"Okay, thank you, Grandma Li," the children replied with smiles.
They even knew to bow and express their gratitude, which made the village chief and Uncle Zhao, who were just entering the door, all smile.
The village chief praised, "These children have truly learned their lesson; they are much more well-behaved than before."
After saying that, he asked Old Mrs. Li, "Is Mr. Jiang coming over for dinner tonight?"
"I'm not coming," Old Lady Li replied with a smile. "Mr. Jiang is giving the children some questions right now. He said he wants to test them before the winter break, and also to give everyone in the village an explanation. I'll have Shui Ling send a plate over in a bit!"
The old men all laughed, "We really hit the jackpot by inviting Mr. Jiang to teach. We are all very grateful for how much he cares for the children."
As they spoke, everyone went into the house together.
Sister Liu and Hui Niang both brought the child over.
At this moment, Liu Yang held up his chubby little brother, Tong Jiayi, and showed him off, "Look at my little brother, isn't he cute? He can even blow bubbles!"
Jiayi, unconvinced, picked up his younger sister and exclaimed, "Look at my sister, how cute she is, and she can even..."
He looked down, trying to find his sister's good points, but Jiayin was happily eating salt and pepper shrimp with her little bowl in hand, and had no time to pay attention to her brother's competitive spirit.
She reached out and grabbed a shrimp, stuffing it into her brother's mouth as a form of comfort.
Jiayi had no choice but to vaguely reply, "My sister can peel shrimp!"
Liu Yang rolled his eyes. "When my little brother grows up, he'll be able to peel shrimp too!"
"Hmph, by then my sister would have grown up a lot, she could sew purses, and she could write and read!"
"My younger brother can also practice martial arts, climb trees, and catch fish!"
Jiayin crunched on the crispy shrimp shells while listening to the two childish kids arguing.
The other day, Grandma said that after Jia Huan gets married, it will be Jia Yi's turn to get married in about a year or two.
It seems Grandma is going to be disappointed.
Jiayi is still a child; all he thinks about is going out and making his way in the world. How is he going to get a wife?
Am I supposed to marry a wife only to be left alone in an empty room every day?!
Will widow-style marriages and single-parent-style childcare become commonplace in your own home?
"No, absolutely not!" Jia Yin said, sensing the impending crisis.
She put down her small bowl and scolded her two older brothers in a soft voice, "You two are so childish! How will you ever get married? If you don't know how to cherish your wives, you might as well not get married at all!"
Jiayi and Liu Yang's faces turned bright red instantly. They couldn't understand how playing with the child had led to the topic of getting married!
Meanwhile, Aunt Liu, Aunt Wu, and Old Lady Li, who were chatting idly, were laughing so hard they almost fell over.
Grandma Li snatched her granddaughter and kissed her repeatedly, exclaiming, "Oh my, our little Fu Niu'er! She's so young, yet she's already worrying about her brother getting married!"
Aunt Wu, holding her twin boys in her arms, was laughing so hard she was wiping away tears. "Any girl who marries into our family will be so lucky! She hasn't even entered the door yet, and her sister-in-law is already backing her up!"
Jiayi and Liu Yang's faces turned even redder, and they darted out like rabbits.
Jiayi kept shouting, "We're not getting married, let Jiahuan get married! We haven't had enough fun yet!"
Jia Huan happened to come back early from the restaurant today to help his fourth aunt cook. He also wanted to ask about the family's arrangements, since the wedding day was only half a month away.
As a result, he was stunned when the two boys called out to him as soon as he brought the dishes into the house. His face turned red as he asked, "What's going on?"
Grandma Li carried her granddaughter out of the house, smiling as she came to her grandson's rescue, "Don't mind them, these two boys are too naughty, let them be."
After saying that, she pulled her grandson to sit down and, while everyone was there, discussed the trivial matters of the wedding.
This is the first happy event for the Li family's grandchildren, so of course a grand banquet should be held.
Besides all the villagers, the village heads of Dahuaishu and Dawangzhuang, along with a few prominent villagers, Liu Zhiheng's family, a few of Li Zhensheng's close friends who also wanted to join in the fun, and several shopkeepers whom Li Laosan had met in Luo'an...
All things considered, the banquet will require approximately sixteen tables.
The Li family has no shortage of ingredients, nor do they lack skilled chefs, so this is not a problem.
The only problem is finding accommodation!
When the courtyard was built, we thought that the main house plus the east and west wing rooms would be enough to live in.
But now that Jia Huan is married, even though the young couple won't be living here permanently, they still need a room.
They would prepare a bridal chamber for the wedding, and also provide a place for the couple to stay when they occasionally returned home.
We can't let the young couple squeeze onto the same kang (heated brick bed) with their brothers again!
Madam Cui was the first to speak, saying, "Auntie, I don't come back often, it's such a waste to leave that courtyard empty, why don't we give it to the children?"
"We'll arrange for anyone to get married there from now on. There are six rooms in total; it'll probably be enough for Cat Brother's wedding."
"No, no!" Old Lady Li quickly waved her hand to refuse. "We agreed that wherever you go, you'll be one of our villagers, which is why we built this courtyard for you."
"If I have something to do at home and can't make room, it's fine to stay for three to five days, but how can you take it all up!"
Li Lao Er also looked at Madam Cui and said, "My mother is right. If it really doesn't work out, we can find another place to rebuild, but your and the Marquis's courtyard must not be touched!"
Madam Cui felt a warmth in her heart upon hearing this and smiled, "Then consider it as me lending the place to the children. Once we build a new courtyard, the children can move out."
Grandma Li still disagreed, "No, how can you lend your yard to children to get married? Besides, what about when you and Mr. Wen get married..."
"Cough cough cough," Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er coughed as soon as they realized their mother had let something slip, quickly changing the subject.
Li Zhensheng said, "It's a bit of a waste to only grow vegetables in the garden behind our house. There are vegetable fields outside the village, and even if all the guests from the village and the valley eat together, they can't finish them all. In addition, Fu Niu'er's estate also sends a few baskets here every now and then."
"Therefore, this vegetable garden is dispensable. We might as well tidy it up and build another courtyard, enough for the boys to live in until they all get married!"
"That's a good idea." The village chief and Liu the镖头 (bodyguard) and the others all nodded in agreement with smiles.
"The garden isn't as spacious as the front, and the courtyard must be a bit cramped," Uncle Zhao added.
“That’s alright. The boys only come back occasionally to stay. After they get married and become successful, they might not come back for three to five years.” Li Lao Er also laughed and said, “At least when Jia Ren is appointed as an official and sent to a remote area, he won’t be able to come back often.”
The village chief nodded, "That's true. Only good-for-nothing boys stay at home all day guarding their kang (heated brick bed). Those who are promising go out and learn some skills."
Uncle Zhao sighed with envy, "We're just too old. Otherwise, we really wanted to go south with Zhensheng to see the boundless sea and those strange foreigners!"
"You may admit you're old, but I won't!" The village chief waved his pipe and shouted proudly, "Next time the fleet goes to Quanzhou, be sure to take me with you!"
"That won't do!" Old Li pretended to tug at the village chief's sleeve, pitifully trying to keep him there. "Uncle, you're the backbone of our village. What will happen to the village if you go off to play? We'll be starting to prepare the land after the New Year. Without you here, I'm afraid no one will be able to eat the Jade Melon and Golden Fruit!"
The village chief was overjoyed, took a couple of puffs on his pipe with a smug look on his face, and then said, "Alright then, since the village can't do without me, I'll wait a little longer."
Everyone was amused by the old man's childlike antics, and the room became incredibly lively.
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