Li Laosi replied, "Since the Marquis holds military power, even if he wants to get married, he can only marry a girl from a humble family, preferably one who is not involved with any of the various factions."
“The Marquis of Jiangning’s family is the Empress’s maternal clan. No matter how wonderful this girl is, the Marquis cannot marry her. Besides, the Marquis has no intention of marrying. The barbarians from Jiangbei could attack at any time…”
Perhaps not wanting his wife and daughters to worry, he quickly changed the subject halfway through his sentence, "Let's hurry on our way, maybe we can make it to the academy for lunch break. I haven't seen Jiaren and the others in a long time, I wonder if they've grown taller?"
"Then let's hurry up and go. I'll help Third Sister-in-law and the others out. You don't know, hundreds of students come together for every meal. It's like everyone has eight hands and still not enough!" Tao Hongying replied with a smile, turning to shield her daughter from the sun.
The little fox was left in the carriage, jumping around anxiously. Finally, it squeezed out through the small window at the front and perched on Li Laosi's shoulder before finally calming down...
The ringing of the bell during the academy's lunch break is the battle cry for the canteen.
Zhao Yuru led everyone to quickly set the prepared food on the long table and serve it according to the fixed dishes of the set meal.
Today's main dish is braised pork belly. The brownish chunks of meat are braised until tender, glistening with oil, and fragrant. A spoonful is placed on the plate, and a spoonful of broth is poured over the rice.
Add a refreshing sweet and sour cold dish, and it becomes the favorite set meal for all the students in the academy.
Aunt Wu was on the other side of the small door, having just seen off a few old women carrying food boxes.
She turned to Zhao Yuru and said, "Third Madam, if you're going to stew more braised pork, you'll need to add a few more pounds of meat. These people come as soon as they smell it, and they each take a small portion of the pot at once. If we keep buying more, the students won't have any left."
Zhao Yuru laughed and said, "Okay, that's easy. Remember to remind me next time."
Da Zhu's wife, busy with her work, chuckled and said, "These gentlemen's families have been getting lazier and lazier lately. They just come over, order a few dishes, and then they don't have to cook."
"It's hot, and nobody wants to go through that kind of trouble. Once it gets colder, they'll probably come less often."
Zhao Yuru replied, and when she looked up, she saw Li Laosi, Tao Hongying, and Jiayin coming in from outside.
She exclaimed in surprise, "Fourth brother is back?!"
Everyone looked over upon hearing the sound, and were delighted, rushing forward to greet them.
Unfortunately, they hadn't exchanged more than a few words when the students arrived, and everyone hurried off to get busy.
Since Li Laosi couldn't help, he took his daughter for a stroll in the yard. Then Li Laosan came back from picking vegetables in the field. The brothers met and patted each other on the shoulder, both overjoyed.
At this moment, Jiaren also brought Lige'er and Maoge'er.
Li Laosi patted this one and hugged that one, delighted that his nephews had all grown up.
Cat Bro was learning to ride a horse this morning when he accidentally twisted his ankle. It didn't hurt anymore, but when he saw his third and fourth uncles, he suddenly became very aggrieved and started whining and pestering them.
Li Laosan was anxious to ask his younger brother about the situation in Jiangbei, so he asked his niece for help.
Jiayin then pulled the youngest brother next door to eat alone.
Jiaren brought Lige'er several meals to keep his two uncles company and listen to the commotion.
When the school bell rang, Jiaren and Lige hurriedly dragged the reluctant Maoge to the schoolhouse.
Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying had also finished their work and could finally catch their breath.
Seeing that Cat Brother's meal was still a third of the way full, Tao Hongying tapped her daughter on the forehead and scolded, "Did you secretly feed your brother some random stuff again? Otherwise, how could he leave any food uneaten?"
Jiayin chuckled and hugged her mother's arm, refusing to admit it, "No, Mother, you're wronging me."
"Hmph, Cat was still licking his lips when he left, do you think I didn't see that?" Tao Hongying may not understand others, but she knows exactly what her daughter is thinking.
Li Laosi quickly picked up his nephew's leftovers and ate them in a few bites. "Alright, I've finished eating. I didn't waste any food, so don't scold your daughter anymore."
After saying that, he picked up his daughter and said, "Come on, let's go play in the vegetable garden with your third uncle."
Li Laosan ruffled his little niece's hair and said, "Uncle planted some ground cherries for you. They're ripe and turning yellow. Since you haven't come over for the next few days, Uncle will pick a few baskets and send them back to you. Come on, let's sit in the field and eat. Pick whichever one you want!"
As they were talking, the two brothers carried the little girl away.
Tao Hongying glared at her sister-in-law, both amused and exasperated, and complained, "See, Third Sister-in-law, I'm the only bad guy in the whole family!"
Zhao Yuru smiled, her eyes crinkling, and replied, "Fu Niu'er is very clever; she knows that you, her own mother, are disciplining her for her own good. Come on, let's go eat, and we can talk things over slowly."
Because it was rare for Li Laosi to come over, Jiaren and his two younger brothers took leave that night and stayed in the courtyard.
After dinner, the whole family gathered together.
As soon as the courtyard gate closed, Jiayin pulled her father to drag a wooden bucket out of the well. Inside the bucket was a huge jade melon, weighing more than 20 jin (approximately 10 kg).
Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er cheered and clapped their hands.
The jade melons at home were so popular that they sold out almost as soon as the garden opened, so much so that they only ate them two or three times.
Later, some people in Luo'an grew melons, and Li Laosan bought some once, but the taste was far inferior to the ones he grew himself...
So everyone is proud that the melons they grow at home are the best, but also even more disappointed that they won't be able to eat them this year.
I never expected to be in such good food again today!
Soon, the jade melon was cut open.
Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er busied themselves serving a piece to each of their uncles and aunts before picking up their own and bringing it to their mouths.
They took a big bite, and the sweet, refreshing, and juicy flavor made them squint their eyes in happiness.
When Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru saw this, they couldn't stop laughing. After eating one piece, they said it was too cold, and then gave the rest to the children to enjoy.
The cat had eaten until its belly was round and full, and then it chased the little fox all over the yard, making a huge racket.
Zhao Yuru sighed, "Jiaxi and Jia'an went south, and Wenjuan also returned to Suijintan. It's really hard to get used to the sudden quiet in this house."
"You should stay a few more days so the house can be more lively. Otherwise, it's just the two of us at night, and we really miss home."
Tao Hongying said, "We also want to stay a few more days, but tomorrow is the Ghost Festival, and Mother wants us to buy incense, candles, and paper money on our way home."
"Also, the wounded soldiers that the Marquis brought back from this campaign need to be settled at the archway, a second village needs to be built, and a dried noodle workshop also needs to be constructed. In short, everyone at home and in the village is extremely busy. It's already a miracle that we were able to come out for a walk today; staying a few more days is simply not an option!"
Zhao Yuru, curious, asked, "Are the second village also building row houses? Aren't there a few families in the village where young men are getting married? Are they going to move out as well?"
Tao Hongying nodded and began to explain in detail to her sister-in-law.
Inevitably, they brought up the Marquis, which led to the story of the silver shop that day.
Li Laosan and Li Laosi originally brought their nephews to talk about the expedition, but nothing is more attractive than gossip, so they ended up listening intently...
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