Before the city gates closed, Li Lao Er and his son hurriedly returned to Suijintan.
Their family was waiting for them to eat. Hearing that the courtyard had been bought and Mr. Wen had settled in, the old lady was very happy. "Mr. Wen is too kind. He didn't even say he needed anything. If we had known his family was in such a state, we would have helped him a long time ago. Going to court from the inn, I'm afraid he'll be the only one in Tianwu."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
“In a few days, let’s go and take a look. We need to add some things to the yard, right? Mr. Wen only has Wen Hai by his side, so I’m afraid he can’t take good care of him.”
"Okay, bring some meat sauce, pickled vegetables, radishes, cabbage, smoked rabbit and stuff from home."
"Should we also bring two sets of bedding?"
"Let's make two new sets. They can't be too thin either. It's not warm enough for the weather right now, and there are no kang beds in the city, so the beds are cold."
"Two sets of bedding probably won't be enough. We're going into town to see the lanterns in a few days, and we'll need to stay overnight there too."
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru are both meticulous, and the more they talked, the more they realized there was a lot to prepare.
The two sisters-in-law were busy and had gathered quite a few things before going to bed.
A list of items that need to be purchased has also been made.
Before we knew it, the Lantern Festival had arrived.
According to tradition, the New Year celebrations are not considered truly over until after the Lantern Festival. Families are busy making a living in the new year and have no time for playing.
Therefore, on the Lantern Festival, people of all ages seem to want to seize this last moment of madness and have a good time.
Just past noon, the streets of Xindu were bustling with people.
The Li family entrusted the courtyard to the villagers and took a horse-drawn carriage into the city.
The elderly couple who lived in the original house have already moved away. Because their nephew lives not too close, it was inconvenient for them to move, so they couldn't take many of their belongings and wooden items with them.
Mr. Wen gave them ten taels of silver, and they kept it all.
Therefore, this courtyard has definitely become a move-in ready place.
Li Lao Er had made two trips earlier, delivering bedding, rice, vegetables, and so on, so now they truly lack nothing.
Mr. Wen continued to live in the side room, and even after the elderly couple moved out, they did not move to the main room.
Moreover, because the Li family was coming, he brought Wen Hai along and specially cleaned the main house and the west wing.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru accompanied the old lady on a tour of the front and back yards before getting busy preparing dinner.
The old lady brought her grandchildren, opened the back door, and let them play at the entrance.
Sun Fu's family wanted to be on good terms with the Li family, so Sun Fu's wife immediately opened the door and came out to greet them with pleasantries and laughter.
Hearing the commotion, the neighbors came out one after another to identify the person.
I heard that the Li family is from Suijintan. Some people asked if the hot springs are really hot enough to boil eggs. Others asked if the jade melons and golden fruits are still being grown in Suijintan this year.
The old lady smiled and agreed to everything, and also asked where to buy cheap vegetables nearby and which grocery store had a good reputation.
As everyone listened, they felt that the Li family was very amiable, and they quickly started chatting and laughing together.
When the Marquis brought Ye Shan here, the old lady was talking to the neighbors about the chaos and turmoil during the relocation of the capital, which made everyone sigh.
Cat Brother played with a few mischievous boys from the neighborhood, while Li Brother accompanied Jia Ren to entertain Lei Bolin, who had rushed over upon hearing the news. Meanwhile, Jia Huan and Jia Xi had long since disappeared, presumably "exploring" somewhere nearby!
Jiayin leaned against her grandmother's chest, listening to the old folks' gossip with a smile, occasionally yawning.
When she saw that the Marquis had arrived, she ran over happily to greet him, "Godfather!"
The Marquis squatted down, hugged her tightly, and asked with a smile, "Were you getting impatient? After we finish eating, we'll set off."
"Okay!" Jiayin happily hugged her godfather's neck.
Even Cat Brother ran over and tugged at the Marquis's collar.
So the Marquis carried one in his arms and held the other by the hand, walked to the door and greeted the old lady, "Auntie, am I not late?"
"No, Hongying and the others are cooking. We'll leave after we finish eating." The old lady introduced to the many new neighbors, "This is my nephew. He's usually busy and doesn't come over often. If you need anything in the future, please look after him for me. When the fruit in my orchard is harvested, I'll give you some as a thank you gift."
The neighbors all laughed, "Great! We'll have to help out for the sake of the fruit."
Just then, Jia Huan ran out and called out, "Grandma, dinner's ready!"
The old lady got up, said goodbye to her neighbors, and took a group of her children and grandchildren home for dinner.
The neighbors watched with envy and couldn't help but sigh with envy.
It's good to have a large and prosperous family; life is lively then.
Lei Bolin had heard Jiaren say before that the food at home was delicious, so when Jiaren invited him in, he shamelessly went inside.
When Sun Fu's wife saw this, she tried to greet her nephew, but Sun Fu pulled her away.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru were delighted to have bought a new courtyard house and come to the city for a visit. They prepared six dishes and a soup, and steamed snow-white rice.
The family, young and old, along with Lord Hou and Ye Shan, Dr. Zhang who came to play, and Lei Bolin, made up a total of more than a dozen people, filling two tables.
The Li brothers sat with the Marquis, Mr. Wen, Doctor Zhang, and others, and an extra pot of wine was served.
Lei Bolin ate with gusto, his mouth greasy, constantly praising the food, which made everyone laugh.
After dinner, and to digest their food, it got dark outside. Lei Bolin said goodbye and went home to find his parents so they could go see the lanterns together.
The Li family was also planning to set off, but there were too many children in the family, so the old lady made some arrangements on the spot.
Li Lao Er and Jia Ren took Li Ge with them, Li Lao San's family of four took Mao Ge'er with them, and Li Lao Si and his wife took Jia An with them, keeping the old lady company.
Jiayin will definitely be with the Marquis, with Yeshan accompanying and serving him.
As for Doctor Zhang, he had already left, so there was no need for anyone to worry about the old man's safety.
Just think about all the rabbits, goats, and even piglets that have been killed in the village these past few months. It's a miracle this old man isn't harming others!
Lord Hou had reserved a private room in advance at the largest restaurant on the commercial street, located right in the middle of the lantern market.
When people of all ages arrived and opened their windows, they could see all the lanterns lining the street.
The children were very excited; after having their snacks, they wanted to go downstairs to play.
Soon, only the Marquis was left in the house with the old lady and Jiayin, while Ye Shan guarded the door.
The old lady was also seeing such a bustling street scene for the first time, and couldn't help but sigh and exclaim, "Back when I was in the northern frontier, I really didn't know there were such beautiful places in the world. I thought that the snow-covered mountains in winter were beautiful enough! You really have to come out and travel to broaden your horizons to realize how wonderful our Tianwu is!"
Jiayin clung to the windowsill, straining to look out. The Marquis, fearing she would fall, put his arm around her waist and replied with a smile, "Once things settle down, I'll take Auntie and Fu Niu on a trip for a year or two to see the beautiful landscapes of Tianwu!"
The old lady quickly waved her hand, "Take Fu Niu with you instead. I don't want to go through all that trouble anymore. Back then, I was exhausted from traveling from the border region to Junyang, and then from Junyang to here. I almost lost my life. Now, I just hope that everyone is doing well and that life is peaceful and stable."
The Marquis stopped trying to persuade her and patted Jiayin on the shoulder. "Come on, your godfather will take you down to guess the riddles and win some lanterns."
"Okay, okay!" Jiayin exclaimed happily, and was about to call her grandmother again.
Just then, there was a knock on the door.
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