"That's great. Having someone I know to guide me will save me a lot of trouble on the way."
Li Lao Er accepted without hesitation. This was not the time to refuse casually, after all, it was a long journey through towering mountains and steep ridges, and there were countless dangers involved.
At this point, ensuring the son's safe arrival is the most important thing.
Jiaxi and Jia'an listened from the side, also for the sake of their older and younger brothers' happiness.
The two couldn't go too far, so Jia'an said, "We can't send our elder brother off to his new post, but we can send our son to Qingming. Consider it a trip to clear his head."
Unfortunately, Li Lao Er waved his hand, and his words extinguished their desire to travel.
"You should also pack your bags. I'm afraid you'll have to return to Quanzhou before Jiaren and the others even set off. There's already news from the court that the envoys will leave the capital in ten days at most."
Jiaxi and Jia'an were a little disappointed. Jiaxi muttered, "Sigh, I thought we brothers could go out and have fun together again."
Cat Brother shouted gleefully, "Haha, Fourth Brother, don't worry about it. I'm free, I'll go see Sixth Brother off for you! I promise I'll have a good time and write to you about it later."
His smugness angered his brothers, who slapped him and ruffled his hair, making him look like a madman.
Cat Brother snuggled up to his sister, looking pitiful, and said, "Sister, look! They're all bullying me!"
"You're even more mischievous than Yuanyuan! If we don't discipline you, who will we discipline?" Jiayin chuckled and pulled her brother down to sit. Then, she took out a silver comb from her sleeve, quickly tied up her brother's hair, and inserted a hairpin.
Cat Brother shook his head smugly and started showing off again, "Oh my, whose son is this handsome young master? Quickly introduce him to a good girl!"
Everyone was amused by him and burst into laughter. Even the slight sadness of parting vanished instantly.
After chatting and laughing for a while, it was lunchtime. The family sat around the table, ate a lively meal, and then went about their own business.
Li Laosan returned to the village to select men for his nephew, while Li Laoer went to visit the Liu family.
Cat Brother was eyeing his brother's treasures and pestered Li Ge'er to go to the study to open the boxes and sort through the old things.
Jiaxi and Jia'an ran to see what was going on, and took their son and nephew with them to play together.
Jiaren had noticed his wife's expression was off, so he took her hand and led her back into the house. "Wan'er, is something on your mind? Can you tell me?"
Wan'er's eyes reddened, and she tried her best to hold back her tears, but she couldn't.
“My husband, I’m really worried about you going to take up your post in such a far place. I want to go with you.”
"But if I leave home too, my father will be all alone, with no one to take care of him, and my sister will be left without anyone to look after her."
"What if my sister suffers mistreatment in the palace and can't tell the family? And I won't be there. What will we do then?"
Jiaren felt sorry for his wife and quickly hugged her, amusedly comforting her, "Oh, so that's what happened. Why didn't you say so sooner? Why put yourself in such a difficult position? I had already planned not to take you and the children with me when I took office."
Wan'er immediately raised her head, her eyes filled with anxiety and reluctance, "You're going a thousand miles away, how can you manage without anyone to take care of your food, clothing and other needs?"
She bit her lip, struggling internally for a long time before finally saying, "If all else fails... you... you should take a concubine?"
"What nonsense are you talking about!" Jiaren was startled and scolded in a low voice, "You know that there are rules in the family that forbid us brothers from taking concubines."
"Wives and concubines fighting, and the discord between legitimate and illegitimate children, are the source of family chaos. As the eldest son and grandson, how can I break the rules and ruin the family's unity?"
"Besides, we have a deep and loving relationship. You've taken such good care of the family these past few years. How could I hurt your feelings for the sake of temporary convenience? Don't mention that again!"
Wan'er's tears flowed even more rapidly, this time out of emotion and joy.
She wasn't afraid of putting in the effort or facing any difficulties ahead, as long as her husband treated her sincerely and always saw her sacrifices.
Jiaren found a handkerchief and wiped his wife's tears, then said, "It's my fault for not explaining clearly earlier. I was planning to have you stay at home while I went to my post alone."
"In autumn, I will have established myself in Fengshan County. By then, the situation in Xindu will have stabilized, and Grandma and my aunts will all be back. You will then be able to reunite with me."
"My sister's caravan is always on the move, so it wouldn't be difficult for Uncle Hei and the others to make another trip to Fengshan."
Wan'er's eyes lit up when she heard this, and her face slowly turned red.
The matter that had troubled and troubled her for so long was resolved by her husband with just a few words. It's a good thing she hasn't been able to sleep for the past few days.
"I...I didn't know you were planning this, I thought..."
Jiaren couldn't help but laugh and replied, "Alright, next time ask me first. If there are any difficulties, we'll figure them out together. You're my wife, and I would never abandon you or make you sad."
"Okay!" Wan'er hugged Jiaren, a rare occurrence for her, and whispered, "I'll send someone to tell Mother right away. She mentioned this to me at the last flower-viewing banquet, and she was so worried about it that she couldn't eat or sleep."
After saying that, she blushed and hurriedly left.
Jiaren smiled helplessly, then went out to check on his study, lest his younger brothers divide up all the rare books he had painstakingly collected.
Jiayin returned to her room but didn't rest.
Although Lao Hei and his team escorted them all the way, the necessary preparations still needed to be made.
While Xindu appears peaceful and prosperous, the scene changes completely when you travel just three or four hundred miles away.
People can only eat their fill and not go hungry, but life is still difficult. If they want a better life, they have to work even harder or resort to crooked means.
Hiding a group of people deep in the mountains and forests to rob a passing convoy is a sure way to get rich, even a child knows it.
Therefore, when traveling, it is of utmost importance to carry extra life-saving items.
Fortunately, Zhengjiazhuang had worked day and night to produce a lot of weapons in preparation for the northern expedition.
This time, equipping each of Lao Hei and his men with a crossbow and a hundred poison arrows should be about right.
In addition, medicine for knife wounds and various pills for treating colds, dysentery, and fever, as well as powders for antisnake venom, preventing miasma, and repelling mosquitoes, must all be readily available...
"A poor family on the road, but a rich one on the road" doesn't mean carrying a lot of money or having as many supplies as possible on the journey.
After all, in a critical moment, it might save a life...
So busy were they that when they finally left the space, it was already dinnertime.
Jiayin ate with her family, but felt something was missing. When she remembered, she asked Shuiling.
"Have you seen Guard Mu?"
Shui Ling quickly shook her head, "No, did you not come out of the palace?"
Jiayin frowned, but didn't ask any more questions.
As night deepened, the entire Earl's mansion fell silent, and almost everyone was asleep.
Jiayin was feeling a bit sleepy, so she lit a lamp and sat by the window reading a travelogue.
This was recommended by Lu Zong, who said it describes the topography and customs of Southwest China in great detail.
She planned to look around some more and prepare more things for her older brother.
When Jiayin was halfway through reading a book, there was a sudden commotion in the yard. Before she could even look out, the window was suddenly pushed open.
A stench of blood assaulted my senses!
Two updates today!
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