The Marquis smiled, reassuring her, "Don't worry, you are a princess with a fiefdom, and according to the rules, you have fifty private soldier slots. Old Hei and his men have taken thirty, so there are still twenty left."
"It doesn't matter whether your brothers carry swords or daggers. Although your second uncle's position as a marquis is nominal, he still has twenty private soldier slots. Your brothers can be affiliated with either side."
"Haha, so Second Uncle isn't as good as me!" Jiayin laughed, revealing two newly grown white teeth. "Then when Big Uncle comes back, I'll have him hire two guards too. He's always out and about, so be careful that bad guys don't mistake him for a fat sheep."
The Marquis laughed, "Alright, leave these matters to me. Hurry back to wash up and eat; your grandmother must be worried about not seeing you."
Sure enough, before he could finish speaking, Old Lady Li's voice rang out from the backyard next door, "Fu Niu'er, time to get up! You have to hand in your homework with Doctor Zhang today, or you'll get a beating on your hand!"
Jiayin immediately drooped her head, but then remembered something and perked up again, clenching her fist to cheer herself up!
"No way! I'm going to rob Grandpa Zhang today! I'll take all his insect repellent, poison, and wound medicine!"
The Marquis smiled, picked up the chubby girl, and climbed onto the wall.
The little fox was chasing a butterfly when it realized it had been left behind. It quickly chased after it, leaping over the wall. Just then, Shui Ling was carrying a basin of warm water, waiting to wash her little master's face.
As a result, the little fox fell right down and took a bath...
That morning, a potted plant flew and a fox jumped around in the backyard!
As the days went by, most of the corn leaves in the field had turned yellow.
The entire village kept their eyes glued to the fields, fearing that at this crucial moment, with the harvest just around the corner, the fields would be ravaged by wild animals or some bad people.
Even the village heads and villagers from Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang, and Dahuaishu Village often came to visit.
Because these corn crops have been harvested, they will have seeds next year and can plant them on a large scale.
These golden ears of corn look much more productive than millet and sorghum!
Just then, Jiayin was also about to celebrate her birthday.
For an ordinary child, the celebration would simply involve getting up early to cook a bowl of longevity noodles, poach two eggs, and make a new dress.
But Jiayin is not only the darling of the entire Li family, but also a princess personally appointed by the emperor, and the young mistress of Suijintan.
Therefore, it is inevitable to make arrangements and purchases.
Fortunately, the family owned a restaurant and had no shortage of ingredients. The whole village was there to help, and setting up a dozen or so tables in and around the courtyard was a piece of cake.
Over at the pigsty, the large white pigs have multiplied quite a bit, and now the two fattest ones are being slaughtered.
Amidst the pig's unwilling howls, the lively birthday banquet began.
The village school was closed for a day. Mr. Jiang and Gu Li were invited to the wedding banquet, which also allowed the naughty boys to relax.
Grandpa Liu has been feeling a bit cold lately and didn't come to join the fun, but Liu Zhiheng and his wife came over together, bringing Jiayin a set of jewelry, two pastry recipes, and two sets of autumn clothes.
Mr. Wen gifted Jiayin a small set of the Four Treasures of the Study, the kind that can be carried around with you, which is very practical.
After all, those ballpoint pens stored in Jiayin Space can't just be taken out and used casually.
Madam Wen was pregnant and suffered from vomiting and excessive sleepiness, which made her listless. So she simply gave Jiayin six gold bars, which immediately filled Jiayin's purse.
Li Lao Er replaced his niece's collection with a set of jade-carved zodiac animals, which he displayed on the bookshelf; they were quite exquisite.
Tao Hongying and Grandma Li personally made new clothes, shoes, and socks for Jiayin.
Li Laosi did make quite a splash. In the north, he snatched a small horse from the barbarians, equipped it with a saddle and bridle, and even made a whip by hand, all of which he gave to his daughter.
Jiayin was overjoyed and hugged and kissed her father repeatedly.
The other couples, including Li Yonghui and his wife, Liu the镖头 and his wife, the village chief and Aunt Wu, as well as Uncle Zhao, Uncle Wei and other old men, all contributed, bringing clothes, shoes, socks, purses, handkerchiefs, or various wooden carvings, filling a small box to the brim.
The renowned doctor Zhang then gave Jiayin a notebook thicker than a brick, which was said to be the essence of his life's medical experience.
Even the village girls would shyly approach Jiayin and give her some sachets or pretty little stones.
The village heads of Dawangzhuang, Xiaowangzhuang, and Dahuaishu villages who came to offer their congratulations also brought eggs and homemade mountain fruit wine, doing their best to show their sincerity.
The wounded and veteran soldiers of the Second Village had no gifts, but they lined up and shouted in unison, "Congratulations on the princess's birthday! May the princess live a long and worry-free life!"
It can be said that the entire Suijintan area did not hold a grand celebration, yet the birthday banquet was extremely warm and intimate.
Before the banquet began, Li Laosan, Zhao Yuru, Jia Huan, Jia Ren, Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er, and even Zhi Min, Xiu Jie, and Mr. Peng all rushed back.
This was a great reunion, making the Li family courtyard even more lively.
When Mr. Peng saw that his daughter was well-fed and healthy, he was even more grateful to the Li family. He thanked them repeatedly and then gave Jiayin a rare and unique medical book.
This is very valuable; it must have taken a lot of effort to find it.
Jiayin expressed her sincere gratitude, but unfortunately, Dr. Zhang snatched it away in the blink of an eye...
In no time, a banquet was held, with chicken, fish, meat, eggs, fried, stir-fried, and braised dishes, all of which were delicious and visually appealing.
Jiayin sat in the main seat, raised her glass, and toasted everyone to thank them for celebrating her birthday.
The little chubby girl had lost her usual adorable and mischievousness, and gained a more mature and intelligent air, making everyone suddenly realize that the child had really grown up a lot.
Like a fledgling bird that has already begun practicing flapping its wings, it will soon be able to spread its wings and fly high.
Madam Liu couldn't help but praise, "The old lady really knows how to teach children. Every time I see the princess, I feel that the princess is much smarter and more sensible."
Old Mrs. Li was also happy, but she said modestly, "It's good enough that I haven't spoiled this child. Her mother always gives her a few words of advice, and Hui Niang, Jin Rou, and Granny He have also taught her a lot; even the Marquis and Doctor Zhang have put in a lot of effort!"
At this moment, Tao Hongying brought out a cream cake from inside the house.
The cake base, about a foot square, was stacked in two layers and covered with white cream.
Although Tao Hongying practiced many times, the cream was still not spread very evenly.
Moreover, there were no fancy decorations, only a few small flowers inserted on the top layer.
But that was enough to amaze everyone!
"What kind of dessert is this? Is that white layer on top made from clouds from the sky?"
"Yes, it looks so soft and sweet."
Everyone stood up to see what was so interesting. Zhimin, Xiujie, Maoge'er, Lige'er, and all the girls and boys in the village couldn't help but crowd around.
Tao Hongying said with a smile, "This is a new idea that Fu Niu'er came up with. It's called a birthday cake, and it can only be eaten on one's birthday."
"The bottom is the baked dough, and the top is cream made from milk. Everyone should try it and see how it tastes, and share in Fu Niu'er's good fortune."
As she spoke, she handed Jiayin a simple knife made of wood.
Seeing that her brothers were practically drooling, Jiayin quickly started cutting the cake!
She had originally wanted to light a few candles, but firstly, she couldn't find any thin candles, and secondly...
When Grandma heard that she was going to "blow out the candles" at her birthday banquet, she almost knocked her forehead out like Buddha...
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