The children couldn't stay still, so they ran out to play and soon gathered up with the other boys in the village. Before it got dark, they went up the mountain to play.
When it was time for dinner, Grandma Li almost shouted herself hoarse before she finally managed to call the children back.
Tao Hongying cooked a lot of delicious dishes, and the children ate them with relish.
Actually, since the family runs a canteen, Jiaren and his brothers don't lack food. However, Jiaren and Lige are very hardworking in their studies and are at the age where they are growing taller, so they don't gain weight no matter how much they eat.
Perhaps Cat Bro suffered a disadvantage in the womb, as he has a huge appetite but never gains weight no matter how much he eats.
This made Jiayin secretly pinch the layered fat on her stomach while eating, feeling quite resentful.
She's probably the type of person who gains weight even from drinking water.
So it's really not that she's greedy, it's not that she's gluttonous, no, absolutely not...
Fat Jiayin has successfully brainwashed herself once again and will continue to live her chubby life!
The next day, after breakfast, Li Lao Er took the three Jia Ren brothers, who were dressed in new clothes, to the Wen family.
Jiayin originally wanted to join in the fun, but unfortunately today was the day to hand in her homework to Doctor Zhang. She wanted to slack off, but she was afraid of getting a slap on the hand.
So, she could only put on a stern face and try to outwit Dr. Zhang.
In the afternoon, Li Lao Er returned by himself, which made Jia Yin circle around her second uncle several times, but she didn't see her brothers.
Grandma Li was also looking for her grandson and asked, "Where are Jiaren and the others?"
Li Lao Er then said, "Mr. Peng has also arrived at the Wen family. I had Jia Ren and the others go back to the academy with him in his car."
Grandma Li glared at her son; she was hoping her grandchildren could stay another night at home.
Jiayin was also disappointed. She pouted and sat next to her grandmother, silently accusing her second uncle.
Li Lao Er chuckled and quickly began to recount the events of the day, "Mr. Wen's side, Mr. Peng, Liu Zhiheng, Da Yong's brother-in-law Lord Zhou, and I were all present."
"Old Master Liu personally invited several of Scholar Cui's old friends to witness the event."
"From the Guo family's side, Old Master Guo brought Wenhao over in person. Old Master Guo is extremely thin; he looks like he doesn't have much time left."
Grandma Li sighed. Although she didn't like Mr. Guo, they were about the same age, and hearing the news of his impending death still made her feel sad.
She said, "With Mr. Wen as his teacher, Wenhao will have someone to rely on in the future, and Mr. Guo can rest assured a lot. When people get old, they are not afraid of death, but they are afraid of not being able to let go of their children and grandchildren."
Li Lao Er regretted saying those things, as it had upset his mother.
He quickly changed the subject, "Jiaren performed exceptionally well today. Old Master Liu and the other old gentlemen tested him on his studies, and they all praised him. They even said that Jiaren will definitely do well in the future and will surely pass the imperial examination with flying colors."
Sure enough, upon hearing this, both Grandma Li and Jiayin became happy.
Grandma Li said proudly, "That's right, he's the eldest grandson of the Li family, of course he can't be wrong."
Jiayin held her chin up, looking very proud, secretly wondering if she could squeeze out a little free time to "translate" some of the books in her space and show them to her brother.
The Li family came from humble farming backgrounds. Although the older brother worked hard, he still lacked the cultural and intellectual foundation of those born into wealthy or scholarly families.
This is an inherent weakness that cannot be easily overcome.
If you want your brother to have a better chance of success in the future, you need to focus on novelty. Even if you lack depth, having forward-thinking insights is good too...
Life went on at a leisurely pace, and after a light rain, mushrooms sprouted like crazy in the mountains.
With Xiao Cui leading the way, the women in the village almost always returned with baskets full every time they went out.
So much so that whenever someone cooked something delicious, they would send a bowl to Xiaocui.
Hui Niang took Xiao Cui to the Li family for a short chat. They both laughed and said that even if they didn't cook, the dinner table would never be empty.
The men went to help the second village less often each day, not because they were lazy or unwilling to help the wounded soldiers.
The seasons are changing so fast! The corn leaves that were still dark green just a few days ago have started to turn yellow. If you pinch the kernels, they've already formed a hard, juicy consistency and will be ripe soon.
The night before last, a litter of wild boars, about seven or eight of them, appeared out of nowhere.
The cornfield was ravaged, and the heartbroken village chief was furious.
They led all the men and women of the village, young and old, and chased them for a whole day before finally driving the intruders out of the cornfield.
The pig was given two whacks, which sent its whole family to meet the King of Hell, and the villagers happily enjoyed a feast.
Wild boar meat isn't very tasty; the meat fibers are coarse, and it never gets tender no matter how you stew it. It also has a fishy, gamey smell. But with Tao Hongying, the great cook, in the village, that's a minor issue.
That evening, each family received a large piece of meat, as well as a small earthenware pot of braised pork and tofu.
In Li Yong's courtyard lived Er Niu and his wife, along with five wounded soldiers, making a total of more than a dozen people.
Hui Niang and Xiao Cui'er were busy in the kitchen adding a few more dishes and cooking a large pot of white rice.
Li Yong and Er Niu, holding two chubby children, sat in the courtyard chatting with the wounded soldier.
The food was ready, and the men set up a table in the yard and sat around it.
Hui Niang and Xiao Cui were too lazy to go inside to prepare the dishes, so they sat in the kitchen with their child and ate a bite.
Although the wounded soldiers had been in the village for several days, they were still not used to it.
For example, this white rice, with meat broth, is so delicious it makes their mouths water...
There was a young wounded soldier who had lost half an arm.
He put his rice bowl on the table, leaned forward, and shoveled rice into his mouth with his other hand. As he ate, he started to cry, "Waaah, I thought I was going to die. I never expected that I would still be alive, and that I would have white rice and meat to eat. It's like a dream!"
Everyone knew he was thinking about the battlefield north of the Yangtze River, and they all felt a little heavy-hearted.
Li Yong quickly patted the young soldier on the back and said with a smile, "It's all in the past, don't think about it so much, the better days are yet to come!"
Wei Erniu also said in a muffled voice, "That's right, it's shameful for a real man to shed tears! We'll have a new house to live in soon, and a workshop too. Life will be good from now on!"
"Don't even mention eating braised pork, you could eat meat every meal and drink wine from big bowls! You might even be able to get married and take concubines..."
"Wei Erniu, what did you say!" Xiao Cui, who was in the kitchen, couldn't help but shout.
Wei Erniu shrank back in fright and muttered under his breath, "Oops, I just blurted it out!"
Everyone burst into laughter, completely forgetting their earlier sadness!
The Li family courtyard was bustling today, as it was a rare occasion for both the Marquis and Li Laosi to return for dinner. They sat together, and everyone ate their fill.
However, Li Lao Er was probably still in the city today, as it was getting dark and he was nowhere to be seen.
The Marquis was worried that Jiayin had eaten too much, so he carried her out to digest her food.
The father and son originally planned to go to the second village to take a look, but they encountered the Li family's carriage not far from the village.
Zheng Feng drove the carriage, and Li Lao Er sat inside, with many books piled high beside him.
The Marquis then asked, "Where did you buy so many books?"
Li Lao Er looked strange and replied, "It wasn't bought, it was a gift from someone else."
Fourth update! It's a bit late today, my darlings. The parents' meeting for the little monsters took up half the day, so sorry, so sorry! School starts tomorrow, so I'm begging for more "must-read" votes! Please help me out with a good review, a "like," or to urge for more updates. It's the last day of August, let's go!
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