"What? Why didn't you say so sooner!" Old Mrs. Li exclaimed anxiously, "This is our savior! If I had known earlier, I would have treated him even better! Does he live nearby? When are they getting married?"
Li Laosi wasn't angry at being scolded. He replied with a smile, "His home is over a hundred miles away. The wedding is in three days. We'll leave after lunch and arrive at his home just in time."
"So soon?" Old Mrs. Li immediately started to calculate. "We still had a piece of bright red brocade at home, but it looks like we can't take it now. The bride's family has probably already finished sewing her wedding dress. We should prepare more good fabrics, and jewelry, preferably a complete set..."
As she spoke, she called for Granny He to go find her granddaughter, because it was too late to go into town to buy things at this time.
Most of the gifts sent by the Empress were distributed to the villagers. Some were kept at home. In the past few days, Wenjuan came over and cut out fine cotton cloth to make clothes and bedding for the children.
Now, the warehouse only contains a few precious pieces of brocade, which are not suitable for ordinary people like the Wei family to wear.
There's still plenty of coarse cloth, but it can't be used as a congratulatory gift.
So, I had no choice but to ask the chubby girl for help.
Jiayin is cooking porridge in the kitchen, shrimp porridge.
She thought that when her godfather returned from the city, it would be perfect time to eat him—nutritious and delicious.
Suddenly hearing her grandmother call her, Jiayin went into the house. As a result, her grandmother immediately stuffed a hundred taels of silver into her hand. Jiayin was startled and asked, "Grandma, why are you giving me silver?"
"Of course I'm buying things from you!" Old Mrs. Li pulled her granddaughter aside, explaining the situation with a mix of anger and heartache. She then scolded her son, "Your father, such a big thing, and you only just told us now. If it weren't for the Wei family's wedding and the need for gifts, he would have kept it a secret forever."
"There's no time to buy anything at home. Here's a hundred taels for you. Quickly help Grandma find some good material in your trunk and get another set of jewelry."
Jiayin then realized what had happened. She couldn't possibly accept her grandmother's money, so she firmly refused and ran to the backyard, quickly bringing the things back.
Jiayin prepared four bolts of fine cotton cloth, all in bright colors: Qixia, light scarlet, willow green, and silver red, perfect for making dresses for newlywed women.
Finally, there was a set of silver jewelry, including hairpins, bracelets, earrings, and more—everything you could want.
This was a gift from the Empress last time. Giving it to the new bride of the Wei family now will add even more glory to the marriage.
It wasn't that Jiayin was stingy and unwilling to give Wei's new daughter-in-law jewelry made of pure gold or gemstones.
After all, in her heart, her father's life was worth more than all the treasures in the world.
But the Wei family was just an ordinary farming family, and Wei Erniu was not often at home. Gold and jewels would be too conspicuous and easily attract covetous eyes.
This set of silver jewelry is exquisite and unique; the bride will definitely love it...
Grandma Li, Tao Hongying, and others were very satisfied after seeing it.
Grandma Li held her granddaughter, both happy and sentimental. "Grandma will go to the city in a few days and take you to the embroidery and jewelry stores to make up for it. The storeroom at home also needs some new stuff, so we won't be in a panic when something happens."
"My dear granddaughter, she's really grown up! She's so thoughtful in everything she does. In the entire Tianwu, I doubt there's any rascal who could possibly be worthy of my granddaughter!"
Tao Hongying was afraid that her daughter would become arrogant, so she quickly replied, "Mother, that's many years from now. It's too early to talk about that. Let's add some more things. Just giving us fabric and jewelry is too meager."
“Alright, the fabrics are all fine cloth, which is affordable but not presentable enough. Let’s add two pieces of satin! Also, give me another fifty taels of silver as a dowry!” Old Mrs. Li made up her mind.
Tao Hongying immediately made the arrangements.
She took the satin from the family storeroom, but insisted on using her wages from cooking at her own kitchen to pay for the silver.
Just thinking about how her husband was almost injured filled her with immense gratitude towards Wei Erniu, and she even felt a vague sense of guilt towards Xiao Cui'er, whom she had never met.
It was good luck; Wei Erniu saved Li Laosi and was unharmed.
If Wei Erniu were injured or died, Xiao Cui's life would be over...
Old Mrs. Li understood her daughter-in-law's intentions, so she didn't argue.
Not only that, Tao Hongying led her daughter into the kitchen and asked her for the first time to "support" her with more good dishes and ingredients, as she planned to cook several tables of food and drinks to thank her benefactor.
Jiayin felt the same way; she didn't even dare to think about what would happen to her family after her father's accident.
So, all sorts of fresh vegetables, baskets of eggs, and the seafood that had been stored away were moved out of the space, and even the rabbit family began to "reduce their burden" in large quantities.
Even with the help of Granny He, Shuiling, Shuiyun, and Dongmei, they were still struggling to make ends meet.
Fortunately, Hui Niang, Sister Liu, and several other women from the village, concerned about the Li family having so many extra soldiers to feed, came to check on them and joined the ranks of cooks.
When Wei Erniu and his brothers came down from the mountain, their teeth ached from the sourness. Then they discovered how lavish the lunch was and were filled with regret.
Seeing their pained expressions and forced smiles, Old Lady Li quickly went to the storeroom and brought out a pile of wild walnuts.
This was harvested last autumn. Life was good at home then, and the kids didn't care about these little snacks anymore, so they've been left until now.
At this moment, Old Lady Li took a small hammer, stood next to the millstone, and smashed the wild walnuts one by one. The soldiers then grabbed them and picked out the kernels to chew on.
Grandma Li chuckled and instructed, "Chew slowly and carefully, don't rush. Your teeth will get stronger soon. Next time you see sour fruits, don't be greedy!"
The soldiers were all blushing with laughter, scratching the back of their heads, each one looking rather silly.
They've been away from home for so many years, and they're no longer mischievous boys, but when they saw fruit on the mountain just now, they couldn't resist and ate several in a row, and now their teeth have given up...
When the last dish was served, the soldiers were delighted to find that they could feel their teeth again, so they swarmed to the table, ready to feast.
At this moment, Lord Hou and Li Yong finally returned.
Everyone was overjoyed and went out to greet them.
The villagers also rushed over upon hearing the news and greeted him warmly.
"The Marquis is back! The Marquis is back!"
"How long will you be able to stay home this time, my lord? You should rest well for a few months. You've worked hard on the battlefield!"
Lord Hou smiled and nodded to the villagers. After exchanging a few simple pleasantries, he turned to enter the courtyard and discovered that Jiayin was hiding behind Old Lady Li, with only her chubby little face visible.
He bent down, reached out his hand, and called out, "What's wrong, Fu Niu'er? Don't you recognize your godfather?"
Jiayin hesitated for a moment, then ran over, took her godfather's hand, and called out with a smile, "Godfather!"
The Marquis was taken aback for a moment, then burst into laughter.
Jiayin quickly covered her mouth with her hand, but everyone around could see it clearly and couldn't help but laugh.
Jiayin blushed and turned to run away, but the Marquis picked her up and placed her on his shoulder. "Don't be afraid, Fu Niu'er is a big girl now. Losing a tooth is a good thing!"
The Marquis comforted the chubby girl, but he couldn't suppress the smirk on his face.
The villagers chatted for a few minutes and then went home, but the village chief, Liu Biaotou, Huiniang, Aunt Wu, and Sister-in-law Liu all stayed for dinner.
The other women who were helping refused to stay, so Tao Hongying gave each of them a bowl of food.
After all, I've delayed their lunch preparation. I'll go back and cook some porridge, heat up some steamed buns, and this bowl of vegetables will be enough for the family.
Soon, everyone sat down in a lively atmosphere.
The Marquis chatted with Old Lady Li for a while before letting Jiayin go inside with her to eat.
As the sun began to set, a large patch of shade appeared in front of the west wing, just enough to set up three tables – a playground for the men.
The wine prepared by the Li family was quite good, but no one really drank much today.
Li Yong was thinking about his wife and child, so after eating and drinking his fill, he took the child to eat.
Li Laosi and Wei Erniu, along with the others, had to hurry to the Wei family's house soon, so they didn't dare to drink too much.
The Marquis rarely drank alcohol.
Only the village chief and Liu Biaotou, accompanied by Li Lao Er, drank a few bowls of wine.
Today is the grand court assembly, and Li Lao Er was quite surprised to see the Marquis in the court.
After the court assembly ended, he returned with them...
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