The little boy's eyes were full of curiosity. When he saw it clearly, he ran forward with a smile and asked in a tender voice.
"Is this Sister Zhuzhu's tooth?"
The old man guessed that he had seen Zhuzhu's wolf tooth necklace, so he said, "Yes, this is the same one Zhuzhu wears, made of prairie wolf teeth. If you don't mind, young master, you can take it and play with it!"
The little boy wanted it very much, but he still remembered to turn around and look at his parents.
Mr. Wu was very happy to see his son so lively. He said, "A gift from an elder should not be refused! Take it, and remember to bow and thank you."
The little boy bowed quickly, then took the necklace and jumped for joy.
Mrs. Wu took her son in her arms and thanked the old man, "Thank you for your consideration, uncle. The child loved Zhuzhu's wolf tooth necklace the last time he saw it."
The old man waved his hand. "It's not a valuable item. It's everywhere on the grassland. It's just that it takes some effort to find the teeth of this wolf! But as you know, my third son often leads caravans to the grassland, so it's not difficult to find it."
After chatting for a few more words, Mrs. Wu went to prepare the wine and food.
The old man quickly stopped her and asked the veteran to bring up the thank-you gift.
Mrs. Wu was surprised. "Oh, in this weather, how did Uncle catch a live rabbit, a pheasant, and... a flying dragon? These things are so rare!"
Mr. Wu also stepped forward to see the novelty and said with a smile, "I've had flying dragon soup before, but this is the first time I've seen a live flying dragon."
The old man laughed and said, "That's nothing, there are better things!"
As he spoke, the veteran had already presented the brown bear skin.
Uncle Jiu from the village has good skills and can peel the skin very completely, but it is inevitably bloody.
Mrs. Wu covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief, but still couldn't help touching the fur, and was extremely surprised.
"This... is this a brown bear skin? Where did you get it? It's so rare!"
Mr. Wu also inspected it repeatedly and praised it, "This bear skin is so thick after the winter. If I make a cloak out of it, I'm afraid I won't be afraid of the white-haired wind on the grassland!"
The old man said, "Yesterday, I happened to go into the mountains and saw a brown bear and a leopard fighting. It was a painless job, and I got two good skins for free. I thought you might be afraid of the cold, so I sent the bear skin here and gave the leopard skin to the Min family. We don't have a tanner at home, so you'll have to find someone to do it yourself."
"No trouble, no trouble!" Mrs. Wu was so happy that she agreed repeatedly, not caring about her usual calmness and dignity.
Before, Mr. Wu had been recuperating in Tai'an and had never returned to his old home. Now that he is basically well again, it is time for him to return home to worship his ancestors in the twelfth lunar month.
If it were someone else, it might not be a big deal, at most they would be tired from the journey or have difficulty eating and sleeping, but Mr. Wu was weak, and Mrs. Wu was afraid that something might go wrong on the road.
If you sew a bearskin cloak, at least the problem of keeping warm is solved.
It can be said that Mr. Tai’s coming here is definitely a timely help!
And the wolf skins, wolf skin mattresses, and wolf skin knee pads that were sent before are all must-have items for travel!
Mrs. Wu did not give Mr. Wu any chance to refuse. She quickly had the things moved downstairs, then prepared food and opened the cellar to get the thirty-year-old pear blossom white tea.
Mr. Wu couldn't help but laugh helplessly, and said to Mr. Tai, "Uncle, please forgive me for laughing. I have been ill for a long time, and my wife is so worried that she can't get rid of the good things she sees."
Old Master Tai quickly shook his head and replied, "Sir, you can't say that. This is your blessing. In our farmyard, marrying a good wife is more important than anything else. A good wife can be filial to her parents-in-law, help her husband support the family, and teach her sons and grandsons. This will bring prosperity to four generations!"
"In our family, Zhuzhu's mother is the head of the family. Look at our family, isn't it getting more and more prosperous?"
"Haha, that's right!" Mr. Wu nodded in agreement. "Even if others don't tell you, just looking at Yongning, you can tell he has a good mother who teaches him by example."
After a while, the food and wine were served.
Mr. Wu simply gave the boys half a day off, letting Song Hui and others go home, and Yongning was called over.
The old man sent his grandson to pour wine, and he told Mr. Wu something else.
"Sir, you know that my family carved ice lanterns in the city last year, and they were quite spectacular. It's almost time for us to go ice harvesting in a few days.
"My Ji Zong has consulted many masters and come up with many new tricks, but since it's the first time, I'm always worried that something might not be right.
"I see your garden is quite large, sir. Why don't you have them decorate it with some new ice sculptures? And sir, you can also help us check and see if there's anything that needs improvement!"
The Tai family always did things prudently and thoroughly, and they wouldn't have released a new ice sculpture if it had been inappropriate. It was just an excuse for the Tai family to spruce up Mr. Wu's garden.
Mr. Wu felt indescribable.
Although respecting teachers is an old rule, and it is said that a teacher is a father for life, there are not many families who follow this saying to the letter as thoroughly as the Tai family.
Outsiders all thought that it was Tai Yongning's luck that he could become his disciple, and that the Tai family was marrying up.
But only he knew that the Tai family could be said to be his salvation.
Without the Tai family, he wouldn't be able to become a teacher, and he would probably be dead now!
"Thank you for your concern, uncle. Yongning will be half my son from now on. I will definitely do my best to protect him."
Mr. Wu stood up, bowed, and made a solemn promise.
The old man did intend to decorate the garden for Mr. Wu. After all, reading is a kind of elegance. When the ice lanterns are lit, he can find a few scholars to write poems and paint. Yongning can also learn more skills by following along.
But Mr. Wu's behavior was so unexpected. It's really not a big deal!
He quickly returned the gift, wanting to say a few polite words but afraid he might say something wrong.
In the end, it was Mr. Wu who pulled him back to drink, suggesting, "Uncle, if there's nothing important happening at home during the New Year, could Yongning come back with me to my hometown? Firstly, the journey would be boring, and with his fellow apprentices around, I'd have someone to talk to. Secondly, the scenery in the south is different from the north, and passing through Kyoto would broaden our horizons."
Yongning was surprised to hear this, but naturally he was delighted. What young man didn't like to see the outside world? After his previous trip to the capital, he already felt the joy of a caged bird.
Now, it would certainly be better if we could go to Kyoto and the southern prefectures.
But he thought of home and felt reluctant to leave. After a moment of hesitation, he looked at his grandfather.
The old man was not a conservative person and agreed immediately.
"Okay, sir, if you're willing to take our kid out for a walk, we're just grateful. Of course, we wouldn't be reluctant! But the kid rarely goes out, so we'd have to trouble you to take care of him!"
"That's as it should be!" Mr. Wu smiled. "Then we can discuss the rest before we set off."
"Okay." The old man responded with a smile.
Yongning couldn't hold back any longer, and for once, he broke the rules and said excitedly, "Sir, Grandpa, my brothers are still up there and haven't come home yet. I'll go tell them the good news!"
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