Before leaving the city, Lin Yan cooked a thousand portions of hot pot base.

My arms are almost ruined from dryness!

For the past ten days or so, she has been able to stay at home with her family without worry.

Because of the poisoning incident that day, Liu and Old Man Lin behaved themselves for a while.

But recently, the restlessness in their hearts seems to have rekindled.

Seeing that the whole village was getting better, they couldn't stand it anymore and came to ask Lin Zhenghong for money many times, but Yang Jiayi scared them away each time.

Lin Xiaobao has several noticeable scars on his face ever since he was bitten by a wolf that day.

And as a result, he became gloomy.

Those beady green eyes of his always looked at others with a sinister gaze.

When the two wolf cubs were a month old, Lin Yan took them to the back mountain to find their mother wolf.

But the mother wolf didn't know what she was talking to them about.

The two wolf cubs had returned to her side, and she couldn't shake them off no matter what she did!

The mother wolf gave them a deep look, howled a few times, and then left.

From then on, the two wolf cubs, Little White and Big White, were raised at home.

Of course, the family claimed to the outside world that they were wolfhounds.

Ever since Lin Yan adorned Xie Muqing's hair with her hair ornaments that day, he has been sitting in front of the bronze mirror every morning, waiting for her to adorn his hair for him...

She really wanted to refuse, after all, she felt her skills were too poor.

But when she met his tearful eyes, she couldn't refuse his request.

During those days, Xie Muqing always appeared with a messy, disheveled hairstyle.

In the end, Ye Lan couldn't stand it anymore and taught Lin Yan how to put her hair in a hairpin.

From then on, Xie Muqing's hair bun finally looked decent.

During this time, Lin Yan went to the county town and found that Xie Rui and his brother managed the hot pot restaurant very well.

To ensure they could take reasonable leave and to guarantee that the accounts would be sound, she hired a prospective manager for each store.

They usually work as waiters, but they fill in for the manager when he or she is on vacation.

"Sister-in-law, this young master says he wants to see you."

At that moment, Lin Yan was checking the accounts when Xie Rui suddenly interrupted her.

She looked up and discovered that it was Xu Yuze!

Thinking of his purpose in coming here, a hint of impatience flashed between her brows.

But she quickly masked it, a smile spreading across her face.

"What brings you to our county town, sir? Would you like some hot pot? My treat."

Xu Yuze had been secretly observing her expression, and naturally did not miss the subtle expressions on her face.

Seeing this, he maintained a stern expression and spoke calmly:

"No need, I've already eaten. I happen to be in Hongyang County today for an inspection. I wonder if you would have time to accompany me somewhere?"

Lin Yan really wanted to refuse.

But the other party is the prefect, and if she really angers him, she can forget about keeping her shop open.

"Of course."

After closing the ledger, at Xu Yuze's signal, Lin Yan rode Zhu Yue and followed behind their group.

After a stick of incense had burned, they arrived at the house where the two human traffickers had died.

After dismounting, Lin Yan pretended to be visiting this place for the first time, looking around with curiosity on her face.

"Did you bring me here to visit the owner of this house? But this house looks so desolate!"

Xu Yuze had been observing her silently.

She walked past the door of the hanged human trafficker without changing her expression or demeanor.

His brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Could it be that he suspected the wrong person?

Suddenly, Xu Yuze drew his longsword and was about to slash at Lin Yan!

Knowing that he was testing her, Lin Yan pretended to be so frightened that her legs went weak, and she ran around with her head in her hands, using brute force to dodge his longsword.

"Sir, what are you doing?"

Before long, Lin Yan was already panting heavily and collapsed to the ground.

Seeing the long sword aimed straight at her chest, she had no choice but to stare wide-eyed in terror!

But the long sword suddenly stopped when it was half a finger's width away from her chest.

Xu Yuze frowned and sheathed his longsword.

His sword was about to pierce her chest; anyone skilled in martial arts would have found a way to avoid it...

Could it be that he really made a mistake?

She just seemed to be strong, but killing those people was something that couldn't have been done by strength alone!

Thinking about his test just now, Xu Yuze felt quite guilty and bowed to Lin Yan in apology:

"Miss Lin, please forgive me if I offended you while trying to solve the case!"

Seeing that he had finally put away his sword, Lin Yan breathed a long sigh of relief and wiped the cold sweat from her forehead.

"Phew! Sir, you scared me to death! I thought you'd gone mad! Can I leave now? I haven't finished looking at the shop's ledgers yet!"

"I will send men to escort Miss Lin back."

Lin Yan had already cursed Xu Yuze to the bone in her heart!

But she still gave him a big smile.

"Thank you, sir."

Meeting her grateful gaze, Xu Yuze guiltily looked away.

"Of course. If Miss Lin encounters any difficulties in the future, she can come to the prefectural government office to find me, and I will definitely help her!"

"Okay!"

The incident was resolved just like that, and Lin Yan felt much relieved.

After checking the accounts and saying goodbye to Xie Rui, she returned to town to visit Ye Jun.

At that moment, Xie Li was feeding him porridge, and her uncle's eyes were practically glued to her!

She didn't even notice when she walked into the house.

I can't bear to look...

"Looks like I've come at the wrong time?"

Upon seeing Lin Yan, Xie Li immediately put down her bowl and spoon, blushed, and stood up awkwardly to the side.

Ye Jun's delicate face also turned bright red.

Seeing Lin Yan's hesitant expression, Xie Li silently left with her bowl and spoon, leaving the two of them alone.

"Uncle, what are you thinking?"

Ye Jun's gaze followed the beautiful figure until she could no longer be seen, then he turned his gaze away to answer Lin Yan's question.

"I...I want to marry Miss Xie!"

Lin Yan was not surprised by this.

But she was worried about other things.

Although it's normal for widows to remarry these days, the villagers in the small mountain village are not as open-minded as those in the county seat.

"Do your maternal grandparents agree? After all, she is not only four years older than you, but she is also divorced and has two children."

“I will talk to my parents. They are not the kind of old-fashioned people.”

Seeing how engrossed he was, Lin Yan didn't know what else to say and could only sigh softly.

"Since you've made your decision, that's good. But she's already been betrayed once, and she might not be willing to suffer a second time. You must never betray her again, or I'll disown you as my uncle."

"Don't worry, I will never let her down!"

Out of the corner of her eye, Lin Yan caught a glimpse of a figure flash past the door, and a slight smile crept onto her lips.

But things don't always go as planned.

Around noon, the Xie family welcomed an unexpected person.

Looking at the boxes of betrothal gifts in the courtyard, Madam Xie couldn't help but frown.

Suppressing her anger, she looked at the man leisurely sipping his tea and asked him incredulously:

"Who do you want to take as a concubine?"