Fu Niu'er immediately jumped off her brother's lap, waved her hand, and happily ran back into the house.
When the old lady saw that her granddaughter's little hands were empty, she scolded her, "What good stuff have you been sneaking from your brother again? Hide it well, or you'll lose it."
"Okay, Grandma!"
Jiayin smiled, revealing a set of small white teeth. She quickly took off her coat and crawled into the large seashell.
The old lady blew out the oil lamp, and the room became dim, but moonlight shone in through the cracks in the window, making the large seashell look like an ivory-colored egg, enveloping the little girl, who quickly drifted off to sleep.
Smelling the faint scent of the sea, in Jiayin's dreams, seagulls circle the masts of large ships, white waves crash against the shore, and small boats laden with fish...
When I woke up, it was already bright daylight, and the kang (a heated brick bed) was empty.
Jiayin rubbed her eyes and looked closely. The Marquis and her uncle were on the ground, sitting at the square table drinking tea.
Perhaps seeing that she was awake, her soft hair stood on end like a little hedgehog, the two of them laughed.
The Marquis stepped forward and took the chubby girl out of the seashell. "You're awake, Fu Niu'er?"
"Godfather, when did you get back?" Jiayin yawned, still a little dazed.
"I just got home," the Marquis said with a smile. "Your grandmother is in the side room. Shall your godfather wash your face for you?"
"Okay." Jiayin nodded, then called out again, "Uncle, I dreamt of the sea last night."
Li Zhensheng laughed, "When you grow up, your uncle will take you to the south to ride a big ship!"
At this moment, Granny He and Shui Ling brought in warm water and wet their handkerchiefs.
The Marquis wiped the little girl's face, and Granny He and the others brought clean clothes. After everything was tidied up, Shuiyun brought up the steamed egg custard and food.
After the Marquis had fed and drunk his fill with the little girl, he said, "I need to go to Yunhe Town with your uncle. The grain there is about to be harvested, and your uncle wants to discuss something with you."
Jiayin was curious, but nodded nonetheless.
Li Zhensheng hugged his little niece, thought for a moment and said, "Fu Niu'er, your uncle originally wanted to use the new grain to get you some protection, but a lot has happened at home in the past few months, and your uncle is very worried."
"Those people from the Yan family dared to smash our house because they think we're just ordinary people with no official rank. So, could we perhaps..."
Before her uncle could finish speaking, Jiayin understood what he meant and immediately replied, "Uncle, Fu Niu'er has a father and a godfather to back her up! Fu Niu'er is also a princess, no one dares to bully her! Uncle, get Grandma an imperial title, the kind that doesn't require you to kneel before anyone! And get Second Uncle a high-ranking official position, the kind that doesn't require you to do official duties and even gives you money."
Li Zhensheng was stunned for a moment, and then looked at his little niece with new respect.
He did indeed want to use the merit of this grain donation to ask the old lady for an imperial title and to ask his second brother for a nominal official position.
That way, I won't have to kowtow to any important person I meet, not to mention the Yan family, I won't be afraid of even imperial relatives.
The second brother was shrewd and clever by nature. He had an official position, which fulfilled his childhood dream of taking the imperial examination and becoming an official. He didn't have to go to work every day and didn't have to worry about intrigue.
But he felt a little guilty because his niece agreed so readily.
During that year on the road, he spent most of his free time thinking about his family, and no matter how he thought about it, he felt that his little niece was extraordinary.
The Marquis always says that his family saved his life twice, but clearly no one in his family knows medicine.
Then think about how the Marquis treated his niece like the apple of his eye, and even prepared to leave the Marquis's mansion to her after he died in battle.
They even planned to use the enormous merit of donating grain to get a get-out-of-jail-free card for their little niece.
If he still can't figure it out, he's just a blockhead.
The Marquis knew better than anyone else about his little niece's extraordinary abilities.
These suddenly emerging high-yield new grains, the new fruit trees planted on the mountain, the jade melons and golden fruits in the fields, etc., are all inseparable from my little niece.
Now that he wants to take credit for the grain donation, he'll definitely have to rely on his little niece.
As the eldest son, he felt really bad that the older brother had taken credit for the child's achievement.
"Fu Niu'er, your uncle knows you're a good girl. Your uncle will definitely earn a lot of money in the future and buy you countless solid gold bracelets!"
Jiayin nodded with a grin, her eyes sparkling with excitement. "Uncle, Fu Niu has too many gold bracelets. Can we exchange them for jade bracelets?"
"Of course! Whatever Fu Niu'er wants, Uncle will buy it for her!"
Li Zhensheng carefully kissed his niece's forehead, feeling incredibly happy.
The Li family must have had some extraordinary good fortune in their ancestral graves, otherwise how could they have such a wonderful child to be born into this family?
The Marquis looked at the sky outside, took Jiayin's hand, and instructed her, "Your godfather, uncle, and father will all be busy for a few days, so you should stay home. If you have nothing to do, you can come back to the Marquis's residence for a few days."
"Okay, Godfather, don't worry, Fu Niu'er will be good." Jia Yin patted her little chest, her obedient little appearance melting one's heart.
After walking all the way to the main gate, the Marquis handed Jiayin over to Granny He.
At this moment, Li Laosi also led his horse over. The three of them mounted their horses, called to their personal guards, and in the blink of an eye, they disappeared without a trace.
In the orchard, the villagers were busy picking fruit. Seeing this, they asked Li Lao Er, "Is Master leaving again?"
"No," Li Lao Er wiped the sweat from his forehead and smiled, "The Marquis has an important task and needs your help, elder brother."
After saying that, he changed the subject and shouted loudly to everyone, "Everyone, give it your all! The Liu family sent people this morning to urge us. They said the fruit they took back last night was snatched up immediately. Today, they'll take away as much as they can pick!"
"We've been working hard all year, and we're finally about to reap the rewards! These aren't just red berries, they're golden berries!"
Everyone burst into laughter. "Second Master is absolutely right. I dreamt last night that the tree was covered with golden fruit. It was so beautiful."
Some people said, "After we distribute the silver this year, it'll be time to find a wife for my youngest son!"
"In my family too, we have to prepare the girl's dowry well in advance."
"Actually, I think it would be better to find a son-in-law who will live with the girl's family. I don't know how she'll suffer if she marries into her husband's family. Besides, nowhere is as prosperous as our Suijintan!"
"That's true, let's plan it that way for now and see what happens later."
Someone asked Li Lao Er, "Mr. Er, your family must be reluctant to let Fu Niu get married, right?"
Before Li Lao Er could respond, someone else chimed in, "Of course! Our Fu Niu'er is so lucky! If she gets married, wouldn't that be a waste on outsiders? She must find a son-in-law who will live with her family!"
Others nodded in agreement, "Then we'll have to choose carefully!"
Li Lao Er was both amused and exasperated. "Fu Niu'er is only a few years old. It's too early to talk about these things!"
Leaving aside the gossip and commotion in the orchard, let's just say that Lord Hou, Li Zhensheng, and Li Laosi met up with Liu Zhiheng and headed to Yunhe Town.
The group stood on the edge of the field, gazing at the vast expanse of corn stalks swaying in the autumn wind.
On each stalk, there is a corn cob nearly a foot long, with playful golden kernels breaking free from their husks and shining brightly in the sunlight.
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