Upon hearing this, the young men felt a mixture of trepidation and anticipation for what life and the world outside would be like. Although they would have to leave their hometowns and their parents behind, shouldn't a young man's journey be to the stars and the sea? What could they possibly achieve if they stayed in the village their entire lives?
"You little brat, go out and listen to your Uncle Qian and treat him like your own elder. If you dare to disobey me, I'll break your legs when I get back. Do you hear me?"
"I understand, Dad. I promise to listen to Uncle Qian and remember your teachings. I will stick to my heart and will not let you and Mom down."
…
Words of advice like these continued to ring out, mixed with the woman's reluctant sobs.
"Mom, if you can't bear to leave, I won't leave. I will stay with you forever. Please don't cry."
One of the teenage boys said with red eyes.
"What nonsense are you talking about, little brat? I finally asked the village chief to give you this opportunity. Go out and make your own way. I'm relieved that your Uncle Qian is taking care of you! Remember what I said, take good care of yourself, be careful when you go out, and tell your Uncle Qian if you have any problems."
"I know, Mom!"
Seeing that the work was almost done, Qian Shusheng called out to his friends, saying, "Alright, we need to hurry up and get going. My fellow villagers, don't worry, children, just follow me. I will teach you everything I know. I can't say I have any special skills, but I think I'm pretty good at business. I believe I can still teach these kids well."
"Brother Qian, we are relieved. You and your wife have been so kind to the younger generations of our entire Xu Village. We don't know how to thank you enough."
A villager spoke up.
Qian Shusheng waved his hand and said with a smile: "Thank you for your courtesy. The ones you should really thank are the old man's family."
"We all know what Brother Qian said. We all treat the old man as our own elder. However, words are not as good as actions. We are extremely grateful to the Xu family."
The old man smiled and saw that everyone was looking at him with gratitude and respect in their eyes, even the children.
The old man was more and more pleased and said, "We are all from the same clan. The children are the future hope of our entire Xujia Village. I just want them to have a good future. It is worth it for the children to call me Grandpa Xu affectionately when they see me."
"Kids, kowtow three times to your Grandpa Xu. You must remember for the rest of your life who gave you everything you have today." A man shouted loudly in the crowd.
In an instant, a group of young boys knelt on the ground, knelt down and kowtowed three times in the direction of the old man.
The old man did not stop her, and Anran accepted the gift.
"Okay, the ground is cold, hurry up and get up. Grandpa Xu has received your kindness. No matter what happens in the future, people outside are unpredictable, so be more careful in everything."
"Yes, Grandpa Xu, we will remember it." The teenagers answered in unison.
Seeing this, Qian Shusheng said, "Okay, let's go!"
The young men reluctantly left their parents, looking back every few steps, their eyes filled with reluctance. But when they thought of their parents' expectations of them, they walked towards Qian Shusheng with more determination.
After seeing that everyone was gathered, Qian Shusheng, the Xu family, and the villagers who came to see them off bowed and said goodbye, then turned around and got on the carriage with the young men.
Several carriages slowly drove out of the village. The young men opened the windows and waved goodbye to their relatives behind the carriages.
"Mom and Dad, take care of yourselves. Your son will definitely achieve great things and make you proud to have a son like me!"
"Take care of yourself!"
Seeing her children waving their hands and saying these heartwarming words, one woman finally couldn't help herself and covered her mouth with her hands and cried out loud.
Wang sighed when she saw this. A mother worries about her son even when he is thousands of miles away. As a mother herself, she could empathize with him, so she spoke a few words to comfort him.
The wind was biting cold, and everyone's nose was red from the cold, but they still didn't want to go back to the house. They kept walking towards the carriages on the stone road outside the village, which were getting farther and farther away. Slowly, only a small black dot could be seen...
"Everyone, go back. The children have their own paths to follow. The young eagle cannot hide under the wings of its parents forever. It must learn to spread its wings and fly high on its own," said the old man.
"The old man is right. The boys have been living too comfortably. It's time to let them gain more experience. We can't even see the shadow of the carriage. Let's all go back to the house. It's very cold outside." said a man.
The sensible man had already embraced his wife, who was still wiping her tears, and walked towards the house, while the more straightforward man said, "Why are you crying? Don't stand outside in the cold. If you catch a cold, I can take care of you, but you'll be the one who suffers."
After saying that, he took his wife and the old village chief, said hello, and then headed towards his home.
Seeing that most people had left, the old man and his family returned to the Xu family.
In the main hall, the whole family sat together. The old man said, "Next, we need to prepare for the civil and military examinations to go to Beijing. What are the specific arrangements?"
Uncle Xu said, "Dad, we all listen to you. We will do whatever you say."
The old man turned his attention to other people.
Seeing that their eldest brother had expressed his opinion, the two brothers nodded and said, "Dad, we agree with you. We will do whatever you say. You are the backbone of our family."
The old man was delighted to hear this and nodded, saying, "If that's the case, then I'll make the arrangements. You all know that Qibao plans to open a jewelry and clothing store in the capital. Thanks to Jingchen and Chenyu's relationship, we've reduced a lot of difficulties. Everyone understands this."
"Also, although we don't know the identities of these two children yet, we can tell from their behavior and conversation that they are either wealthy or noble. We are new to the capital this time, so we will probably need Jingchen and the others to help us. If too many people go, it will seem a bit troublesome to them. So I won't go this time. Let the eldest brother take Wenwu, Qibao, and the Twelve Guards with him."
"Grandpa, I'm here too!"
As soon as the old man finished speaking, Xiaowu spoke anxiously.
The old man glanced at Xiaowu and said, "Well, I won't leave you behind."
Xiaowu was so happy that his mouth almost stretched to his ears. Now that his grandfather had spoken, the matter was settled. He was determined to go to the capital!
Qibao thought for a moment and said, "Grandpa, just let Yueyang and Yuexue go, and the other ten people can stay at home. That way I'll feel more at ease."
The old man knew that Qibao was worried about the safety of other people in the family. He was also afraid that Qibao would lack manpower if he went to the capital. The Twelve Guards were all strong in martial arts, and they would be much more useful than an old man like him.
"Qibao, isn't it too few for you to only bring Yueyang and Yuexue? We can't open a new store without manpower..." Wang asked with a frown.
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