Chapter 599: The Crisis of Losing Favor

me back, pulling its tail as a joke, it didn't even growl or show any signs of biting. What happened now!Jia Yin quickly patted the little fox, soothing it to be quiet.Zhao Yuru saw the peddler fright...It turns out that Mr. and Mrs. Wen have moved in.

Seeing the Lord Hou and the others from afar, Mr. Wen leaned against the car window and waved, "Lord Hou, Master, how did you get here"

Li Lao'er smiled and replied, "I just came back too. If I had known you were coming over, I would have gone with you."

In the span of a few moments, Mr. Wen dismounted his carriage and carefully helped Mrs. Wen down.

Mrs. Wen curtsied to the Lord and Li Lao Er, and seeing them smiling at Mr. Wen with narrowed eyes, she blushed and said to her husband, “You two continue talking, I’ll go find my sister-in-law and Hongying.”

"Alright," Mr. Wen hurried to say, "You wanted to eat egg dumplings, didn't you Just tell your aunt, don't worry about troubling her. I'll go into town tomorrow and buy her some good ingredients as a thank you."

"Right now, eat whatever you want. Don't deprive yourself, or you'll regret it for the rest of your life and always feel like you missed out…"

Having said that, he asked the elderly woman who seemed to be following him off the carriage, "Is that right, Grandma"

"Yes, yes!" Grandma Tian said with a smile. "Sir remembers too well, when a woman is pregnant, she's just like this, especially craving all sorts of things."

"With a husband who cares for his wife so much, the wife is sure to give birth to a healthy and strong baby boy."

"Well, well, as long as the birth goes smoothly, it doesn't matter if it's a girl or a boy. Look at our little Funiu, she's so smart and adorable. If we could have a baby just like her, I'd dream about it all night!"

Mr. Wen had escorted his wife and grandmother inside, then turned back to face the Marquis and Uncle. He suddenly felt a bit embarrassed, cleared his throat twice, and asked: "I heard that the Hundred Flower Garden was quite lively today"

Li La'er laughed heartily and couldn't bear to tease him. He said, "Let's go to the Marquis's courtyard first and talk about it later. Right now, our house is ruled by women!"

The Marquis also smiled and nodded, then led them into his own courtyard.

There were a few wounded soldiers living here before, but they've been recovering well these past few days and have moved out to live with their comrades.

When Dongmei and Yeshan heard the noise, they both came out to prepare tea and snacks.

Just as the Hou Ye and his entourage settled down, Jia Yin came hopping over carrying a rabbit and a little fox trailing behind her. “Father-in-law, please roast the rabbit for Funiang! Shigu almost threw up at the sight of it, Er Sao covered her nose, and Grandma chased me out!”

Jia Yin was quite downcast. Having a second sister-in-law at home was already bad enough, but now there was also a master aunt—she could clearly feel the danger of losing favor...

The young lord saw the little girl pouting, holding a rabbit in her hand, looking like a pitiful abandoned child. It was both heart-wrenching and amusing.

Then, Hasegawa Goro set down the teapot and went to find firewood to prepare the rabbit.

He quickly set up a fire pit at the bottom of the stairs.

The Lord took off his outer robe, rolled up his sleeves, and personally roasted the rabbit.

He actually doesn't know how to cook, but after so many years of wandering outside, he often cooks wild game to fill his stomach. He has developed a barbecue skill.

This season's rabbits are well-fed, plump and juicy. When they're roasted over fire, they start sizzling and dripping oil in no time, the aroma gradually spreading throughout the air.

The chubby little girl and the small fox sat on either side of the marquis, their eyes shining and swallowing frantically.

The little fox's tail swished, sweeping the steps clean of even a speck of dust.

Jia Yin’s eyes rolled, she thought of an excuse to fool the little fox, “Sāntiáo, why do I smell like chicken soup coming from our house Go and take a look. If it’s true, come back and tell me quickly, I'll take you back to get chicken legs!”

The little fox blinked its black bead-like eyes twice, falling into a difficult dilemma.

The roasted rabbit smells so good, but the chicken legs smell delicious too!

Finally, the chicken leg still won against the roasted rabbit. It flipped over the wall in a few moves and disappeared without a trace.

"Father-in-law, quickly! Give me all the rabbit legs!" Jia Yin hugged the Duke's arm, wanting to eat alone!

The lord found this amusing and quickly pulled the rabbit legs off.

As a result, Jia Yin hadn't even had a chance to take a bite when the little fox ran back, just in time to see this scene...

Chirp chirp chirp chirp!

The little fox stood up angrily, its tiny paws waving frantically, and it kept squeaking non-stop.

If it could talk, it would probably have a whole string of swear words!

Jia Yin felt guilty and quickly threw the rabbit leg in her hand away.

The little fox immediately caught it, its mouth was covered, and it immediately returned to being a cute baby!

Jia Yin rolled her eyes, took the other rabbit leg from her godfather, and took a big bite, complaining: "Those heartless three, they ate so many good things from me during normal times, now they don't even give me one rabbit leg."

Hearing this, the little fox turned around abruptly, its rear end facing Jia Yin, with a cheeky expression.

The people in the courtyard were laughing non-stop at the fat girl and the little fox.

Li Laerou rubbed his niece's hair and smiled, "If you like to eat rabbit, I'll catch a few more tomorrow."

Jia Yin quickly waved her hand, the rabbits in the space were practically like leeks, she would occasionally have to harden her heart and let them commit suicide in batches, it was easy to eat.

But this rabbit was different. It was brought back by her stepfather and his partner, though she had only passed a stone...

The fat kid and the fox both clamped their mouths shut, no one caused a ruckus anymore. Everyone started talking about serious business.

Li Laer then told the officials and nobles about how some people wanted to donate money and grain in exchange for their children and grandchildren's return home.

Mr. Wen smiled and said, “This is a good opportunity. New grain will be harvested soon, so the old grain in each household should be sold at a lower price. It’s easier to buy more grain at this time.”

"We've got a place in mind, I just mentioned it before," Li Laoer clapped his hands and said, "These households, I've made some inquiries about them. There are two families next door who run dye shops in another state, where we can get more coarse cloth."

There’s another family whose ancestral home is in the west. They say that place produces a lot of cotton! This time, for the sake of my grandchildren, give them extra cotton – they'll definitely appreciate it.

"Well said, Master! Now that you know all about the officials and nobles, " Mr. Wen joked, "you won't be so easily tricked in the future."

Li Lao'er didn't hide it from him and said, "My older brother had some people in the city before, and I took them all over. In a few days, the Relief Bureau will be able to supplement some more."

"If it's hard to find out someone's secrets, then getting a general idea of their whereabouts, background, and origins shouldn't be too difficult..."

At this time, Lao Si Li came back from Ercun and heard the news, so he also came to join in the fun.

The Lord said when he saw him, "These people can exchange money, grain, and supplies for their descendants' lives, but we cannot let them succeed completely.

In the military, there must be children of nobles. Firstly, they are responsible for guarding Tianwu. Secondly, it also ensures that things like deducting pensions will never happen again.

Mr. Wen and Lao Er Li both nodded.

Li Lao Si, realizing his plan had failed, called for Dong Mei to fetch some sweet potatoes. By the fading warmth of the bonfire, he roasted them and ate them with his daughter.

Li Lao Er continued to ask, "Lord Hou, do you have any regulations Tell me in detail, tomorrow I will tell those people."

After some thought, the Marquis said: "Each family must send one son to serve in the army, regardless of whether he is legitimate or illegitimate. Moreover, after entering the military camp, they can choose for themselves whether to stay at the dock or go on a campaign."

Of course, the number of those going out on campaign and those remaining behind is divided equally. Those who wish to stay behind can do so based on their sincerity.

Li Lao Er and Mr. Wen instantly understood, and both couldn't help but laugh.

Mr. Wen said, "This method of the Lord Marquis is good. These people will probably fight tooth and nail to keep those half of the positions!" and the village had found a new source of wealth.He chuckled, seeing the soldier's surprised eyes widen. He pulled him aside with a hint of smugness and said, "There's no point in explaining further,...