"Mother!" Liu Cuirong rushed forward, her eyes red, and knelt before Gu Shi and Yun Laotou.
"Your daughter-in-law truly knows her mistake this time, please don't be angry."
Gu Shi stared at her for a moment and asked, "What happened to your ear?"
"Nothing... nothing!" Liu Cuirong lowered her head, too embarrassed to admit she had gotten into a fight.
Liu Cuirong brought over a plate of food and sighed, "It's Lu Jinping again, causing trouble. She happened to run into second sister-in-law, and that's when they started fighting."
The Yun family knew what kind of person Lu Jinping was.
That shrew was purely someone who bullied the weak and feared the strong, deserving a good beating.
Yun Jinshan stood in front of Liu Cuirong, his voice choked with emotion, "Grandma, please spare my mother this time, okay?"
Yun Xiaobao also tugged at Gu Shi's trouser leg, his bright, tear-filled eyes brimming with tears.
Xiao Xi Tian bustled in and out, placing her precious porcelain treasures on the cabinets in the main house, busy as could be...
"You may get up. From now on, you need to know what's important in the house, be diligent with your hands and feet, and slack off less!"
Gu Shi uttered these words and handed the basket to Hu Xi'er, "Wash them clean and eat them with sauce!"
"Okay!"
The basket contained dandelion greens and wild chives.
Even though Dashui Village was on the verge of drought, these wild vegetables were remarkably resilient.
During dinner, Xiao Xi Tian mentioned her second brother's trip to Shuo'an City to deliver a message.
Yun Laotou listened and nodded, "That's good. Such matters should be handled by those in official positions."
Dashui Village did not have the funds to build waterwheels.
The idea was good, but who would neglect their own land to dig irrigation channels and undertake massive construction projects?
These matters still required the government to step in and resolve them...
Liu Cuirong opened her mouth, intending to say that since Erman had gone to Shuo'an City, he should have taken her along.
Such a large city would surely be much more prosperous than Heyang County.
But the words caught in her throat, and she swallowed them back.
She was afraid her mother-in-law would criticize her.
After dinner, Gu Shi and Yun Laotou saw their daughter fiddling with a large pile of smooth objects.
They asked where these items came from.
"Young Master Xiao from next door gave them to me!" Xiao Xi Tian replied crisply.
Gu Shi casually picked up a porcelain rabbit and rubbed it in her hand for a moment.
"These things are quite valuable. How much did they cost in total?" Gu Shi asked.
Xiao Xi Tian shook her head.
She didn't know either!
Gu Shi never accepted anything from others for free; this was a matter of principle.
"Old man, tomorrow, take some money over to the neighbors."
Their daughter and grandson had often eaten the pastries and fruits from next door...
The Yun family had nothing particularly outstanding to offer.
At most, they could send over a plate of well-made dumplings, or a couple of jars of pickled vegetables.
"Alright!" Yun Laotou agreed and casually picked up a bowl, "Wow, this bowl is made so beautifully!"
Gu Shi shot him a glare, snatched it back, and returned it to their youngest daughter, "You old fool, don't break your daughter's things!"
Yun Laotou: "..."
Were these things made of paper?
They could break just like that.
Alas, as long as their youngest daughter was happy, that was all that mattered.
At the same time, on a winding mountain road, a fine horse galloped forward.
The area was densely covered with trees, and the road was pitch black, making it impossible to see anything.
Yun Erman dismounted, feeling a pang of self-reproach.
He had been so focused on the journey that he had forgotten to rest.
The next village was still far away, and the fine horse was panting heavily from exhaustion.
If they continued to press on, the horse would surely die from exhaustion.
However, the surrounding area was desolate and eerie, with not even a ghost to be seen.
If they rested where they were, who knew what wild beasts might emerge from the forest.
"Alas! What should I do?" Yun Erman grumbled, drawing a dagger.
"Roar! Roar!~"
A wolf howl echoed from the depths of the dense forest...
Yun Erman was startled and led the horse to the base of a tree.
There were wolves here.
He had to start a fire quickly.
He gathered a few dry branches and took out a fire starter.
After a puff of smoke, a flame flickered at the base of the tree.
This was his first time working for the yamen, and if anything went wrong, Prefect Chen would be disappointed.
Hungry and cold, Yun Erman took out his dry rations and water, and ate a simple meal.
The wolf howls had stopped, and the mountain forest was silent and vast, with only the rustling of leaves in the evening breeze.
The fine horse grazed on wild grass, occasionally pricking up its ears to listen for suspicious sounds in the surroundings...
Its hearing was much more acute than a human's.
If any wild beast ambushed them, it would discover it immediately.
Suddenly, the fine horse raised its head sharply and let out a clear neigh.
Yun Erman's eyes widened, and he cautiously got to his feet.
From the end of the mountain road, the sound of thundering hooves approached.
Moments later, a group of women in coarse linen clothes, holding torches and riding fine horses, surrounded Yun Erman.
Among these people, there was not a single man.
All they saw were young women, one after another.
Yun Erman leaned against the tree, frowning, "Who are you people?"
The woman at the head of the group looked Yun Erman up and down, surprised, "Which village are you from?"
"Dashui Village!" Yun Erman replied calmly.
The woman raised an eyebrow. She had never heard of Dashui Village...
However, this young master was indeed handsome and dignified.
Those long legs were so attractive.
"You've been captured, come with us obediently!" the woman said, licking her lips with a serious expression.
The other women also stared at Yun Erman like hungry wolves.
Their gazes swept from his legs to his face, their greedy eyes glowing with a green light.
Yun Erman: "..."
Why do you guys feel more terrifying than wolves?
"Why should I go with you?"
Yun Erman gripped the reins, intending to escape on horseback when they weren't paying attention.
The woman at the head of the group let out a sneer, dismounted, and slowly walked up to Yun Erman.
"Hoo, you're so delicate-looking!~"
Up close, Yun Erman was even more handsome and dashing, with clear eyes and well-defined brows.
He was no different from the handsome men in paintings.
Despite being travel-worn and exhausted.
It was precisely this haggard beauty born of hardship that captured the hearts of all the women...
"You must come with us tonight!"
"Someone, tie up this young master and take him back to procreate for our village!"
"Yes!"
"Huh?" Yun Erman was completely stunned.
How did he inexplicably become a stud?
"Let go! Don't think I won't fight back just because you're women!"
"I am from the county yamen and am on an urgent mission to Shuo'an City!"
"If you hinder an official's work, you will bear all consequences!"
Yun Erman brandished his dagger, his back pressed tightly against the tree, his clothes already soaked with sweat.
"Sister Hua, this young master is quite stubborn, but I like it!"
"I like this type too!" the other women chimed in.
The woman called Sister Hua snorted, "What about being from the yamen? Even if the Emperor himself came, we would dare to rob him!"
There was no other way; their village men had all died fighting in the war.
"What are you waiting for? Tie him onto the horse!"
"Yes."
Yun Erman, forced to procreate: "..."