Chapter 596: Death is Like a Flickering Candle
d that he had not heard what they said.When class ended, the teacher surprisingly called out the names of those two struggling students and said, "You two are going home to copy the school rules ten t...Both the Lord and Jiayin were puzzled. The Lord said, "Let's go home first and talk about it slowly."
Soon, the carriage arrived at their doorstep. Li Lao Si heard the commotion and came out to greet them, but he was just drafted as a soldier. He had to carry over a hundred books into the main hall.
Li Lao Tai was also surprised and asked, "So many books, where did you buy them from, how much silver did you spend"
Li Laer sipped his tea before saying, "Mother, Mr. Guo has passed away. Before he died, he had someone copy the precious books in his collection, making two copies. He gave one to Mr. Wen and one to our family..."
"Gone So suddenly!"
Li Laotai was startled. After all, just a few days ago, Wenhao had just apprenticed himself to Mr. Wen, and even Mr. Guo was present. How could he hear the news of his death so soon
Li Lao'er replied, "Mr. Guo had been hanging on by a thread before, but he couldn't let go of Wen Hao and kept clinging to life. Now perhaps he felt that Wen Hao had someone to rely on, with a teacher to look after him, so he relaxed his mind and left."
All that could be heard was the sound of sighs. People couldn't help but feel a sense of guilt remembering this old gentleman, as they had previously been resentful towards him. After all, accusing the Li family of murder earlier was truly disgraceful.
But when people die, it's like a lamp being extinguished. All grievances and resentments dissipate.
Moreover, perhaps Mr. Guo felt guilty in his heart, otherwise he wouldn't have remembered to send so many books to the Li family before his death.
Li Laotai then instructed her grandchildren, "Mr. Guo sent books, and it's possible he also wanted us to take good care of Wenhao, at least not holding past grudges against him."
"Actually, he's overthinking things. In the future, Wenhao will be Jiaren's junior brother. Even without these books, if anything happens to him, our family will still take care of him."
"Understood, Mother, don't worry." Li Lao Er led the others in replying.
Old Mrs. Li was being pushed by someone. Thinking about it, if she were to pass away, the thing she would miss most would probably be her children.
Her complexion looked a little pale, Jia Yin quickly ran over and hugged her grandmother, acting coquettishly. "Grandma, did Wen Hao's grandfather pass away He is so pitiful! He even gave me a wooden horse before. Can I send him a box of sweets too Maybe if he eats some sweets, he won't think about his grandpa anymore!"
Everyone couldn't help but laugh. Even Old Li tapped her granddaughter on the forehead, chuckling and shaking her head. "Don't think everyone is as gluttonous as you! He's heartbroken, a piece of pastry won't fix that."
"Besides, it's only fair. Since they've given you things, it's nice to return the favor."
Jia Yin giggled and licked her little gap where a new tooth was about to poke through. It was white and itchy.
She thought for a moment and said, “Then I’ll make honey cakes with Mama tomorrow morning. Those are the most sweet and fragrant.”
"Alright," Old Lady Li readily agreed, "Roast some more. These are so soft and delicious. Take some to Village Head Grandpa and Grandpa Zhao, your second sister-in-law likes them too, and also take some to Mrs. Wen..."
Hearing this, Tao Hongying simply said, "Mother, we're going to be troubled anyway, so why not roast more Let the fourth brother run a trip to Lu'an and send some to the third sister-in-law and the children. By the way, buy some milk back."
"Funiu'er's birthday is coming up soon, the cake base is almost done, just the cream isn't taking shape yet, I'll keep working on it!"
"Alright, you guys decide how to arrange it." Li Laotai was led astray by her granddaughter and daughter-in-law's combined efforts, completely forgetting her previous sadness.
She suddenly remembered something and said, "By the way, tomorrow I'll tidy up Jinerou's courtyard properly and heat up the kang. She'll definitely have to come back to stay, otherwise it would be too lonely for her to be alone at home while Mr. Wen goes to court."
"There's no need for the old lady to do it herself, we've got this." He Mama interrupted, quickly taking over the task.
After some idle chatter, everyone dispersed to rest...
Perhaps knowing that a family of wild boars had died on the Golden Beach, not even big beasts like black bears and wolves, or even rabbits, dared to pass through the cornfields of Xīn Village.
But even so, the village head organized a powerful patrol team, with two shifts rotating throughout the night, twenty people per shift.
It's non-stop, circling the cornfield endlessly. Every bird that flies by, I wish I could pluck a few feathers and give them a warning.
During the day, there is more work in the whole village. The new road on Xiaowangzhuang's side has been built for half of it.
Of course, almost all the work was done by the villagers of King Da's Estate, King Xia's Estate, and Dahuaishù Village.
But food supplies need to be sent over to the new village to provide two meals a day.
There are also coordinating details that need to be taken care of by the new village side.
Luckily, the construction over at Ercun is nearing completion. In another five or six days, it should be almost finished.
But Zhao Shu and several other elders felt uneasy, and they pulled the village head aside to chat.
Uncle Zhao pounded his injured leg a few times and said, “Brother, my leg hurt terribly last night. I’m afraid there will be heavy rain in three or five days.”
"That's right," Wei Shu also nodded, "The scar on my back itches and feels uncomfortable, it must be raining!"
The village head tapped his severed arm, a little disbelieving. "I don't feel anything in my arm."
Zhao Shu then said, "Whether it's true or not, we should be prepared. The timber from the second village is still outside. Should we move all the manpower over there to quickly build the barracks and let those young brothers move in as soon as possible!"
Although they are well-behaved and often help with chores at their respective homes, and don't pick at their food, over time, it will inevitably become inconvenient. It's best to quickly move them into a new home so that they have a place of their own, and we can rest assured.
The village head nodded, that made sense.
Relatives from afar!
When a big family lives together, it's inevitable that they'll have some arguments and get into disagreements.
Besides, living with strangers would definitely be inconvenient.
Then let everyone in the village gather together, and let's race to build the row houses.
The village chief made a decision, and Zhao Shu and the others dispersed to inform everyone.
Many hands make light work. What would have taken five or six days was completed in two with everyone in the village working together.
In theory, the laying of the main beam is a big event and one should find someone to calculate an auspicious day.
But the wounded were all coming back from the battlefield, unbridled.
The village head directly asked Li Laoer to check the Yellow Calendar and, upon hearing that this day was also suitable for breaking ground, they started laying the beams.
This time, the bricklayer who came back is also from the group that built Xincun last time. He works quickly and well.
The names of several people are still inscribed on the stone monument at the entrance of the Onsen Valley.
So, seeing the sky grow dark at the horizon, they hurried on even faster.
The last tile was placed, and then the heavy rain began to fall. It came down with a vengeance, showing no signs of letting up for at least two or three days.
Everyone was overjoyed because they had accomplished something important.
In the new village, two pigs were specially slaughtered.
It's raining, can't get any work done anyway, so let's have a good meal and celebrate!
The villagers had grown accustomed to this communal meal, enjoying a big feast every few days. They ate well and drank heartily, forging strong bonds with each other.
The head stewards of King Manor, Little Wang Manor, and Dahua Tree were also invited over. They happily followed along with the others.
Only the wounded, quite a novelty.
This also allowed them to gain a deeper understanding of the prosperity of the new village, and they were even more filled with hope for their future lives.... sentencing!""Yes, Your Majesty," Yi Zuo responded quickly.He drafted the imperial edict with lightning speed, then sent it to the desk. The emperor personally picked up the jade seal and pressed it d...