"Uncle, you must know that Father has been devoted to teaching for over a decade, and hes got such a temper," Li Wenshan paused, wondering how to put it to his uncle. He had discussed it with Ah Xia many times and even practiced secretly several times, but now facing his uncle, Li Wenshan found that his words didnt come out as smoothly as he had expected. "Nephew wants to say..."

  "Big Uncle understood, youre worried about your father." Li Chuo is what kind of person, Li Wenshan just said these two sentences, he already understood Li Wenshans meaning, this is worrying that his father will not be an official at all!

  "Yes! My father invited two accountants, Wu Youde who was in charge of finances and Bu Huaiyi who was in charge of legal matters. Both were from Taizhou. One night, I couldnt sleep and saw the two boats docked together, so I jumped onto the boat where the two accountants were. Coincidentally, I overheard them drinking and talking. Bu said that although Hengshan is a small county, its very prosperous and there will definitely be plenty of income. Wu said that this time they must spend freely and make as much money as possible before retiring."

  These were all lies that he and Ah Xia had discussed beforehand. Li Wenshans heart was uneasy, and he spoke quickly with his head lowered. Li Chuo listened with wide eyes staring straight at Li Wenshan.

  "Didnt you disturb them?"

  "No, my nephew was scared out of his wits and almost crawled back." Li Wenshan hung his head even lower, feeling extremely guilty, but in the eyes of Li Chao, it seemed like he was ashamed because of his own cowardice.

  "Good, good! Well done! Thats the way it should be, cant alarm." Li Cao praised repeatedly, this child was cautious and not impulsive, really too rare.

  "Have you told your father?"

  "No, nephew has asked a few times, Father is very respectful of the two masters, Fathers straightforward personality, nephew... thought about it and didnt dare."

  "Youre doing great! Excellent! Good boy, get up, hurry up!" Li Chuo slightly thought for a moment and suddenly broke out in cold sweat. He had used all his strength to obtain the position of Jiangnan East Road Transportation Commissioner, but he didnt know how many people he had offended along the way, or how many were secretly waiting for an opportunity to overthrow him. If Old Three really did something corrupt while in office...

  The consequences are unthinkable!

  For nearly thirty years, he had no contact with his family, and the imperial court almost forgot about them, but those political enemies would not forget!

  Heaven bless!

  "Dont worry, Im here!" Li Chuo pulled Li Wenshan to sit beside him, "Was it your mother who told you to come find me?"

  "No," the answers that Dabo might ask, Axia and he had both prepared. "Ama often says that Dabo treats us well, but I didnt dare tell Ama, Ama is timid, also... Ama cant compare to Daboniang and Erbiniang."

  "Great! Not worse than your aunt! Your mother is extremely rare! Very good!" Li Chao patted Li Wenshans hand, praising him repeatedly. In the few sentences of praise, he turned over many ideas.

  "Shan Geer, youre 15 this year. When your uncle was your age, he had already started taking care of the family. From now on, you should pay more attention to your fathers business matters... Hmm... Your uncle will choose a few suitable people... This is not to be mentioned for now, as your fathers temper might make things inconvenient. Dont mention this matter for now, and lets not alarm anyone unnecessarily. Your uncle will send someone to investigate and get to the bottom of it first. Hengshan County is just a days ride from Jiangning Prefecture by fast horse. You can rest assured that your uncle will protect you all."

  "Good!" Li Wenshans nose suddenly felt a sour taste, this feeling of having a backing, was really great!

  Mr. Lis intoxication slightly subsided, and he insisted on returning home. Li Chuo also didnt stay long and ordered Zhao Da to send the four of them back.

  The guests finally dispersed and the host was at ease. The servants were busy cleaning up, while Li Shis back was relaxed, strolling into the rear hall with a leisurely pace.

  "Father!" As soon as she saw Li Cuoshi, Qiuniang excitedly came out to greet him, pulling him down onto the couch and leaning against his back, exclaiming: "Father! Guess who I met? Ive always wanted to see what the King of Qin, famous for being the most handsome in the world, looks like. I didnt get to see him in the capital, but unexpectedly saw him in Jiangning Prefecture! Hes truly living up to his reputation! So handsome! Just like a god from a painting! Too handsome!"

  Seventh daughters face was filled with surprise and satisfaction, Li Xiao looked at Mrs. Yan, Mrs. Yan glanced at the bewildered Fourth daughter, and scolded Seventh daughter by tapping her forehead: "Youre not young anymore, still so reckless! Your father is tired, cant afford to be disturbed by you again! Come down, let your father rest!"

  "Alas! Fine...!" Seventh Sister reluctantly slid down from Fathers back, "You rest well, Father. Fourth Sister and I will head back first!"

  After Seventh Sister and Fourth Sister left, Madame Yan dismissed the maidservants and asked Li Cuilian with concern: "Is it all right?"

  "Hmm!" A faint smile appeared on Li Caos mouth, and Mrs. Yan let out a long sigh of relief, "Since I received the news, my heart has been hanging in the air, now I can finally put my mind at ease!"

  "What do you think of those two little ones from the Lao San Jia?" Li Cao asked.

  "Goodness, who would have thought!" Mrs. Yan exclaimed, her face full of emotion, and then she carefully recounted every detail of how Li Xia and Li Wenran came in and what they said, not missing a single word.

  "...When the fourth sister mentioned pigs trotters, I thought she must be annoyed, or at least feel embarrassed. Who would have known that these two children are so naturally kind-hearted and intelligent, with memories that dont fade? I recall Old Master saying that children who are naturally kind-hearted and gifted will have boundless futures. Eldest Brother is indeed blessed."

  Mrs. Yans words were tinged with a sour tone, her three sons and one daughter were all mediocre, seeing other peoples children excel, it was impossible not to feel sour in her heart.

  Li Cuoshi didnt know where he was looking, and softly hummed a response. After a while, he continued to ask: "How did you think of sending Qi Jie and the others to the back garden?"

  "Im not just thinking about it." Mrs. Yan was slightly embarrassed, but she didnt hide anything from him. They had been married for decades and he would discuss everything with her, big or small. She also hardly ever hid anything from him. "These few families are the kind Ive always dreamed of being related to. If we can marry Seventh Sister into...into any one of them, Ill be smiling in my sleep! At Seventh Sisters age, its still possible for her to meet some men outside the family. Even if theres no fruit on the tree, you can still try shaking its branches - who knows what might happen?"

  Li Chuo scolded, "You dont think about the age difference! However, what you did isnt wrong. Let our children and those few people interact more often, its all good!"

  "I think so too." The few hints of disappointment on Mrs. Yans face disappeared in an instant, after all, the age difference was not to be mentioned, and those peoples identities were there, she was a very practical person.

  "Gu Liu Lang is the sixth in line, but hes actually Master Gus eldest son. He has two younger brothers, one of whom is only four or five years old, and his older brother is eleven this year." Li Zuo stroked his mustache and said with a smile.

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