"Haha, if my son had Jiaren's abilities, I'd be willing to see him once a year, let alone once a month!"
"Me too, haha, it's good if the kids can amount to something."
Hoping one's son will become a dragon is the wish of all parents and elders in the world, without exception!
The banquet lasted from midday until sunset.
The men, their faces flushed and slightly drunk, laughed and talked as they went home to sleep.
The women busied themselves clearing the table, washing the dishes, and dividing the leftovers before hurrying home to check if the drunkards had vomited all over the floor.
Liu Zhiheng and Mr. Wen both had to rush back to the city, so the Li family members, who hadn't been able to thank them for helping Li Zhensheng in front of the whole village, bowed and expressed their gratitude.
The old lady insisted that they stay a few more days.
Unfortunately, Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng both had things to do and could not stay.
Fortunately, Madam Cui did not leave and planned to stay for a few days.
Young Master Ye helped Ye Shan back to his own courtyard.
In an instant, the Li family courtyard, which had been noisy all day, finally quieted down.
Li Zhensheng was ill and only drank less than half a bowl of wine at the banquet. But now, under the influence of the wine, he leaned against his mother, smiling and refusing to leave.
Just like when I was a child, I relied on and was close to my mother.
Li Lao Er and his brothers also sat around, drinking strong tea to sober up.
Meanwhile, Li Ge'er, Mao Ge'er, Jia Yin, and a few others pulled out some sachets and were playing with pebbles.
Li Lao Er took out the revised household registration and the banknotes for selling the courtyard. "Brother, please keep these safe."
Li Zhensheng pushed the money directly to his mother's hands and said in a low voice, "Mother, these are all family property, please keep them. The matter of Sihaiju and the sunken ship was also arranged by me, so there was no actual loss. I will give them to you after we get those shops and money back."
"No, I don't want it." The old lady waved her hand. "This is your money, keep it for yourself. When Li Ge and Mao Ge grow up, save it for their education and marriage."
"Mother!" Li Zhensheng realized that his mother really didn't want it, and became a little anxious, so he grabbed his mother's arm.
"Mother, please keep it, okay? I'm family, so these silver shops naturally belong to our family. When Li-ge and Mao-ge grow up, go to school, and get married, the family will naturally take care of everything!"
Grandma Li glanced at the end of the kang (a heated brick bed) and saw that the three children were playing happily and not looking this way, so she quickly patted her eldest son.
“You’re all grown up now, don’t act like Fu Niu and try to get away with it. These money shops are what you’ve earned through years of hardship and suffering, the family can’t keep them. If we told you to keep them, then keep them. Besides, your brothers have their own savings now, it’s not just you.”
"Yes, brother, we keep half of our wages for ourselves."
"Yes, at the end of the year, Mother also gives us a bonus. She said that we are all married with children now, and we can't be without money."
Li Lao Er and the others tried to persuade him, "Brother, don't worry about us. We have hands and feet and we earn money every day, enough to support our families. Just keep your money. If we need more or if our families have any needs, we'll definitely ask you for a loan without hesitation."
Li Zhensheng refused, saying, "I've been away from home for so many years, and you've all worked hard to support the family and take care of our mother. I feel guilty. Consider these gold and silver shops as compensation to my family; otherwise, I wouldn't have the face to hear you call me 'elder brother.'"
Having said that, Li Lao Er and the others couldn't persuade him any further, and all looked at their mother.
Old Mrs. Li really didn't want this money; it was all her son's blood and tears.
If she could, she wouldn't want a single penny; she just wanted to get back the years her son had spent with her.
Just then, Ye Shan returned, serving Young Master Ye.
Everyone rushed forward to help him up and settled Young Master Ye back down on the kang (heated brick bed).
"Chengyi, is there something you want to say? Just have someone call out and we'll come over. Your injury hasn't healed yet, so it's not good for you to walk around like this. If you reopen the wound, you'll suffer."
Grandma Li addressed Young Master Ye by his courtesy name, showing great affection. Hearing this, a warm glint flashed in his eyes, and he smiled, "Auntie, don't worry. Doctor Zhang said that walking around a few times slowly won't hurt me."
After saying that, he took out an envelope and handed it to Li Zhensheng.
"I used some tricks, and the Wang family was frightened. They sent these silver notes over. Consider it compensation from the Wang family to my elder brother!"
Li Zhensheng frowned, opened the envelope, revealing a stack of silver notes, all of them large denominations of five hundred taels each, totaling a total of twenty thousand taels.
"Hmph, the Wang family really knows how to spend money!" Li Lao Er cursed. "If they had been this kind of conscience earlier, my elder brother wouldn't have suffered for so many years."
Everyone nodded. Even though the old master of the Wang family was dead, the reputation that the Wang family had upheld for decades was ruined, and Wang E was to be sent to do hard labor, the hatred that the Li family had for the Wang family could never be erased.
Now, it's only because of Li Ge and Mao Ge's two children, and because Li Zhensheng didn't lose his life, that we're barely letting it go and not caring about so much.
Otherwise, every single descendant of the Li family will be an enemy of the Wang family for generations to come, and they will absolutely ensure that the Wang family never has a peaceful day again...
Li Zhensheng thought for a moment and then pushed the envelope to his mother.
“Mother, you can leave those shops and money behind; I’ll keep them for Li-ge and Mao-ge. But this money is compensation from the Wang family. You and the family have suffered a lot because of me being missing for over ten years, so you should take it.”
Grandma Li wanted to refuse, but her son looked at her expectantly, as if he wouldn't be at ease if she didn't accept it.
She hesitated for a moment, then took the envelope.
"Alright, you've been away from home for over ten years and haven't earned a single penny for household expenses. Today, this twenty thousand taels will be deposited into the public account as a one-time payment. From now on, just stay home and relax. Don't worry about the things in the house, whether they're good or bad, they'll all be yours and Brother Li's and Brother Mao's share, understand?"
"Understood! I'll listen to Mother!" Li Zhensheng immediately smiled.
Jiayin had crawled over at some point and nimbly sat in her grandmother's arms, staring at the envelope with her big eyes shining brightly.
Grandma Li was both amused and exasperated. She immediately stuffed the envelope into her bosom, saying, "You little money-grubber, you're always looking for money wherever there's cash!"
Everyone laughed. Young Master Ye picked up the chubby girl who was pouting in disappointment and coaxed her, "I'll go to the palace in a few days and ask Fu Niu for a few gold bracelets, the solid kind, okay?"
"Okay!" Jiayin immediately put on a smile, hugged her godfather's neck, and gave him a big kiss.
Grandma Li laughed and scolded, "This girl, she's really obsessed with money. We don't have any connections like that in our family, who did she take after!"
Just then, Ye Shan came in from outside, carrying a long wooden box, and whispered his report.
"My lord, someone from the palace has arrived and brought this box, saying it's a congratulatory gift!"
Everyone was curious and looked over.
The box is a foot long, made of sandalwood, and carved with intricate patterns. The clasp is made of gold, making it look extremely valuable.
I just don't know what good stuff it is that needs such a nice box to hold it.
Young Master Ye had a vague idea of what was going on, so he reached out and took it, then gently opened it.
Jiayin, sitting in his lap, saw the most clearly and was so surprised that her mouth dropped open!
Served at midnight~~
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