Mrs. Su tapped her cute little nose again, "You little darling, didn't you say you didn't want an engagement? Now you're bringing up cousins ​​getting married...?"

She blinked, recalling how Zhou had held her daughter so affectionately just now. "So, what you're trying to say is that you don't want to be betrothed to the Yun family? Did your great-aunt say something to you?"

Actually... Xiao Youran and the Yun family are related by marriage... but they're worlds apart... but Xiao Youran probably doesn't know that.

Xiao Youran shook her head, "No. But Mother, I don't want to be engaged!"

Su hugged her and kissed her repeatedly, saying, "Don't worry, you're still so young, I wouldn't bear to marry you off to someone so early!"

Outside, Aunt Yun, cursing all the way back to the clan chief's house with her daughter-in-law's help, tripped and fell face-first into the mud as she stepped across the threshold.

Feng, who was supporting her, was also dragged and bumped into the door frame.

The maids and servants behind them were startled and quickly helped the two of them up.

Both of them had mouths full of blood.

Aunt Yun cried out "Ouch, ouch!" and spat out three teeth.

Feng's situation was somewhat better; his front teeth were stained with blood but hadn't fallen out, though they were loose when touched.

She immediately screamed in terror.

The pain is secondary; the main concern is that this front tooth is loose. Will it fall out? If it does, there will be a gaping hole in my mouth!

Oh my god!

Does she still want to see anyone?

The village chief's wife, who was also the clan chief's wife, and their daughter-in-law ran out when they heard the noise. They were terrified when they saw what was happening. "Quick, quick, help them up! Come inside and sit down. Go and call Doctor Wang!"

The village chief's daughter-in-law immediately ran towards the door, but after a few steps she came back. "Mother, that Doctor Wang isn't in Sanyang Village right now! He went to the county town!"

Aunt Yun immediately cried out in anguish again.

But misfortune never comes singly. A servant boy came running in, breathless, shouting, "Madam, something terrible has happened! Madam, something terrible has happened!"

The old woman next to him kicked him, "The old lady is perfectly fine! What nonsense are you spouting!"

The servant didn't even bother to explain, "Madam, the eldest young lady has returned to the manor, saying... she was... she was sent back to her parents' home by the Chen family..."

Aunt Yun couldn't catch her breath, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted!

...

However, the old house became lively again in the afternoon.

Just then, a horse-drawn carriage stopped in front of the old house.

A bright-eyed, white-toothed girl jumped off the carriage, knocked on the door, and asked the driver to unload the things from the carriage.

Having learned from what happened that morning, the old house's doors were not wide open to welcome guests, but rather kept tightly shut.

The girl smiled slightly, thinking to herself, "Just as I thought."

The first New Year must have been the most painful and unbearable time for them.

During the Lunar New Year, when every household is celebrating with firecrackers and enjoying good food and drink, the Yun family has not only just lost three loyal servants, but must also be out of food. During the Lunar New Year, it would be inappropriate to ask their relatives for food, so they must all be grieving inside their house.

The Yun family was incredibly lucky. They went without food for half a month, yet no one starved to death. Even that old codger is still alive and well.

Otherwise, she could have actually taken action and saved his life.

She wanted to send them a cartload of food during the Spring Festival, when they were at their most difficult and desperate time, so that they would remember her great kindness in saving their lives.

But so many people were bringing them food to save their lives. If one of them were about to die, it would be best if it was that old codger...

So she had also prepared some gifts in her sleeve, ready to act according to the circumstances.

If she had truly saved that old geezer's life, she would never have sided with that little bitch in the future!

Thinking of this, a smile appeared on her face.

Footsteps came from behind the door. It was Yun Manhan, the fourth daughter who was eight years old after the New Year, who ran over to open the door.

Upon opening the door, Yun Manhan saw a young woman and asked curiously, "Who are you looking for, miss?"

The girl smiled sweetly, "Are you Tian Kuang's younger sister? What's your birth order?"

Yun Manyan hesitated before answering, "I'm the fourth in line..."

"So it's Fourth Sister." The girl's smile grew even sweeter. "My name is Shi Wenxia. My father went through life and death on the battlefield with your eldest uncle, and my mother is your distant cousin..."

Upon hearing this, Yun Manhan slammed the door shut and ran to the back.

Shi Wenxia was completely dumbfounded: ...

Did she say something wrong?

What she didn't know was that after Aunt Yun Liu's visit that morning, the younger generation of the Yun family disliked being called "aunt" or "cousin." So when Yun Manhan heard that another distant aunt had come, she instinctively slammed the door shut.

She ran all the way to the back and found Li, who was preparing to wash clothes. "Mother, another cousin's daughter has come..."

Li: ...

So, is it destined that the ancestral home of one's own grandfather will be entangled with a group of paternal aunts?

Could it be that after the old man settled down and established himself in the capital, he was determined to sell or give away all the ancestral land to his relatives, just because he didn't want to come back and see these so-called cousins?

Li glanced at Zhou, who was busy at work, and Guo, who was still sulking and hiding in her room. Yu, who was bathing her son and was covered in water and furious, thought for a moment and decided to go out and see what was going on.

Shi Wenxia was standing at the door, somewhat bewildered. This was not the situation she had imagined.

The fourth girl just now looked rosy-cheeked and chubby, not at all like someone who had been starving for almost half a month.

She hadn't looked closely, but the fourth young lady's clothes seemed to be a light purple, quite vibrant.

I wonder what kind of fabric it is?

Shouldn't they be lacking food and clothing right now, with their clothes tattered and barely changing?

Just then, the door creaked open again, and Madam Li smiled at the young woman before her. "May I ask who you are...?"

The young girl recognized her at a glance; it was none other than the second wife, Madam Li, and she was even more surprised.

Li wore a polite smile, with light makeup, her hair neatly combed and adorned with a silver hairpin.

Looking at her clothes, she wore a Shu brocade jacket with cloud patterns, showing no signs of poverty or lack of food or clothing.

Why?

What exactly went wrong?

How could they possibly have the money to buy hairpins? Even silver hairpins aren't something she and her mother, who live in the county town, can afford to buy often.

Seeing the young girl staring at her in a daze, Li asked again, "Miss, may I ask who you are...?"

Shi Wenxia then realized what was happening and quickly bowed slightly. "Madam, my name is Shi Wenxia, ​​and I am the daughter of Shi Chengyi. My father followed General Yunhou on his campaigns, and we had a good relationship in the early years. My mother is from a branch of the Yun family, and is a distant cousin of General Yunhou. Today, my mother brought me back to my parents' home to pay New Year's respects. Hearing that General Yunhou's family had returned to their ancestral home, she asked my mother to buy some grain, hoping it could be of some help."