Chapter 235

His surname is Fan!

Fan Xiaoxiao tried her best to control her expression and gave Ren Le a deep bow. While bowing, she composed herself and thanked Ren Le for his kindness.

When Ren Le returned to the platform, Fan Xiaoxiao realized that she was covered in a cold sweat.

After this incident, everyone had long lost the desire to continue discussing how to deal with the disaster victims.

After noting down some of the village chief's methods, the town mayor of Tianshan Town hurriedly sent the group back. The princess was currently planning to let them off the hook, but if she remembered them later, who knew how many more people would be implicated? The surrounding villages were mostly neighbors; nobody wanted a tragedy to occur.

So Fan Xiaoxiao and her group left Tianshan Town almost under the watchful eyes of everyone.

Watching their departing figures, Renle, hidden beneath his hat, narrowed his eyes slightly, gave a few instructions to the maid beside him, and then returned to his tent.

...

"My lady, do you have any connection with that General Yu?"

Tiger Three had been holding back his questions the whole way, several times he'd tried to ask but was always silenced by a glare from Village Chief Fu. But seeing that Fan Xiaoxiao and the others were about to head back to the courtyard, he finally couldn't hold it in any longer and asked the question that had been on his mind.

Fan Xiaoxiao glanced at him. Not only Hu San, but all the villagers from Ginkgo Village who had brought her back were curious about Fan's reaction today.

Fan Xiaoxiao gave a slight twitch at the corner of her mouth. Her face remained as calm and composed as ever.

"How could there be any connection? We're refugees too! If we really were General Yu's family, would we need so many people crammed into one room?"

"Why was Madam Wang so excited just now? Judging from her expression, it was as if she had seen her real husband."

"Hiss! Tiger Three! Are you never going to stop?!"

Village Chief Fu couldn't stand it anymore. Even though they were now on the same side as Fan Xiaoxiao, they still needed to show her basic respect. That idiot Hu San, always asking about her affairs—wasn't that just annoying?!

"Hey! Village Chief! I was just asking! And Lady Xiao hasn't even said anything yet! Why are you in such a hurry! Hey! Hey! Don't pinch me!"

Fan Xiaoxiao smiled at them, seemingly amused by the way the village chief was chasing after Hu San and trying to strangle him, but her smile was only faint and fleeting.

“My brother-in-law was a well-known good young man in our village! He did look a bit like General Yu. Back then, my brother-in-law went hunting in the mountains, but... alas, it was too slippery because of the rain, and he fell into the pond and drowned.”

Her words were so sincere that the surrounding atmosphere instantly felt heavy. Finally, Fan Xiaoxiao let out a long sigh.

"Actually, I should explain this to the princess. After all, what has happened cannot be changed."

Tiger Three choked up. Even if he were slow on the uptake, he would realize now what a beastly question he had just asked. Madam Wang was already traumatized, and he had just asked Madam Xiao such a thing. Wasn't that rubbing salt into her wounds?

He chuckled dryly, feeling his cheeks burning. He scratched his head, unsure how to react.

Fortunately, Fan Xiaoxiao's family's courtyard was right in front of them. After hurriedly seeing Fan Xiaoxiao and her sister to the door, the group said goodbye to Fan Xiaoxiao and left in a hurry. The village chief, who was originally planning to discuss with Fan Xiaoxiao how to organize the construction of greenhouses for the refugees, didn't even have time to discuss it.

Watching the departing figures of the group, Fan Xiaoxiao shook her head slightly, sighed, and then pushed open the gate to her courtyard.

"Auntie! Mother! You're back!"

Hearing the commotion, Xiao Bao ran out to greet the two. However, upon seeing Fan Xiaoxiao supporting Fan Shi, the smile on the little guy's face vanished instantly. His voice even carried a hint of crying and fear.

"Mother!! Mother! What's wrong with Mother!!"

His cries attracted Master Lu and Little Black in the workshop. Fan Xiaoxiao was carrying Fan Shi with great effort and had no free hands to comfort the little guy.

Xiao Bao was already crying so hard he could barely breathe. Xiao Yu, seeing his condition, went to pull him away with some concern.

"Xiao Bao! Don't cry! Your mother is alright!"

"Yes! Little Bao! Be good, your mother is just too tired and fell asleep. Look, your aunt isn't hurt, so your mother will definitely be fine! Don't worry!"

Xiao Bao's eyes were blurry from crying, and he couldn't hear a word Fan Xiaoxiao said.

At this moment, his mind was filled with the bloody scene of Fan's family in the deserted village; fear had completely consumed the little guy's thoughts. He shook his head desperately, as if Fan Xiaoxiao's words were shrouded in mist.

"No, he won't listen. Move aside. I'll do it!"

Xiao Hei frowned, placed his hand on Xiao Bao's black neck, and gently pinched it, causing Xiao Bao to lose consciousness.

Fan Xiaoxiao breathed a sigh of relief, feeling a sense of ease. Her strength also weakened, and with Fan Shi's weight pressing down on her, the two of them fell into a heap.

"Hey hey hey! Xiao girl!"

Fan Xiaoxiao waved to everyone. When she fell, she moved slowly and did not injure herself or Fan Shi.

On the contrary, it was the mother and son...

"Xiao girl, what exactly happened between you two?"

Master Lu came over and struggled to help Madam Fan up.

"Why……"

She sighed, "It's a long story. Let's go inside."

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Fan Xiaoxiao finally explained the situation clearly, from the plight of the disaster victims to the Fan family's reaction upon seeing General Yu, without omitting a single word. This included what Fan Xiaoxiao said to the people of Ginkgo Village in front of the courtyard gate.

Master Lu frowned. He had never inquired about the Fan family's past, only knowing that Xiao Bao seemed to have lost his father at a very young age.

"Girl, are all those things you said... true?"

Fan Xiaoxiao gave a wry smile: "Uncle Lu, let me tell you this, I didn't lie about anything I said just now."

Indeed, Xiao Bao's father died while hunting.

However, the latter part of her statement, about falling into the pond on a rainy day, was her own experience. The real-life 'Fan Xiaoxiao' died in that same way. In her previous statement, she didn't specify whether the person who fell into the pond was her brother-in-law.

Therefore, she said that everything she said was true, without any falsehood.

Master Lu gave Fan Xiaoxiao a meaningful look and nodded.

"In that case, Princess Renle shouldn't keep holding you back, right? After all, she let you come back just now."

Fan Xiaoxiao frowned and shook her head; she didn't quite agree with Xiao Hei's optimistic words.

because……

"My godfather and godmother... are still in her hands..."

(End of this chapter)