After dinner, the two old women cleared away the dishes.

The family sat together, none of them wanting to leave early, as if they had endless things to say.

Lu Qiqi then had the Shadow Guards bring the gifts she had prepared into the house.

She not only brought back cattle and sheep from the border town, but also local specialties.

Eastern pearl.

The women looked at the pearls in their hands and couldn't stop smiling.

Even Lu Xiangxiang, who had seen many fine items, was no exception.

The fact that Wu Guangping betrayed his country and colluded with the enemy caused a national sensation.

When the emperor ordered the execution of nine generations of a family, she held the child in her arms, her heart filled with worry, fearing that she would be implicated by Lu Qiqi.

When she saw Lu Qiqi return safely, the huge weight in her heart finally lifted.

She also felt that the pearl in her hand was becoming more and more dazzling.

Lu had received hairpins from Lu Qiqi before, but this was the first time she had seen a pearl the size of her little finger.

She had at least dozens of pearls in her hand, strung together into a necklace.

She thought that this item would be perfect for Xiao Liu to marry in the future, and the more she thought about it, the happier she became.

Lu Qiqi put the necklace on Lu Yao, and then on Xi Bao as well, earning a sweet kiss from Xi Bao, whose mouth was still greasy from eating a chicken leg.

Lu Qiqi didn't put much thought into the gifts for the boys; she had spent several days at the border and had captured a large number of weapons from the Tartars.

I selected a few daggers with exquisite designs, but whose patterns were not typical of the Tartars, and gave them to them.

Lu Dahai and Li Qingshan didn't find it strange that they were holding daggers.

On the contrary, the sight of several children holding daggers made Madam Lu feel uneasy. She stopped smiling and said anxiously, "Seventh girl, is it inappropriate to let them play with these daggers?"

Lu Qiqi smiled and said, "Auntie, don't worry. This dagger is short, only about the length of a finger. It's fine for peeling fruit, but it won't hurt anyone."

She had thought about this long ago and specially ordered someone to reforge it, but only so that they could use it as a plaything.

Hearing her answer, Mrs. Lu was relieved and watched as Xi Bao teased the two wolf cubs.

When everyone learned that the two wolf cubs were Wangcai's children.

While sighing at how fast time flies, I also felt a little sad thinking that I would never see Wangcai again.

However, everyone quickly accepted the two wolf cubs.

They are Wangcai's children, and the children resemble their father.

I imagine the two wolf cubs will be as clever and loyal as Wangcai.

Xi Bao was holding a wolf cub and tried to pull on its hind leg with one hand, which startled Li Shi, who slapped Xi Bao's little bottom and made her put the wolf cub down.

Little Xibao was very sensible. She let go of the wolf cub and kissed Li's cheeks a few times, leaving Li's face covered in oil.

She kept saying, "Mother, don't be angry, don't be angry."

While Li was annoyed at wiping her face with her sleeve, her heart softened. She said, "You little rascal," and then hugged Xiao Xibao and gave her a few big kisses.

This made little Xibao tilt her head back and shout for help, which made everyone burst into laughter.

After the joke, Lu Yao looked at the two wolf cubs and remembered something, "Sister, do they have names?"

Lu Qiqi was so busy in the border town that she never even thought about naming the wolf cub.

Not yet.

She then suggested, "Why don't you give them names, Yao? One of these wolf cubs is a girl, and the other is a boy."

After thinking for a moment, Lu Yao thought about their father's name, Wangcai, and also wanted to give the two wolf cubs an auspicious name.

After a moment, she said, "Sister, how about we name them Jixiang and Ruyi?"

At first glance, the name doesn't seem like much, but upon closer inspection, it shares a similar charm with the name Wangcai.

She had originally thought of naming the children Zhaocai and Jinbao, since they sound like they'd bring in money.

The name Ah Yao chose was better than she expected; it was auspicious and meant that everything would go smoothly in the future.

Lu Qiqi smiled and said, "Okay. From now on, we'll call them Jixiang and Ruyi."

As if they understood, the two wolf cubs stopped circling around Xibao and instead ran to Lu Yao's feet.

The family was so happy together that the house was still brightly lit late into the night.

It wasn't until Madam Lu saw Saturday yawning that she realized what was going on. "Seventh girl, you've had a long day. Go back and rest. Now that you're back, you can talk anytime you want."

After being reminded by Madam Lu, Lu Qiqi also felt a little tired. The two old women from the Shadow Guards who had come to Luzhou Prefecture with her had already prepared a house for them to stay in.

Lu Yao clung to her tightly today, as if afraid that Lu Qiqi would leave again as soon as she returned. Like a little shadow, she followed her sister wherever she went.

Lu Qiqi knew exactly what she was thinking, so the two sisters ended up sleeping in the same bed that night.

Now that's great, Lu Yao got her wish and could happily fall asleep with her sister in her arms.

......

Lu Qiqi has been back in Luzhou Prefecture for two days, but the Shadow Guards have not yet arrived in Luzhou Prefecture to transport Chen's coffin.

So she went to play with the baby in the swaddling clothes.

After ten months of pregnancy, Zeng gave birth to a daughter. Hu Jinfei's wish came true. When the midwife brought the baby out, he smiled so broadly that his eyes couldn't close.

That very day, Hu Jinfei burned incense and knelt to thank his ancestors for their blessings.

Zeng spoke in the most indifferent tone, which, coupled with the image of Hu Jinfei fleeing in disarray, made everyone burst into laughter.

Zeng and Lu Xiangxiang's daughters were about the same age, and the two had a lot in common. So they would get together every day to talk about their experiences in raising children.

Looking at Lu Xiangxiang, Lu Qiqi noticed that her mental state was many times better than when she was at the Wu residence.

While Lu Xiangxiang brought the child back to the house, Lu Qiqi asked Xiangling to stand guard outside while she and Lu Xiangxiang went inside to sit down and have a detailed talk.

Lu Qiqi said, "Little aunt, the night I left the Wu residence, I had someone bring out all your belongings from the Wu residence."

When I have time, I'll have someone move them into your house.

Thinking of the past, Lu Xiangxiang's face turned somewhat pale. She said, "Qiqi, I brought all the gold and silver."

"The remaining six loads of gifts, and the Eastern Pearl bestowed by the Empress Dowager, were only given to you by the Crown Prince because of your influence. I cannot accept these things."

Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi opened her mouth, but the words she said were roundabout, "Then I'll sell everything else and get cash. My aunt has suffered so much, she should keep some money on her. Raising a child costs a lot of money."

Having said all that, Lu Xiangxiang looked at the child in her arms, then looked up again, her eyes filled with the light of life reaching for the sun.

She said, "Qiqi, thank you."

Thank you for saving me from this ordeal.

Thank you for saving the lives of my daughter and me, master and servant.

Upon hearing this, Lu Qiqi smiled and walked out of Lu Xiangxiang's room.

She was planning in her mind to have Nineteen arrange for the things looted from the Wu family to be converted into cash and given to Lu Xiangxiang to raise her child.