Upon seeing the woman in the portrait, the Lu family members stared in astonishment, their mouths agape! Even He Yingyuan had never seen such a painting technique before; it was simply a masterpiece!

Qin San Niang smiled and put the sketch away. She could go to her space that night and make more copies with the photocopier. Otherwise, drawing so many by hand would be like torture.

"This portrait looks exactly like the real person!" everyone exclaimed in amazement!

The Lu family was overjoyed. With this portrait, they had no fear of not being able to find Lu Zhaodi!

Mo shrank back, and for some reason, his usually boisterous personality was completely out of character; he didn't say a word.

The next day, the village head Chen Sheng readily accepted the task. This was a great achievement for the county magistrate, and the people in the yamen were overjoyed to see him!

For the first time in his life, he felt anticipation for entering the yamen (government office); before, he would always take a three-mile detour to get there. In the past six months, he had visited the county magistrate more times than in the entire previous years combined!

I thought to myself, this county magistrate isn't so scary after all; he's actually quite approachable!

The guards at the yamen knew that Shiligou had done a great service this time, and they treated him with great courtesy.

When Qi Zhubu glanced at the portraits, his astonishment was beyond words! The lifelike portraits made even the court painters pale in comparison! He promised that if any woman in the portrait appeared in Jiangzhou, he would arrest her and bring her to justice.

The county magistrate took it very seriously upon hearing the news. If he could solve the bandit case and then crack a case of illegal trafficking of women and children, his official hat would be in serious jeopardy!

Chen Guang'an's body was ultimately not allowed to be buried in the ancestral grave.

Bringing bandits to massacre a village—only a beast would do that! Liu Meixiang didn't cry or make a fuss, after all, many villagers killed by bandits were buried in the ancestral graves! She never dared to hope that Chen Guang'an could go in.

Now, all she could think about was burying the dead man as soon as possible, otherwise, even though the weather was getting colder, the corpse would start to stink!

Seeing that Liu Meixiang didn't cry or make a fuss, Chen Sheng felt a pang of pity. He found a few strong men to help him bury Chen Guang'an's body not far from the Chen family ancestral graves, marking the spot so that future generations could pay their respects during festivals. Although this man's actions in life were unkind, he was still related to his children and grandchildren by blood—an indelible bond of kinship…

On the third night, Xiao Chang'an secretly went down the mountain back to Shiligou and persuaded He Yingyuan to go back to Yongzhou with him.

For He Yingyuan, this decision was not difficult to make. However, compared to the three visits to the thatched cottage, He Yingyuan also had to be a little more reserved.

Qin San Niang, however, understood that this wasn't being coy; it was a display of her wisdom. When a sage faces a change, he will always observe—observe what? He will observe whether the person has the resolve to believe in him.

He Yingyuan was well aware of this tactic and would certainly make a feint first.

As it happened, Xiao Chang'an was eager to find talented people, so he naturally cooperated very well.

Qin San Niang knew the final outcome: the He family would definitely follow her to Yongzhou. This was her dream, and the beginning of her ambition.

Thus, Liao Hongying and others also had to go along, and Xiao Er also faced the emotional journey of losing his dear friend.

She felt that all good things must come to an end, and it is only through separation that one can appreciate the value of reunion! Besides, she and He Yingyuan were also bound by business ties, so even though they were in different places, they could not sever their connection.

Xiao Chang'an is a man of great ambition; it is possible that he will take control of Jiangnan before long.

In the past few days, news has spread among the beggars in the city that Xie Yuyan accidentally fell into the river and was rescued by a man. The man had physical relations with her and insisted on taking responsibility, saying he wanted to go to her house to propose marriage.

Enraged, Miss Xie sent men to give the man a sound beating, and then slunk away from He County that very night.

The message was delivered by the same little Doraemon; they can't write, so they can only dictate. However, the way it was relayed in childish language made it quite comical.

Qin San Niang thought these children were really precocious; her own Xiao Er hadn't even thought of this yet!

Regardless of who did it, she should thank him. With Xie Yuyan out of the way, Qin San Niang was overjoyed!

As the weather gets colder, we made a lamb hot pot for dinner, and the whole family enjoyed it immensely.

Apart from Xiao Chang'an and his servant, none of the others had eaten hot pot for the first time.

Looking at the colorful plates of vegetables and raw meat before him, Xiao Chang'an, this noble young man, felt at a loss for the first time. Fortunately, he quickly grasped the essence of the dish: it was meant to be cooked in a hot pot.

Actually, this kind of sliced ​​meat hot pot did exist in Kyoto during the Great Sheng Dynasty, but it wasn't the mainstream dish. The scarcity of seasonings meant the hot pot meat wasn't very tasty. There were plenty of restaurants serving grilled meat, but none were as satisfying as hot pot.

The waiter enthusiastically explained to Yuen Long how to eat hot pot and thoughtfully served him dipping sauce.

Yuen Long loves spicy food. Ever since he ate spicy food at Tam San Niang's house, he has been craving it if he doesn't eat it for a meal. Now, seeing the chili oil, his mouth is watering and he asks the waiter to add more spice.

Xiao Chang'an couldn't bear to look. He, the legitimate son of the Liang Prince's Mansion, had a personal guard who seemed to be starving all day long? No one would believe it if he told anyone!

However, Qin San Niang didn't think it was anything special. This was a classic dish from later generations, which was far superior to what your poor, remote Yongzhou could offer.

A few days after that meal, winter arrived as scheduled.

The weather in November was already a bit bleak. Although it wasn't quite bitterly cold yet, people like Qin San Niang, who were afraid of the cold, had already put on a padded jacket.

The workshop's business is still booming. As the weather gets colder, Ruyi Cake Shop has launched hot milk tea and hot fruit juice, attracting many old customers.

Especially Sun Deye, who goes to the pastry shop every day to contribute his efforts. He's in high spirits now that he's having a good time! Qin San Niang's tavern has suppressed Chen Ji to the point of being unable to raise its head, so it's a good way of venting his anger!

That day, when Qin San Niang was making her routine shop rounds with Da Wa and the others, Mu Chun came over to report, "Master, the cleaners at the Si residence say that the house seems to be...haunted these past few days..."

Towards the end, Mu Chun felt a little embarrassed. He was a grown man and didn't believe in such superstitious tales. But that old woman and her family had worked for the Si family for many years. Although they were no longer servants, they had been specifically requested by the old aunt to come with the master. They certainly wouldn't be spouting nonsense!

Moreover, they spoke so convincingly that even without experiencing it firsthand, he found the matter somewhat mysterious.

After thinking it over, it's best to report this to the owner. After all, when the owner left, he gave this house to the owner to live in. It's just that the owner didn't want to take advantage of the situation!