"Godfather, I remember everything. I will be fine. Godfather, you must return safely and personally escort me to my wedding. If I suffer any injustice, I will need Godfather to support me!" Jiayin hugged the Marquis's arm and quickly wiped away her tears.
Even if she was reluctant and worried, she couldn't shed too many tears, it was bad luck!
She smiled again, her smile as radiant as the spring sunshine…
Mu Xu was sitting on a tree at the entrance of the village, his legs dangling. When he saw the father and daughter in the distance, he jumped down.
He could tell at a glance that Jiayin had shed tears, so he raised an eyebrow and glanced at the Marquis, saying, "Princess, weren't you going to make some good dishes? Just now, Shuiyun was anxiously asking you for the menu!"
Jiayin glanced at the sky and realized it was getting late. She quickly said something to her godfather and ran back to the courtyard.
The Marquis raised his hand and patted Mu Xu, laughing, "There's no need to wait for my return from the campaign; your answer is already written on your face."
Mu Xu was somewhat embarrassed, but still showed some responsibility, replying directly, "Since Your Excellency already knows the answer, I won't say anything more. I will treat the princess well and make her fall in love with me. Just wait to hear the good news when I return!"
At this time, Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, Li Lao Si, and Mr. Wen all returned from the city.
They vaguely heard the last half of the sentence, and Li Lao Er asked with a smile, "What good news is it? Tell us more, we want to hear your happy news!"
Old Master Li spends most of his time at the academy, but today he rushed back specifically for the Marquis and his younger brother's expedition.
He was even more curious and asked, "I've only been away from home for a few days, what good news is there now?"
Mu Xu blushed slightly, unsure of what to say.
The Marquis joked, "It's nothing. I'm just wondering where our Fu Niu will marry and what kind of husband she'll find."
The Li brothers immediately widened their eyes, looking as if they had been robbed of a precious treasure.
Li Laosi said gruffly, "No, no! Our Fu Niu'er is still young. We can discuss marriage when she's twenty."
Li Laosan quickly nodded in agreement, "That's right, Fu Niu'er is still young. If she gets married too early, she'll be easily bullied."
Li Lao Er had been an official for several years and had some understanding of the rules and customs of wealthy families.
He said, "In the city, families usually find husbands for their daughters early on, and then they look for several years before they get married when they are sixteen or seventeen."
“Fu Niu’er is still young. We can keep an eye out for good sons in other families and prepare them for her.”
Mu Xu, listening from the side, was getting a little anxious. He hadn't even won over his wife yet, and now he was already facing several more rivals!
The Marquis glanced at him, signaling him to be quiet, and then asked, "What kind of husband do you want to find for Fu Niu'er?"
Li Laosi's biological father was naturally the first to speak. Without thinking, he said, "Of course, he should be a brave and valiant young man, at least able to beat me."
“Otherwise, if he marries Fu Niu’er but can’t even protect her, what’s the point of having him! Fu Niu’er might as well stay at home for the rest of her life, and I’ll protect her.”
After saying that, he raised his thick arm.
The way she looked wasn't that she hoped her future son-in-law would be exceptionally brave; it was clearly that she wanted to punch him to death...
Mu Xu blinked twice, and his breathing became lighter.
Li Laosan patted his younger brother and laughed, "Your standards are too high. In the entire city, no one can beat you with a single slap. And they're all strong men!"
"How can you choose a young man like that? You just want to keep Fu Niu'er at home for the rest of her life."
When his brother saw through his thoughts, Li Laosi chuckled dryly and put his hand down, saying, "Take your time looking, we'll find it eventually."
Having no other choice, Li Laosan said, "I think the other party's family power, even their appearance and talent, are not important. As long as they are good to Fu Niu'er, listen to Fu Niu'er in everything, and make Fu Niu'er happy every day."
Everyone nodded, but no one noticed that Mu Xu, standing at the back, had gained a little confidence and straightened his back again.
Finally, it was Li Lao Er's turn. He laughed and said, "I don't care where Fu Niu'er marries or who she marries, as long as she's happy. After all, there are seven boys in the family, and their sister can't be mistreated no matter which family she marries into. The only requirement is that she can't marry far away!"
Mr. Wen stood beside him, smiling and nodding, "Yes, that's indeed the most important thing. But how far is considered marrying far away?"
As Li Laosi turned to retrieve his long sword from his horse, he casually replied, "That's hard to say, but this morning my daughter heard a harsh remark from her in-laws, and by the afternoon, before I could even chop off her son-in-law's head, she was already married off to a distant place!"
Everyone was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter.
"Yes, yes! This distance is just right!"
"Tell Fu Niu'er to look for a husband like this in the future."
Actually, none of the family members were thinking about finding a husband for Jiayin at this time; it was just a joke.
Before long, everyone filed into the courtyard.
The courtyard was already filled with the aroma of food, and the children were running and playing. As soon as they saw their elders return, they all ran forward with their short legs to ask for a hug.
It was a joyful, warm, and lively occasion.
Only Mu Xu stood outside the gate, touching his chilly neck...
Is it too late to back out now?
Before long, the village chief, Uncle Zhao and several other elderly people, and Liu the镖头 (bodyguard) arrived.
Everyone gathered around a large table, and the wine jars were smashed open.
The village chief and Uncle Zhao, among others, were all veterans and knew all too well the dangers of the battlefield.
Let alone the fact that Lord Hou and Li Laosi are mortals, even gods cannot guarantee that they will survive the charge of a massive army.
But at this time, we can't say anything unlucky; what we need is morale.
So everyone switched to large earthenware bowls, filled them with strong liquor, and clinked them together loudly.
"Victory!"
"The Heavenly Martial Might is mighty!"
All their worries and hopes were contained in the drinks, which everyone gulped down.
No one brought up the matter of conscription after that; they mostly talked about the lively and trivial things in the village, as well as the hardships and glories they had achieved over the years.
Others were fine with it, having heard it countless times, but only Aibe was extremely interested.
She asked her sister-in-law to translate, and with a combination of gestures and guesswork, she understood most of it.
Wenwen and Yuanyuan, being mischievous, played inside and outside the house, but soon became sleepy and were sent back to their rooms to sleep.
The Marquis and his entourage drank until the third watch of the night, and almost everyone was completely drunk before they dispersed.
Jiayin took a nap in the space and then went back to work.
At dawn, as soon as the Marquis and Li Laosi got up, hot rice porridge and meat buns were served. After they had eaten and drunk their fill and went out into the courtyard, a fully loaded carriage was waiting in front of the door.
Jiayin wore a bright red cloak, the snow-white fox fur collar highlighting her radiant smile.
Mu Xu stood beside her, shielding her from the cool morning breeze.
“Father, Godfather! The cart contains wound medicine prepared for the Northern Expeditionary Army. I have already categorized and labeled it. You can take it back to the camp with you! If you have any questions, ask Uncle Shan. He packed and loaded it into the cart himself, so he knows the best.”
Ye Shan had lived at home for several years, but this time he was really worried about the Marquis and asked to accompany him.
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