Jiayi understood this principle, but the thought of his family being separated still made him uneasy...

The uncle and nephew talked for a long time in low voices, but the laughter of the two guards and their servants carried far.

Li Laosi gave his nephew a few more instructions before leaving with his personal guards.

Before leaving, he instructed his personal guards to leave a silver ingot for the constables to have tea.

The constables respectfully saw him off, and afterwards they all started gossiping about it.

"The fourth general of the Li family is truly mighty; I've heard he's the bravest general in the Northern Expeditionary Army!"

"I've heard about it too, and since he's made a great contribution this time, the imperial court will definitely reward him."

"The main thing is that such a powerful person is still so polite to us, unlike some people who are so arrogant. They clearly want us to do them a favor, but they still expect us to curry favor with them. They are so stupid that I want to slap them!"

"Haha, that's exactly what I mean!"

Soon, the jailer returned. Hearing that Li Laosi had come and given him a reward, he sent someone to buy several boxes of pastries and distributed them to everyone.

Normally, when such a good thing happens, people would order a banquet, have everyone eat together, and enjoy themselves.

Now that Cyclamen provides all three meals a day, everyone is so hungry that they no longer care about other people's banquets.

We bought some snacks so everyone could take them home, and the kids and elderly in our families were happy too...

Leaving aside how bustling the city was, the court was also affected by the victorious return of the northern expeditionary force.

It is said that from dawn onwards, the Broken Gold Beach was bustling with activity.

The village chief specially changed into a new jacket and trousers, and even took out his new pipe. He walked around the village, happily directing everyone to slaughter pigs and sheep, and build stoves and start fires.

The hot spring valley was already arranged yesterday; it will be closed to visitors for the next two days to allow the returning soldiers to wash away the dust of their journey.

This has practically become an ironclad rule in the village!

Although the guests had some complaints, none of them made a scene.

Although the Jiangnan region was known for its literary culture, civil officials held significant power in the imperial court.

Scholars would subconsciously raise their chins, looking down on the loud and boisterous soldiers.

But in the end, they all knew that the peaceful life they had now was won by these soldiers with their long swords and their lives!

Even if some people are disdainful in their hearts, they dare not show it.

After all, that conscription was a cautionary tale. Before they could even utter a laugh, they might be thrown into the dockside barracks in the next instant!

Grandma Li and the others were worried about their families, so they rushed back from Xiankelai early in the morning.

Then, while talking about how exciting it was for the emperor to personally welcome the northern expeditionary army, he joined the busy procession.

By the time the sun was high in the sky, the entire new village and the second village were filled with the aroma of food.

The mischievous boys, unusually, didn't go out running around; they waited patiently for their meal.

Even the legendary doctor Zhang emerged from his courtyard, dressed in clean clothes, waiting to join the celebration.

They waited until the sun was beginning to set before the news finally came from the second village.

"They're back! They're back!"

"The Marquis is back!"

"Fourth Master has returned as well, bringing many soldiers with him!"

The crowd hurriedly went to greet them outside the courtyard, where dust was already billowing in the distance.

The Marquis wore a black bearskin cloak embroidered with gold thread, while Li Laosi, who was beside him, was also covered in armor and wore a crimson cloak.

One was dignified and noble, the other was robust and brave.

Five hundred cavalrymen followed behind, like heroes riding the clouds, arriving suddenly from the horizon.

The crowd couldn't help but shout excitedly.

"My lord, my lord!"

"Fourth Master, Fourth Master!"

The mischievous boys even jumped up and down, shouting and looking around. For a moment, the village was filled with the joy and excitement of family reunion.

When they were still a few feet from home, Li Laosi jumped off his horse, ran quickly to his mother, and knelt down with a thud.

"Mother, your unfilial son has returned!"

Old Mrs. Li's eyes reddened, and she tried her best to hold back her tears. She hugged her son and patted his back, saying, "What do you mean by unfilial son? Your son is the best in the world."

"You fight for your country, and your mother is proud of you!"

Looking at his mother's graying temples, Li Laosi choked up and couldn't speak.

At this moment, the Marquis dismounted and came over, bowing to Old Lady Li, "Auntie, we're back!"

"It's good that you're back, it's good that you're back!" Old Mrs. Li helped her son up and looked the Marquis up and down. When she saw that he was indeed not injured, she was finally relieved.

"Father, Godfather!" Jiayin couldn't help but jump out and said happily, "You were so impressive when you entered the city just now! It makes me want to join the army and become a female general!"

Jiayin is a grown-up now, so it's not appropriate for her to hug her father and godfather casually anymore, but she can still tug at their arms and chat and laugh for a while.

The Marquis and Li Laosi saw their daughter, whom they had been thinking about for more than half a year, now dressed in a bright red brocade jacket and a snow-white silk skirt. Her small, fair face was smiling like a flower in bloom, and she was even more beautiful and lively than when they left.

They were happy, and it was rare for them to smile.

His entire being was hard and cold, like winter snow meeting the warm sun, melting instantly...

For a moment, the crowd surrounded the Marquis and Li Laosi as they walked inside.

The village chief and Uncle Zhao and others also called on the five hundred cavalrymen to quickly dismount and rest.

The horses were led away to be fed hay and water.

The soldiers were then led to the courtyards of the Li, Ye, and Wen families.

All three courtyards had tarpaulin sheds erected to protect them from the wind and snow.

Right now, the shed is filled with tables and chairs, and there's an iron bucket in the corner of the yard burning wood for warmth.

The boys brought out basins of hot water and asked the soldiers to wash their hands and faces. Then everyone took their seats.

Lamb stew with radish, chicken stew with mushrooms and potatoes, pork stew, and so on, were all served piping hot in large earthenware pots, along with large baskets of layered sesame flatbread!

The soldiers, having endured more than half a year of danger and fighting, and covered in the dust of battle, gradually dissipated in the aroma of the food.

The village chief, Uncle Zhao, and Chief Escort Liu greeted the soldiers.

The village chief waved his pipe excitedly, "Brothers, eat your fill!"

"Today we slaughtered six big fat pigs, not to mention the sheep, chickens, ducks, geese, and big carp."

"Don't worry about eating our family out of poverty, we're quite well-off!"

"You're fighting outside, protecting the peace at home. It's only right that we cook something nice for you. Don't be shy!"

"Hurry up and eat! Pour the wine, pour the wine!"

"Yes, don't be shy, you've come home to Broken Gold Beach!" Uncle Zhao personally carried a wine jar and poured wine for the soldiers. "After you've eaten your fill, go to the hot spring valley and take a good bath. It's closed there today, just waiting for you to come back and wash away the dust of your journey."

"After washing up, I can take a long nap on the heated kang (traditional heated bed), and all my fatigue will be relieved!"

The soldiers all responded with thanks.

"Thank you, uncle!"

"Thanks, bro!"

"It's better to go home!"

Just then, Cat Brother ran over to invite them, "Grandpa Village Chief, Lord Hou and my fourth uncle are all waiting for you to come over for a drink!"