Wang Guifen whispered, "It's not necessarily about making the decision. Look, there are many oxcarts behind the governor, carrying things. They've come all this way; they can't be carrying things just for fun, can they?"

It looks more like a thank-you gift to me, but we still need to be polite later; after all, it belongs to the governor's family, understand?

"We know! We're not stupid, of course we know when to quit while we're ahead." Fan Xiaoliu chuckled foolishly.

Zhang Xiaogou added, "The governor has no grudge against us, and those words weren't said by him. We can tell the difference."

Wang Guifen breathed a slight sigh of relief.

When the other boys heard Wang Guifen mention the thank-you gift, they asked curiously, "Sister-in-law Guifen, didn't we already give a thank-you gift? Why is there another one?"

After all, last time we had over three hundred taels of silver and dozens of livestock!

That kind of thank-you gift is already quite impressive, there can't possibly be more, right?

Wang Guifen hesitated, "I was just guessing, let's see first."

Ling Ce walked up to Shui Qing, bowed deeply, and solemnly thanked her, saying, "Thank you for saving my son's life."

Apart from Shui Qing, who else present had this experience?

They hopped away as fast as rabbits, giving way to each other.

He immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness, they weren't here to vent their anger on his wife and second son.

With their spirits lifted, everyone was more interested in watching the excitement, and they ran briskly towards the oxcart, circling around it to take a closer look.

In front of us, on the oxcart, there were sacks piled high, which looked like grain.

The last two were horse-drawn carriages with sidecars, but the inside was obscured. The less they could see, the more curious they became, but everyone knew proper etiquette and simply gathered around to discuss.

Shui Qing was truly surprised that Ling Ce would come to thank her, and it just so happened that she ran into his wife and son.

Suddenly remembering what he had said about his relationship with Ling Ran's mother, his heart skipped a beat, and he asked uncertainly, "You... your wife came here, it wasn't at your behest, was it?"

And regarding the things you brought, let's get this straight up: if it's to get my daughter to be your son's concubine, absolutely not, I won't accept them."

The latter part was actually said intentionally, because she was afraid that Sang Rou and the others would distort the truth and keep it from Ling Ce, and she also revealed the reason why the two of them were beaten.

Ling Ce's old face turned bright red, and he hurriedly explained, "No, I didn't know they were coming! I didn't tell her. I will investigate this matter thoroughly when I get back."

These gifts have nothing to do with them. As for concubines, or even marriage, I haven't considered it at all! I only want to express my gratitude with gold and silver; I have no other thoughts!

Even if it's to repay a debt of gratitude, the engagement will be given to Ling Ran, not Ling Qiang, and certainly not as a concubine.

He had always considered himself the victim, and now he realized that he had harmed the Zhu family and his son, so how could he let Ling Ran suffer the same pain as him!

And Hu Shuiqing is right, repaying kindness can be done with tangible things, without the need for empty gestures like offering oneself in marriage. If it's not done properly, wouldn't it be no different from revenge?

Upon hearing the words "thorough investigation," Yan Qiu looked up at her mother beside her. This must be her mother's ultimate goal.

His mother was paving the way home for Lingran, clearing away the thorns along the way.

Shui Qing's face showed joy and trust, and his tone was full of apology: "That's good. It was our fault for hurting your wife and son. I was really confused at the time."

Lord Ling, you probably can't understand my heart as a mother. If your precious daughter, whom you raised with the utmost care, were treated like merchandise and someone casually said, "They've taken a liking to you," and wanted her as a concubine, you would be just as angry as I am!