Zheng Cui'er's face turned from green to white. She looked at Jiang Wan's retreating back and bit her lip, full of resentment.
Last night, their family had been driven out of the city. They had found a spot outside the city gates and managed to set up a makeshift shelter.
Her mother had scolded her all night, forcing her to find a way to sneak back into the city today to apologize to the Jiang family and beg Jiang Pan to allow their family to return to the small mountain village.
How could she possibly have a way!
But she had to come.
She hadn't expected that as soon as she arrived at the benevolent hall, she would see Jiang Pan and the others approaching.
Her original plan was that since Jiang Wan was young, she could coax her with a few sweet words. Then, she would ask Jiang Wan to lure Er Lang out, and she would have a good talk with Er Lang, perhaps feigning some pitifulness. Er Lang would surely soften his heart and forgive her.
As long as Er Lang was willing to put in a good word, it wouldn't be difficult for their family to return to the small mountain village.
But Jiang Wan was unexpectedly unapproachable. She had prepared so many words, yet she wasn't even given a chance to speak them!
Fine, if Jiang Wan's path was blocked, she would think of another way!
Zheng Cui'er gritted her teeth and looked into the distance. She saw Er Lang happily lifting Jiang Wan and placing her on his shoulders.
Thinking of the embarrassment she had suffered before, Zheng Cui'er gnashed her teeth in hatred.
If only that annoying Jiang Wan didn't exist!
Jiang Wan felt a wave of malice and glanced in Zheng Cui'er's direction, narrowing her eyes.
She turned to Er Lang and said, "Second Brother, go and tell the people at the benevolent hall that someone has snuck in and might cause trouble."
Er Lang was startled and quickly asked, "Who? Where?"
Jiang Wan pointed in Zheng Cui'er's direction.
When Er Lang saw it was Zheng Cui'er, his face immediately darkened. He gritted his teeth and said, "I'll go call for help right away!"
The two sides were not too far apart. Zheng Cui'er vaguely heard their conversation, her face turned pale with fright, and she turned and fled from the benevolent hall.
By the time the people from the benevolent hall arrived, Zheng Cui'er had long since disappeared.
Er Lang was very indignant, "I can't believe she got away!"
Jiang Wan patted him, "Second Brother, Zheng Cui'er is after you. You need to be more careful and don't let her get close to you. Otherwise, you'll be ruined!"
Er Lang shivered, his back chilling, and he quickly assured her that he would pay more attention.
Jiang Pan went to discuss the matter of settling down in the village with the old village chief. Jiang Wan, bored, asked her elder brothers to take her to explore Yao County.
Da Lang and the others were also very curious about the new environment, so the three brothers took their little sister and set off with great excitement.
Yao County was vast. According to Madam Cheng, although Yao County was called a county, its area was comparable to a prefecture. The direct superior of Magistrate Cheng was the Prefect of Huainan, so Magistrate Cheng's official position carried significant weight.
Although Yao County was under the jurisdiction of Huainan Prefecture, it was located on its border, close to Jinling. It possessed more Jiangnan characteristics than other parts of Huainan Prefecture, and was naturally more prosperous.
Rivers of various sizes flowed through the city. Not only were the streets filled with shops, but the houses built along the rivers also served as businesses.
Various boats shuttled briskly on the river channels. From some exquisite pleasure boats, melodious zither music and folk songs could be heard.
Da Lang and the other two were country bumpkins who had never seen the world, and Jiang Wan was not much better. So, the four of them stood on a stone bridge, staring at the boats passing under the bridge for a long time.
San Lang said, "Everyone says Jiangnan is good, but who would have imagined it would be this good before coming here."
Jianzhou was in the north, mountainous and poor, a region that required tax reductions from the imperial court every year. The entire prefecture was notoriously impoverished. Forget about such a prosperous scene; one could hardly see a decent carriage on the streets.
As for Jiang Wan, there was even less to say.
After watching the boats for a while, they headed towards the bustling streets.
A vendor selling candied hawthorn approached them. Jiang Wan's mouth watered, and she quickly reached for her New Year's money to buy one. But with her three elder brothers accompanying her, how could it be her turn to pay?
After buying a candied hawthorn for five copper coins, Jiang Wan sat on Da Lang's shoulders, eating and observing the prosperous street scenery.
Vendors of all sorts had lined the streets with their goods. Crowds gathered in front of the circus troupes, and the teahouses and restaurants were filled with lively chatter...
Here, the prosperity was like another world compared to Jianzhou.
Just then, a gong sound was heard, and several yamen constables rushed over. The pedestrians on the street quickly made way.
The constables ran to a notice board, smeared it with paste, and posted several wanted posters.
"Everyone, please pay attention. These individuals are wanted criminals. If you discover any trace of them, you must report it immediately. If the information is verified, the government will reward fifty taels of silver. If you can capture them, you will be rewarded two hundred taels of silver!"
Upon hearing the generous rewards, everyone craned their necks to look at the portraits.
Da Lang and the others, encountering this situation for the first time, also squeezed in out of curiosity.
Unfortunately, there were too many people, and they couldn't see anything. However, Jiang Wan, sitting on Da Lang's shoulders, got a clear view of the portraits.
She stared at the portraits for several long moments, sighing inwardly. With portraits drawn like this, how could they possibly catch anyone!
She considered herself to have a good memory. After looking for a while, she only remembered one child, who was about ten years old and wore a jade pendant with an exquisite pattern on his chest. She didn't remember any other features.
Honestly, she doubted if the government truly wanted to catch these people.
The common people also discussed amongst themselves, "With such high rewards, these must be extremely wicked criminals. How would ordinary folk dare to offend them?"
"Exactly, it's better not to get the reward and lose one's life instead."
Jiang Wan couldn't help but chuckle as she listened to the public's discussions. It seemed everyone was quite sensible.
These wanted posters were merely a small interlude in their daily lives, and no one took them seriously.
Only Er Lang said with great interest, "If we could catch them, we'd be rich!"
Da Lang gave him a disdainful look, "Overestimating yourself! Didn't you hear what those people said? These individuals are definitely not ordinary folk. Your meager skills are not enough for them to practice on."
Er Lang was displeased and jumped up, performing a set of his self-created boxing moves. It looked quite impressive, "With my skills, even three to five ordinary people can't get close to me."
Jiang Wan chuckled and gave him a gentle push. Er Lang sat down on the ground with a plop.
San Lang clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "Your stance is too weak. Even Wan Wan can push you down. And you dare to brag about this?"
Er Lang's face turned red. He got up from the ground and stubbornly said, "Wan Wan is as strong as an ox. Anyone would be unable to resist!"
Jiang Wan narrowed her eyes, "Second Brother, say that again? I'm as strong as what?"
Da Lang slapped Er Lang on the head, "What nonsense are you talking about! How can you speak about your own sister like that?"
Er Lang quickly apologized to Jiang Wan, "Wan Wan, I didn't mean it. Please don't be angry with your Second Brother, okay?"