Such a commotion so early in the morning naturally woke up the children. When Jiang Ling closed the door, she saw that even the pregnant Shen Congxin was looking at her with a worried expression.

Looking at the children's worried eyes, Jiang Ling tried to compose herself and said softly, "It's still early, go and get some sleep. Cong Xin, you're pregnant, and not getting enough rest isn't good for you or the baby!"

"Yaojie, take your wife back to her room and let her rest for a while!"

"Suihe, go take another nap, or you'll fall asleep in class, and Wu Xiucai might spank you!"

"Nianci, go to sleep now, or you won't grow tall. If people call you a shorty, your mother won't help you!"

Jiang Ling gave instructions to the children.

The children exchanged glances and stood still. Jiang Ling frowned slightly, her voice becoming more forceful, "Why are you all so disobedient? What are you standing there like idiots for? If you're not going to sleep, then I'm going to sleep!"

As she spoke, Jiang Ling deliberately yawned and walked towards her room.

As soon as she closed the door, Jiang Ling's throat tightened, she forced a bitter smile, and tears streamed down her face.

Since arriving in Lujia Village, she had never suffered such injustice. She suddenly hated this era. Why could the emperor so easily decide people's life and death, and their marriages?

She began to miss her modern self, when even though she was an old maid and people gossiped about her behind her back, it didn't matter to her, and she could make her own decisions about marriage.

Jiang Ling finally couldn't hold back anymore. She slid down the door and cried for a long time. At this moment, her heart was both swollen and heavy, like a hanging sack filled with something, sinking uncontrollably.

After an unknown amount of time, Jiang Ling's eyes became sore from crying before she gently wiped away her tears. She believed that she would not be defeated by such a thing. She refused to believe that if she really did not want to get married, they would tie her up and forcibly throw her to that governor.

"Go! Shengjing!" This thought suddenly exploded in Jiang Ling's mind.

She suddenly stood up from the ground, walked quickly to her desk, took out a notebook and a ballpoint pen from the drawer, and began to plan what to do next.

After Jiang Ling finished all this, night gradually fell.

Although the children were worried about their mother, seeing Jiang Ling's face contorted with anger in the morning, none of them bothered her that day. They quietly went about their own business. At noon, Jiang Yaojie took the initiative to cook for his wife and younger siblings.

Jiang Ling looked at the densely packed plans on her notebook and finally nodded in satisfaction. When her gaze inadvertently drifted to the window, she realized the sky was now filled with stars.

"Oh no, the children's food!" Jiang Ling hurriedly threw her notebook and pen into the drawer and rushed out of the bedroom to head to the kitchen.

When she saw the scene in the kitchen, she froze on the spot.

The dishes and chopsticks had already been washed and put back in their place. A small flame was burning on the stove under the pot. This flame and temperature would not cause the water to boil too much or burn the pot, but it would keep the food inside warm and prevent it from getting cold.

Jiang Ling was deeply moved. She gently lifted the pot lid, and after a burst of steam, a bowl of mixed grain rice and two hot dishes, one meat and one vegetable, appeared in front of her. At this moment, Jiang Ling felt a mix of emotions.

Although the food was far inferior to her cooking skills, Jiang Ling found it very appetizing and ate it all up in no time.

She walked out of the kitchen and saw that the children's lights were still on. After hesitating for a moment, she knocked on each of their doors and asked them to gather in the yard, including Shen Congxin, who was pregnant.

The children stood nervously in place, their eyes occasionally glancing at Jiang Ling.

Jiang Ling tried her best to appear calm and normal, and said in a low voice, "You must have heard some of what happened during the day, right?"

The children exchanged glances and nodded slightly. Perhaps afraid of being scolded by Jiang Ling, they all lowered their heads and dared not look at her.

“Don’t be afraid, Mother won’t blame you, but Mother needs to go out for a while,” Jiang Ling continued.

"What? Mother! You! Where are you going?" Jiang Yaojie exclaimed in surprise.

Although Jiang Yaojie underwent a complete transformation after leaving Lu Youren's home, the words "outsider" were like a branding iron, deeply imprinted on Jiang Yaojie's heart.

Even though many people now respectfully call him Boss Jiang, Jiang Yaojie sometimes dreams of those unbearable memories from the past.

When he heard that Jiang Ling was going out, Jiang Yaojie's first reaction was to worry that his mother would abandon him.

Jiang Ling saw through Jiang Yaojie's thoughts and said with a smile, "Yaojie, don't worry, I'm just going out to take care of some business. I'll come back on my own when I'm done!"

Jiang Yaojie didn't say anything more, but he inexplicably tightened his grip on Shen Congxin's hand. Shen Congxin felt a little pain from his grip, but seeing the complicated expression on her husband's face, she didn't say anything.

"Yaojie, you are the eldest child in our family. Now that you are married and about to become a father, you are an adult. Take good care of your sister Suihe while your mother is away!" Jiang Ling said, glancing at Jiang Yaojie.

"Yaojie, help Nianci pack her luggage in a bit, I'm taking Nianci with me!" Jiang Ling's gaze fell on Nianci.

Nianci's expression froze for a moment. He frowned and looked at Jiang Ling, his throat bobbing slightly, but he didn't say anything.

As for Nianci's identity, it was actually an open secret in the Jiang family long ago. Moreover, Nianci was not stupid. When he saw Su Shunhe that day, perhaps because of the blood relationship, he had a very subtle feeling in his heart.

But he didn't ask, and just waited silently for Jiang Ling to tell him the answer.

Jiang Yaojie seemed a little surprised, but seeing his mother's expression, he didn't dare to ask any further questions and could only nod in agreement.

"Suihe, study hard while your mother is away! Don't be lazy, okay?" Jiang Ling looked at her most sensible daughter, Jiang Suihe, and after thinking for a moment, she still gave her a word of advice.

Jiang Suihe nodded without saying anything.

Looking at the children's expressions, Jiang Ling tried to comfort them, saying in a relaxed manner, "Alright, alright, it's not like your mother is never coming back. She's just going to take care of some things. Be good at home and wait for your mother to come back, okay? Yaojie, go help Nianci pack her things now. We're going to the county government office first!"

...

Since his impulsive confession last time, Magistrate Duan has been restless and scratching his head these past few days. He even regrets his impulsiveness. If he hadn't said it, he and Jiang might have been friends for life. But now that he has, what if she doesn't leave him in the future?

Just as Magistrate Duan was regretting his impulsive actions, Zhao Liu hurriedly knocked on Magistrate Duan's door.

"Open the door! Open the door! Open the door now!"

The sudden knocking startled Magistrate Duan. Just as he was about to open the door and scold Zhao Liu, the person behind Zhao Liu made him stand there, somewhat stunned.