Young Master Ye paused for a moment, then smiled and said, "Uncle, I only sent my men to look for them, so I'm not too sure. But these are all good stuff; the village should cultivate them properly. This place is close to the capital, so we'll definitely be able to sell them for a good price."
The village chief smiled, his eyes crinkling. "That's what I was thinking too. During the day, the boys look after this land, and at night, we also arrange for a patrol team."
He pointed to a small open space and said, "It's all set up over there. In a few days, we'll build a shack there, and Old Zhao and the others can take turns staying there. The melon vines are growing so well; we can't let any ignorant livestock ruin them."
"Sure, Uncle, you can arrange it. If you have any troubles and I'm not around, just ask Ye Shan and his wife."
Young Master Ye sensed the nervousness in the little girl's arms and gently patted her back. Jia Yin quietly breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh dear, I don't want to cause you any more trouble." The village chief puffed on his pipe twice and sighed, "Now that we've finally settled down in the village, if everyone works hard and puts in the effort, we'll gradually take root here."
After exchanging a few words, Young Master Ye carried Jiayin toward the valley.
Jiayin secretly glanced at Young Master Ye's profile. Seeing that he didn't seem inclined to ask any further questions, she became delighted and started chattering away.
Young Master Ye walked slowly, with a chubby little girl in his arms. She was heavy and weighed down his arms. She spoke in a soft, sweet voice and would shake her head happily from time to time, which made him smile.
He liked the Li family, not only because they took him in and cared for him when he was seriously ill, but also because this magical little girl saved his life with a small pill.
Rather, it was the peace and warmth of the Li family that was so appealing to him, a man who had spent half his life walking on the edge of a knife.
When he was fighting enemies outside, when he was injured, when he was cold and hungry, he would subconsciously think of the Li family's courtyard.
I think of nagging Grandma Li, the steaming hot meals, and this chubby little girl...
Jiayin saw him lost in thought, his joyful expression slowly turning into a touch of sadness. She didn't know what he was thinking, but she felt a pang of sorrow.
So she insisted that Young Master Ye carry her on his back, and then the two of them walked home together.
As they approached the courtyard gate, Jiayin cautiously leaned close to Young Master Ye's ear and whispered, "Uncle, when I grow up, I'll take care of you in your old age, just like I took care of my parents and grandma. Okay?"
"Okay." Young Master Ye smiled, and then asked in a low voice, "Fu Niu, you have to work hard to earn money, because you have more and more people to support."
Under the eaves, Madam Cui was looking around. When she saw them return, she greeted them, "The Marquis is back. He was about to go out to look for you. There are mosquitoes tonight. Fu Niu attracts mosquitoes and always gets bitten all over."
Jiayin jumped down and ran towards Madam Cui with a smile. Madam Cui caught her in her arms, and Jiayin pouted and said, "Auntie, Fu Niu wants some snacks!"
Before Madam Cui could agree, Old Madam Li came out of the house. "No, eating snacks at night will make your teeth rot. If you're hungry, have your mother steam some egg custard for you!"
Jiayin stuck out her tongue and made a face at her grandmother, which made Madam Cui and Young Master Ye laugh.
Tao Hongying quickly prepared dinner.
Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou haven't returned yet, but with Mr. Wen around, their families aren't worried about their food and lodging.
Young Master Ye brought Ye Shan and Dong Mei, and Madam Cui brought Sister Qiong; they all ate at the Li family's house.
So the men and women were separated and two tables were set up. The women sat on the kang (heated brick bed) in the east room, while Li Lao Er, Ye Gongzi, and their brothers Jia Ren and Jia Yi sat in the main room.
Tao Hongying prepared four dishes: steamed cabbage and pork dumplings, served with golden millet porridge.
After a busy day, especially after having some drinks at noon, eating this kind of home-cooked food is just so comforting and warming.
The women chatted, and the men ate and talked, making the house and the surrounding area very lively.
Jiayin sat on her special little stool, which was barely as tall as the kang table. She took a spoon and scooped up some steamed egg custard, then ate a big steamed dumpling, which filled her stomach completely.
After the meal, Old Lady Li invited Young Master Ye to stay at her house. Although his courtyard had been tidied up, it was never as comfortable as her own home.
Young Master Ye readily agreed, and that night the kang (heated brick bed) in the west room was in complete chaos.
Jiayi, Jia'an, and Jiaxi all surrounded Young Master Ye, asking him to tell them the story of killing the barbarians. Even Jiaren held a book and sat down to the side.
Young Master Ye selected a few that were not so bloody but still very dangerous, and told them about them. The boys gasped in surprise from time to time, but they were also very excited.
Jiayi couldn't wait to follow Young Master Ye to fight the enemy, but Li Lao Er immediately poured cold water on his son's enthusiasm, saying, "In the family, only you and your fourth uncle are good at fighting. If you go to kill the barbarians, your fourth uncle will be all alone. If something happens, he won't be able to take care of you. If we wait a few more years, the barbarians will be right here in Jiangbei anyway, and we won't be able to kill them all in a short time."
Young Master Ye nodded in agreement. “The barbarians have completely occupied Jiangbei. Riding on horseback, they come and go like the wind. It’s impossible to kill them all in a short time. The court has also said that they can recover the land within ten years, which is already an optimistic plan.”
Jiayi didn't insist. Now that they've just settled in the village and have the hot spring valley as a treasure trove, everyone is envious.
Even if he goes with Young Master Ye, he will still miss home.
Nothing happened that night. Young Master Ye slept soundly, accompanied by the snores of the Li family boys.
After having a bowl of hand-pulled noodles cooked in bone broth early in the morning, I took my people to Kyoto.
The weather is so nice, it feels a bit of a waste to stay indoors.
So, Old Lady Li laid out a tarpaulin in the yard, threw in a few cushions, and the old and young women sat together to do needlework.
The bedding at home has been washed, dried thoroughly, and smells wonderfully of sunshine.
Jiayin lay in the middle of the blankets, rolling around and occasionally giggling.
Grandma Li and a few others each sewed on one side, laughing along with them.
Just then, Li Laosi finally returned.
The young and old women quickly called him over to sit down and asked, "What happened? Has the government office found out?"
Li Laosi scooped up half a ladle of cold water, drank it, and nodded in agreement. "With all the witnesses and evidence, Guo Qing can't deny it. A few strokes of the cane and he confessed everything. He bribed a group of江湖人 (jianghu people) to deliberately ambush and kill the Guo family. It was agreed beforehand that he would get half of the stolen silver. But things went too smoothly, and the江湖人 got greedy. They split into two groups on the spot. One group returned, while the other group stayed in the north and gathered some mountain bandits, planning to continue killing and robbing. But before they could continue their evil deeds, they ran into us."
Everyone listened with bated breath, and finally breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Fortunately, you were very careful at the time, otherwise you would have suffered losses as well."
"Yes, they're actually江湖人 (jianghu people), not mountain bandits."
"This Guo Qing is truly ruthless; he killed his own cousin just like that."
"If a person is greedy, they are capable of anything."
"We still have to thank Doctor Zhang. Without his poison, which killed most of those people, how could our village's young men possibly defeat martial arts practitioners..."
"And Sister-in-law Qiong was a great help."
Everyone started talking at once, all expressing how terrified they were.
Looking around, Li Laosi couldn't find Doctor Zhang and asked, "Where did Doctor Zhang go? He's amazing! Old Master Guo woke up on the way, but half of his body is not working properly. Old Master Liu helped take him to the clinic, where he received acupuncture, but the doctor said he won't be able to walk again."
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com