The longing to return home was intense, and the ox cart moved slowly.
This familiar road home seemed to have lengthened considerably.
Along the way, Shen Wenxing frequently stood up, looking towards Jinliu Village.
When the village's outline appeared in sight, he jumped directly off the ox cart.
"Ah Die, the cart is too slow. I'll go ahead."
The sound came as he had already started running forward.
"That rascal…"
Watching his son's back, Shen Yuan smiled and cursed, snapping the whip on the old ox's back.
"Giddy up!"
…
In the small courtyard, when Shen Yuan finally arrived home with the ox cart, Shen Wenxing was carefully holding his younger sister Shen Wenping, foolishly smiling.
Though he said he was fine with either a younger brother or sister, he truly preferred his sister a bit more in his heart.
Shen Yuan washed his hands simply and took his little son from his wife's hands.
"He's growing more and more like Shi Tou when he was little."
Hearing this, Shen Wenxing immediately leaned in: "Ah Die, did I look like this when I was little?"
Shen Yuan nodded.
By evening, as the sun slanted west, Shen Yuan went to bring Ah Nu back.
With this, the family of six was fully gathered for the first time.
"Ah Die, Master Lu asked me to ask you, when will you hold the full moon celebration for my little brother and sister?" During dinner, Ah Nu asked while poking at the rice in his bowl.
Full moon celebration?
The couple exchanged glances.
In this era, there are traditions that only the birth of the firstborn son in the family warranted a full moon celebration.
When Shi Tou had his full moon, they already held a celebration. For the eldest daughter and the second son, they normally wouldn't hold another, unless they were from a prominent family with many connections; they might hold a symbolic few tables to strengthen ties.
Shen Wenping and Shen Wen'an's full moon celebrations were something the couple hadn't planned for.
But now that Master Lu asked Ah Nu to inquire, he probably wanted to partake in the celebration. It wouldn't look good to refuse.
Hu Yufen looked at the pair of children in the cradle, hesitating: "Husband, why don't we just have a simple two-table feast?"
"There are neighbors who sent congratulatory gifts recently; we can invite them for a meal and a celebratory drink."
Shen Yuan nodded slightly, agreeing to this plan.
"Wenping and Wen'an will have their full moon in twenty days; I'll prepare in a few days."
"We can slaughter a piglet from the pen and get some other vegetables, and it should be enough."
After dinner, Ah Nu played with his mother and siblings in the room.
Shen Yuan quietly pulled Shen Wenxing into the courtyard.
"Shi Tou, there's something I want to ask you."
"Have you noticed any changes in your body lately?"
He was still concerned about the matter of bloodline refinement.
The second child, Ah Nu, wasn't so fortunate; he wanted to see if the eldest got any blessings.
"How does Ah Die know?"
Shen Wenxing was a bit surprised.
He hadn't yet mentioned the bodily changes and the sudden surge in strength.
"So, your body has changed?" Shen Yuan's face showed a hint of delight.
The eldest learning martial arts and the bloodline being refined seemed to be quite beneficial.
Shen Wenxing didn't hide from his father and described the bodily changes in detail.
After listening, Shen Yuan compared it secretly and found it similar to what he felt.
When he heard about his son's sudden burst of power from the bloodline advancement, a wave of excitement rose in his heart.
"Shi Tou, can the Pile Skill you're practicing really be taught to others?"
Shen Wenxing nodded without hesitation: "It's just Pile Skill; without the auxiliary herbal meals, it's basically just for health, not very useful to outsiders."
"Does Ah Die want to learn?"
He always hoped his father could practice Pile Skill.
The family had dozens of acres and numerous matters that all relied on his father. If he could practice Pile Skill in his spare time to nurture his health, he wouldn't be so exhausted.
After some hesitation, Shen Yuan nodded: "Then demonstrate it for me."
Father and son began practicing Pile Skill in the courtyard.
The movements weren't complicated, but given Shen Yuan's age of twenty-seven and his long years of labor, some of his joints and muscles had stiffened and hardened. After practicing, he was sweating heavily.
"Ah Die, you have to practice this Pile Skill diligently in the future, or when you're older, your health will suffer."
Shen Wenxing supported him, feeling heartbroken, as he sat down.
"Alas."
Shen Yuan sighed heavily, holding his back.
"Pile Skill combined with some boxing would be better, but I dare not teach you martial arts hall's boxing. However, I can show you some simple military boxing."
Shen Wenxing stood in the courtyard, demonstrating some basic moves commonly used by soldiers.
Watching his son's coordinated movements, Shen Yuan felt very gratified.
In this way, in the previous life, this would at least be a Martial Hero Level national athlete.
The silver coins were well spent!
The military boxing moves were simple; after roughly remembering them, Shen Yuan planned to practice after doing Pile Skill for some time to warm up the body.
Early the next morning, he first took Shen Wenyan to Lu Zhiyuan and solemnly handed over an invitation, inviting Lu Zhiyuan to come and enjoy the celebration.
Lu Zhiyuan accepted the invitation joyfully.
On returning home, Shen Yuan stared at a blank invitation, deep in thought.
This invitation was initially meant to be given to Huang Qingzhou when he sent Shi Tou to the martial arts hall later, but he worried it might seem too forward.
Although the two families had some interactions due to Shen Wenxing learning martial arts in the hall, their previous connections hadn't been reestablished.
Sending an invitation abruptly would inevitably seem abrupt.
After much consideration, he finally started writing.
Once the ink dried, Shen Yuan placed the invitation in his pocket.
At Yunshui Town's martial arts hall entrance, Shen Yuan pulled out the invitation from his pocket.
"Shi Tou, keep this with you."
He handed over the invitation.
"Is it for Uncle Huang?" Shi Tou asked in confusion.
Shen Yuan shook his head slightly: "Yes and no."
"Keep this invitation, and don't tell others. If your Uncle Huang asks about your younger siblings, give him the invitation."
"Tell him it's something Ah Die asked you to deliver, but you forgot."
"If he doesn't ask, then after your siblings' full moon, you can throw this invitation away."
Though puzzled, Shen Wenxing nodded seriously.
He had inadvertently mentioned his wife's pregnancy to Huang Qingzhou before; if the latter paid attention, he should remember.
If they didn't ask, it meant they weren't very interested, and he didn't need to push it.
"Go on in, then."
Watching his son's silhouette disappear at the martial arts hall's entrance, Shen Yuan drove the ox cart to the town market.
They didn't have any prominent or influential friends; to invite others for a meal, simple seasonal vegetables accompanied by some chicken, fish, pork, and eggs would suffice.
In this season, the vegetables were nothing more than radishes and cabbages. Slaughtering a pig at home and getting some fish should almost cover it.
By evening, Shen Yuan returned home with a cart full of purchased ingredients.
Hu Yufen came over, glanced, and asked puzzled: "Didn't husband buy some wine?"
One can't invite guests for celebratory drinks without wine.
Shen Yuan smiled wryly: "Buying these vegetables, fruits, and seasonings already cost several taels of silver. The town's distillery wines are too pricey."
"I plan to dig out our homemade rice wine instead."
Those rice wines were brewed when Shi Tou was born, originally intended to be saved until Shi Tou's wedding. But with the current financial constraints, they could only use it to tide over this event.
"Wouldn't that be a bit lacking?"
Hu Yufen was a little worried, especially since there were not only neighborhood friends but also someone like Lu Zhiyuan, a great scholar.
However, Shen Yuan was quite confident.
As a native of Hubei in his past life, brewing rice wine was a skill he had mastered from a young age.
While not a masterpiece, he was confident it would surpass the inferior liquors from the town's distillery.