Chapter 694: Old Black's Return

Brother, you mean..." He pointed his finger forward towards the villagers who were only just visible as shadows.Liu Tiezhu nodded and sneered, "It's fine for other people, but the Li family took thir...Li Lao'er was also persuading him, "Don't worry, Fourth Brother. This matter has been handed over to the Ministry of War for investigation. It will definitely come to light."

"It's just that you were unlucky. That soldier died suddenly, and you happened to be training your troops at the time."

"You stay home and rest. I'm here in the city to take care of things. Besides, I can't really deal with family matters back home and in the village right now. You handle them for me while you're there."

"It's Chinese New Year soon, so let's give mom and my siblings a helping hand."

Li Laosi nodded and quickly said, "Okay, second brother, just go busy, I'll take care of things at home."

"Ah, that's right!" Seeing her sons united, Old Lady Li felt a sense of contentment.

She patted her youngest son's shoulder and instructed, "Listen to your older brother. Rest well at home. Next spring, we'll be going out on campaign again. This year, just stay home peacefully for the New Year."

Tao Hongying had just been moved by her husband's predicament, her eyes welling up with tears. Now she quickly composed herself and said to her mother-in-law, "Mother, now that the fourth son is home, there's someone to help with the work. Let's make some glutinous rice tomorrow"

"The last batch of steamed sticky rice buns and fried dough sticks I made ran out quickly. Most were given away, and there wasn't even enough for everyone at home."

Jia Yin also joined in the fun and ran to hug her father's waist, shouting: "Dad, take me to eat roasted quail tomorrow, okay My brother is not at home, and no one roasts quail for me!"

"Good!" Old Man Li rubbed his daughter's head and replied with a smile: "Dad will find a big winnowing basket, scoop up ten or eight at a time, and then string them up to roast for you to eat!"

"Hmph, you two are just lazy! We have plenty of fat chickens at home and yet you insist on eating that bony little quail. You've got nothing better to do!"

"If you want to play, go ahead, just be careful not to set the haystack on fire!"

The family chatted and laughed, quickly dissolving the little bit of unhappiness in their hearts.

At this time, the village head, Zhao Shu, and Liu Diao Tou and others heard the news and came over as well.

Li Lao'er and Li Laosi accompanied them in conversation, while Tao Hongying prepared a good dinner for the old men.

The lamb legs brought back from the Hou Mansion earlier have been marinated all afternoon, and now they are being roasted in the oven.

Stew a small chicken with mushrooms, another dish with dried bean pods, potatoes and pork belly, stir-fry two simple side dishes, steam a large basin of white rice, heat up a steamer basket of steamed buns, and dinner is ready.

Thinking of the two pregnant women, Tao Hongying again boiled a chicken soup in an earthenware pot, cooked some small wontons, and paired it with a little bit of minced meat stir-fried salted cucumbers. This was Wen Fu's and Wen Juan's favorite dish.

As expected, when it was pitch black, Mr. Wen came with Mrs. Wen by his side.

Following closely behind, Qiao's wife carried a basket of eggs, a full two hundred, straight into the kitchen.

Li Lao Tai then asked: "At this time of year, are there still chickens that lay eggs"

Mrs. Wen glanced at Mr. Wen, her face slightly flushed, and said in a low voice: "My due date is after the Lunar New Year, and by then the chicks won't have laid eggs yet. Senior brother was afraid that I wouldn't have any eggs to eat during my confinement, so he moved all the chicks from the farm into the warm room."

Perhaps it wasn't cold enough, as the chickens were still laying eggs. I saved six hundred of them, enough for me and Wenjuan to use during our confinement period. These will be brought home for everyday consumption.

Hearing this, Old Madam Li was not at all reserved. Instead, she laughed and said, "Mr. Wen is truly doting on his daughter-in-law, considering even such small matters."

"He used to say he loved his wife dearly, but now it seems he doesn't even come close to Mr. Wen."

Tao Hongying laughed and said, "It's the end of the year, and the restaurant is too busy. Otherwise, Jiahuan would probably want to stay home all day guarding Wenjuan."

Everyone burst out laughing.

Mrs. Wen asked, "Have you found a suitable spot for Hongying's pickle shop"

Tao Hong's hands were busy, but she shook her head and replied, "Not yet, I've seen two, but they weren't to my liking."

Mrs. Wen said, "The other day when I was socializing, I met Mrs. Jia Er and she said she had a good friend who wanted to open a sundry shop. The location is very good."

"When our house is free another day, let's go for a stroll in the city"

"Alright," Tao Hongying said with a smile, "if it works out, Mrs. Jia Er would have done us a great favor. Next time she comes over, I'll cook two delicious dishes to thank her."

Just as they were laughing, Zheng He rushed in from outside and all the way to the main hall.

All were bewildered, and soon Lao Si Li came out, walking to the doorway of the kitchen and saying: “Fu Niu’er, Lao Hei and they are back.”

Perhaps he was worried that since this trip was to retrieve a skeleton, the qi would be heavy with negativity and he wouldn't come to pay respects. He just sent a message at the village entrance before returning.

Jia Yin quickly said, "Father, are you going Tell Old Hei and the others to rest well for today. We can talk about it tomorrow."

"Please also tell Xiao Cui's auntie to prepare some good wine and dishes for Lao Hei and the others, so they can eat and drink well."

"Alright, I'll go take a look. You guys don't need to wait for me to eat." Lao Si waved his hand and left.

In Ercun, things were bustling because Lao Hei and the others had returned.

We're all brothers who have come up through the battlefield. Who among us doesn't have a few souls on our hands So no one minds the bad vibes at all.

Thus, Lao Hei and their dormitory was crammed full of people at this moment.

Lao Hei and his companions brushed off the dust of travel and settled onto the warm kang, sharing idle chatter with their old brothers.

Even, they took out the wolf and mink skins they had hunted in the mountains to show off, which made everyone envious.

Xiaocui was accompanied by several women, all nimble-handed.

When Li Lao Si arrived, the food was already on the table.

Everyone quickly went down to pay their respects to Lao Si Li. Lao Si Li directly took off his shoes and climbed onto the kang, inviting Lao Hei and others to sit together. As they ate, he inquired about the situation in the north.

Seeing him like this, everyone relaxed and started talking freely about whatever came to mind.

Especially after a few bowls of wine, the house became even more lively.

Although Guo Wenhao is young, he has suffered a lot and studied with Mr. Wen for so long, so he is very thoughtful in his actions.

This time, they went north to retrieve the bones, venturing deep into the mountains. Lao Hei and the others did their best, and he was also generous with his help.

In the afternoon, the skeleton was transported to Guo's estate. Guo Wenhao directly settled the payment and doubled it.

Lao He and the others each earned twenty taels. Adding to what they had made from their trip to Yunzhou Prefecture, everyone now had almost fifty to sixty taels of silver.

Don't underestimate this amount of silver.

This is enough for a family of three to live for five or six years, or even get married with great pomp and circumstance.

After drinking half a bottle of wine, people joked and said they would introduce their wives to Lao Hei and the others.

Lao Hei and the others were used to freedom, and they didn't want to be tied down by their wives, children, and families for now, so they quickly waved their hands to refuse.

Although the crowd was boisterous, it was all in good fun and they wouldn't force them to do anything.

But someone just didn't understand the hint and actually took it to heart.

This person was not someone else, but the young daughter-in-law who baked clothes in the workshop. She was also the one who had complained that the Li family's gifts were too meager when she first moved in.

Her husband's last name was Kong, his name was Kong Qinghe, so everyone called her Mrs. Kong.

This concubine's sister is a shrewish and arrogant woman. She is 18 years old this year and hasn't found a husband yet.

Although Lao Hei and his men were all about thirty years old, they had made a lot of money and were also favored by the princess!

Kōng's mother-in-law pondered, "If I could find a husband for my sister, not only would her life be better, but I too would benefit..."only this one...He sighed inwardly, but when he turned his head to see Li Lao Er, his eyes suddenly lit up.The Li family acts cautiously and always has a backup plan for everything.There might be a se...