Although Ga Mei was very curious about how Madam and Master managed it, she decided to suppress her curiosity and act as if nothing had happened. This was the only way to best protect Madam and Master.
The guards spotted the carriage and rushed over on horseback. Seeing Lu Ye and Bai Sheng, they shouted excitedly, "The village chief and Madam are back!"
As the carriage reached the doorstep, family members and nearby villagers, upon hearing the guards' cheers, all rushed over.
In no time, people surrounded the carriage.
Ga Mei excitedly jumped off.
"My, who is this young lady from the city? So beautiful!" Granny Zhong looked at Ga Mei as if she were a complete stranger.
Ga Mei giggled and glanced back at Bai Sheng. "Granny Zhong, don't you recognize me? It's Ga Mei."
"Ga...Ga Mei? This...how is that possible? I remember Ga Mei as a dark, skinny girl with hair as yellow as loofah husk and short stature. You...how can you be Ga Mei?" Granny Zhong's eyes widened, looking at the charming young girl before her in disbelief. She was dressed in a yellow fairy-like dress, had fair, plump skin, and her dark hair was styled with a hairpin askew.
The others were equally astonished, their mouths agape. This young girl clearly looked like a pampered young lady from the city. How could she possibly be that boisterous, dark-faced girl, Ga Mei?!
But since she claimed to be Ga Mei, they had no choice but to believe her.
Could the water in the capital be magical? It could transform a rough rural girl into a delicate young lady!
Young girls around Ga Mei's age immediately recognized the vast difference between themselves and her. They stood aside shyly and awkwardly, not daring to get too close. However, their eyes revealed a glimmer of envy.
However, the girls working at the Red Powder Beauty workshop were gradually shedding their roughness. Their skin and clothing had already set them apart from the other village girls, and seeing Ga Mei didn't make them feel as inferior.
Ga Mei, uncharacteristically shy, blushed and said, "Oh, Granny Zhong, I've been in the capital for two years, of course, I'm different from before."
"That's true, that's true," Granny Zhong chuckled, still suspecting if this girl was indeed Ga Mei. Even her tone of voice and demeanor had changed. She no longer sounded like a rural girl but rather a well-bred young lady from the city.
As everyone was exchanging pleasantries, Ga Mei's parents and younger brother rushed over.
They had heard that Madam was sending Ga Mei back for the New Year and had been counting the days with anticipation. They hadn't seen their daughter in two years, how could they not miss her?
"Ga Mei! Daughter! Where have you been? Come out quickly!" Ga Mei's father strode past Ga Mei and headed towards the carriage to search.
Ga Mei's mother and younger brother followed behind him, peeking into the carriage.
Upon seeing this, everyone burst into laughter.
Ga Mei also laughed until tears streamed down her face.
She wiped the tears of laughter from her eyes, stomped her foot, and shouted, "Dad, Mom, Ga Dunzi! I'm here!"
Ga Mei's parents turned around and stared at the young lady from the city before them, stunned. "What? What did you say? You are our daughter Ga Mei?"
Ga Mei, with teary eyes, exclaimed, "Dad, Mom, what kind of eyes do you have? You don't even recognize your own daughter? I am Ga Mei!"
"You, you... how did you change like this?" Ga Mei's father stood before his daughter, his eyes wide as saucers.
Ga Mei's mother playfully hit her husband and wiped her tears. "What are you saying? Isn't it good that our daughter has changed like this?"
"Good, good, so good! I... I really can't recognize you!" Ga Mei's father's eyes welled up with tears as he rubbed his hands and chuckled foolishly.
"Dad, Mom, Ga Dunzi, I've missed you all so much!" Ga Mei rushed forward and hugged her family.
Granny Zhong nodded. "Mmm, it is indeed that Ga Mei girl."
After the family of four embraced for a while, Ga Mei's father remembered Master and Madam. He pushed Ga Mei aside and rushed towards Lu Ye and Bai Sheng, who were surrounded by the crowd. He then knelt down with a thud.
"Uncle Ga, what is this?" Bai Sheng was startled. Bai Sheng knew Ga Mei's father's surname was Sun, but Ga Mei often called her father "Ga Dad," so she had to follow suit and call him Uncle Ga.
Ga Mei's father wiped his tears with his sleeve and said gratefully, "Master, Madam, thank you for raising my Ga Mei so well, and for helping our family survive and thrive! In this life, my old Sun's life belongs to Master and Madam. To use a word I just learned, it's called 'swear allegiance unto death'!"
Everyone laughed, and many began to shed tears. Yes, these past two to three years had been incredibly difficult. If it weren't for Master and Madam, they would have all turned to bones.
Ga Mei's father's words echoed the sentiments of many. In times of natural disasters, court officials only cared about forming factions and pursuing personal gain. The Emperor and Crown Prince were only concerned with consolidating their own positions, disregarding the lives of the common people.
Only their group was fortunate enough to meet good people like Master and Madam. Because of Madam, they were also fortunate to meet Prince Yu and Lord Ji. Otherwise, this Tawny Sand County would have long since become a dead land.
Lu Ye smiled and offered a hand to help Ga Mei's father up. "Uncle Ga, please rise. My wife also needs Ga Mei's help, and Ga Mei has done a lot for us. So, we are helping each other."
Bai Sheng also smiled. "Uncle Ga, we invited Ga Mei to help, and it's truly regrettable that you haven't seen your child for two years. So please, don't be so formal."
The young girls standing nearby inwardly mused that if they could follow Madam and become like Ga Mei, they could endure ten years without seeing their parents.
Ga Mei stood aside and said sincerely, "Madam, my father is not being formal. You have put in a lot of effort to cultivate us, and even asked Consort Mei to invite retired palace governesses to teach us.
You watch me every day, you may not realize how much I've changed. Granny Zhong and my parents didn't recognize me just now.
I, Sun Ga Mei, oh no, Sun Ming Yue, am now your person for life! If Madam tells me to go east, I will not go west. If Madam tells me to jump into boiling oil, I will do so without hesitation, with a 'dong' sound!"
Everyone listened to Ga Mei call Bai Sheng "Madam" with every word, which sounded very sophisticated. They all pondered whether they should also start calling her Madam.
Tian Guihua was about to go to the capital and was curious about everything there. "Ga Mei, do people in the city, in the capital, all call women 'Madam'?"
"Of course! Calling someone 'Madam' is so dignified! We should also change our address to Madam from now on, otherwise, when we go to the capital, people will laugh at us as country bumpkins!" Liu Shi said with a smile.
Liu Shi's words drew more envious glances. They too wished they could sell themselves to Madam—the Madam of the family. Looking at Liu Shi and the others, their lives with Madam were exceptionally good.