Thinking this, Jiayin changed back into her clothes and went to check out the back of the village.

Jiaren and Muxu were talking in the courtyard when they saw their younger sister come out from the backyard. They greeted her with a smile, "Little sister, where are you going?"

Mu Xu looked over upon hearing the sound, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

The clever and mischievous "servant" from before has transformed into a beautiful young woman.

She wore a short, apricot-red brocade jacket with short sleeves, paired with a silver-white skirt with folded floral patterns, and a cloak with a rose-colored silk outer layer and silver fur lining.

Her jet-black hair was simply tied up and adorned with a cordyceps and pearl hairpin. Small earlobes were decorated with scattered gold lilac beads, which made her skin appear even whiter and her features even more exquisite.

As she walked, the colorful butterfly sash and jade ring hanging from her waist swayed slightly, and her deerskin boots were faintly visible beneath her skirt...

Mu Xu slowly lowered his head, and two words suddenly popped into his mind.

In the prime of youth, she was blessed with exceptional beauty and talent...

"Brother, I want to go see Grandpa Zhang. It's so cold in the yard, why don't you come inside and talk?" Jiayin walked up to her brother and spoke to him.

Jiaren said, "I knew you were going to see Doctor Zhang. I have nothing else to do, so I'll go with you."

"Hehe, Big Brother is the best." Jiayin stepped forward, took Big Brother's arm, nodded to Mu Xu, and then walked out.

Shuiyun, Shuiyue, and Zheng Sanjiang followed behind.

Mu Xu walked slowly at the back, and only entered the Ye family's courtyard next door after watching them walk away.

Ye Shan and Dong Mei tidied up a side room. When Mu Xu came in, Ye Shan smiled and said, "Little Mu, you can stay here in peace from now on. The Marquis should be back in another month."

Mu Xu cupped his hands in thanks, "Thank you, Uncle Shan, Aunt Mei."

After saying that, he rolled up his left sleeve, revealing a plum blossom birthmark near his elbow, wanting to prove his identity to the two men.

Ye Shan and Fuyu Mei both laughed.

Ye Shan patted him on the shoulder and said, "You don't need to do that. We know you're not someone else impersonating me."

"The Marquis has told us about your background in detail before, and he even drew a portrait of you himself. We will not mistake you for someone else."

"Otherwise, if we had met at the shop before, I wouldn't have let you come back in the car. Don't be shy in the future, treat this place like your own home."

"When the Marquis returns, he will naturally arrange a job for you."

Dongmei smiled and said, "You must have suffered a lot these past few years, but now you've finally come home."

"You can stay here without worry. Eat what you want and play what you want. It would be even better if you could help us look after the princess on weekdays."

"The masters of the Li family are all kind and honest, and the princess is an especially good person. You'll understand once you spend more time with her."

As she spoke, she handed Mu Xu a new set of jacket, trousers, and undergarments, and said, "There's a hot spring in the right side room. Go wash up and go to bed early."

"When I have some free time these next couple of days, I'll make you a few more sets of clothes and shoes!"

After Mu Xu thanked her again, Dongmei pulled Ye Shan out.

The room suddenly fell silent. Mu Xu put down his coat and trousers, lay down on the kang (a heated brick bed), and let out a long sigh of relief…

It was winter, and the villagers rarely had any free time, but they couldn't stay idle, so shoveling snow became the best job.

Not only is it not too tiring, but the young and old can also chat and laugh while working together.

So even though there has been a lot of snow recently, there is still no snow on the main roads and alleys in the village.

As soon as they turned into the back street, they ran into the village chief and Uncle Zhao strolling along the road, and inevitably had to exchange a few words.

Seeing that no one was around, the village chief asked in a low voice, "Princess, I saw that the master sent people to Doctor Zhang's place again. Is there any progress on that matter?"

Jiayin nodded gently and said a few words, "Yes, Grandpa Village Chief, my uncles have been busy for a long time, and they are finally almost done."

"Don't worry, old man. As long as we protect the village and prevent bad people from taking advantage of the situation, this matter will be over soon."

"Okay, okay, then we don't need to worry!" The village chief breathed a sigh of relief. "The New Year is just two months away. We don't ask for anything else, just that everyone is safe and sound and can be reunited with their families."

After exchanging a few more words about village matters, the brother and sister bid farewell to the village chief and the others, and then headed to the back of the village.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance of Dr. Zhang's courtyard, a scream came from inside.

Jiaren immediately covered his sister's ears, feeling extremely regretful.

If he had known the interrogation had started, he should have come alone.

What if I scare my little sister?!

Jiayin was curious and eager to go in and take a look, but she was also a little scared.

So she stood on tiptoe and peeked into the yard a few times.

Hearing the commotion, Li Zhensheng quickly came out. Seeing his niece at the door, he glared at his nephew and muttered, "Why did you bring your sister here? Girls are timid. What if she gets scared and can't sleep at night? Your grandma will scold you!"

Jiaren smiled wryly and said, "Uncle, I was too naive."

“I thought it hadn’t started yet, and my sister was worried about that little girl who was poisoned and made mute, so I came with her.”

Li Zhensheng waved his hand towards the courtyard, and Zheng He, who was guarding the door, said something to the house. Immediately, there was no sound from inside, and Jiaren then lowered his hands.

Once Jiayin was free, she immediately asked, "Uncle, what did Grandpa Zhang say? Is Grandpa Zhang confident that he can cure the little girl's throat?"

"Whatever medicinal herbs you need, I have them all."

Li Zhensheng nodded and said, "Dr. Zhang said he was 80% sure. He has already given the little girl acupuncture, and he will also need to brew and feed her medicine later."

"Whether it can be fully recovered will only be known in a few days. If you are worried, you can leave someone to help look after it. It will also be convenient for them to run errands back to you to get the medicine."

"Besides, Dr. Zhang doesn't have anyone here who can take care of children, so tonight... he'll be a bit busy."

Jiayin looked at Shuiling and Shuiyun, and Shuiyun immediately stepped forward and said, "Princess, let me take care of the little girl."

Jiayin nodded. Shuiyun has a good temper and is patient. She can also cook very well. It would be perfect for her to stay.

Li Zhensheng immediately began to shoo people away, "Jiaren, stay here. Fu Niu'er, hurry back and rest. Remember to call Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er over."

Clearly, he wanted to take this opportunity to let the boys in his family build up their courage and get them involved in protecting the family.

It has to be said that Li Zhensheng completely inherited the old lady's double standards.

My niece is a treasure. I hope she is free from all darkness and filth in the world and lives only in light and beauty.

But the son and nephew had to be thrown into the darkness and filth to roll around a few times, euphemistically called "training"...

Jiayin, filled with the joy and warmth of being favored, hurried home.

As I walked to the door, I saw Tao Hongying returning from the second village.

She rushed over and hugged her mother's arm, grinning as she said, "Mom, do you know what? Being born into our family is such a lucky thing!"

Tao Hongying was a little dizzy from her daughter's flattery and subconsciously asked, "What's wrong? Did you get into trouble again?"

"Mom, you underestimate your daughter! Waaah, I was just feeling touched, and you just had to put me down like this, I'm so sad!" Jiayin protested, hugging her mother and acting coquettishly.