She turned her head and saw a long knife on the kang (a heated brick bed).
She was so frightened that she was speechless and hugged her granddaughter tightly.
Jiayin, at a loss, patted her grandmother's big hand with her little hand, and after holding it in for a long time, finally uttered a single word, "Dad!"
The old lady blinked twice and suddenly understood.
"This is for your dad, for self-defense on the road?"
Jiayin nodded and pointed outside the door.
Grandma Li then truly shed tears, hugging and kissing her granddaughter repeatedly.
"Your father is less sensible than you, a child. Luckily, you're here, otherwise how would Grandma live!"
Jiayin sighed inwardly, feeling even more sorry for the old lady.
Being a family member is not easy. If everything goes smoothly at home, it's fine, but if any misfortune occurs, the old lady will probably feel uneasy for the rest of her life.
Li Laosi had been pacing around outside the door for who knows how many times, filled with regret.
Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), had done the Li family a favor, and it was not wrong for him to want to repay that kindness.
But my mother didn't do anything wrong either. She has elderly parents to support and young children to raise. What would happen to the family if something happened to him?
Tao Hongying came in from outside, still wearing her apron. Seeing her husband like this, she glared at him fiercely.
Li Laosi quickly smiled ingratiatingly, guessing that his wife was going to plead for him.
But before the couple could speak, Old Lady Li had already called out from inside the house.
"Fourth brother, Hongying, come in!"
The couple quickly pushed open the door and entered. Tao Hongying immediately saw her daughter with her bottom sticking out, slowly walking along the windowsill.
She quickly climbed onto the kang (a heated brick bed), picked her up in her arms, afraid that her daughter would fall.
Li Laosi's eyes were glued to the long knife on the kang (a heated brick bed). "This...this is a long knife?"
"Hmph," Old Mrs. Li snorted coldly, responding impatiently.
"Yes, Fu Niu specifically said it was for you, so you can use it for self-defense on the road."
Li Laosi was overjoyed. He excitedly picked it up with both hands and pulled the knife out of its sheath.
The blade, over two feet long, was dazzlingly bright!
He instinctively held his breath, reached out and rubbed the blade, and blood appeared on his fingertip.
"What a fine knife! It's incredibly sharp!"
Grandma Li took her granddaughter and proudly raised her chin.
"Of course! Whatever our Fu Niu brings out, how could it be bad? You, you thoughtless father, must come back safe and sound, otherwise you'll be letting Fu Niu down."
"Don't worry, Mother, I will definitely come back soon."
Li Laosi put down his knife, solemnly agreed, and then snatched his daughter away, rubbing his stubble against her little face.
Jiayin was furious. She grabbed her father's hair with her little hand, making Li Laosi wince in pain.
Both Grandma Li and Tao Hongying laughed. Tao Hongying carefully examined the knife and felt slightly better.
Thus, it was decided that Li Laosi would go out to work as a镖师 (bodyguard/escort).
But Jiayi was not an option; Old Lady Li refused to let him go, and Li Laosi also refused to take him along.
Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), had no idea it would be this dangerous; he had even planned to take his son and apprentice with him.
But as soon as he received the item, he regretted it.
Just then, Li Laosi arrived, and after a brief discussion, the two decided not to bring the two boys.
With two people and two fast horses, traveling day and night, they could make a round trip in ten days.
It's fast, and it also minimizes the danger.
Jiayi was disappointed, but then he thought that his fourth uncle was going out and there was no one at home to protect him.
Putting everything else aside, the thirty mu of crops at home are unique within a hundred miles.
Although villagers help take care of it, there's no guarantee that no one from other villages might be jealous and cause trouble.
Tao Hongying silently packed her husband's belongings: a simple set of clothes, a pair of shoes, and then some medicine for his injuries and pills for dysentery and colds.
The rest were all flatbreads, made of the finest fine flour, dry and tasteless, but they could be kept for three to five days without spoiling.
Then, put a large bowl of wild boar meat sauce in a bamboo tube, so you can have a full meal whenever you stop to rest along the way.
Jiayin also rummaged through the space and found an old-fashioned military water bottle and a military green satchel.
The dark green teapot is somewhat mottled, but still quite sturdy, and comes with a long carrying strap.
The handbag is about 80% new; it looks a bit ugly but is practical.
On the night of his departure, Li Laosi changed into narrow-sleeved clothes and trousers that allowed for easier movement.
He carried a water bottle on his left and a satchel containing clothes and dry food on his right.
Wearing a large straw hat, he looked indescribably strange.
Even though Jiayin was worried about her father's safety, she couldn't help but lean on her grandmother's shoulder and chuckle.
Grandma Li, disregarding her granddaughter, repeatedly reminded her son to be extremely careful.
Li Laosi kowtowed to his mother, touched his daughter's face, and then strode out of the house.
Not far outside the village, Chief Escort Liu was already waiting on horseback.
He didn't go in, not wanting the sound of the horse's hooves to disturb the village dogs, and feeling even more guilty towards the Li family.
If he had a choice, he would never have begged Li Laosi to come along.
This escort mission is just too difficult!
Before accepting the escort mission, it was agreed that the money would be in silver notes, which would be easy to carry and not easily discovered.
But after receiving the convoy, he discovered that it contained not only a hundred taels of gold, but also a bag of gems.
These items together amount to a total of five thousand taels of silver, and they are far too conspicuous.
After thinking it over, he realized that the only person he could help and trust was Li Laosi!
But for the Li family, this meant Li Laosi was risking his life, and he couldn't face them...
Li Laosi mounted his horse, took the jewel bag handed to him by Liu Biaotou, and carefully tucked it into his bosom.
Then, after thinking for a moment, he handed the long sword to Liu the镖头 (bodyguard).
He was better at archery, and the saber hanging on the side of his saddle was enough for self-defense.
This long sword can only be truly effective in the hands of a master swordsman like Liu the镖头!
Sure enough, Chief Escort Liu drew his long sword and examined it closely, his face flushed with excitement.
"Where did this knife come from? It's a really fine knife!"
Li Laosi sighed as he thought of his mysterious yet well-behaved little girl.
As a father, he felt bad that his daughter had to worry about him so much.
But I couldn't tell the truth right now, so I gave a vague reply.
“This was passed down from our ancestors. It seems that my great-grandfather had a brother who was a wandering swordsman. It’s been so long that my family can’t remember the details. My mother was worried about me when she went on this long trip, so she took it out for me to use.”
Upon hearing that it was an heirloom, Liu the镖头 (bodyguard) abandoned his desire to buy it for a large sum of money.
He touched it again and again, reluctant to put it down, before handing it to Li Laosi.
Li Laosi refused to accept it, waving his hand and saying...
"Brother Liu, you're better at using a knife. Take this knife with you!"
Liu, the head镖师, had an eye on it. He wanted to decline, but he really liked it too much.
Such a fine knife, the likes of which he had never seen before, gave him even more confidence for this mission.
"Good brother, then I won't stand on ceremony with you. I'll repay you when we return victorious."
Looking back at the pitch-black village, Li Laosi saw only a glimmer of light in the direction of his own home.
He knew his family was waiting for the sound of his horse's hooves; they wouldn't be able to rest peacefully until they heard it.
"Let's go, Brother Liu, let's go and come back soon!"
The two men and two horses quickly disappeared into the night, covering more than a hundred miles in one night.
As dawn broke, the two rested under a tree, ate dry rations and drank water. Feeling that things had gone relatively smoothly, they were both much more at ease.
Little did they know that such a large sum of money could not possibly be concealed in a small place like Junyang.
Someone had been watching them for a while, like a venomous snake, waiting for their chance to strike!
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