Young Master Ye took the tea, drank it all in one gulp, and then took off a jade pendant from his neck.
The jade pendant is made of an unknown material, and its color is a dark purple. The three characters "Loyalty, Filial Piety, and Righteousness" are engraved in the center of the front, while the back features a dragon with bared fangs and claws.
Young Master Ye leaned down and put the jade pendant on his daughter's wrist. "This is a gift from your godfather. Please keep it safe. From now on, you are not only the granddaughter of the Li family, but also the eldest daughter of the Marquis of Xinting's mansion."
Jiayin didn't know what the jade pendant meant, but she instinctively guessed that it must be very important.
She kowtowed again, "Thank you, Godfather!"
Young Master Ye swept her up and placed her on his lap, saying loudly, "The elders and folks all know that I am a military commander, destined to fight for the country, to reclaim lost territory, and to restore the vast land. If Heaven blesses me and I am victorious in every battle, then all the better."
"If one day my horse stumbles and blood spills on the battlefield, all my wealth and glory shall be inherited by Fu Niu. This promise is valid for life and will never be changed."
Everyone gasped in shock, their first thought being that the Marquis had gone mad!
He's so young, doesn't he plan to get married and have children?
Why did you give everything to Fu Niu?
Or perhaps he never intended to continue his bloodline and was determined to dedicate his entire life to national affairs?
Such heroes, who put the country and its people first and their families second, and who even have the country in their hearts but no family, are truly admirable.
With such a military commander, how could Tianwu worry about the peace of the land, or the retreat of the barbarians!
Everyone stood up excitedly and bowed in unison.
"Thank you, Lord Xie, for your dedication to protecting our country!"
"You've worked hard, my lord!"
"Lord Hou is the greatest hero we admire!"
Even Madam Cui, Mr. Wen, and Liu Zhiheng rose and bowed in respect. They knew better than the villagers what kind of position Marquis Xinting held in the court. Therefore, they admired his decision even more.
Young Master Ye picked up Jiayin and stood up. He didn't say anything more, but simply nodded gently, "Thank you all."
After saying that, he turned around and walked back to the Li family. He bowed to the old lady, confirmed his age with Li Zhensheng and the others, and changed his address to them.
He still called Old Lady Li "Auntie," and Li Zhensheng and Li Lao Er "Brothers," and Li Lao San and Li Lao Si "Third Brother" and "Fourth Brother," respectively.
Grandma Li took his hand, and all her words were reduced to just one sentence: "From now on, this is your home. No matter what, whether you are rich and powerful or starving and destitute, don't worry about anything else. Come home, you must come home!"
"Alright!" the Marquis replied with a smile, handing the chubby little girl, Jiayin, to the old lady.
The village chief was so excited he almost cried; the Li family and the entire village were one family.
Lord Hou recognized Fu Niu as his goddaughter and made her a son-in-law of the Li family, thus making her a member of the village.
As long as the Marquis is alive, and the village doesn't rebel or cause trouble, they have nothing to fear from anyone bullying them!
"Open the wine jar, quick! We're not leaving until we're completely drunk today!"
"I'll do it, I'll do it!"
The villagers were overjoyed. They broke the clay seals on the wine jars and poured bowls of wine into them.
With a clear sky, a sumptuous feast, and family reunion, there is nothing more beautiful in the world than this.
Jiayin tucked the jade pendant into her clothes, and after eating and drinking her fill, she ran to find her father. Sitting in her father's lap, she thought that if her father was feeling unwell, she should quickly comfort him.
As it turned out, Li Laosi was a carefree person. He was overjoyed to have another person dote on and protect his daughter, so he didn't worry about being jealous at all.
He was enjoying his meal, eating heartily, when he casually handed his daughter to his wife.
Tao Hongying had been busy in the kitchen all morning, and her clothes smelled of cooking oil.
While she was eating, she was picking fish bones out of her daughter and coaxing her to eat a few more bites. She didn't feel any bitterness or resentment at having her daughter's food taken away from her.
This put Jiayin completely at ease, and she ran off to play with her brothers while holding her round belly.
That pig bladder was kicked and destroyed by those naughty boys long ago.
Right now, regardless of age, they're all playing cockfighting, each clinging to one leg.
There were a few snacks on a large rock nearby; needless to say, these were the stakes for their hard-fought "battle".
Jiayin grinned and went over to eat all the snacks.
By the time the boys noticed and ran over like mad, all that was left at Jiayin's mouth was a crumb of pastry.
The boys were extremely disappointed; the snacks they hadn't been willing to eat had ended up in Jia Yin's stomach.
Li Ge'er stood in front of his younger sister, completely blocking her view, and said, "When Second Uncle comes to the city again tomorrow, I'll take some money and ask Second Uncle to help me buy another box of pastries. We'll share them together then."
Cat Brother nodded, "There are many snack shops in the city, and they are all delicious."
Actually, the mischievous boys didn't intend to make things difficult for Jiayin.
Jiayin is the Li family's precious daughter, and they are constantly told not to bully her.
At this point, of course they wouldn't do anything to Jiayin.
Besides, Jiayin is only two years old, a toddler who has just learned to walk. No matter how angry they are, they can't lay a hand on her!
Jiayin hugged her brother's leg with a grin, then peeked out, opened her tightly clenched little hands, revealing seven or eight candy balls.
Cat Bro immediately cheered, "Wow, my sister's candy is the sweetest!"
After saying that, he gave one to each of his friends, and the naughty boys beamed with joy.
Li Ge'er refused to eat, so he picked up the last piece of candy and fed it to his younger sister. Then he touched the stone and found it was a little cold, so he put his sister on his lap.
Jiayin nestled in her brother's arms, yawned again, and squinted her eyes happily.
Sometimes, when you lack something, don't complain or be sad. Just try to love yourself and wait quietly.
Because fate may already be preparing a thousandfold compensation elsewhere.
Look at her, how much she longed for family affection before, and how happy and joyful she is now...
Seeing that his younger sister seemed to be asleep, Li Ge'er quietly straightened his legs and pulled his sleeves to shield himself from the mischievous autumn wind.
In the courtyard, the banquet was in full swing.
When the villagers started talking about the school that was about to be built, the village chief said, "Zhensheng used to be a scholar, but he needs to stay home to recuperate for a few years. Why don't you come to the school and become a teacher?"
"Yes, the village chief is right, Zhensheng is just right. We villagers are used to living our own lives, and we're really a little worried about finding an outsider to teach the children."
"Yes, Second Master could have taught them, but he had to take care of things in the valley, so teaching the children would have been too tiring for him."
"I heard that the Second Master is good at writing and arithmetic. He learned it from the eldest Master, Tong Zhensheng, when he was a child."
With everyone offering their opinions, Li Zhensheng was not allowed to refuse, and the matter was settled.
Li Zhensheng understood, of course, that everyone was concerned about his illness and worried that he had suffered a lot because of the Wang family incident and would become despondent, so they were trying their best to find him a job.
He simply accepted the offer without hesitation.
“Alright, since the villagers trust me, I’ll take on the role of teacher. Over the years, although I’ve been busy with business, I’ve also studied quite a bit. I’m capable of teaching the children. If they have talent and want to take the imperial examinations in the future, we can find a good academy for them.”
Everyone was delighted to hear this and raised their wine bowls, saying, "Then let's toast the master, and entrust the maids and boys in our homes to him."
"Yes, sir, don't be so polite. If the boys and girls don't study properly, just give them a good beating!"
"Haha, now someone will be in charge of these naughty kids. They've been making a ruckus at home all the time."
Grandma Li picked up a piece of food for Jiaren and scolded everyone.
“You complain and make noise when the child is young. When the child grows up and becomes capable, you will have to see if the child is available to see you! Look at our eldest grandson, we haven’t seen him even once a month since he went to the academy.”
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