Chapter 305: The Cage and the Beast

ons into town for a stroll and bought a lot of things. There were gifts for everyone in the family, young and old.The old woman and the daughters-in-law were dressed in plain clothes, while Jia Ren a...Now the house has plenty of silver. After all, we bought that courtyard in town for over 500 taels, just like that.

But life had become simple, and unless it was a major holiday or they had guests visiting, the Li family still wasn't used to extravagance.

This way, with both meat and vegetarian options, everyone, young and old, can have a satisfying meal, which is great!

After the dinner table was cleared, Tao Hongying brought two pieces of fabric to find the old lady.

"Mother, I think the training clothes worn by Jiaren and his academy friends look very good, with narrow sleeves that allow for ease of movement when raising their hands or feet. I found two pieces of sturdy and durable fabric, should we have a set tailored for Lord Hou to try on"

"Alright, I'll sew with you." The old woman readily agreed and helped pull open the fabric.

"Lord Hou has always been so good to our Fu Niu, we truly have nothing to repay him with. We can only provide more food and necessities for him. Remember to wait until the weather is better and make some dried noodles and jerky. Today those people don't seem like good sorts, I think Lord Hou might have to go on a campaign again."

"I thought so too." Tao Hongying had just replied when Li Laosi walked in and sat on the edge of the kang, remaining silent for a long while.

Jia Yin originally held a cloth tiger, seeing her father's face was wrong, she crawled over.

Li Lao Si was unusually not holding his young daughter. He gently rubbed her soft hair and then got up to kneel on the ground, "Mother, I have something to say."

The old woman was threading a needle when the tip pricked her finger, drawing a drop of blood.

She slowly turned her head to look at her youngest son, as if she had thought of something, and her heart sank.

Li Lao Si lowered his head, not daring to look at his mother's face. He took a deep breath and blurted it out.

"Mother, today's fire that burned down Dingbeihou's residence was done by your son. Your son hates him for scolding Fu Niu and making you angry. But your son is just an ordinary citizen, while he is a marquis. Your son couldn't openly fight him. He could only use some underhanded tactics. Just like that man surnamed Jiao back then, who almost killed all of us at the docks, your son could only strip him naked and humiliate him. He didn't dare to kill him for fear of dragging his family down!"

He hit his head on the ground and took a deep breath, "Mother, my son wants to join the army, to follow the Marquis to fight the barbarians and make a name for himself! My son wants power and influence, so that no one will dare to bully our family again, or insult my daughter!"

Tao Hongying was so startled that her mouth gaped open. She wanted to speak, but couldn't utter a sound.

The old woman was also staring at her son’s head, tears streaming down her face, “Just as your older brother and Jia Yi just left, are you leaving our family too”

"Mother... Mother! Don't cry, please! I was just... just talking casually!" Li Laosi looked up to see his mother crying, he was truly frightened. He rushed to the edge of the kang and hugged his mother's leg, hurriedly retracting what he said.

Unfortunately, the old woman was angered and pointed at the door, "Get out!"

"Mother..." Li Lao Si felt a tinge of regret, but mostly resentment. He wanted to say something more, but Tao Hongying pushed him out.

Jia Yin was also a little at a loss, she climbed to her grandma's side and pulled on her sleeve to wipe away her tears.

The old woman hugged her granddaughter tightly, sobbing, "I knew it, I knew it! Your father couldn't hold back! He's always been impulsive and strong. If it wasn't for your uncle going missing, your father would have gone out to make his fortune long ago."

“Now that your uncle has been found and life at home has improved, he’s gotten ideas again! He doesn’t want anyone to bully your family anymore, he doesn’t want you to be scolded again. He just wants to kill the barbarians, just wants to show off his power!”

Tao Hongying also wiped her tears, "At that time, he followed Liu Biaotou to escort goods, and I was afraid. I always felt that he would fly away and never come back to us mother and children... Every time he went out, his eyes shone brightly, as if our house was a cage!"

Jiayin was wedged between her grandmother and mother, tears streaming down her face.

Actually, she was reluctant to part with her father too.

After all, swords and blades have no eyes. People only see success and fame, but who sees the piles of corpses on the battlefield

But she also understood her father. Born with divine strength and skills as a first-rate archer, he was a truly outstanding man who should have gone out to achieve great things and make a name for himself. However, for the sake of the elderly and children at home, he had been confined to the fields, unable to show his talents, which was indeed frustrating…

Li Lao'er heard something was amiss inside the main room, so he came to investigate. Seeing his younger brother kneeling at the door, he was also a little confused.

He whispered a few words and then sat on the threshold, sighing, "You've always been restless since you were young. For so many years, you've endured hardship for the family. You want to make your mark, that's right, but your mother and Hongying can't bear to let you go. They are also right!"

"Second Brother..." Li Lao Si choked back tears, "I just feel suffocated. Only by killing the barbarians do I feel a sense of relief! I want to be a general, to follow the Marquis and conquer half the land. Back then, no one would dare to bully our family anymore. We wouldn't have to worry about people being envious of our wealth. Whoever dares to be envious, I'll chop them up!"

Unlike now, if anyone bullied our family, I could only secretly and stealthily act like a thief or thug to get revenge. I... I just hold my breath, full of energy, with nowhere to use it!

Li Laer remembered when he had also dreamed of studying and becoming a top scholar. But then his older brother suddenly disappeared, his mother was left widowed, and his younger brother depended on him. He could only put down his books and go to the city to look for work. He was scolded and driven away by people, enduring countless hardships before finally landing a job as an accountant...

He also refused to yield, he suffered pain, he harbored resentment, but could only swallow it down with his tears.

As he grows older, his dream of studying can only be partially fulfilled by teaching children.

But the younger brother is still young, with all his skills and talents, and with the convenience of such a marquis…

He sighed, got up and went into the house, opening his mouth to persuade: "Mother, the fourth brother... is truly pitiful. If you are worried that he's gone and there is no one at home to take care of things, please rest assured, I can take care of everything."

Li Laotai wiped away her tears and glared at her son, grumbling: "Your elder brother is gone, you took over his studies, and this afternoon you still have to look after the mountain valley. The fourth child has also left, how do you plan to manage You still have to work in the orchard tonight!"

Li Laoer lowered his head and said nothing. Li Laotai, on the other hand, began to worry about her son again, "Alright, alright, let me think about it carefully before I say anything. You all go to sleep."

When Li Laoer heard this, he knew his mother was wavering. He quickly saw the opportunity and withdrew, getting up to leave.

Tao Hongying also hurriedly gathered her sewing basket and went back to "talk things over" with her husband.

Li Laotai had no heart to wash up, she spread out the bedding and hugged her granddaughter directly into the bed.

Fortunately, Catge went to sleep with Jia'an and Jiaxi tonight, otherwise he would have been scared again.

Because both his parents are away, this child is still timid even though his family members love him very much.

The old woman rambled in her thoughts and fell asleep like that.

Jia Yin worried about her grandmother, obediently lying on one side. When she heard her grandmother's breathing become steady, she quickly went into the small courtyard.

Don't waste time, search for useful things right away!

When it comes to parents versus children, who wins in the end

Don't be fooled by Grandma's fierce opposition now, it's no surprise that she'll eventually compromise.

Then Father will definitely be going out with the Marquis, so it's better to prepare some good things for Father's defense in advance!

But how many times has she ransacked this little courtyard It's really hard to find anything useful...

Today's triple update is here~ Seeing the babies asking about the male lead, let me explain here, Jia Yin is only over two years old, not yet three. Don't worry about pairing Jia Yin up with anyone! Let Jia Yin enjoy her carefree childhood, don't think about pairing her up first~ Then there's this, I'm working very hard on updates, at least 6,000 words a day, don't find it little or slow! Finally, the usual request for votes, urging for more updates, and good reviews (five stars or good looking), I need everyone's support!in Ting was the most ruthless, not only choosing to be a lone minister but also planning to live a solitary life until death.Besides the Emperor, the only people he felt close to were a group of peasa...