Old Li gritted his teeth in anger, "It's true what they say, different strokes for different folks. Even the seriously ill old folks know to get up and sweep the yard or heat the kang (heated brick bed). But these people, they just go out for a stroll during the day and come back to eat and sleep when they're hungry. Do they really think this is their home?!"

"Have the heart of a bodhisattva, but act with the ruthlessness of a thunderbolt." The Marquis replied calmly, "When it is time to show kindness, we must show kindness, but when it is time to establish authority, we must intimidate all these people at once. Even if something happens, we are not afraid. I am back. Even if the sky falls, no one can touch the Li family."

These words were truly domineering. Although Li Lao Er had no intention of wreaking havoc, he couldn't help but feel his blood boil.

It feels so good to have someone to rely on!

Jiayin, holding a pastry, looked at her godfather with eyes full of admiration!

Noble status, handsome appearance, and domineering aura – these are the standard features of a protagonist!

But this good man doesn't want to get married, and countless women in Xindu are secretly tearing their handkerchiefs in anger...

The Marquis felt a little uncomfortable being stared at by the little maid, and with a wry smile, he raised his hand and tapped her.

Then he said to Li Lao Er, "We have won a great victory this time. The Emperor is very happy and has named my tens of thousands of soldiers the Northern Expeditionary Army. All food, drink, clothing and supplies will be given priority by the Ministry of War."

"In a few days, I'll figure out a way to get some small jobs like shoe making. You and your team should work hard. Maybe one day we'll get all the jobs."

"But it's not feasible at the moment. Military supplies involve too many interests and could easily cause trouble for you and your family."

"Okay, okay!" Li Lao Er was overjoyed and nodded repeatedly in agreement.

He didn't look down on this "small job" at all!

You know, shoes for tens of thousands of people! Even if we only get a few thousand pairs, it would be enough to keep the staff of the relief agency busy for a month!

This is a good start; once the news gets out, the relief agency may receive other jobs in the future.

After all, if you can get the job done for the same price, or even less, and also do good deeds, who wouldn't want to give it a try?

After sitting for a while, the Marquis took Jiayin back to Suijintan.

Li Lao Er stood in front of the door until the carriage had driven far away before turning back into the courtyard.

An old man with one eye blind came out of the kitchen and said to Li Lao Er with a smile, "Lord Li, the porridge is ready. When will you ring the bell?"

The Relief Office's compound was too large, with too many buildings. Every time there was a meal, a bell had to be rung so that people from all over would hear the noise and rush to line up.

If someone is too sick to move, they will be taken home by their roommate.

Because of limited funds and food, there were more than 700 people to eat.

Therefore, the Relief Department has been providing two meals a day recently, with breakfast at midday and dinner in the late afternoon.

Li Lao Er instructed, "Now that the porridge is cooked, let's ring the bell."

The old man hesitated for a moment, then quietly pointed to the lazy men by the wall and asked, "Sir, do they... also need porridge? Yesterday they complained that the porridge was too watery and insisted on having an extra bowl."

"Moreover, they even snatched the porridge that was sent to the patients at the back. It's really outrageous. Not only that, they occupied a room and wouldn't let anyone else live there, but they still demanded that others heat the kang (heated brick bed) for them. If this isn't done up, the relief agency will probably be under their control."

Whether the old man was angry or afraid that Li Lao Er wouldn't take responsibility, his words were unpleasant.

Li Lao Er smiled and calmly said, "Go get to work, I have my own arrangements."

The blind old man chuckled dryly, quickly agreed, and went into the kitchen...

Leaving aside the situation at the Relief Bureau, let's just say that Lord Hou and Jiayin bought a lot of snacks on the way back to Suijintan.

Just then, the mischievous boys came home from school. As soon as they saw the Marquis getting out of the carriage, they rushed forward to pay their respects, each of them smiling shyly and innocently, completely unlike their usual mischievous selves.

The Marquis found it amusing and guessed what they were thinking, so he gave them some snacks and instructed them, "If you want to ride horses, have my personal guards take you for a few laps, but you can't ride them secretly on your own, or you'll break your legs, understand?!"

"Understood, thank you, Lord Marquis!" the boys shouted in unison, overjoyed.

They grabbed the snacks and ran home like madmen, throwing down their schoolbags and rushing to cut the freshest wild grass, which they then delivered to the Ye family's courtyard to bribe the warhorses.

Once the warhorses are full and happy, they won't reject them anymore. They can ride them for a while or help with grooming.

Jiayin didn't have that hobby; she had already run home to hug her grandma's leg.

Grandma Li was helping Wenjuan with needlework. Wenjuan was a little weak, perhaps because she had just vomited.

Jiayin quickly broke off a piece of the osmanthus candy she had bought and put it to her sister-in-law's lips, then coaxed her, "Sister-in-law, my second brother is coming back to stay tonight. He just said he was going to go to the south of the city to buy you some pickled plums!"

Sure enough, Wenjuan's eyes lit up immediately, and she said reproachfully, "He's so busy and tired, why is he still thinking about me!"

Jiayin widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Why can't I think about it? My sister-in-law is carrying my second brother's child, and she's working so hard. Of course, my second brother should treat her better."

Wenjuan blushed even more, hugged her sister-in-law, tidied her slightly messy hair, and finally said to Grandma Li, "Grandma, do you know, the happiest thing for me since I married into our family is having my sister-in-law, Fu Niu'er."

“Other people’s sisters-in-law try every means to squeeze things and money out of their sisters-in-law, and they’re always running to their mothers-in-law to complain. But our Fu’er is not like that at all. She even helps me, her sister-in-law, with clothes and jewelry, and she even runs a small business that makes money!”

"Ever since I became pregnant, she has treated me even more like a treasure. Grandma, I'm so happy I could laugh in my dreams. If word got out, people would be green with envy."

Hearing her granddaughter praised, Grandma Li felt sweeter than if she had eaten honey, and couldn't help but chime in, "This girl is a naturally sensible child. When she was born, our whole family was fleeing famine on the road. We suffered so much."

"This child has never cried once. Even when she was very hungry at night, she didn't cry. She just felt sorry for her mother who was tired during the day and wanted her mother and the family to get more sleep."

"Tell me, whose child is like this? How can the whole family not feel heartbroken for her?!"

Jiayin blushed as she listened, then quickly went over and hugged her grandmother's neck, acting cute and charming, "It's all thanks to Grandma's good teaching. Fu Niu'er learned everything from Grandma."

"Oh my, Grandma's chubby little girl, you're the best at making Grandma happy!"

Old Mrs. Li beamed with joy. Turning her head, she saw the Marquis enter and, remembering the half-cartload of cloth that had just been delivered from the city, quickly said, "My lord, why did you send so much stuff home again? If the family needs it, just go and buy some more. It's not right to always let you suffer losses..."

“Auntie, we’re all family, there’s no question of taking a loss or getting an advantage.” The Marquis sat down next to the old lady and said with a smile, “As you know, there are no women in my household. Those fabrics are just sitting there, and we’re worried about them getting moth-eaten and moldy. Why don’t we bring them over and use them?”

Old Mrs. Li had no choice but to reply, "Alright then, in a few days, Hongying will be leading the village women to bake mooncakes. Have them bake a lot and send them over; the Marquis's residence doesn't need to buy any extra, understand?"

“Alright, Auntie. You don’t need to tell anyone else. Just tell Fu Niu’er. I’m entrusting the management of the Marquis’s residence to her today. From now on, she can come to the city every few days to visit the Marquis’s residence.”

The Marquis spoke casually, completely oblivious to the fact that entrusting such a vast manor to a child was anything extraordinary...