Chapter Forty-Four: Returning Laden

iā xǐ jiā ān shuì de mí mí hū hū, dào shì tīnghuà, zhí jiē zhāng kāi le zuǐ. While Jiā Xǐ and Jiā n were sleeping soundly, their hazy sleepiness made them obedient. They simply opened their mouths di...The coachman readily agreed, “Okay!” Waiting for Jia Yi to shout one, two, three, he gave the crimson mare a whip.

The crimson horse was in pain and struggled forward with all its might. At the back of the cart, Jia Yi strained his arms, and the wheel easily came out of the deep pit.

The boxes in the car were a little crooked, but Jia Yi quickly and skillfully straightened them out and tightened the ropes again.

Soon, the carriage was back on the road.

Before the tea had even cooled, nearly everyone knew the trouble was over.

Li Lao Si shouted from the back of the convoy, "Jia Yi, put on your hat, or your ears will get frostbite. When you get home, your grandma will be heartbroken."

"Oh, Uncle, I got it!"

Jia Yi quickly put on his wolfskin hat and ran back to his assigned carriage.

The entire convoy slowly reconnected, battling wind and snow as they journeyed on.

At the front of the carriage, Liu Diao Tou tightly fastened his sheepskin jacket and smiled proudly at the manager of the caravan beside him.

"How do you like these two good hands I found"

The official who was acquainted with him laughed and replied.

“Your judgment is always right. We originally thought this trip would take a month, but now it seems we’ll be home in five days. Twenty-five days in total—it's been incredibly smooth sailing. Rest assured, I’ll report back to my master and get you a reward.”

"Haha, I've been waiting for you to say that." Liu Biāotóu patted the manager on the back, and then added.

"I don't mind, but Li Lao Si and his nephew came to me. They helped me a lot this time. I have to fight for them to get something, otherwise how can I convince them to come out next time"

The leader winced in pain, quickly moving away from him. He said angrily, “You're not much better than a bandit. It’s surprising people even believe you.”

"You'll be disappointed, I get along famously with Brother Li," Liu said with a booming laugh.

The people in the rear convoy couldn't hear what was said at the front, but the faint laughter also eased their brows.

This鏢 delivery was easy, I can go home and wait for the New Year in peace.

Whoever’s heart is filled with joy, can't help but whip their horses and urge the carriage on faster...

Laba Congee, is a custom shared by people all over the world.

On the fifth day, Old Lady Li brought two daughters-in-law to select various beans and grains, and she also sent Jiaxi and Ji'an next door to say a word.

"Tell Grandpa Zhao and the others that we'll make the rice porridge together at our place. We'll just bring a pot over then, so they don't have to bother."

"Okay, Grandma!"

Jia Xi and Jia An grabbed their hats and ran outside. The cold wind that blew in as the door opened and closed sent shivers down everyone's spines.

Tao Hongying rushed to see her daughter and saw that her daughter had finally eaten enough of her little toes and was starting to eat fists, drooling. She wiped her with a handkerchief.

Li Lao Tai moved the winnowing basket aside, afraid that her granddaughter would grab the beans and stuff them in her mouth.

Zhao Yuru carefully counted the contents in the winnowing basket, peanuts, red beans, rice beans, chestnuts, sorghum, millet, glutinous rice, and indeed, she had eight kinds. She smiled and said.

"Mom, this year's rice porridge is definitely going to taste delicious."

"It's really delicious, so many good things," Li Lao Tai couldn't help but sigh.

"Luckily, we settled here, buying a house and land. The villagers are also quite nice."

After finishing, she couldn't help but turn her body and kiss her granddaughter, "It's all thanks to our lucky little Funiu! Funiu, be a good girl and play. Grandma will steam egg custard for you in a while."

Tao Hongying stopped her, "Mother, we don't have many eggs at home, do we We should save them for Jiaren and Jiayi to make up for their nutrition when they come back. Funiu is well-fed with breast milk and has put on a lot of weight."

Grandma Li remembered the over twenty eggs she had found in her bed last night and smiled, waving her hand dismissively.

"Just don't worry about it, I have a plan. Funiu is my granddaughter, and Jiarren and Jia Yi are also my grandsons. I love them all dearly. Besides, our Funiu is blessed, she won't go hungry."

After she said that, she winked at her granddaughter secretly, causing Jia Yin to dance with joy in response.

Both the grandfather and grandson smiled, guarding their shared little secret. How proud they were!

Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru looked at each other, both with a mixture of amusement and resignation. But they didn't say anything more; their grandmother had always been the one in charge, so they just obeyed.

At that moment, Jiaxi and Jia'an burst in from outside, shouting wildly.

"Uncle, my fourth uncle (father) is back!"

"What"

Li Laotai almost overturned the winnowing basket and quickly went downstairs to put on her shoes, while Tao Hongying and Zhao Yurui had already gone out to greet them.

In a blink of an eye, Jia Yin realized everyone else had left. She was all alone in the room, so caught up in the excitement that she forgot to follow along!

She sat up abruptly, nearly falling off the ground, and could only wring her neck and cry out to alert everyone.

Fortunately, when Li Lao Tai was about to leave, she remembered her granddaughter and quickly turned back to pick her up.

"Oh, dear me, dear me, Grandma forgot our little Funi! Don't be angry, Grandma's back now, come on, let's see what your father brought back!"

When the two generations went out, Li Lao Si and Jiayì had already entered the main hall.

"Mother!"

Grandma, we're back!

The first thing the uncle and nephew did was kneel and kowtow. They hadn't seen each other in almost a month, and what they missed most was home.

Now that I see everything is fine at home, I can finally relax.

"Get up, hurry up, your own family, why are you kneeling"

Li Laotai was so happy that she couldn't contain herself. She reached out with one hand and pulled her son and grandson up.

Li Laosi and Jia Yi came forward to look at Jiayin, both of them smiling until their eyes crinkled. They wanted to hug Jiayin and touch her little face, but they didn't dare.

"Fu Niuer seems to have grown a bit!"

"Yeah, isn't it heavier when you hold it"

"Alright, let's sit down and talk."

Li Laotai chuckled and asked her son if he had eaten well on the road, Li Laosi and Jia Yi naturally said good things, after all, they were back, so there was nothing to worry about at home.

Besides, they're not going out for fun, they're working to earn a living and support their families. How could it be easy

At this time, Li Lao'er and Wu Cuiflower, even Li Laosan in the next room, heard the news and came back.

When the whole family was together, it was even more lively.

Li Lao Si took out his money bag from his bosom. It was filled to the brim with silver ingots, scattered silver coins and copper coins.

It landed on the table with a sharp crack, drawing everyone's attention.

“Mother, this is the money we earned on our trip. I got ten taels, and Jia Yi got five. On the road, we met Da Shan, and I and Liu Biao tou fought two hunts, earning more than five taels of silver. Also, the master gave us an extra five taels as a reward, totaling over twenty taels.”

Li Lao Si paid the money and pulled out a large package, reaching inside to take something out.

"Mother, the cloth in the south is inexpensive. I bought a lot of fine fabric. You can take a look and make new clothes for everyone at home, especially Jia Ren who is studying now. He needs to dress better."

On the other side, Jia Yi was also excited to give his younger brothers the small gadgets and snacks he had bought back, as well as a box of stationery.

In the south, literary style flourishes and the quality of the Four Treasures of the Study are excellent and more affordable.

He went to his fourth uncle for advice and spent two taels of silver to buy a set for his father.

Li La Er held it in his hand, his eyes red with excitement. This was the first time his son had been filial and given him such a good thing.

Either I've grown up and become more sensible.

Wu Cuiflower craned her neck, waiting for her son to bring her something. After a long while, she waited in vain. Angrily, she secretly tugged at her sleeve and gritted her teeth, but she dared not say anything.

That already-written resignation letter was truly terrifying to her.... We were busy dealing with the bandits' bodies when suddenly we noticed the door closed. We knocked, but those women had already hanged themselves!"Gu Qing heard this, and his expression actually sho...