, excitedly surrounded grandma talking about the wonders of Lu'an Academy. 。"Grandma, the academy is just ten or so miles outside Yunwu Mountain to the east of Xindu. The scenery there is especially...At this moment, the villagers also heard the commotion and rushed over from the fields.

As if by fate, Liu Yang's arrival coincided with the convoy. He leaped down from the carriage and rushed straight towards his overjoyed parents.

And Li Zhensheng also hurriedly gave the old woman and the village head etc. a bow, "Mother, Uncle, fellow villagers, we're back!"

Li Laotai pulled her son's hand and looked him up and down. Seeing that besides being a little darker, her son was much more sturdy, she felt relieved.

"Just come back, just come back."

The village head paid more attention to the things in the carriages, "Sir, what good things did you find in the south"

Li Zhensheng wouldn't tell the truth, so he said, "They are some local specialties from the south, brought for a friend. Someone will come to pick them up later. However, I also brought some seafood for the village. Tomorrow when I have free time, I'll share it with everyone, so we can have something fresh."

"We're all family, why be so formal" The village head said this with a smile on his face, though he was beaming.

The villagers were curious about the south and chattered excitedly amongst themselves.

The village head interrupted them, "Hurry up and plant the melon seedlings. Be careful not to get wilted by the sun in a while. Mr. Big isn't leaving right away either; he wants to listen to the excitement and go home with us later tonight."

Everyone greeted Li Zhensheng with smiles and then went back to the fields to continue working.

Lao Li saw that dozens of people were waiting in the convoy, so she hurriedly urged Lao Er, "Where's Lao Er Quickly take your eldest brother and them back. Wash off the dust. We'll cook some food. These young men who drove the carts are probably hungry."

Li La Er hurried forward, leading the convoy to his doorstep. The goods on the wagons were unloaded into the Houye's courtyard, and the horses were given to the boys to graze.

Then Chen the manager and others, divided into two groups, had a refreshing bath in the hot spring pools at Li's residence and Hou's manor.

Once everyone had changed into the clean clothes from their packages, the food was also brought out.

It was lunchtime, and every household had a fire going. There were also leftovers from the meal prepared in the mountains, so they temporarily put some together. The Li family cooked another large pot of porridge, which was enough for these dozens of people to have a meal.

Each household was doing well, and their meals weren't too strict. So in the shared vegetable bowls, even without meat, there was plenty of oil and flavor. The steamed buns and stews brought back from the mountains were especially delicious.

But even so, Li Lao Tai still felt awkward, and kept saying, "Why didn't you send a message back in advance There was no preparation at home. If my younger brothers aren't in a hurry, stay for another day, we'll slaughter a pig at home and give you a good meal to replenish your energy. You traveled such a long way back, I'm afraid you must be tired!"

Chen, the steward, and the others naturally couldn't agree. Just as they had finished bathing, they heard that the courtyard was where the Marquis resided, and they were all terrified.

How dare you eat and live here again!

"No, no, old madam, we still have errands to run and must hurry back. We'll definitely come for the pig slaughter feast next time!"

"Well then, it's settled. Next time, be sure to stay for a few more days." The old woman didn't insist, only urging them to eat well and satisfy their hunger.

Li Zhensheng held his little niece and strolled around. Because he couldn't see his younger brother, he asked, "Mother, where is Lao Si Did he go into the city"

Li Laotai then said, "The fourth son has been following the Marquis on his campaign for almost a month now. A few days ago, the Marquis specially sent him back to have a meal. I guess he should be in Jiangbei killing the barbarians right now!"

When Chen and the others heard this, they bowed their heads and ate even faster.

Thankfully, Li Zhensheng was not delayed on the road. This Li family is simply too close to the Marquis.

The old woman didn't deliberately show off anything, but when she spoke of the Marquis, her words, both explicit and implicit, revealed a sense of closeness, as if the Marquis were like family.

After dinner, Mr. Chen and the others quickly bid farewell.

The carriage arrived laden and heavy, but departed light as a feather.

Li Zhensheng didn't stay long, only saying that there would be opportunities to meet again in the future.

After the convoy left, the Li household fell silent. Seizing the opportunity before villagers came calling, Li Zhensheng and Jiayi quickly unpacked the things they had brought back for their family members.

All those dried shrimp, dried fish, scallops, crab roe, seaweed, and kelp were purchased by Li Zhensheng. He kept some for his family, and the rest was prepared to be shared with the villagers for a fresh treat.

There was also a box of pearl necklaces and coral bracelets, a few pieces of foreign fabric, with no patterns but very thick, all for the old girls at home.

Several sets of coral-carved pen holders and small ornaments, a box of newly popular books from the south, were given to Li Laer and his son and nephews who loved to read.

Two giant conch shells, one for Jia Yin and one for Mao Ge'er. Jia Yin also had a box of small pearls, to play with.

Jia Yi's things were much rougher, it was a big bag of colorful shells, all shapes and sizes, they fell to the ground with a clatter, making a heap.

This excited Jia'an, Jiaxi and Meow-Meow. Their eyes lit up as they pounced on the shells, excitedly exclaiming about which ones were prettier and whose was bigger. The room buzzed with their enthusiasm, almost threatening to blow the roof off!

Jia Yin also wanted to join the fun, but she was scooped up onto the table. Then Jia Yi took out a small cloth bag and poured out a pile of white, glittering things.

Jiayi blushed a little and smiled, "Little sister, those colorful gemstones are too expensive. I don't have enough silver to buy even one. Just now someone was selling this one for only twenty taels, so I bought it all. That...don't mind it, when your older brother earns more silver in the future, I will definitely buy you some colorful gemstones."

Jia Yin was so startled that her mouth could fit an egg! What red rubies and green emeralds, none of it mattered anymore!

Because this pile in front of me is diamonds! Diamonds!

Diamonds are eternal, a single gem that transcends time. This is the finest gemstone that women in the past adored and coveted!

She was financially well-off back then and couldn't even bring herself to buy one. Now, she has hundreds of them, big and small, right before her eyes! Some are as big as peanuts, while others are as small as soybeans!

It's done, it's really done!

Jia Yin was overjoyed, dancing with glee and hugging her brother, slobbering all over his face.

"Third brother is the best, Fu Niu loves you to death!"

After she finished speaking, she jumped to the ground.

Jiayi jumped in fright, catching his sister's arm. Before he could speak, she was already running away with the pebbles.

He blinked a couple of times, grinning broadly, "Funiu is truly different. I thought she would like those colorful gems, but I never expected that she would prefer colorless ones!"

Everyone laughed, "Since your sister likes it, you've earned a great reward!"

The old woman went on to say, "In the future, if you see such stones again, buy some more for your sister."

"Okay!" Jiayi readily agreed.

Tao Hongying was busy tidying up the sea goods, moving around inside and outside the house. Li Zhensheng saw this and quietly asked his mother.

“Mother, how did the fourth brother end up going to war with the Marquis He’s too impulsive and rash! What if something happens to him Our family isn’t short of silver, and I can contribute more here at home. There’s no need for him to risk his life!”

The old woman sighed and waved her hand, replying, “Do you think I want to I disagree too. Everyone in the family stopped me. But what could I do He has such a stubborn temper, I couldn't persuade him. In the end, I had no choice but to let him go. Luckily he went with someone else and was part of the Lord’s guard, so he at least had some protection.”

Li La Er thought about it and also told the story of the conflict with Ding Beihou during the Zhongyuan Festival, finally saying, "Lao Si has always wanted to go out and make a name for himself since he was young. He didn't want to stay at home and farm. In a fit of anger, he wanted to become someone important even more."

Li Zhensheng blamed himself, "It's all my fault. If I hadn't left home for over ten years, things wouldn't have gotten this bad…"

"What foolish talk is this This isn't what you want either," Li Laotai said, unwilling to see her eldest son heartbroken. She quickly changed the subject. "Something big happened at home. The second son's wife...died."

Jia Yi was holding a teapot and drinking water when he heard this, his hand trembled, and the teapot clattered to the ground!

"My mother... died"

Three more chapters are uploaded. As usual, Hua Hua asks for a five-star review and likes, thank you to all the little cuties for your encouragement, Hua Hua will continue to work hard!ock of ducks.The twenty soldiers who had followed up the mountain were now hiding far away, wishing they had nothing to do with these troublesome women.A squad of soldiers were under the command of a...