The horse moved smoothly, and the four siblings sat in the carriage, getting along harmoniously.
Xu Mo knew everything, yet he remained calm and smiled as his sister boasted about her great achievements during this period.
Despite feeling guilty, Jiang Sheng forced herself to remain calm and recounted her experience of running a workshop.
Add to that the naive and clueless Wen Zhiyun, and Chang Yan who senses something is amiss, and it's truly a lively scene.
"After careful consideration, I decided to rent a small two-courtyard house nearby. White noodles are different from other things; they are precious and special. Not many people are willing to eat them, and not many people can afford them either," Jiang Sheng said eloquently. "In addition, the production is low, so a two-courtyard house is enough."
They absolutely refused to admit that they were too short of money to rent a large courtyard with four or five courtyards, nor could they afford a small villa outside the city.
"It seems you've been working very hard lately." Xu Mo nodded thoughtfully. "You're a good boy."
Jiang Sheng's face immediately lit up with a proud smile.
“However…” Xu Mo’s tone shifted, and with a slight smile in the fearful eyes of his younger siblings, “Have you heard anything from the second and third kids lately?”
Jiang Sheng swallowed hard. "No, nothing."
“Those two ungrateful brothers, the second and third, we’ve been thinking about them so much in Fengjing, and they haven’t even sent a letter.” Xu Mo lowered his eyelashes, his tone flat. “When they come back, we’ll definitely settle this score.”
It sounds like a veiled attack on someone else.
Jiang Sheng trembled more and more, her inner fear and turmoil constantly engulfing her. Finally, in the moment of drowning, she reached out her chubby little hand and grabbed Xu Mo's blue hem, saying pitifully, "Big brother, you've been taking exams these past few days, and we've kept some things from you... Can you please not be angry?"
Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan, who were standing next to her, immediately sat up straight: Sister, don't use words like "we" that drag people down with you.
"Oh, really?" Xu Mo's expression remained noncommittal.
Jiang Sheng sniffed and recounted what had happened on the third day of the imperial examination, not forgetting to argue, "You were taking the exam at such a crucial time. If we disturbed you, we would all feel uneasy."
Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan, who had already been dragged into the mess, echoed with bitter faces.
I thought my older brother would be angry, would lose his temper, and would blame them for keeping it from me.
Unexpectedly, the boy remained silent for a moment before reaching out and hugging his plump little sister. "You must have been terrified by what happened."
Even in that terrifying moment, they were unwilling to disturb his imperial examination.
When I was younger, I always felt that if I was kept in the dark, I would get angry and throw a tantrum.
As I grew older, I realized that well-intentioned concealment stemmed from greater love and more care.
"Put yourself in my shoes. If I were you, I would have kept it a secret at that crucial moment too," Xu Mo said slowly. "It's just that I had already finished the exam, and you should have told me immediately instead of letting me hear it from outsiders."
"I know I was wrong, brother. There were so many people there," Jiang Sheng muttered softly. "I was planning to tell you when we got home."
That's how it is with concealment; the more you hide, the more anxious you become, and the more you try to cover it up, the more terrified you feel.
People who lack shrewdness and self-control are better off being upright and honest. They can't even sleep at night if they lie a little, so why bother?
"What do you plan to do about this?" The topic returned to the main point, and Xu Mo's face was solemn.
He had long known that his younger brothers were extraordinary, and he was prepared to go through fire and water for them, but he never expected that the first one to run into trouble would be his precious little sister.
The Jiang family, what a powerful and influential family! If he were an sycophantic older brother, he would probably be urging his younger sister to go back by now.
But he is not.
From Shili Town all the way to now, Xu Mo has only one wish: that his younger siblings can grow up happily.
He studied diligently for years, took the imperial examinations, and was upright and incorruptible. He was a guiding light and a protective wing for his younger siblings. Although his strength was insignificant, he, as the elder brother, would always be at the forefront, no matter when or where.
Without hesitation!
“Jiang Sheng, if you want to go back, your brothers will always be there to protect you.” Xu Mo paused slightly. “If you don’t want to go back, even if the Jiang family’s generals come back from the border, they won’t be able to take you away.”
"Big Brother will hide you behind his back. Anyone who tries to take you away will have to step over Big Brother's dead body!"
He was thin and frail; even killing a chicken was a struggle for him.
But when he said those words, it was as if the wind was blowing his clothes, carrying with it a surge of heroic spirit.
Both Lian Changyan and Wen Zhiyun were moved and clenched their fists, saying, "We will protect our sister too."
But inside the carriage, there was no wind.
Jiang Sheng wanted to laugh, but before she could even raise the corners of her mouth, her nose started to sting.
She pouted and whispered, "Why would we need to step over a corpse? Jiang Sheng won't let anyone hurt my brother, not even the Jiang family."
She has five of the best brothers in the world who give her unique love and care. What more could she ask for?
Whoever in the Jiang family wants to go back can go back; Little Niu Niu just wants to be with her brothers and never be separated from them.
The siblings stepped down from the carriage, beaming with joy.
As Jiang Sheng passed by the pile of ash by the door, she glanced at it subconsciously. It was flat and showed no signs of being disturbed.
From inside came Zhang Xianglian's happy voice, "You're back! Ruqian sent a message through someone."
She looked away and skipped over, saying, "At least Second Brother has a conscience; he still knows to give us some information."
Xu Mo quickened his pace, with Wen Zhiyun and Chang Yan following closely behind.
Four little heads huddled together, staring at the familiar, scribbled handwriting.
Speaking of which, apart from Xu Mo, who is exceptionally talented in writing and has beautiful handwriting, only Xiao Wu's handwriting is legible. The others' handwriting is either too messy, barely legible, or only she herself can recognize it.
Zheng Ruqian's writing is slightly messy, but you can still make out what he wrote.
"My second brother said that he has returned to Anshui County to expand his workshop and has also opened up the frontier."
"My second brother said that the frontier is harsh and cold, and my third brother has suffered a lot. As a brother, he doesn't have much ability, but he can provide his younger brother with meat."
"My second brother also told us to spread the word among the prominent families in Fengjing to see if any important people needed to send things to their relatives on the frontier."
Chang Yan finished reading slowly in a calm voice.
Jiang Sheng added from the back, "But it will cost extra."
The whole family couldn't help but laugh. Zheng Lao Er never did business at a loss; his shrewdness as a businessman was on full display.
But his audacity in attempting to transport supplies to the military camp surprised his family.
“Isn’t it a bit dangerous to transport things to the frontier?” Xu Mo frowned. “Or to the military camp? That would require the approval of the garrison general and would have to go through many inspections. If anything goes wrong, we would be held legally responsible.”
It's fair to say that this is a thankless and arduous task.
Making money is uncertain, but the danger is obvious.
This is also why merchants are most reluctant to get entangled with officials; doing well brings immeasurable merit, while doing poorly brings inescapable guilt.
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