"Hahaha……"

Lu Baichuan was in a great mood after being flattered by his son, and like He Jiuniang, he kissed his son's chubby cheek.

After the family finished their sweet talk, Lu Baichuan finally paid attention to the few rascals standing to the side and said, "You keep saying that your uncle is the county magistrate, so let's call the county magistrate over and talk to him first."

The young master, sweating profusely from the pain, kicked the servant beside him upon hearing this and said, "Hurry up! Do you really want me to die here before you're at ease? You bunch of useless trash!"

He never imagined that he had only taken a fancy to a pretty young woman and wanted to take her as a concubine, but ended up losing his finger.

Now that his hands are like this, how is he going to live the rest of his life?

The servant was kicked and became even more frightened. He got up and went to get help, thinking that the magistrate would definitely stand up for them when he arrived. After all, they were the ones who were beaten the worst, and the magistrate was their young master's uncle. He would definitely help their young master.

When the magistrate arrived, He Jiuniang looked around the shop and said to Lianhua, "Calculate the losses and have the magistrate compensate us double later."

He Jiuniang knew the county magistrate. She had even treated the magistrate's daughter before. Moreover, the magistrate's daughter had always been a loyal fan of Lu Heiya (a brand of braised duck), buying a serving almost every day. Based on this relationship, she didn't want to have too much of a falling out with the magistrate.

Therefore, she thought that as long as the magistrate behaved fairly for a while, she wouldn't care too much.

Lotus responded and said, "It's just a pity that all this food fell to the ground."

"It's alright, pick it up first, and after the accounts are settled, take it out to feed the children of poor families."

These things were just thrown on the ground and at most got some dust on them. Blowing off the dust won't affect their usability. Giving them to poor people is much better than throwing them away.

Lotus nodded in agreement. Aunt Jiu Niang was indeed clever; she hadn't even thought of that.

She went to settle the accounts, and Youya diligently began to clean up the mess on the ground, while the other children also went to help.

Lei Zi then moved closer to Lianhua and asked her if she needed help with the accounts.

The accounts were a bit messy today because not only food was damaged, but also tables, chairs, and even walls. So Lianhua was a little slow in calculating. When Lei Zi came over to help, she agreed without much thought.

Lei Zi visibly cheered up and helped with the accounting.

He Jiuniang watched from a short distance away, thoroughly enjoying herself.

She not only fantasized about it herself, but also dragged Lu Baichuan into it, whispering, "Look at them, they're such a perfect match!"

Lu Baichuan felt that it might not be appropriate for an elder to look at these things, so he just glanced at them casually and nodded, saying, "Yes, they are indeed a perfect match."

He Jiuniang immediately became unhappy: "If you're not interested, then don't watch it. You don't have to be so perfunctory with me."

She grabbed her son and instantly ignored him.

The dog glanced at its father and, with a strong survival instinct, said, "Mommy, I've known for a long time that Brother Lei likes Sister Lianhua!"

Sure enough, this successfully piqued He Jiuniang's interest. Her eyes lit up as she asked, "When did this happen? Lei Zi is amazing!"

"After I came back last time, I noticed that Brother Lei would always be smiling to himself. When I asked him what was wrong, he wouldn't say. Later, I noticed that when he talked to Sister Lianhua, his ears turned very red, and sometimes he would look at Sister Lianhua and smile to himself, just like Dad would look at Mom and smile to himself. That's when I knew what was going on!"

Lu Baichuan: !! He wasn't grinning like an idiot!

Hearing her son's words, He Jiuniang looked at Lu Baichuan in disbelief. Really? When had he ever smiled at her? How come she hadn't noticed?

"Cough cough..."

To cover his embarrassment, Lu Baichuan clenched his fist and coughed twice.

The dog, seemingly oblivious to his embarrassment, tugged at his sleeve and deliberately asked, "Daddy, am I right?"

"Uh...yes, yes..."

Seeing his helpless look, He Jiuniang couldn't help but grin.

The dog chuckled to himself. His father was always clever, but he never knew how to make his mother happy. He always managed to make her angry, and she still needed his help in crucial moments!

The rest of the family—some doing the accounts, some cleaning, some tidying up the tables and chairs, some budding with romantic feelings, and some secretly shipping their partners—didn't pay any attention to the young master standing to the side.

The young nobleman was in excruciating pain. Seeing that this family didn't seem to be afraid of him at all, nor did they seem to be afraid of his uncle, the county magistrate, he was instantly overcome with anger and finally fainted spectacularly.

"Young Master! Young Master, wake up! Don't scare us!"

The servant shouted so desperately that He Jiuniang and the others over there could hear him.

Their harsh and grating noises did indeed disturb He Jiuniang, so she had Lingqin bring a bucket of salt water and pour it on the young master's injured hand. The next moment, the familiar sound of slaughtering pigs rang out in the shop again.

The sound was so loud that onlookers couldn't help but take a step or two back, afraid of being deafened.

But should I say something positive? This family is really tough, and they're really ruthless when it comes to disciplining people. Even the bystanders are scared watching them.

Ultimately, however, it was that young nobleman who brought this trouble upon himself; after all, he was the one who started bullying the young girl!

"Aaaaaah, I don't want to live anymore! You bitch!"

He started cursing at Ling Qin, who couldn't stand it and picked up the bucket in her hand to smash it at him.

Before the blow even landed on him, he immediately changed his tune: "Ahhh, don't hit me! Grandma, I know I was wrong! Waaah, I won't do it again!"

Ling Qin was speechless. She spat and said, "Useless thing!"

The young nobleman, unable to vent his anger, held up his injured hand and collapsed into the arms of a servant boy, sobbing, "Waaah, they called me useless! How am I useless? Waaah, they say a wise man submits to circumstances, but when my uncle arrives, I'll..."

"uncle!"

He was halfway through his sentence when he saw the county magistrate rushing over, and he scrambled over to him in a panic.

"Uncle, you must stand up for your nephew! Look at my niece's hands, what will become of me for the rest of my life!"

He stretched out his bloodied and mangled hand in front of the magistrate, who was so frightened that he took several steps back before regaining his footing.

"What on earth is going on?!"

The magistrate's anger surged as he looked at the messy shop and his nephew's four fingers at his feet.

To disregard his dignity in this county town and treat his nephew like this is clearly a slap in his face!

However, as soon as he finished speaking, he saw the couple turn around, and his anger began to falter.

He didn't know Lu Baichuan, but he knew He Jiuniang. Given what had happened with He Jiuniang treating his daughter and the fate of the wealthy Dong, he really couldn't afford to have too much of a falling out with this woman…