The young waiter chuckled and replied, "Lord Liu, you don't know. Our old lady and fourth madam have returned from the south. Our second young master was so happy that he rushed back to Suijintan right away."
"Oh my, Auntie's back!" Liu Zhiheng immediately stood up, overjoyed.
Finally, he bowed to his colleagues and said, "You all go ahead and eat. I also need to go to Suijintan. Please excuse me today. I'll treat you to another meal another day."
After saying that, he didn't care what his colleagues thought and hurriedly ran away.
Several colleagues looked at each other, and finally burst into laughter.
"Just as outsiders say, Lord Liu gets along extremely well with Lord Li's family. But as soon as he heard that Old Madam Li was coming back, he ran away!" a colleague joked.
The other person chimed in, "Yeah, but it's a good deal for us. We've already decided to have barbecue next time. I've been craving it for the past two months."
"Haha, great idea, let's go with it!" The others chimed in.
The waiter went to prepare the meal, since they were brought by Liu Zhiheng, and first brought a pot of plum juice.
Everyone shared the drink, feeling incredibly comforted.
They weren't just putting on an act; they weren't genuinely upset about Liu Zhiheng's sudden departure.
Putting aside the fact that Liu Zhiheng comes from a prestigious family, he never puts on airs with his subordinates and colleagues who have climbed up from humble backgrounds, and he always tries his best to take good care of them in terms of food and daily necessities.
Take the Li family for example; the high-yield grain was donated to the imperial court by them free of charge.
It can be said that they are fortunate to have this job today, thanks to the Li family.
Unfortunately, the Li family never expected them to feel indebted.
How can one not admire and respect this?
Soon, the waiter brought out the food and placed a large ice basin under the table.
The front hall was bustling with noise and crowds, while they sat in the cool backyard, chatting and laughing while eating sweet and sour cold noodles, feeling incredibly comfortable...
Liu Zhiheng ignored his colleagues and drove out of the city. Not far away, he ran into Li Laosan and Mao Ge'er, as well as Zhimin, Xiujie and Guo Wenhao.
Li Laosan quickly greeted Liu Zhiheng, and Mao Ge'er also smiled and bowed while leaning against the window. Zhimin and Xiujie, on the other hand, shrank back in fright and secretly prayed that their father hadn't seen them.
Unfortunately, perhaps the heavens have also taken a break and have not heard their hopes.
Liu Zhiheng chased away his own carriage, jumped into the Li family's carriage, and then saw his two sons huddled under the brocade cushions, their heads covered but their backsides exposed.
He was so angry that he laughed, slapped each of them, and cursed, "You brat, you never pay attention to your studies, but when it comes to joining in the fun, you can run faster than your father."
Zhimin and Xiujie couldn't escape it, so they grinned foolishly and went up to their father to curry favor.
Xiu Jie, being quick-witted, was the first to speak, "Dad, we also missed Grandma Li and Fourth Aunt. We came to see them after hearing the news."
Zhimin chimed in, "Yes, Dad. It's just too hot, and the academy hasn't been teaching any new lessons lately. We're just joining in the fun; it won't interfere with our studies."
Liu Zhiheng patted his son a few more times, and finally said, "You brat, if you're going to be lazy, just admit it. Don't give me excuses. Humph, you're already back, do you think I'd kick you out again? It's almost dark! You better behave yourself and stop fooling around! Understand?"
"I understand, Father, don't worry."
Zhimin and Xiujie nodded quickly, as if they wanted to pat their chests and guarantee it.
Guo Wenhao watched the commotion with a smile, and only then did he bow to Liu Zhiheng.
Liu Zhiheng liked his quiet and gentle nature, and couldn't help but reach into his waistband, finding a jade safety buckle and handing it over.
"Wenhao, I heard from Mr. Wen that your article was praised by the academic professors again a few days ago. Well done! My two naughty boys don't work hard usually, so I'll have to ask you to keep an eye on them."
A gift from an elder should not be refused.
Guo Wenhao accepted the safety buckle without hesitation and said with a smile, "Uncle Liu, don't worry, I will definitely take good care of my brothers."
"Oh, what good kids." Liu Zhiheng couldn't help but pat his shoulder, then turned around and glared at his good-for-nothing sons.
Zhimin and Xiujie obediently huddled up to Guo Wenhao and complained in hushed tones.
"I finally got through it. My dad is getting more and more nagging."
"Yeah, it really hurts my back from all that slapping. I'm going to go home and tell my mom."
Guo Wenhao held the safety amulet in his hand, smiling on the outside but sighing in the inside.
These two brothers, who don't know how lucky they are, would rather be beaten every day if their father were alive.
pity……
Cat Brother may seem carefree on the surface, but he is actually very thoughtful.
Just then, he tugged at Guo Wenhao's sleeve and said, "My fourth aunt is back, we're in for a treat. And my sister's greenhouse should be ready to eat lychees, let's go ask for some to satisfy our cravings."
Guo Wenhao immediately smiled and replied, "Alright, it's the fruit that the princess worked so hard to grow, we can't just eat it for nothing. My steward acquired a piece of Tianhuang stone a few days ago, it's perfect for carving seals."
"Shall I send it to the princess as a thank-you gift another day?"
"Great! Hahaha! Since you've given us a thank-you gift, we don't need to bother. We can just eat with you!" Cat Bro patted his bag and replied with a smile.
Actually, he also noticed that his sister didn't have any good seals left; she had just exchanged a pair of bloodstones with her classmate the day before.
Little did anyone expect that Guo Wenhao would also acquire Tianhuang stone.
Moreover, Guo Wenhao is a sensitive and introverted person, so it's not appropriate for him to take it out.
I'll wait until I get home and find an opportunity to secretly give it to my sister.
Liu Zhiheng was talking to Li Laosan in front, and it was a lively and intimate conversation, with him laughing out loud every now and then.
Fortunately, there was no one on the road, otherwise they would have been surprised to see Liu Zhiheng like this.
Given the Liu family's social standing, there were naturally many people eager to curry favor with them.
But Liu Zhiheng is a slippery character; he's all smiles with everyone, but he never puts his heart into anything.
Who would have thought that he would get along with the Li family, these peasants, like family...
If Liu Zhiheng knew, he would definitely give these people a good dressing down.
Nobody's a fool; how can they not tell the difference between good and bad?
Outsiders want to befriend him because they want to gain benefits from him.
But the Li family was constantly sending him "benefits"!
Whether it was the high-yield grain trial that year, or the official position he was given, it was all thanks to that.
Even now, the Li family never forgets to give them a share of fruit when they eat it.
How could he not cherish such friendship!
Chatting and laughing all the way, eager to get home, the carriage soon arrived at the village.
Even from a distance, the sounds of laughter and chatter reached our ears, and the aromas were so enticing that they made our mouths water.
Cat Brother and Zhimin jumped out of the car and ran into the yard cheering.
Li Laosan didn't even bother to listen to what his fellow villagers were saying and quickly followed them inside.
Old Mrs. Li had slept for more than an hour and had now recovered. She was sitting in the main room talking with the village chief and others.
Suddenly hearing the boys run in, she was overjoyed. She grabbed the cat who was about to kowtow and gave her grandson a big hug.
Then, she looked Zhimin, Xiujie, and Guo Wenhao over carefully for a while, muttering that this one had grown taller and that one had lost weight.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com