Chapter 424 Family Affection
With the Cold Food Festival approaching, followed by the Qingming Festival, officials of the Tang Dynasty would have a seven-day holiday.
From top to bottom, everyone is on holiday.
The teachers at the academy where Li Sanlang and Xiao Silang studied were also given a holiday.
Brother Li should also have a holiday, but since he is a soldier guarding the city, and it is at this critical juncture, he cannot have a holiday now. He should save it for a future holiday.
The clinic where Li San Niang was on duty naturally gave everyone a day off.
During the Cold Food Festival and Qingming Festival, the clinic was closed without anyone on duty.
This is because people at this time place great importance on the practice of sweeping tombs and paying respects to their ancestors.
It can be said that people would hate an unfilial person more than a murderer or arsonist.
However, the clinic arranged for staff to take turns on duty starting from the third day, and Li San Niang was scheduled to go on the fourth day, which was fine.
The happiest thing for the Li family today is that Li Dalang has also been given a holiday and has returned from the military camp on the outskirts of Beijing.
Li Dalang, who returned to the Li family with only a small bundle on his back, looked the same as before in just a few months, but he had developed a fierce and ruthless aura.
Physicians are most sensitive to murderous intent. This intangible thing, to someone as perceptive as Li San Niang, was practically blatantly telling her, "Li Da Lang has killed someone."
Li San Niang was very surprised and couldn't understand how Li Da Lang, a new recruit with some martial arts skills who had only been in the army for a few months, could kill someone before even going to the battlefield.
Li's father and his second brother exchanged a glance, and they both noticed that Li Dalang was different.
Although Sister-in-law Li appeared happy that Li Dalang had returned home, she was still heartbroken inside.
Sister-in-law Li knew best why Li Dalang had become like this. Coming from a family of warriors, she had witnessed many changes in her brother after he joined the army. Therefore, she believed that Li Dalang must have experienced a thrilling event to have undergone such a transformation.
"Hurry inside, your mother made your favorite soup dumplings."
The little dewdrop couldn't see the changes in Li Dalang. She still walked with her short legs, followed by Xiao Huang, who was now a grown dog. When she arrived in front of Li Dalang, she smiled and said, "Big brother, big brother, you're home! I missed you."
Li Dalang naturally saw the surprise of his father, second brother, and third sister-in-law at his change. Just as he was wondering what to say to break the silence, he saw Lu Zhu'er running towards him and heard her words. Suddenly, he felt as if the layer of ice on his body had been shattered.
Li Dalang picked up Lu Zhu'er and held her in his arms, asking with a smile, "How much has Zhu'er missed her elder brother?"
Dewdrop stretched out her palm to measure a distance, saying, "I miss my elder brother so much."
At this moment, Li San Niang interjected, "Oh dear, isn't Zhu'er the one who misses her mother the most?"
Doesn't Pearl miss her mother?
Mother is so heartbroken.
Li San Niang pretended to cry, and looked at Lu Zhu'er anxiously, saying, "Zhu'er misses her mother too, she misses both of us, she misses both of us."
At this moment, Li's mother felt sorry for Li Dalang suffering in the army camp. Seeing that Li Sanniang was still deliberately teasing the child, she rolled her eyes at Li Sanniang.
Then, the whole family entered the main room, where Li Erlang, Li Sanlang, and Xiao Silang were talking to Li Dalang.
Especially Xiao Silang, although he was a year older after the New Year, he was the youngest in the family besides Luzhu and Xiao Wulang. Li Erlang and Li Sanlang always gave way to him, so even though he was a year older, his personality hadn't changed much and he was still like a child.
"Big brother, big brother, don't just hug Luzhu'er, hug me too. I miss you too. Silang misses you the most, even more than Luzhu'er."
Dewdrop, who was listening nearby, was unwilling and quickly said to Brother Li, "Brother, I miss you even more than Fourth Brother. I miss you the most."
Brother Li was so happy his mouth almost stretched to his ears as he watched the two children vying for his attention.
The children's jokes lessened the shadow in Li Dalang's heart and dispelled the sense of estrangement he felt after being away from home for several months.
After Li Dalang ate the soup dumplings made by Li Dasao, he was first led by Luzhu'er to see the chicks that were kept in a pen in the corner of the yard. "Brother, Grandma said that when the chicks grow up, they will be able to lay eggs, and then we will have free chickens to eat."
After looking at the chicks, Xiao Silang led Li Dalang to see his treasure chest, which contained the treasures he had collected over the past few months, such as beautiful stones, wooden toys, and picture books he bought from the bookstore. He wanted to share all of them with Li Dalang, who had been the best friend to him for months since he left home.
Finally, Koshiro pulled out Kogoro in his arms.
"Big brother, look, Xiao Wu has grown quite a bit, he's so chubby."
Li Dalang quickly stepped forward to catch him, afraid that if Xiao Silang didn't hold him properly, he would drop Xiao Wulang again.
Thus, Li Dalang spent the entire afternoon at home catching up with his brothers and sisters before heading to his own courtyard after dinner.
Sure enough, waiting in the courtyard were Brother Li, Sister-in-law Li, and Li Erlang.
The family sat around a round table with two plates of snacks and a pot of tea, talking until midnight before finally stopping.
Finally, Brother Li said, "This matter is only for your grandparents to know. I will go and tell them tomorrow."
As for the rest of the family, there's no need to tell them; there's no need to make them worry.
"Yes, I understand, Father. Don't worry."
Thus, Li Dalang and Li Erlang returned to their own courtyard together.
The next day was the Cold Food Festival. The whole family first followed Li's father to worship their ancestors before having breakfast.
For breakfast, we ate flatbread that had been prepared beforehand, along with some pickled vegetables. We were to abstain from fire for the next few days and eat cold food.
Since the graves of Li's father's parents and Li's elder brother's biological father were not in Chang'an, the activity of tomb sweeping was discontinued.
After everything was done, Li's mother directed her eldest and second eldest brothers to pack the things into the basket, and the whole family prepared to go to Wu Family Village, the hometown of Li's second sister-in-law, outside Chang'an City.
Besides enjoying the holiday outing, the main purpose of this trip is to take my nine-month-old son, Kogoro, back to meet his maternal grandparents.
Wu Qiaolan and Bao Ya also packed their things, intending to return to the village to pay their respects.
Li San Niang also took out the kites she had bought earlier, saying, "When we get to my second aunt's house, Mother will take Lu Zhu'er to fly kites."
Dewdrop nodded happily as she looked at the brightly colored kite shaped like a wild goose.
"Mother, what should we do with Little Yellow?"
We've all left, leaving only Xiao Huang at home.
Finally, it was easy. Li Dalang found a basket, put Little Yellow in it, put it on the carriage, and took it away with him.
After greeting Dr. Liang and the young boy from Shaoyang in the backyard, the Li family, along with Wu Qiaolan and her daughter, went out and headed out of the city.
There were many pedestrians on the road, all heading to the suburbs to sweep tombs or enjoy the spring scenery.
By the time the Li family arrived at Wu Village, it was almost lunchtime.
The Li family received a warm welcome from the Wu family. They ate some cold porridge at the Wu family's house, exchanged a few words, and then Li San Niang, along with Lu Zhu'er, took the kite and the four little ones and went out.
The countryside is so big. Little Yellow had never been to such a spacious place before. It ran around happily, and when it got far away, it would stop and wait for the dewdrops that were chasing after it.
Li San Niang had no idea how to fly a kite, so in the end she just sat on a stone by the roadside and watched the four little ones playing with Lu Zhu'er and Xiao Huang.
The spring breeze is so lovely.
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