Song He'er smiled awkwardly and pushed the money in her hand forward again, "One thing at a time, this has nothing to do with whether I have money or not."

“But I didn’t pay the rent for the shop, so you have no reason to give me money.”

Song He'er had already anticipated that Jiang Huaifu would not accept the money. Firstly, he was a proud man, and secondly, if she insisted on giving him the money, he would always think that Song He'er was deliberately distancing herself from him.

That being said, the proper etiquette still had to be observed. After all, Song He'er's family had fled from Xinzhou to Nanzhao, and Jiang Huaifu had to use his connections and spend money to ask people to do things for them, which was no easy task.

Aside from offering him more money as a reward, she didn't seem to be able to help him much.

“You helped us buy new household registration certificates and asked the government to handle many things. This amount of money is nothing. Although you are of noble birth and have no shortage of money, this is no longer Xizhou. Money will eventually run out. I have no other intention than to give you this money. I just want you to be a little richer.”

Jiang Huaifu breathed a sigh of relief, and reluctantly handed the money pouch wrapped in gold paper to Alu beside him, then instructed, "Put the money on the accounts of the Jiangning silkworm breeding workshop, and consider it as mine and Miss Song's."

Seeing that he was determined to do so, Song He'er could not force him and had no choice but to remain silent.

After a moment of stunned silence, several more people entered the inn. They looked burly and didn't resemble ordinary merchants; rather, they seemed to be bodyguards from a security escort agency or guards from a large mansion.

Jiang Huaifu sensed something was wrong with the voice and prepared to leave through the side door with Song He'er.

"What's wrong? Why are you leaving all of a sudden?"

"Those people are probably here to see you."

"Looking for me? No way, I don't have much contact with those kinds of people."

Jiang Huaifu composed himself, his face darkening. He turned to Song He'er with a serious expression and said, "Are you so sure your father won't send someone to look for you? He can escape, so naturally he won't believe that you and your family have simply vanished into thin air. He'll definitely take some action."

If Jiang Huaifu hadn't mentioned him, Song He'er would have completely forgotten about Song Xiaoqi. But now that he was being brought up, she couldn't help but feel her heart leap into her throat.

Moreover, Song Xiaoqi valued that book so much, yet he had given him a fake copy. Now that he had come to his senses, he naturally wanted to search the world for the original book.

"Would he really come all the way to Jiangning in a big way?"

"It's because he didn't plan carefully that he overlooked Xiaoye City and came directly to Jiangning to look for people. If he had gone to Xiaoye City, he might have already found your third uncle's family."

Song He'er then realized the seriousness of the matter. Her family had just settled down, and if a villain like Song Xiaoqi found out, it would surely cause chaos again, and might even reach the imperial court in the Central Plains.

"Boss lady, we're not here for drinks today, we want to ask you about someone." The burly man downstairs said in a rough voice.

Song He'er and Jiang Huaifu hid at the corner of the second-floor staircase, quietly observing the movements of the people downstairs.

The innkeeper's wife greeted them warmly and then invited them into a private room with a smile.

"I wonder what kind of questions you distinguished guests would like to ask me? Why don't we sit down first, have some wine, and ask your questions?"

Judging from the landlady's attentiveness, these burly men must be regulars at this inn.

"No need. We have urgent business today. Our superiors instructed us to find the person within the next few days, otherwise we won't have any peace and quiet anymore..."

"But I wonder what kind of people you gentlemen are looking for?"

"People with a Central Plains accent don't travel alone; they usually go out in groups, including children, men, and women. They are all pretty and don't look like the suffering people."

Upon hearing this, the proprietress pondered for a while, then suddenly realized something. But before she could speak, she swallowed her words. "This... I didn't notice... What do you want with these people? Do you owe them money?"

"Don't worry about anything, just tell me if you've seen it or not."

The proprietress chuckled and shook her head. "I stay in the shop every day, and the shop assistants go to the market to buy groceries, so I have never seen the people that you gentlemen mentioned."

The burly men were regular customers of the restaurant and had some acquaintance with the proprietress, so they didn't make things difficult for them. After exchanging a few words, they sat down to eat.

Song He'er raised her head and silently gazed at Jiang Huaifu. "They really came looking for us... What do we do now?"

"What can we do? For now, don't manage your shops in Xiaoye City yourself. Let the employees keep an eye on them. For safety's sake, don't leave Xiaoyang Village until you find a new place to live. I'll take care of everything else for you."

“Including the silkworm breeding workshops here, that makes three shops. I’m really worried you won’t be able to handle it… Or… we could find someone else to keep an eye on things, like Aunt Ruizhen. Nobody has ever seen her before, so it would be easier for her to get things done.”

Jiang Huaifu nodded, then pulled her towards the side door downstairs...

Back in Xiaoyangzhuang, it was evening. Song Xiaoyu and Zhang Xiue had not yet returned from work. The children were playing on the kang (a heated brick bed), while Chunrao and Chundi were cooking outside.

When Ruizhen saw Song He'er, she was somewhat surprised. "Why did you come back by yourself today? I saw a car not far away just now and thought it was a new person coming to the manor. I didn't expect it to be yours."

Song He'er forced a smile and shook her head, "It's not mine, a friend brought me back."

"Oh, okay, go wash your hands and eat."

“Auntie, you might have to keep an eye on the shop from now on. We’ll be hiding in Xiaoyangzhuang for a while. Just now in the city, we met the people from Xinzhou who came looking for our family. I think you’re a stranger, so they won’t recognize you.”

Upon hearing this, Ruizhen was initially startled, but then composed herself and asked seriously, "It's already past the New Year, why are they still sending people to look for us? What if...?"

"There's no 'what if'... It's just trouble caused by my damned father. It has nothing to do with the government. As long as you stay calm and manage the shop's employees, we can live in peace."

Ruizhen was confused, but she nodded nonetheless and went to the stove to prepare the meal.

Since they opened the shop, their meals at home have improved. Any leftover ingredients from the shop are taken home.

Fortunately, Zhang Xiu'e was a thrifty person. She dug a cellar in the yard and stored some fresh fruits and vegetables in it, which would not spoil for three to five days.

As darkness fell, Song Xiaoyu returned, looking displeased and burdened with numerous legal troubles.

"What's going on now? There are quite a few customers in the store, aren't there?"