Jiayin, on the other hand, was busy preparing dinner, a very lavish meal, planning to invite Doctor Zhang, the village chief, Liu the镖头 (bodyguard), and other elders to a gathering.

"Second Uncle, it's just in time for you to come back. Grandpa Village Chief said he hasn't tasted my cooking in a long time. I'll cook a few more dishes, and you can have a few drinks with everyone later."

Jiayin was very happy to see her second uncle return, and said, "I have already sent someone to pick up sixth and seventh brothers, as well as Mr. Wen. They will be here soon."

Li Lao Er didn't know what Mu Xu was planning, so he didn't say much. He just smiled and replied, "Alright, your sixth brother is going to take up his post tomorrow, consider this a farewell gift for him."

This reminded Jiayin, and she quickly called to Shuiling, "Bring out the candied fruit jars from our cellar, in case Sixth Brother leaves them behind tomorrow."

The Li family has seven brothers, each with their own preferences.

Li Ge'er especially loves sweets, but his family is afraid he'll get rotten teeth, so they've controlled his intake since he was little.

But Li Ge'er has a little problem: he can't concentrate on reading at night without eating something sweet.

So Jiayin used the honey from the space to pickle the fruits in the space and made a lot of candied fruit.

This way, my brother's cravings were satisfied, and it was also good for his health.

Of course, he was still only given a small dish each night, but this made Li Ge'er extremely happy.

It wasn't just because he liked to eat it, but also because his sister made it especially for him.

When Li Ge'er went to take up his post, his family hired a secretary and brought along a group of people. They even prepared more than a dozen horse-drawn carriages full of luggage.

Jiayin made several extra jars of candied fruit to take with her brother.

As dusk fell, the roosters of each household called the hens back to their roosts, and the old yellow dog that had been lying at the village entrance ran into its door, marking the end of a noisy and busy day.

Li Lao Er guessed that his eldest son must still be thinking about home, so he quickly wrote a letter to reassure his son as he went to his post.

After finishing these tasks, the village chief and others arrived.

The Li family's old house, which had been quiet for a long time, has become lively again.

Ten years have passed, and the Broken Gold Beach is no longer the desolate place it once was.

The villagers were no longer in a state of panic and disarray.

Today, the orchards and hot spring valleys are a constant source of income.

The jade-green melon vines planted in the field yielded silvery fruits.

Pig farms and chicken farms ensure that villagers can have meat at every meal without worry.

Not to mention those workshops, where even the elderly could earn a few dozen coins a day by chatting and doing odd jobs.

The boys and girls all had jobs, and the little kids also had schools to attend.

The village chief and Liu the镖头 (bodyguard) did their best, arranging all the tasks in an orderly manner.

It can be said that whether the Li family is in Suijintan or not, everyone's life is not much different.

But seeing the Li family's courtyard so deserted and dark at night, everyone felt a void in their hearts, a constant sense of unease.

Today, after much difficulty, the Li family's gate was opened, the banquet was set up, and lanterns were hung under the eaves. Laughter and cheers carried far and wide.

The entire village seemed to have been injected with fresh blood, coming alive again.

After the men finished eating, they gathered together, all smiles, to listen to the latest happenings in the city.

Even the elderly, women, and children would wander over, stand outside the door, chattering and joining in the fun.

Jiayin heard the commotion and went out to ask for help.

The elderly and women waved their hands, while the children hid behind their mothers, peeking out and grinning.

Jiayin had no choice but to have Shuiling take a winnowing basket, fill it with more melon seeds, peanuts, and snacks, and deliver it to the door so that everyone could have a bite.

Now that everyone's lives have improved, they don't really lack food.

But in their minds, anything produced by the Li family is the best.

A woman struck up a conversation with Shui Ling, asking, "Shui Ling, the Dragon Boat Festival is coming soon. Will our village still be making zongzi (sticky rice dumplings) this year?"

"Yes, yes, without Fourth Madam at home, the festival seems meaningless. In previous years, Fourth Madam would have already started preparing, and we would help out, even if it was tiring, we were happy," the other woman chimed in.

Shui Ling smiled and said, "Of course we have to make zongzi for the festival! The princess mentioned it the other day. Don't worry, ladies, the princess remembers. Everyone, please start preparing whatever ingredients you can. The princess will definitely come back and help us all!"

"Really? Haha, that's great!"

"The village is bustling with activity now that the princess is back."

The women were all smiles as they discussed what ingredients to prepare.

One family brought a bag of red beans, another a bag of candied dates, and soon they had collected quite a few.

Jiayin felt a little uneasy after hearing what Shuiling had said.

Actually, she had completely forgotten about it, but luckily it wasn't too late.

She should come back more often in the future, otherwise, over time, people's hearts will easily drift apart.

The banquet at the Li family's house ended when the moon was high in the sky.

The village chief and Doctor Zhang and the others leisurely went back to sleep. Li Lao Er drank the hangover soup and called Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er into the study to talk.

Cat Brother has nothing to do in Kyoto. Tomorrow he will accompany his brother to his new post and stay for seven or eight days before returning, as a way to relax.

Moreover, since Li Ge'er is a newcomer, if anything happens, his brothers will lend a hand.

Jiayin brought them some fruit and then went back to her room.

Shui Ling and Shui Yun, having been busy all day, were ushered to the kang (heated brick bed) in the living room and quickly fell asleep.

Jiayin couldn't sleep, so she went into her online space to play for a while. As soon as she came out, she heard a knock on the window.

A certain possibility occurred to her, and her heart began to pound.

The person outside the window was probably getting impatient, so they pushed open the window and jumped in.

Jiayin grabbed a feather duster from the side of the table and swung it at him!

As soon as Mu Xu landed, he was hit, and the person behind his back chuckled and said, "Is the princess angry? Then I'll hit her a few more times!"

Jiayin rolled her eyes, threw the feather duster behind her, and asked, "Why are you back?"

Mu Xu plopped down at the table, poured himself some tea, grabbed a plate of snacks, and began to wolf them down.

Jiayin didn't say anything and found a seat furthest away from him.

Seeing this, Mu Xu dared not delay any longer, quickly swallowed his snacks, and got up.

"My third uncle was actually expelled from the clan by my grandfather years ago. I originally wanted to save him some face, but he took advantage of my young age and probably didn't know about this, and even tried to manipulate me."

"Yesterday, I escorted the eldest young master to a town where a teacher from my county town, surnamed Su, lived. He was an upright and honest man, so I invited him to come to the academy with me. In front of Dean Zhou and several other teachers, I explained things to my third uncle."

“If this old man behaves himself in the future, I will treat him as an ordinary clansman and visit him often. If he refuses to give up, I will let the entire Xindu and Tianwu know that he has been abandoned by the clan.”

"How dare someone who has been expelled from the clan, selfish and self-serving, and who has made no contribution to the family, tell me what to do, the eldest grandson of the legitimate wife!"

Jiayin was so shocked that her mouth agape slightly. She thought Mu Xu had managed to persuade Mr. Tang, but she never expected Mu Xu to go so far as to expose Mr. Tang's true colors!

Mu Xu took another pastry, stuffed it into his mouth, and mumbled, "So the young master actually knows about Mr. Su's existence. If I hadn't asked him to come, he would have gone himself. Isn't he afraid of being found out by the academy and being scolded for betraying his teacher and ancestors!"

Jiayin felt a warmth in her heart and replied, "I was wondering why my brother left so easily. It turns out he had a solution. He never wanted me to suffer. It's just that I don't know how many years it will be before we see each other again."

Mu Xu, recalling the events of the past few days, touched his nose guiltily.