"You little heartless one, you've got a heart of a thief!"Jia Yin heard the noise and saw her mother standing at the door, facing away from the setting sun. The faint glow of the sunset made her smile...If Liu Kui and Wang Sheng got their hands on it, they would have truly put ground croton in the cafeteria food. He estimated that he would be the one with the worst diarrhea.
Because he eats the most at every meal, perhaps his life will be in danger!
Another classmate also sighed and said, "People say that a biting dog doesn't bark, but Liu Kui and Wang Sheng are usually quite cheerful. It's really unexpected that they have such deep scheming!"
Jia Ren nodded and sighed, "I thought they just didn't like me a little. We were classmates after all, so I could bear with them and not mind their actions."
"Who would have thought they'd be so brazen, not only trying to ruin my imperial exam prospects but also aiming to bring the entire academy down!"
Suddenly, a usually very composed student bowed to Jia Ren and said, "Jia Ren, we have to thank you.
"You guys found out about this at home beforehand. If you wanted to retaliate against Liu Kui and Wang Sheng on the exam grounds, it would have been easy. But you didn't do that; instead, you chose to protect our academy. You truly are a man of great integrity."
Jia Ren quickly waved his hand and said in a low voice, "No, this is all I should do. To be honest, these two were also trying to get me into trouble, almost dragging the academy and everyone else down with me. You shouldn't blame me; I'm already very happy."
“Alright, alright!” The fat classmate stopped them from their back-and-forth greetings and said, “Instead of all this fussing around, why not show your gratitude with some concrete action You two are buying lunch today!”
A few classmates beside him were also cheering him on.
Jiarren said, "You all sit down for a bit. My Aunt Four is at the dining hall today. I'll go ask her to put in some effort and cook up some good dishes."
"Your aunt, she's the head chef for Xianke Lai's private kitchen Last time I went home on vacation, my uncle said he couldn't even get a reservation even if he tried!" The fat classmate was incredibly excited, his eyes shining.
He kept urging Jiaren, "Hurry up, hurry up! Please ask Aunt to prepare two good dishes for us. When I get home, I'll definitely have a taste and satisfy my uncle, so he won't keep bragging about all the good things he eats every day!"
Everyone burst into laughter, the sound filled with chatter and excitement.
Jia Ren got up and went to the back kitchen.
Li Laotai and Jia Yin had already moved closer, chatting with Zhao Yuru and Tao Hongying.
They were still worried, afraid that Jiaren's classmates would blame him and the Li family.
Although Liu Kui and Wang Sheng were in the wrong, without the private feud between the Li family and the Wang family or the Yan family, this matter probably wouldn't have escalated to the academy.
Thankfully, Jiarren said that the classmates didn't have any complaints and just wanted to try the home-cooked dishes.
Tao Hongying immediately agreed with joy, "I thought your uncle and the others would have lunch with Dean Zhou, so I prepared a lot of ingredients. As it turns out, they dispersed."
"Anyway, I've already straightened things out, so let's have a table of noodles for you and your classmates."
Jia Ren quickly waved his hand, not wanting his aunt to be too tired. "Fourth Aunt, you've worked hard enough already. Just stir-fry two dishes for the classmates to try something new. For the rest, we'll just get a set meal, and there will be plenty of dishes. The weather is hot, Auntie should take a break and don't worry so much about me."
Tao Hongying was especially pleased to hear her nephew say this, as he was so filial and sensible. She then said, "Go accompany your classmates quickly. Remember to sit in the private room. You don't have to worry about these small things."
Jia Ren was unable to and could only go back.
Li Laotai and Jia Yin couldn't help, so they went back to the small courtyard.
Li Zhensheng and Mr. Wen had something to do, so they went back to the city.
Li Lao'er didn't know why, he stayed behind. Seeing his mother and niece return, Li Lao'er went to meet them under the shady eaves of the corridor and talked with them.
“Mother, last night my elder brother, younger brother, and Mr. Wen slept together in one room. We all felt that the children at home shouldn't die studying; they should go out and see the world.”
"Jia Ren and Li Ge'er are definitely going to take the imperial examinations and become officials in the future. Mao Ge'er is still young, so it's uncertain what he will do. The three of them can wait."
"Jiaxi and Ji'an are not suited for studying. It's best to find them other paths. Though they've been at the academy for a while and have become more sensible, their studies are average, and they prefer playing around.
"
"How about this: let them take two or three weeks of leave each year after this, and follow the family fleet south It would broaden their horizons and give them a wider perspective. What do you think"
Li Laotai waved her fan vigorously, but it couldn't dispel the anxiety in her heart.
Actually, she also thought a lot last night.
The children are grown up, she can't keep them under her wing like a hen, shielding them from every gust of wind and storm.
That's what she wanted, but her wings were too small.
She is getting older, and she doesn't have as much energy or ability to look after her children anymore.
Like this time, if it weren't for the granddaughter being clever and noticing something amiss, who could have thought that children at the academy could still be framed
The Li family was no longer a humble farming household, and the dangers their children faced were no longer as trivial as falling into an ice hole, being bitten by a dog or scratched by a cat, getting stuck while climbing trees, or failing to retrieve bird eggs.
Instead, it often leads to the cutting off of one's career path or involves matters that could endanger many lives.
You might encounter it once, twice at home, but who can guarantee you'll be safe every time!
One has to be ruthless and let them go out. By experiencing storms, they will not fear the storms anymore...
You could say it this way, the coolness of wind and rain, the fierceness of wind and rain, she’s worked hard her whole life, she truly understands.
She can't bear to part with it!
I can't bear to see the children suffer!
Li Lao'er knew what his mother was thinking, and stopped persuading her. After all, he… also couldn't bear to part with it.
Jia Yin sat on the side, holding a small fox and blinking her big eyes. She agreed that it was good for her brothers to go out and gain experience.
Let's not talk about anything else, just Jia Yi and Liu Yang, who went down south with the boat several times alone. Now compared to before, they are much more steady in their actions.
Jixiang and Ji'an, the two older brothers, were exceptionally intelligent from a young age. Unfortunately, they struggled to grasp their studies. However, when it came to mischief, they were top-notch!
Perhaps by going out and seeing, they might find a path that they like and that suits them!
Seven sons in the Li family, all wanting to study, pass the imperial examinations, and become officials – it's simply unrealistic…
But she couldn't say that now, her grandmother would surely understand, and she didn't want to add fuel to the fire.
She thought this way, and then she went to her second uncle's side and whispered, "Second Uncle, let's open a flower shop together"
Flower shop
Li Laoer was still thinking about his nephews going out to practice, and for a moment he couldn't react, his face full of confusion.
It was rare to see the astute Second Uncle looking like this, so she giggled with delight.
Li Laoer came to his senses, reaching out to rub his niece's hair, smiling helplessly.
Jia Yin quickly told her second uncle, "Second Uncle, I have a lot of beautiful flowers at home. They are only put out on the days when my mother cooks private dishes. It's such a waste. Second Uncle, why don't you open a flower shop and move those famous flowers there"
"I heard from Master Wen that many high officials like flowers. From now on, our flower shop will only sell medium and low-grade flowers. We'll keep the good ones for ourselves to admire but not sell!"
Then those officials who liked famous flowers would come to our shop to see them. Whoever was kind to Second Uncle, we'd let them see the flowers, wouldn't they all then be kind to Second Uncle
"And I'm going to learn medicine from Grandpa Zhang in the future. I need to find medicinal plant seeds and seedlings. Those big officials' families definitely have a lot of people. If they want rare flowers, let them trade medicinal plant seeds and vegetable seedlings for them! What do you think"
Li La Er's eyes lit up the more he listened. This wasn't a flower shop, it was a great way to expand one's network!
As my niece said, there are plenty of officials in the court who love flowers.
Whoever comes to the shop to admire the flowers, please have a cup of tea.
If you're drinking tea with him, you should at least chat. You might even have to owe someone a favor to get him to part with a prized plant!
Through several interactions, he became acquainted with many people, expanding his network of contacts. He thus smoothly integrated into the imperial court.
By then, it won't be like this anymore. Looking around the court, he would only see the pathetic figures of Wen Yu Shi and Liu Zhi Heng, his two familiar faces...
Three more chapters are served.u family banquet and left early because we were impatient.”She then asked, "Is the meal for Third Brother ready"Jia Huan laughed and said, "There's just one dish missing. In fact, most of it is for t...