Everyone was startled, not understanding what was wrong with him. Just as they were about to ask, Young Master Yan burst into tears.
"My lord, please accept me! I want to join the army and fight to the death!"
The Marquis frowned and reached out to help him up, "No need to kneel, sit down and talk slowly."
But Young Master Yan refused. "My lord, I'm not joking. I've thought it through. Please allow me to follow you, fight on the battlefield, and achieve great deeds. I originally thought I was very talented and would have a bright future, which made me arrogant and disdainful of everyone. But now, I'm penniless and can't even protect my wife and children!"
I realized then that I was utterly worthless, not even a real man! The reason my family never took my words seriously or paid attention to my resistance was because I was nothing without their support and protection! My wife and children, and even myself, could be discarded and treated arbitrarily by my family.
“I want to stand up, I want to provide for my wife and children on my own. But I know nothing but building houses, I'm utterly useless. So, I want to go to the battlefield and fight, this is the fastest way to make a name for myself, I beg Your Excellency to grant my request!”
Young Master Yan slammed his head on the ground with such force that his forehead immediately bled.
The Marquis thought for a moment, then helped him up with both hands and asked, "Have you asked your wife about your decision to join the army? After all, you are no longer alone; you are now a father and a husband. On the battlefield, swords have no eyes. If something were to happen to you, have you thought about what would happen to them?"
Young Master Yan was taken aback, looking somewhat bewildered, clearly not having considered things so thoroughly.
The Marquis continued, “Of course I am very happy. The men of Tianwu all take it as their duty to recover the lost territories. They are willing to take up arms to protect their homes and country. But I do not want you to make a decision impulsively and then regret it on the battlefield. In that case, it may not be you who will die, but many more good men.”
"No, I won't..." Young Master Yan was about to retort, but the Marquis waved his hand, "The expedition doesn't start until the day after tomorrow, so you have one more day to consider it. If you've made up your mind, then we'll go together. But as I said before, once the arrow is drawn, there's no turning back. The battlefield is not child's play! If you desert in the face of battle, I might be the one to personally cut off your head to uphold military law!"
After saying that, he nodded to everyone and hugged Jiayin. "Come on, Fu Niu'er, go play with your godfather for a while. We can't be biased; you have to share some of your godfather's good fortune too."
Jiayin grinned and hugged her godfather's neck, "The rest of the good fortune is for you, godfather. Godfather and father will definitely slaughter the barbarians!"
"Good, well said! May you achieve a resounding victory and complete success!"
Everyone laughed as they watched the two children leave.
Tao Hongying also pulled Li Laosi back to pack his luggage and gave him a few more instructions.
Old Mrs. Li helped Young Master Yan back to the east room, and then, under the pretext of picking vegetables, gave the young couple some space to discuss things properly.
No one knows how Young Master Yan persuaded Hui Niang, but the next day, he asked the old lady to help him prepare a set of luggage so that he could go to war with her.
The old lady couldn't help but sigh. She had a million things she wanted to say to persuade him to stay, because if something happened to him, what would happen to Hui Niang and her son?
Even if the Yan family finds out, they'll probably take their anger out on the Li family and Suijintan.
Although it wasn't them who instigated it, Young Master Yan did indeed come from the Li family to fight!
Despite the Yan family's current disdain for this son, if something really happens, everyone in the Yan family will turn their regret and guilt into anger, and they will need to find someone to hate in order to feel better.
Human nature is selfish; there's no reasoning with it.
Fortunately, although Young Master Yan was naive and impulsive, he was not stupid. He disguised himself and went back to the city to deliver a letter to his sister and brother-in-law and to the Yan family.
The letter stated that Hui Niang and her unborn child had both died.
Disheartened, he shaved his head and became a monk, going to the four seas to live as a cloud-borne marquis.
The hatred of losing his wife and son should be considered an atoning debt to the Yan family for raising him. From now on, he will return to dust and ashes, and he will cease to exist in this world.
When the Yan family received the letter, Young Master Yan had already changed his name to Li Yong and followed the Marquis to the dock.
Old Li, being a man of principle, gave the specially made saber to Young Master Yan.
No, Young Master Yan is now his "cousin Li Yong".
Li Yong knew exactly where the saber came from, and his eyes immediately welled up with tears; he didn't know what to say.
Li Laosi patted him on the shoulder generously, "Take it! I'm good at archery, so a good bow and arrow will suffice. Besides, I have two daggers, which should be enough. As for you, a scholar who can't even kill a chicken, you'd better practice your swordsmanship now, otherwise you won't be able to withstand a single blow from the barbarians."
Li Yong nodded emphatically, truly putting his heart into it. From that moment on, he always carried his saber in his arms, spending all his free time practicing with it, except for eating and sleeping.
Even when his arms were so tired and swollen that he couldn't lift them, he didn't stop.
Originally, Jiang Cheng, the commander of the Marquis's guards, had been troubled for a while when he was ordered to place Li Laosi and Li Yong under his command.
Li Laosi was undoubtedly incredibly brave and invincible; he had witnessed it firsthand. There should be a hundred of such skilled fighters.
But for someone like Li Yong, who gets out of breath after walking just a few steps, it's really a challenge.
Once on the battlefield, let alone killing the enemy, you'd need to assign several skilled men just to protect him.
Fortunately, Li Yong was more diligent than he expected, so he was willing to teach him more, and in the end, he really impressed him!
Of course, that's a story for another time.
After seeing off Li Laosi, the Li family of Suijintan were in low spirits for several days.
It was Li Laosan who heard that his younger brother had joined the army, so he specially ran back from Luo'an to inquire about it.
When he found out it was true, he left with tears in his eyes.
Although he knew that his younger brother was an unruly character and that he was incredibly brave and might not necessarily be in danger, the battlefield is ever-changing, and who could guarantee anything?
Jiayin was unaware that her father had given away the machete she had painstakingly crafted from the ground, and was still planning what to plant on the few acres of land behind the small courtyard this year.
We definitely need to grow vegetables, as we need to feed the chickens, ducks, geese, and rabbits.
Those two pairs of pigs and the first batch of piglets have grown up and are all gluttons; she can no longer afford to feed them.
Just leave one pair of pigs to breed; the rest, we'll have to bite the bullet and sell them off.
By now, my eldest uncle and third brother will be arriving in Quanzhou soon.
Barring any unforeseen circumstances, they should be back in about a month.
Then, she can use her hands and feet to take some more vegetable seeds from the yard out.
For example, lettuce, bok choy, tomatoes, and most importantly, chili peppers!
Perhaps, before autumn even arrives, she'll be able to enjoy boiled fish, twice-cooked pork, and roast meat...
Just thinking about it made her drool...
Grandma Li was preoccupied with her son, absentmindedly picking beans. Occasionally, she would turn her head and see her granddaughter drooling, which made her both annoyed and amused.
"Little girl, what are you craving now? Your mother has been a bit busy lately, she'll make it for you when she gets back."
Hui Niang, who was already able to walk, sat down to help and asked, "Auntie, is the valley always this busy?"
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