Siheyuan: A Very Happy Era

Chapter 549 The Women's Worries

"Brother Qiangzi, when are we going to Hong Kong?"

"What's it like over there in Hong Kong?"

Does it snow there?

Do the people there look like us?

"If we go over there, will we still be able to eat steamed buns and meat?"

Soon after, a barrage of questions came out of Xu Dani and Zhu Caixia's mouths, leaving Li Guoqiang unsure which one to answer.

So he simply stopped answering and instead put on a stern face, warning you in a very serious tone: "What are you all doing? I told you not to mention this matter in the future, to avoid accidentally letting others find out. Have you all forgotten?"

If you continue to disobey, then I'll have no choice but to leave you here.

Upon hearing this, Xu Dani immediately turned pale with fright, then hurriedly grabbed Li Guoqiang's arm and begged for mercy repeatedly:

"No, don't leave us. We'll never do it again."

Seeing this, Zhu Caixia quickly bit her lip and looked at Li Guoqiang nervously, afraid that he was telling the truth.

"Hmm, will you still dare to say such things in the future?"

Li Guoqiang's expression softened, and then he asked in a deep voice.

"I don't dare anymore, I don't dare anymore!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Dani and Zhu Caixia quickly shook their heads.

"Alright, I'll let it go this time. But if there's a next time, don't blame me for leaving you here."

Seeing that Xu Dani and Zhu Caixia had learned their lesson, Li Guoqiang didn't press the matter further and simply nodded, letting the matter drop.

Then, he took out a Coke he had bought from Beijing and handed it to them, as a way of giving them a slap followed by a sweet treat, and also to give himself some peace and quiet.

That being said, before he became a father, he quite enjoyed playing with Xu Dani and Zhu Caixia, and even looked forward to having a few adorable children in the future.

But ever since he became a father, he has found the noise of children to be a bit of a headache.

Perhaps this is what they mean by "Lord Ye's love of dragons" (a Chinese idiom meaning to be terrified
And so, Xu Dani and Zhu Caixia sipped their cola, while Li Guoqiang lay down beside them, reminiscing about his journey.

Lost in thought, he drifted off to sleep without realizing it.

When he woke up, he opened his eyes and found that the sky outside the window had changed from clear skies to continuous heavy rain.

As the saying goes, the weather in June can change in an instant, and now it seems that this is indeed true.

I wonder if Sister Juan and Xiuzhen have woken up yet?
Just as Li Guoqiang was thinking this, a shout suddenly came from the outer room.

"Qiangzi, Qiangzi, wake up and it's time to eat!"

"Hey, here we come!"

Soon, Li Guoqiang got up from the kang (a heated brick bed), put on his shoes and went outside. He then saw Xu Yuping, Ma Shufen, and Zhu Caiyan, all busy at the stove.

Luo Huijuan, who had just woken him up, was standing to the side handing a plate to Xu Yuping.

She saw Li Guoqiang come out of the west room, smiled slightly, and then asked softly, "How were you? Did you sleep well?"

"Yes, I slept well. How about you guys?"

Li Guoqiang nodded upon hearing this and asked a question in return.

"We've all slept well. To be honest, it's much more comfortable to sleep at home. No matter how you sleep on the train, you can't sleep soundly."

Upon hearing this, Luo Huijuan quickly nodded and replied, a slight look of emotion appearing on her face.

Perhaps she was worried because she knew they would be moving to Hong Kong soon.

Li Guoqiang keenly sensed this, but he didn't say anything.

After all, they haven't even been to Hong Kong yet. Even if he raves about life there, he still can't dispel Law Wai-kuen's concerns.

Instead of saying so much, it would be better to wait until we get to Hong Kong and then prove it to Law Wai-kuen and the others with facts.

Seeing that Li Guoqiang didn't respond, Luo Huijuan didn't say anything more either. She hurriedly picked up a pot of freshly cooked pork and sauerkraut stew with vermicelli and went into the east room.

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang was about to help carry the food when Xu Yuping immediately stopped him.

"Alright, you don't need to lift a finger for these chores. Come inside and sit down! The food will be ready in no time."

"Ok!"

Hearing Xu Yuping say this, Li Guoqiang didn't insist. He simply nodded in agreement and then turned and went into the east room.

The next moment, however, he was greeted by a lively and bustling scene.

On the kang (heated brick bed) to the north, Zhu Caixia, Xu Dani, and their nine sons were shouting and yelling.

On the kang (heated brick bed) to the south, Shang Xiuzhen, Pan Qiaoyan, and others were talking to Qu Yinfeng while occasionally interjecting to stop Zhu Caixia and Xu Dani's mischievous behavior.

Fortunately, his nine sons couldn't crawl yet; at most, they could only roll over. Otherwise, the chaotic scene would have given him a headache just thinking about it.

This is one of the main reasons why he suddenly decided to move to Hong Kong with his wife and children.

After all, as children grow up, they will inevitably face various educational issues in the future.

He didn't want to come home every day to a house full of children jumping around, and then have to explain to them who their father was.

At that time, Hong Kong had not yet abolished the polygamous system, which was practically tailor-made for him.

Otherwise, why would he go through all that trouble? In the end, it's all for the child!

Soon, Xu Yuping, Ma Shufen, and Zhu Caiyan each brought in a plate of food, and soon the entire kang table was filled with dishes.

In addition to local specialties such as pork and sauerkraut stew with vermicelli, chicken stew with mushrooms, sweet and sour pork, and braised pork ribs, each of Luo Huijuan, Shang Xiuzhen, and others was also served a bowl of old hen stew with mushrooms.

The umami flavor filled the entire east room, instantly whetting everyone's appetite.

Immediately afterwards, Qu Yinfeng quickly came down from the south kang and ran to the north kang to take care of the children, while Xu Dani and Zhu Caixia went to the south kang to eat.

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang, Luo Huijuan, and the others did not stop Qu Yinfeng.

According to local custom, if there are children in the family, the elderly are expected to help look after them during mealtimes. If they stop them from doing so, it is considered that they do not regard Qu Yinfeng as an elder in the family.

So when they saw this, they simply picked up their bowls, put some food in them, and took them over so that Qu Yinfeng could eat while taking care of the children.

Not long after everyone had finished eating, Xu Yuping glanced at the incessant rain outside the window and asked with some concern, "Qiangzi, are we really going to go into the deep mountains at this time? In previous years, there has been a lot of rain at this time, and the roads in the deep mountains will not only be difficult to travel, but also quite dangerous."

I'm not trying to stop you, I'm just a little worried.

Upon hearing this, Shang Xiuzhen, Pan Qiaoyan, and the others all showed a solemn expression.

Only Luo Huijuan remained calm, even taking Xu Yuping's arm and gently comforting her with a smile: "It's alright, Sister Yuping, don't worry. Qiangzi has already considered all these issues and guarantees there won't be any danger. If you don't trust me, do you think you don't trust him?"

"No, how could I not trust you!"

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuping immediately became anxious and quickly grabbed Luo Huijuan's arm, nervously explaining.

Although Luo Huijuan had never put on airs in front of her, she knew in her heart that even if she were to be grouped with Ma Shufen and the others, they would not be able to compare to Luo Huijuan's position in Li Guoqiang's heart.

Moreover, she doesn't even qualify as a concubine yet; at most, she's just a housekeeper. How could she possibly dare to question Law Wai-kuen?
If Luo Huijuan feels that she is disobedient, then her future days will be difficult.

At this moment, Luo Huijuan had no idea that Xu Yuping would think so much after hearing just one sentence from her. Seeing how nervous Xu Yuping was, she quickly patted her hand and gently comforted her:

"Sister Yuping, why are you so nervous? I didn't mean to blame you. I just want you, and all of you, to know that Qiangzi would never harm us."

As she spoke, her gaze swept across the faces of the others, her eyes filled with sincerity.

Because her personal little world was related to Li Guoqiang's biggest secret, and it was not good to let too many people know about it, she could only use this method to appease Xu Yuping and the others.

Seeing Luo Huijuan like this, Xu Yuping and the others felt much more relaxed, and smiles returned to their faces.

In fact, they knew that Li Guoqiang would never harm them.

Putting aside the fact that they were all wholeheartedly devoted to Li Guoqiang, their very identity as the mothers of Li Guoqiang's children was enough to make Li Guoqiang care about their safety.

The main problem is that they can't understand what methods Li Guoqiang plans to use to send them from this remote mountain village to Hong Kong, thousands of miles away.

You know, they just came from Beijing and it took them several days by train. They can't possibly sit for ten days or half a month straight, can they?
Even if they can endure it, what about the children?
Moreover, even if you take a train to the south, there is still a coastal defense line separating you!
Therefore, during this period of time, no matter how they thought about it, they couldn't figure out what Li Guoqiang was planning.
If it weren't for the fact that Li Guoqiang had always been a man of his word and a man of his promises in their hearts, they might have already asked him questions long ago.

This time, Xu Yuping's question hit the nail on the head regarding their concerns.

However, before they could each ask further questions, Luo Huijuan cut them off.

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang pondered for a moment, then suddenly said, "Actually, you don't need to worry about this. After I send the people who will replace you at Xiangmizhai to Beijing and take care of some things, I will take you directly to Hong Kong."

Therefore, you don't need to worry about rain making the mountain roads difficult to navigate.

Upon hearing this, Xu Yuping, Shang Xiuzhen, and the others exchanged glances, their faces filled with bewilderment.

Then, Pan Qiaoyan held back for a moment, but finally couldn't help but say, "Brother Qiangzi, the more you talk, the more confused I get. I just don't understand what you mean."

"Forehead"

Seeing this, Li Guoqiang didn't know what to say for a moment.

He originally just wanted to reveal more information to put Pan Qiaoyan and the others at ease, but how did things get so bad?
Thinking of this, he decided not to say anything more and simply waved his hand and said, "Alright, all you need to know is that I've already made all the arrangements. You don't need to think about anything else."

"Oh!"

Upon hearing this, Pan Qiaoyan pouted slightly, then nodded somewhat reluctantly.

Seeing this, the others didn't dare to ask any more questions and hurriedly got up to start clearing the dishes.

Before long, they had cleaned up and then immediately got back to feeding the children.

Among them, Luo Huijuan, in particular, had to feed two children on her own and was so busy that she couldn't stop at all.

Upon seeing this situation, Li Guoqiang immediately decided that once he arrived in Hong Kong, he would definitely hire several more nannies.

We can't expect Luo Huijuan, Shang Xiuzhen, and the others to follow him so devotedly on his journey, only to have them suffer in the end, can we?
As for the expenses at that time, there's not much to worry about.

Not to mention the hundreds of thousands of dollars he had left over from buying a house and getting his identity in Hong Kong last time, which he kept in his personal little world, the small pile of gold coins given to him by his father was enough for him to establish himself in Hong Kong.

He'll decide what to do after he's familiarized himself with the local situation.

Soon, after the children had all eaten and fallen asleep, Li Guoqiang told Luo Huijuan, and then took Xu Yuping to the first bee farm on the back mountain. He planned to first learn about the bee farm's situation, and then go to Xu Yuliang to discuss the selection of someone to take over the work at Xiangmizhai.

In addition, Xu Yuping will also have to formally resign from her position as the head of the first beekeeping contract team, and even have her, Qu Yinfeng, Xu Dani and others' beekeeping contract quotas canceled in exchange for them to work in the beekeeping research institute.

At that time, although they would no longer receive profit sharing from the bee farm and Xiangmizhai, they would still receive a monthly salary of 23 yuan from the Agricultural Bureau, as well as various grain and oil coupons.

All things considered, it's not a huge loss.

In fact, since the work at the research institute was just a front, and they didn't need to do anything at all, it could be said that they got a great deal.

Meanwhile, due to the rain, all the workers on duty at the First Bee Farm gathered in the workers' quarters to chat, and what they were talking about was Li Guoqiang's plan to lead a group into the deep mountains to establish a beekeeping research institute.

(End of this chapter)