Li Lao Er, Li Lao San, and Li Lao Si were also surprised to hear this and immediately voiced their objections.
"Brother, what did you say? Go to Quanzhou? Isn't that in the southeast coastal area?"
"This is too far! If you want to relax, you should at least find somewhere closer."
"Brother, you can't leave home again. Mother is old, and it wasn't easy for her to find you."
Even Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er clung to their father's legs, pleading with him through tears.
"Dad, don't go! We miss you! We're scared!"
Cat is alright. He has plenty to eat and drink every day and is loved by his grandma. Apart from studying, he plays wildly with his friends and rarely thinks about his mother.
But Li Ge'er was different. Although he didn't see his mother being exiled, he still overheard a few words.
In his heart, his mother was gone.
Now that his father was about to leave for another distant place, he felt panicked and uneasy, and hugged his father even tighter.
Li Zhensheng felt like his heart was being torn apart, but he still gritted his teeth, pulled the two children apart, and then knelt down in front of his mother.
"Mother, I know that it was my stubbornness in going away to study that caused you to suffer for over a decade. If I could, I would serve you by your side for the rest of my life, never leaving your side. But..."
“However, our family’s wealth has accumulated too quickly. If we don’t have the ability to protect ourselves, we’re like a piece of fat meat, with countless people waiting to take a bite. Madam Cui, Mr. Wen, the Liu family, and the Marquis can certainly protect our family and the villagers. But Mother, at any time, relying on others is not as good as relying on yourself!”
He kowtowed heavily to the ground, hugged his mother's legs, and choked out another sentence.
"This time, the Marquis and I have planned something together. If it succeeds, no one in the entire Tianwu will dare to bully our family. Even if the Marquis dies in battle, our family can still enjoy three generations of wealth and honor."
"As the eldest son of the Li family, I have failed in my responsibilities, leaving my mother and brothers without support for more than ten years. I feel guilty! Now that I have the opportunity to make up for what I have missed over the past ten years, I must give it my all!"
After saying that, he kowtowed repeatedly and heavily until his forehead turned blue.
The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop, except for the sound of him kowtowing.
Tears streamed down Old Mrs. Li's face as she trembled as she helped her eldest son to his feet. "Zhensheng, you must know, if anything happens to you again, your mother won't survive!"
Li Zhensheng was also in tears. "Mother, I know. But don't worry, I'm just going to bring some things back. There's no danger. And if this succeeds, the people of Tianwu won't have to worry about starving anymore. It's a tremendous achievement! The Marquis can also take back Jiangbei within three years. For both public and private reasons, I have to go!"
"Brother, stay home, I'll go!" Li Laosi knelt down beside his brother. "I'm strong, and even if I encounter danger outside, I'm not afraid."
"No, I'll go!" Li Lao Er and Li Lao San also joined in the scramble.
Li Zhensheng wiped away his tears. "It's not that I look down on you, but you rarely go out and have no business experience. This matter is of great importance and cannot be lost, so I have to go there myself. Besides, I've brought back Sihaiju and several shops. If I go out and find something good, I'll try to revive the business."
Li Lao Er and the others fell silent; they were indeed incapable of handling these matters.
Grandma Li sighed and personally helped her sons up. "Please sit down."
She wanted to speak, but her lips trembled incessantly.
Just like her eldest son said, no matter how you look at it, she should agree.
But her son, who had just returned to her side, was about to go on another long trip, and she was worried about him no matter what.
Jiayin quickly ran over and hugged her grandmother's neck, patting her back with her chubby little hands.
The old lady's nose tingled, and she tried her best to hold back her tears, hugging her granddaughter tightly, as if she could draw some strength from her granddaughter in this way.
After a long pause, she finally said, "Eldest brother, go if you want to. It's not that I trust you, it's that I trust Lord Hou. He will definitely not let anything happen to you again. Besides, the family really needs this merit. Thank God, the family traveled thousands of miles to Broken Gold Beach to find you. Now may be the time to repay the debt!"
Li Zhensheng's eyes reddened again, and he tried to kneel down, but was interrupted by Li Lao Er.
"Mother, let my eldest brother take Jiayi with him. This boy is mischievous at home, and he's also quite strong. If he stays by my eldest brother's side, he can lend a hand and run errands for him."
Jiayi had been itching to do this for a long time, but he didn't dare to interrupt because his grandmother and uncles were talking.
At this moment, he jumped up excitedly, "Okay, okay, I'll go with Uncle! I'll be obedient and definitely won't cause any trouble."
The old lady glared at her grandson and said, "Do you think this is a trip? It's a long and arduous journey, and we'll suffer a lot!"
Jiayi squeezed next to his grandmother, shamelessly pleading, "Grandma, please let me go! I'm not afraid of hardship. And, and! Can you take Liu Yang with you too? The two of us together would be invincible."
The old lady was so angry that she slapped him on the head. How could she let such a reckless boy go?
Li Laosi, however, understood his nephew's feelings very well and pleaded on his behalf, "Mother, let Jiayi go out and make his way in the world. Maybe this kid will find what he wants to do and the path he wants to take."
Li Lao Er also said, "Yes, Mother, Jia Ren is good at studying and will definitely take the imperial examination in the future, but Jia Yi is not cut out for studying. It would be good for him to go out and see the world with his elder brother."
What could the old lady do but nod when her sons said that?
Jiayi turned and ran away. A little while later, Liu Yang, looking excited, dragged his parents over.
The Li family couldn't be too specific, only saying that Li Zhensheng was going to Quanzhou to see if there were any new business opportunities.
Liu Yang looked at his parents expectantly, afraid that they would disagree.
Fortunately, the head镖师 (bodyguard) and his wife did not stop their son and were very supportive of him going out for a walk.
When the old lady brought up the safety issue in a roundabout way, Liu the镖头 laughed and said, "This kid isn't that unlucky. Besides, maybe we'll have another boy in the family by autumn."
"Oh my, is your sister-in-law pregnant?"
Everyone was surprised and offered their congratulations, which made Sister Liu blush. "I just got pregnant not long ago, and I didn't tell anyone."
"Be careful during the first three months, and wait until the pregnancy is stable before making any decisions." The old lady, Zhao Yuru, and Tao Hongying were all happy and pulled her into the house. While they were having a private chat, they helped Li Lao Er and Jia Yi pack their luggage.
In the main room, Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), told Li Zhensheng about some of the local customs and traditions of Quanzhou that he had heard about before. At the end, he was very reluctant to part with Li Zhensheng and sighed, "If it weren't for the addition of a new member to the family, I would have gone on a trip with him."
Li Zhensheng laughed and said, "If the family business is revived, I'll inevitably have to travel to Quanzhou often in the future, and there will be many opportunities. But since I'll be gone for several months, I'll have to trouble Brother Liu to take good care of the elderly and children at home."
“Let’s not talk like strangers, we’re all family, this is only right.” Chief镖头 Liu waved his hand generously, “When you’re out and about, safety comes first, your family is waiting for you to come back.”
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