Chapter 157 Return to Li Village

The sound of sharpening a knife could be heard. Li Laosan was sitting by the pool sharpening the knife.

The weather has been getting warmer these days, so I took off my thick cotton-padded jacket.

He rolled up his sleeves to reveal his slender arms, and beads of sweat appeared on his dark yellow face.

After all, knife sharpening requires patience. Only by concentrating on sharpening can you get a sharp knife.

Soon Wang came over and handed him a bowl of water. Li Laosan took the water and drank it, then buried his head and continued to do his work.

Wang placed the bowl on the steps of the pool and frowned at Li Laosan: "Head of the family, is our son Ming living well with Master Li's family? Why doesn't he come back to see his mother?"

"My dear wife, you have no vision. How can it be bad for us to go to Master Li's house tomorrow? You don't know how rich Master Li is. I was almost scared to death when I went there first! Ha! That yard is so big, with a roof made of gold and a bed made of silver. You can smell the fragrance when you sleep. Not to mention the food and drinks at Master Li's house, which one is not better than the white porridge we eat at home? Why are you still worried about tomorrow? He is enjoying the good life with the third young master now!" Li Laosan said unhappily, wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked at the knife in his hand, and talked casually to Wang. He was disdainful of Wang's question.

After all, it was a pheasant that flew away from home, and being able to live in the phoenix's nest was already a great blessing, not to mention how good the food and drink were in Mr. Li's house.

If Li Laosan wasn't too old, he would also like to be a servant in Master Li's house.

Wang listened to what Li Laosan said. Although she felt that he was right, she couldn't let it go in her heart.

After all, no matter what, Li Yanming was born after ten months of hard work and was a piece of flesh that fell from her body.

No matter how well her son lives, she, as a mother, will still be somewhat worried.

As the saying goes, a mother worries about her child even when he is far away. A mother will always worry about her child's safety.

"Alas, Ming Er is so small"

"Tsk! How are you young? When I was Ming'er's age, I was already helping with farm work in the fields. How could I play around like Ming'er? Your mother was attracted by my ability, so she betrothed you to me, right?" Li Laosan said with a smile, not caring about Wang's worries.

He picked up the sharpened knife and walked towards the chicken coop not far away.

"I'm going to kill a chicken and send it to Mr. Li's house later."

"The scholar's family also wants chicken? Why do they like to eat this kind of chicken?" Wang asked with some confusion after listening to Li Laosan's words.

Although Li Xiucai's family was considered wealthy in the village, they were not very rich. After all, he was just a scholar, so how much ability could he have? If his ancestors had not been officials, the family would probably not have much surplus food.

Eating chicken and duck every day, even if the ancestors left a lot of inheritance, it would not be enough to spend. Moreover, if we eat chicken and duck every day, there are not many in the village. I guess in a few days, I will have to go outside the village to buy them.

"As a woman, don't ask about this. The scholar's family has the money and is willing, so there is no problem eating them every day. Besides, we have chickens to raise anyway, so we might as well sell them for some money." As Li Laosan was speaking, he grabbed a sturdy rooster with his hand.

With a flick of the knife, the chicken was killed. After washing it with freshly boiled water, the chicken feathers were soon plucked clean.

Wang helped him and took the chicken offal. For ordinary farmers, these things that rich people don't eat are all good meat.

The couple was busy when they heard some noise outside. Wang turned around and saw Li Yanming walking in with a young man and an old woman.

When Li Yanming saw Wang and Li Laosan in the courtyard, he was immediately overjoyed. He waved to them without even putting down his bag, and called out, "Dad! Mom! I'm back!"

Li Laosan also turned around quickly upon hearing the voice, and in an instant he showed a look of surprise. Just as he was about to say something, he saw Wang beside him running over and hugging Li Yanming.

"My son! My son! You are finally back!" Wang was so happy that she burst into tears and kept shouting while hugging Li Yanming. This made Li Yanming feel a little embarrassed.

He glanced at Li Daoxuan behind him and pushed Wang hard.

"Mom! Let me go!"

"Okay! Let me see if you've lost weight?" Wang listened to Li Yanming's words and let him go from her arms. She looked him up and down with a look of pity in her eyes, revealing a distressed expression. "You've lost weight, you've lost weight." "Mother, how have I lost weight!" Li Yanming didn't know whether to laugh or cry, and then pointed at Li Daoxuan behind him. "This is the third young master, he came back with me."

"The Third Young Master is here. He's really a rare guest! Please come in and sit down. Who is this?" Without waiting for Wang to answer, Li Laosan had naturally recognized Li Daoxuan. A look of surprise and excitement appeared on his face. He quickly invited Li Daoxuan to come in and rest, and winked at Wang at the same time.

But he was also puzzled as to why there was an old woman wearing tattered clothes beside him.

"Thank you, uncle. This is Granny Zhou whom we met on the road. She had nowhere to go, so she followed us to the village first."

Li Daoxuan bowed politely to Li Laosan, then walked into the house with a smile.

When he came to Li Yanming's house, he was naturally not polite.

"Third Young Master, you are so polite. Please take a seat. I think this Grandma Zhou is also tired. Why don't you go to the house to rest first?" Li Laosan showed a flattering smile on his face, and hurriedly went out to boil a pot of water again. Then he pulled Wang aside and whispered something in her ear.

Wang was surprised at first, then nodded as if she understood something.

"I know." Wang walked out of the yard carrying a basket and soon disappeared into the distance.

After Wang left, Li Laosan greeted Li Daoxuan and Grandma Zhou warmly.

After settling Grandma Zhou in the room to rest, the remaining three people sat in the living room to rest.

Li Yanming's house was very simple, very similar to the old house that Li Daoxuan remembered.

There are mud walls on all four sides, and the roof is made of black tiles and wooden beams. No one has cleaned it for a long time, and the wooden beams are covered with cobwebs.

A skylight is left on the tile for lighting, and under the skylight is a small square pool, which provides a place for rainwater flowing out of the skylight to go on rainy days.

Such buildings are quite common in rural areas in the south and are considered to be very practical.

The floor of the house is all mud. Although it has been compacted, it is still bumpy due to being trampled on by people all year round.

Li Daoxuan was a child born in the countryside in his previous life. He still remembered that his hometown was like this when he was a child. He often played marbles with others on the dirt floor of his home.

The furnishings in the house were also simple. Apart from the statue of God hanging in the center of the hall, there was only a dining table and a few stools, and there were not even many chairs.

It seems that this is the appearance of farmhouses in this era, and even in the next few decades. It will not be until much later that the countryside will begin to change.

After the water boiled, Li Laosan made tea for Li Daoxuan.

Smelling the tea in the cup, Li Daoxuan took a sip. The tea was dry and had little sweetness. It should be the wild tea leaves that Li Laosan picked nearby and then roasted by himself. It didn't taste as good as those famous teas, but it could quench thirst and satisfy cravings.

In times of famine, this tea could be eaten as a meal.

Seeing Li Daoxuan put down the tea bowl, Li Laosan asked Li Daoxuan: "I wonder what the Third Young Master is doing here now? Could it be that there is something wrong with my Yanming that needs to be sent back?"

"Not really, Yanming is a good kid." Li Daoxuan looked at the uneasy Li Yanming and smiled. "He helped me a lot on weekdays. He happened to pass by this time, so I brought him back to see him."

"Young master is merciful, young master is kind." Upon hearing this, Li Laosan hurriedly praised Li Daoxuan.

The flattery was so loud that Li Yanming felt a little ashamed.

How could I be as good as the Third Young Master said, Li Yanming thought to himself.

(End of this chapter)