"Alright, coming, coming!" the village chief quickly replied with a smile.

He then asked Ye Shan, Jing Lizheng, and the villagers to help entertain the soldiers before taking Uncle Zhao, Liu Biaotou, and others to the Li family's courtyard.

Of the five hundred soldiers, most were veterans, but a small portion were eating at Broken Gold Beach for the first time.

Right now, people are drinking from big bowls of wine and eating big chunks of meat. They can't even get white flour steamed buns at the banquet. The staple food is baked flatbread!

Some of the new recruits couldn't help but be surprised and delighted, asking the veterans next to them.

"Brother, if we keep eating like this, won't we empty General Li's house?"

Knowing that the young man came from a poor background, the veteran laughed and put a large piece of braised pork on his plate, saying, "Don't worry! Do you know where this is? It's Broken Gold Beach, a blessed land bestowed by the emperor!"

"Not to mention anything else, the jade melons planted in the summer are worth one ingot of silver each!"

"And the fruit on the mountain, five or six of them are more expensive than a whole basket of fruit from other people!"

"When we left in the spring, there didn't seem to be that many pigsties and chicken coops at the foot of the mountain, nor were there any greenhouses built. I guess the princess has some good ideas again, and the village has a new source of income."

After saying that, he saw the soldier staring at him with wide, surprised eyes, so he pulled him aside and said with a hint of pride, "You wouldn't understand if I said more. Just come back with General Li often in the future, and you'll understand."

"It would be best if you could squeeze into the Marquis's or General Li's personal guard, then you could settle down in the Second Village, that would be a great thing!"

"You can fight outside with peace of mind, and your wife and children can enjoy a good life in the second village."

"There are noodle workshops, vermicelli workshops, and pastry workshops in the second village. You can easily find a job there, and the wages are high..."

This kind of conversation was happening at almost every table.

The villagers, naturally proud, joined in the banter, telling the new and veteran soldiers about the village's recent changes...

In the neighboring Li family's courtyard, banquets were being held in the main room and the east and west rooms.

Lord Hou, Li Laosi, Li Zhensheng, Li Laoer, Li Laosan, and Mr. Wen, along with Liu Zhiheng, Mr. Jiang, Doctor Zhang, the village chief, Uncle Zhao, Chief Escort Liu, and others who came to join in the fun, filled the main room.

The west wing was where Jiaren and his brothers entertained Zhimin, Xiujie, Liu Yang, Guli, and Guo Wenhao.

Gu Li naturally came with Mr. Jiang.

Guo Wenhao has recently been serving Mr. Wen with his writing brush and ink, and Mr. Wen has brought him back to join in the festivities.

In the east room, Old Lady Li, along with Madam Wen, Hui Niang, Aunt Wu, Sister Liu, Tao Hongying, Zhao Yuru, Wan'er, and Wen Juan, filled the table.

There was a small table on the kang (a heated brick bed), where Granny He, Granny Tian, ​​Sister-in-law Qiong, and Dongmei were watching over Xingxing and the other children as they ate.

Shui Ling and Shui Yun, along with Granny Chang, Granny Lin, Xia Qing, and others, served the banquet, adding dishes and serving rice.

Shui Ling and Shui Yun were used to it, but it was the first time that Granny Chang and the others had seen their home so lively.

In particular, it was the first time they had met Lord Hou and Li Laosi.

Li Laosi is alright, no matter how powerful he is, he is still the fourth master of the main family.

But the Marquis is different!

That was a first-class military commander in Tianwu, commanding an army of 100,000, and was also the emperor's cousin. He could be said to have immense power!

Now, however, he eats and laughs with everyone, like a handsome, gentle, and approachable young man next door.

If we say he was polite to Liu Zhiheng and Mr. Wen, that's one thing, since they were all officials in the same court.

But the village chief and Uncle Zhao and the others were just old men in the village, yet the Marquis was quite friendly with them, even personally pouring wine for the village chief...

Granny Chang and Granny Lin were old, so even if they were surprised, they wouldn't show it on their faces.

However, Xia Qing, Wanqiu, and Xiaodong, the maids, couldn't help but glance at her a few more times, and Xiaodong even blushed.

Shui Ling noticed this and immediately sent Xiao Dong to the kitchen to watch the fire.

Jiayin sat between the Marquis and her father, sometimes eating shrimp meat peeled by her father, sometimes taking a bite of meatballs picked up by her godfather, her head bubbling with happiness.

Not only had her two guardian angels returned, but her father and godfather were also safe and sound.

You must know that the battlefield is dangerous; even a god cannot guarantee that he will escape unscathed.

What could be more joyful than the safe return of a loved one!

With so many people talking, everyone deliberately avoided sensitive topics, only discussing this year's harvest, the business in the hot spring valley, the construction of pigsties, chicken farms, and greenhouses in various villages, and asking about the progress of the war...

The meal lasted until the sun was setting, with two more dishes added and five jars of wine emptied before the banquet finally ended.

Meanwhile, five hundred soldiers were already happily splashing around in the hot spring!

Liu Zhiheng drank quite a bit, sent a message home, and then took his two sons to rest at Suijintan.

He went to the Wen family's house and slept with Mr. Wen.

Zhimin and Xiujie, of course, wanted to make a ruckus on the same kang (heated brick bed) with Lige and Maoge.

Mr. Wen felt sorry for his young disciple who was lonely at home, so he kept him to live with the boys, hoping that he would pick up some of their liveliness.

The Marquis chatted with the old lady for a few moments before returning home to wash up and change his clothes.

The Li family closed the door, dismissed the maids and servants, and sat together to have a private conversation.

Wan'er and Wenjuan were her nieces-in-law, so it wasn't appropriate for them to stay long. After listening for a few minutes, they took the children back to the backyard.

Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru were busy leading people to tidy up the three courtyards and settle the five hundred soldiers.

Soon, only Old Mrs. Li, her sons, and Jiayin remained in the room.

Grandma Li pulled her youngest son to sit beside her and carefully inquired about his food, clothing, and whether he had been injured.

Li Laosi answered all the questions one by one, and even lifted his clothes to show his mother his chest and back. There were indeed no new wounds, and only then did Li Laotai feel completely relieved.

Seeing his daughter smiling but not saying a word, Li Laosi felt a little guilty.

How can you not get injured on the battlefield?

The reason he showed his mother his chest and back was because the injury was on his leg.

His left leg was pierced by a spear thrown by a barbarian, leaving a bloody hole.

If it weren't for the potent medicine his daughter gave him that quickly stopped the bleeding, he probably would be limping by now...

Fortunately, Jiayin didn't intend to expose her father. She simply made a pot of honey water and presented it to her father and uncles to help them sober up.

Li Laosi finished his honey water and quickly changed the subject, "Mother, I went to see Jiayi, the Prefect of Jingzhao, this morning."

"This kid is really reckless. He doesn't care about going to jail, and he even picked up a violent madman, and they fight every day."

Sure enough, when the topic of her grandson came up, Old Lady Li immediately started cursing, "That brat, the family should just leave him alone and let him suffer a bit to learn his lesson."

"You went all the way back to Xindu without even discussing it with your family before running off to cause trouble!"

Li Laosi didn't hold back at all when it came to selling his nephew. He quickly said, "Just now at the dinner table, Chief Escort Liu said that Liu Yang found himself a wife in the south."

"Moreover, his father-in-law's family is quite influential in the local area, which is a great help to Liu Yang."

“不知道家义这小子怎么想的？事事争先，怎么找媳妇倒是不着急了！”