Jiaren kowtowed solemnly again before accepting the jade pendant with both hands.
"Thank you, sir. I will study diligently from now on, carry forward your teachings, protect my relatives and friends, respect my teachers, and never slack off!"
Mr. Wen nodded and personally helped him up.
Jiaren turned around and bowed to Madam Cui again, saying, "Master."
"Oh," Madam Cui responded, tears streaming down her face.
I don't know if she was thinking of her deceased father, or if she was happy that his theories had a successor...
Old Mrs. Li felt a pang of sadness, patted her shoulder, and offered words of comfort.
"From now on, we're family. We should always look on the bright side."
Jiayin also climbed into Madam Cui's arms and wiped away her tears with her little hands.
Madam Cui hugged Jiayin tightly, her back straightening even more.
When the villagers saw that Jiaren had found a good teacher, they were all happy and came forward to offer their congratulations.
"Congratulations, Mr. Wen, on taking on such a fine disciple."
"Yes, Mr. Wen, you don't know that Jiaren is the best child in our village."
"Yes, he studies hard, is filial and sensible, he will definitely do well in the future."
Mr. Wen smiled and bowed to thank everyone.
Soon, the Li family set up a feast. The men sat around the shed, warming themselves by the fire and eating meat, while the women ate and fed their children at the same time.
Grandma Li felt bad about wasting half a bag of grain, but she knew even more that the grain was worth it.
Sometimes she even thought this escape from famine was truly miraculous. If they had lived peacefully in the northern frontier, the family would have been settled, but how could her fourth son and Jiayi have become so fierce, and how could her grandson have found such a good teacher...
Fortune favors the bold; that saying is absolutely true...
After formally becoming Jiaren's apprentice, Mr. Wen raised his expectations for Jiaren considerably.
Jiaren would go to the small cave to study almost as soon as it was light and wouldn't be back to sleep for a long time after dark. He ate, drank, and relieved himself there.
Grandma Li decided to discuss it with her daughter-in-law, and Tao Hongying went over and took over the responsibility of providing two meals a day for the small cave.
Although Madam Cui has recovered and Sister-in-law Qiong is helping out, neither of them are good at housework; they even manage to burn the porridge.
To avoid wasting food, to ensure her own children ate well, and to show respect for her teacher, Tao Hongying had no choice but to go.
Jiayin, having nothing else to do, often followed along.
It must be said that the Guo family's pile of books really saved Madam Cui, helping her pass the time during so much boring leisure.
Sometimes, she could hold a book for one or two hours without saying a word or moving.
Jiayin would occasionally flip through the pages, but she found the traditional Chinese characters too difficult to recognize, so she would snuggle into Madam Cui's arms and insist that she read to her.
Madam Cui was pleased with the little girl's eagerness to learn, so she embraced her and leaned against the bed, their feet resting on warm stones, covered with a thick quilt, and the two read together.
When she encounters something interesting, Jiayin's eyes light up; when she hears uninteresting poems, she listens like a lullaby, drooling all the while...
Tao Hongying had initially worried that Madam Cui would find it annoying, but as she watched Madam Cui holding Jiayin with a particularly gentle expression, she gave up the idea of taking her daughter out.
As a woman herself, she could better understand Madam Cui's sorrow. If her daughter's innocence could bring Madam Cui some comfort, that would be a good thing.
And so, Jiayin spent her days listening to stories and books, and at night, lying in bed, she would secretly practice her mental abilities in her spatial dimension and take care of the chickens, ducks, geese, and pigs. The days flew by.
One day, the village chief flipped through the almanac in his bundle and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh dear, there are only three days left until the New Year!"
This sentence got everyone busy. Although they were fleeing famine and conditions were limited, they still had to make preparations for the New Year.
The old year may have been tough, sad, and confusing, but as the new year approaches, we must pray for favorable weather, peace, and good health.
This time, Grandma Li decided to make a meal of dumplings that would satisfy the whole family, without adding sorghum porridge.
To wish for good fortune and to encourage the whole family.
In the past, it was always the old lady who watched over the bags of fine grains. This time, Jiayin took advantage of the opportunity when her third aunt scooped out flour for the first time to secretly add two scoops.
Zhao Yuru assumed it was from the small cave and didn't pay much attention. After all, there were few people there, so the food was relatively plentiful.
Just then, Old Lady Li was saying, "Let's invite Mr. Wen, Mrs. Cui, and Doctor Zhang to the New Year's Eve dinner. Also, ask Old Zhao and the others; invite them if you can."
Perhaps fearing her daughter-in-law would be reluctant, she added, "Old Zhao and the others have always been eating with our family. Mr. Wen is Jiaren's teacher, and Doctor Zhang is a distinguished guest entrusted to our family by Young Master Ye. We can't leave any of them out."
Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru readily agreed, and so, on New Year's Eve, the Li family cave was packed with people.
The Li family prepared dumplings with two kinds of fillings: dried venison and dried vegetables, and wild boar and mushrooms. They also stewed a large pot of rabbit meat, made pheasant soup, and baked pancakes made from a mixture of sorghum flour and fine flour.
Everyone was well-fed, chatting and laughing, and the atmosphere was lively and enthusiastic.
The other caves were the same, with children playing and adults chatting.
In such chaotic times, to have such days seems like a dream to everyone…
But after the New Year, as the snow in the mountains and forests melted and everyone's grain sacks dwindled, everyone knew that the day to embark on the journey again was fast approaching.
After another half month, the snow on the sunny slopes of the mountains had almost completely melted away.
Everyone started packing their luggage. No matter how reluctant they were, things like chairs and benches had to be thrown away.
Li Laosan led his men to make twenty large sleds, and each family loaded their belongings onto them.
On a still chilly morning, everyone ate a hearty meal and quietly gazed at the mountain stream where they had lived for four months, their eyes filled with reluctance.
Especially Jiaren, the Guo family has too many books to take with him, so he can only leave most of them behind and wait for an opportunity to retrieve them later.
Although his uncle and younger brother had blocked the entrance to the cave with large stones, preventing any birds or beasts from getting in and causing trouble, he was still worried, after all, these books were too precious...
Despite their reluctance and apprehension, the group bravely embarked on their journey.
After a winter of training, the villagers are now more coordinated and more formidable.
The remaining dozen or so mountains were traversed by the group in just twenty days.
Of course, along the way, they encountered a pack of wolves and wild bears that woke up early to find something to eat.
But this time, the wolf pack only clung to them for a day before retreating.
The black bear even offered its skin to meet the King of Hell.
This gave the villagers immense confidence, made them more united, and filled them with courage.
One day in March, the entire family of ninety-eight, young and old, finally stood atop the last mountain. Looking down at the Jinsha River not far away and the dock where large ships were moored, everyone was moved to tears and cried out loudly.
"We're out! We're out! Waaah, we're alive!"
Everyone was too impatient to wait any longer and wanted to get down the mountain and cross the river as soon as possible!
The sled, which used to feel heavy, was now being pulled along at a breakneck speed.
Everyone reached the foot of the mountain before sunset.
Unfortunately, it's like looking at a mountain and running until the horse dies.
Even after reaching the foot of the mountain, it was still seven or eight miles to the dock.
The old folks discussed it and decided to continue their journey. Once they reached the dock, they would be safer under the protection of the imperial army.
Despite their empty stomachs, the group dragged their luggage and hurried toward the dock.
The boys, all running around happily, kept running ahead, constantly calling out to their parents to hurry up.
Everyone smiled; walking on the official road was much less strenuous than walking through the mountains and forests.
Just when victory seemed within reach, a thunderous sound of hooves suddenly came from behind.
The head镖师 (bodyguard/escort) Liu instinctively turned around and was so shocked that his eyes widened in horror.
He shouted with all his might, "Throw your things away, run! Run to the dock!"
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