"Yes, it's just that they're missing, you know. The entire country was wiped out, and the court couldn't even take care of itself. Who would care about her..." Granny Gao sighed.
Granny Jin shook her head helplessly, "What a shame. If someone like her had come to our Daliang Kingdom, the Emperor would have definitely made great use of her!"
"Exactly! You say this family's young daughter is strange, but that girl has also become formidable. If the two of them could serve Daliang, then Yan Country wouldn't dare bully us anymore..."
Granny Gao ate a potato and couldn't stop. The more she ate, the more delicious it became. Granny Jin barely ate any, as she devoured it all herself.
"I also heard that the princesses and princes of Chen Country have all fled to Daliang Kingdom, begging for food and living as beggars. It was truly miserable!" Granny Gao said, her cheeks bulging and her words slurred from eating.
Granny Jin felt a mix of amusement and helplessness, "It's quite a coincidence. This time, when the Princess went out of the palace, she unexpectedly arrived at the old Yun family's home. The brother and sister must have a lot to talk about..."
"Alas, the young prince has been living in Dashui Village all these years. Except for the occasional meeting with the Marquis, no other relatives have visited him. As a servant, my heart aches for him!"
Granny Jin handed over the last potato and then began to get up to wash the pot and tidy the bowls and chopsticks...
At the same time, in the main hall of the East Residence.
The Yun family was overjoyed to see Yun Siman return.
"Dad, Mom, these are clothes I bought for you. Try them on later and see if they fit!" Yun Siman handed over two packages.
Then he looked at his sister with a smile, "Sister, guess what good thing Fourth Brother bought for you?"
He had learned about Tianbaobao's birthday the last time he went home, so he had kept it in mind...
Coincidentally, the Marquis had given him leave this time, which coincided with his sister's birthday, and Jin He had passed the Xiu Cai exam. Yun Siman felt that his gifts were not enough.
He should have bought a whole cartload! There were just too many joyous occasions in the family.
Little Xi Tian's eyes curved, and she raised her small head to look at Yun Siman, "As long as it's a gift from Fourth Brother, Xi Tian will like it..."
"Oh!" Yun Siman was dazed by happiness, feeling his heart melt.
He didn't play coy and directly pulled out a night-shining pearl from his embrace, about the size of a fist.
The moment it was revealed, a misty radiance refracted outwards, emitting a hazy and cool glow.
"Sister, see, this thing is called a night-shining pearl. It's so bright and beautiful, isn't it?" Yun Siman lifted Little Xi Tian onto his lap and handed her the pearl.
"Wow..." Yun Jinshan's mouth widened. This thing was truly beautiful.
Even Jin Huaihua exclaimed with excitement.
In this poor countryside village, no one had ever seen such a good thing.
Let alone play with it in their hands.
"Thank you, Fourth Brother!" Little Xi Tian cradled the night-shining pearl in her hands, her chubby little face beaming like a flower.
Just then, Xiao Jinheng, having finished an arm-wrestling match with Xiao Xinling, walked into the main hall with his hands behind his back...
Seeing the little village child playing with a night-shining pearl, his eyes narrowed, and then he rushed to the West Residence.
"Commander Kong, get out here!" Xiao Jinheng roared in fury.
The two maids, Ru Yue and Ru Hua, were stunned, not knowing why their young master was so angry.
Kong Xingzhuo was roasting pig trotters with Xiao Ying and Xiao Jun. Seeing Xiao Jinheng storming over, the three of them quickly got up to bow, "Young... Young Master!"
"Commander Kong, you useless thing!" Xiao Jinheng directly cursed.
Kong Xingzhuo: "???"
What happened to him?
"I clearly told you not to buy a night-shining pearl, but you insisted I buy it. Now it's been snatched up by someone else. What do you propose we do?" Xiao Jinheng questioned.
Tomorrow was the little village child's birthday. Since Yun Siman had already given her a night-shining pearl, how could his gift be presented now?
Kong Xingzhuo scratched his head. He thought the night-shining pearl was beautiful and that Tianbaobao would definitely like it when she saw it...
Who knew Yun Siman would show up halfway!
"Young... Young Master, don't worry. As soon as it's dawn tomorrow, this subordinate will go to the county town to pick out a new gift!" Kong Xingzhuo mumbled.
Alas, this Yun Siman wasn't the first time he had ruined his plans.
The last time they were chasing each other on Camel Peak Mountain, it was that brat who carried Tianbaobao and the young master and ran wildly...
Xiao Jinheng snorted, "Relying on you is like waiting for a cucumber to turn cold!"
"Young Master, what should we do?" Xiao Ying leaned over with a worried expression, "Why don't... why don't Young Master give himself to Tianbaobao? After all, Young Master has liked her for more than a day!"
"How... How dare you!" Xiao Jinheng's small face flushed red, and he kicked Xiao Ying with his short legs, "Go, slap yourself ten times, and you're forbidden to eat tomorrow..."
He was truly infuriated.
Old Man Yun was a bit drunk, his eyes a little unfocused.
Gu Shi knew he was happy, so she didn't say anything, only advised him to drink less.
Yun Daman and his brothers, however, were having a great time drinking.
They downed bowls one after another, and the village chief and others couldn't keep up and had already gone home...
"Third... Third Brother, hic!" Yun Siman's neck was red from drinking. He patted Yun Sanman's shoulder, "You... You come to the capital with me this time. Fourth Brother will introduce you to some girls, hic, they're all very good-looking, hic!"
"Siman!" Gu Shi glared at him with a mixture of tears and laughter, "You don't even have a wife yourself yet. You should worry about your own affairs first..."
Yun Siman grinned foolishly, "Mother, I'm used to being alone. Having a wife would be a burden, so I'm not in a hurry, hic!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Xiao Xinling came in briskly and went up to Yun Siman, "We didn't finish talking just now. Are you going to take me to Camel Peak Mountain or not?"
Yun Siman: "..."
This darn girl, why was she so persistent?
"No... No time, hic!" Yun Siman let out a drunken hiccup.
"Hmph!" Xiao Xinling instantly got angry and grabbed Yun Siman's ear, "You were the one who asked me to come to Dashui Village in the first place, and now you're ignoring me. You... you're so bad!"
Everyone: "..."
Little Xi Tian looked at her Fourth Brother, then at Xiao Xinling, and ran out with the night-shining pearl in her hands.
She wanted to show off to that brat.
As for how her Fourth Brother would deal with this young lady, she didn't care.
Yun Siman grabbed Xiao Xinling's wrist and stood up unsteadily, "You darn girl, what do you want?"
However, he had drunk too much, his legs were weak, and his head was dizzy. He lost his balance and leaned onto Xiao Xinling...
With a scream, Xiao Xinling was pressed onto the dining table by Yun Siman, their faces pressed together.