then he straightened up and said, "My lord, you always put on your shoes and walk around." The family hurriedly changed Li Hongzhang's clothes and shoes, and helped him get out of bed.Li Hongzhang walked around, and said with a smile: "Sure enough, you are a good player! I want to thank you very much." He said to a family member standing beside him: "At the account room, pay ten taels of silver and give it to this little brother. " The pedicure man hurriedly said: "My lord, don't hurt the little ones. The little ones have had three generations of pedicures, and it's the younger generation that has repaired the noble feet for the adults. Such a young one usually dare not even dare to face the old man." Take a closer look, let alone a pedicure. Let’s say goodbye to the little one, there are still things to do at home.” Li Hongzhang hurriedly said: "Brother, go slowly, I still have a few words to ask you. I have never had corns, why did they grow out overnight? Brother three generations of pedicures, can there be a cure?" The pedicure man hesitated for a moment, then whispered, "Is your lord a new favorite?" Li Hongzhang smiled and nodded.The pedicure man took a step forward and said: "Your Excellency is so kind. As soon as the little one comes in, you will know that the big one is Xiding. Xiding has been wrapped in the flesh for a long time, and usually does not feel pain, but when he touches a woman's body, it hurts." If it breaks out, not only will it hurt, but you will also be unable to walk, so bad. This kind of Xiding can only be cut out once after the attack, and there is no other way to think about it." After Li Hongzhang heard this, he nodded and said: "So that's the case. No wonder I have been fighting in the military camp for many years. I have walked through mountains and waters with both feet, and nothing happened. Now I want to take a good rest, but it doesn't listen to it." That's fine. Brother, come with me to the study, and I want to ask you a few words." When we arrived at the study, Li Hongzhang sat down and asked, "Where is my brother from? The accent doesn't sound like a local. Who else is there in the family?" The pedicure man stood respectfully and replied: "As far as the adults are concerned, the young one is from Sichuan. He came to Hefei with his father. His father died six years ago. He married the young one during his lifetime and had two sons and one son. Daughter, there are five people in Xiao’s family now.” Li Hongzhang thought for a while and asked again: "How many years have you been in Hefei, how is life going?" The pedicure man replied: "My lord, let me tell you. The little one comes from a humble background and lives by the knife in his hand. If he meets a rich man, he will reward a few more; if he meets a stingy one, even if he spends a day working on his feet, he will pay him a lot of money." I only give the little one a penny. The grown-ups know that a penny can only buy a handful of rice, or the kind mixed with straw, and the villain just lives and dies to support the family." Li Hongzhang said again: "We talked for a long time, but we haven't asked my brother's name yet." The pedicure man said: "My lord praises me, but there is no taboo name for the young one. I just gave up a random name. The young one's surname is Zhang, and everyone in the alley calls him Zhang Pedicure. The young one is actually There is a big one, named Zhang Youfu, who happens to be fifty years old this year." Li Hongzhang couldn't help laughing when he heard this.The pedicure man was inexplicably laughed, and also grinned. Li Hongzhang put away his smile and said: "Blessed, I think you are quite honest and have good craftsmanship. I want to keep you by my side. Would you like to?" When Zhang Youfu heard this, he was stunned for a moment, then fell to his knees, kowtowed, and said: "My lord is willing to keep the little one by my side to serve you, even if you are a cow or a horse, the little one is willing too! My lord, you old man Are you telling the truth?" Li Hongzhang smiled and nodded. Zhang Youfu kowtowed his head again, and said in his mouth: "The little father said that the little one is blessed before he was alive, and the young one is really blessed!" Li Hongzhang asked his family to change Zhang Youfu into clean clothes, and sent someone to vacate a wing room for his family to live in. Since then, Zhang Youfu has followed Li Hongzhang, taking care of Li Hongzhang's feet at any time.