Li Ge'er was even more anxious and asked, "Sister, I heard someone is bullying our family? How are you? How is the family?"
"Haha, brothers, don't worry! Everything's fine at home. Those who bullied our family are all doing hard labor outside the village, digging ditches."
Jiayin was overjoyed. She hugged her eldest brother and her sixth brother. She even remembered to open the food box and serve hot fried meatballs to her greedy seventh brother.
Cat Brother meowed happily, stuffing several into his mouth in a row. He didn't forget to feed his eldest brother and sixth brother, and of course, he didn't forget Lu Zong and Jia Xu either.
Seeing the Li siblings so lively and close, Lu Zong and Jia Xu couldn't help but feel envious.
The Jia family was alright; there wasn't much infighting, but they weren't as close as the Li siblings.
Not to mention the Lu family; it would be good enough if Lu Zong's brothers didn't try to kill him...
When Jiaren saw that someone was looking over, he urged his younger brother and sister-in-law to go home quickly.
Li Ge'er also jumped onto the carriage, while Jia Ren accompanied Lu Zong and Jia Xu on horseback.
Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er surrounded their younger sister, eating and chattering about the fun they had on their long journey, laughing heartily from time to time.
Jiaren, Lu Zong, and Jia Xu followed behind the car, laughing non-stop.
They soon arrived at Broken Gold Beach. Upon receiving the news, Old Lady Li didn't even have time to put on her coat before going straight to the village entrance to wait.
She really missed her grandson. She hugged one and patted the other, repeatedly exclaiming, "Oh dear, he's lost weight, he's lost weight!"
"Didn't you eat properly on the way? You're supposed to be going on a study tour, but you look even more disheveled than when your family fled the famine?"
The three Jiaren brothers all had tears in their eyes. They hugged their grandmother and smelled her familiar, warm scent. Only then did their wandering hearts finally settle down.
Seeing Lu Zong and Jia Xu standing to one side, Jia Yin quickly introduced them to her grandmother, "Grandma, these are Brother Lu and Brother Jia. They came back with my brother and the others."
"Let's go inside first, my brother and the others are tired. I'll go prepare some food, and Grandma will set up a heated kang (traditional heated bed) for them!"
"Okay, okay! It's good that you're back!" Old Mrs. Li quickly agreed, grabbing Lu Zong and Jia Xu by the arms and walking towards the courtyard.
"Come on, child, come inside quickly! You must be tired from the journey. Eat a good meal and then have a good sleep to refresh yourself!"
The old man's hands were a little rough, but dry and warm.
Lu Zong and Jia Xu exchanged a glance, then smiled and obediently followed them inside.
Cat Bro ate half a box of fried meatballs, a lot of snacks and fruits in the car, and now he's still jumping up and down shouting, "Sister, I want hot pot! Put lots and lots of meat in it! I want meat!"
Just then, Zhao Yuru, Li Laosan, and Li Laosi rushed back from outside upon hearing the news, and they couldn't help but laugh.
Li Laosi immediately rolled up his sleeves and said with a smile, "Want to eat meat? That's easy! Let your Uncle Si go and slice some mutton for you!"
Li Laosan also said, "I'll go kill the fish. I remember Cat Brother likes to eat fish stew!"
Zhao Yuru stepped forward, hugged Cat Boy, and said with a face full of heartache, "No wonder the child kept asking for meat, he has really lost a lot of weight. He must eat meat, lots of meat!"
Grandma Li called on Granny He for help, "First, tidy up the children's rooms, then let them soak in the hot springs after they've eaten, and then get a good night's sleep."
Granny He smiled and agreed, then went off to get busy.
The entire front yard of the Li family's residence was dominated by the men, young and old, with many empty rooms.
Lu Zong and Jia Xu stayed in the room next to Jia Ren's. After washing their hands and faces and changing into Jia Ren's new clothes, they were called to dinner.
It was only mid-afternoon, not yet dinner time, so this meal was held in Jiaren's room just for the children.
A large square table was placed on the heated kang (a traditional heated brick bed).
In the middle of the table is a bubbling hot pot with two broths, one side fragrant and the other spicy.
Various kinds of green vegetables, fish balls, meatballs, etc. were laid out in abundance, especially the sliced mutton, which filled five plates to the brim.
A table was also set up in the kitchen, where Gou Sheng'er, Zheng Liu, and Zheng Qi, along with the servants from the Lu and Jia families, had already started eating.
Grandma Li, along with her son and daughter-in-law, invited the children to sit around the table, then made an excuse to go back to the main room, leaving the children to eat more comfortably.
Of course, Jiayin, the group's beloved younger sister, doesn't need to be avoided.
She took a strainer and used it to cook meat for one brother and peel shrimp for another, occasionally refilling his glass with a cold honey passion fruit drink.
The three Jiaren brothers were used to eating hot pot, but Jia Xu and Lu Zong were experiencing its charm for the first time.
Snowflakes fluttered outside the window, and the cold wind howled.
Inside the window, they threw off their cotton robes, eating until they were sweating profusely, and drinking fruit drinks to their hearts' content. It was so incredibly satisfying!
"No wonder Cat Brother kept saying that eating hot pot in winter is just too good."
Lu Zong swallowed a meatball in one gulp, breathing out hot air, and didn't forget to give Cat Brother a thumbs up.
Cat Brother was overjoyed. He gave the last bite of his favorite tripe to Lu Zong and said with a grin, "My fourth aunt and second brother are the best!"
"Let me tell you, even though we don't live in a big house, our food is top-notch."
Jia Xu, who loves spicy food, grabbed a raw cucumber and crunched on it, nodding along with him.
"Putting everything else aside, your family is definitely the first to be able to gather so many vegetables in this kind of winter!"
Jiayin thought of Baozhu and said with a smile, "Brother Jia, are you going home tomorrow? Please bring a basket of cucumbers for Baozhu for me."
“Last time Baozhu came to play, we couldn’t pick cucumbers yet, and she almost nag me to death.”
Jia Xu was surprised to hear that she sounded very familiar with his cousin.
Did a lot happen during his study abroad trip?
But he agreed anyway.
The meal was lively and cheerful, and all the plates and bowls were emptied.
Lu Zong and Jia Xu were very perceptive; they made an excuse to disappear and went back to their room.
Jiaren and his two brothers, along with their younger sister, went to the main room to tell their elders about their trip south.
I heard that my elder brother will be able to lead his fleet to the military camp dock early tomorrow morning.
Li Laosan and Li Laosi could no longer sit still. Li Laosi quickly said, "Mother, when my third brother and I went there before, we didn't even see our eldest brother. We were just one day away from meeting him!"
"Let's make another trip tonight, and come back with our older brother tomorrow, okay?"
Li Laosan also said, "Yes, Mother, it's perfect timing to bring my eldest brother back tomorrow so we can have dumplings for the Lunar New Year!"
Grandma Li didn't stop her, but instructed, "Wear something thick, and wrap yourself in the wolf-skin cloak. If anything happens and you're delayed, remember to send someone back to let us know."
Li Laosan and Li Laosi happily agreed, and then they really did wrap themselves up like winter melons before setting off.
Grandma Li held her eldest grandson's hand and asked him many trivial questions. She was also pleased to hear about the excellent exchange between the college and its colleagues from Quanzhou.
But then, she suddenly remembered something and asked, "Where are Jiayi and Liu Yang? Are they on the boat with your uncle? You should have asked your fourth uncle to bring them some food!"
Jiaren paused for a moment, his expression showing three parts worry and seven parts apprehension...
Served at midnight~~
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