Jiayin jumped down from the carriage and hugged Madam Cui's leg. "Auntie, Auntie, I've missed you so much! Does Auntie not want Fu Niu anymore? Waaah, Fu Niu is so pitiful!"
When Madam Cui saw that the chubby girl was pretending to cover her eyes but couldn't squeeze out any tears, she couldn't help but laugh. She quickly bent down, picked her up, and showered her with kisses.
"How could that be? Your aunt loves Fu Niu the most. If Fu Niu doesn't come back soon, your aunt will go to Luo'an to look for you!"
"Your aunt brought your favorite snacks, sewed a beautiful dress, and there's something else really good. We'll look at it together under the covers tonight!"
Jiayin's eyes sparkled, and she immediately became even happier. She hugged Madam Cui's face, transformed into a chubby woodpecker, and used Madam Cui's face as a tree, kissing it several times.
Madam Cui's smile blossomed even more broadly, and she couldn't help but tease the chubby girl, "Fu Niu'er, did you eat a lot of good food when you went to Luo'an? You seem heavier than last time! If this keeps up, you'll have to be renamed Fatty!"
Jiayin hid her small face in Madam Cui's hair bun, like a quail with its neck tucked in.
She didn't hear it, she didn't hear it, she didn't hear anything.
She hasn't gained weight, she hasn't gained any weight at all!
Grandma Li and Tao Hongying watched the two of them laughing and joking, and they laughed along with them.
Tao Hongying said, "This girl does nothing but eat and sleep all day long, she's living a life more comfortable than a pig. If she doesn't gain weight, who will?"
Grandma Li immediately defended her granddaughter, "Nonsense! My Fu Niu is a good girl. She helped a lot on this trip to Luo'an. Don't let her short arms and legs fool you; she's very smart and gave her third uncle a lot of good ideas!"
"Good, good, Mother is right, Fu Niu'er is good in every way!" Tao Hongying was both amused and exasperated, and quickly invited everyone into the house.
Otherwise, the mother-in-law could stand at the door and praise her granddaughter from head to toe.
Shuiyun had been kept at home for so many days, and she was also eagerly waiting for her masters to return.
Right now, she was as happy as a little bee, flitting around, serving tea and helping with luggage.
Old Mrs. Li asked a few questions about family matters, and upon hearing that everything was fine, she sent Granny He, Shui Ling, and Shui Yun to pack their luggage.
In this way, the two sisters can whisper secrets to each other, and Granny He can also take a break.
Hearing the commotion, Dongmei came over from next door to keep Li Laotai and Tao Hongying company.
Before they could exchange more than a few words, the village chief, Uncle Zhao, Chief Escort Liu, Sister-in-law Liu, and Hui Niang all gathered around.
As soon as the village chief entered, he exclaimed, "You're finally back! I didn't notice anything unusual on ordinary days, but after being away for a while, the village seems much quieter. Apart from the valley, nowhere is lively."
Uncle Zhao chimed in, "Yeah, it's fine at night, but it's quiet during the day too. We're all starting to hope the naughty boys will cause some trouble!"
Everyone laughed and quickly offered the old men seats, serving them tea and snacks.
Jiayin took out her favorite sticky rice cake and gave each of the old men a piece.
The old men were very accommodating; they ruffled Jiayin's hair and started eating right away.
As a result, they never had another chance to speak.
It sticks to my teeth!
In order to save their few remaining old teeth, they can only concentrate on fighting the sticky rice cake!
After asking about Hui Niang's twins, Old Lady Li then inquired about Liu's chubby son, the business in the valley, the fruit trees on the mountain, and the melon fields on the riverbank...
In short, there was nothing she didn't care about, and once she found out everything, she could barely put her mind at ease.
Madam Cui put her arm around Jiayin, took off the silver comb from her hair, and combed her fluffy braids again. She smiled and said, "Auntie, last night my senior brother sent Wen Hai to deliver a message saying that Jiaren and Lige'er have both passed the preliminary examination."
"These two children are truly remarkable. Although the preliminary examination for the imperial examinations is not considered difficult, it is still rare for someone to be admitted on the spot!"
Everyone was delighted to hear this, and the village chief hurriedly swallowed the sticky rice cake, choking and stretching his neck as he asked in a hoarse voice, "Jiaren... cough cough, Lige'er has already achieved academic success?!"
"That's wonderful! Those two boys are really promising!" Uncle Zhao clapped and cheered, extremely excited.
The two old men sitting next to him, both with legs but no arms, were so happy that they each clapped with one hand, making a loud clapping sound!
The crowd couldn't help but laugh, yet also felt a pang of sadness.
Tao Hongying quickly changed the subject, saying, "Everyone has worked hard these days guarding the new village. My mother was still talking about it on the way here. I'll cook some good dishes tonight, and everyone can come over for dinner and have a good time."
“Alright, not for anything else, but just for Jiaren and Lige’er, we should have a proper wedding feast.” The village chief readily agreed.
Hui Niang and Sister Liu nodded in agreement. Hui Niang said, "We'll go home and make some arrangements, and then we'll come and help in a little while."
As they talked, the crowd dispersed, and the old men hurried off to share the good news with the entire village.
Jiayin put the sticky rice cake away, somewhat regretting that she had almost caused the old men to become "toothless".
She jumped down, took Dongmei's hand, and wanted to go for a walk in the Ye family's courtyard.
Tao Hongying assumed her daughter was going to check out her secret stash of money hidden at the Ye family's house, so she didn't stop her. She just told her to come back early and then let her go.
Seeing that no one was in the room, Old Mrs. Li pulled Madam Cui aside and asked, "Jinrou, you don't look well. Tell your aunt, is something on your mind?"
Madam Cui's eyes immediately welled up with tears. "Auntie...it's nothing, it's just...I just missed you, so I came back to stay for a couple of days and see you all."
Grandma Li wouldn't believe it, and playfully slapped her, urging, "Why are you still being so formal with your aunt?! I've told you so many times, even though you're not surnamed Li, you're still a member of the Li family."
“We all struggled to survive together in the mountains. In my heart, you, Hongying, and Yuru are all the same! If you have any grievances, even if you don't tell anyone else, you should tell me!”
Madam Cui could no longer hold back; she hugged the old lady and shed tears.
"Auntie, they're bullying me... Waaah, I can't even swear back, I'm so frustrated! I have nowhere else to go, so I had to hide at your house."
Grandma Li and Tao Hongying exchanged a surprised glance.
They originally thought that Madam Cui had a quarrel with Mr. Wen, but judging from this, it seemed that she was being bullied by outsiders!
Tao Hongying tried to persuade her, "Sister Jinrou, please tell us what happened in detail. Mother and I are completely confused! You stay in the village all day, so you shouldn't offend anyone! Is this person of high status? Why can't you just yell back? If you're too embarrassed to speak up, I'm here. I'll yell back for you!"
Madam Cui was older than Tao Hongying, and Tao Hongying usually called her "sister," showing a close relationship.
At this moment, Madam Cui felt a little embarrassed.
What kind of older sister would ask her younger sister to stand up for her if she was bullied?
She was used to being strong-willed, but when she arrived at the Li family home and saw Old Mrs. Li, who was like a mother to her, she couldn't hold back anymore.
She wiped away her tears and explained, "It's Senior Brother Wen's mother and sister-in-law. These past few days, they've been coming to my estate every day, sitting there all day, pressuring me..."
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