"What happened?" Grandma Li was startled and quickly hugged her youngest grandson, asking repeatedly, "What's wrong with my little cat? Tell Grandma, who bullied you? Grandma will stand up for you!"
While others didn't think much of it, Zhao Yuru's expression changed. After all, she was the one who usually took care of Mao Ge'er. If he was wronged, wouldn't that imply that she was treating the child badly?
Tao Hongying noticed that just as she was about to pat her sister-in-law's hand, Jiayin had already run over and sat in her third aunt's lap.
Zhao Yuru hugged her little niece, shook her head at her sister-in-law, and indicated that she was fine.
Cat Boy sobbed, his face flushed, and he cried, "Grandma, is it because I didn't pass the imperial examination like my brother that you don't like me anymore? Waaah, our family doesn't want me anymore!"
"What are you saying?" Old Mrs. Li was both amused and exasperated. She quickly replied, "You're still young. You've only been studying for a short time. Of course you can't take the imperial examination to become a scholar."
"Besides, apart from your eldest brother and sixth brother, none of our family members have passed the imperial examination. Does that mean Grandma doesn't like them anymore and doesn't want her grandsons?"
Cat Brother thought about it and realized that made sense, but he still couldn't stop crying. "Then why won't Grandma let me take a boat to Quanzhou? All my brothers have been there, but I haven't. Waaah, Grandma doesn't want me as her grandson anymore!"
Grandma Li finally understood the boy's little scheme, and Zhao Yuru breathed a long sigh of relief.
Grandma Li continued to coax him, "Cat boy, sailing is hard work. You won't eat or sleep well, and there are dangers on the way. Grandma just thinks you're too young and doesn't want you to suffer."
"I'm not afraid of hardship!" Cat Brother craned his neck, patted his thin chest, and repeatedly assured her, "Grandma, I'm a man, a child of the Li family, I'm not afraid of hardship!"
Li Ge'er couldn't bear to see his younger brother shed tears, and he knew that his brother had been depressed about this for a long time, so he couldn't help but plead for him.
"Grandma, let Cat Brother come with us. I'll keep a close eye on him and make sure he doesn't cause any trouble!"
Hearing the commotion, Jiaren came in and sat down, asking, "Grandma, will Jiayi and Liu Yang be going south this time, or will Uncle go too? If Uncle is still leading the team, then take Cat Brother with him. I'll help take care of him."
Having no other option, Old Lady Li could only call Li Zhensheng over to inquire.
Li Zhensheng said, "Mother, I still need to go to Quanzhou again. Not only are our family members Renhe and Lige on the boat, but there are also passenger boats at the academy. We need to take care of them a little."
Cat Brother immediately jumped up happily, shouting, "I'll follow Daddy! I'll follow Daddy!"
Li Zhensheng was a little stunned when his son suddenly hugged his neck.
After hearing the details, he said, "Go ahead and go. I'll be with you. Jiayi and Liu Yang are going too. With more people, there's nothing to worry about."
Even though Grandma Li was reluctant, she had no choice but to agree.
Cat hugged his dad, then kissed his grandma, and then ran around the kang (a heated brick bed) like crazy.
Grandma Li was afraid he would run into Wenjuan and Madam Wen, so she quickly shooed him away, "Go play in the backyard, don't cause trouble here."
Jiayin quickly called to her brothers, "Brothers, come with me to the backyard, there's something good for you."
Everyone in the family, young and old, knows that the good stuff from Jiayin is rare.
So, from Jiaren to Maoge'er, all seven brothers were present, and they all escorted the chubby girl to the backyard.
The family members watched with amusement. Old Mrs. Li said, "This girl is usually very good at saving things. Today she's going to spend all her money."
Madam Wen chimed in, "Yes, I've seen Ye Shan and Dong Mei make several trips to Zhengjia Village. This girl may seem like she's always eating and playing, but she's actually very shrewd. I bet she's worried about her brothers' safety outside and has made a lot of preparations."
Grandma Li sighed, "People say that Fu Niu'er has seven older brothers and is pampered by them. She is blessed with good fortune."
"Actually, I think Jiaren and his family must have accumulated good karma in their past lives to have such a sister."
“As an elderly person, sometimes you get angry when your child is not well-behaved, but when someone as well-behaved as Fu Niu’er is too sensible, you feel even more sorry for them.”
Madam Wen quickly advised, "Auntie, you can't say that. We're all family. Fu Niu loves her brothers, and they know that. They'll naturally protect their sister even more in the future."
"We're used to seeing it like this at home, so we don't think it's anything special, but outsiders would be green with envy. Who wouldn't want their children to be this harmonious and close-knit?"
"That's true, we'll see how these boys support their sisters when they grow up." Old Mrs. Li smiled, then changed the subject, "How have you been these past few days? Is your belly getting bigger? Are you sleeping well at night?"
Madam Wen smiled gently and lightly touched her belly...
In the back courtyard, Jiayin led her brothers into her suite and instructed Shuiling and Granny He to bolt the door, forbidding anyone from entering or leaving.
She even had her brothers close the windows.
Fortunately, the weather is cold now, otherwise the eight siblings would probably feel suffocated crammed into the house.
Jiayin opened the box and kept taking out delicious food.
Snacks, cakes, all kinds of snacks, fruits, grapes, oranges, and even mangoes and lychees from the south, as well as jade melons and a few golden fruits!
The snacks and treats were fine, but the fruit was all incredibly fresh, as if it had just been picked from the field and the tree, which was a bit strange...
But the Jiaren brothers didn't ask a single question. They sat together, eating and talking.
Reassured, Jiayin took out seven crossbow bolts and seven daggers, all made by Zhengjiazhuang.
Just as Madam Wen said, she began making preparations as soon as the family decided that her brothers would take turns going to the south.
When traveling, money alone isn't enough; safety is of paramount importance.
Although they were traveling with their family's boat and had the care of their elders, there's always someone among them, even if they're thousands of miles away!
At any time, relying on yourself is always the best approach; no amount of thorough preparation is ever excessive.
When Jiaren and his brothers saw the exquisitely crafted crossbows and daggers, their eyes lit up, and they all put down their food and gathered around.
"Little sister, where did this crossbow come from! Wow, it can fire three arrows in a row!" Jiayi loved martial arts and was more familiar with weapons, so he immediately recognized the extraordinary nature of this crossbow.
Jiayin replied, "This was made by a craftsman from Zhengjiazhuang. It can be fixed to the arm and hidden in the sleeve. If there is any danger, you can raise your arm to fire it!"
"The master from Zheng Family Village said that no one can dodge within five zhang. But if it is a top-notch martial arts master, you have to get closer and catch them off guard."
Jiaren and the others were not familiar with each other, so they were hesitant to handle them.
Jiayi pondered for a moment, then pressed the switch on the door.
bite!
Before anyone could react, an arrow had already been stuck in the door.
The arrows were small, about half the length of a normal arrow.
But this speed is really too fast, no wonder they say he's invincible within five zhang.
After all, no matter how good your kung fu is, you can't dodge a hidden arrow that arrives in the blink of an eye!
Jia'an and Jiaxi ran to open the door and saw Granny He and Shuiling standing outside with pale faces.
Clearly, they were frightened.
Looking at the door again, a small part of an arrow was sticking out!
Jia'an and Jiaxi were both surprised. It took them a lot of effort to pull the arrow out, and then they smiled and closed the door again...
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