The family is not short of money now; after all, a courtyard in the city costs more than 500 taels, and they can buy it without hesitation.
But having grown accustomed to a simple life, the Li family still didn't like to be too wasteful unless it was a major holiday or when guests came to visit.
This way, with both meat and vegetables, everyone, young and old, can eat their fill, which is great!
After the dinner table was cleared away, Tao Hongying came looking for the old lady with two pieces of cloth.
"Mother, I think the clothes Jiaren and his classmates wear for practicing swordsmanship and martial arts at the academy are quite nice. The sleeves are narrow, making it easy to move their arms and legs. I found two pieces of sturdy and durable material. Should we sew a set for the Marquis to try?"
“Okay, I’ll sew with you.” The old lady readily agreed and helped to tear the fabric apart.
"The Marquis is so good to our Fu Niu, we really have nothing to repay him with, so we can only prepare more food and supplies for her. Remember to make some dried noodles and meat jerky when the weather gets better. Those people today don't seem like good people, I think the Marquis will probably have to go on a campaign again."
"That's what I think too." Tao Hongying had just replied when Li Laosi came in and sat on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed) without saying a word for a long time.
Jiayin was originally holding a cloth tiger, but when she saw that her father's expression was not right, she crawled over to him.
Li Laosi, unusually, didn't hug his daughter. He ruffled her soft little hair, then got up and knelt down. "Mother, I have something to say."
The old woman was threading a needle when the needle pricked her finger, drawing blood.
She slowly turned her head to look at her youngest son, as if she had thought of something, and her heart sank.
Li Laosi lowered his head, not daring to look at his mother's face, and spoke in one breath.
"Mother, the incident where the Marquis of Zhenbei was burned today was caused by your son. I hate him for scolding Fu Niu and making you angry. But I am just a commoner, while he is a marquis. I can't openly beat him; I can only resort to underhanded methods. Just like that fellow surnamed Jiao, who almost killed all of us at the docks, I could only strip him naked and humiliate him. I didn't dare to kill him for fear of implicating the family!"
He kowtowed to the ground, took a deep breath, and said, "Mother, your son wants to join the army, to follow the Marquis to kill the barbarians, and to make a name for himself! Your son wants to be powerful and influential, so that no one will dare to bully our family again, or dare to curse my daughter again!"
Tao Hongying was so shocked that she opened her mouth wide, wanting to speak, but she couldn't make a sound.
The old lady stared at the top of her son's head, tears streaming down her face. "Your eldest brother and Jiayi just left, and now our family can't even keep you here?"
"Mother...Mother! Don't cry, I was just...just saying!" When Li Laosi looked up and saw his mother crying, he was terrified. He rushed to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), hugged his mother's leg, and hurriedly changed his mind.
Unfortunately, the old lady got angry and pointed to the door, yelling, "Get out!"
"Mother..." Li Laosi felt a little regretful, but more aggrieved. He wanted to say something, but Tao Hongying pushed him out.
Jiayin was also a little at a loss. She climbed to her grandmother's side and pulled her sleeve to wipe away her tears.
The old lady hugged her granddaughter tightly and sobbed, "I knew it, I knew it, your father was going to lose his temper! He's always been impulsive and strong. If your uncle hadn't gone missing, your father would have gone out to make his way in the world long ago."
"Now that your uncle has been found and the family is doing well, he's got another idea! All this talk about not wanting the family to be bullied, not wanting you to be scolded anymore, he just wants to go kill the barbarians, he just wants to show off!"
Tao Hongying also wiped away tears, "Back then, when he went on escort missions with Liu Biaotou, I was scared. I always felt that he was going to fly away and leave us, the mother and the children, and never come back... Every time he went out, his eyes were shining, as if our house was a cage!"
Jiayin was caught between her grandmother and mother, and she didn't even have time to wipe away her tears.
Actually, she was also reluctant to part with her father.
After all, swords have no eyes; people only see success and fame, but who sees the piles of corpses on the battlefield?
But she also understood her father. He was born with superhuman strength and was a first-rate archer. He was a fine young man who should have been making a name for himself and achieving great things. However, because of his elderly parents and children, he was always stuck in the fields and could not use his talents. It was really frustrating...
Li Lao Er heard something amiss in the main room and came to investigate. He was somewhat bewildered to see his younger brother kneeling at the door.
He asked a few questions in a low voice, then sat on the doorstep and sighed, "You've always been restless since you were little. You've suffered so much for the family all these years. It's true that you want to make something of yourself, but it's even more true that your mother and Hongying can't bear to part with you!"
"Second Brother..." Li Laosi's tears fell in a blur, "I just feel so stifled. Only killing barbarians makes me feel good! I want to be a general, I want to follow the Marquis to conquer half the country. Then no one will dare to bully our family, and we won't be afraid of anyone being envious of how much money we have. Whoever dares to be envious, I'll chop them up!"
“Unlike now, when someone bullies our family, I can only retaliate like a thief or a thug, sneaking around and doing bad things. I… I’m just so frustrated, I have so much energy but nowhere to use it!”
Li Lao Er recalled that he once wanted to study and become the top scholar, but his elder brother suddenly disappeared, his mother became a widow, and his younger brother was too young. He had no choice but to put down his books and go to the city to find work. He was scolded and driven away by people, and finally endured countless hardships before finally getting a position in the accounting department...
He had felt resentment, pain, and bitterness, but he could only swallow it down with his tears.
Now that he's older, his dream of education can only be somewhat soothed by teaching children.
But the younger brother is still young, highly skilled, and has the advantages of being a marquis...
He sighed, got up and went into the house, and said, "Mother, the fourth son... is really pitiful. If you are worried that there will be no one to take care of the family after he leaves, you can rest assured that I can take care of everything."
Old Mrs. Li wiped away her tears, glared at her son, and said angrily, "Your eldest brother is gone, and you've taken over the school. This afternoon you also have to go and look after the valley. Your fourth brother is gone too. How are you going to manage? Go work in the orchard tonight?"
Li Lao Er lowered his head and remained silent, while Li Lao Tai began to feel sorry for her son again. "Alright, alright, I'll think about it carefully before I say anything. You all go to sleep."
Upon hearing this, Li Lao Er knew that his mother was wavering, so he quickly got up and left.
Tao Hongying also hurriedly packed up her sewing basket and went back to "talk" with her husband.
Grandma Li had no interest in washing up. She laid out the bedding, hugged her granddaughter, and went straight into bed.
Luckily, Cat Brother went to sleep with Jia An and Jia Xi tonight, otherwise he would have been scared again.
Because his parents are not around, no matter how much his family loves him, he is still timid.
The old lady was lost in thought and somehow fell asleep.
Jiayin was worried about her grandmother, so she obediently lay down to the side. Once her grandmother's breathing became even, she quickly went into the small courtyard.
For no other reason than to quickly search for something useful!
When parents fight their children, who can ever win?
Despite Grandma's vehement opposition now, unsurprisingly, she will eventually give in.
Father will definitely go to war with the Marquis, so we should prepare some good things for him to protect himself as soon as possible!
But she's ransacked this little courtyard so many times, it's really not easy to find anything useful...
The third update is here today! Seeing that everyone's asking about the male lead, let me explain: Jiayin is only two years old, not even three yet! Please don't rush to pair her up with anyone! Let Jiayin enjoy her carefree childhood, don't think about pairing her up first! Also, I'm working very hard to update, at least 6,000 words a day. Please don't complain about the amount or the slowness! Finally, my daily routine: please vote, please urge me to update more, please give good reviews (five stars or "good"). I need everyone's support!
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