"Oh, my dear Jun'er, how could Grandma not love you?"
Pan Jinhua was amused and couldn't help but hug and kiss Li Qingjun for a while, which made Li Qingzhi very jealous, and she immediately came over to compete for his favor.
Li Qingzhi's missing front tooth has grown back, and she has lost other teeth. However, now that she has Li Qingtong and several other children in the clan to keep her company, she is no longer shy.
He spent his days playing with other children, either going to the fields to watch the fun or playing around with his brothers. He couldn't play like this back in Nanze. Sometimes Liu Yun would catch him and drag him to learn embroidery with his older sisters.
"Doesn't Grandmother love Zhi'er?"
"It hurts, it hurts, it all hurts. Grandma loves all our precious children. She loves our Tong-ge'er and our Zhang-ge'er too."
Li Qingzhi jumped for joy, and Li Qingtong became embarrassed, smiling brightly. Li Qingzhang thought to himself that he was already an adult, but he blushed deeply after his grandmother said that. His grandmother insisted on doting on him, not because he wanted to compete for her favor!
She made several sets of bamboo cards and taught Li Xuming and others how to play. Playing cards became very popular among the Li family. Every day after dinner, they would find a few people to play a few rounds of cards.
Pan Jinhua also dragged Liu Yun and a few others along, and they thoroughly enjoyed playing cards. Then, she pulled Li Xujiang to make two more beautiful wooden boxes.
Fang Da comes to Shuxia Village every five days; this time he came to deliver beans.
This is something Pan Jinhua only recently remembered. She doesn't know what era this place is from, but it has all kinds of ingredients, such as chili peppers, garlic, tomatoes, and many kinds of fruits.
But there's no tofu here! Tofu, you know, soybeans are cheap, and tofu is suitable for all ages. The profits from this are not something the wealthy people in the city would care about, but it's the perfect business for them right now.
"Madam, the craftsmen have been found, and I have informed them to come tomorrow."
"Very good."
Pan Jinhua had long been fed up with the ancient latrines; there simply weren't any latrines at all.
She just put a wooden bucket in the room and that was it. Heaven knows how much psychological pressure she felt every time she went to the toilet.
Ah~ I can't think about it, the more I think about it, the more my scalp tingles.
The main focus of this renovation is the outhouses, and also adding a few more rooms.
After delivering the goods, Fang Da drove the carriage and went to Shao County with Li Xuming.
Shao County, a military post.
Cao Shangjin was feeding the birds. The birds, with their blue beaks and red beaks, were pecking at the food, nodding their heads little by little, which was quite adorable.
Shao County was remote and was also a place of exile.
Aside from the exiled people, their garrison was overgrown with weeds.
"My lord, someone is requesting an audience at the gate."
A junior clerk in uniform ran in.
Who is it?
Cao Shangjin hung the birdcage higher and carefully examined his beloved bird.
"It's Li Xuming, a member of the Li family who was assigned to Shuxia Village some time ago."
“He, call out to him.”
When Li Xuming entered, Cao Shangjin was already sitting at the head of the table, looking serious.
Li Xuming stepped forward with a broad smile, carrying two wooden boxes in his arms.
"This humble servant greets Lord Cao."
Cao Shangjin glanced at Li Xuming's appearance and then at the wooden box he was holding.
"Get up. What's wrong? You need me? You can't change the location."
Li Xuming hurriedly waved his hand.
"Sir, our family is very satisfied with Shuxia Village. The villagers are already clearing the land, and the spring planting next year will definitely not be delayed."
"That's good. Spring planting is a major event, and we must do our best."
Cao Shangjin, realizing that Li Xuming hadn't come to ask him to change places, relaxed his shoulders and picked up his teacup.
"Yes, sir."
Li Xuming held up two wooden boxes with both hands. "Sir, I've come to deliver a little something to you. It may be simple, but it's quite interesting and a good way to pass the time."
"Oh? I've heard that the Li family was once a prominent clan in the area. If you say it's fun, then it must be. Bring it on."
Li Xuming quickly stepped forward and handed it over.
Cao Shangjin opened the wooden box directly, and what he saw was a stack of bamboo cards. He picked one up and saw that it had the word "One" written on it, with some symbols drawn on the corner. He held it in his hand, looking at it from left to right, but he didn't understand it and couldn't see what was so interesting about it.
"What's the secret behind this bamboo plaque?"
"And let the little ones explain it to the adults one by one..."
Li Xuming took out the playing cards, and underneath was a game instruction sheet. Pan Jinhua had written down several game variations, such as Texas Hold'em, Landlord, and Run Fast. Li Xuming handed the instruction sheet to Cao Shangjin and explained each game variation one by one. Cao Shangjin quickly became interested.
It's just playing around, how could people like them not know how to do it?
After Li Xuming explained it, Cao Shangjin understood it pretty much. He then called his subordinates over for a hands-on demonstration, and the group started playing.
"This is great. Remember to call me next time you have something good."
Cao Shangjin had a good time and his attitude towards Li Xuming improved a lot. He told Li Xuming that he could come to him directly if he needed anything next time. Although he said he had something to give him, he figured that once he had the gift, he would help with some trivial matters.
Li Xuming completed his mission and withdrew on his own.
After leaving the garrison, they found Fang Da waiting at the gate, got into the carriage and returned to Fang Da's rented courtyard. The journey was long, and they could only return to Shuxia Village the next day.
Fang Da had long ago thoroughly investigated the power dynamics in Shao County. Although Cao Shangjin was just a minor official in a garrison, his uncle Cao Qian was the county magistrate, holding the rank of eighth grade. Lingnan was a remote area, far from the emperor's reach, so an eighth grade was already a high-ranking official.
Cao Qian had a son and a daughter, but his son was killed by bandits while traveling a few years ago, leaving no children behind. As a result, his nephew Cao Shangjin had a lot of influence with Cao Qian.
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