"Little sister, what is this? Why are the two tubes stuck together?" Jia'an rushed over, took the black thing from his sister's hand, and examined it from top to bottom.
Jiaxi also stepped forward, eagerly examining it. "It's not made of iron, it's very light. Why are there two pieces of glass inlaid in it?"
Jiayin was afraid her brothers would break the thing in their clumsiness, so she quickly hugged it to her arms and said, "This is a telescope! Come on, let's go to the village entrance and I'll show you something amazing!"
"A thousand-mile eye? Can it really see a thousand miles?" Jiaxi got out of bed, put on her shoes, and carried her younger sister out the door.
Jia'an, carrying his sister's shoes, followed behind and suddenly exclaimed, "Hey, I remember in Quanzhou, someone in a teahouse said that those foreigners had some kind of clairvoyance, is that it?"
"Yes, clairvoyance! I remember now!" Jiaxi was overjoyed and jumped up, almost bumping into the door frame.
Before Jiayin could even scream, the two brothers had already shielded her and rushed out of the house like a gust of wind.
The afterglow of the sunset had not yet completely faded, bathing the sky and earth in an orange-red hue. Birds returning home in the evening spread their wings and fluttered past...
The villagers have all gone home for dinner, leaving only a lonely old tree at the usually bustling village entrance.
Jia'an and Jiaxi quickly climbed up the tree trunk and sat down side by side.
This is the best view, the furthest you can see.
Jiayin picked up the binoculars, placed them in front of her eyes, and finally managed to focus them.
This was a piece of old military equipment she had found while strolling through a night market in her previous life. Although it looked a bit clumsy, it was much better than those toy-type items.
Jia'an and Jiaxi each stretched out a hand and held their younger sister behind her back, afraid that she would fall backward.
"Is it ready yet, little sister? Let me see quickly, can it really see a thousand miles?" Jiaxi asked anxiously.
Jiayin quickly handed over the binoculars, then turned around and found a sturdy tree branch... and held on tight.
Sure enough, as soon as Jiaxi put the binoculars to his eyes, he couldn't help but exclaim, "Ah, what's that? Birds! Clouds! No, and Dawangzhuang too! It's so close, it's incredibly clear!"
Jia'an immediately rushed over, snatched the binoculars, and shouted, "Ah, it can really see a thousand miles! It's Dawangzhuang, there are three people at the village entrance!"
"show me!"
"Oh dear, I'll watch for a little while longer!"
The two brothers soon began fighting fiercely over a telescope.
The little sister, who had just been pampered by them, was now climbing up a tree branch, with a look that said... "Just as I thought!"
Jiayin rolled her eyes in exasperation.
Her two older brothers were only reliable occasionally; most of the time, they were distracted and left their younger sister aside.
This realization took root in her heart the moment she almost became a piece of grilled meat on a stone slab when she was a child...
The Marquis led a dozen or so personal guards and rode back to the new village. From afar, he could see people in the trees at the village entrance.
Upon getting closer, he could see that Jiaxi and Jia'an were holding a strange tube and shining it at him repeatedly.
And on a nearby branch, there was a fat monkey hanging.
Fat monkey? !
The Marquis was startled and leaped into the air on his horse, then landed safely with his beloved chubby daughter in his arms. He asked angrily, "What happened? What if you fell and hit your head?"
Jiayin grinned awkwardly, showing her gap-toothed smile.
She underestimated her two brothers' obsession with the telescope; thankfully, her adoptive father returned, or her hands would have cramped up...
Jia'an and Jiaxi, unaware of the impending disaster, were still muttering to themselves.
"That horse has huge nostrils!"
"No, the eyes are even bigger!"
The lord kicked the tree trunk, and the two boys immediately fell down. They scrambled to their feet and stood there stunned for a while before realizing that something was wrong.
They were having so much fun that they seemed to have forgotten about their sister!
The Marquis bent down to pick up the binoculars, and without even looking at what they were, handed them to Jiayin, then picked her up and carried her into the courtyard.
Jia'an and Jiaxi quickly followed after them.
Jiaxi was the first to admit his mistake with a grin, "Hehe, Lord Marquis, we were wrong. We were so engrossed in watching that we forgot to look at Gu Funiu."
“Yes, yes!” Jia’an quickly chimed in, “We watched you run over and get closer and closer, so we watched for a while longer. This telescope is amazing!”
The Marquis ignored them and went straight into the Li family's courtyard.
Jiayin secretly made faces at her two older brothers, then threw the binoculars at them.
Jia'an and Jiaxi understood each other, took the binoculars, and ran away.
How could the Marquis not want to know about their little tricks? He reached out and patted the chubby girl on the back, saying, "Take Shui Ling and Shui Yun with you wherever you go from now on. These two boys are too lively; they forget everything when they get crazy."
"Hehe, I know, Godfather." Jiayin quickly changed the subject. "Godfather, my brothers are going to sea to see foreign lands. Grandma told them to learn skills for three years before they set off."
"Is that so?" the Marquis replied, without saying anything more.
Old Mrs. Li and Tao Hongying were discussing household matters when they saw the Marquis returning at this time. Tao Hongying quickly went to the kitchen to prepare a bowl of chicken noodle soup and two side dishes.
After the Marquis finished his meal, he began to talk to Old Lady Li. When asked about the two boys' plans to go to sea, Old Lady Li replied, "These are two mischievous monkeys; there's no way to keep them under control. Let's just let them run wild!"
"When Zhensheng returns another day, let him find an old boatman to teach them sea skills, and see if they can persevere."
The Marquis nodded, "Although our Tianwu Kingdom and overseas countries don't have much contact, the Foreign Affairs Department still has some personnel who are always active."
"How about I arrange for the two boys to go in? They can learn foreign languages and customs, as well as skills like sailing."
"Would this work? Would it be too much trouble?" Old Mrs. Li was pleased to hear this and was somewhat tempted, but she was also worried about causing trouble for the Marquis.
The Marquis shook his head and said, "They were already short-handed, because the court's focus is now on Jiangbei. But I think the pirates in the outer seas are becoming more and more rampant, and there are more and more foreigners coming and going. We can't let our guard down!"
"In case we take back Jiangbei and then there's trouble in the south, we can't be unprepared. The two boys should learn more skills now. If there are no problems in the south, it would be best if they went out to sea to travel or do business. If war breaks out, it will be easier for them to find a way to make a living."
Grandma Li nodded repeatedly, finding it a delightful surprise.
Neither Jiaxi nor Jia'an were academically inclined, and she thought that becoming a merchant at sea would be the best she could hope for.
I never imagined I'd have the chance to get an official position later!
"Alright, alright, Lord Marquis, I'll leave them to you to take care of." Old Madam Li took the Marquis's hand, her gratitude overflowing. "These children in the family are truly all thanks to you."
The Marquis then added, "It's just that the two children are likely to suffer in the future..."
"What's there to be afraid of when it comes to hardship!" Old Mrs. Li waved her hand, not feeling anything was wrong. "What skill can be learned without hardship? These two boys are tough, you can do whatever you want with them! If they're afraid of hardship, they can stay home and farm, then I won't have to worry about them."
"Alright, I'll take them with me when I go into the city tomorrow." The Marquis smiled and directly set the stage for the two boys' "miserable" future.
Jiayin sat to one side, smiling sweetly, but inwardly she felt a pang of sympathy for her two older brothers…
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