He picked it up and looked at it. At first, he frowned, but the more he looked, the wider his eyes widened. He got up and got off the bed.
In the east room, fearing that her granddaughter might feel unwell in the middle of her sleep, Grandma Li decided to stay a little longer. So she took her sewing basket and continued making shoes for her grandsons.
With many children and grandchildren, the family will naturally prosper, but hard work is also inevitable.
Just like her, she originally planned to make a new pair of shoes for each of her three grandsons who were about to go to the academy, which was also a way for her to show her love as a grandmother.
But Jiaren and Lige'er are also at the academy. Can we let them keep an eye on things?
And then there are Jiayi and Jiahuan, one who is away from home for many years and it's not easy for him to come back, and the other who is quiet but hardworking and honest. They can't be ignored either.
Finally, there's my precious little granddaughter. She hasn't lost any weight, but her little feet have grown quite a bit. She's old enough to wear shoes, so of course we need to get her a pair too...
In short, she deeply understands the joys and sorrows of being a grandmother.
Right now, she's leaning over the oil lamp, threading a needle.
Unfortunately, the oil lamp was too dim, so I couldn't get the hairpins on. I thought about taking out the hairpin to lift the wick, but I was afraid the light would be too bright and disturb my sleeping granddaughter.
Just as she was struggling with this decision, Li Zhensheng suddenly pushed open the door, startling Old Lady Li so much that blood instantly welled up from her fingertips.
She gasped in pain and quickly turned to look at her granddaughter. Fortunately, the granddaughter just turned over and fell asleep again.
She angrily scolded her son in a low voice, "What are you doing, all this fuss? It's the middle of the night, aren't you going to sleep?!"
Li Zhensheng leaned close to his mother, a rare silly grin on his face, "Mom, I didn't mean to, I'm just so happy!"
Old Mrs. Li sucked the blood from her fingertip, picked up the needle and thread and handed it to her son, asking, "What's making you so happy? Did you make money before the restaurant even opened?"
Li Zhensheng obediently threaded the needle for his mother, and after handing it to her, he couldn't help but hold his little niece's uninjured hand. "Mom, I received a very useful gift that can solve a big problem for me. Our family business will have to keep doing well from now on!"
Grandma Li grabbed the sole of her shoe, glanced at her son, and saw the way he looked at his granddaughter as if she were a rare treasure.
She could guess anything, and she was both happy and worried.
Her granddaughter is growing up and becoming more opinionated. Occasionally, she'll do something silly, and her mother can't stop her, nor does she want to anymore.
Firstly, my granddaughter is very smart and won't easily get herself into trouble now.
Secondly, the Zheng Family Village that the Marquis gave us can help cover things up.
Thirdly, our family is no longer a small farming household where we can just eat and drink our fill. Now our status is getting higher and higher, and we have more and more businesses, so our children and grandchildren are always facing some difficulties.
The granddaughter's willingness to help her uncles and brothers is simply a sign of her caring nature, which is hardly something to be blamed for. However...
Grandma Li pulled her eldest son's arm and instructed him, "In the future, when you make money in business, whether in Quanzhou or here, you must do more good deeds and accumulate merit. Even just donating some food or bedding is fine, understand?"
"Don't worry, Mother, I know." Li Zhensheng replied solemnly, "This is the new capital. It's relatively easy for people inside and outside the city to make a living, but the further out you go, the harder it is to struggle for survival."
“From now on, my small fleet will travel back and forth between Quanzhou and Xindu. I plan to take in more orphans with good character along the way, teach them well, and they will be my helpers in the future, so that they can have a way to make a living.”
"This is good, this is good!" Old Mrs. Li nodded repeatedly. "They are all poor children. Teaching them some skills to survive is much better than giving them a few meals."
The mother and son whispered for a while, and seeing that Jiayin was sleeping soundly, Li Zhensheng lowered his head to kiss his little niece and then went back to the west room to sleep.
The next morning, before dawn, everyone in the family got up.
Jiayin slept soundly through the night without any dreams, a rare treat as she didn't have to stay in bed.
At this moment, she hugged her mother's neck, twisting and turning affectionately.
She also wanted to visit her uncle's restaurant. She heard that the renovation had taken a month, and even her seashell bed had been borrowed and placed in the lobby to attract customers.
Unfortunately, no one in the family agreed. They were all afraid that they would be too busy to take care of her, and besides, she needed to take her medicine and have her dressings changed regularly!
Tao Hongying, the chubby little girl, was both amused and exasperated by her nagging. "Silly girl, you're a big girl now, why are you still making a fuss? I'll bring you something delicious when I come back tonight."
Shuiyun stepped forward and asked, "Fourth Madam, how many chilies should we bring? Fresh or dried?"
Tao Hongying was anxious to personally gather her usual seasonings and utensils, but she couldn't bear to leave her daughter behind.
Fortunately, Jiayi ran over, picked up his sister and put her on his shoulders, running all over the yard, occasionally jumping onto the wall and then jumping down, making Jiayin giggle non-stop.
Tao Hongying seized the opportunity to escape and went off to do her work.
Cat Brother looked on with envy, jumped up and shouted, "Third Brother, me too! I want to fly too!"
Jia'an and Jiaxi, holding hands, carried their younger brother in a sedan chair to catch up with their older brother. In no time, the courtyard was in chaos, and the noise was deafening.
Li Zhensheng came out of the house with a tightly sealed porcelain bottle in his hand. He called Jiayi forward and said, "Jiayi, our cargo ships are returning to Quanzhou today. Take this bottle and go with them."
"Once you get there, hand this over to Ding Gui personally; no one else can do it. You can also learn from him and then escort the next batch of seafood back."
"Understood, Uncle." Jiayi took the porcelain bottle and stuffed it into his arms.
Seeing his nephew's casual attitude, Li Zhensheng was afraid that he would make a mistake, so he whispered to him, "There is a secret recipe in this bottle. It is of great importance. The future success of our restaurant depends entirely on it. You must not let it fall into the hands of outsiders, understand?"
"Got it!" Jiayi's eyes darted around, and he seized the opportunity to make a request, "Uncle, can I find someone to accompany me? Liu Yang is bored at home, how about he comes with me?"
Li Zhensheng had no choice but to wave his hand and say, "Why don't you ask him? If he doesn't mind the hardship of traveling, he can go with us."
"Alright!" Jiayi lifted his little sister off his shoulders and gave her a big kiss on her chubby cheek. "Be a good girl at home, Fu Niu'er. Your brother will bring you something nice when he comes back!"
After saying that, he turned and ran away.
Jiayin was quite discouraged when she saw that her brother had disappeared.
At that moment, she suddenly had a tiny bit of hope that she could grow up quickly, so that she could go wherever she wanted and wouldn't have to stay cooped up at home all day...
Soon, everyone in the family went on different trips: some went on long journeys, some went to restaurants, and some went into the valley. Even Jia'an, Jiaxi, and Maoge'er went up the mountain to catch rabbits.
The once bustling courtyard was now empty except for the old lady, Jiayin, Huiniang who was in confinement in the side room, and two little babies who only knew how to eat, drink, and relieve themselves.
The old lady couldn't bear to see her granddaughter looking so dejected, so she coaxed her, "In a few days, we'll go to Luo'an to send your brothers to school. Grandma will definitely take you to the restaurant to play, okay?"
“Your hand injury hasn’t healed yet, so even if you go today, you can’t eat much. Seafood is considered a trigger food, and spicy food is even worse. You can only look at it and drool, which is so uncomfortable.”
Jiayin thought about it. A feast of delicious food, both beautifully presented and fragrant, lay before her, yet she couldn't eat or touch it. It was truly agonizing…
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