"well!"
Mrs. Sun sighed, feeling that life was full of helplessness.
"The two brothers were in their early twenties when they left, but when they came back they looked like men in their thirties or forties. The smell on them was so strong that it made it hard for me to breathe!"
That's what she said, but Sun's tone was full of heartache.
"Now that we have this business, the two brothers can live a comfortable life by managing it well. But they just want to go out and make their way in the world. Now that they've come back, Guilan is heartbroken!"
"You didn't see how haggard they looked. I have no idea how much they've suffered out there. As just a mother-in-law, I feel sad just looking at them. If their parents were still alive, how could they bear to see them like this!"
Since her in-laws passed away, Mrs. Sun has treated the Zhang brothers, Zhang Song and Zhang Yong, like her own sons. They had all made it through the hardships of fleeing famine together. Later, the family started a business and earned money every month. Life was so much better than it was back in their hometown.
But seeing his youngest son and his wife becoming more and more successful, and his eldest and second eldest sons gradually finding their direction in life, the Zhang brothers began to get anxious. They both wanted to make something of themselves, so they took the initiative to join the group to the grasslands to see if there was a way out.
In Sun's opinion, this was completely unnecessary. Why would someone choose to torment themselves when they had a good life? But she could understand the idea that men should have ambitions beyond their hometowns. So when she first met the two brothers, she felt sorry for them but didn't say much.
The two Zhang brothers brought a lot of good things from the grasslands this time, giving gifts to everyone in the family. They stayed in the prefectural city for seven or eight days before returning to their hometown, so they only spent four or five days back there.
Hearing Sun say this, He Jiuniang became curious about what had become of the two Zhang brothers that made her mother-in-law so distressed.
However, she still advised, "Ms. Sun, you can't be so pessimistic. Bai Chuan sent people to go with you, so your safety is definitely guaranteed. You may look a little dirty, but that's because you've been traveling a long way and it's been tough. You'll be fine after a shower and a few days of rest. Men should have ambitions beyond their hometowns. It's a good thing that they have this drive. Going out and seeing more of the world will give them more options in the future."
“Their situation is indeed incomparable to ours now, but their lives are definitely much better than before. If they just stay in their own business and live a quiet life, they can live a good life. But if that happens, the distance between them and us will grow wider and wider, and they will definitely feel unbalanced.”
“They are still young and want to make a better life for themselves through their own abilities. Now that they have a secure family, they can go out and try without any worries. If they succeed, they will naturally get closer to us, make our relationship more intimate, and have more to talk about. It will also benefit their descendants, giving them more security than other children. This is a good thing.”
He Jiuniang patiently explained her thoughts to Sun Shi.
Sun nodded, her expression still somewhat unhappy: "I understand the reasoning, but seeing them like this really makes me feel bad."
In fact, they were not the only ones suffering. When Lu Baichuan left home and went through life and death, he suffered much more than this. Especially when she thought about how she looked when she first met Lu Baichuan, it was heartbreaking.
At her age, she doesn't want anything else; she just hopes that her children and grandchildren can live peacefully and safely.
He Jiuniang comforted her for a while, patting her chest and promising that she would give her two brothers-in-law some skincare products to take good care of them when they got back, so that they could at least be worthy of her two sisters. Only then did Sun's mood completely improve.
The next day, the entire Lu family was going back to their village for the New Year, and this time Qin Jian saw them off from the city.
Mrs. Sun and Old Man Lu were very hospitable and wanted to invite Qin Jian to come back to the village with them for the New Year.
Qin Jian smiled wryly. Now that he had been promoted, he still didn't have any capable subordinates and was really too busy to leave. He could only pitifully refuse, asking Old Man Lu and Madam Sun to bring him some good food when they returned to the city.
The sight of a grown man crying so pitifully was quite embarrassing. He Jiu Niang and Lu Bai Chuan couldn't bear to look at him and got into the carriage early to wait. Only Sun Shi and Old Man Lu kept holding his hand and promising to bring him food.
In contrast, Lou Chong was able to go home with Lu Baichuan for the New Year. Seeing Qin Jian howling until his voice was hoarse, he felt genuinely sorry for him.
After saying goodbye to Qin Jian, the family finally set off back to the village. The men rode in one carriage and the women in another. The Lu family's carriage was quite spacious and fit perfectly.
There was another truck full of New Year's goods, so full that there was no room for anyone else.
Lou Chong was responsible for driving the cargo cart, following behind the two horse-drawn carriages, while also being careful not to be ambushed.
They didn't bring any guards back to the village this time, just their family, plus Lou Chong, Fang Da, and Qiu Tian driving the cart. If something happened on the way, it would be quite troublesome.
Perhaps it was a case of what I feared most coming to pass. I had traveled this road many times before without incident, but today I was ambushed as soon as I entered the woods.
Seeing a group of people suddenly appear twenty meters away, Fang Da, who was walking at the front, immediately pulled the carriage to a stop and said to Lu Baichuan inside the carriage, "Third Master, we've encountered robbers!"
The group in front, about twenty or thirty people, were all carrying large knives and standing crookedly. They were not well-trained assassins, but just ordinary robbers.
A fat man stepped forward, using his large knife as a cane to support himself on the ground, and said with great arrogance, "This year I'm only robbing people. If you know what's good for you, hand over all your gold and silver, and I might spare your lives!"
Surprisingly, these robbers actually had a strong sense of martial ethics.
Lu Baichuan lifted the carriage curtain and glanced inside. He remembered what his wife had said. Sure enough, it was almost the end of the year, and everyone in every industry had to hurry up and make some money for the New Year.
"Third Master, let me go and meet them first!"
Seeing this, Fang Da volunteered to fight.
The young masters and ladies of the family are all practicing martial arts, and as servants, they can't be too weak either. They have to practice whenever they have time. They haven't had a chance to show off for a long time, so this is a good opportunity to test the waters.
"Third Uncle, let's go too!"
Lei Zi looked at those people excitedly, feeling an itch to grab them.
He felt he had improved recently and was looking forward to showing off to his third uncle when this opportunity to practice came along.
"Well done! You truly are a fine young man of the Lu family!"
Old Lu patted Lei Zi on the shoulder, his eyes full of approval.
In the past, Old Man Lu would definitely not have trusted a group of children to take action, but now he knows they are quite capable, and it is the robbers he should be worried about.
Lu Baichuan said, "Let's not rush, let's see what happens."
In the car behind, Mrs. Sun said anxiously, "These damned robbers, coming out to harm people during the New Year! Judging from how skilled they are, who knows how many passersby they've harmed!"
He Jiuniang patted her hand, her eyes full of smiles as she reassured her, "Don't panic, this isn't a robber, this is our family's God of Wealth!"
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