Shen Qi nodded and agreed without hesitation. He liked Xiao Li because he liked her free spirit and intelligence. She shouldn't be confined to the inner chambers. He would give her whatever she wanted.

"Third, I want to settle down in Mojia Village, so that I can stay by my parents' side while they are still alive."

This condition was a bit harsh, but Shen Qi still agreed. His mother was no longer alive, so it didn't matter where she was. Besides, his only relative, his maternal grandfather, also lived here.

The two reached an agreement, and the atmosphere became somewhat romantic. Xiao Li blushed under his gaze and whispered, "Also, I'm still young, and we'll have to wait two years to get married. Are you willing to wait for me?"

That's how the world is; it's common for people to get married at sixteen or seventeen. If they wait any longer, they'll be laughed at. Xiaoli is sixteen this year, so getting engaged now is fine, and waiting two more years is perfect.

Shen Qi nodded again, affectionately stroking Xiao Li's hair. "Okay, I'll wait for you." She'd already waited a lifetime in her dreams, so what's two more years?

Xiao Li couldn't understand the deep affection in his eyes, but she felt relieved and happy. She smiled brightly at Chen Qi and took the lead in walking down the mountain.

Shen Qi was stunned by the smile, and after a moment of stunned silence, she chuckled softly and followed behind.

Everything went smoothly from then on; the betrothal, name-asking, auspicious date selection, and gift-giving were all completed quickly.

Xiao Li hadn't expected the wedding to be so complicated. Shen Qi insisted on it because he came from a wealthy family and valued etiquette.

This is unprecedented in the countryside. After all, in rural families, marriage involves exchanging birth dates and times, setting a date after the proposal, and then getting married directly.

After the appointment was made, the date was finally set for October two years later, and Yun Yuniang and Mo Qingshan were finally at ease.

Mojia Village has changed dramatically. The road leading into the village is now paved with smooth stone slabs, leading straight to the village entrance. The paths throughout the village are made of pebbles and sand, so even on rainy days you won't get covered in mud.

Most of the houses in the village have been renovated, and many have been rebuilt. They look neat and orderly, quite different from the dilapidated and crumbling houses in other villages.

Xiao Li planted fruit trees all over the village, some apples, some peaches, some mulberries, some tangerines...

The small lake in the village is the most picturesque spot. With a few pavilions built on it, it's very convenient to watch the lotus flowers and fish. This is also Grandpa Su's favorite place to go.

The hill behind Mo Qingshan's house is also a beautiful sight, with red maple trees, golden ginkgo trees, fragrant osmanthus trees that can be smelled for miles, and some evergreen trees...

Several workshops had already been built in the village, and the shops in the town could no longer meet the output of the chicken farm, not to mention the even greater demand from Xiaoli's spatial dimension. Thus, the workshops came into being.

One workshop specializes in slaughtering, plucking, and sorting chickens. Another workshop is used to braise chicken feet, wings, legs, and eggs, while also producing seasoning packets and developing new products such as chicken frames, dried eggs, preserved eggs, and salted eggs.

A workshop produces air-dried meat jerky, and Xiao Li even took the time to research and create an earthen kiln for drying the meat jerky.

These workshops were all managed by Mo Qingshan and Yun Yuniang. They hired people to take care of the chicken farm and the work in the fields, and the two of them only needed to keep track of the accounts.

Chen Niang also returned from the escort agency. He wanted to be with his younger sister as she grew up and didn't want to be away for too long. So he helped Mo Qingshan run errands and contact merchants.

Moreover, the workshop was opened in the name of the Mo family clan, but Mo Qingshan's family took the lion's share. Everyone in the village had a job and was grateful to his family, without any jealousy.

The atmosphere in the whole village has improved, and it looks thriving. Xiao Li only offers suggestions, and she's the most relaxed person around all day.

As the Lunar New Year approached, Shidunzi and Zhang Yang suddenly returned, one with an injured arm and the other with an injured leg. Both returned home due to injuries, but fortunately, they survived.

Looking at the completely transformed village, the two of them could hardly believe their eyes. If it weren't for the big locust tree at the entrance of the village, they would have thought they had gone to the wrong place.

After hearing everyone's explanation, they realized the changes in the village. The two men were deeply moved. They had risked their lives outside and, with the subsidies they received for retiring from the military, had only managed to save fifty taels of silver, which the villagers could earn in a few months.

When Mo Yunxiao returned and saw his apprentice, he was also very moved. He held a banquet at his home, and all the familiar young men from the village came. A group of young people drank and chatted together.

The story of the bloody battle on site filled everyone with dread and excitement. They then discussed their future plans, each expressing their own opinions freely. The commotion lasted from morning till night before finally dispersing.

Several people quickly cleared away the table and dishes before leaving.

"That was truly thrilling! A real man should be like this!" Mo Yunxiao hadn't calmed down yet, feeling a little regretful that he hadn't gone to the battlefield with his disciples.

However, he wasn't too disappointed. The border was unstable, the war was at a stalemate, and the world was too chaotic. Having witnessed the cruelty of survival, he cherished his current happy life even more.

“Judging from Shidunzi’s description, the border is in grave danger. We’re not too far from the border, so we need to make plans as soon as possible. I’ll go find the village chief and discuss this matter.” Mo Qingshan got up and left.

"Brother, don't let your martial arts skills go to waste. Start practicing with your sister-in-law too. I'm just afraid that if things get chaotic, we won't have time to plan. It would be good enough if we could protect ourselves."

Xiao Li instructed her brother, fearing that he might become preoccupied with love and waste his time.

Mo Yunxiao tapped Xiaoli on the forehead. "I know, little master. She's been practicing for a while now. Xiaoqiu is a woman of the martial world, she's improving very quickly."

Xiao Li covered her head with one hand, and before she could say anything, Yun Yu Niang slapped her son across the face. "Can you just hit a girl's forehead like that? Don't you know how strong your hand is? Look, it's all red." She then glared at him.

Xiao Li gently patted her daughter's forehead, then leaned against her mother's shoulder, looking at Mo Yunxiao with a smug, defiant smile.

Mo Yunxiao looked at her reddened hand, her face full of grievance, "Mom, you've gone too far! There's no place for me in this family anymore! Mom, you're so biased! You only love your daughter and not your son! Waaah..."

Ye Qiuwen tugged at her husband's sleeve, "Everyone's gone, stop acting."

Mo Yunxiao wiped his face, rolled his eyes, and took his wife's arm as they went inside. Chen Niang also led his younger sister inside.

The Su family is also in turmoil today. Old Master Su has fallen ill again. He was a military general and suffered countless internal and external injuries when he was young. Now that he is old, all those old ailments have come back to haunt him.

Shen Qi helped an elderly man with white hair and beard down from the carriage and hurriedly entered the house. This was Su Lao's close friend, Zhangqiu Bai, a retired imperial physician from the Imperial Hospital. Hearing that his friend was ill, he came to see him and also to have a small get-together.

Su Lie was only wearing his undergarments and was half-lying on the bed, coughing occasionally. Zhang Qiubai knew from his appearance that nothing serious was wrong.

"Old Su, have you been drinking too much again? You're getting old and you still haven't changed. If you keep going like this, you won't have many years left to live." Zhang Qiubai muttered as he felt Su's pulse.