The Marquis hugged Jiayin, rubbed her little head, and replied, "Second brother can only avoid this once. The Ministry of Personnel's roll call has a time limit, and you must go within a month. From now on, not to mention palace banquets, you will also have to attend the grand court assembly held every two weeks."
Li Lao Er had a headache and couldn't help but complain, "There really is no such thing as a free lunch. Being an earl is so troublesome."
Jiayin secretly stuck out her tongue, feeling that her second uncle was in Versailles, but she had no proof.
In her view, this title of count was equivalent to honorary presidents or honorary principals in her previous life.
They only have the title, no real power, but they still need to show up from time to time. In short, they can't just take the benefits without giving anything in return...
My second uncle even complained that being an earl was too much trouble, but he had no idea how many people inside and outside the city were green with envy!
The group gathered together, chatting and laughing. In the side room, Hui Niang, holding her child, listened with a tingling heart.
She also wanted to go out and talk to others, and look at the moon, but unfortunately, she still had a few days left in her postpartum period, so she had to endure it.
Granny He sat to one side, waving a rattle drum to tease the twins. When she turned her head and saw Hui Niang like this, she smiled and said, "Madam, don't worry. This is how it is during postpartum confinement. You have to stay hidden and avoid the wind."
"Just hang in there a little longer, it'll be over soon. In a bit, I'll bring you a basin of warm water so you can wash yourself properly and feel a bit better."
"Thank you, Granny."
Hui Niang blushed a little. After all, she was such a grown-up, yet she acted like a child eager to go out and play. It was inappropriate.
“Granny, I’ve already told you, I’m really not a lady. You can just call me Hui Niang. I’m so grateful to you and Shui Yun for helping me these past few days.” Hui Niang took Granny He’s hand. “After I finish my confinement period, I’ll make you a nice pair of shoes as a thank you gift.”
"No, no, Madam..." Granny He quickly waved her hand, then thought for a moment and said, "Then I'll change my address."
Hui Niang laughed and then started talking about the chubby boy from the Liu family.
Once she finishes her postpartum confinement, she can go visit Aunt Liu.
Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), and his wife had a son late in life, and they devoted themselves to their youngest son.
I heard that Jiayi asked Liu Yang to go south on a ship together. The two of them waved their hands and that was it. They didn't care at all. It was Old Li who prepared some food for Liu Yang!
Fortunately, Liu Yang was carefree and even hoped that his parents would ignore him; otherwise, the infant Liu Xiao Er would already be disliked by his older brother!
As the old saying goes, holidays are easy to get through, but ordinary days are hard to endure.
The Mid-Autumn Festival reunion lasts only one day. When you open your eyes in the morning, life goes on as usual.
Li Zhensheng and the others went back to the restaurant to work. Lord Hou took Li Laosi back to the dock camp and brought Li Yong back to see his wife and children.
Although Li Lao Er had already become a count, he didn't really have the awareness of being a nobleman. He didn't need to worry about the school anymore, so he went to the valley every day.
Tao Hongying is helping out at a restaurant in the city, and Sister Liu is in confinement after childbirth. If he doesn't take care of Shangu, things could easily get out of hand.
Of course, as the count, he could no longer go into the valley to chat and laugh with the guests, or serve them tea and snacks.
He simply sat in the cabin, sorting out accounts and looking at the reservation list.
In the morning, Mr. Wen had already entered the city with Li Zhensheng and others.
Madam Cui also planned to return to her own estate in the afternoon, so she was playing with Jiayin for the time being.
Old Mrs. Li was tidying up things on the side while discussing the betrothal gift list with her.
After all, the Cui family was also a scholarly family, and they were more aware of the preferences and taboos of scholars.
Thinking that her family would be able to welcome her granddaughter-in-law before the New Year, the old lady was both emotional and happy.
Time flies! Maybe in another year or two, she'll be holding her great-grandchild.
"Tomorrow we'll go to Luo'an, and I'll set the betrothal date with the Peng family. It'll be the first time our family has a granddaughter-in-law. We don't know anything about this, so we'll just have to figure it out as we go," Old Mrs. Li said happily.
Madam Cui laughed when she heard this and said, "Don't worry about that, Auntie. You have many grandsons. Once you marry all seven of them, there will be no one in the world more familiar with marriage than you."
Grandma Li smiled, and before she could speak, Jia'an, Jiaxi, and Cat Brother had already run back from outside.
Perhaps in his haste, Cat Brother tripped over the threshold, fell and grimaced, looking like he was about to cry.
Jia'an and Jiaxi quickly stepped forward to help their younger brother, supporting him on either side as they entered the house.
Jiaxi exclaimed, "Grandma, when are we going to Luo'an? It's boring at home, we want to go play with my older brother and Li Ge'er."
Grandma Li showed no remorse and simply raised her hand, giving one of her grandsons a sharp rap on the head!
"How old are you? You're a twelve or thirteen-year-old boy, and all you do all day is play! Go and wash off the dirt and wash your hair."
Also, pack your usual things, and I'll send you to Luo'an to study tomorrow. If you dare to be playful again in Luo'an, your teacher will discipline you!
The three boys covered their heads, turned and ran away, and soon the bathtub in the side room was in complete chaos again.
Clearly, the three mischievous kids had a wild time while taking a bath.
The old lady was too lazy to bother with them anymore; out of sight, out of mind. They had to be sent to Luo'an tomorrow!
Madam Cui watched all this and couldn't stop laughing.
An outsider's perspective is often clearer. The old lady is currently annoyed by her grandchildren's antics, but she'll probably be worrying about them for days, unable to eat or sleep.
After lunch, Madam Cui went home.
Jiayin made an excuse to sleep, but while her grandmother was out, she actually went back into the virtual space to "do hard labor," striving to become a master of simplified and traditional Chinese translation...
Grandma Li had no idea what her granddaughter was plotting again. At that moment, she was talking to Aunt Wu about the food stall.
"Third Aunt, our family's Jia'an, Jia'xi, and Mao'er are going to study in Luo'an. Including Jia'ren and Li'er, there are five boys in total. The old shop was a bit cramped, so we bought a new courtyard."
“From now on, Yu Ru will stay in the courtyard to take care of the children’s food and daily needs. There will only be the third son left at the shop, which is not easy to manage. If you and your husband are thinking about Gou Sheng’er and don’t mind the hard work at the shop, why don’t you go to Luo’an to help out?”
"Your wages will still be calculated based on the village's work points. If the shop does well, you'll also receive a year-end bonus. We absolutely cannot let you lose money..."
Before the old lady could finish speaking, Aunt Wu's eyes lit up. "Is what you said true, Auntie? That's wonderful!"
The couple only had one child, Gousheng, who had almost been killed by bandits before, so they cherished him more than their own eyes.
Being able to stay close to my child and earn money is just as good as before, which is exactly what I want.
“We’ll go, we’ll definitely go.” Aunt Wu kept nodding, as if afraid that the old lady would change her mind. “I’ll pack my bags right now, and we’ll go with you whenever you leave, Auntie.”
Grandma Li smiled and said, "You're leaving tomorrow, so don't cook breakfast. Come to my house for breakfast."
By the end of August, the crops in the fields had been harvested, and from a distance, the fields appeared mottled.
The mountains and forests have also changed into a dark green and withered yellow coat, adding a touch of desolation.
But Xinduli was still bustling with people, and the streets were lively.
Jiayin thought her grandmother would take her to the restaurant to see the excitement first, but unexpectedly they went through the city and went to Luoan Town first.
Perhaps because it was the Mid-Autumn Festival and the students couldn't go home, their families missed them, and many came to visit or bring them food and other necessities.
The town was even more lively than usual.
When the carriage arrived at the shop, everyone got off and were welcomed inside by Zhao Yuru. Before they could exchange more than a few words, the academy began its lunch break.
Jiaren led Lige'er by the hand, with Gousheng'er following behind. They walked briskly and quickly, their faces beaming with joy, toward the shop...
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