ould be best if he could come back. Hui Niang and the children haven't seen him for several days!""Good."Li Lao'er told his nephews to get pens and ink, and quickly listed out a tally.Jia Yin saw that...It was still two quarters of an hour before the academy's midday break, so they went to the end of the street to buy some rice cakes, then sat down in front of their shop, eating and waiting for the academy to open.

As soon as Jiale and his younger brothers stepped out of the door, they saw Grandma and their sister waiting across from them. They were instantly overjoyed and rushed forward to surround Grandma and their sister.

Especially the cat, he was bouncing around with joy, attracting the attention of all the other students.

The old woman called to her grandsons, “Come on, let’s go home for dinner. Don’t delay the business of the shop.”

Several generations of family members shuffled back to the alleyway, and Zhao Yuru was already waiting at the door.

The whole family washed their hands, separated their bowls and chopsticks, and sat down to eat.

The old woman fussed over her grandson, adding rice to his bowl and ladling soup for him.

Even though I haven't eaten a single grain, I feel fuller than anyone else.

It's better to live life with this kind of vibrancy and excitement!

Hearing that Grandma and younger sister were staying for a few more days, the boys weren't in a hurry. After dinner, they spent some time with Grandma, ate a piece of glutinous rice cake, then skipped back to the academy.

Jiayin lay down for an afternoon nap, she also took the opportunity to do some work in the space and finished up Wen Chaogong's tasks...

Bu said and Grandma lived in Luo'an for a while, spending each day peacefully and contentedly.

Only at Suijintan, the whole village worked together with all their might. In three or four days, Li Yong's courtyard already had a basic shape.

The village head was missing half his arm, and Zhao Shu was missing half his leg. With such heavy work, they were both willing but unable, so they sat on the pile of stones, chatting idly while watching the commotion.

Occasionally, if a villager's hands and feet were clumsy and caused some commotion, they would loudly remind him a few times.

Li Laer came over from home and sat down beside the two old men.

The two old gentlemen had long been looking forward to his going to court. Now that they had the chance, they asked him about it in detail.

Li La Er actually found going to court quite novel. He spoke from beginning to end, interspersing his words with some of his own doubts and curiosity.

Two old men listened and guessed wildly along, delighted by Li Lao Er's praise, they burst into happy laughter.

Their white beards flew in the autumn wind, adding a touch of festivity.

The villagers working in the fields heard this and couldn't help but turn their heads to look. The village head then yelled, "Work seriously! You're handling stones and wooden planks; be careful not to chip your front teeth!"

Li Laoer found it amusing, and after some thought, he persuaded a few colleagues to join him for a meal.

The two old men, like wolves in the mountains, immediately sensed something was amiss.

The village chief slapped his thigh and exclaimed angrily, "Second son, these people are definitely not here with good intentions!"

Uncle Zhao also nodded vigorously, "That's right, Second Master, no one's money comes from the wind. Why would they proactively invite you to dinner They went to their familiar places and arranged for women to entice you. This is definitely not a good thing!"

Li Lao'er was afraid they would get anxious and come up with some excuse, so he quickly replied, “Village Chief Uncle, Zhao Uncle, don't worry, I just know they aren't well-intentioned, that's why I told you.

"I guess our house has been too prosperous lately, and we've offended someone. Perhaps someone is testing the waters, trying to find a loophole to cause some trouble for us."

The village head frowned and sighed, “That’s just how life is. Too many people are envious. They hate those who have more and never offer congratulations to those who succeed. When we were poor and struggling, at least no one bothered us. But when we finally managed to find some wealth and prosperity, everyone becomes jealous and wants to pull us down, trample us again!”

Uncle Zhao spat angrily, "Who cares about some king or emperor! The good life we have now is earned through hard work and sacrifice. None of it came easy! If anyone's jealous, let them fight for it! Those who are just envious don't know what they're talking about!"

Li Lao'er actually laughed and comforted the two old masters.

"These are just my guesses, not necessarily true. Here at my home, I can take precautions. For the village side, it depends on all of you elders. Be careful and prevent anyone from meddling, disrupting the unity and peace of our village."

"Don't worry, I'm here in the village!" The village head waved his pipe, "As long as I live, our village will be a tight fortress! Even if I just use my pipe to knock on things, it can be solid and reliable, ensuring not a single drop leaks out."

Uncle Zhao also nodded, "Just rest assured, we old folks may not have other skills, but we can still keep an eye on such small things in the village."

As they spoke, the two elders discussed the matter.

Just tomorrow the village will be distributing wages again. Since everyone will be there, I'll definitely take this opportunity to say a few things.

Things were going well, and I had money in my hands.

It can eat, drink, wear, and bring people in, but it cannot wag its tail!

Whoever dares to cause trouble in the village and ruin the good situation for everyone, will have to bear the wrath of the whole village!

Originally, Li Laoer told the two old men about this, just as a precaution.

The best way for outsiders to deal with the Li family, of course, is to strike at them where it hurts: within their own ranks.

But that doesn't rule out the possibility of infiltration starting from the villagers.

Unexpectedly, that evening when the whole village divided the money earned, they actually found out what had happened.

The old custom in the village was to pay part of the monthly wages at a rate of five cash per work unit in advance.

You know, rations for each household are allocated per capita, so there's no need to worry about going hungry.

With a monthly wage, as long as there are three able-bodied workers in the family, they can each get around three to four taels of silver. This is enough to improve their diet, buy some cloth or daily necessities.

And the remaining wages and bonuses will be paid out in a lump sum at the end of the year, with at least a couple of hundred taels.

By then, whether it's getting married, giving a daughter away in marriage, or just adding some gold bangles would be enough.

Of course, thrifty families will continue to save, always thinking about how to support their children's education in the future or start a business.

To exercise the children in the village, recently both times when paying wages, the children were in charge.

Men, women, and children of all ages sat in Li's courtyard, watching the children register, calculate, and pay. It was truly more joyful than receiving money itself.

Finally, the wages were paid out. The village head would then address the villagers with a few words, and take this opportunity to talk about the recent major events in the village.

Before the old man could even open his mouth, the crowd erupted.

"Oh, Daddy, you can't take the silver! Oh, I need to save it for Gou Dandan's education!"

"Father, father! Please stop!"

The village head heard this and got angry. He slammed his pipe on the stool, shouting, "What are you all yelling about If you have something to say, come forward!"

The villagers immediately made way, pushing the noisy family out.

This is a woman in her thirties, raising two children, a boy who is seven or eight years old and a little girl who is about ten.

The mother and her two sons were crying uncontrollably. The woman's arm hung limply at an unnatural angle, clearly broken.

Behind them followed a man with his head bowed, rather thin in build. He occasionally raised his eyes to glance at the crowd, his expression betraying a hint of nervousness.

The village head, his face darkened, asked, "Wei Dajun, tell me, what on earth is going on with your family"

Before the man could speak, the woman and children had already fallen to their knees and burst into tears.

"Village Chief, you have to help us three sisters! Those soldiers are lawless, they're going to ruin our family!"

"Woooo, Village Head Grandpa, my father beat my mother, and my father stole all the silver from our home!"

To hit people To steal silver

The village head and several old men straightened their backs and shouted, "Hold back your tears! Whoever can explain things clearly, speak up!" recent days, Jia Yin has been playing during the day but hasn't slacked off at night. She's been busy in her own space.She was afraid of overworking the seedling nursery, which would drain the soil's...