Seeing that she didn't speak, her big eyes blinked, and her long eyelashes trembled, Young Master Ye guessed that she was thinking and smiled, "What are you thinking about, Fu Niu? Are you worried that Doctor Zhang will make things difficult for you?"

He nudged the little girl with his elbow, comforting her, "Don't worry, I've already talked to Doctor Zhang, he won't ask any more questions. If you don't want to talk about it, just pretend you don't know. You're only two years old, no one can do anything to you, understand?"

"I understand!" Jiayin nodded with a smile, then leaned closer and whispered in Young Master Ye's ear, "Uncle, get well soon. I've prepared two nice things for you, I guarantee you'll like them."

"Really? I get a gift even though I'm injured?" Young Master Ye smiled, his eyes crinkling. He didn't think much of it, assuming the little girl was thinking about some gadget again. He replied, "Okay, Uncle will be fine soon."

Yi'an wrinkled her little nose, guessing what he was thinking, and decided to give him a big surprise and make him look at her in a new light.

Although Young Master Ye's fever had subsided and he was able to eat again, he was still seriously injured and fell asleep again after a while.

Jiayin yawned, her mind wandering around the courtyard for a while, before leaning against him and starting to snore softly together.

The village chief and the others finally managed to get in to take a look, but before they could say a word, they had to leave again.

As dusk falls, Broken Gold Beach welcomes a rare moment of tranquility.

Most of the guests in the valley had left, and the remaining ones had eaten dinner. With a few people left to look after them, there was not much need to worry about them.

The village was brightly lit, and every household was busy cooking and eating, creating a lively atmosphere.

The millet harvested from the fields is stored in the granary without being threshed. This way, it can be stored for a long time, even two or three years, without fear of insects or rotting.

Back in Qingshui Village, everyone borrowed sorghum from the Li family to save their lives and has always been thinking about repaying the debt. Now they finally have a chance.

During the day, the village chief decided that half of the millet would be given to the Li family to pay off their debt, with a guarantee that it would be more than half.

On behalf of the Li family, Li Lao Er accepted it.

Actually, none of the families were short of this little bit of food, and the Li family was even less so.

But if you borrow and repay, it will be easy to borrow again. The promises you made must be kept!

Everyone was happy and busied themselves grinding up the remaining grain, with each family sharing two or three pounds to enjoy the fresh harvest.

The mountain land was newly reclaimed and planted with fruit trees, so the soil fertility was not high and the millet that grew was not very good, but it was still the village's first bumper harvest.

Tonight, every family cooked millet porridge, and also washed, peeled and chopped a few sweet potatoes, threw them into the millet porridge pot, and cooked them together until they were very soft and sweet. The old and the young alike love to eat it.

After the meal, the men on duty put on thicker clothes, picked up their machetes, joined their companions, and began patrolling around.

Originally, the job of keeping watch at night in the village was the responsibility of old men like Uncle Zhao.

But these past few days, the Marquis has been injured and attacked, and everyone is worried that someone else might harm him. So, the thirty-odd able-bodied men in the village have been divided into four shifts, with two shifts rotating each night for patrol duty.

Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard), and Li, the fourth brother, each took charge for a day. Tonight it was Li's turn, but Liu, the head镖师, couldn't sleep and decided to go along for a walk as well.

Tired from walking, the group lit a bonfire at the village entrance, roasted sweet potatoes, and chatted.

The autumn night wasn't too cold, but it was still quite chilly. With the campfire illuminating the scene, everyone was relaxed. They talked about cleaning up the fields and vying to plant a crop of autumn vegetables to store for the winter.

Li Laosi dug out a sweet potato, stood up and said, "Fu Niu might not be asleep yet, I'll take one to her."

Liu, the head镖师 (bodyguard/escort), replied, "Let's see if Young Master Ye is feeling any better, and if there's anything he'd like to eat."

"I understand. I guess Young Master Ye can't go hungry, so Hongying made chicken soup and cooked noodles for dinner."

As they were talking, several horses suddenly came galloping over from a distance. The group immediately grabbed their machetes, and before they could form a defensive formation, someone pounced on them, heading straight for Li Laosi.

Li Laosi swung his knife, the man dodged, and then kicked him in the chest.

Li Laosi grabbed the man by the ankle and threw him away. Liu Biaotou happened to be there to catch him. He seized the opportunity and slashed with his knife. Seeing that the man couldn't dodge, another person rushed over.

Two against two, the two sides clashed in one battle.

Liu, the镖头 (bodyguard), was skilled in martial arts, but his strength was inferior to that of Li Laosi.

Li Laosi's martial arts skills were poor, but his strength made up for it.

The other villagers, carrying machetes, stood guard behind them, and even though they were terrified and their faces turned pale, they did not take a single step back.

After quite a while, they had fought at least dozens of rounds.

A dignified voice said, "Alright, step down."

The two unfamiliar men in black stopped their attacks and quickly retreated.

Another person stepped forward, and by the firelight, everyone could see clearly that it was Ye Shan.

"Head镖师 Liu, Fourth Master Li, it's all a misunderstanding. A distinguished guest has come to visit our young master, please do us a favor."

Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou stared coldly at Ye Shan, weighing the truth or falsehood of his words.

Those two were very skilled. What if Ye Shan betrays us and they let a wolf into the house, bringing danger to Young Master Ye?

Ye Shan clearly understood their concerns, and added, "Your Excellency comes from Xindu, and the young master is aware of this as well, so you can rest assured."

Li Laosi and Liu Biaotou exchanged a glance, thought for a moment, and then said, "Then you should dismount, and we will escort you there."

It was called an escort, but it was really just a forced transport.

The two of them led the villagers, surrounded five or six people and Ye Shan in the middle, and slowly walked into the village, arriving at Ye's courtyard.

Five or six people arrived, all dressed in black clothes for nighttime travel, except for one who wore a blue brocade robe and a golden crown, clearly indicating that he was in charge.

Li Laosi gestured to Liu Biaotou to leave the men in black outside, and he personally led the man and Ye Shan into the house.

Ye Shan was both amused and exasperated. He wanted to explain further, but the person in the brocade robe shook his head.

Young Master Ye and Jiayin slept all afternoon and weren't sleepy at the moment.

Jiayin took a fruit, scooped out the flesh with a spoon, and fed it to Young Master Ye.

She was just a little child, with little strength in her hands, and in the end, the amount of food she managed to feed Young Master Ye was less than the amount that was wasted.

Grandma Li and Dongmei sat on one side doing needlework. Young Master Ye's wound couldn't be kept too hot, but he also couldn't lie there shirtless all the time, as his shoulders would easily get cold.

So the two of them figured out how to sew a backless undergarment.

Jiayin recalled the styles that young girls liked in her previous life, and in this time and space, Young Master Ye, a military commander, was actually the first to try them on.

She couldn't help but giggle, and with a spoon she managed to scoop up a little bit of fruit, she shoved it at Young Master Ye's nose.

Young Master Ye was both amused and exasperated. Just as he was about to push the spoon away, Old Man Li "escorted" Ye Shan and the guests in.

Young Master Ye was startled, and though he wanted to get up, he held back.

Li Laosi immediately asked, "Young Master, Ye Shan said this person came to visit you?"

Young Master Ye nodded and smiled, "Don't worry, I know this person, he is indeed a distinguished guest."

Li Laosi finally breathed a sigh of relief, then scratched the back of his head, feeling a little embarrassed, and bowed to the guest.

"I'm so sorry, sir. Young Master Ye is injured, so... we have to be extra careful."

The man turned his head toward the crowd, and the oil lamp illuminated his face.

Although he was only in his early twenties and his features were not particularly handsome, there was an indescribable air of nobility in his eyes and brows that made people feel awe at first sight.

This person must be someone of high rank and great power, otherwise they wouldn't have such an imposing presence.