entirely made up of local landed gentry, accumulating wealth over generations. Their landholdings spanned thousands of acres, yet their tax payments were meager.The court is short of food now, and th...Liu Zhiheng rubbed his temples, the authority he had just established was so easily shattered by his father!

Zhimin and Xiujie giggled and rushed into the courtyard to play with Jiayuan, Jixi, and Mao'er.

Soon, the mischievous group assembled successfully and went off to who knows where to cause trouble...

The village head was also waving his pipe and scolding the boys, "Quickly put down Jiaren and Ligao, don't break our scholar master!"

The boys giggled and sent Jiarren and Liguer onto the stairs, then dispersed with laughter.

Jia Ren and Li Ge'er quickly tidied their clothes, then bowed to the elders.

"Good, good children, get up quickly!" Old Master Liu quickly reached out and helped Jiaren up. The village head also helped Liguer up, then led them into the house, followed by Li Laotai and Li Laoer and others.

For a while, the room was packed with people, chatting and laughing. It was so lively that it felt like the roof was going to be blown off...

Hui Niang brought in several fruit platters with sliced jade gourds and golden fruits.

The village head, fearing misunderstanding, quickly said, "These were bought from the big locust tree. They're from our melon field, and we haven't dared to pick them yet... In a few days, let's take some as an offering to the emperor, have him eat the first bite, and then we can open the garden."

Everyone nodded in agreement, took the jade melon and golden fruit and ate them. Perhaps it had been a year since they last tasted them, everyone felt that the taste was not bad either.

Mr. Liu, the elder, thought more deeply about it.

In the court, or among noble families in private, many people often said that the emperor favored the Li family too much.

But, how could they not see how the Li family did things!

Even a melon has to wait for the emperor to take the first bite before it is sold in the market.

This loyalty and gratitude are truly invaluable.

Look at them, they only think about constantly extracting benefits from the emperor's hands, but they never think about giving back anything to the emperor.

Even if someone else became the emperor, they would probably prefer the Li family over those who sing praises on the surface but are greedy and shameless inside.

In the courtyard, the women from the village had almost finished their chores.

Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru put on their aprons, and they could start stir-frying.

With so many women gathered, idle chatter was inevitable. And on such a festive occasion, the kitchen soon became as lively as a boiling pot.

Jia Yin hadn't seen Mrs. Wen in ages, so she rushed into her aunt's arms, acted cute, and then curtsied to Mrs. Liu. She "convinced" them to give her a sky-blue peace charm to wear on her waist, then giggled, grabbed a box of snacks, and went off to play with her brothers.

Zhimín and Xiùjué were looking at Jiā'ān and Jiākǎi, the two brothers, with envy in their eyes. They were thinking about going home to ask their grandfather to let them go to Quanzhou too!

Maoge'er was very despondent because he had been making a fuss for two days, but his family refused to give in and wouldn't let him go south with his two older brothers.

Jia Yin walked over and saw her brothers sitting under the big tree at the village entrance. She began to clamor to join them.

Shui Ling was also bold, carrying the little master, she climbed up without hesitation.

On a thick tree trunk, sat five children in a row. Four boys were sandwiched between a chubby little girl. It was just too adorable to look at!

Jia Yin opened the snack box and they shared it among themselves.

The snacks were crispy and sweet, so even Meowgeorget forgot his earlier sadness.

On a hot summer day, sitting on a tree trunk, enjoying the breeze and shade, with some snacks, there is truly nothing more pleasant and carefree.

Jia Yin couldn't help but sigh, she wished she had a camera!

Capture this moment. When they grow up and go their separate ways, looking at the photo will remind them of the happiness and joy they shared during their youth.

After the snacks, Dongmei also came over. She hopped down onto the stones under the tree and hugged Jiayin, then smiled: "Dinner is ready at home. The Fourth Madam made braised lion's head meatballs. You little masters better hurry back, or you won't get any!"

The four little boys' eyes lit up immediately, and they slid down the tree trunk and ran home.

Mrs. Liu saw that both of her sons' silk jackets were worn thin, she reproached them with a few words, then said to Li Lao Tai: "Girls are still better. My two boys almost drove me crazy."

Lao Li was holding her chubby granddaughter, shaking her head with a chuckle and a tear in her eye. "Other people's daughters are probably quiet and well-behaved, but ours is a little demon! Look at this dress, it was just changed this morning, and she got it stained with grass. I'm afraid it won't come out..."

Everyone laughed, mischievous children truly know no gender.

Mr. Liu, the old patriarch, called his grandson forward and said, "I was delayed by something earlier. In a few days, I'll send them to Lu'an to keep company with JIAREN and LI GE'ER. They don't need to learn too much, just learning three points from JIAREN and LI GE'ER, our family would be burning incense with joy."

Li Lao'er quickly said: "Zhimin and Xiujie are good children, they're just a bit too playful. Luoan Academy has a free learning environment, the teachers are knowledgeable, and they don't force the children to study hard all the time. It's really not bad.

"It's good for the two children to go to school, our family still has a canteen open. We live in the dormitory and eat at the canteen, we don't have to worry about anything."

Li Laosan also said, "Our family has a courtyard outside the academy. It's convenient for the boys to go out and stay there occasionally."

Mrs. Liu quickly said, "Our family already has a courtyard in Luo'an Town. We will have people take care of it these few days. In the future, when the two boys are at the academy, we will have to trouble you."

"But that yard is just sitting there anyway. I'll give Yuru a key, just in case we have lots of people at our place, we can go stay there occasionally, like it's our own home."

Li Lao Tai didn't decline either, and smiled: "Alright, let the boys come over to play occasionally. The house has been empty for too long, without any life in it, it's easy to fall into disrepair."

The two families were close, like family. They could understand each other with just a few words and didn't need too many polite formalities.

Soon, the feast was set up. The front yard was filled with men, the back yard with women and children, and the courtyard with relatives.

Although there were many people, they were all arranged.

For a moment, cups were raised in toast, everyone congratulating the two successful scholar-gentlemen. This made both Jiaren and Lig'er blush, but they still returned the courtesy gracefully.

Li Zhensheng and Li La Er's eyes were faintly red.

What could be more joyous for elders than their children succeeding in life!

Everyone ate, drank, laughed and chatted, the atmosphere was extremely lively.

Li Lao'er and Li Zhensheng, accompanied by Jia Ren and Li Ge'er, went from table to table, offering toasts and expressing their gratitude to their fellow villagers for their support.

In the backyard, women were impatient with the stuffy heat inside and moved the banquet under the grape trellis. They didn't drink alcohol and quickly finished their meal.

Mrs. Wen asked, "When will Jia'an and Jiaxi sail south These two boys must be overjoyed."

"They'll be leaving in three or two days," Li Lao Tai replied. "These two boys are so impatient, they wish they had wings to fly there right away! Fortunately, Jia Yi and Liu Yang have run with the fleet several times, so they are familiar with the road and can also keep them in check. Otherwise, I really wouldn't feel at ease."a ha, this child is really so articulate!" Mrs. Liu laughed heartily, patting Jia Yin's back and saying, "Quickly get a basket for your aunt. Your aunt didn't bring less silver today, I'll give you so...