In other words: not only could she casually hang the future masterpieces on the walls, but she could also send the kids in the family to become favored apprentices of a master? This, this is practically like having a pie fall from the sky! Wasn’t it said that although Mr. Wu Tong’s painting skills are exceptional, he rarely picked up his brush? Because there are so few in existence, they become even more precious and rare. Now this future top-notch master of the coming decades voluntarily gives away paintings, with the option to choose the style and no limit on quantities. If you say it out loud, it would surely make many people green with envy, right? Hehe, Shuzhen chuckled foolishly: "Thank you, Mr. Feng Ju, for your kindness; these two pieces are already valuable enough to be cherished. More would seem a bit greedy. We really don’t need more paintings. If you are so inclined, you could just guide our Lian En, Chenchen, and Xinzhi a little. Whether they succeed or not depends on their own talent. I just hope they can absorb more, and developing more artistic sensibility would be nice." Feng Ju didn’t say much more, just carefully noted how many rooms the house had and how many places were suitable for hanging paintings. He planned to go back and prepare thoroughly, and then send them over with care. He indeed rarely picked up his brush and seldom gave away his paintings, but towards true kin and friends he genuinely cared about, he never knew what being stingy meant. After everyone had exchanged gifts and said their blessings, Lianshan, as the host, led everyone around for a careful tour of the house, while Shuzhen carefully put away the two paintings by Feng Ju. Seeing his mom wrap those paintings in layers of paper as if afraid of getting them dirty, Lian En thought she must really love paintings. He secretly decided to seek out Mr. Feng to study seriously and aim to surpass the teacher in the future. By then, whatever his mom liked, he would draw it, and he’d create many, many paintings. He would cover every nook and cranny of the house with his work, and when anyone asked, she could proudly boast, "Yeah, my eldest son painted these. How about it, doesn’t it beat Qi Shi’s and Zhang Qian’s?" Alright, Feng Ju would never guess that the disciple he was most proud of in his life entered his circle not because of admiration for his talent or appreciation for his paintings, as he had claimed. The real reason was simply to create works better than the teacher’s for his mother to brag about someday. After this group had circled the new house, Wu Yinghong, Su Hongying, Lian Yue, and Qiu Fang had already quickly finished cooking the dishes. Braised pork ribs, chicken stewed with mushrooms, Demoli fish stew, braised monkey head mushrooms, wood ear fungus with cabbage, goose stewed with potatoes, homemade cold dishes with spiced peanuts for drinks. A feast of eight dishes with both meat and vegetables, along with some fruit wine produced by the Liu family village and two bottles of aged Baijiu. It was quite the solid spread, enough to impress guests at a typical engagement banquet held by a well-off family. Though Liu Shouyi wasn’t a heavy drinker, he loved a sip or two. He stepped forward, grabbed a bottle of Baijiu, and poured drinks for everyone individually: "Come on, come on, the wine is good, the dishes are good, and the mood is good. With double the happiness, we should at least have a few drinks! First, wishing my little sister and brother-in-law joy in their new home, living a life that just keeps getting better and better. Second, wishing Uncle Wei, Uncle Feng, and Brother Haozi soaring success, and hoping they appear in the People’s Daily sooner or later!" "Shouyi’s words are well-spoken. Just for that, we must drink!" "Come on, come on, raise your glasses. Here’s to Lianshan couple’s happy move, and to Wei Lai and the guys’ bright future ahead!" Except for Lianshan, who resolutely refused to drink, and Liu Shouyi himself, who couldn’t handle his drink, the rest weren’t timid drinkers at all. In the blink of an eye, two bottles of Baijiu were emptied, and several unsatisfied ones reached for the fruit wine bottles. After the meal, nobody was sober. Even Father Su got so merry thanks to the toasting indulged by others, staggering slightly as he walked, he held on to Lianshan’s hand, continuously mumbling about how the Su family’s prosperity was largely due to the couple’s strategies, good ideas, and high-yield seeds. The couple had little labor and many children, so if anything serious came up, they could send a message over. If any of the Eight Warriors didn’t move, he’d whip them with a stick! Of course, if any matter arose that needed explanation or an elder’s intervention, they should count on him. Any trouble would be covered by him. Since the kid’s parents passed away early, he would treat him like his child! Though not particularly keen about suddenly acquiring another set of parents, Lianshan nevertheless appreciated the old man’s wholehearted protection. He drove a tractor back to the brigade to drop each of these drunk cats off home. By the time he returned, the sun was almost setting in the west. Upon entering the house, he saw Chenchen and Xinzhi playing with little Xinyue in the living room, the half-open kitchen door revealing Lian En tending to the fire, while Shuzhen with her big belly was cooking. As she stirred the food with a spatula, she and her son chatted in low voices, filling the room with warmth. After reminding the twins to watch over their little sister, Lianshan quickly rolled up his sleeves and entered the kitchen: "I told you, wait until I’m back. Look at you now at this stage and still going into the kitchen. What if you tire yourself out!" Shuzhen smiled: "It’s just cooking; how delicate can one get? Besides, isn’t Lian En here to help me? Choosing vegetables, washing them, and tending the fire, it’s all handled by my eldest son. Me? I just do a bit of pot-scrubbing, dicing, and stirring; it’s no bother at all!" "Really? My eldest son is that good? Being able to help out mom at such a young age, truly amazing!" Lianshan praised as he patted Lian En’s little shoulder, his eyes full of approval. "Dad, I’m over seven years old now, practically a big kid. I should be helping mom and dad with work and taking care of my younger siblings! Mom works so hard, and me working a bit more, isn’t that my duty? Besides, if not for mom worrying about me, I would’ve already been cutting and frying, serving you my culinary skills!" Lian En said, with his Phoenix eyes smiling into crescent moons, full of high spirits. Every expression and feature exuded a lively spirit, like a radiant little sun, filling others with warmth just by looking at him. Perhaps because past issues had been resolved, mother and son were now closer than ever, so much so that Lian En’s smiles came with little effort, as he let go of the insecurities that had troubled him. He became all lively and smiled at everything, walking briskly with a slight bounce in his steps. Shuzhen felt both gratified and guilty; realizing her little biases nearly swayed her child’s nature, she knew she hadn’t been a competent mother. Thankfully, she caught on in time; it wasn’t too late to learn how to interact with Lian En properly. Yet, figuring out how to be a good parent, she realized there’s still much to learn and work on!