It seemed there was no room for negotiation.
Xiao Xinling sat in the second carriage. Granny Gao covered her legs with a blanket and then took out a handkerchief to wipe the corners of her eyes. She whispered, "Oh dear, Miss, please stop crying. Si Man might have had an urgent matter, which is why he didn't come to see you off..."
Alas, that boy really didn't know how to handle things. He knew Miss was returning to the capital today, yet he went missing without reason.
After this incident, Miss would probably be completely disheartened with him...
"I, I'm not crying. The wind was too strong today, and I got sand in my eyes!" Xiao Xinling pouted and rubbed her eyes.
Granny Gao sighed helplessly, "Yes, yes, you got sand in your eyes. Sigh!"
The village chief and the villagers also came to see off 'Master Huang'. Upon hearing that Young Master Xiao was leaving, Fu Daqiang directly brought a plate of tofu for him...
"Young Master Xiao, keep this for the road!" Fu Daqiang said with a simple laugh.
Xiao Jinheng: "..."
If this stuff was willing to spoil, it would likely turn sour before reaching the capital.
Some villagers also brought salted eggs, boiled corn, fried mantou slices, and dried pork, and so on.
Because Xiao Jinheng had been very generous in Dashui Village over the years, if any villager had difficulties and no place to borrow money, they could always find Young Master Xiao, and he would definitely help...
Moreover, he didn't charge any interest. They could repay him when they were financially well-off. If they were truly unable to repay, he wouldn't ask for it back, and they could use wild produce to settle the debt.
As a result, his popularity in Dashui Village grew, and the villagers were grateful. In less than fifteen minutes, the cart for carrying goods was packed to the brim...
"Young Master Xiao, keep these things for the road. If they get cold, just steam them in a pot!"
"Yes, the weather is getting cold now, unlike in the summer. Be sure to keep warm on the road and don't catch a cold!"
"Young Master Xiao, this is dried mushroom I air-dried myself. When you get back, stew it with a small hen. It's delicious!"
"..."
Xiao Jinheng pursed his lips and smiled, bidding farewell to the villagers one by one.
Xiao Xi Tian stood by the carriage with her sleeves tucked, smiling, "You rascal, remember to drink the milk I gave you, and take the medicine to prevent colds. Take one pill every day. Do you still have the medicine for asthma? If not, I'll get you another bottle..."
Hearing this, Xiao Jinheng felt a warmth spread through his heart.
He knew the little village girl couldn't bear to part with him. See how much she cared about him!
"I'm fine, don't worry!" Xiao Jinheng said faintly.
Emperor Cheng chatted with Old Man Yun for a few more words. Seeing that it was getting late, he ordered Eunuch Zhao to set off...
The four carriages slowly drove out of Dashui Village. The villagers saw them off until the village entrance before turning back.
The first carriage carried Emperor Cheng and Xiao Jinheng. The second carriage carried Xiao Xinling and Eunuch Zhao. The third carriage was occupied by Granny Jin and Granny Gao. The last carriage contained various sundries and cooking utensils...
The Yun family finally quieted down.
All the guests had left, and Yun Si Man was also gone, leaving only the few family members at home.
Xiao Xi Tian stood outside the gate of the west house and peered inside. She felt a little unaccustomed to the rascal's sudden departure...
Never mind, when she had free time, she should help Sister Fang'er with her illness first!
On the kang in the inner room, Shangguan Fang'er held a scallion pancake in one hand and flipped through a storybook with the other, humming a folk song from the State of Chen. She seemed to be in good spirits.
Yun San Man entered the room, glanced at her, and then left with a sigh.
As his sister had said, with Shangguan Fang'er in this state, even if she were willing to marry him, he couldn't take her into the family...
What if she regained her senses one day and found out that she had inexplicably become the wife of the Yun family? Would she be able to accept Yun San Man?
"Sister Fang'er!" Xiao Xi Tian walked in with a smile, took off her shoes, and climbed onto the kang. "Sister Fang'er, what book are you reading? You're so engrossed!"
Shangguan Fang'er came back to her senses, smiled at Xiao Xi Tian, and said, "Let's read together, let's read together..."
The storybook was bought for her by Yun San Man. They were all melodramatic ancient romance novels, and unexpectedly, Shangguan Fang'er was particularly interested in such books.
The scallion pancake was fried for her by Zhao Guihua. There was only one, which served as a small snack for her.
Xiao Xi Tian leaned closer, resting against the bolster, and looked at Shangguan Fang'er for a moment. "Sister Fang'er, do you like my third brother?"
The sudden question caught Shangguan Fang'er off guard, but she had a good impression of Yun San Man, so she said without thinking, "I like him, I like him. He's always been very good to me!"
Xiao Xi Tian: "..."
She had guessed she would say that.
Xiao Xi Tian closed her eyes and wandered around in her space. She took out the medicine for treating mad cows and horses and waved it in front of Shangguan Fang'er. "Sister Fang'er, look quickly, it's candy. Do you want to eat it?"
She really had no other way besides this.
Shangguan Fang'er blinked and stared at the 'candy' in Xiao Xi Tian's hand. "Is it sweet candy? Don't lie to me!"
Because Yun San Man had been making her drink medicinal soup for some time, Shangguan Fang'er felt a bitter taste in her mouth whenever she hiccuped.
Xiao Xi Tian rolled her big eyes. "This candy only tastes sweet when it's dissolved in water. Sister Fang'er, wait, I'll go and make you a bowl..."
With that, Xiao Xi Tian jumped off the kang and went to the kitchen.
"Sweetie is so kind!" Shangguan Fang'er threw down the storybook, sat cross-legged on the kang, and waited for Sweetie to bring the sugar water.
In the kitchen, Xiao Xi Tian crushed the medicine tablets into a bowl, then added several spoonfuls of sugar, and picked up the kettle on the stove to dissolve the powder.
Immediately, she tasted it herself. "Tsk tsk, it still tastes a bit bitter..."
So she added two more spoonfuls of sugar and prepared a candied fruit. Then she brought it to Shangguan Fang'er.
"Mmm!" Shangguan Fang'er took a sip and then wrinkled her nose. "Why does this taste strange, Sweetie? Is this really sugar water?"
Xiao Xi Tian: "..."
When it mattered, you were more shrewd than anyone else. You tasted the problem in one sip.
Xiao Xi Tian quickly stuffed the candied fruit into her mouth. "Is this sweet?"
"Mmm, mmm, it's sweet, just as sweet as Sweetie, hehe..." Shangguan Fang'er, with the candied fruit in her mouth, drank the entire bowl of medicinal soup.
When she was at the base, mad cows and horses would show effects within half a day if they ate this medicine.
Xiao Xi Tian had reduced the dosage for Shangguan Fang'er by several times. She didn't know if she would regain her senses.
"Ah, ah!" Jin Huaihua walked in and gestured with her hand for Xiao Xi Tian to come and eat.
"Okay, I'm coming..." Xiao Xi Tian jumped off the kang and helped Shangguan Fang'er put on her shoes.
However, halfway through putting them on, she felt something was wrong.
Even Jin Huaihua was startled. She covered her mouth and stared blankly at Shangguan Fang'er.