"Good heavens, Your Excellency the Prefect, can't you gift us something other than silk and satin?
Our family truly doesn't lack cloth!~"
Little Xi Tian cried out in her heart.
The entire family, inside and out, had new clothes made, and even the bedspreads were changed.
Bringing so much silk and satin, were they waiting for it to grow mold?
Yun Er Man twitched the corner of his mouth and cupped his fist in a salute, "Thank you for the Prefect's generous gift!~"
"Oh, my dear hero, you are mistaken. These two bolts of cloth are a reward from the imperial court for you, not from this official!"
Prefect Chen, with his powdered face and oily lips, spewed saliva everywhere.
In reality, Yun Er Man knew very well.
No one knew what the imperial court had rewarded.
Only Prefect Chen was privy to all the details.
As for whether he had withheld anything or pocketed any illicit gains, that remained unknown...
After all, he was a dignified prefect, a governor.
Who would dare to speak ill of him?
Prefect Chen rubbed his hands together and looked at Old Man Yun, "Brother Yun, where have you put the earth dragons and wild wolves? Hurry and take me to see them."
He simply loved to eat these rare and exotic wild game.
The previous brown monkeys and antlered deer had replenished him so much that his nose bled, and his wife, Madam Huang, was bedridden for two days.
It was said that earth dragon meat was invigorating and aphrodisiac, with a delicious flavor. He had to buy some to taste.
Wolf meat, on the other hand, nourished the five internal organs, strengthened the stomach and intestines, and treated chronic fatigue...
However, the heart was poisonous and could not be eaten!
Old Man Yun had Yun Da Man put away the two bolts of cloth, and then led Prefect Chen to the backyard.
"Your Excellency the Prefect, please choose freely!~" Old Man Yun said with a smile.
He knew that Prefect Chen was wealthy and liked these wild animals.
As long as he fancied something, he would surely buy it at a high price.
"My goodness, I've never seen such a large wild wolf!" Prefect Chen exclaimed in surprise.
He had traveled far and wide and was well-traveled.
But a wild wolf the size of a calf was something he had never encountered before.
"Does Your Excellency the Prefect like it?" Old Man Yun asked him.
"If you like it, this humble subject will have Er Man deliver it to your manor!"
He had already set aside the wolf for his daughter's cloak.
That alpha wolf was the largest of them all.
Prefect Chen nodded slightly, "Good, I'll take all these earth dragons and wild wolves!~"
He waved his hand, about to call for someone to bring the silver notes.
Old Man Yun's face filled with alarm, and he quickly stopped him, "Your... Your Excellency the Prefect, you're buying so much, can you finish it?"
Although the weather had turned cool, meat still spoiled easily.
If it was all wasted, it would be a shame...
Prefect Chen patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, Brother Yun. I'm buying so much meat to give away as gifts!"
How could he possibly eat it all by himself?
Officials did not live in isolation or work behind closed doors.
One had to network, build relationships, and maintain harmony to ensure a smooth career.
Old Man Yun did not understand the intricacies of this. Since he wanted to buy, they had to agree on a price.
"Then... then how much silver does Your Excellency the Prefect intend to offer?" Old Man Yun asked in a low voice.
After the incident with the purple-robed merchant, he felt a little apprehensive.
Prefect Chen smiled and said, "Twenty taels for the wolves and twenty taels for the earth dragons each, how about that?"
"There are six earth dragons and seven wild wolves here, which adds up to two hundred and sixty taels of silver!"
In fact, Old Man Yun had already set aside two wolves and two earth dragons in advance.
He wanted to make a cloak for Little Xi Tian and also kill some meat to give to the villagers to taste.
Upon hearing Prefect Chen's high offer, Old Man Yun agreed without a second thought.
"Good, good, good, it's a deal, it's a deal..."
Two hundred and sixty taels of silver, what a concept that was.
The house they were currently living in could buy five of them.
Rich people were truly extravagant.
Old Man Yun had his son start loading the cart, and he invited Prefect Chen inside for tea.
Meanwhile, outside the Yun family's gate.
Little Xi Tian was chasing a butterfly, running with little steps.
"Butter-butter!~"
Unknowingly, she ran to Prefect Chen's carriage.
It was a luxurious carriage with a precious canopy.
The carriage wheels were inlaid with red trim.
The two fine horses pulling the carriage were also tall and majestic.
They were half a head taller than their own bay horse.
Little Xi Tian approached the fine horses, intending to reach out and touch them.
Unexpectedly, a pair of fair, jade-like hands emerged from the carriage, lifting the curtain.
"Whose wild child is this? Go away, go away, don't play around here!"
The speaker was Madam Huang, Prefect Chen's wife.
She had nothing to do in the manor and had come out with Prefect Chen for a stroll.
However, this Da Shui Village was so chaotic, with sheep droppings everywhere, and the stench was unbearable.
So she stayed in the carriage with her daughter, unwilling to get down.
Little Xi Tian was slightly stunned, her cheeks flushing.
This madam spoke so rudely!~
What did she mean by wild child?
She clearly had a father, a mother, and a family, so how could she be a wild child?
It was so infuriating!
Little Xi Tian took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in her heart.
She was a magnanimous person, how could she get angry over such a trivial matter!
Who knew that just as she was about to turn away, a little girl beside Madam Huang added sarcastically.
"Hmph, a wild child from the countryside, so crude and uncivilized."
"Mother, look at what she's wearing! It's so unfashionable, so tattered, like a bumpkin, hehe!~"
Little Xi Tian: "......"
Well, well!
It turns out you two, mother and daughter, came here to annoy me.
That little girl was four or five years old, and her eyes and face resembled Madam Huang's.
Although she looked tender and delicate, she exuded an innate meanness and cunning.
Little Xi Tian did not like her.
"You... you're the wild child!~" Little Xi Tian blurted out in her haste.
"Get out of the car!~"
Little Xi Tian asked her to get out of the car, intending to teach her a lesson.
Madam Huang hugged her daughter tightly, "Xiao Ran, don't get out. That wild girl might bite!"
Little Xi Tian: "......"
Madam, do you have some misunderstanding about the countryside?
We farmers grew up eating grains.
We are not man-eating beasts.
Bite people, why don't you say she can shapeshift?
Alas! It was utterly speechless...
Chen Xiao Ran broke free from Madam Huang, "Mother, it's okay, let me go down!~"
She had already decided to beat this wild child until she was bruised and battered.
Make her kneel and beg for forgiveness!
What kind of cat or dog dared to challenge the daughter of a prefect?
It was truly a display of extreme audacity.
Madam Huang let go of Chen Xiao Ran.
She felt her daughter was strong and wouldn't suffer any disadvantage.
So she let her get out of the carriage...
Who knew that as soon as Chen Xiao Ran's feet touched the ground, a pine nut flew from somewhere.
With a 'pop', it hit Chen Xiao Ran's forehead.
"Ah!"
"Xiao Ran!~" Madam Huang cried out.
Chen Xiao Ran covered her reddened forehead, her anger boiling, "Wild child, how dare you ambush me, Miss! Watch me beat you to death!"
You little beast, you've provoked someone you shouldn't have.
Little Xi Tian stood with her hands on her hips, looking at her with a calm and indifferent expression.
Do all children nowadays have such tempers?
They threaten to kill people at the slightest provocation, is this acceptable?
Just as Chen Xiao Ran rushed over, Little Xi Tian burst into tears.
She was still a baby, so of course, she had to cry when she encountered danger!~
Her crying didn't matter, but it attracted all the mischievous boys around.
Fu Xiao Qiang, the son of Fu Da Qiang, along with seven or eight 'subordinates', ran over in a few steps.
Yun Jin Shan was squatting in the outhouse, and without even wiping his backside, he pulled up his pants and ran out.
How dare they bully his little aunt? Was this a joke?