Hongji's father... really wanted to smoke his bamboo pipe, as he had just had a smoke before dinner, yet now—he faced the noisy situation and felt the urge to smoke again.
But his favoritism tilted toward Aunt Lai, and although he thought his son and Mrs. Lai were right, he suppressed his thoughts and expressed his own.
He actually didn't object to hiring guards for protection; after all, the richer one became, the more one feared thieves, and with more wealth, one feared a shorter life.
"Alright, alright, hiring people to guard the home is also right, we're all here, and your safety must be ensured."
"Yes, the concubine understands, it was the concubine's mistaken thought."
Aunt Lai did worry about thieves entering the village or someone coming to steal, and she realized that in the small house she was even more vulnerable to theft, and after reconsidering, she thought hiring guards was indeed the right decision; it was just the thought that had occurred to her earlier.
