"Alright!" the coachman quickly agreed, and as soon as Jiayi counted one, two, three, he gave the chestnut horse a lash with his whip.
The chestnut horse, in pain, struggled forward, and with a quick pull from Jia Yi behind the carriage, the wheels easily emerged from the deep ditch.
The boxes on the vehicle were a bit crooked, but Jiayi quickly straightened them out and tightened the ropes again.
Soon, the carriage was back on the road.
In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, so fast that everyone knew the trouble was resolved before they even had a chance to hear it.
Li Laosi shouted from the very back of the convoy, "Jiayi, put your hat on, be careful your ears don't freeze off, or your grandma will be heartbroken when you get home."
"Okay, Uncle, I understand!"
Jiayi quickly put on his wolfskin hat and ran back to the carriage he was in charge of.
The convoy slowly rejoined and continued its journey despite the wind and snow.
In the lead carriage, Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), tightened his sheepskin coat and smiled smugly at the manager of the caravan beside him.
"So, what do you think? These two good men I found, aren't they great?"
The manager, who was familiar with him, chuckled and replied.
“Your judgment is certainly sound. I originally thought this trip would take a month, but now it only takes five more days to get home, a total of twenty-five days. It’s been incredibly smooth. Don’t worry, I’ll report back to my employer and give you a reward.”
"Haha, that's exactly what I was waiting for you to say." Chief镖师 Liu patted the steward's back loudly, and then added.
“I don’t really care, but Li Laosi and his nephew came all the way here for me, and they’ve been a great help this time. I have to try to get them something, otherwise how will I get them to come out again next time?”
The steward winced in pain and quickly moved away from him, saying irritably, "You're not much better than a bandit. It's a miracle that anyone trusts you."
Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), laughed heartily, "You're going to be disappointed. I get along very well with Brother Li."
The people in the convoy behind couldn't hear what was being said in front, but the faint laughter made them relax.
This delivery trip was easy; I'll be home soon and can relax and wait for the New Year.
Everyone was happy, and they couldn't help cracking their whips to urge the carriage to go faster...
Drinking porridge on Laba Festival is a custom shared throughout the world.
On the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, Old Lady Li took her two daughters-in-law to start picking out various beans and grains, and also sent Jiaxi and Jia'an next door to say hello.
"Tell your Grandpa Zhao and the others that we've cooked Laba porridge together as a family, and we'll just bring a bowl over when the time comes. Tell them not to worry about it."
"Okay, Grandma!"
Jiaxi and Jia'an grabbed their hats and ran outside. The cold wind that blew up when they opened and closed the door made everyone shiver.
Tao Hongying hurried to check on her daughter and saw that her daughter had finally finished eating her toes and started eating her fists, drooling profusely. She then pulled out a handkerchief to wipe it off.
Grandma Li moved the winnowing basket to the side, afraid that her granddaughter would grab some beans and stuff them into her mouth.
Zhao Yuru carefully counted the contents of the winnowing basket: peanuts, red beans, rice beans, chestnuts, sorghum, millet, and japonica rice. She had eight different kinds, and then smiled.
"Mom, the Laba porridge this year will definitely taste delicious."
"It's so delicious, there are so many good things!" Grandma Li couldn't help but exclaim.
"Fortunately, our family settled here, bought a house and farmland, and the villagers are all nice people."
After saying that, she couldn't help but turn around and kiss her granddaughter. "This is all thanks to my Fu Niu'er! Fu Niu'er, play well, and Grandma will steam some egg custard for you in a little while."
Tao Hongying stopped her, "Mom, there aren't many eggs left at home, are there? Let's save them for Jiaren or Jiayi when they come back. Fu Niu'er has enough milk and has gotten much fatter."
Grandma Li smiled and waved her hand, recalling the more than twenty eggs she had found in her bed last night.
"Don't worry about it. I know what I'm doing. Fu Niu'er is my granddaughter, and Jia Ren and Jia Yi are my grandsons too. I love them all. Besides, our Fu Niu'er is very lucky; she never has to worry about food."
After saying that, she winked at her granddaughter, which made Jiayin respond with great enthusiasm.
The grandfather and grandson both laughed, keeping their little secret together, and couldn't be more proud of themselves.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru exchanged a glance, both amused and helpless, but they didn't say anything more. The old lady had always been in charge of the household, and they just had to obey her.
Just then, Jiaxi and Jia'an came running in from outside, shouting loudly.
"Grandma, my fourth uncle (father) is back!"
"What?"
Grandma Li nearly overturned the winnowing basket. She quickly got out of bed and put on her shoes, while Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru had already gone out to greet her.
In the short time Jiayin was distracted, she was left alone in the room; everyone had forgotten to bring her along to watch the fun!
In her haste, she rolled over and almost fell to the ground, so she could only scream and cry to warn everyone.
Fortunately, Grandma Li remembered her granddaughter as soon as she left the house and quickly turned back to greet her.
"Oh dear, oh dear, Grandma forgot about our Fu Niu'er! Don't be angry, Grandma's back now. Come on, let's see what good things your dad brought back!"
When the grandfather and grandson went out, Li Laosi and Jiayi had already entered the main room.
"mother!"
"Grandma, we're back!"
The first thing the uncle and nephew did was kneel down and kowtow. They hadn't seen each other for almost a month, and what they missed most was their home.
Now that I see everything is alright at home, I can finally relax.
"Get up! Get up right now! You're family, why are you kneeling?"
Grandma Li was overjoyed and used one hand to pull her son and grandson up.
Li Laosi and Jiayi went up to look at Jiayin, their eyes crinkling with laughter. They wanted to hug Jiayin and touch her little face, but they didn't dare.
"Fu Niu'er seems to have grown a lot!"
"Yeah, doesn't it feel heavier to carry around?"
"Alright, sit down and let's talk."
Grandma Li asked her son with a smile if he had eaten or had a hard journey. Li Laosi and Jiayi naturally said nice things, since they were already back, why should they let their family worry?
Besides, they're not going out to play; they're going out to earn money to support their families. How can they not work hard?
At this moment, Li Lao Er and Wu Cuihua, as well as Li Lao San who lived next door, all returned after hearing the news.
It's even more lively when the whole family is together.
Li Laosi took out a money bag from his pocket, which was bulging with silver ingots, loose silver, and copper coins.
It made a crisp sound when it was placed on the table, attracting everyone's attention.
“Mother, this is the money Jiayi and I earned on this trip. I got ten taels, and Jiayi got five taels. We also went hunting twice with Liu the镖头 (bodyguard) when we encountered mountains on the way, earning a little over five taels of silver. Oh, and there was an extra five taels from the master, so it's a total of over twenty taels.”
After handing over the silver, Li Laosi grabbed a large bundle and started taking things out.
“Mother, the fabric is cheap in the south. I bought a lot of fine cloth. Please make new clothes for the family, especially since Jiaren is in school now and needs to dress better.”
On the other side, Jiayi was also excitedly showing his younger brothers the trinkets and snacks he had bought, as well as a box of writing implements.
The south has a thriving literary culture, so the quality of the Four Treasures of the Study (writing brush, ink stick, inkstone, and paper) is better and cheaper.
When he encountered it, he consulted his fourth uncle and spent two taels of silver to buy a set for his father.
Li Lao Er held it in his hands, his eyes reddening with excitement. This was the first time his son had ever given him such a good gift as a sign of filial piety.
They've really grown up and become more sensible.
Wu Cuihua craned her neck, but after a long while her son still hadn't brought her anything, she was so angry that she secretly tugged at her sleeve and gritted her teeth, but she didn't dare to say anything.
The already-written letter of divorce terrified her...?
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com