Tang Ling was somewhat afraid to look Yun Ling in the eye, worried that she would see rejection in her eyes.

After spending a lot of time with Tang Ling, Gangzi felt that he got along well with her and had a good understanding of her. But in the end, it all depended on Yun Ling's wishes. If Yun Ling was unwilling, then he would naturally be unwilling as well.

Why do you want to stay by my side?

Yunling felt that her question was a bit too direct, so she added:

"What I mean is, if you go to walk the runway, your aunt and uncle will do what I did before: as long as you get an order, they will give you a commission. If you save up money and want to buy your freedom, you can do it. Then you will be free."

Tang Ling stopped hiding her true feelings and spoke frankly:

“When the young lady came to the brokerage shop to buy us, I immediately felt that she was no ordinary person. After following her home, I felt that she would definitely achieve great things in the future. If I could follow her, I would surely earn a lot of copper coins in the future, and maybe I could even return to Bianjing.”

"Therefore, I have been working hard for this and not allowing myself to make mistakes. But after this turmoil, my mindset has changed. I just want to stay by the young lady's side. No matter if there is money or not, no matter if we can return to Bianjing, I am willing."

“Young lady, I’ve seen enough of the filth of the powerful and wealthy, and I decided long ago that I would never marry. You can save on the dowry you’d have to prepare for me. Besides, with your abilities, you could easily support Gangzi, or even me.”

"Besides, the young lady is a woman after all, and it's sometimes inconvenient for Brother Gangzi to serve her, but I can, which is my advantage."

Tang Ling finished speaking in one breath, feeling both relieved and afraid. She mustered her courage and looked at Yun Ling, only to meet her eyes full of smiles. Yun Ling then said:

"I had this thought back in Bianjing, but you didn't say it then, so I thought I wouldn't force it. Now that you've said it, what can I say?"

Tang Ling was immediately taken aback, and Gangzi quickly spoke up.

"What are you standing there for? Hurry up and thank the boss!"

Tang Ling glanced at Gangzi, then at Yun Ling, before realizing the meaning behind Yun Ling's words. She quickly bowed to Yun Ling and said loudly:

"Thank you, boss."

"Since you've come with me, your treatment will naturally be the same as Gangzi's; that much is unacceptable."

Tang Ling nodded vigorously, quickly wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes with a flick of her sleeve. She was determined to follow Yun Ling for the rest of her life.

**

After the New Year, on the second day of the second lunar month, it was the wedding day of Yun Ruoxia and Wen Siqing. Yun Shenghua, Gangzi, and the Fan brothers had gone to the shops in the city a day in advance to prepare the bridal chamber. They were now blocking the door.

When they faced the villagers of Kengkou Village again, they were not as afraid as they had been the first time they came. Instead, they raised their chins high and spread their palms to ask them for lucky money.

Although Wen Siqing didn't have his familiar friends from Pingcheng to help him with the wedding, when he sent out invitations to each household, the villagers were all very happy to join in the fun. So when he arrived in his carriage, they rushed to help him with the wedding.

"Bride, bride, come out quickly, lift up your red bridal gown."

"Bride, bride, come out quickly, put on your red shoes."

"Bride, bride..."

Then a suona horn sounded, its tone subtly shifting from joy to sorrow. Upon hearing this, the four immediately pointed at the suona player and shouted. Taking advantage of this moment, the villagers rushed into the courtyard.

Sister-in-law Fan quickly stopped the person, saying:

"If you pass by here, you must leave some money as a token of your good fortune."

After saying that, Yun Ling, Yun Chu, Bing Niang, Tang Ling and the others put their hands together and blocked Yun Ruoxia's doorway completely. To put it dramatically, not even a fly could get in.

The villagers found this very difficult, so Wen Siqing voluntarily gave each of them two strings of cash. The money was heavy, but it still wasn't enough to show their sincerity in welcoming the bride. Sister-in-law Fan immediately shook her head and said:

"You're not sincere enough. If you're not sincere enough, you won't be able to get through this door."

In the past, Wen Siqing would have definitely given Sister-in-law Fan a good talking-to, but today was his wedding day with Yun Ruoxia. On this joyous occasion, he didn't want to expose his petty, so he said:

"Today's banquet includes poached chicken, smoked chicken, braised fish, steamed yellow croaker, Sichuan peppercorn pork, boiled prawns, shark fin soup, chicken stuffed in pork belly, and..."

Yunling couldn't listen anymore. Who was making this dish and who was eating it? She swallowed hard, barely able to contain her drool, and quickly let go of Yun Chu's hand to run outside. She had to grab a good spot; maybe Zhang Shi could secretly give her a tiny bit.

With Yun Ling gone, Tang Ling followed suit, leaving two key figures missing. The intercepting force in front of them offered no opening for them to exploit.

Wen Siqing seemed to hate many people, and then he looked at Yun Chu and said:

"I heard that Doctor Sun has arrived today, it seems..."

Before she could finish speaking, Yun Chu dashed out like an arrow. She desperately wanted to find someone to discuss medical issues with, so she rushed out without a second thought.

"I remember there were quite a few young women in this village who had married into the family from Jiangnan. They should all be..."

Bingniang quickly moved away again.

"Oh, when I first arrived, I think I saw your Fan family's fourth and fifth children playing by the river, and their clothes seemed a little wet."

Sister-in-law Fan's anger surged instantly. She didn't know how many times she had told them not to play by the river, but they just wouldn't listen. If she caught them, she was sure she would make them suffer some physical pain.

With Sister-in-law Fan gone, Li Yuedi and the others naturally didn't dare to be rude and block the door. Now their employers were Yun Ruoxia and Wen Siqing, and although they treated them according to the treatment Yun Ling had previously set for them...

But after spending less than a month together in the city, they realized how capable these two were. It wasn't that they were bad, but they weren't as good as Yunling used to be.

Yunling used to treat them like business partners, never letting them do any heavy work. But now they're treated like servants she bought, being told what to do and being told what to do. Even their food is not half as good as it used to be.

They all regretted not being as quick-witted and perceptive as Tang Ling, and not taking the initiative to talk to Yun Ling. Now, it was too late for them to talk.