n lit because it was getting dark.Soldiers guarded both sides of the pier, hearing screams from afar. A captain stepped forward to report, "General, it seems that refugees are being harassed by barbar...They had been traveling south by boat, a large group of nearly twenty people, young and old. It was certainly too big of a group to travel quickly.

So by the time we arrived in Quanzhou, it was already late December.

Li Zhensheng had set up a three-entrance and a half grand house here, along with a large garden.

In Xindu, a courtyard like this would probably cost five or six thousand taels of silver, and you might not even be able to buy it.

But here the sky is high and the emperor is far away, the land is incredibly cheap. I spent only eight hundred taels to furnish a whole set of things.

Just as the whole family had settled down, Li Zhen's business partner who went out with him every day, along with some good friends, came to visit with their wives upon hearing the news.

Mrs. Li was a first-rank誥命夫人, and Tao Hongying was the wife of a general, and still the mother of a county lord, so naturally she had to meet guests and socialize.

After working hard for three or five days, everyone finally had some free time to go for a stroll in Quanzhou City.

At the sight of those yellow-haired, blue-eyed foreigners, and even some as black as charcoal, everyone was shocked.

The stars and the moonbeams dared only to peek out from their mother's embrace, stealing glances through her fingers.

Li Zhensheng also opened a restaurant here, but he didn't sell seafood.

After all, Quanzhou is famous for its seafood. Locals have been eating it for generations, so the cooking techniques are already excellent and can't be any better.

He suddenly squeezed in, but he couldn't get any of the good fruit.

So, he simply opened an ordinary restaurant and moved all the stir-fries and stews from the Immortal Guest House over.

He bought another farm, specializing in growing various new vegetables and fruits for the family.

Plus the new menu items that Tao Hongying and Jia Huan brainstormed, made the local people in Quanzhou very satisfied, so the business has been good.

After their stroll, everyone had bought some fresh little trinkets and enjoyed a meal at the restaurant. They were all very happy.

Warm, clean, and populous, it's also quite prosperous.

Before the excitement wore off, time flew by and it was the end of the year. Li Laotai and Tao Hongying helped Li Zhensheng prepare New Year's gifts and lucky money for those who would visit. In the blink of an eye, it was New Year's Eve.

Jia Yi and Liu Yang also returned from the Hailan Army. Last night, the family had a New Year's Eve dinner.

This morning's dumplings included all the family favorites: sour pickled cabbage and pork, beef and radish, and we also added three fresh and fish fillings. They are quite local specialties.

The stars and moon nibbled dumplings from a small bowl, but they only stared intently at the pickled cabbage pork and beef radish, completely ignoring the three-flavor and fish meat.

Tao Hongying couldn't help but laugh: "These two children are natives of the north, and their appetites can't be changed."

"He only ate fresh seafood for two days, and then he refused to touch fish or shrimp again."

Li Laotai rubbed her belly and said, "Not to mention the child, even my old bones are not comfortable."

"These past few days, I feel like even my breath carries the smell of fish. I'm thoroughly marinated from head to toe by the sea wind."

The crowd burst into laughter and agreed.

Wenjuan hugged her son and fed her a meatball, smiling and saying, "Grandma said that in the north we spend all day indoors keeping warm. Here, the windows are always open. We even get woken up by the heat at night!"

Mrs. Wen also nodded and said, “However, even breathing here feels comfortable with a moist throat.”

"If someone with a cough came here, they definitely wouldn't easily get sick."

After some casual chatter and the meal, staff from various departments came over to offer New Year's greetings.

Liu Yang was going to visit the Yue family and planned to ask his mother to accompany him on another day. They would discuss marriage arrangements together.

Li Lao Tai also asked Jia Yi to visit General Tang's house, and sent her a letter of introduction, intending to visit on the fourth day of the new year.

General Tang loved Jia Yi very much. Before, in Kyoto, he put a lot of effort into getting Jia Yi out of prison.

Before the Lunar New Year, the Li family sent generous gifts and after the holiday, they visited again. They were all about maintaining good relationships with their neighbors.

In the afternoon, both Jia Yi and Liu Yang returned home with a touch of intoxication.

On the eighth day of the first lunar month, Yue's family awaited Mrs. Liu's arrival for a banquet.

The Tang family would also be very happy to have the Li family visit, and they would definitely roll out the red carpet for them.

When they were idle and had nothing to do, the young girls paired up their dresses and jewelry, prepared gifts, and soon two more days passed.

Early in the morning of the fourth day, everyone finished their meal and got ready, then they took a car to the Tang family's home.

Zhao Yuru and Wen Juan disliked social gatherings and insisted on staying home to look after the children.

So, Lao Tai Li took Tao Hongying, Mrs. Wen, and Liu's wife out.

The Tang family was a renowned military clan that had guarded the southeastern seas for generations. They could be said to be the most prominent family in Quanzhou.

The Tang family's estate was located in Dongcheng, Quanzhou. It was a large complex consisting of seven courtyards facing each other, plus three alleys behind it with dozens of courtyards, housing three to four hundred members of the entire Tang family.

Logically speaking, a big tree has more dead branches.

With a large family, there will always be a few who are unruly and act out of line.

But there are no rumors of the Tang family oppressing the people in Quanzhou.

Moreover, most of the Tang family's descendants served in the military to defend their home and country. Many even died fighting pirates and Japanese invaders.

The people of Quanzhou, out of gratitude for the Tang family's loyalty, regardless of their status, would dismount when passing by the Tang family's door; scholars would get out of their carriages, and warriors would get off their horses.

Li's family also heard about this, so several dozen paces away from the Tang family's gate, they got off their carriage.

And the Tang family treated the Li family with utmost courtesy, even opening their doors wide to welcome them.

Lady Tang and Madam Li were about the same age, standing by the Flower Gate with their daughters-in-law.

Upon seeing Madam Li, Old Lady Tang stepped forward to shake her hand and greeted her with a smile.

Li Laotai was still a bit nervous, but Tang Lao Fu's family was also from a military background, with a cheerful and hearty personality. She spoke loudly and confidently, much more approachable than those pretentious noblewomen in Xindu.

Li Laotai relaxed after only a moment and started laughing with Tang Lao Fu in a corner.

Lady Tang looked dignified and imposing, with a gentle exterior but a strong inner character.

At this moment, she was walking behind Tao Hongying, Mrs. Wen, and Liu's wife, laughing and saying to them: "My mother when she was young, also accompanied her father out to sea to kill the Japanese pirates. Her temperament couldn't help but... be a little forthright. I hope you don't mind!"

“No, madam, you are too kind. Our matriarch is a true heroine, we admire her deeply.” Tao Hongying replied with a smile, “Besides, my mother also has a straightforward personality, she might even get along better with Lady Tang.”

Before the words even hit the ground, Madam Tang and Madam Li in front burst into laughter, seemingly amused by something they had just said to each other.

Tang Dafu and Tao Hongying looked at each other, both relieved.

Soon, everyone arrived at Madam Tang's courtyard and sat down to eat fruit and snacks.

Quanzhou enjoys spring-like weather year-round, with exceptionally fresh fruits such as lychee, mango, and longan.

A few plates of snacks are also Chef Tang's specialty.

But Lao Tai Li and the others ate without showing any signs of novelty.

Lady Tang was blunt and asked, "Elder sister, are you not used to the fruits here"

Old Li shook her head and smiled, "Sister, you're unaware.

My granddaughter is a real foodie. She has a greenhouse that's warm year-round, like spring, and she grows all sorts of fruits in there.

"Although our family doesn't eat it every day, we indulge in it every few days." tumbled around a few times before crawling out, letting her brothers lie down inside.Unfortunately, the house cat bed was too big, with half of its legs sticking out. Only Cat Brother curled up his l...