Upon reaching the front, the embroiderer led Ah Li to find Tong Meng.

Tong Meng had already counted the silver. She handed the silver to Ali, stood next to Ali, and asked in a low voice, "Didn't your father come with you today?"

"He's waiting for me outside."

Tong Meng then grasped Ali's hand and said, "Let me introduce you to him later."

Ah Li looked up at Tong Meng. Did this person have taken a liking to Old Man Lin?

Tong Meng wasn't embarrassed at all; she openly let Ali see that she had taken a liking to Old Man Lin.

"Okay, I'll talk to him about it later."

"Then I'll leave this to you. If we become a family, you can move in with me. I've also bought a small, spacious courtyard here."

Tong Meng took Ali's arm and walked out with Ali.

Old Man Lin had been wondering why today had taken so long, but now that he saw Ah Li come out safe and sound, he was relieved.

He then saw that the woman had also come out with Ahri, so he snorted and looked away.

Tong Meng looked at Old Man Lin with great interest; this man was indeed getting more charming with age.

"Father, let me introduce you. This is Manager Tong from the embroidery workshop."

Old Man Lin replied dismissively, "I've seen it. It's getting late, we should head back."

Ah Li looked apologetically at Tong Meng; since her father wasn't cooperating, there was nothing she could do to help.

Tong Meng said it was okay, people don't develop feelings for each other at first sight, it takes time to get to know each other. "No rush, there's plenty of time. You should go back now."

"good."

Ah Li got into the carriage, and Old Man Lin didn't bother with any pleasantries with Tong Meng before driving off.

Ah Li couldn't tell Old Man Lin that Tong Meng had feelings for him, since she was his daughter-in-law, and it was a sensitive matter.

Old Man Lin spoke first, saying, "That Tong Meng has poor eyesight, and I don't like the way she speaks."

Back then, she misunderstood his relationship with Ahri, and he still remembers it to this day.

Old Man Lin was thinking that it was fortunate there weren't many people around at the time, otherwise if someone had overheard and spread some gossip, it wouldn't have been good for anyone.

Upon hearing this, Ah Li knew that Old Man Lin could sense Tong Meng's feelings for him, and this was a clear rejection.

"You should stay home and take good care of yourself. Wenqing left a lot of money before she left. I'll go and cultivate some land and grow some vegetables. You don't have to do embroidery."

"good."

Ah Li agreed. Last time, Old Man Lin didn't want her to come here to deliver embroidery, but it was the only place in town that did it.

In addition, it's still early in the pregnancy. When the pregnancy progresses and the belly gets bigger, it will be inconvenient to sit and embroider.

Eight months have passed in the blink of an eye.

The weather was a bit gloomy that day. Lin Wenqing returned, but Hongqing did not come back with her.

Old Man Lin was still muttering, "That little puppy that kid bought has grown into a big yellow dog, and he never comes back to visit."

Lin Wenqing remained silent, his expression filled with unspeakable grief.

Ah Li looked at him, and he reached out and took Ah Li's hand, saying, "He saved me, and now his fate is unknown."

That day, they had investigated everything thoroughly and were just waiting to send the evidence back to the capital so that the capital would send people to investigate it thoroughly.

However, another group of assassins appeared, trying to prevent them from sending out the evidence and even attempting to kill them to silence them.

At that time, it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that it was a matter of life and death.

Lin Wenqing protected Hongqing as they fought and retreated. When they reached the edge of an underground river, Hongqing said to Lin Wenqing, "She is still waiting for you to return. I know you are a good swimmer. I will lure the people away, and you can swim out along this underground river to find the nearest post station. Have them escort you to the capital, and then you can find an opportunity to present the evidence."

Hongqing's voice was soft, but it conveyed an undeniable determination.

Lin Wenqing knew this parting might be forever. He whispered, "If we're going to leave, we'll leave together. We still have to fight side by side."

Lin Wenqing gripped his longsword and charged head-on at the approaching assassin.

Hongqing cursed under his breath, "This idiot." But he couldn't let anything happen to him; she was still waiting for him.

Immediately afterward, a fierce exchange of swords and spears ensued, and Lin Wenqing and Hongqing were ultimately no match for them.

In the critical moment, Lin Wenqing took a knife for Hongqing and rushed towards him. The two fell into the dark river together and quickly disappeared into the water.

This underground river appears calm on the surface, but beneath the surface, turbulent currents surge.

Lin Wenqing also told Ali that when he regained consciousness in a shallow area, he did not see Hongqing.

The evidence was still on him. Carrying the evidence, he went through many twists and turns before finally reaching the nearest post station.

At that time, he handed the evidence to the officials at the post station, and he also waited there, hoping that Hongqing could find his way here. He also asked the people at the post station to help him find Hongqing.

As a result, after waiting for more than half a month, Hongqing still did not appear, and no one could find him.