Traveling through an ancient military camp: Bao'er's survival song

When Li Baobao's mother was first terrified by the bad news of her eldest son, she never imagined that her little girl, who couldn't read very well, might have misread the words. Now that she knew her eldest son was alright, she breathed a sigh of relief. Her legs went weak, and she collapsed to the ground, groaning as she recovered. Once she was finally able to stand up, she thanked Li Xiucai profusely and asked him to read the letter aloud in its entirety. Finally, she warmly invited him to come over later for some rock sugar pig's head.

Although the fright was caused by Sanya, Li Baobao's mother couldn't bear to scold or beat the child. She just tapped Sanya's forehead a few times with her finger, then pulled her back into the house to clean up the pig's head that had rolled into the ashes.

After the big pig's head was cleaned and then braised in a pot with various seasonings, Bao Bao's mother, who had been busy non-stop, couldn't help but laugh out loud when she remembered the misunderstanding earlier.

Sanya, who was tending the fire nearby, hurriedly asked, "Mom, what are you laughing at?"

Bao Bao's mother couldn't stop laughing, poking San Ya's head a few more times with her finger as she said, "Haha, this one character, haha, has two ways of being read, hahaha, you scholar, hahahaha, you already have so many characters, are you just going to make a few more? What are you trying to save on, hahahahahaha!"

Just then, Bao Bao's father, Li Balu, returned home. He heard his wife's hearty laughter from across the room, and a smile spread across his face. He dropped his luggage, walked into the kitchen, and asked with a smile, "What's making you so happy?"

Sanya, who was tending the fire, heard her father's voice and jumped happily into Li Balu's arms. Meanwhile, Bao Bao's mother wiped away tears of laughter as she told her husband what had just happened, filling the whole house with a joyful atmosphere.

While the pig's head was being braised, the couple had a private chat, and then instructed Sanya to call Li Xiucai over for dinner.

This scholar, Li, has been in Menglian Mountain for almost a year. It's said his family originated from Li Family Village in Menglian Mountain, but they had all left to seek their fortunes since his grandfather's generation. While the outside world offered many opportunities, it also had many capable people, and his family had always struggled. He, being a scholar who couldn't lift a finger, was now in his thirties and still unmarried. After his parents passed away, Li decided to return to his roots and become a schoolteacher in Li Family Village.

The village chief and the Li family head checked the family genealogy and found that there was indeed a villager named Li Sigen who had gone out to make a living and then disappeared. In addition, there were very few scholars in this small mountain village. Although Li Xiucai claimed to be of mediocre talent, he was the most learned person in this small mountain village. So they readily transferred Li Xiucai's household registration and registered him.

Li Xiucai was humble and polite, but lacked the pedantry often associated with scholars. On the contrary, he possessed a generous and enthusiastic nature, so he quickly integrated into Li Family Village in Menglian Mountain. Many aunties and older women even vied to find him a wife. However, Li Xiucai claimed that he needed to observe three years of mourning for his parents, which sadly caused those enthusiastic women to leave.

Sanya ran to Li Xiucai's house and called him over for meat. Li Xiucai didn't hesitate and followed Sanya to Li Youba's house, where Li the accountant was staying. The two brothers ate braised pig's head with rock sugar made by Baobao's mother, drank a few ounces of wine, and chatted happily. In the end, their brotherly friendship deepened.

Although Bao Bao's mother wasn't eating at the same table as them, she kept her ears open, listening to what was happening over there. She was afraid that the child's father might lose his temper after drinking and reveal the secret of their second child. Therefore, she ate absentmindedly, preparing to rush over and stop him immediately if he said anything inappropriate.