"Go quickly and tell Aunt Li that Master has returned!"
"Master, you've been gone for quite some time now, but you're finally back!"
"How much stuff is this long convoy carrying?!"
"Master, Master!"
Everyone rushed forward, surrounding the first carriage completely.
Li Zhensheng jumped off the carriage shaft and smiled as he clasped his hands in greeting to the crowd.
"Fellow villagers, I'm so glad you've been here all this time, but it's been so long!"
He was tanned dark as charcoal, and when he smiled, he showed off his white teeth, which made everyone laugh even harder.
"Sir, you've been sunburned, but everything's fine at home, so don't worry, Sir!"
Someone else asked, "Where are Jiayi and Liu Yang? I haven't seen those two kids!"
"I took two men with me from the south. They went to the city to deliver people and will be back soon!"
Li Zhensheng responded, and at that moment, several villagers who had come with him to Quanzhou to broaden their horizons also walked over from the back of the convoy.
The group exchanged warm greetings, and everyone was extremely happy.
The village chief, who was on the mountain, saw this from afar and rushed over, shouting, "We're all family, it won't make a difference if we chat a little longer. We can talk later tonight. The Liu family's caravan is probably coming to pick up the fruit soon, everyone hurry up and get to work."
Li Zhensheng bowed to the old man and asked, "Are the fruits in the house going to be picked soon? Or is Master Liu in charge of selling them?"
"Yes, Master Liu has his eye on it. He comes to check every few days, afraid that someone else will beat him to it."
The village chief looked smug and pointed to the archway at this auspicious location, saying with a smile, "It's newly built. Just because of this archway, we won't have to worry about selling our fruit!"
Li Zhensheng quickly said, "Uncle, I'll go home first and come back to pick fruit later."
"Go on, go on, hurry home and rest. We won't miss you picking fruit by hand. You've come all this way, keep your mother company and talk to her."
The village chief waved his hand and told them to leave.
Everyone greeted Li Zhensheng, "Master, we'll come talk to you tonight."
“The eldest son tells us about the interesting things happening outside in the evening.”
"When the eldest master goes out again, it will be my turn to go and broaden my horizons!"
"You're still early, it should be my turn in line."
Amidst their conversation and jokes, everyone carried baskets and hampers into the mountains.
The mountains were covered with bright red fruit, which was truly tempting.
Li Zhensheng thought for a moment, then called out to a villager, "Brother, help me pick two baskets of fruit and take them to the courtyard. Tell the village chief to put it on our tab."
“Alright! Don’t worry, sir, I’ll pick them and deliver them right away.” The villager immediately agreed.
The convoy resumed its journey and soon arrived at the Li family's house.
The old lady was carrying her granddaughter on her back and was heading towards the village entrance when she saw her son arrive, and her eyes immediately welled up with tears.
"Zhensheng, why have you been delayed for so long this time? If you don't come back soon, it will be almost Mid-Autumn Festival!"
"Uncle, Uncle!" Jiayin waved her two chubby little hands and shouted loudly.
Li Zhensheng quickly stepped forward, hugged his niece, and then was about to kneel down and kowtow to his mother.
The old lady helped him up and gave him a playful slap.
"Don't be so polite with your mother! Are you tired? Are you hungry?"
Li Zhensheng held back his tears and carefully examined his mother. Seeing that she hadn't lost weight and her complexion was rosy, he then spoke.
"Mother, don't worry, everything is fine. Jiayi, Liu Yang, and the villagers have all returned safely! It's just that they carried too much cargo this time, so they traveled slowly on the road. They rushed as fast as they could to get back before the Mid-Autumn Festival."
After saying that, he kissed his chubby little niece again and said with a smile, "Uncle missed our lucky girl's birthday, but Uncle brought you a gift, I'm sure you'll like it!"
"Thank you, Uncle! You're the best!" Jiayin hugged her uncle's neck, beaming with joy.
At this moment, on the other side of West Mountain, Li Laosi, who was leading a patrol and guard, also heard the news and rushed home.
When the brothers meet, they hug each other, pat each other hard on the back, and everything is understood without words.
Li Zhensheng brought back too much stuff this time; with people coming and going in the Li family courtyard, it was difficult to store it all.
The old lady took the key and opened the door to Mrs. Cui's yard.
All the goods were moved in one after another, filling the entire open space in the yard.
Fortunately, at this time of year, there's no need to worry about rain, so leaving it outdoors is fine.
At this moment, Li Lao Er returned with a villager carrying two baskets of fruit.
"Brother, I only found out you were back when I was in the valley!"
As he spoke, he quickly distributed fruit to everyone in the convoy, saying with a smile, "You've all come at the perfect time; the fruit on our mountain is ripe. We presented several baskets to the palace earlier, and the Emperor praised them highly."
"Everyone, have a taste! You've worked so hard taking care of the convoy all this way. If you're not in a hurry, stay for lunch and let's all have some fun."
The foreman of the caravan quickly bowed and thanked them, gesturing for everyone to distribute the fruit. Then he smiled and said, "Thank you for your hospitality, Second Master. But we brothers are all from the vicinity of Xindu. We've been away for months and miss home. We'll all head back now. We'll keep in touch often in the future, and there will definitely be opportunities to drink and chat with you again, Second Master."
Li Zhensheng also said, "Second brother, don't stay. There will be other opportunities in the future. The brothers have all gotten to know each other on the road; they're not outsiders."
After saying that, he patted the manager on the shoulder, "I'll come to see you in the next few days. Let's settle the accounts and talk about future business."
"Alright, sir, we'll be leaving now."
The manager led the convoy in bowing, then cheerfully grabbed some fruit, jumped into the empty car, and took his leave.
Once the caravan had driven far away, Li Lao Er asked, "Brother, are you going to take over this caravan?"
Li Laoda nodded, "These people have been traveling between Quanzhou and Xindu for many years and they have some skills. But they have owners. However, it shouldn't be too difficult to buy them. There will be an opportunity soon, and I plan to give it a try. We'll discuss it then; there's no rush."
At this moment, Jiayi and Liu Yang also rushed back on horseback.
Before the horse had even come to a complete stop, Jiayi leaped down, hugged his grandmother tightly, and cried out, "Grandma, I'm back!"
After saying that, he turned around and snatched his little sister from his uncle's arms, "Fu Niu'er, I brought you a gift, lots of good things!"
Jiayin happily kicked her little feet and kissed her brother's face several times.
"Third brother is the best! Waaah, Fu Niu misses third brother the most!"
Li Zhensheng couldn't help but tease his little niece, "Didn't you just say your uncle was the best? How come you've changed your mind and say your brother is the best?"
Old Mrs. Li laughed and scolded, "This girl, she'll follow whoever feeds her! She doesn't care if you're good or not, she just wants to get the good stuff first!"
Everyone burst into laughter. Liu Yang, thinking of his family, said a few words and then hurried back to see his parents.
The old lady called to Shuiyun, and she quickly made a bowl of shredded pork noodles for her son to eat.
Li Zhensheng then noticed the new people in the house and asked, "Are these people we bought?"
The old lady smiled and said, "This is the nanny and two maids that the Marquis gave to Fu Niu'er on her birthday, along with an extra estate."
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