Both the Marquis and Jiayin were puzzled, so the Marquis said, "Let's go home first, and we can talk about it slowly when we get home."
Soon, the carriage arrived at his door. Li Laosi heard the commotion and came to greet them, only to be conscripted into the main room to carry over a hundred books.
Grandma Li was also very surprised and asked, "Where did you buy so many books, and how much did you spend?"
Li Lao Er poured himself a cup of tea and drank it before saying, "Mother, Mr. Guo has passed away. Before that, he had someone copy two copies of the books he treasured. One copy was given to Mr. Wen, and the other to our family..."
"Passed away? That's so sudden!"
Grandma Li was shocked. After all, just a few days ago, Wenhao had become Mr. Wen's student, and Mr. Guo had even attended the ceremony. How could she suddenly hear the news of his death?
Li Lao Er replied, "Old Master Guo was already at his last gasp before, but he couldn't let go of Wenhao, so he kept him alive. Now, perhaps he felt that Wenhao had someone to rely on and that he would have a teacher to take care of him in the future, so he breathed a sigh of relief and left."
Everyone sighed upon hearing this. They used to feel displeased when they occasionally thought of this old man, after all, the incident of wrongly accusing the Li family of murder was truly unsightly.
But when a person dies, it's like a lamp going out; all grudges and debts dissipate.
Moreover, perhaps Mr. Guo felt guilty, otherwise he wouldn't have remembered to give the Li family so many books before his death.
Grandma Li then instructed her children and grandchildren, "Mr. Guo may have sent the book as a request for our family to take better care of Wenhao, at least not to hold Wenhao responsible for the previous grievances."
"Actually, he's overthinking it. From now on, Wenhao will be Jiaren's junior brother. Even without these books, if he needs anything, our family will still take care of him."
"Understood, Mother, don't worry," Li Lao Er replied first.
Grandma Li put herself in others' shoes, thinking that if she were to pass away, the people she would be most worried about would be her children.
Her complexion looked rather pale, so Jiayin quickly ran over, hugged her grandmother, and pleaded, "Grandma, is Wenhao's grandpa dead? He's so pitiful! He even gave me a little rocking horse earlier. Can I give him a box of snacks too? If he eats the snacks, he won't miss his grandpa anymore!"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Old Mrs. Li even tapped her granddaughter's forehead, laughing and crying at the same time, and said, "Do you think everyone is as greedy as you? He's so sad, it's not like eating a piece of pastry can make him feel better."
"However, it's good to give and take. If someone has given you something, it's good for you to give them something back."
Jiayin smiled and licked the spot where the little gap-tooth was. A small white dot had appeared there, indicating that a new tooth was about to grow in, and it was very itchy.
She thought for a moment and then said, "Then Mom and I will bake a honey cake tomorrow morning; that's the sweetest."
“Okay,” Grandma Li readily agreed. “Bake a lot more. These pastries are soft and fluffy. Send some to your village chief and Grandpa Zhao, your second sister-in-law likes them too, and send some to Madam Wen as well…”
Upon hearing this, Tao Hongying simply said, "Mother, since we're going to have to go through all this trouble anyway, why not bake a lot more and have the fourth son make a trip to Luo'an to deliver some to the third sister-in-law and the children, and also buy some milk back with him."
"Fu Niu'er's birthday is coming up soon. The cake base is almost done, but the cream isn't set yet. I'll think about it some more!"
"Alright, you can arrange it as you see fit." Old Mrs. Li's thoughts were completely swayed by her granddaughter and daughter-in-law's combined efforts, and she forgot her earlier sadness.
Then she remembered something and said, "Oh right, tomorrow I'll go and tidy up Jinrou's courtyard properly and heat up the kang (heated brick bed). She'll definitely be moving in later, otherwise it'll be too lonely for her to be alone at home while Mr. Wen goes to court."
“No need for the old lady to do it, we’ll take care of it,” Granny He interjected, quickly taking over the task.
After exchanging a few more casual words, everyone dispersed to rest...
Perhaps having learned of the death of a family of wild boars at Suijintan, not only large wild animals like black bears and wolves, but even rabbits dared not pass through the cornfields of the new village.
Even so, the village chief still organized a strong patrol team, with two shifts every night, each shift consisting of twenty people.
They were practically on a whirlwind, constantly circling the cornfield, practically plucking a few feathers from any bird that flew by as a warning.
During the day, there's even more work to be done in the village; the newly built road in Xiaowangzhuang is already more than half finished.
Of course, almost all the work was done by the villagers of Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang, and Dahuaishu Village.
But the new village needs to send food there, providing two meals a day.
There are also trivial matters that need to be coordinated, which require the New Village to take care of.
Fortunately, the construction in the second village is nearing completion, and the roof beams can be raised in about five or six days.
But Uncle Zhao and a few other old men felt it was inappropriate and started gossiping with the village chief.
Uncle Zhao pounded his injured leg a few times and said, "Brother, my leg hurt terribly last night. I'm afraid there will be heavy rain within three to five days."
“Yes,” Uncle Wei nodded in agreement, “the scar on my back is also itchy and uncomfortable, it must be getting rained on!”
The village chief tapped his severed arm, somewhat incredulous, "Why can't I feel anything in my arm?"
Uncle Zhao said, "Whether it's true or not, we should always be on guard. The timber from the second village is still lying around outside. Should we transfer all our manpower there and rush to build the row houses so that those young men can move in as soon as possible?"
“Although they are all sensible and often help with chores while living in each other’s homes, and they are not picky about food, it will inevitably become inconvenient over time. Let them move into their new homes as soon as possible, so they can feel at ease and we can have peace of mind.”
The village chief nodded, agreeing that what he said made sense.
The fragrance of a distant relative's gift wafts through the air!
When a large family lives together, it's inevitable that they'll bicker and get into arguments.
Moreover, living with outsiders would certainly be inconvenient in many ways.
"Then let's gather everyone in the village and rush to build the row houses."
The village chief made the decision, and Uncle Zhao and the others went to inform everyone.
With many hands making light work, what would normally take five or six days was accomplished in just two days thanks to the concerted efforts of all the villagers.
Logically speaking, raising the roof beam is a major event, and one should consult someone to calculate an auspicious date.
But the wounded soldiers had all returned from the battlefield and had no taboos.
The village chief simply asked Li Lao Er to help him look up the almanac, and upon hearing that this day was also auspicious for breaking ground, they began to raise the roof beam.
The bricklayers we brought back this time were the same people who built the new village last time; they worked quickly and well.
Several people's names are still engraved on the stone tablet at the entrance of the hot spring valley.
So, seeing the sky darken, they quickened their pace even further.
The last tile was intact when the heavy rain began to fall, and it looked like it wouldn't clear up for at least two or three days.
Everyone was relieved of a major concern and became happy.
In the new village, two pigs were specially slaughtered.
Since it's raining and we can't work anyway, let's have some fun and drink!
The villagers have gotten used to this kind of communal cooking, having a meal every few days. They eat well, drink to their hearts' content, and the camaraderie among them is even stronger.
The village heads of Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang, and Dahuaishu were all invited over, and they happily benefited from the occasion.
Only the wounded soldiers found it quite novel.
This gave them a greater understanding of the prosperity of the new village and filled them with hope for the future...
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