Li Sanlang was not accepted into the government school, which left the entire Li family feeling furious.
Li Wu Ya looked at Li Sanlang and suggested, "Brother, should we go find Governor Cai?"
Li Sanlang paused for a moment and then shook his head, "It's not worth wasting the favors owed to us by Governor Cai for a spot in the government school."
"Attending the government school isn't limited to this one opportunity. If you're not accepted this time, you can try again next time during the recruitment. They can't reject me every single time."
Li Wu Ya said, "But that would delay you for at least a year."
Li Sanlang smiled, "It's just a year, it won't make much of a difference. Our family just arrived in the city, we're still getting to know everything, and the land purchase hasn't been finalized. I can help at home."
Seeing Li Wu Ya still frowning, he playfully tapped her head.
"Alright, little housekeeper, let's leave it at that. If I'm rejected, I can only blame my bad luck."
Li Qi Lang huffed, "I dislike those who use connections to get ahead."
Li Wu Ya glanced at him, "Mainly because our family is too weak. If we were stronger, others wouldn't dare to treat us like this."
"So, Qi Lang, you need to study hard. Aim to become a child scholar next year, a scholar the year after that, and a Jinshi the year after that."
Li Qi Lang exclaimed, although he thought highly of himself, the prospect of passing the imperial examination in three years was still daunting.
That night, Li Changsen couldn't sleep.
Jin Yue'e noticed and asked, "Master, are you still thinking about Sanlang?"
Li Changsen remained silent for a while before speaking, "Do you think I should go talk to that family?" In the face of their child's future, what did his own anxieties and concerns matter?
Jin Yue'e sat up abruptly, "Master, please don't do that. If Sanlang finds out, he won't be happy."
Forming a connection with another family could happen at any time, but it mustn't be done when seeking a favor from them. How would that family perceive her husband, and their family, in that situation?
Li Changsen sighed, "I just feel so useless. When our child faces difficulties, I, as his father, can't be of any help."
Jin Yue'e held his hand, "Master, don't think like that. It's just a year's wait. With Sanlang's abilities, I believe that even if he starts school a year later, he can still build a successful future."
"This year of delay won't make much difference. Life is full of ups and downs. Our Sanlang is grown up now, it's time for him to face challenges."
Li Changsen fell silent, staring at the ceiling with a complex, conflicted expression. But soon, determination filled his eyes.
Early the next morning, Li Sanlang escorted Li Qi Lang to the government school for registration. Meanwhile, Li Er Ya and Li Wu Ya waited for Jin Yue'e to get ready before heading out to visit Madam Qiao.
"Sister, look, Father left alone."
Li Wu Ya spotted her father slipping out from the back door and immediately tugged Li Er Ya, "Mother, let's follow him."
Li Changsen's health had improved significantly, and light activity was no problem.
Initially, he didn't notice his daughters trailing him. However, as he reached the street where the Qiao residence was located, he hesitated, occasionally pausing and turning around, spotting the two daughters who hadn't managed to hide themselves in time.
"You... you two."
Li Wu Ya walked over with a flattering smile, arm linked with Li Er Ya, "Father, we saw you going out alone and felt a bit uneasy, so we followed."
Li Changsen raised an eyebrow; he was well aware of his mischievous youngest daughter's intentions.
Grinning, Li Wu Ya moved closer to Li Changsen and asked, "Father, what brought you here?"
Li Changsen responded, "Can't I just take a stroll?"
Li Wu Ya laughed awkwardly, "Of course you can, but your 'casual stroll' seems to have taken you quite far from home."
Just then, Li Er Ya exclaimed, "Five Ya, look, isn't that the old man who questioned us at the inn before?"
Li Wu Ya turned her gaze and immediately recognized the figure standing in front of the Qiao residence talking to a servant. "Yes, that's him."
Li Changsen's expression tensed, and he urgently asked, "Do you know that old man?"
Li Er Ya shook her head, "We don't know him. He asked us some questions when he passed through Tianling Village last July, on his way to visit a friend at the Dierling Pass."
"Last July?"
Li Changsen's face grew more serious. It was around the time he had pursued the Northern Yan general and returned to the city. "What did he ask you?"
Seeing Li Changsen's urgency, Li Wu Ya's eyes flickered as if contemplating something, looking at the Qiao residence, and then back at Qiao Sheng who was still conversing with the servant.
Li Er Ya continued, "Nothing much, he casually inquired about our family. Seventh Brother mentioned that he seemed like a human trafficker, so we didn't talk much."
"But Mother said he stayed at the inn for quite a few days and had multiple conversations with her."
Li Changsen's hand at his side clenched the fabric of his clothes, trembling slightly due to his forceful grip.
The Qiao family knew about him, and they even went to Tianling Village to inquire about him! It must have been when he was in the city; they must have seen him.
It made sense—his appearance resembled the Qiao family's eldest son. If he could think of the connection, the Qiao family certainly could too.
Yet, despite knowing about him, the Qiao family had taken no action.
The Qiao family didn't want to acknowledge him!
Li Changsen glanced at the Qiao residence, a deep sense of hurt in his eyes. "Let's go home."
Noticing Li Changsen's low spirits, Li Er Ya and Li Wu Ya didn't dare to ask too much. They supported Li Changsen and left the area.
Upon returning home, Li Changsen often seemed lost in thought. It wasn't until Li Sanlang took him around to look at land that he slowly recovered. After this, he never mentioned the idea of recognizing his lineage again.
Even with their efforts, they didn't manage to acquire a large piece of good land. Li Changsen, accompanied by Li Sanlang, inspected the area and ended up purchasing twenty scattered acres of prime farmland. Due to the distance between the parcels, it wasn't convenient to manage them all, so they sought out Mr. Shang and leased the land to several local farmers.
Buying land proved challenging, and Li Sanlang was still denied a spot at the government school. Since their arrival in the city, the Li family had experienced the difficulty of making a living in this new environment.
In this city, having money alone wasn't sufficient. Status, position, and influence were equally important.
"What? Dad, you and brother want to become escorts?!"
Li Wu Ya, Jin Yue'e, Li Er Ya, and Li Qi Lang looked at Li Changsen and Li Sanlang in astonishment.
Jin Yue'e grew anxious, "Being an escort is dangerous. Can't you reconsider?"
Li Changsen quickly reassured her, "This decision was made after discussing it with Sanlang. Finding a good job in the city isn't easy, and working as escorts can bring in more money relatively."
"Sanlang and I will work together, so we can watch out for each other. We'll only handle local deliveries around the city, not going far, so there won't be much danger."
Li Sanlang added, "Running escort missions will take us to different places, allowing us to broaden our horizons. I've grown up here, and I haven't been to other places yet."
"Furthermore, after all these years of martial arts training, I can't let it go to waste. Running escorts is the most suitable job for us."
"Who knows, maybe in the future, Dad and I could even start our own escort agency."
Li Wu Ya looked at them but didn't say anything.
She understood her father's and brother's perspectives.
Her father was the head of the family, naturally wanting to support the household. Her brother probably felt the same way. So even though the family wasn't currently lacking money, both of them wanted to bring in more.
It was about personal value and aspirations. Since they had already made up their minds, she respected their decisions.
After that, Li Changsen began working as an escort with Li Sanlang; Li Qi Lang went to the government school; Li Er Ya and Li Wu Ya learned reading, writing, and female skills from Madam Qiao; Jin Yue'e took care of the family's daily life.
Everyone had their own tasks, and life in the Li family settled down.
Suddenly, April arrived.
On the second day of April, Mr. Shang came to the Li household looking for Li Wu Ya. Jin Yue'e had gone out to buy groceries, and with the front gate closed, Mr. Shang knocked for a while. Seeing that no one was answering, he was about to leave when he faintly heard the sound of a sword cutting through the air coming from the courtyard.
Being a martial artist himself, he recognized the sound of someone practicing with a sword.
Mr. Shang was quite curious about the Li family.
Initially, he thought that Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang might be the children of two different mothers. But upon meeting Li Changsen and Jin Yue'e, he realized he had been mistaken.
He had even sent someone to investigate the Li family.
This investigation had uncovered something astonishing—during a critical time in the war, a military household had changed its status to that of civilians. This was quite unusual.
How had they managed to do that?
Jiubian Ya Hang had businesses in many border cities, and he happened to know a captain stationed at Dierling Pass. This captain informed him about the reason behind the Li family's change of status.
Li Changsen survived after burning the Northern Yan's provisions, and Li Sanlang and Li Qi Lang dared to venture into the heart of Northern Yan's territory to rescue their father—and they succeeded!
All these incidents displayed that the Li family was extraordinary.
So, even though the investigation had revealed that the Li family was just an ordinary household with no special background or connections, Mr. Shang didn't dare to show any negligence.
Mr. Shang had witnessed the martial skills of Li Wu Ya and Li Qi Lang, who could defeat eighth-rank martial practitioners. But what about the others?
Who was practicing swordsmanship in the courtyard?
Unable to contain his curiosity, Mr. Shang discreetly climbed over the wall and then saw Li Er Ya gracefully wielding a long sword in the courtyard.
How fast was her sword?
It was so swift that he could hardly follow the movements, only catching glimpses of sunlight reflecting off the blade.
"Who?!"
Before he could react, a strong sense of danger surged within Mr. Shang. He yelled without thinking, "Second Miss, it's me, Mr. Shang."
As he spoke, he saw the cold glint of a sword blade aimed at his throat, and he found himself lying on the ground beneath the wall.
He could clearly feel the sharp and icy sensation of the sword tip.
It was too fast!
He didn't even have a chance to evade!
In that moment, Mr. Shang had no doubt that if he hadn't spoken up a moment earlier, he might have lost his life!
Seeing that it was Mr. Shang, Li Er Ya frowned slightly and sheathed her sword. "Why are you here? Everything's fine. Why would you climb over the wall?"
Struggling to get up, Mr. Shang replied, "Second Miss, it's like this. Third Miss asked me to inquire about suitable locations for opening a herbal shop. I got some information, so I rushed over to let her know."
"I knocked on your door, but there was no answer. I heard noises in the courtyard, so I couldn't help but climb over to take a look."
Li Er Ya knew that people in the herbal business were usually smooth talkers, so their words couldn't be fully trusted. She suspected he might be trying to gather information about the Li family's situation and didn't look pleased.
"Don't climb over the wall again in the future. I might not always be able to hold back my sword."
Mr. Shang hurriedly responded, "I won't dare. Absolutely won't."
Li Er Ya continued, "Li Wu Ya is still practicing the zither at Madam Qiao's place. She'll be back in an hour. If you have any matters, you can leave first."
Mr. Shang wanted to say he was fine, but seeing that only Li Er Ya was home, he had no choice but to leave.
As soon as he exited the Li household, Mr. Shang repeatedly patted his chest and wiped the cold sweat from his forehead.
He was terrified!
Touching his cold neck, Mr. Shang felt a sense of sadness he couldn't quite explain. He was an eighth-rank martial practitioner, considered quite skilled in the city.
But look at the kind of monsters he had encountered among these four siblings—just children, yet they could end his life with a single strike.
After the fear subsided, Mr. Shang felt happy again. The stronger the Li siblings were, the stronger their mentors must be.
"It seems highly likely that White Moonlight and Black Lotus are indeed their mentors."
Not long after Mr. Shang left, Li Wu Ya returned with her ancient zither. As she arrived at the door, she saw her mother and the neighbor exchanging greetings, but the neighbor ignored her and turned away, going back inside.
"Mother!"
Jin Yue'e was feeling awkward, but upon seeing Li Wu Ya's return, she quickly put on a smile.
"Mother, in the future, we shouldn't bother with people like that."
Jin Yue'e was perplexed, "When we first moved here, they seemed quite friendly. Why have they suddenly become distant?"
"Why else? They've probably figured out our background."
Li Er Ya walked out from inside the house, "The neighbor on the left has a son who's a scholar; the neighbor on the right has someone working in the Commandery Office. We're just an ordinary family, and they consider themselves superior to us, so they don't want to have anything to do with us."
Jin Yue'e frowned, "Why is it like this?"
Li Wu Ya smiled, "Actually, it's quite normal. In Tianling Village, people help each other out due to familiarity, so relationships are better. But in the city, where no one knows anyone, you have to bring value and benefits to others for them to want to interact with you. Mother, you'll get used to it."
Jin Yue'e sighed and entered the house with her two daughters.
Originally, they thought that moving to the city meant just changing their residence. But after settling in, they realized that the environment had changed, and their ways of doing things had to change accordingly.
Back in the room, Li Er Ya informed Li Wu Ya about Mr. Shang's visit and also mentioned how she had frightened him.
"That's good. Despite Mr. Shang's outward hospitality, he might have his own hidden intentions. Knowing our strength, he might be more sincere in his dealings with us."
"Do you really want to open a herbal shop? How much silver does that take?"
"I have more than eight thousand taels of silver on hand, which should be sufficient."
"Why are you even thinking about opening a herbal shop? You're doing well as it is."
"Eight thousand taels of silver might sound like a lot, but it won't last long. Brother is sixteen this year, and you're fourteen. Whether it's marriage or finding a spouse, it requires a lot of money. Sanlang and I are growing up as well, and these matters should be considered sooner rather than later."
"Furthermore, I also want to improve our family's quality of life. With Mother working so hard both inside and outside the house, it's quite exhausting. It would be great if we could afford maidservants and servants like others."