Xu Li wasn't that cunning, but Changming and Bomu were specially assigned to him by Xie Zhaozhao. They were literate, knowledgeable, and shrewd people from the Xie family.
Changming poured Xu Li a cup of wine and said with a smile, "General Xu, I have also heard that all the prefectures planted long-staple cotton in March and harvested it in October. Now the looms have never stopped, and every household has ten or eight bolts of cotton cloth!"
After Changming finished speaking, Ying Wenlong also said with a smile, "Our prefect submitted a memorial to His Majesty after the autumn harvest, reporting a great harvest. His Majesty was pleased and even specially rewarded the prefect."
In our county, the long-staple cotton harvest is quite good. I was even thinking that when General Xu goes back, he should bring some sweet potatoes for His Majesty. You don't know, our county even had a "Sweet Potato King" award this year..."
Xu Li listened and smiled happily, but didn't say anything. He understood that he was someone the Emperor trusted and couldn't casually agree to the requests of local officials.
Besides, he doesn't just come back to visit relatives and friends casually.
As Master Xu sipped his wine, he became much more polite, offering a toast to Xu Li and trying to recall what Xu Li looked like as a child.
They said Xu Li was very cute as a child because he was so honest and kind; everyone in the village liked him. Xu Li felt that Second Uncle Xu wasn't describing him (●?????●).
After having dinner at the village head's house, Ying Wenlong and Xu Li went to Xu Tiezhu's house together.
The village hasn't changed much over the years; in my memory, each family's courtyard is still the same.
He was too young when he left. He still remembers the layout of the village, but apart from his neighbors, no one in the village really remembers it.
The Xu family's courtyard was very large, with four main rooms, two rooms in the east wing with a storage room, and three rooms in the west wing. After Xu's parents died, Xu Li and his two brothers squeezed into the west wing.
The courtyard had clearly been tidied up urgently, especially the main living room, which was fully equipped with tables, chairs, and benches. The west room, where Xu Li used to live, had also been furnished with a table and a new bed, and had been cleaned.
Xu Tiezhu's wife was named Liu Ermei, and they had three sons and two daughters.
The eldest son, Xu Dalang, got married, and the eldest daughter got married.
When Xu Li arrived, Xu Tiezhu's three sons, Dalang, Erlang, and Sanlang, and his youngest daughter, Xu Qiu, were standing in the courtyard.
Upon seeing Xu Li, they all looked excited and called out in unison, "Uncle!"
Changming and Bomu immediately presented them with gifts.
Four bolts of silk and four bolts of printed and dyed cotton fabric.
These are all high-quality fabrics that people in Xujia Village may rarely see in their lifetime.
Liu Ermei called him "little uncle" even more affectionately.
Ying Wenlong accompanied Xu Li on a tour of the village to learn about the villagers' livelihood issues. He left two yamen runners behind to take care of Xu Li's daily life before taking his leave and returning to the county yamen.
The village head couldn't stay at Xu Tiezhu's house indefinitely.
The village head patted Xu Tiezhu on the shoulder and said, "Tiezhu, stop thinking about taking advantage of others. Your brother is doing well, and the whole village is happy. Let's build a courtyard for your brother here so he can come back often. We'll help everyone here, do you understand?"
Xu Tiezhu nodded and chuckled, "Uncle Village Head, don't worry, my brother is capable, but we all listen to Third Uncle."
After all the "outsiders" left, Liu Ermei started crying, and Xu Tiezhu also started crying, saying how difficult things had been for him all these years and how he had been bullied by the villagers.
Xu Li said, "Don't cry anymore. I'm back. No one will dare to bully you anymore."
Hearing him say that, Liu Ermei said, "Uncle, the reason they bully our family is because we are poor. Our crops failed and we owe a lot of debt. It's almost New Year's, and you're coming back. We can't just let the creditors come to our door. Could you help us pay it off?"
"How much is owed?"
Liu Ermei looked at Xu Tiezhu, who secretly stuck out a finger.
Liu Ermei then tentatively said, "I owe ten strings of cash."
Xu Tiezhu smiled sheepishly: "Brother, I'm sorry, your sister-in-law..."
Xu Li looked at Changming, who immediately went to the carriage, took out ten strings of cash, and handed them to Xu Tiezhu.
The nephews looked very happy, while Liu Ermei looked regretful.
That's too little!
She deserves a hundred strings of cash!
At dusk, he asked Xu Tiezhu, "Which room does the general live in?"
Xu Tiezhu and Liu Ermei immediately pointed to the west room and said, "This is my brother's room. We're poor, otherwise we wouldn't have let him go out so early."
Bo Mu and Chang Ming remained silent, fulfilling their duties as servants by driving the carriage into the courtyard and moving the belongings into the west room.
Liu Ermei said with a smile, "Let's put this box in the main room, right? It's securely locked there."
"No need, this is the document the general needs."
Liu Ermei curled her lip. "Documents are that heavy? They must be full of gold and silver treasures."
Xu Li had drunk too much at noon and was feeling sleepy, but he still forced himself to ask Xu Tiezhu, "Brother, where did Second Brother and Third Brother go?"
Liu Ermei said with a smile, "Erlei went to the prefectural city to become a servant to Master Fugui, and Sanduo went to the northwest to transport coal with someone. They asked someone to write back during the Mid-Autumn Festival to say that they won't be coming back for the New Year this year."
Xu Tiezhu immediately said, "If you miss them, I'll ask the village head to write a letter right away, asking them to come back as soon as possible?"
Xu Li nodded: "Brother, give me their address, and I'll send someone to pick them up so we can have a family reunion for the New Year."
Xu Tiezhu said that it was not easy to find them. The attendants usually couldn't leave, and the third brother was out selling goods, so it was even more difficult for him to come back.
Xu Dalang said, "Father, Mother, Uncle, what are you all doing in the yard? It's freezing! Come inside and warm up by the fire!"
A fire was lit in the center of the room. Xu Li, feeling the effects of the alcohol, said, "I'm going back to the west room to take a nap. I'm feeling a bit dizzy."
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