These aren't servants at all; they're clearly Jia'an and Jiaxi.
"Brothers, you're finally back! Grandma was talking about it yesterday! Is it a holiday and you can come home now?" Jiayin tugged at her two older brothers, chattering away with questions.
Jia'an and Jiaxi were also all smiles. After not seeing each other for several months, they couldn't wait to talk to their sister for days and nights.
The Marquis asked a few simple questions about the trivial matters in the manor. Upon hearing that Jiayin had taken care of everything, he led the three children back to Suijintan.
The Li family is busy frying twisted dough sticks, fried dough balls, and dried fruit today.
Unable to bear the fumes, Wenjuan went to find Madam Wen to help her sew for the child.
She is due to give birth at the end of the first lunar month after the New Year.
The family prepared a lot of clothes and supplies for the child, and she kept sewing them herself, wishing that the child would have enough to use until he was three or four years old, but she still felt it wasn't enough.
She lost her mother at a young age, and now that she has a child, she wants to give all her love to her child!
Zhao Yuru spent most of the year in Luo'an, feeling guilty towards her family and unable to fulfill her filial duties to her mother-in-law.
These past few days, she's been busy at home, and even when she has a spare moment, she still spends time talking to her mother-in-law.
Right now, the mother-in-law and daughter-in-law are working in perfect harmony, one twisting dough sticks and the other deep-frying them with long chopsticks, their smiles never leaving their faces.
The mischievous boys at the school were already drooling. All morning, they read while wiping their mouths as they smelled the delicious aroma in the air.
Occasionally during breaks between classes, they would get together and guess what delicious food the Li family was making at the Li family compound.
Actually, their families are all doing quite well.
Especially a few days ago, when the village distributed gold by scales, each family received at least one hundred taels of silver.
Pour in a jar of vegetable oil and fry some delicious food; even the stingiest family would be willing to spend that much!
But I don't know if it's because food from another pot tastes better, the boys just crave the food from the Li family.
After finally getting out of school, they rushed to the Li family's door, pushing and shoving each other, laughing and making noise, too embarrassed to peek through the crack in the door.
Zhao Yuru estimated that it was about time, came out to check, and then quickly brought out a full plate of fried dough twists.
Each of the naughty boys got one.
Even the shy and honest little girls following behind, everyone gets a share.
Zhao Yuru packed an extra plate and had the naughty boys run errands to deliver it to Mr. Jiang and Gu Li.
Before the mischievous boy could return with the plate, the Marquis arrived at the door with Jiayin, Jiaxi, and Jia'an.
Zhao Yuru was overjoyed to see her son and nephew and called out loudly to her mother-in-law.
Grandma Li held her two grandsons, doting on them terribly, and kept stuffing them with hot fried dough twists and fried dough sticks.
Jiaxi and Jia'an didn't stand on ceremony and ate on the threshold while talking about what new skills they had learned recently.
Their animated expressions clearly showed that they really enjoyed their job at the Foreign Affairs Department.
Li Lao Er was at home today, while Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Si went to the fleet to unload cargo.
The Marquis sat down with Li Lao Er to drink tea and chatted for a while.
The Marquis said, "The matter of the Hibiscus Ointment has made the Emperor pay more attention to the south. In order to prevent the barbarians from causing trouble, the Emperor plans to send people to investigate the foreign lands."
"Jiaxi and Jia'an are new faces. Our family has a simple background and is loyal enough, so the Foreign Affairs Department may take Jiaxi and Jia'an out this time."
"Although this expedition is being kept secret and the personnel are all reliable, there is always a chance of something going wrong, so we still have to take risks."
"If your family is reluctant to let go, tell me as soon as possible, and I'll try to get the two boys out of the picture."
Li Lao Er felt bitter inside and couldn't bring himself to laugh.
Jiayi stayed in Hailan Army to fight the Japanese pirates. Although his mother supported him, she had been less cheerful these past few days, and the dark circles under her eyes were very obvious.
Finally, Jiaxi and Jia'an came back, and their mother was just starting to feel happy when the two boys had to go abroad again.
The outer regions are far from Tianwu; I've heard that the nearest place is a month's journey by boat.
Drifting at sea, the weather is unpredictable, and danger lurks everywhere.
If something were to happen, there would truly be no one to turn to for help.
Deep down, he wanted to shake his head immediately and stop his nephews from taking the risk.
However, the Foreign Affairs Department has been nurturing the two children for quite some time and probably won't give up easily.
not to mention……
Even through a door and across half the yard, he could hear his two nephews laughing and talking.
Needless to say, these are two restless individuals; even if their families try to keep them, they'll still be unhappy...
"My lord, let the old lady enjoy the New Year first, and we can discuss this matter after the New Year."
“Alright,” the Marquis nodded. “The Foreign Affairs Office will open on the thirteenth of the first lunar month. If we are to depart, the earliest we can arrange it is the fourteenth of the first lunar month.”
In the time it took to say a few words, Grandma Li had already brought the plate into the house with a smile.
No matter how powerful Li Lao Er and the Marquis were outside, in Li Lao Tai's eyes they were still children.
Kids always have a sweet tooth, so how can we not let them have some freshly cooked, delicious food?!
So, when Mr. Wen returned from the city and entered the Li family's courtyard, he saw Li Lao Er and the Marquis, each holding a twisted dough stick and taking bites of it.
Sitting next to her was an elderly woman named Li, whose face was full of kindness...
He instinctively turned to leave, but was spotted by the sharp-eyed Jiayin, who chuckled and pulled him into the house.
Before long, the team that was eating fried dough twists had gained another member.
The next day, the Marquis had to return to the dockside military camp and could not accompany Jiayin to the palace.
The father and daughter left Broken Gold Beach in a horse-drawn carriage.
Along the roadside, the Chen family members were still wielding picks and shovels, battling against the frozen winter soil.
In a short period of time, the once wealthy Chen family patriarchs had become so pathetic that they were worse off than beggars.
It was only because the Li family was kind enough to allow the Chen family to send over thick coats and quilts!
Otherwise, they'd probably be snotting their noses and their faces turning as green as eggplants!
The Chen family wanted to send more food, but the Li family insisted on driving them away.
The Li family didn't want these people to freeze to death and commit such a heinous crime, but they also didn't want them to live too comfortably and lose sight of their original intention of atonement.
Moreover, two large stoves were built outside the thatched hut where the Chen family stayed.
In the morning and evening, each person would have a bowl of sorghum porridge to fill their stomach.
At lunchtime, some cabbage and radish are added to the sorghum porridge, along with a handful of salt for flavor.
During times of famine, such food was a life-saving ration that the elderly and children of the new village cherished dearly.
But now, in the eyes of the Chen family, it is a weapon that torments them!
Having grown accustomed to delicacies and rich, meaty dishes, suddenly switching to sorghum porridge every day feels like going from heaven to hell!
But what they think is not within the consideration of the people in the new village.
It's already merciful to spare their lives when they come to cause trouble!
Jiayin peeked at the Chen family through the window a few times, then turned back to see her godfather thinking about her, and coaxed him with a smile.
"Don't worry, godfather, your daughter is now a fearsome she-devil. No one dares to mess with me; they're afraid of being dragged into digging ditches!"
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