Everyone was startled at first, but when they saw that the last person to jump out was actually the smiling Shui Ling, they were relieved.
Jiaren guessed that his sister had brought these people, since only his sister could order Yeshan and Shuiling around in the family.
Sure enough, before Jiaren and the others could ask, Shuiling spoke up first: "Young Master, Miss asked us to go back to Zhengjia Village to find some men for the young masters..."
The group of people who jumped off the car earlier included five teenagers and one middle-aged man in his thirties. They all wore coarse cloth shorts and trousers, and looked very neat and capable, which showed that they were all skilled in martial arts.
They knew that the Li brothers before them were their future masters, so they all bowed in greeting.
Jiaren, who was nearby, reached out and helped the man in his thirties, then said, "We're all family now, so don't be shy. Come inside and let's talk."
After he finished speaking, he led his younger brothers inside first, followed by Shui Ling, Ye Shan, and the others.
Grandma Li, Tao Hongying, and Zhao Yuru were doing needlework in the main room, trying to make two more pairs of shoes for Jia'an and Jiaxi before they left.
When sailing at sea, there is water everywhere, so it is inevitable that your clothes, shoes and socks will get wet from time to time.
Clothes are fine, but soaking wet shoes and socks are really uncomfortable and can easily lead to health problems, so it's best to prepare several pairs for replacement.
There's also Jia Yi to take care of, and Liu Yang needs some attention too. Liu's wife's chubby little boy has just learned to crawl and is at a very mischievous age. Liu's wife also has to take care of her business at the hot spring valley, so she really doesn't have the time to look after her eldest son...
Jiayin, having learned needlework for a few days, also joined in to help.
Unfortunately, she was afraid of hurting her hands if she used scissors, and she didn't have enough strength to sew the soles, so in the end she could only help paste the soles together.
The so-called "pasting shoe soles" involves gluing together scraps of old cloth and fabric accumulated at home with paste, layer upon layer, until they become hard and stiff after drying.
Thicker material is used for the sole, and thinner material for the upper.
In fact, given the Li family's current lifestyle, they don't need to be so frugal. But having gotten used to a life of hardship, even now that they are wealthy, they are still reluctant to spend lavishly.
It's a shame to throw away the scraps of old clothes at home.
Why not repurpose waste into shoes? When you step on them, you won't be able to tell if they're good or bad, beautiful or ugly.
Besides, the boys are so naughty that even if they were made of good cloth, they wouldn't wear the shoes for more than a few days. Either their big toes would stick out, or their heels would be worn through...
Jiayin sat on the carpet, applying paste and attaching cloth pieces with remarkable skill and patience.
Zhao Yuru praised, "My Fu Niu'er is so smart. She did it so well after being taught only once. It's a good thing she was born a girl. If she were a boy, she might even be able to compete with Jia Ren for the top scholar title!"
Grandma Li beamed with joy, "That's right! She's only been studying for a few days, and Hui Niang says that Fu Niu already knows all the common characters."
Granny He chimed in with a smile, "Miss has read most of the books that the Second Master bought, and she remembers them all clearly! This morning, Young Master Jia'an and Young Master Jiaxi misspoke about a classical allusion, and it was Miss who helped correct them."
Zhao Yuru sighed upon hearing this, "These two boys have really wasted so much good food. They've been studying for so long, yet they're not as good as Fu Niu'er, who just started school! We should send them away quickly, send them to the seaside to fish. Maybe they'll get their act together after a few days of hard work!"
Grandma Li made no attempt to hide her "disdain" for her two grandsons. "People say that eating more fish can improve brain function. But these two, I'm afraid they'd have to dive into the sea and eat all the fish before they can become smarter."
Everyone burst into laughter, but when they looked up, they saw a group of people rushing in through the door.
Tao Hongying almost pricked her hand with the needle, but she still had to quickly protect her mother-in-law and daughter.
She was relieved when she saw that it was Jiaren and the others walking in front of her.
Jiayin was overjoyed and jumped up to greet him at the door, "Uncle Dashan, you're back!"
Ye Shan smiled and nodded, then stepped forward and replied, "Yes, Miss, all the personnel have been selected. I guarantee you'll be satisfied."
Grandma Li, Tao Hongying, and the others then realized that it was the young girl who had been orchestrating things behind the scenes.
Tao Hongying tapped her daughter on the head and said angrily, "What trouble have you caused now? Why don't you tell the family in advance if something happens? You scared your grandma. I'll give you a beating!"
Grandma Li quickly hugged her granddaughter and scolded her, "I'm not made of paper, how can I be so easily frightened! Besides, our Fu Niu'er is doing this for her brothers' own good. She's worried about them going out, so she's secretly arranging help for them, isn't that right?"
Jiayin gave her grandma a big kiss and said proudly, "Grandma understands me best. I sent Uncle Dashan and Shuiling back to Zhengjiazhuang and found some reliable people to protect my brothers."
Zhao Yuru complained that her son was naughty and stupid, but she cared about him more than anyone else. Hearing her niece say this, she was overjoyed.
She didn't know where Zhengjiazhuang was or what its background was. All she knew was that Shuiling, Shuiyun, Zheng Feng, and Zheng He all came from Zhengjiazhuang, and that they were all efficient, clever, and skilled in martial arts.
But knowing that someone like that was by her son's side gave her at least half the peace of mind!
Zhao Yuru quickly made arrangements, "Put the things away, let everyone come inside to rest and have a cup of tea."
Granny He and Shuiyun worked quickly and soon tidied up the tables and chairs.
At this moment, Li Lao Er heard the news and returned from the valley.
The guests and hosts took their seats, but there weren't enough chairs in the room, so the people from Zhengjiazhuang stood on both sides of the doorway.
Ye Shan stepped forward and replied, "Madam, Lord, Miss, I found six men from Zheng Family Village. Except for Young Master Jiayi, who we couldn't find a suitable one for, the other young masters are just right, one for each of them."
“Miss specifically instructed that an older attendant be found for the eldest young master, so I found the master’s younger brother, Zheng Sanjiang. He used to travel around a lot and is familiar with the various families in Xindu. He has also worked with Steward Ye Tong before, so he is the most suitable person to be assigned to the eldest young master.”
After saying this, Zheng Sanjiang stepped forward, bowed, and greeted him. He was tall, but not burly; in fact, he was surprisingly thin.
Not only that, although he was polite and respectful, there was always a hint of lifelessness in his eyes...
Death energy?
Jiayin frowned slightly, but Ye Shan was not a reckless person, there must be a reason for this.
I can't ask now, but I'll definitely need to find out later!
Old Mrs. Li probably didn't notice, and said to Zheng Sanjiang, "You child, why are you so thin? Is something wrong? I'll ask Doctor Zhang to take a look at you tonight. Eat more and take it easy to recover."
"Everything else in our family is terrible, but the food is delicious. Look at Shui Ling, Shui Yun, Zheng Feng, and Zheng He, they've all gained weight in just a short time!"
After saying that, she gestured for Jiaren to step forward and instructed him, "When you need to ask Sanjiang for something at the academy, don't let him miss his meal, understand?"
"Understood, Grandma." Jiaren nodded in agreement, then cupped his hands to Zheng Sanjiang and said, "Uncle Sanjiang, I'll take you to find Doctor Zhang in a little while."
"Thank you...Young Master!" Zheng Sanjiang raised his head, looked at Jiaren seriously, and then lowered his head to express his gratitude.
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