bayedsolid Chapter 370 The Earl's Mansion People Have Arrived
Chapter 370 The Earl's Mansion People Have Arrived
After arranging everything, Yunyi waited peacefully in the village for Fangtang's people to arrive.
Of course, she wasn't idle either. She taught the kids every day, teaching them arithmetic and some simplified Chinese characters, especially for Da Bao and a few other kids.
"Mom, is this a new character you created?" Da Bao asked in surprise. "It looks like it's missing an arm or a leg."
"Hehe." Yun Yi chuckled, neither denying nor admitting it. "But don't you think it's much easier to write?"
"Yes, it's not as complicated anymore, especially with charcoal pencils, it's very convenient." Da Bao nodded.
"So you guys really need to learn this. When we're all in this together, we'll be able to communicate easily and nobody will recognize us."
“Okay.” Er Ya was the first to nod. “It’s just like a secret message, but you don’t have to worry about others seeing it.”
"Smart." Yunyi gave a thumbs up.
Er Ya smiled smugly.
Da Bao nodded thoughtfully: "Mom, we will study hard."
Fang Tang sent Fang Zhong, the steward of the Earl's Mansion, and his trusted guard Su Mu to come together.
Su Mu was skilled in martial arts, and Fang Zhong also knew some fighting. They brought six guards and servants with them, so the journey went quite smoothly. However, when they entered the territory of Longxi Prefecture, they encountered a group of bandits. Although they won in the end, several people were injured, which delayed their arrival at Liyu Town by two days.
Su Mu knew that Yun Yi was in Xia Family Village and originally wanted to rush over there, but Fang Zhong stopped him: "Guard Su, you said it yourself, Yun Yi married into Xia Family Village. The villagers here are very united. If the Xia family releases her, that's fine, but if they don't want to, then it will be very troublesome."
"What do you say?"
"Don't bring anyone yet. Take me to see Miss first, let her know we've come to pick her up, and then we'll see how things go."
Su Mu thought that made sense, so he arranged for the people to stay at the inn. He and Fang Zhong took a carriage to Xiajiazhuang, but they were surrounded by a group of women as soon as they arrived at the village entrance.
The Xiajiazhuang of today is not the Xiajiazhuang of the past. Because of the workshops, everyone's life has improved, which naturally arouses the jealousy of people from other villages. Although there are monkeys and wolves, everyone will spontaneously organize patrols. Regardless of the old or young, men or women, as long as they have free time, they will stroll around the village in groups and stop any strangers they see.
Su Mu's face was very pale. He reached out to draw his sword, but Fang Zhong stopped him, so he had to give up.
"Ladies," Fang Zhong said with a smile as he stepped down from the carriage, cupping his hands in greeting. "Greetings."
The women all seemed a little shy, since no one was calling them "Madam".
Gao Shunfang stepped forward: "Brother, you're from out of town, right? What brings you to our Xiajiazhuang?"
"Sister-in-law, we are from the Chengen Marquis's Mansion in the capital. We are here to take the young lady home." Fang Zhong's attitude was very sincere.
"Young Miss? Where did this Young Miss come from?" Granny Xia looked Fang Zhong up and down. "You've come to the wrong place, haven't you?"
“How could that be? Fang Yunyi is in the village, right? She is our eldest daughter. Something happened last year, and she went missing. We have been searching for her all this time, and we have finally found her…” Fang Zhong’s eyes reddened, and he looked distressed. “If you don’t believe me, call the eldest daughter over. She recognizes me.”
Before anyone could say anything, Gou Dan's mother turned and ran: "I'm going to call Yun Yi."
Yunyi was talking to Xia Songshi. After all, Xia Songshi was Empress Xiao's dowry maid and Zhou Jinghan's wet nurse. She had a certain status in the palace and was quite familiar with things in the capital, especially those in the inner palace. Knowing that Yunyi was returning to the capital, she naturally had to give her some instructions.
"Young Miss." Just then, Zhao Mingyan walked in. "Someone outside came to report that a carriage has arrived from the capital to take you back."
"You're here." Yunyi smiled and stood up. "I'll go see him. Mother, don't go out. It wouldn't be good if he recognized you."
Xia Songshi nodded, but then asked Zhao Mingyan to go and take a look.
Liu Mei, heavily pregnant, followed them out.
Fang Zhong had been smiling obsequiously at the women until his face was stiff from smiling. Finally, he saw a familiar figure walking over from a distance. He hurriedly pushed through the crowd and knelt down on the ground: "This old servant greets the young lady."
Su Mu, who was standing next to him, hurriedly knelt down on one knee as well.
Everyone around was stunned for a moment before realizing that what Yunyi had said earlier was true; she really was the eldest daughter of the Marquis of the capital.
Yun Yi looked down at him and said, "So it's Butler Fang and Guard Su. Get up."
The two thanked him and stood up.
“Young Miss, the Lord has been sending people to search for you ever since you went missing, and now he has finally found you…” Fang Zhong even started wiping away tears, “It can be said that heaven rewards those who persevere.”
Yunyi almost burst out laughing. Her original father, that scumbag, would only seek her out for financial gain, not for family ties. But at this moment, she could only play along. However, she couldn't cry, so she could only say with a sullen face, "It was his concubine who sold me."
Fang Zhong was stunned, forgetting all about crying. He hadn't expected the other party to be so direct. But thinking back to how this young lady had always been so irritable and quick to anger, it was understandable that she would speak like this. He couldn't help but sigh: "The Lord is also upset and has interrogated her, but it has nothing to do with the current Madam. It was your former maid, Xu'er, who caused all this trouble."
"Xu'er was also arranged by her."
"Because of this, Madam has been unable to eat or sleep these days, and has even been a vegetarian for three months, hoping that the eldest young lady can be well." Fang Zhong wiped away his tears again, "Fortunately, the eldest young lady is a blessed person, and now that she has found someone... the Lord is very happy."
"Alright, now that you've seen me, you can go back." Yunyi waved her hand.
"Young Miss, this old servant has come to take you back home."
“I’m already married and a stepmother,” Yunyi suddenly sighed. “There’s no going back.”
"What?" Fang Zhong was dumbfounded. He glanced at Su Mu and hurriedly asked, "Married? Stepmother?"
“Yes.” Yunyi nodded. “I was sold here and then bought as a wife. That person had a child, but he died young. So now I’m not only someone’s stepmother, but also a widow. You can ask the people around you if you don’t believe me.”
“That’s right.” Gao Shunfang reacted the fastest. “I’m the village chief’s wife, I can testify to that.”
"Yes, this girl has really had a tough time. The Xia family's kid went to Qinglong Mountain and hasn't come back."
"Leaving a bunch of kids at home, life is tough."
……