"Okay." Shen Congzhou had no objection. He responded and picked him up and put him on the ground.

After stabilizing himself, Xiao Ruijing bowed politely to him again, "Thank you, sir."

Shen Congzhou said "hmm" expressionlessly, but the look in his eyes as he looked at him was clearly filled with relief and satisfaction.

How could he not be satisfied? This was a disciple he had personally taught. Little Ruijing was already doing very well in something he hadn't even been able to do when he was younger.

All children tend to be playful and restless at times, and he was no exception when he was little. But little Ruijing was different. Ever since he started teaching little Ruijing, the little guy has behaved differently. He not only learns quickly but can also apply what he has learned to other situations.

When he was a child, he would cause headaches for his father, brothers and teacher, but he never felt these troubles from little Ruijing.

With such a disciple, he can say that he has no regrets in his life.

After greeting and chatting for a while, everyone started walking towards the farm. When they passed by the tenant farmers, everyone, whether familiar or unfamiliar, was very friendly to Xiao Li and his friends.

"Boss, you're back!"

"Boss, I have some sweet potatoes here. My son just cooked them. They're still hot! Do you want to try some?"

"Mr. Dong, it's been a long time since we last met. If you have time, take the little Dong family out to play! Erya and the others have learned a lot of fun things and said they want to play with the little Dong family!"

"Oh my! In just over half a year, the baby boss has grown so much taller!"

"The same is true for Dong'er's family! Dong and his husband are both tall among men and boys. Isn't it normal for their children to be tall? Maybe Dong and his family grew this fast when they were young?"

"There are so many guards following behind! The horses they ride are so majestic!"

"They still have weapons!"

……

In response to the tenant farmers' enthusiasm, Xiao Li nodded calmly and did not interact with them too much.

As the village head, Niu Dahe could tell that his young master had no intention of speaking to outsiders, so he calmly diverted their attention. "Didn't you say you wanted to rent a few more acres of land to farm after the autumn harvest? I happen to be free right now. If you have any ideas, please tell me first. The young master is back soon, so I can report the results to him and you can rest assured sooner."

"Okay, okay, I'll notify my dad and ask him to come over."

"I have to go back and ask my mother."

"My family has already discussed it, so I can make the decision myself."

……

Although the Xiao Li family has made their lives much better in recent years and they are truly grateful to them, Xiao Li has to step back a little when it comes to matters concerning their livelihood.

Soon, most people dispersed and went home, and the rest followed Niu Dahe.

Xiao Li, Xiao Shugen and Xiao Lao San walked in front, while Lu Yuan and the children walked behind with the others, receiving caring greetings from their elders.

Xiao Shugen glanced back at the young men who had dismounted and were leading their horses. He lowered his voice and asked Xiao Li, "Li'er, what's going on with these people? Are we going to have another addition to our family?"

Xiao Shugen felt embarrassed to talk about buying slaves. He had been farming all his life and had always been an honest man. He was also kind to everyone in the village. He had never thought of following the example of those rich families and treating the people they bought as slaves.

Xiao Li knew what he meant and shook his head, "No, they are people sent by others to escort us. They will stay in the capital for a while."

"So, were you protected by others all the way back?" Xiao Shugen had experienced famine and knew how dangerous it was to escape during a disaster. "Then shouldn't we thank them? Or give them some more food and silver?"

Although the famine in the three northern states did not affect the capital, after the news spread, the people living near the capital began to stockpile grain, and the grain shops in the city began to double their prices.

They have been living in the city for more than half a year. If they didn't have their own farmland and vegetables, they don't know how much money they would have to spend on food.

The situation outside is so chaotic nowadays, and it took a lot of effort for them to send the person back. How can we not express our gratitude for this life-saving act?

Xiao Li nodded, "Don't worry, Grandpa, I know what I'm doing."

"That's good. I trust Li'er to do things." Xiao Shugen asked about their experiences on the road. When he heard that there were refugees who wanted to rob them, he felt worried. Later, when he heard that everything was resolved smoothly, he felt relieved.

Xiao Laosan's reaction was exactly the same as his, lifting it up and then putting it down.

Seeing the two people's moods fluctuating, Xiao Li couldn't help but want to laugh, but considering that these two were elders after all, he managed to hold back and didn't say it out loud.

Everyone walked slowly and talked along the way, and it took them twice as long as usual to get back to the house.

The house, which had not been lived in for more than half a year, should have been covered with a layer of dust, but it seemed that it had been cleaned in advance. Now it was very clean inside and the air was flowing. It didn't look like anyone had not lived in it for more than half a year.

As soon as Aunt Xianglan came back, she went to the kitchen to boil water. Li Jinhua went to get some cakes and preserved fruits and put them on the table. "Knowing you'd be back soon, Xianglan and her husband came back specially to ask for help to clean up the house and ventilate it. Now you can move in directly."

She paused for a moment, distributing the preserved fruits to the three little ones, and asked Xiao Li, "Li'er, are we going to live on the farm or in the city from now on?"

Upon hearing this, except for Xiao Ruixue who was concentrating on eating the preserved fruits, and Xiao Jingnian who was a little slow to react, everyone else including Xiao Ruijing was looking at Xiao Li.

While they were scolding Xiao Li, Xiao Li was also observing the different reactions of the crowd, and finally his gaze fell on Li Jinhua.

Perhaps because he ate well and slept well, the old man looked even younger than when Xiao Li first came into this world a few years ago. He was wearing clean and soft cotton clothes and had a crystal clear jade bracelet on his hand.

Although the old man tried his best to hide it, he still showed some nervousness.

Xiao Li pondered for a moment, "Grandma, are you not used to living in the city? Or do you prefer the farm?"

"Of course I like Zhuangzi more!" Li Jinhua blurted out her true feelings without hesitation, looking embarrassed. After a moment, she sighed, "We don't know anyone in the city, and when we go out, those people look down on us and think we are an eyesore.

Although the house is big, it’s still boring to stay in it all the time. We are all villagers and can’t live the good life of those wealthy families. Life on the farm is good enough for us.”

Li Jinhua nudged Xiao Shugen with her elbow and then signaled her with her eyes to say something quickly.

What she said was also what Xiao Shugen was thinking. However, as the head of the family, Xiao Shugen always thought more than her. "It is indeed more comfortable and free to live in the village, but Baoer has learned a lot from living in the city for more than half a year. I think it is better for our children to stay in the city in the future. They can see more things in the city.

My third uncle and I have been working as peasants all our lives, just to make life better for our family and to give our children a good future.

Life is good now, and Bao'er isn't too young anymore. In two years, they'll be grown up too. We can't always stay with us on the farm. When they grow up, whether they get married or take the imperial examinations to become officials, it would be bad if they imitate our peasant ways and make people laugh at them."

The love of the parents is far-reaching.

As the head of the family, although Xiao Shugen has never been educated, he still knows the most basic truth: if you want your children to go further and better in the future, you should let them live in a better environment as much as possible.

He had no theoretical knowledge and his conclusions were entirely based on Xiao Li. After all, in his opinion, their Li'er was so successful now because he was noticed by a teacher and taken to the county to study at a young age.

"Grandpa is right," Xiao Li nodded, indicating that he understood. He then looked at Xiao Lao San and Lin Cao and asked them, "What do Third Uncle and Third Uncle think?"

Xiao Laosan was actually not used to living in the city either, but after hearing what his father said and being nudged in the waist by his husband's elbow, he said insincerely at Lin Cao's glance, "I think my father is right. Although I'm not used to living in the city, for the sake of the children, it's better for us to live in the city."

Lin Cao also nodded in agreement. "It's good to live in the city. Besides, our family is not bad now. We have a carriage at home. If we feel uncomfortable living in the city, we can come back and stay for a few days, and then go back."

"I see." Xiao Li looked at his father-in-law, whose hand was held by his young husband, and asked, "What about the little daddy?"

"Me?" Lin Qing didn't expect him to ask this question. After a moment of contemplation, he said, "It doesn't matter to me. I'll be wherever the children are. Don't worry about me."

Strictly speaking, he and the Xiao family cannot be considered a family. It is good enough that no one dislikes him. How can he be picky?

Besides, he has always only wanted to be with his son. Now that he has a few more grandchildren, his attention has gradually shifted from his son to his grandchildren.

It's not that he ignores his son because of the generation gap or because he has a grandson. The main reason is that his son has grown up and has his own family. As his father, he can't always stick to his son. Even if Xiao Li doesn't think that his father-in-law is annoying, he himself will feel shameless.

After asking all the elders in the family, Xiao Li looked at his young husband.

Without him having to speak, Lu Yuan knew what he wanted to say, and before he could ask, she said, "Husband, I think we can spend half of each month living in the city and half on the farm.

The school should be finished by now, right? I promised to teach the children to read and write. I can't just not do it for no reason. If I do, the children in the village will be sad.

Besides, the babies are still young, so there is no need to rush to go to the city to see too much. Now it is enough to let them learn to read and write with Mr. Shen. When we go to the city, we will take them out to see around. The same goes for Baoer.

And there’s…”

At the end of his speech, he seemed to be hesitant to speak and could only look at Xiao Li with a pleading look.

Anyway, if you are in doubt, go to Xiao Si.

Xiao Li understood him, but after all, he was not a worm in his stomach. How could he guess what he wanted to say all the time? Therefore, he guessed several reasons before he knew what he wanted to say. "Are you worried that the children will meet those playboys outside and then learn badly?"

"Yeah!" Lu Yuan looked at him with sparkling eyes. Anyone could see her admiration for him. "Husband, you are amazing!"

A smile flashed in Xiao Li's eyes, and his gentle gaze made him lower his head in embarrassment. Then he asked about the children in the family one by one.

I don't know what Bao Ge'er has learned in the city in the past six months. He now thinks he is the elder of Xiao Ruixue and the others. He frowned deeply before speaking, and then...

"I listen to Fourth Brother! Fourth Brother is the best! What Fourth Brother says must be right!"

Everyone: "..." You thought about it for a long time and this is what you came up with?

As the little dad who cares about him the most, Lin Cao couldn't help but turn his head and hide his face behind Xiao Lao San. It was really...

This shameless little brother doesn't look like his son at all! He must have learned this from that blockhead Xiao Lao San!

As he thought about it, he couldn't help but look up and glare at Xiao Lao San.

Being stared at, Xiao Lao San looked innocent and confused:???

Why was Fu Lang glaring at him again? Was he still angry about what happened last night? But didn't Fu Lang say he wasn't angry anymore? Could it be that Fu Lang was lying to him? Oh! Why was Ge Er's mind so hard to understand? He didn't know how Li Er had coaxed Yuan Er so well. Otherwise, he would go ask him some other day.

Lin Cao, who was still "venting his anger", had no idea what changes his unintentional actions would bring to his life. Although it was often ridiculous, it was sometimes very useful.

The most important thing is that he, a piece of wood, is willing to spend time and effort on me, what else do I want?

Little Ruixue was Xiao Li's absolute second-in-command. When she heard what her uncle said, she nodded in agreement, "Daddy is the best!"

Not only him, Xiao Li now has a third brainless fan: Xiao Jingnian.

After Xiao Ruixue finished speaking, he seemed to have just realized what Bao Ge'er said, "Uncle is right."

He looked so serious that I would have thought he had said it after careful consideration.

In fact, the elders in the family were really fooled by his appearance. It was only after several days that they realized that he was not thinking, but was simply slow to react.

Little Ruijing was beside him. He turned his head to look at him, then nodded and said "hmm".

Xiao Li raised an eyebrow at his eldest son's reaction, "Jing'er, do you think daddy is the best?"

Little Ruijing looked up at him, pursed his lips and said nothing.

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