Jiayin, the "landlord," stayed.
Jiaren and Lige'er will have important exams next spring, so they must stay.
Jia Huan, who is supporting the restaurant business, insists on staying.
Li Laosan has to stay to manage the academy's canteen.
The rest of the elderly, women, and children were taken care of by Li Zhensheng, who went south to Quanzhou to live for a year.
This includes Madam Wen and Yueya'er, Huiniang and her two children.
Even Liu's wife had to go along for Liu Yang's marriage...
That night, the entire Li family stayed up very late.
Li Zhensheng and his brothers naturally had to make arrangements for their southward journey.
Jiaren and Jiayi, who hadn't seen each other for many years, lay on a large kang (heated brick bed) and had endless things to talk about.
Grandma Li, Tao Hongying, and Zhao Yuru were doing needlework while discussing how to cook more delicious food for Jiayi.
Meanwhile, Jiayin was busy making a list.
She has hardly ever been separated from her grandmother since birth.
This time, not only Grandma, but also Mom, Aunt, and Sisters-in-law will be traveling together.
She was naturally worried and wanted to take care of every aspect of his life, from clothing and food to shelter and transportation...
The next day, everyone in the Li family got up late, and by the time they had breakfast, the sun was already high in the sky.
Jiaren and Jiayi, dressed in new clothes, took Lige'er and Maoge'er with them and bid farewell to their families before heading to the city.
Last night, Lu Zong sent them an invitation to his home for a small gathering.
Jiayi didn't suffer at all in prison and received a lot of favors from the prison warden.
The jailer was Lu Zong's connection, and the Li family had to thank him properly no matter what.
So, Jiaren told his family last night.
Today, not only did I bring Jiayi with me to the Lu family, but I also brought generous gifts.
Besides the usual writing implements and other common items, there was also a bearskin cloak that the old lady, Tao Hongying, and Zhao Yuru sewed for Lu Zong together.
These things may not be particularly good, but they all reflect the Li family's good intentions.
A while ago, Jiayin was stuck at home with nothing to do, and she couldn't stand seeing her brothers carrying clumsy bamboo boxes with their books when they went out.
So she and her maids made a lot of leather men's handbags.
It has a stylish design, large capacity, is rainproof and dustproof, and can also be worn crossbody.
Everyone in the family, young and old, from Li Zhensheng to Mr. Wen, and the Jiaren brothers, all got a share.
Everyone who received it loved it.
Mr. Wen, in particular, was a man who always had a book in his hand and would occasionally take the government files home to continue reading.
In rainy or snowy weather, fearing that his books would get wet, he would untie his cloak and wrap the book box around it.
Now that I have this square-shaped leather tote bag, I no longer have to be so disheveled.
The Jiaren brothers also loved it dearly.
Jiaren and Lige'er naturally put their books there, while Maoge'er puts his favorite food and paper and pen for easy note-taking. Of course, small items like silver don't need to be stuffed into a purse; hanging them on your waist is too cumbersome.
Now, a leather bag can solve everything.
Today, Jiayin heard that Jiaxu, Guo Wenhao, Zhimin, and Xiujie were also at the gathering. Since her family was giving gifts to Lu Zong, she didn't want them to keep an eye on things.
So she took out the remaining bags and let her brothers take them, so that everyone would have one and it would be a lively and well-organized affair.
Logically speaking, a woman's needlework should not be given to outsiders.
But she was only ten years old, not yet a young lady.
Moreover, Guo Wenhao, Zhimin, Xiujie, and others have known each other since childhood and are close friends, so there's no need to be too reserved.
Originally, Lu Zong and the others were extremely envious of Jia Ren and his brothers carrying such leather bags, but they didn't dare to ask for them.
Now that their wish has suddenly come true, they are naturally overjoyed!
Guo Wenhao, in particular, put all his small belongings inside, and even when the servant offered to help carry them, he couldn't bear to part with them...
Lu Zong came from a family of military officers, and having heard that Jia Yi was born with superhuman strength, he naturally wanted to have a match with him.
Sure enough, they became acquainted through playful banter, and after a day of playing together, they felt as if they had known each other for a long time...
As the sun began to set and the group parted ways, they agreed to visit a blacksmith's shop run by an old soldier from the Lu family the next day to look at weapons.
Men are naturally fond of martial arts; what man wouldn't be interested in weapons?
So, after sleeping for one night, the Li brothers went out again...
For three to five days in a row, the boys were having so much fun that they were impossible to catch.
Grandma Li was happy that her grandsons were getting together and having fun, but she still jokingly scolded, "These rascals, once they're let out, you can't catch them again."
Just then, Tao Hongying was also heading into town, so she smiled and said, "Mother, why don't you come out for a walk with me and relax?"
Grandma Li quickly waved her hand, "I'm not going, you go ahead. When you come back, remember to buy a few roast chickens in the south of the city, Jiayi likes them."
"Yes, Mother!"
Tao Hongying smiled and agreed, then lifted her brocade cloak, took Lin Mama's hand, and got into the carriage.
She had previously helped Mrs. Liu's family when they were in trouble.
Today, Madam Liu hosted a small tea party, inviting her, Madam Wen, and several other close female friends to have some snacks and chat together.
Yesterday, Madam Wen took Yueya'er over, treating it as a short stay at her parents' home.
So, at this moment, Tao Hongying was traveling alone.
They soon arrived at the Liu family's house, where everyone drank tea and chatted.
They were all familiar with each other, and shared similar personalities, so there wasn't much restraint in their conversation.
One of the women asked Tao Hongying, "I heard that the young general from your second wife's side has taken a fancy to a girl from Quanzhou?"
Tao Hongying was taken aback.
Only family members know about this. When did the news get out?
She was puzzled, but replied with a smile, "It's not that I was particularly interested in it, it was just a coincidence."
"After all, our home is here, which is too far from Quanzhou."
The woman nodded and smiled, "That's what I thought too. When looking for a wife, you should find someone of equal social standing, preferably from the local area."
"Otherwise, the food, drink, and clothing are all different on a daily basis, which is also annoying."
Marrying someone of equal social standing?
Tao Hongying's heart skipped a beat.
Could it be that the girl who has ties to Jiayi has had her background exposed?!
She tentatively said, "My mother-in-law makes all the decisions about our children's marriages, and these past few days at home... sigh!"
She sighed, looking helpless.
Sure enough, the lady immediately advised, "Actually, it's not wrong for the old lady to have concerns. I heard that the girl is an orphan. Such a child is lacking in good fortune!"
“Your second wife has a noble title, so having a daughter-in-law like this is too low in status.”
Tao Hongying gave a perfunctory reply and then winked at Madam Liu.
Madam Liu immediately changed the subject, bringing up New Year's gifts and other trivial matters.
With something on her mind, Tao Hongying had lunch at the Liu family's house and then hurriedly returned home with Madam Wen and her daughter.
Grandma Li was about to take a nap when she saw her daughter-in-law return and asked, "Why didn't you go shopping in town? Also, did you buy the roast chicken?"
Tao Hongying didn't care about the roast chicken anymore. She pulled her mother-in-law into the house and whispered, "Mother, there must be a traitor in our family or our village. He's betraying us and telling everyone what's going on in the family!"
Old Mrs. Li was startled and turned to look at Madam Wen, who had followed her in, asking, "What did you hear in the city?"
Tao Hongying and Madam Wen quickly repeated what the lady had said.
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