"Er Man Ge, you're here!"
The Qin sisters, upon hearing that their Er Man Ge had arrived, were so excited they hadn't even taken their afternoon nap.
It wasn't that they missed Yun Er Man, but rather they wanted to see if Xi Tian younger sister had come along...
"Er Man Ge, are you here alone?" Qin Feng Lan asked curiously.
Returning to the manor was too boring.
To prevent a repeat of the tragedy, their mother didn't even allow them to leave the prefectural governor's mansion.
The sisters spent their days at home embroidering, tending to flowers, reading, and painting.
This was nothing compared to life in Da Shui Village.
They had no freedom at all.
Yun Er Man put down the osmanthus cakes and forced a dry smile, "I came alone."
It was fortunate he hadn't brought his sister.
Otherwise, who knew what dangers they might have encountered on the way.
Madam Xue smiled and said, "Your sister has been a great benefactor to our Qin family. I haven't had the chance to thank her in person."
"How about this, I'll prepare a cartload of gifts for you to take back!"
A cartload?
Yun Er Man was a bit bewildered and waved his hands repeatedly, "No... no need, the Prefect already thanked me before!"
Wealthy families were indeed generous.
Gifts were given by the cartload.
Qin Yi Yi rolled her eyes, "Hmph, Er Man Ge, don't refuse. These gifts are all for Xi Tian younger sister!"
So, Yun Er Man was just the driver.
Madam Xue stroked Qin Yi Yi's head and pretended to be angry, "Don't talk nonsense. Everyone in the Yun family will receive a gift."
Yun Er Man said "Oh," and added, "Thank you for your trouble, Madam."
Prefect Qin, after finishing his official duties, walked over and said, "The time is a bit tight this time. Otherwise, I would have asked Madam and the children to go to Da Shui Village to thank Tian Bao Bao in person..."
The child was rescued, and the murderer of the Qin family's youngest son was apprehended.
This kindness could not be repaid with mere scattered silver.
Yun Er Man was assigned to work at the county office, but the Yun family also had Yun Da Man.
If possible, Prefect Qin really wanted to bring them all to Shuo An City.
Settle them in his own residence, doing odd jobs and running errands.
But he knew the Yun family would not agree.
"Er Man, since you've come all this way, I'll have Steward Ding take you around the city."
"Buy whatever you fancy, I'll pay for it!"
Shuo An City was more than ten times larger than He Yang County.
The streets here were wide and long, with a constant stream of pedestrians. Shops lined both sides of the long street, selling all sorts of goods.
Yun Er Man wasn't in the mood to sightsee.
He politely declined, "My family's fields are suffering from drought, so I shouldn't linger here!"
He wanted to go back as soon as possible to help his family carry water and weed the fields...
He couldn't leave all the work to his elder brother and father.
Prefect Qin understood Yun Er Man's feelings and nodded, "Alright, then you rest for a night, and we'll set off early tomorrow morning!"
"No!" Yun Er Man couldn't wait another moment and said seriously, "I want to leave now."
It was just past noon, and they could still cover a lot of distance.
Prefect Qin was a little surprised, "But... you've traveled a long way and haven't had a good rest. Can your body handle it?"
He hadn't misjudged Yun Er Man.
This young man was full of spirit and drive in everything he did, a promising talent worth cultivating.
"Don't worry, Prefect, I can handle it!" Yun Er Man said with a simple smile, patting his chest.
Prefect Qin pondered for a moment and then breathed a sigh of relief, "Alright, let's set off immediately!"
He instructed Steward Ding to load the gifts prepared by Madam Xue and her daughter into the carriage.
Then, accompanied by a few guards and attendants, they set off on their journey...
Yun Er Man still rode the fine horse that Advisor Zuo had given him, leading the procession.
The official road was uneven, and the horse-drawn carts carrying goods couldn't travel too fast, as it would be very bumpy.
The two hidden guards sent by Xiao Jin Heng never showed themselves.
They followed closely behind the procession, secretly protecting Yun Er Man's safety.
Strangely, on the way back, Yun Er Man couldn't find the "women's village" at all.
Even the two hidden guards were a bit confused.
The light was too dim that night, and they were busy rescuing Yun Er Man, so they forgot to remember the details and location of the village.
As a result, they didn't even know where the "women's village" was now.
The three of them felt like they had a nightmare, all very confused.
The procession bumped along the road for three days, finally arriving at He Yang County on the morning of the fourth day...
Prefect Chen had ordered the yamen runners to greet them at the entrance a day earlier.
Seeing Prefect Qin step down from the carriage, Prefect Chen greeted him with a smile, "Prefect!"
"Let's go inside and discuss business!"
"Yes, yes, good!"
Yun Er Man didn't rest and drove the carriage full of gifts back to the village.
Old Yun's family.
"So much fabric!" Zhao Gui Hua exclaimed, her eyes widening as she looked at the bolts of silk spread on the floor.
"Our quilt covers and clothes will need changing again," Gu Shi said with a smile.
In addition to the fabric, Madam Xue also sent many local snacks from Shuo An City.
Such as candied fruits, salted fish jerky, brittle candy, and various pastries.
Little Xi Tian, with her hands behind her back, looked around at the gifts and then announced in a milky voice, "Let's share them together!"
With so many delicious things, how could she possibly eat them all by herself?
Liu Cui Rong, sitting on a stool knitting a sweater, glanced at the candy on the table but said nothing.
If it were any other time, she would have pounced on it and stuffed it into her arms.
Having learned her lesson, Liu Cui Rong dared not be too presumptuous...
"Is your ear okay?" Yun Er Man asked, sitting beside her with concern.
"No... it's fine!" Liu Cui Rong turned her face away.
They say that being apart for three days is like a new romance. Yun Er Man had been gone for several days and actually missed his wife a little.
But this simpleton wasn't paying attention to him.
"In the future, help out more at home and take good care of your parents and children, and no one will kick you out."
Yun Er Man took her hand and persuaded her softly.
Liu Cui Rong lowered her head, "I... I understand!"
Little Xi Tian, carrying a small basket filled with various candies and snacks, walked to the adjacent mansion.
She knew Xiao Jin Heng didn't like these things, so Little Xi Tian was going to give them to Granny Jin.
And also to see that brat.
"Er Man Ge is back?" Xiao Jin Heng asked indifferently, holding a book.
The two hidden guards had already told him about Yun Er Man being captured halfway.
Xiao Jin Heng also found it very strange.
Little Xi Tian nodded, "He's back!"
"Mm! It's good that he's back!" Xiao Jin Heng nodded.
After speaking, he saw the little village child take out a piece of paper and many black and white pieces from her bag.
"What is that?"
"Gomoku!"
"How do you play?" Xiao Jin Heng put down his book, his interest greatly piqued.
This thing looked a bit like Go, but the rules were very different.
"It's very simple, I'll teach you!"
Little Xi Tian climbed onto a high chair so she could reach the table.
This chair was specially made for her by the craftsmen at Xiao Jin Heng's instruction.
Old Yun's family also had an identical chair.
The two little buns started playing Gomoku, completely unaware that the county office had descended into chaos...