Li Zhensheng was relieved and pulled his mother aside to ask about the trivial matters at home.
Li Lao Er and Li Lao Si exchanged a few words before hurrying back up the mountain.
After all, the villagers were busy picking fruit; the harvest of a year's hard work couldn't be neglected, so they had to hurry and help.
Jiayi, unable to stay still, hoisted his younger sister onto his shoulders and said, "Grandma, I'm taking Fu Niu'er to play too!"
"Go ahead, take Shui Ling with you. If you get carried away and forget about your sister, leave her with Shui Ling!"
Seeing that her grandson was so enthusiastic, the old lady didn't stop him.
Shui Ling and Shui Yun both practice martial arts, so she felt at ease having her by their side to take care of them.
Because of the busy work on the mountain, the school was on holiday. Jia Huan, Jia Xi, and Mao Ge'er returned from outside and were overjoyed to see Jia Yi and their uncle.
Cat rushed forward, hugged his father's neck, and called out again and again.
Li Zhensheng patted his son, his nose tingling with emotion, but seeing how well his son had grown up, dark and strong, no longer the sickly little kitten he used to be, he felt happy again.
"Good lad, you really need to change your name. Cat Brother doesn't suit you. You should be called Iron Egg!"
Everyone laughed. Cat Brother wiggled around in his father's arms, looking like a black, fleshy roll.
Li Zhensheng patted his son's head, "Go play with your brother and sister. Dad will cuddle you tonight and give you all some good stuff!"
"Okay, okay!" Cat Brother had been waiting for these words. Now that he was satisfied, he followed his brothers and disappeared in a flash.
The noodles were served, and Li Zhensheng, who was really hungry, started eating them heartily.
Liu Zhiheng arrived right after we finished eating.
He originally brought people to pick up fruit, but when he heard that Li Zhensheng had returned, he came over to see him.
Seeing this, Old Lady Li had no chance to speak to her son, so she took Granny He to see Hui Niang.
These past two days it's Dayong's turn to go to the dock, and the house is in chaos again. Huiniang can't come out of the house, and she's probably going to be anxious.
Sure enough, Hui Niang was holding the child and looking outside.
Hearing the old lady say that Li Zhensheng had returned and the village was busy picking fruit, she felt relieved.
At dusk, Liu Zhiheng returned to the city with more than twenty cartloads of fruit, all smiles.
Once the village has arranged for patrol personnel, they can finally take a break.
After each family hurriedly ate a bite of food, they gathered at the Li family's house to listen to Li Zhensheng tell them about the latest happenings in the south.
In fact, Li Zhensheng only got to the point, and the other villagers who had gone to Quanzhou with him picked up the conversation and started talking non-stop.
What kind of ship was that big as two acres of land? Fish and shrimp everywhere, a sea as vast as the sky, red-bearded, blue-eyed barbarians like demons...
Some of the things the villagers had heard before, they still found interesting.
This continued until the moon was high in the sky, at which point the village chief finally called for everyone to disperse.
Everyone was still a little reluctant to leave, so Li Zhensheng said, "Since we're back this time, we can stay a little longer. We can talk about it slowly later, there's no rush."
Only then did everyone feel relieved and head home together, chatting and laughing along the way, adding a touch of warmth to the otherwise quiet night.
The Li family closed their courtyard gates, leaving only their own family members behind.
Li Zhensheng then called out to Li Laosi and Jiayi, "Bring over the things we prepared for the family."
Jia Huan, Jia Xi, Mao Ge'er, and Jia Yin immediately opened their eyes wide, wishing they could cling to the door frame and gaze longingly outside.
Soon, Li Laosi and Jiayi brought all their belongings back.
One of the super-large seashells caught everyone's attention.
Li Zhensheng called Jiayi to put the seashell on the kang (a heated brick bed), and then pressed down next to the seashell. The seashell slowly opened.
This seashell was as big as an eight-immortal table. Its surface was coated with some kind of oil, making it extremely smooth and shiny.
As soon as the seashell opened, the pearls strung along its edge unfurled, forming a pearl curtain. Inside, a small, delicate quilt, a pale pink, was laid out, as beautiful as a sea princess's little nest...
Jiayin cheered and rushed over, burrowed into the seashell, threw off the covers, and rolled around happily!
Jiaxi, Jia'an, and Maoge'er excitedly circled around the seashell.
Jiayin rolled around a few times, then crawled out and let her brothers go inside to lie down.
Unfortunately, Jiaxi and Jia'an are too big, with half of their legs sticking out. Only Cat Brother can make do with his legs curled up.
"This is a birthday gift for Fu Niu'er. Do you like it?"
Li Zhensheng hugged his little niece and asked with a smile, unsurprisingly, he was smeared with saliva by his little niece again.
"I love it! I love it! Uncle is the best. When Fu Niu grows up, I will definitely be filial to Uncle!"
Everyone laughed, "This seashell bed, only Fu Niu'er can sleep on it!"
The old lady asked, "You must have spent a lot of money again?"
"No, Mother, don't worry. These seashells were bought from fishermen; they were very cheap. We only had to pay a craftsman a little for his labor."
"The pearl curtains are strung with teardrop-shaped pearls, not perfectly round, and they're very cheap."
Li Zhensheng explained a few words and then quickly took more things out.
Rare fabrics, coral bonsai, various dried goods, and a large box of jewelry made of pearls and coral.
“Mother, the craftsmanship in Quanzhou is influenced by foreign countries and has some unique features. I made a lot more jewelry. Please share some with your younger siblings, and keep the extras, they will come in handy.”
Li Zhensheng pushed the jewelry box in front of the old lady, and she smiled broadly.
“Jia Huan got engaged a few days ago, and I was just worried about the betrothal gifts. These things you brought back are very useful.”
"Jia Huan is engaged?" Li Zhensheng and Jia Yi were both surprised. The old lady simply said a few words.
The two were unaware of the details, but were naturally delighted to hear that Jia Huan was going to marry the daughter of the academy's teacher.
Li Zhensheng laughed heartily, "Jia Huan is really something, he married a lady from a prominent family without making a sound."
Jiayi also said, "I'll ride to Luo'an tomorrow to take a look!"
"Take me with you! Take me with you! I want to see my brother too!" Cat Brother, clinging to Jia Yi's back, started clamoring, only to be slapped by the old lady and then hugged in her arms.
As night deepened, the family finally dispersed to rest.
While her grandmother was making the bedding, Jiayin quietly slipped out the door, and sure enough, Jiayi was waiting outside.
The brother and sister got together, and Jiayi handed his sister two small cloth bags, saying, "I bought more than a dozen of the transparent stones you like, and there are a lot of big pearls too."
"Thank you, brother!" Jiayin hugged her brother, gave him a big kiss, and smiled so hard her eyes narrowed into crescent moons.
Jiayi held his younger sister, his smile tinged with helplessness.
"I really don't understand why you're looking for so many transparent stones. They're not as pretty as rubies!"
Jiayin raised her chin, looking down on her brother for not recognizing the value of diamonds. Little did he know the craze women have for diamonds!
"Oh, brother, you don't understand. From now on, whenever you see something that's not too expensive, buy it for me. When you get married, I'll give your wife a set of jewelry; I guarantee she'll love it!"
Jiayi blushed and quickly waved his hand, "I don't want to get married yet, I haven't had enough fun!"
Hearing the noise from inside, the old lady called out, "Fu Niu'er, stop bothering your brother and go inside to sleep!"
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