155 Thank You Gift

The two of them handed the matter of the workshop to Li Mei and her husband to take care of. The farmstead was handed over to Old Zhao and Jin Jiu. Er Ya was in charge of cultivating the rice seeds, and Uncle Zhou was overall in charge.

Just as the couple settled the matter, Madam Qian, Jiang Xiao’an, Chen Gui, and his brother arrived.

Madam Qian took out a few pairs of shoes and a dress and placed them on the table. She smiled at Zhou Jia and Li Yu and said, “Xiaoyu, Mr. Zhou, thank you for taking care of us all these years. When we arrived here, you lent us money to repair the house and opened a workshop for us to earn money. That’s why we’re living a good life. These shoes and this dress are a token of our appreciation. Please accept them.”

Li Yu looked at Madam Qian and Jiang Xiao’an and smiled. “Auntie Qian, Xiao’an, thank you for your gifts. You’ve already returned the silver, so don’t take it to heart. Auntie Qian, Xiao’an, after we leave, please help my aunt take care of the workshop.”

The Qian mother and son hurriedly said, “Xiaoyu, you’re too polite. This is what we should do.”

The Chen brothers bowed to the two of them and said, “Mr. Zhou, Xiaoyu, you’re leaving. We don’t have much to give you, so we asked your aunt to make a few pairs of shoes and socks for each of you. I wish you a safe journey.”

The couple thanked them politely again. After Chen Gui and his brothers left with Madam Qian and her son, Old Hu brought the villagers over again. After this day, the couple was busy receiving the grateful villagers.

Zhou Jia sighed with emotion. Most of the villagers were still very simple. They had remembered their friendship.

After everything was arranged, the couple set off with Zhao Cai, Ruyi, He Tiezhu and Ah Gou on October 19.

The villagers sent the group to the village entrance. Li Mei and her daughters were crying, scaring Brother Pig so much that he hugged Li Mei’s legs and cried.

Li Mei hurriedly picked up Brother Pig and looked at Li Yu with tears in her eyes. “Brother Pig, your cousin is leaving. I’m afraid Brother Pig will be studying by the time we meet again.”

Zhaodi pulled Li Yu’s hand and Lidi pulled Li Yu’s collar. “Cousin, remember to come back and see us.”

Li Yu also hugged Laidi and Zhaodi reluctantly. “Take good care of Aunt. I’ll leave Ah Qing to you. When I’ve settled down, come and find us with the delivery cart.” The sisters nodded and agreed.

Butcher He and his wife were also filled with reluctance when they saw their daughter and son-in-law leave slowly. Madam Huang cried sadly, “Stupid girl, you just want your husband. You don’t want me anymore.”

Everyone arrived at Tongzhou and stayed for the night. Li Qing, Ji Xiang, and Shopkeeper Chu sent Zhou Jia and the others to the city gate.

Li Qing pulled Li Yu and pretended to be strong as he instructed, “Be careful on the way. Have a safe trip with Brother-in-law.”

Li Yu wiped her tears and looked at Li Qing. “I know. You have to remember to put on more clothes at home and not catch a cold. I bought some pills and placed them in your room. If you feel uncomfortable, remember to take one first…”

Seeing Li Yu’s mixed instructions, Li Qing looked at Li Yu and nodded. Zhou Jia smiled and said, “Yu’er, don’t worry. Ah Qing has been studying in Tongzhou for a while. He will take good care of himself.”

“Sister, don’t worry! I’ll take care of myself,” Li Qing said with a smile.

Shopkeeper Chu said to Zhou Jia and Li Yu, “Mr. Zhou, Madam Li, don’t worry. I’ll help you take care of your brother. There will also be someone guarding the farmstead. No one dares to cause trouble. If you encounter any difficulties along the way, you can look for branches of the Four Seas Bank in various places to help.”

Zhou Jia cupped his hands and thanked him. “Thank you, Shopkeeper Chu. Let’s meet again next year.”

Zhou Jia turned to look at Ji Xiang’s red nose and small eyes. “Ji Xiang, stop crying. If you cry anymore, you won’t be able to see the way back to the city later.”

Ji Xiang paused. “Young Master, I’m already heartbroken, yet you’re still laughing at me.”

Zhao Cai and Ruyi stepped forward and hugged Ji Xiang. “Good brother, we’ll wait for you in the capital when we’re settled.”

Ji Xiang kept nodding. Everyone looked at Ji Xiang’s red nose and laughed.

Zhou Jia got into the carriage first and waved goodbye to everyone. “We’re leaving. Let’s go back!”

Everyone waved reluctantly. Li Qing and Ji Xiang watched the carriage walk away before returning to the city with Shopkeeper Chu.

The group sat in the car and staggered forward. Li Yu looked at the scenery along the way and leaned against the car with a smile. “After a round, we’re on the way to the capital again.”

Zhou Jia looked at the red leaves that kept falling from the tree and sighed. “That’s right! After taking a detour, we’re on the way to the capital.”

The group walked to the end of the afternoon and stopped at an inn. The shop assistant went forward and asked solicitously, “Sir, are you staying or taking a break?”

“We’re taking a break and feeding the livestock.”

The shopkeeper stood at the door and looked at the group of people. The men and the women were handsome. They did not look like ordinary families. He hurriedly instructed the shop assistant, “Treat them well and don’t neglect them.”

The clerk nodded. “Got it, shopkeeper.”

Ruyi and Zhao Cai handed the livestock to the clerk and the group entered the inn.

He Xiaoyu climbed out of a carriage behind them with Ah Gou. Neither of them looked as fresh when they first got on.

Zhou Jia and Li Yu looked at their dejected expressions. Zhou Jia smiled and comforted them. “It’s still a few months away. You’ll slowly get used to it.”

He Xiaoyu walked over and pulled Li Yu. “Young Madam, it was so comfortable to take the ox cart when we were fleeing compared to taking the carriage. I was about to faint.”

Ruyi smiled. “How can it compare to when you fled? At that time, everyone walked until their legs were cramped and the soles of their feet were callused. You were raised as a spoiled child.”

He Tiezhu nodded and said with a smile, “That’s right! The more we raise them, the more delicate they become. When they fled, they carried their luggage and walked for a few months before they reached Tongzhou. They seem to have forgotten the fatigue they suffered. They only remember their discomfort when they were hungry.”

The shopkeeper went forward eagerly and asked, “Sir, what do you want to eat?”

Zhou Jia smiled and said, “Some light dishes and two pots of boiling water for us to use.”

The shopkeeper smiled politely. “Yes, please wait a moment.”

Everyone sat and rested for a while before the shopkeeper brought the waiter up to serve the food. Li Yu saw eggs stir-fried with chives, cold eggplant, salted duck eggs… They were all home-cooked dishes that went with the meal.

After eating, the group began to travel again. Before dark, they arrived at the foot of the mountain in front of the Wild Boar Ridge.

Zhao Cai caught up from behind and said to Zhou Jia, “Young Master, there’s an inn at the bend in front. We’ll stay there tonight and cross Wild Boar Ridge tomorrow morning. Before the new year, the passing merchants said that the wilderness is not peaceful.”

Zhou Jia nodded. “Alright, we’ll miss a place to stay if we continue walking. Let’s stay in the inn in front.”

After the group arrived at the inn and checked in, Zhao Cai asked the inn owner, “Shopkeeper, let me ask you, is Black Ridge peaceful now?”

The innkeeper chuckled. “It’s been peaceful. General Shen sent troops to eliminate that group of bandits before the new year. Otherwise, my inn wouldn’t have dared to open for business.”

Zhao Cai agreed. “Of course. Who would dare to do business if it’s not stable? Thank you, shopkeeper.”

After everyone stayed at the inn for the night, everyone set off early in the morning. The journey that took them more than half a month was smooth. They were almost in Qi County.

On this day, halfway through the journey, the cold wind blew on their faces like knives. Everyone wore hats that only revealed their eyes. Li Yu watched as the dark clouds in the sky became thicker and thicker. Thunder sounded at the top of the mountain, and the wind blew harder and harder. Soon, it started to rain heavily. The rain fell noisily and floated into the carriage along the roof.

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