Li Lao Er was so angry with his wife that he gritted his teeth and dragged her back to the side room.
"If you can't speak properly, then shut up! Our family meant well, how come you call it wrong!"
Wu Cuihua was also jealous and spoke too quickly, and now she was a little flustered, but it was too late.
Li Lao Er was also furious and tightly closed the door to avoid his family members hearing his scolding and feeling embarrassed.
Especially Jiayi, who is already a teenager, must have felt terrible seeing his mother beaten so badly.
Wu Cuihua received a good scolding and finally quieted down.
Of course, this is only temporary. For years, she's been one of those people who never learns from their mistakes and can't change...
Li Lao Er had been pondering this for several days. That night, he went to his mother's room and said a few words to her.
"Going to the city to find a job?" Old Mrs. Li was a little surprised, but then she thought it made no difference.
The son originally worked as an accountant in his hometown. If he hadn't fled the famine, he would have had a respectable job.
These days, he works at home every day, and his son needs his brothers' help with his studies, so it's understandable that he's eager to make money.
But since she had just settled in and was unfamiliar with the city, she was still worried and said...
"Second son, wait a while. After the New Year, when the weather warms up and our family is more settled, it won't be too late for you to go to the city to look for a job."
Li Lao Er could see Li Niang's longing and reluctance, and his heart ached.
After his father passed away, his mother was the only one supporting the family, which was already very difficult for her. He couldn't let his mother worry about him anymore.
"Okay, Mother, I'll go see her again in the spring."
And so the matter was settled. Before long, it was the beginning of winter, and the first snow fell silently in the dead of night.
A thin layer of snow had fallen on the ground, not completely covering the earth, and occasionally black soil could be seen peeking out in certain places.
But the village children were overjoyed, running and playing everywhere, and Jia An and Jia Xi were among them.
Jiayin was also intrigued and wanted to join in, but unfortunately, she could only lie on the kang (a heated brick bed) and gnaw on her toes.
She wants to grow up, grow up quickly, boohoo!
After the snowfall, Li Laosi went up the mountain even more frequently.
He wanted to hunt some larger wild animals, collect their pelts, and either sell them for money or make winter clothes and hats for his daughter and nephews.
But I've explored all the mountains around here and haven't seen any large wild animals.
Occasionally, they might catch one or two rabbits, but the skin they get is only enough to make a small cape for Jiayin…
Li Laosi had been listless for several days. Li Laotai couldn't bear to see her son like this, so she sent him out for a walk to cheer him up.
"Fourth brother, don't go up the mountain these next couple of days. Go to the city instead. Fu Niu'er is about to turn 100 days old. Go and buy some meat and big bones. We can make dumplings at home and simmer some bone broth to cook vegetables for a few days."
Before Li Laosi could respond, Jiayi had already jumped up.
"Grandma, Grandma! I want to go to the city with Fourth Uncle too!"
This kid used to love following Jiaren around the most, but now that Jiaren has gone to the academy, Jia Huan spends all his time in the kitchen, and he doesn't want to get involved in the tricks of those little brats like Jia Xi and Jia An, so he's a bit lonely.
Old Mrs. Li knew all this, and since there was no work to do at home, she simply nodded in agreement.
"Alright, go with your fourth uncle."
Li Laosi, thinking of Liu Biao Tou, took a smoked rabbit and a pheasant from the storeroom and headed straight for the escort agency with Jiayi after entering the city.
"Hey bro! I was just talking about you, and here you are!"
When Liu the镖头 saw Li Laosi, he laughed heartily, put his arm around Li Laosi's shoulder, and walked out.
"Come on, let's go to my house. I'll have your sister-in-law cook a couple of dishes, and we'll have a good drink together!"
Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), was a big, burly man, but his wife was petite, gentle, and delicate, like a woman from Jiangnan.
"Sister-in-law, I'm sorry to bother you." Li Laosi cupped his hands to Liu Biaotou's wife, feeling embarrassed to have caused her trouble.
"Brother Qiusheng, please sit down. I've heard Lao Liu mention you all the time. It's great to see you here today. Make yourself at home, don't be shy."
Old Liu's wife made tea for Li Laosi and then asked her son and daughter to come out and entertain Jiayi.
Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou sat in the main room drinking tea and talking about recent family matters.
Occasionally, they heard laughter and chatter coming from the courtyard, so the two of them craned their necks to look.
It turned out that Jia Yizheng was sparring with the chubby boy from Liu Biaotou's family.
They were about the same age. Although Liu's son had been learning martial arts since childhood, Jiayi was also naturally strong.
The two little ones were evenly matched, and neither could gain the upper hand.
Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), was very pleased to see that Jia Yi had learned his son's moves after only a few rounds and was using them quite well. He praised him.
"Hey, this kid is a good prospect. If your family is comfortable with him, bring him to the head of the security escort agency for two years. I guarantee he'll learn some great kung fu."
Not only will they be able to earn money to support their families then, but they might also be able to pass the martial arts examination and rise above others!
Li Laosi's favorite was his nephew, who was just as naturally strong as him. He also knew that his nephew loved martial arts and couldn't be kept at home.
But since his nephew is his second brother's son, he can't make the decision.
“I’m at ease sending him here to learn martial arts from Brother Liu, but this child belongs to my second brother’s family. I’ll go back and discuss it with his parents. If they agree, I’ll send him here.”
Hearing this, Chief Escort Liu was even happier.
"Don't worry, if this child is in my hands, I will definitely not let you down."
While the two brothers were talking, Liu the镖头's wife brought in the food.
"The food is ready. You all drink your wine first, and I'll call the children to eat in the kitchen."
"Mom! I want to eat meat!" The chubby boy from Liu's family, seeing that he was about to lose to Jiayi, shouted that he wanted to eat meat, taking the opportunity to call a truce, which made everyone laugh.
Li Laosi patted Jiayi on the shoulder with a smile, looking very proud.
At the dinner table, Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou drank and chatted happily, enjoying the sumptuous snacks with their drinks. Both brothers drank a little too much.
After a few rounds of drinks, Li Laosi became a little tipsy. Holding his wine glass, he confided his troubles to Liu Biaotou in a disjointed manner.
He wanted to give his daughter the best life, but he lacked the ability; he couldn't even hunt a wild animal with a head big enough to be considered a threat.
Upon hearing this, Chief Escort Liu slammed his wine cup down.
"My silly brother, what problem can't be solved with money?"
He leaned closer to Li Laosi and whispered.
"I recently took on a delivery job to the south. It's not as cold or as tough going south, and the pay is higher."
After saying that, he saw that Li Laosi's eyes lit up, and he laughed.
"A round trip takes about a month, and each person gets ten taels of silver!"
"So much!" Upon hearing that it was ten taels of silver, Li Laosi's previously confused mind cleared up a bit.
"Yes! This is a good job, easy and pays well. If you hadn't come today, I was thinking of going to your house to find you!"
Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), had a smug look on his face.
"They value the reputation our escort agency has built up over the years. How about you join us on this escort mission? You can earn some money and give your family a good New Year."
Li Laosi held his wine glass for a long time without drinking. He licked his dry lips, and finally gritted his teeth, tilted his head back, and drank the wine in one gulp.
"Alright! Brother Liu, I'll go home and let you know, then I'll go with you!"
"Haha, good brother, we should have done this a long time ago!"
Chief镖师 Liu laughed heartily, finally having won over the capable assistant he had chosen.
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