Once everyone had arrived, He Jiuniang distributed the things she had brought back. She gave Old Man Lu a three-legged wooden cane and a pair of improved shoes that she had taken out of her spatial storage. The soles of the shoes were made of modern high-tech materials, making them soft and light to wear.
Old Lu's legs and feet are not very good. Although it doesn't usually affect his walking, it's not as convenient as for most people. His feet get very tired and even painful after standing for a long time. These two things really touched his heart.
The Lu brothers and the Zhang brothers also wear shoes made of the same material. They walk a lot, so a good pair of shoes is really important.
The gifts from the women were nothing more than hairpins, hair ornaments, and various essential oil soaps and balms that He Jiuniang took out from her spatial storage.
These things are not usually convenient to give to them, but this time she took advantage of the trip to the prefectural city to take some out. Anyway, everyone in the family trusts her and no one will investigate.
The children received toys and similar items, while the children who were studying received several books.
In short, everyone in the family was very happy.
"Third sister-in-law, this will cost a lot of money. You can't buy any more in the future! If you have money, keep it safe and don't waste it on us."
Although Madam Yu also enjoyed receiving gifts, she didn't care about the money spent by He Jiu Niang. These were all good things that her family couldn't just use casually. Besides, they were the older brother and sister-in-law, so how could they keep letting their younger brother and sister-in-law help them?
"Hey! I'll only buy this once!"
He Jiuniang casually agreed. Anyway, these things were all taken from her space and didn't cost any money. Besides, things like soap and balm are consumables. They would know the benefits after using them and would definitely want more in the future.
After watching his mother distribute all the gifts, the puppy sweetly said, "Grandpa and Grandma, I brought you gifts too!"
As he spoke, he ran to He Jiuniang to take the things, and then delivered them to Sun Shi with a clattering sound.
The item was wrapped in a handkerchief, so no one could see what it was. Mrs. Sun and Old Man Lu excitedly came over, eager to see what gift their beloved grandson had brought them.
The puppy lifted the handkerchief, and two hairpins that looked very similar came into view.
One of them was bought together with He Jiuniang's plum blossom hairpin, and the other one was even simpler, a snake-shaped men's hairpin.
The puppy pointed and said, "This one with the red gem is for Grandma, and this one shaped like a snake is for Grandpa!"
Previously, the little dog had been struggling to find a gift for his grandfather, and after several days of deliberation, he decided that since men also needed to style their hair, he went and bought a men's hairpin.
"Great! I never thought this old man would enjoy the blessings of his grandson, hahaha!"
Old Man Lu was very happy and held the hairpin with great affection.
He'll wear it out to show off in a little while, and ask around the village which old man can enjoy the blessings of his grandson!
"Oh, my dear grandson!"
Sun was so happy that her eyes welled up with tears. Receiving a gift from her grandson made her even happier than receiving a gift from He Jiu Niang!
They especially doted on Gou'er, showing him the affection they had for the third son of the Lu family.
“Your uncles have never bought anything for us old folks, and you’ve already shown such thoughtfulness…”
Sun's eyes instantly reddened. Thinking of her third son, she felt that this little grandson was just as filial as his father.
The first and second wives looked quite embarrassed; in these aspects, they certainly didn't do as well as the third wife.
Back in their hometown, they were poor. Later, He Jiuniang gave them twenty taels of silver, which they saved and were reluctant to spend. They didn't think much of it at first, but now that Sun Shi had brought it up, they both looked very guilty.
"Father and Mother, it's your son's fault for being unfilial. We'll buy you nice things when we get our year-end bonuses!"
"Yes, we didn't do well before, but we will take good care of you two as well as our third sister-in-law does in the future!"
The first and second wives hurriedly expressed their wishes, and Lu Guilan also chimed in, "Father and Mother, your daughter will also take care of you!"
Madam Shen was also very proactive: "Auntie, we will also treat you two as our own parents!"
Mrs. Sun was only touched by her grandson bringing her a gift, which was why she didn't like hearing such sweet talk. She snorted, hugged the dog affectionately, and left, leaving everyone feeling awkward for a while before hurrying off to do their own thing.
Lin Yiping traveled day and night at breakneck speed, and finally arrived in the capital a few days later.
At this time, the old emperor had been ill for several days and was in a very bad mood. Whenever he was unhappy, he would summon all his sons to the palace to take care of him.
Although there was no shortage of servants in the palace, the old emperor was malicious and felt that if he was not doing well, his sons should not be either.
Even if they do nothing, they still have to kneel respectfully by the bedside to show their filial piety.
If this gets out, the people will know that the royal family is also a harmonious and loving family.
"Where is the third prince? I've been ill for several days now, and I haven't seen him at all. Does he really not care about his father?"
The old emperor glanced at his sons kneeling before the bed, his face showing great displeasure.
Consort Liu sat on the edge of the bed and gently patted his chest, speaking in a sweet voice, "Your Majesty, have you forgotten? Prince Chen went to Changzhou for disaster relief, and he probably hasn't received news of your illness yet!"
Changzhou was quite far from the capital, Jinzhou, but the old emperor was still displeased: "Hmph, he's gone for a month or two and hasn't even sent a message back!"
The eunuch Zhao hurriedly reminded him, "Your Majesty, Prince Chen sent a letter half a month ago, saying that it has started raining in Changzhou, and disaster relief efforts are underway..."
It wasn't that the people around him wanted to expose him, but rather that he didn't care about Prince Chen's affairs at all, and if this got out, it would have a bad impact on him.
The old emperor's face turned somewhat grim. He feigned ignorance and asked, "Oh? Changzhou suffered a severe drought for three years, and it rained as soon as he left?"
As he spoke, he sneered, feeling that this son was truly here to seize the throne from him, as if even the heavens were favoring him.
Sensing the old emperor's displeasure, Eunuch Zhao dared not utter a sound. Prince Jing, however, was more courageous and said disdainfully, "Changzhou has suffered a drought for three years. It should have rained long ago. Third Prince just happened to be lucky."
Hearing this, the old emperor felt a little better, but he was still dissatisfied and said, "If it was such a coincidence, why didn't you go and catch up?"
Prince Jing couldn't quite explain what his father meant by this—why was he both slandering and defending him?
Prince Lin spoke up for him, saying, "Father, my third brother has always been filial. If he knew that you were unwell, he would definitely come back to visit you. If you really miss him, I will send someone to fetch him back immediately."
It was unclear who he was referring to, but the old emperor snorted coldly, "Fine, I can live two more years if I don't see him!"
The sons immediately kowtowed and begged for forgiveness: "Your subjects are terrified!"
The emperor waved his hand impatiently: "Crown Prince, stay here. All of you, go outside and kneel."
Prince Lin and Prince Jing exchanged a glance and respectfully withdrew.
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