whole life to state affairsTo serve the country and the people in this way, putting the nation before one's own family, even to the point where one's heart contains only the country and not the home,...Everyone got up and went back to their rooms, leaving Lao Si Lee chuckling and approaching his wife. She pinched him on the waist, not hurting but tickling him intensely...

After a silent night, the next day, the whole family got up early.

Last night, over a hundred soldiers' meals were taken care of by the villagers. We can't trouble them for breakfast again.

Luckily, the makeshift stove was set up yesterday.

Tao Hongying, Zhao Yuru and Jiahuan, as well as Dongmei and Qiong's mother, all came to help. Soon they cooked a large pot of rice porridge, boiled the salted duck eggs and goose eggs at home, and pan-fried golden scallion pancakes.

Half of it was sent to the valley to feed the soldiers, and the rest was breakfast for the family.

Since there were still three of them, Liu's wife and her son, in the Cui family, Tao Hongying specially steamed egg custard and stir-fried two small dishes, asking Qiong's maid to take them back.

While everyone was still enjoying their meal before the guests arrived, the family members all gave Jia Yin her birthday presents.

The old women, Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying, were all in rags. Li Laoer gave his niece a small set of brushes, suitable for a young girl like her to practice writing.

Li Laosan made a set of half-human-height table and chairs for his niece, also prepared for his niece to study and write.

Jiarren and Lig'er, one painting and the other writing calligraphy, painted a picture of beautiful women for their younger sister, hoping that she would grow up to be as beautiful and graceful.

Jiā'ān Jiāxǐ and Mǎo gē'er sent these to their little sister, all of which were their most beloved trinkets in everyday life.

Jia Yin's hands trembled as she received the gift, her smile reaching her ears.

It doesn't matter if things are expensive or not, the thought counts most. These things all represent the overflowing love of her family!

Soon, Mrs. Cui and Mrs. Liu arrived with their children. Mrs. Cui sent a set of gold jewelry, and Mrs. Liu, perhaps knowing Jiayin's preferences, sent a gold necklace.

Both of the Liu family's boys had gifts, and they gave Jia Yin an elaborately carved wooden ball.

Perhaps the wooden ball was fitted with a bell, and as it rolled, it produced a crisp and pleasant sound, which was quite novel and amusing.

Then, Mr. Wen and Liu Zhiheng arrived together in a carriage. The two Liu family boys rushed to the door to greet them, calling out "Father."

Liu Zhiheng had been immersed in Yunhe Town for several months, tanned like a wild man. Today, he wore a sapphire silk robe that made him appear even darker and somehow awkward.

Not to mention everyone else, even Liu's wife couldn't help but laugh.

Liu Zhiheng naturally knew, ha-ha laughed so openly, and then gave Jiayin a golden pixiu, as big as an egg.

Jia Yin loved it to the point of madness, but the old woman found it too precious.

Liu Zhiheng waved his hands again and again, "Auntie, don't refuse. This is hollow, it's not worth much money, just to make the child happy."

Even an hollow one, this large Pixiu would take three or four ounces of gold to make.

The old woman couldn't refuse any longer, so she could only let Jiayin take it. She thought about adding more gifts to Liu family when they visited later.

Mr. Wen gave Jiayin a personally handwritten collection of poems, containing one hundred widely circulated poems. Each poem is accompanied by an illustration, making it very beautiful.

Jiao Yin today still wore a red dress, but it was a masterpiece embroidered by Hui Niang over half a month.

Because Jia Yin's title had not been announced, the old woman, being cautious, did not use silk but only sent a large red piece of fine cotton cloth to Hui Niang.

But Hui-niang was skilled with her needlework. She made a blouse with three-quarter sleeves and a small, stand-up collar that opened diagonally, and a pleated skirt to go with it.

The skirt was embroidered with goose-yellow flowers, the cuffs and collar were all the same floral pattern, only the front of the garment had butterflies flying.

Jiayin was naturally plump and fair, with two flower buds on her head tied with red ribbons. She wore a gold necklace with pendant in front, making her even more cute and lovely.

At this moment, she stood before everyone, bowing respectfully and thanking them. For a fleeting second, she truly resembled a young child.

Mrs. Cui was the first to help her up, embracing her and saying with emotion, “The first time I met Fu Niu, she couldn’t even speak. It seems like just a blink of an eye, and she's grown so much!”

"Yes," the old woman sighed as well, "I always worried about her learning something, but thinking about it carefully, I couldn't bear to... A young girl, she was only relaxed and carefree at home for these ten years or so."

Li Laosi said nonchalantly, "Our Fu Niu won't get married when she grows up. She'll just marry into our family. We can afford to raise a son-in-law!"

Everyone burst into laughter, and even Mrs. Li couldn't help but scoff, "You old fool! A father like you is truly shameless! How can you be so worried about your daughter that you won't let her get married"

Li Lao Si chuckled, remained silent, but it was obvious that he had been planning this all along.

Jia Ren's brothers looked at each other and all thought the idea was great.

Instead of worrying that your sister might be wronged when she goes to someone else's house, it's better to keep her at home. That way, you won't have to worry so much!

Seeing the appearance of the Li family, Mrs. Liu felt three parts disappointment and seven parts envy.

Of course, I envy the unity of each branch within the Li family.

Life is not afraid of hardship, but it fears that the people in one's home will be estranged. A family like Li's is truly rare and precious.

The disappointment stemmed from her petty thoughts...

The Li family is prosperous and dotes on their granddaughter, Fu Niu. Now that they see Li Da is about to become successful and Li Si has military merit, if their family can marry into the Li family, their son will also have a good in-law's family in the future.

But who would have thought, Li Jia's granddaughter had reached the point of refusing to let her get married...

The crowd laughed and chatted, quickly bustling about to prepare for the feast.

Originally, the meal was prepared for all the villagers, both young and old, plus a dozen or so guests. Now that there are one hundred soldiers added, everything needs to be doubled.

And when the Marquis returns, he'll probably bring dozens of people with him...

Just in case, everyone was worried about not having enough food, they cooked with all their might, frying, stir-frying, boiling, steaming rice and steamed buns!

Not only were the temporary stoves hastily built by the Li family put to use, but every household in the village was also busy.

Your family's big pot is stewing beans and meat, my family's big pot is stewing chicken and mushrooms, her family's is lamb soup with carrots, and the neighbors have two big pots of rice and steamed buns...

The whole village was filled with the aroma of delicious food because of this feast and celebration.

Luckily, there is no shortage of vegetables at this time. After slaughtering a pig and two sheep, there was enough oil and water in the dishes.

Even the patch of emerald cucumbers and golden fruits, intentionally left in the field, had been harvested.

Each table had a large platter of it in the center, considered the star dish!

Zhao Yuru was stir-frying the slices of meat in the pan when she saw Tao Hongying add a basin of green peppers. She couldn't help but laugh, "This chili is so spicy! Last time I sent a basket to Luo An, Jiahuan also fried meat with it. It was so spicy that I drank a whole bowl of cold water. But Jiaren and Li Ge’er both love to eat it!"

Tao Hongying also smiled, "During the spring season, I originally planned to plant a little less, but Fu Niu held onto the bag and wouldn't let go. There was no way, so I planted it all down, covering a whole half acre."

"I thought it was a waste of effort, but I didn't expect this thing to have such a strong flavor. People who like it really love it, and those who don't like it can't even stomach a bite."

At this time, the bell pepper was stir-fried in the pot, and the spiciness wafted out, causing everyone in the courtyard to cough and ask, "What is this thing, why is it so spicy!"s sleeves and, accompanied by his attendants, barged straight in. He knocked over countless hats and shoes, pushing through the crowd until they reached the front and secured a spot for themselves.So...