The village chief ran into Uncle Zhao from next door early in the morning. He was terrified to hear that the Li family had almost been wiped out last night, so he rushed over to check on them.
Grandma Li didn't hide anything and told everyone about the trouble her fourth son had caused.
The village chief sighed, "These days are tough. There have been disasters year after year, and in order to survive, more and more people are turning to the wrong path."
Li Laosan nodded in agreement, "When I went to the city a few days ago, there were fewer people on the streets. Although the grain shops were still selling grain, the prices hadn't dropped much, and most people couldn't afford it."
The village chief, feeling nervous, quickly stood up.
"No, I need to talk to the villagers again and tell them to go to the fields more often at night. Our crops are too conspicuous. We need to hold on for a few more days and then harvest them as soon as possible."
After saying that, he left in a hurry.
With a large family, Li Laosan took Jiayi to the city to make purchases.
Young Master Ye and his servants were already honored guests, and last night they saved the whole family's lives. They are our saviors, so we cannot neglect them.
Dongmei wanted to go with them, but Old Lady Li was afraid she would spend money and refused to let her.
Dongmei was both amused and exasperated. Taking advantage of the free time, she went to the city, bought food and other necessities, and then went to the jewelry store to pick up some items before hiring a carriage to return to the Li family.
Li Laosan had just arrived home when he bought plenty of chicken, fish, meat, and eggs.
Adding these together results in an abundance of ingredients.
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru were worried, but luckily, Old Lady Li remembered that she still had a granddaughter…
Anything that was afraid of spoiling was collected by Jiayin and put into the freezer in the courtyard.
The freezer, which was originally more than half empty, is now half full again.
Doctor Zhang was truly skilled; he not only adjusted the prescription but also gave Young Master Ye acupuncture every day, along with good food and drink to nourish him.
In just four or five days, Young Master Ye stopped coughing altogether.
The Li family, young and old, were all happy for Young Master Ye, but they wouldn't allow him to hold a celebration, and the village became somewhat chaotic.
First, relatives from various families came to the village to borrow grain, but the village naturally refused to lend it, as there was no grain available to lend.
Then there were the families who had previously stayed there but moved away. Hearing that the Li family had harvested grain and only lent it to villagers, they started making a fuss about moving back.
Because of their past ungrateful act of stealing water, the villagers disliked them and naturally disagreed with their moving back.
As a result, rumors and slander about Qingshui Village gradually spread throughout the surrounding villages.
People have always been more concerned about inequality than scarcity.
Every family suffered a complete loss of grain, except for the Li family, which was a sin.
No one considered that the Li family had worked themselves to the bone to save those thirty acres of land.
None of them offered any help back then; instead, they called us idiots and morons quite a bit.
The village chief and several old men were on high alert, and dared not close their eyes every night, keeping a close eye on the few crops.
I just hope it grows a few more days so we can harvest it as soon as possible in early August.
At this tense moment, Jiayin's first birthday is approaching.
The Li family eagerly awaited the return of Li Laosi.
If they weren't tied up in the fields and at home, Li Laosan and Jiayi would have gone out to greet him.
Old Mrs. Li's mouth was full of blisters, and she couldn't eat. She could only have porridge three times a day. She was worried about her son so much that her heart felt like it was being fried in oil.
Even so, the Li family did not neglect Young Master Ye and his servants in the slightest.
Three meals a day, a balanced mix of meat and vegetables, the food may not be fancy, but it's delicious and comforting.
Young Master Ye and the others were easy to get along with, so Ye Shan didn't need the Li family to get involved and took that Jianghu person out to deal with him.
As for the specifics of life and death, and how to handle the situation, the Li family has no problem with anything.
Dashan often took Jiaxi and Jia'an to play, and in the evenings he would also go to the fields with the old men next door to patrol.
Dongmei helped with the laundry and cooking, and she got along especially well with Tao Hongying.
Even Young Master Ye would hug Jiayin whenever he saw her, showing her affection and patience.
It was drizzling that day, and the Li family was busy chopping dumpling filling, planning to make some dumplings to eat, hot and satisfying.
Young Master Ye carried Jiayin and played with her in the yard. He threw a stone and knocked down a sparrow from a tree, which made Jiayin clap her hands and laugh.
Young Master Ye, feeling fully recovered, said to Old Lady Li.
"Auntie, after you've eaten, have Dashan ride a horse and take Jiayi to meet Lao Si. Dashan is good at martial arts; if anything happens, he can protect Lao Si and bring him back safely."
Grandma Li was overjoyed and quickly expressed her gratitude.
She had long intended to do so, but with Young Master Ye ill, it was only right for Ye Shan to stay and protect him. Moreover, her entire family was also afraid that the martial arts world would seek revenge again.
It's perfect that Young Master Ye brought it up himself.
With hope in sight, everyone sped up their work, and soon the dumplings caused a disaster.
Before the food was even cooked, Li Laosi's loud voice could be heard outside the courtyard.
"Mother, I'm back!"
The Li family members immediately dropped what they were doing and ran out like madmen.
When they saw that it really was Li Laosi, everyone happily pulled him along, laughing and crying at the same time.
The old men next door heard the commotion and came over to speak, offering a few words of advice.
Li Laosi traveled day and night, becoming exhausted, dark-skinned, and thin, but when he arrived home and found his family safe and sound, it was all worth it.
After finally washing up and settling in, he heard about the harrowing experience from Tao Hongying, and he felt like slapping himself to death.
Upon entering the room, he immediately knelt down before Young Master Ye.
“Young Master Ye, I, Li Qiusheng, will never forget your great kindness. If you ever need anything in the future, please feel free to ask. I, Li Qiusheng, will definitely repay your life-saving grace.”
Young Master Ye personally helped him up, responding sincerely.
“I was seriously ill and passed through your family. It was your family that took me in and cared for me, which is why I have recovered today. I would also like to thank your family for saving my life.”
“That’s different. It’s not easy being away from home. Of course, we should lend a hand if something happens.” Old Li Si looked grateful and still a little scared, and bowed again.
Everyone sat down and started eating dumplings. Li Laosi ate a large bowl in one go, but something still felt off.
Looking around, he realized that his precious daughter was actually sitting in Young Master Ye's lap...
Does that mean his daughter has already recognized someone else as her father just because he's only been away for a few days?
After the meal, everyone sat down to chat, and Young Master Ye inquired about the situation in the south.
Li Laosi held his daughter, whom he had finally managed to coax, with a furrowed brow.
“The situation in the south is even worse than here. We are suffering from drought, but when it rains, we can replant vegetables and barely make ends meet.”
But after the drought in the south, it started raining heavily again, making replanting impossible. We were delayed because landslides caused by the rain blocked the road; otherwise, we could have returned a few days earlier.
Everyone sighed, "It seems God is not letting ordinary people live."
Young Master Ye seemed to be thinking of something, and his expression turned grim. "The imperial court will exempt us from grain taxes. We should be able to get through this year."
Li Laosi shook his head, gritting his teeth in hatred, "The main problem is that those corrupt officials are afraid of jeopardizing their political achievements, so they don't report it at all. The imperial court doesn't know about the disaster, and it's the common people who suffer!"
Everyone couldn't help but curse, "This is outrageous! How could the court appoint such a person to an official position?"
"The mountains are high and the emperor is far away; they're just taking advantage of the fact that the imperial court doesn't know about it."
Young Master Ye's face darkened, and he remained silent...
Jiayin leaned against her father's chest, and for no reason, she felt a little uneasy.
It seemed some unknown disaster was about to strike, and she was powerless to resist it…
With Li Laosi back safe and sound, everyone, young and old, was relieved and could finally focus on preparing for Jiayin's first birthday celebration.
In those days, the Li family couldn't afford to hold a big celebration; at most, they would prepare a couple of tables of food and invite a few close families in the village to join in the festivities.
On that day, a large red cloth was laid on the floor of the main room of the Li family, and some rouge and powder, writing implements, purses and jewelry, and even abacuses and daggers were laid out.
As expected, Jiayin did not disappoint. Following her grandmother's wishes, she grabbed a pen and a dagger.
Grandma Li was overjoyed, constantly talking about how her granddaughter would grow up to be both scholarly and martial, completely oblivious to the strange looks on everyone's faces.
In the old lady's heart, her granddaughter is the best.
What's wrong with girls? Why can't they be both academically and athletically gifted?
At the dinner table, Young Master Ye presented a congratulatory gift. Before the Li family could even exchange pleasantries, Jiayin eagerly opened it.
The box was filled with golden light, so dazzling that it stung Jia Yin's eyes, yet tears still streamed from the corners of her mouth!
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