Land of Hope

Once at the bottom, now soaring to the top.

The changes in the Land of Hope are visible to the naked eye.

All of this is inseparable from the efforts of Mayor Wu.

This kind and amiable old man, when he first arrived, did not look down on the village for being poor. He personally guided everyone in planting honeysuckle and medicinal herbs, helped them build factories, selected workers, and set up production lines...

Almost a year has passed in the blink of an eye.

The muddy paths in the village have been paved with broken tiles brought from the brick and tile village, making them much easier to walk on than the original muddy paths.

The thatched huts and mud walls that used to be everywhere have now been improved.

Some families even moved into brick and tile houses, no longer having to suffer from wind and rain or leaks.

"Giggle~"

"Woof woof woof~"

Not to mention every household, most families raise chickens and ducks, as well as dogs to guard their homes.

"Hmph~"

A few families even raised piglets, which have now grown into adult pigs.

When Grandpa Wu arrived in his horse-drawn carriage, he saw smoke rising from the chimneys of every household.

"Coo coo coo~"

Perfect timing, I'm hungry, let's go to my old friend's house for a free meal.

"Stop! Who goes there?"

For security reasons, each township head set up a checkpoint and patrol team at the entrance of their village to stop strangers.

Therefore, Mr. Wu's carriage was stopped.

"Fellow villager, I am Steward Qian from the Princess's residence. I have come to escort the Princess's father-in-law, Old Master Wu, to see Township Chief Wu. Please trouble you to inform him of this."

That's right, sitting next to the coachman is Manager Qian.

He was a little worried when someone else brought the old man here.

He had already trained Xiong Yong and he was capable of handling things on his own, so he volunteered to come and escort the old man to visit his old friend.

"Please wait a moment, distinguished guests."

The patrolling villagers nodded, looking on with serious expressions.

But due to his duty, he wouldn't release the person just because he heard the title.

We'll verify the information before releasing them, so as not to cause trouble for the village.

"That's natural."

Fortunately, the distinguished guest did not mind and made concessions in a pleasant manner.

A moment later—

"Good grief, you didn't even give me a heads-up before you came!"

Wu Yongfa, leaning on his cane, came over with a bouncy gait.

The patrolmen quickly made way, showing great respect.

Old Master Wu had already gotten off the carriage and was leaning on his cane under the shade of a tree, looking around.

Hearing his old friend's voice, he turned around and said with a smile:

"When I attended my grandson's wedding banquet before, didn't I tell you that I would come to see you before I left?"

"It's my fault. The wine at the banquet was so good that I was so focused on drinking it that I forgot about this."

Wu Yongfa burst into loud laughter, and then the two old brothers walked side by side.

He led the way, showing his old friend his masterpiece step by step.

The Land of Hope truly brings new hope!

Manager Qian followed the coachman at a respectful distance, without the slightest hint of arrogance.

Upon seeing this, the villagers greeted them with smiles, and those who had just finished cooking warmly invited their guests into their homes for a meal.

However, Wu Yongfa wasn't going to give them a "chance".

His guests, of course, he'll treat them.

As soon as he got home, he shouted—

"Old woman, look, we have important guests! Cook a few extra dishes for lunch, I want to have a few more drinks with Old Wu!"

Upon seeing the newcomer, Old Qin, who had originally intended to scold the old man, suppressed the curses she was about to utter and managed a rare smile.

It really is Old Wu! He should be invited, and he should cook more good dishes.

Alcohol? Forget it, let the old man drink it.

"Sister-in-law, please don't be offended. I brought a few jars of medicinal wine with me today. I guarantee it will be fine to drink it."

Old Master Wu was prepared, or rather, his wife had anticipated that he would drink with his old friend, so she specially asked his third son's wife to prepare several jars of medicinal wine for him.

Old Madam Qin's smile deepened. "Medicated wine is still wine, but it has medicine in it!"

Never mind, as long as it doesn't harm my health, it's fine.

Manager Qian, accompanied by strong and sturdy coachmen, unloaded the wine jars from the carriage.

And from a hidden compartment, he took out a bolt of floral fabric, a bolt of deep blue cotton fabric, a box of pastries, and some tonics, and handed them to the wife of Township Head Wu, saying respectfully:

“My princess has other important matters to attend to and is unable to accompany the old master on this visit today. She feels very bad about it, so she personally selected these things that you may need and asked me to deliver them. Please accept them.”

Old Qin sighed. From beginning to end, it was Sanlang's wife who took care of the old couple. How could she accept that?

"The princess said that the pickled radishes and pickled ginger you sent last time were crisp and delicious, and she would like to ask for some more to take home. I wonder if you have any at home?"

Manager Qian was very good at reading people's expressions and subtly changed the subject.

"Yes, if you like it, I'll give her all the leftovers at home first, and you can come and get another portion in ten days or half a month."

Upon hearing this, Old Madam Qin smiled and agreed.

It's great that her skills can finally be put to good use.

"good."

Manager Qian readily agreed and then assisted the township head's wife.

The coachman also tied the carriage to a crooked tree in the yard and helped chop wood, split firewood, and carry water.

Seeing that the newcomer did not disrespect the village head, the villagers outside lowered their guard...

Yes, although Mayor Wu is not a native of this area, they have completely come to trust this old man after spending a year with him.

As long as Mayor Wu is in power, the township will truly be able to live a good life!

Princess's Residence —

After finishing her official duties, Jiang Yue returned to her residence for lunch.

Before the meal was even served, the little rascals, their hair disheveled, came over to fawn over us.

"Grandma~"

"Third Grandma~"

Um?

Offering help for no reason~

What mischief have these little rascals gotten up to now?

"Mother~"

Da Xue changed into a light skirt, bowed respectfully as she approached, followed by Fang Fang...

Jiang Yue sized up her two daughters-in-law. If she remembered correctly, they weren't wearing these clothes this morning.

Looks like these kids have gotten into trouble!

"No need for formalities, please sit down. Haven't your grandmother and the others returned yet?"

Jiang Yue nodded, gesturing for her daughters-in-law to sit down and talk.

At this moment, Aunt Ge also led her maids to serve the vegetables.

Besides the regular meals, there are also the children's dishes, each one different when opened.

"Reporting to Mother, the Gu family has invited Grandmother and the others to the Gu residence as guests, so they will not be having lunch at home."

Da Xue replied, not sparing a single glance at her two children.

I just took a shower, and those two siblings were the most boisterous of them!

She usually has a very good temper, but this time she got angry.

"Ahem, let's eat first then."

Jiang Yue held her granddaughter in her arms and gestured to Aunt Ge to help carry the little ones to the stools and make sure they were seated properly.

Surprisingly, both daughters-in-law were ignoring the children. It seems the little ones had done something "outrageous" and angered them.

At this point, she needs to remain impartial, neither blaming her daughters-in-law nor taking sides with her grandchildren.

The little ones ate their food quietly and cautiously, without making a sound.

Feeling sweet and content, she quickly forgot what had happened earlier and started whining again...