"Go ahead," Mr. Wu said without stopping them. "If Song Hui's family agrees, we can go together. If they don't agree, we won't force them."
"Understood, sir." Tai Yongning saluted quickly and then hurried to the front yard.
Song Hui, Qi Ming, and Teng Yu had just finished their meal. Originally, the master was on holiday for half a day, so they could go home. However, since the master had guests, it would be considered rude for the disciples not to wait on them.
It is the custom for disciples to wait a little longer until the master sends the guests away before they go home.
What's more, I have to study and write at home, so it's better to be here with my fellow disciples as companions.
Seeing Tai Yongning rushing over, the three brothers were all surprised.
Song Hui was the first to ask, "What's wrong, Yongning? Did the master give you any instructions?"
Tai Yongning quickly shook his head and said with a smile, "Big Brother, the master just said that he would return to his hometown to inherit his ancestors' legacy during the New Year. If our families allow, he would take us with him! Not only will he go to Jiangnan, but he will also stay briefly in Kyoto. My grandfather has already given me permission to go, what about you? Will you go?"
Sure enough, Song Hui and the others' eyes were shining with excitement.
There are few young people who are content with what they have. They are very willing to travel.
"Of course I'm going!" Qi Ming responded first. "Traveling with you, sir, will not only broaden my horizons, but I'll also have someone to look after me. My father will definitely agree."
Teng Yu also responded immediately, "I can go too!"
Finally, it was Song Hui who was the most steady. He said, "If nothing unexpected happens, I can go too. But I still need to go back and discuss it with my family."
"What are we waiting for? Let's go!" Qi Ming couldn't bear it any longer, so he called his servant to pack up and went home.
Song Hui and Teng Yu found it funny, but they were not willing to delay for a quarter of an hour, so they left.
Yongning waited until his grandfather and his husband had drunk their fill before he accompanied his grandfather to say goodbye.
The old soldier drove the car and sent Yongning and Yongfeng, who was even more excited after hearing the news, to the courtyard, and then returned to Taijia Village.
The old man has a good alcohol tolerance and he is visiting the Wu family. How could he get drunk in front of his grandson?
So when the carriage swayed back home, and the cold wind blew, the drunkenness had mostly dissipated. But the smell of alcohol was still strong on him...
As soon as she entered the house, Yang Lihua went to the kitchen to make honey water.
Zhuzhu was playing in the west room. When she heard the noise, she ran out quickly and happily took the candied haws that her grandfather brought back. But the next moment, she covered her nose in disgust and complained in a baby voice, "Grandpa stinks!"
The old man looked embarrassed and replied, "Oh, I've been walking outside for a while, do you still smell like alcohol?"
Yang Lihua came in just in time and, with a rare cold expression, scolded her daughter, "Grandpa went to drink with a guest. Even though he drank a little too much, he didn't forget to buy you a candied haws! You held the candied haws in your hand, and then turned your head and looked down on Grandpa. No one is as ungrateful as you! Apologize to Grandpa now!"
If we talk about the whole family, the person Zhuzhu fears the most is her mother. She would even stroke her grandfather's beard casually, but as soon as her mother glared at her, she would immediately be like a mouse seeing a cat.
She quickly put down the candied haws and saluted grandpa obediently. Then she ran over and hugged grandpa's arm, apologizing in a baby voice, "Grandpa, Zhuzhu was wrong! Grandpa doesn't smell bad, he smells good!"
Everyone laughed at the fat girl's way of changing her attitude according to the situation!
The old man, in particular, ruffled his granddaughter's hair, laughed and replied, "Grandpa is not angry, Zhuzhu is right. Grandpa reeks of alcohol, next time Grandpa will drink less, so as not to make our precious Zhuzhu smell bad!"
What he said made the fat girl feel even more guilty. She turned around and ran back to the west room. After a while, she picked up the pipe and put it directly into her grandfather's hand.
"Grandpa, here's the pipe for you!"
"Oh, our Zhuzhu is so amazing! You completed the task grandpa gave you very well!" The old man touched his pipe, held his granddaughter on his knees, and shared a glass of honey water with her.
Yang Lihua was amused and said, "This girl puts her pipe in her treasure box and sits beside it while she eats. Not only that, she even calls Zhimaqiu over to watch over it with her."
The old man was even happier when he heard this, and quickly promised to buy candied haws for his granddaughter next time he went to the city.
At this time, Tai Jiye and Chen Zhao came back from the row house, and everyone gathered together to chat.
The day after tomorrow is the day when Chen Zhao's caravan will enter the grassland. Tai Jiye is itching to go, especially since he had already negotiated some goods in the city, so he tentatively opened the door.
"Dad, I want to go for a walk on the grassland with Brother Chen. Firstly, there's nothing to do at home, and I can't stay idle during the winter. Secondly, although the knitting method of cashmere clothes has been spread, our family still has some business, so we need to stock up on some cashmere."
Unexpectedly, the old man agreed immediately.
"You can go if you want, but it's too hard to go to the grassland in winter. Bring fewer people and goods with you. Just follow Chen Zhao and gain some experience. My family doesn't expect you to make a lot of money.
"Also, let's see if Yonglu, Yongyue, and Ruiyang can make it. If they can, take all three of them with you. A warm bed doesn't make a good man, so let them suffer a little and see the suffering of the world."
After that, he instructed Yang Lihua, "My eldest daughter-in-law, remember to bring a few books for the three boys. If it's hard to write on the road, just recite them. Don't let them have it too easy. They have to go the way they need to go, and they can't forget the books they need to recite!"
Everyone looked strange when they heard this, even Tai Jiye forgot to be happy.
What did these three boys do to offend the old man that he was willing to throw them out to experience the wind and snow?
Whenever I think of them rushing on the road in the wind and snow, shivering with cold and having to memorize their lessons, I feel... so miserable!
Yang Lihua was also distressed, but as the old man said, every good boy in every family has been tempered through thousands of trials and tribulations. A warm bed is comfortable, but it is only suitable for lazy cats, not tigers!
"Okay, don't worry, Dad. I will make sure it's arranged." Yang Lihua responded. She had already planned to find the boys' last clothes, and also prepare wolfskin knee pads, cashmere yarn to knit some windproof masks and gloves.
Everyone thought that was it, but they didn't expect the old man's determination to be much greater than they imagined. After a while, he spoke again.
"Also, eldest brother's wife, after we see off the caravan, you must prepare Yongning's luggage. Mr. Wu is taking the four of them back to their hometown to inherit their ancestral home. They'll not only be traveling south of the Yangtze River, but they'll also be staying in Kyoto. Yongning will inevitably have to accompany Mr. Wu to scholarly banquets or poetry gatherings. Don't let him be neglected because of his attire. Since we're poor at home, we're rich on the road, so make every effort to prepare thoroughly."
Now everyone was even more surprised. It was rare that even Tai Jizu, the most honest and obedient one, spoke.
"Dad, why did you kick all the kids out? Chinese New Year is coming soon. Should we let them stay home for the winter and then come back in the spring..."
The old man glared at his eldest son and rejected his proposal outright.
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