"Aunt Wu, I have a question for you." Sun Miao'er stood on the shore, seeing Wu Zhangshi's heartbroken appearance, guessing that she never expected her son to do such a thing.

Wu Zhangshi raised her head and sobbed, "What is it? My son is gone, what else can I say..."

"Does Dali have a scar on his hand?" Sun Miao'er asked, subtly observing Wu Zhangshi's expression.

Wu Zhangshi suddenly looked up, seemingly unaware of what Sun Miao'er truly wanted to ask, "How did you know?"

“He helped me out a little last time, and I happened to see it, so I remembered it,” Sun Miao’er said calmly to Village Chief Li. “Village Chief, do you remember?”

Village Chief Li slapped his forehead, suddenly remembering something. "Shuanzi said the man who stole the cloth had a scar on his hand! Good! Good for you, Wu Dali!"

Wu Zhangshi continued crying to herself, and asked, confused, "Stealing cloth? What cloth?"

When Village Chief Li explained the whole story, it was like adding insult to injury for Wu Zhangshi.

Madam Wu immediately pounded the ground and wept bitterly, "Impossible! Dali isn't that kind of child! How could he do such a thing!"

"Auntie, I don't want to investigate whether Dali did that or not. The most important thing is to find him." Sun Miao'er focused her attention and looked into the distance.

The river surface is as smooth as a mirror. Downstream, the plains stretch out, the riverbed is wide and flat, and the water is no more than half a person's height, making it very easy to search.

However, more than ten hours have passed and there is still no news, so Wu Dali is probably gone.

Wu Zhangshi knelt on the ground and kowtowed to Village Chief Li, sobbing uncontrollably, "Village Chief, I beg you, you must find Dali. I'll take the blame for whatever he did wrong. He's our only son, he absolutely cannot be harmed!"

Seeing her pitiful appearance, Sun Miao'er initially felt some sympathy, but upon further reflection, she felt disgusted. If they, as parents, hadn't repeatedly indulged Wu Dali, how could they have raised such a beast?

"Oh! You guys are so foolish!" Village Chief Li sighed in exasperation.

No sooner had one problem been solved than another arose. It was said that traces of Wu Dali had been found by the river, and the fire in the wheat field had also started not far from the riverbank. Granny Li staggered over and grabbed Wu Zhangshi's sleeve, "You owe me my land! Your son has killed my whole family!"

Wu Zhangshi pushed and shoved her, and spoke up to defend her son, "You're talking nonsense! Who cares about the little grain your family has? Don't smear my Dali here, he wouldn't do such a thing!"

"Hmph, can't he do it?" Granny Li sneered. "The evidence that he stole the cloth from the Sun family girl is conclusive, isn't it? Your son might have already reaped what he sowed and been taken by heaven. Even if he comes back alive, the charge of theft is already established, and he'll have enough of a beating from the yamen!"

Like a frightened bird, upon hearing that her son was gone, Wu Zhangshi rushed over and tackled Granny Li to the ground, shouting, "I'll teach you to talk nonsense! Bah! My son is tough as nails! Don't spout any more nonsense!"

The two women got into a fight, and the villagers nearby rushed over to break them up. Sun Miao'er took advantage of the chaos to lead Grandma Sun and Xiaoman away in time.

"Sister, you're finally back! You scared me half to death!" Xiaoman affectionately took Sun Miao'er's arm, rubbing her chubby cheeks against it a couple of times.

Sun Miao'er rubbed Xiaoman's head and said, "Don't worry, just take good care of Grandma, and leave the rest to your older sister."

"Miao'er!" Old Mrs. Sun had been silent the whole way with a stern face. When they were almost at the door, she finally tapped her cane, coughed twice, and said sternly, "Why didn't you come back last night!"

Before her granddaughter could explain, Fu Yuchi spoke up first, "Grandma Sun, Miao'er and I are only behaving in accordance with propriety and have not overstepped any boundaries."

Sun Miao'er was speechless for a moment. The explanation she had prepared suddenly stopped. Would her master not know the meaning of being reasonable and respectful?

He couldn't possibly be unaware—Sun Miao'er realized that he had done it on purpose!

"I knew it." Grandma Sun looked at me as if that was exactly what I thought. "Yu Chi, my Miao'er is a girl from a respectable family. When I mentioned it to you before, you didn't say that."

Fu Yuchi chuckled softly, "Grandma, people can change."

Everyone changes, and he was no exception. He used to think that there was nothing or no one in the world that could move him anymore, but the moment he thought that Xiao Miao'er was in danger, he suddenly woke up.

He has always been good at facing his own heart and never shied away from it. If he likes something, he likes it, and if he doesn't want to lose it, he must hold on to it tightly.

"Grandma...you two?" Seeing her master and grandmother talking in unison, Sun Miao'er was first confused. How did they start talking about her marriage again?

Grandma Sun had previously considered arranging a marriage between the two, but upon reflection, she realized that it was a rash decision made in her desire to find a good family for Miao'er. Miao'er is very stubborn, and unless someone truly understands her, the relationship won't last.

Xiaoman was confused, but she understood a little. "What does this mean? Is Master going to be my older brother?"

"What nonsense are you talking about, Xiaoman? Aren't you afraid of being treated like a junior?" Sun Miao'er interrupted when she saw even her younger brother making fun of her.

The man's smile deepened, as if he had heard what he wanted to hear. He squatted down, put his arm around Xiaoman's shoulder, and said, "Then will you call me brother from now on?"

Xiaoman was about to speak when she looked up at her older sister. Startled by her sister's glare, she didn't dare change her mind, shaking her head. "I won't call you brother, I'll call you master, hehe, I'll listen to you, sister..."

After saying that, Xiaoman took off running and disappeared in a flash.

Once only the two of them were left in the courtyard, Sun Miao'er finally spoke, "Master, what's wrong?"

"Why the sudden change of heart?" Fu Yuchi's eyes held boundless tenderness. "If it weren't a change of heart, would I look like someone who would lie to you? Little Miao'er, you've known me for quite some time now, don't you understand me?"

Sun Miao'er waved her hand, "I don't know!"

Not only did she not understand, she now felt that her master was an old fox, not only cunning but also fickle. Her predecessor was already overwhelmed with starting a business and getting rich, and the suitors around her were all terrible. After getting to know more about men, she no longer took their words seriously, especially those as good-looking as her master.

She calmly reminded herself not to be seduced by a man's appearance. After all, she was a career-oriented woman, and if she were easily swayed by good looks, wouldn't she be easily broken down?

"Master, please don't call me Xiao Miao'er. It gives me the creeps." Sun Miao'er kept her distance from him. For some reason, she felt that the man in front of her was dangerous.

There's a saying that goes, "Don't get close to men, or you'll become unhappy."

But even though she had clearly been interested in him before, once he reciprocated her feelings, her paranoia would trap her in a vicious cycle from which she couldn't escape.