Grandma Li felt sorry for her granddaughter and was afraid she would catch a cold. Just as she was about to get up, Jiaren and Jiayi had already carried over the cotton mat.
The two brothers worked together perfectly, one holding their sister and the other placing a cushion on her.
Jiayin smiled and pouted, giving each of her two older brothers a big kiss!
Jiaren and Jiayi smiled and kissed their little sister on the forehead, saying, "Be careful not to fall. Your brothers will come and play with you after we finish eating."
Before Jiayin could answer, Jia'an and Jiaxi had already run over with a large bowl in their arms, sitting on the millstone on either side of their younger sister.
"Brother, you guys go eat, we'll watch over our sister."
Jia'an picked up a chicken leg and gave it to his younger sister, "Sister, eat this!"
Jiayin accepted it with a smile and nibbled on it, taking only a few bites here and there.
The village chief and the others watched and laughed.
"Our Fu Niu is truly blessed with a wonderful name. With all her brothers around, she is the luckiest girl ever!"
"Yes, other girls are lucky if they have one or two older brothers, and they might even quarrel over a piece of pastry. Look at our Fu Niu, she has five older brothers, and they all pamper her like a treasure."
Jiaren and Jiayi sat down again and said upon hearing this, "Funiu is good to us too."
Everyone nodded in agreement, but didn't take it seriously. Instead, they changed the subject, saying, "The academy is truly a wonderful place. Regardless of Jiaren's character, just look at Gousheng during the day. That kid is so promising."
"Yes, they speak and act more gracefully now, and their manners are also more proper."
“Every day, all you hear is the sound of reading aloud, and all you associate with are scholars. Even the most dull child will become enlightened.”
"The harvest is just around the corner. Once we're done with the autumn harvest, we should hurry up and build the school in our village. After the children have studied for two or three years and have a solid foundation, we can send them to an academy."
"That's how it should be. Life in the village is getting better and better. In the future, it won't be enough to just do manual labor. We need to study more and have more successful children so that we can protect our family business."
As everyone ate and talked, the wine jars were emptied and the moon had risen to the middle of the sky. The dining table was then cleared away and replaced with tea, snacks, and fruit.
The village boys, perhaps knowing there was good food here, came running with smiles to find Anjiaxi to play.
Sure enough, they each received a fruit and a few snacks, and they were so happy that they skipped and hopped as they walked.
Jiayin sat in her mother's lap, smelling the faint smell of cooking oil on her mother's body, listening to everyone's laughter and chatter, and fell asleep without realizing it.
When I woke up the next day, the sun was already high in the sky.
They had gone to Luo'an to open a shop, but things went so smoothly that Li Laosan's family didn't bring much of their luggage with them.
Now that the harvest is almost here and the weather is getting cooler, they plan to bring more luggage this time.
Even Jiaren had to bring his padded clothes, hot water bottle, and thick quilts.
Grandma Li was busy with chores and didn't have time to pay attention to Jiayin. She just laid out a mat in front of the door, gave her some snacks, and let her play by herself for a while.
Jiayin wasn't a child, so she wouldn't cause trouble for the family. While munching on her snacks, she quietly spaced out, her mind wandering in her spatial dimension, planning to find something nice for her brother.
But apart from the fruit, there didn't seem to be much else.
There were quite a few things in the courtyard, but most of them were electrical appliances, which were completely useless.
Grandma Li finally got a break, but her granddaughter pulled her hand and led her into the storeroom, where she received several more baskets of apples, pears, and dates.
She happily hugged her granddaughter and kissed her several times, saying, "Grandma was just worried about what to prepare for the teachers at the academy, and you've solved my big problem!"
Perhaps the academy knew that the tuition fees were high, so there was an additional rule that teachers would not accept holiday gifts.
In this way, students will no longer need to spend money.
During the three-day Mid-Autumn Festival holiday, students would bring back some local specialties for their teachers when they returned home, as a way of showing their remembrance and respect.
Ordinary students only need to give one set of materials to their instructor, but Jiaren needs to prepare four sets: one for his instructor, one for the dean, and one for the two teachers who teach him swordsmanship and flute.
In particular, the two teachers who teach swordsmanship and flute have been giving him extra lessons recently because he has fallen behind in his studies.
Grandma Li called her eldest grandson forward, and Jiaren was overjoyed to see the fruit when he entered the room.
The grandfather and grandson found four new baskets, each filled with more than twenty apples and pears, plus a bag of red dates, and they were completely full.
Jiayin held a fruit, sat down, and ate it with gusto, making sure the juice was dripping down her throat. Jiaren then took a handkerchief and wiped it off for her.
Just as they were busy, Master Wang suddenly arrived.
The Li family was surprised, since he had just come by the day before yesterday for acupuncture, which should have been scheduled for tomorrow.
As everyone sat under the eaves talking, Old Lady Li noticed that Master Wang's eyes were a little swollen and wondered if he was feeling unwell.
Master Wang explained, "I was in a good mood last night and drank too much."
After saying that, he took out a set of writing implements and two travelogues.
"I saw some nice paintings and calligraphy at a bookstore when I passed by, so I bought them. I'll give them to Jiaren. Reading is important, but reading travelogues can also broaden his horizons."
Jiaren looked at his grandmother, and when she nodded, he happily accepted it, bowed, and thanked her.
Master Wang waved his hand and asked again, "Does Luo'an Academy have any introductory classes? My eldest son is eight years old and has been taught at home for three years. I'm looking for an academy to send him to."
Jiaren replied, "There are also younger students studying at the academy, but they all live outside. After all, they are too young and need someone to take care of their food, clothing, and lodging."
Master Wang nodded, "So, if we want to send the child to school, we'll need to rent a courtyard in the town."
Grandma Li wanted to suggest that since the third son's family ran a shop there, the children could stay there.
But since her eldest son hadn't regained his memory yet, it wasn't appropriate to say that, so she kept quiet.
Going to the academy to study is no easy task. Perhaps the eldest son has made arrangements and has also regained his memory.
When the time comes, it will be natural for the third son's family to take care of the nephew's food and lodging, and for Jiaren to take care of his younger brother's studies at the academy.
Li Lao Er was originally on the other side of the valley, but he wanted to see his son and younger brother's family off, so he came back to visit.
He didn't expect his elder brother to come too, and he was even happier when he saw the calligraphy set his brother had given to his son.
After chatting for a while, Aunt Wu brought over Gou Sheng, and everyone was about to set off.
This time, Li Laosi was going to use his family's mule cart to send someone off, which was not as fast as a horse-drawn carriage. Even if they set off at this time, it would be dark by the time they arrived in Luo'an.
Jiayin hugged Zhao Yuru's neck, kissed her face, and then ran to hug her uncles and brothers, telling them in her childish voice, "Third Uncle, Aunt, Big Brother, Second Brother, you must come back often and bring Fu Niu delicious food!"
Everyone burst into laughter, responding in unison, "Okay, we'll come back whenever we have free time. We'll bring sugar figurines for Fu Niu!"
After a while, the mule cart had gone far away, and Master Wang was about to take his leave. Li Lao Er returned to the valley, and the two of them walked together for a while.
Normally, Master Wang was very talkative, but today he was unusually silent. Li Lao Er found it strange, coughed twice, and asked, "Have you been busy with business lately? Have you encountered any difficulties?"
Master Wang shook his head, found a shady spot under a tree, and led Li Lao Er to sit down.
Wang Fu led his horse and consciously went to the side to keep watch.
Li Lao Er was even more confused by this situation. He was about to ask again when Master Wang spoke up, "Miwa, you've worked hard all these years. I'm sorry, brother."
"Ah, it's no trouble at all!" Li Lao Er replied subconsciously, but then he remembered something, suddenly turned his head, and looked at Wang Yuanwai, whose eyes were red.
Miwa was his childhood name. After his older brother went missing, he had to take on the responsibility of being the eldest brother and protect his mother and younger brothers, so no one called him by that name anymore.
He wanted to ask and say something, but his mouth moved and he couldn't make a sound. Tears streamed down his face like a spring.
Served at midnight~~
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